Technology ate my blog posts!

I was working on set a lot this week; and had written several blog posts to upload later on my Ipad.

Nothing is more annoying than hitting "Save" and then.....it disappears.

(I realized later on why, which isn't important now. But...lesson learned!)

So this week, no quilting....but Lots and LOTS of costuming for some darling girls I happen to know.

Renaissance-themed little dresses and some skirts & wee bags for them. I get to visit them next week when I'm off to sunny southern Florida for a little winter break. Yay!

I always have good help when starting a project.

I'm not very good at following patterns, so I use them as a starting off point. I use select pieces and alter the rest of the design as I go with my sketchbook.

I used a few Simplicity Patterns as a starting off point; and as I don't usually sew kids' clothing, I use the bodice of a dress pattern for proper measurements.

 I love making costumes; you can really let your imagination go. Especially with little girl costumes....any colour, lots of trim...so exciting!

The inside is really messy ....but this is during the basting pinning stage.

 They come together so quickly; and they are so tiny and cute. I love making these; teeny tiny little dresses! SO darling.

This is the back; contrasting fabric. I've had this purple and green for years now; I keep finding lots of places to put it. I've been using some gorgeous rich blues and purples for this little dress.

They come together so quickly I have been working on a few:

This one got a little fancy schmancy. More photos to come when finished & trimmed.

I am continuing to work on these; more photos later on when these guys are all done and finished.

What're you working on this Friday? It's freezing outside.....great day to stay in & sew!

Trimming....Not the Tree Kind

Well I *suppose* you could use these gorgeous trims to trim your tree. They're sparkly enough!

At one of my favourite fabric shops; (see this post here) they had a pre-Christmas Get-Your-Sewing-Started Sale. (And; they do not sponsor me. Heck they don't even know I exist. But I love them.)

Everything in the store was 2-3-4-5-10 dollars a yard. Satins, Lace & Sequined applique Net, Lace panels....FIVE BUCKS..GORGEOUS stretch velvets - FIVE BUCKS! Cottons! THREE BUCKS!!!

and the Bestest part.....the most awesomest part....was The Trim.

Shining sequins, beading, gold & silver threads...two inches wide...TWO DOLLAHS!!!

 For Two. Dollars. A. Yard.

My head nearly exploded.

 Taking photos in there is frowned upon; so I shall leave this magical place to your imagination.

Something like this.

And this. But with trim.

Now, I'm not gonna admit how much I spent....but I know all you sewists/costumers out there would TOTALLY understand. In fact, you're probably nodding your head right now in understanding.

But I had limited time; and it took seriously ALL my self control to get out of that wonderful place in just over an hour.

My booty.

Yep. One Hour.

I had some costumes to alter and fix; one is an easy peasy peasant skirt of silk (I found some awesome remnants years ago at a close out sale).

The other...... is a Beast of a heavy court dress.

 It's Blue Velvet (insert song here) and it is a beast. 

Even after some hard pressing (heh) and steaming, you can still see the creases.

Lots of hand sewing thru mulitple layers...the alterations I had to undo and redo left solid creases & worn down areas to the nap of the velvet.

And that's why trim saves the day..a bit of lace, some silver shimmer, boom.

So that's me....what're you up to? Link up your projects!

 Brag a little! Leave a comment & share some love. :)

Bloomers Photo Shoot - Behind the Scenes

So many moons ago I had a small pop up shoppe at a few local historial shows.

My booth was "Madame Fifi's Froufrous" and we sold bloomers, parasols, fans, etc.

 I have had these bloomers kicking around for awhile begging to be put up on Etsy.

 And so today, I did!

Mini photoshoot in my kitchen; here's some Behind-The-Scenes sillyness for your Friday.

 (The whole time I was thinking...gee I hope no neighbours can see in through my windows watching me trying to do silly things whilst photo-taking, in my kitchen this morning. ) 

Then I realized this would be a funny blog post, so I'm sharing it.

But I still hope my neighbours weren't peeking!

 I started off by just trying to hang them on hangers and get decent shots.

As you can see, it wasn't really getting the results I wanted.

So, THEN I thought; I'll put them on to really show their shape, and use the mirror in the hallway to get a photo.

Yes. Sigh> That's my belly.

And so THAT didn't work. So then..... I got to thinking. The mirror idea was valid; but I'd need good lighting, a simple backdrop......and inspiration hit. 

I dragged the huge hall mirror out into the brightly morning-lit kitchen.

I hung a sheet off our shelf; propped the hall mirror against the kitchen table; under the skylight and VOILA! Instant photo studio. Laugh.

 The first few shots still weren't what i was looking for. They were missing something....then I had my AHA moment. I ran down to the basement and dragged out one of my pirate skirts. Then I raced upstairs to drag out my granny boots and white tights.  And THEN...it looked exactly how I wanted it to look.

So enjoy.... here are some shots of the work in progress.

Super flattering full shot (ACK) .Here's my rig as it appearing in the mirror!

OOOps! Can't balance and take photos.

Non-Flattering BEHIND the scenes. Laugh.

Gettin' my good side...heheheh.....stretch....

Vamp wasn't sure what was going on but I was blocking her view of outside.

But, the mirror made an okay cheek scratcher so.....

 

Muffin watching me thinking "what is she up to now..."

Please don't fall on me ...she seemed to say

Realized I didn't have to balance if I rested my foot on a chair. Duh. Muffin was *right* under me the entire time.

Full length!

 So that's that!! My bloomers are up and online at my Etsy shop. Perfect for Cosplay, Renfests, Steampunk, you name it!! AND they're all under $40. Plus I can do custom black or white ones for you. Keep your eyes peeled, I will be working on more as the fancy hits!!

It's Labour Day weekend, so I'll be off for a while. What're you up to this weekend?? Leave a comment, I'd love to know.