A Bit Sheepish

So, as well all know, I'm a cheapskate. Remember the scarf that I reverse engineered in order to not pay $7 to the designer? Well, my pride and close-fisted-ness has struck again. This time, it's a bag.

Look at this pretty little bag. It's got little fold away pockets for your jars and it looks solidly made. $27 for a bag? Nuh uh. But oh look! You can buy the PDF pattern for $5! Still not paying $5. So I figure I'll just make it up. How hard can it be? She gives a required materials list and measurements.

And here's where I screw it up.

The bag measures 9" tall, and 12" wide when laid flat.

Does that look like it's wider than it is tall? No! So between her using the wrong words and my not checking with the picture, I have a bag that is wider than it is tall.

This also means that I have a ridiculously large opening which flaps around. So I added little button tabs to keep it reasonably sized. So my bag looks absolutely nothing like hers, in addition to being made in a different manner, I'm sure.

Things That I'm Sure I Did Differently:
-- dimensions. Duh.
-- I can fit three jars, but have only two holders. Whoops.
-- I opted to have all of the lining pieces firmly attached to the outer pieces, instead of making two bags and attaching them together (which I think is what she did).
-- I didn't use fusible fleece, I cut up an old skooshy curtain and machine-quilted three pieces together for the bottom and for the jar holders.
-- I literally threw this together in a few hours. I think the original is a bit more planned and perfected.
-- I was too lazy to make straps. So I stitched together two lengths of ribbon (the red) anytime a strap was called for (also when one of my sides came up short).

So, that's my little fail-lunch-bag. I'mma make another one, and hopefully this one will come out a bit better.

Costuming Round Up

So, the project is over, the con is done. I made two corsets, a vest and skirt combo, and four bustle skirts based upon this incredibly easy pattern.

The one thing that I would say about the instructions is this: don't worry about it. The designer is apparently overly fussy. That, and I didn't bother to pin the bustle flat -- I pinned it on a form, as any sensible person should do (rather than pin it flat, put it on a form/person, and futz with it for a while).

K -- could we have you and/or mom put on the bustle and just take a snap shot of the back and side views? That'll be quick and easy. Thanks!

Corset Update!

So I took photos of the entire process of making the corset, bar drafting the pattern (sorry R!). Warning: massive use of an iron ahead!

Having chalked on the pattern onto the fashion fabric with 1/2" seam allowances.

The coutil (black) and the lining (blue) cut out.

A close up of the coutil fabric. Coutil is a super tightly woven canvas-like fabric that is used as the foundation of corsets.

Attaching the coutil to the fashion fabric along the seamline (where I want the seams to be). After sewing, press flat.

After cutting out and adding coutil to two pieces, I sewed them together. Note the fun in pinning opposing curves!

After removing all of those pins, press the seam open.

You'll then want to trim the seam down to 1/4". Note the difference between before and after. :-P

You're then going to cover each seam with prussian tape, and stitch along each side of the tape to tack it down. Press after sewing.

A close up of the prussian tape: this is 1" wide softly woven tape, that has the flexibility of bias tape, but is far sturdier and doesn't ravel.

At the ends of each chain of pattern pieces (5 per side of the corset) I satin stitched the edge. I would have serged it if I had a serger, but that's how it goes.

A long shot of all that I completed before work. Not bad for about 4.5 hours of work!

Still to be completed: putting together the lining, attaching the bone casing, putting in the bones (perhaps cutting and tipping bones as well), attaching lining to the corset, putting on the hooks and eyes, and adding grommets. It looks like I'll have time to make myself a shiny new corset as well!

Costume Update

So remember the outfit I was making for my mother? Well, since I last wrote about it, the hong kong seams for the skirt has been completed (from start to finish for each seam (including cutting out bias tape) it was ~45 mins!), and the skirt stitched together. It wants a "skirt belt", and some hemming by hand, which I'm putting off until I can no longer feel like I'm wasting time by not being at the machine.

That was completed by Saturday morning. Also on Saturday, I made the vest.



