Apparently I make costumes
My dear friend Larue commented on facebook the other day, as I was working on a skirt (which I’ll feature very soon, promise), that when I first joined forces with the Wench Posse I said I’d wear the Mary Queen of Scots she’d planned for Project Tudor (didn’t end up happening, which is totally cool, because I have my awesome Elizabethan) but past that I don’t know how much costuming I’d really do.
Ah, good times.
Fast forward to Mid-September when I saw this pattern at work:
I practically found myself in a puddle on the floor. Holy stinking monkey that Bo Peep costume is ADORABLE!
Then a couple weeks later, Rocketdog was asking Rocketpuppy what she should be for halloween. Since Rocketpuppy doesn’t really talk, I piped up that there were cute costumes at work. “To buy or to make?” was the reply. “Well, there is this adorable Bo Peep pattern that I love,” I said. “Rocketpuppy just got this stuffed sheep, and I actually though Bo Peep would be a good costume,” she said. So it was decided.
Another couple of weeks past, and Rocketpuppy would need the costume by week’s end (a full week before Halloween, for another event). I texted Rocketdog to see what she wanted to do about the fabric. “I was thinking light pink or blue. I trust your judgment,” was the reply I got. I had been thinking light blue, so light blue it was.
I had about a day and a half to work. The costume came together really quickly, with the only difficulty being the sleeves. As I mentioned on facebook:
Dear babies of the world: You are constantly disregarding the needs of others; however, your freakishly small baby-sized arms and pain-in-the-ass-to-sew sleeves are the last straw. It’s an adult-sized world; I highly suggest you start conforming.
Despite that, I had a blast making this costume, so now I get to show it off, even if it’s almost a week after Halloween.
ZOMG!!!!Eleventy-one!!!PONIES!!!!!
I’ll give you all a minute to recover. I know she’s stinking cute and that the costume is awesome sauce. Deep breaths.
Check out those bloomers!
Hard to believe, but there’s about ten yards of trim on that baby. Thankfully I had a coupon! Trim is always, ALWAYS, the most expensive part of any sewing project. Fabric goes on sale all the time. Trim never goes on sale. BUT, it’s the trim that takes the design from just another dress to an awesome little Bo Peep costume.
I honestly think Bo Peep was more fun than anything I’ve ever sewn. I don’t know if anything can live up to it.
A finished project? DK?
And it’s for ME! Granted, I’m still making Renaissance underwear (this time slightly more historically accurate), but I managed to squeeze in a little something for myself.
Okay, I’ll be honest. I started this project more than a year ago. I “finished” it once before, but my body dysmorphia resulted in a very large and ill-fitting dress. I took it in today. Finally. Although, I took it in so well that it only fits on models with movable shoulders. Which means we get to suffer through a picture of me instead of a picture of my dressform.
Perhaps the only one suffering is me. Not only do I detest the way I look (body dysmorphia, among other things), but I’m incredibly awkward in general. The awkwardness doubles in front of a camera. Especially on self timer. I had to take a dozen pictures before I could find one I’m happy with.
I first saw a dress like this in a fancy pants store in Toronto. A store in which I could never afford anything on the racks. I’m pretty sure a good chunk, if not all, of the clothing was vintage. Once I got home, I found a pattern for the exact same dress. A short while later, I found the perfect fabric for it. Sew sew sew… Fat.
Now that it’s altered, I rather enjoy the dress. The sleeves might be a little too huge and may be coming in, but other than that, I dig it. So glad I got it to fit right at the end of summer. And when I have no where to wear it. But I have it, and that’s all that matters.
A year in the making
Okay… ten months. Eleven months to get it in place… Whatever. Don’t judge.
I finally finished the couch I picked up off the side of the road last August, but started working on it around labor day. I finished it sometime last month, but we just now got it out of the basement and into its home in the living room.
Mind the clutter...
Ahhh…. Claw feet, nailhead trim, rich colors… I’m actually surprised that I love this fabric as much as I do. I sort of eyed it at work for awhile. Was excited to see it go to clearance, picked up a remnant. Figured I would make a bag out of it, or something. But then I saw this couch, which was a slightly smaller version of what my parents have in their living room, and I knew they were a match. Let’s revisit the before, shall we?