Previously, all that was completed was the cashmere was cut out. I also had to cut out the lining (98% silk, 2% lycra -- what a dumbass I am!), and throw it all together. The collar is not lying as flat as I would like, and I totally set in the collar upside down twice in a row. Because I was feeling like the vest was going far too easily, I decided to up the difficulty level by throwing in some little welt pockets.

So I pulled out my Stitch Bible and discovered that the instructions were cryptic. (These were written by me, mind you) So to the internets I went, only to find more cryptic instructions that were more difficult.

So after staring at my demo piece and staring at such phrases as "...attach the pocket front to the front..." (<-- I suck), I mostly figured it out. Sadly, I mostly figured it out AFTER completing one and realizing why it sucked.



But they're not that bad, and they're only 2" long anyways.

I also have the most adorable buttons for it!



So I finished that Saturday as well and began the corset on Sunday.

Hong Kong Seams

It's now time for Sewing Lessons with Dea! R, this is for you. :-P

As I work on the outfit for my mother, I will post progress reports. This is a beautiful hunter green (the pictures make the color wonky) cashmere knit of a light-weight woolen texture. Since this fabric is so gorgeous, I have to style it to the best of my ability. One of the tricks to make professional quality clothing is the nature of the stitches. You can have a bare-bones stitch, or you can bind off the rough edges in a number of ways. French seams, serging, or Hong Kong seams are all valid options. I chose to do Hong Kong seams here.

What you need for Hong Kong seams are 1/2" seam allowance on your fabric, bias tape, and an iron. I made my bias tape out of a funky stash fabric to add a nice contrast (this will not be visible when wearing).

The only images missing are drawing many diagonal lines on three yards of fabric.

Bias tape, after being stitched, prior to being cut.

Bias tape, after being cut.

Bias tape and outfit piece, sewn right sides together, and pressed open.

Folding the bias tape back over itself to the edge of the nice fabric, and pinning in place.

Folding the pinned bias tape over the edge of the nice fabric, and re-pinning. The rough edge of the nice fabric is now encased in bias tape.

Stitching down what had been pinned. Notice the lovely Husqvarna loaner machine!

After removing the pins, and pressing flat -- here is the final edging for the outfit piece. No rough edges in sight!

After binding with bias tape the rough edges of two pieces that get sewn together, I've stitched together one actual seam and pressed it open. This is a finished Hong Kong Seam.

A close-up shot of the finished Hong Kong Seam.

So although this is a laborious process, the finished product is well worth it.

Projects!

So, I have several projects lined up for the holidays. One, I have to finish the tablecloth for Sharon (and I'm almost done with the crochet work -- aside from the edging). Two, I am making steampunk clothing for my mum and sis for Christmas (we're going to a Con in February). That's probably at least two corsets, a skirt, some ruffled petticoats and maybe a jacket-y thing or two. Three, I would like to make two scarves for Mister's female relatives. One fuzzy, warm, and mobius (probably knitted), and the other delicate and lacy (crocheted of course!).

So a quick search on Ravelry and I found the most beautiful crocheted lace pattern.





Isn't it gorgeous? However, the girl is charging $7 for that lovely pattern. Are you crazy? Asking for money for a pattern on the internet is highly silly IMO. Also, she gave an up-close picture. I now know how to make it. :-D

Here's how I figure: it's obvious a bunch of motifs which are attached together at the end. So, for each motif, start at that grid -- that's a double crochet separated by 2 chain grid. After making the grid, you start going around the edges with a single crochet. When you get to the center of a side, you chain about... let's say 8 or so. You then go back around your little chain with single crochets, adding little picots and finish single crocheting the side of the grid. After having completed all four sides with picots, you start on the next round out. Easiest way to do that one is to go twice around -- once with all of the chains connecting to picots, the next with the single crochets over the chains with additional picots. Et voila, one motif! To connect them all, is more chains connecting picots, with a second time around of single crochets and additional picots. I AM GOING TO MAKE THIS.

[Note: it looks like there are TWO connecting rounds -- what I thought was the last motif round is actually connected on the North and South to other motifs...]

That is what I love about crochet -- I know it well enough that just staring at the picture I can figure it out.