Defying Gravity!
Not really, the couch was laying on its back when this was taken… The couch was filled with straw. Straw, cotton, bird seed, bobby pins, coins, and springs. It was disgusting. Now it’s filled with springs. And foam and batting. Nothing else. Inside the couch, we also found what we can only assume is a scrap of fabric they had on the couch before the rosebud monstrosity. Kind of a burgundy velvet. So we stapled that and a scrap of the roses onto the back before covering it. I don’t plan on getting rid of this couch any time soon. Or really recovering it again in the future. But in case either of those happens, we’ll have a little reminder of what came before. We also signed it somewhere. Because The Hippy and I are weird.
I’ve got about 20 more pictures of the couch being reupholstered. There certainly isn’t room here, so if you’re so inclined, do check out the photobucket.
Sneaky Peak
I’ve started my first serious knitting project. It required learning how to use circular needles, which were so much easier than I anticipated. I’m crossing a fine line here, posting about this project, because it’s a super top-secret project. There is someone in blogland who can’t know what this project is. In the meantime, I feel I’m safe enough showing this WIP picture.
Yes, it's a hat. But that's all you can know about it.
Okay, I’m not the best with ribbing. Hopefully when all is said and done, it won’t be that noticeable. Also when all is said and done will I give credit where credit is due. If, until then, you notice somehow that this is your pattern, don’t freak out. Your work is much appreciated, and will soon be rewarded.
When I’m not baking or sewing…
I’m… well, I’m usually playing Bingo… But when I’m doing productive things, I’m making my kitchen less boring.
Buh-fore... *yawn*
It’s cute to think my kitchen ever looks like that. And by cute, I mean sad, because it doesn’t even look close right now. With the bathroom remodel going on in the renter’s side, life is in flux, his stress is my stress, blah blah blah. At least most of the dishes are clean.
Aftah!
Okay, I mean, it’s not like it’s anything special, but it sure is easier to open the cabinets. I need longer screws for the drawers, but I’m well on my way to a spiffier kitchen. Soon I’ll make the curtains. And I think the Hippy will hate the curtains. Oops! 
I like that the captions make these look like polaroids
Making my house a home
I should have been sewing prototype bags. I will get that done, but I’ve been craving curtains in my own home. My windows have been completely naked save for a blanket over the bedroom window and a towel over the bathroom window since we moved in. So… since the end of November.
The only picture that worked out. Damn you sun!
Ew, ignore that stain on the chair. I really, really, really need to clean the chair, as evidenced by the part that started cleaning itself when I leaned against it with wet hair.
I made two sets of curtains for the living room using a suiting in a color I call “cherry cola.” That picture doesn’t do the color justice. It’s much darker and richer. The suiting has a slubbed texture with darker shades of the red running throughout. I really didn’t want a print because the couch that will eventually be in front of that window is rather busy. I didn’t want a solid because a solid was too boring. When I saw that fabric come off the truck, I knew it was the fabric for my windows.
I may decide to line them someday, just so they don’t fade, but they are purely decorative. I’m not concerned about blocking out light, and the blinds give us privacy. They are floor-to-ceiling, which was slightly unintentional. I didn’t feel like measuring, so I just bought the whole bolt (which ended up being 8 yards, 11 inches). I then split the bolt in thirds, cut two of those thirds in half and the final third in quarters. Added the narrower pieces to the wider pieces, hemmed up the four edges, and poof! Curtains.
I would like to reiterate that other than food and dishes, the best presents I’ve ever been given were power tools. Then directly after that, the knowledge and confidence to use power tools. No woman should ever have to rely on a man to, por ejemplo, put up curtains or build her craft/ironing table. Or put together her Aneboda. She can, however, allow a man the privilege of building something for her, but she shouldn’t rely.
Now I’m off to Target to buy a vaccuum. Oh yeah, haven’t had one of those either. Whoops!
Come Home to a Gnome
I would like to stress that this is pronounced “NOME.” I think I’ll do a feature on the other blog about gnomes of a different color, but today I feel like highlighting and amazing shop on Etsy that I keep going back to over and over. And once I have… oh… furnature… I will be buying goodies from her because I decided I’m just too lazy to build my own.
Enough secrets. My own what? Terrarium.
Keee-EEEWWWWWWWT
Enter GnomeHomes. GnomeHomes is a collaboration between a couple Etsy sellers. Matt is from Haulinoats, which is such an awesome name for a sadly empty shop. Meghan is from 2lilmonkeys, which is another great name and an adorable little shop. But the GnomeHomes… Ooooh, the GnomeHomes…
Awwww
I’ve been fascinated by terrariums since I was a kid. I know I built one once, but I can’t remember if it was in girl scouts, at school, or in day care. Because I was a kid, I probably ended up ignoring it, then my mom ended up ignoring it, and now I have no more terrariums. I think I would still like to build my own with more folliage, but what I find so appealing about the GnomeHomes is the compactness and the colors. Usually I would say red and green is so very Christmas, but the mushrooms work so well will the moss. Of course, that could be because the descriptions claim the mushrooms are orange, but I see red. The exact color is neither here nor there. What matters is that they look amazing together.
Oooh, fancy
Okay, I concede. These mushrooms are red.
Baby Gets a New Bedroom
I had the honor of contributing to what I consider the world’s coolest nursery. What I appreciate about this room is that it doesn’t scream baby, so the parents don’t have to redecorate at all as the child grows. Provided the child isn’t, somehow, deathly afraid of travel.
Armoire with globe
The theme is the world, and the colors are brown, turquise, and orange. The new mother has declared she’s quitting her job and going into interior design. The clients are only allowed to have this room, however.
Crib wall
Some clients will get horizontal stripes.
Canvases featuring continents
My first input in the room was doing the second coats on some of these continents. I also suggested the brown band around the edge, which makes them pop out from the wall. It’s a subtle effect, but I think it works.
Curtains, sofa, chair, light pull
My second print on the room is the light pull. I suggested orange with the disclaimer that it’s just paint. If you don’t like it, paint over it. She liked it. That chair between the rocker and the sofa doesn’t belong there. I used it to hang the curtains…
Curtain Close-Up
This is my nearly-final touch on the room. I’m also lining the roman shades that came with the room/house, but those are worth photographing. The fabric is a Christopher Lowell, which I was pleasantly surprised with. It’s a good sturdy fabric that didn’t shed too much. It wasn’t terribly hard to sew, either, and my machine handled it like a champ until it had to sew through six layers at once. But who wouldn’t complain about that?
Mystery Bag
I haven’t started my mystery bag yet, but I intend to be through Day 1 by the end of today. I do, however, have my fabrics picked out. I’m doing two bags, because I’m worried about liking the first one I picked.
Here’s the back up:
Yellow linen and a printed shirting fabric. Yes, I will iron, but I have to be somewhere in a half an hour, hehe.
Now, the “first pick”:
A ridiculously ugly manufacturer remnant that caught my eye and a pumpkin orange suede. I had to adjust the color on the photo to even do it justice, but everything is far more pumpkiny than the picture would suggest.
More to come
WTJ-WIP
The page(s) I’m working on in Wreck This Journal are going to take me awhile. But I’m rather proud of the work so far, so I figured I would give a sneak peak lest it be awhile before I have a full page to show off.
Fill This Page With Circles
It reminds me a bit of a page out of a Shel Silverstein book. I’m sure there’s a poem that had a picture filled with circles somewhere, but it’s the blob-like shapes that sort of look like his bodies.
In addition, I thought I would introduce the buddy I have working with me on this project. His name is Oly. Say hi to Oly:
Hi, Oly!
This is actually Oly II and in some ways he’s far superior to Oly I. His cap stays put on the end while I’m writing. Oly I would often send his cap flying across the room. Both Oly’s are hands down my favorite gift ever from The Hippy, but Oly II was purely lucky. After I lost Oly I, The Hippy said he’d never be able to get another. But a few days later he texted me to tell me he’d found me one. Score!
At any rate, it’s the best pen I’ve ever had, and Oly II is never allowed out of my sight!
