Design

Original thumbnail pencil sketch drawn out on the back of a junk fax. Gotta do something with them.
On the left is the design that I used. On the right is the first attempt, showing areas that were changed. The negative space on the right isn't as pretty, the heart shape in the centre is too wide, the flow isn't as balanced.
The stitched bodice panel, using a metalic silk base, backed in a soft fusible layered with 1/2 layer of quilt batt and a layer so tulle (thanks to Summerset for the batt splitting and tulle advice). The piece has been cut quite large so it can shrink with stitching.

Applique

The mesh fabric used for the centre designs of applique was a hard one to cut. It is made from metallic threads and is quite wiry. I had to treat it differently that regular fabric. It is also very open, so no adhesives or sprays were usable. You couldn't feel the stickiness through it, but they would attract dirt and threads through the mesh.

The Mesh is laid over top of the area, which had previously been drawn onto the
The lines are stitched, using a small stitch and the excess is trimmed away.
Applique basted down but before satin stitching.

Satin stitching, keeping the area not worked on rolled out of the way. You must be careful not to fold it. Folding results in creases.
I find it easiest the stitch the outer (convex?) curves first, the inner curves tend to distort if stitched first.

Say yes, part two

I am experimenting with a crushed velvet for the applique using a design I worked on last winter. I like it so far.

The bodice pattern is just visible beneath this silk

The applique design resembles the design on the lace.

The silk is turned 45 degrees in order for the piece to fit on, so the lines in the silk will be vertical in reality. I love the textural contrast of the velvet with the silk and lace. It is a rich look. I am excited to see how the velvet makes into piping.

Say yes to the dress

I love the show "Say Yes to the Dress" . I have always loved bridal and have been thinking about getting into it again, so I am going to make a wedding dress.This is to be a sample for a wedding directory. I hope it all works out because I really don't need a wedding dress for myself.

This is to be from stash as much as possible and it seems like I have a fair sized selection.

Here are some samples of silks and brocade. Uppermost is a gold/silver mesh.

Blurry close up of the Celtic brocade.Pearl hammered silk, recently purchased from www.fabricmartfabrics.com and a lovely embroidered soft tulle.

The same lace draped over my sewing chair.

While digging out some of theses fabrics I found a piece I hadn't seen in yonks. Linen, embroidery, quilting, beading, space dyed silk velvet and silver trim all addded up to this bodice. I made it years ago as a display at a Celtic art gallery. I called it "Tudor meets Star Trek". The lines of it seem off to me now, but it got a lot of business for me in it's day.

What to do for a hobby once your hobby is your job?

Sew, of course!

I love to sew and I need to create. It is a difficult thing sometimes. I have just finished another very busy spell where I haven't had any time for myself and very little for family or friends. What do I want to do? Head to my studio and create. Work on new (to me) techniques, play a bit. Does hubby understand? Not at all.

Here is my latest hobby attempt.

I have decided to learn to do free motion quilting/embroidery. I realize they are two different things, but similar. I am starting by making a cushion top by Gabriella Verstraeten featured in Machine Embroidery magazine's first issue. I think she is probably a wonderful teacher. This article has many different skills to use/master in one item. There is applique, precise cutting and looser cutting. satin stitch, free motion on larger areas and tighter areas as well as double needle stitching and using the "fancy" stitches on your machine. I am using a straight stitch only Husqvarna Mega Quilter, so I don't have all of the options.Look at the difference in stitching on the pink in the upper corner and then to the right. This is where I took the foot off.

Things I have learned:

I tend to press on the foot lifter bar and thow off my tension.

You need to remove the presser foor and leave it blank and/or use the darning foot. What a difference in control. I should have known this, too. Just in a hurry I guess.

Faster speed means more control, but in my case tends to break more thread.

Purple often photographs as blue.

I know I have a lot to learn, but I think I will like this new technique.

Things from my Washer

Chistmas stocking
Large marble
Tank
Ski Pass
Four yellow foam dots
Chain from a fibre art piece (shoudl still be ON fibre art piece!)
African elephant
Silver bit
Orange thing
After Bite pen

I know I am making excuses here, but I have been busy. I have been working days and then from about 8pm -12 or 2 am depending on deadlines. I usually do not have many orders in July and need to make up for that in May and June in the leadup to the North American Championships. Then I get to relax a bit and only work days.
The end result is that I have not been emptying pockets before I load the machine. Now, I am sure I wouldn't forget if I were like Marjie and had nine kids. I have only two and so am missing 7 kids worth of practise.
I did about 5 loads of laundry yesterday to try to catch up. These items were all collected from the bottom of the washer in one day. The orange thing is a Polly Pocket's doll skirt. I haven't figured out what the yellow foam dots were from yet. I notice that there is about $1.25 missing from the top of the dryer. Also missing are the Kleenex bits that went right into the garbage and a black cat, who didn't go through the cycle, but managed to get in when I wasn't looking.
Maisie collected rocks in the boy's school yard on the way to daycare this morning. I better be sure to check the pockets of those purple shorts.
Anyone else care to share what weirdness (or volume of things) they have found in their washer?

My New Favourite

Done and gone-winging its way to Pennsylvania as I write. I think it is my new fave. The dancer has red hair. I hope she send photos of herself wearing the dress. The headpiece was gold with black velvet fold over elastic wrapped diagonally to mimic the piping at the neckline, sleeve edges and bottom of the black skirt panels.

Almost as exciting (to me) as getting another dress finished is my new hook on the studio's french doors. No more hangers adhered to the wall with packing tape!

Stoning

Just another quick little post about rhinestones. Look at how much they enhance the look of a dress! They end up being a design feature in their own right.

The first picture has the bodice front on the left showing the embroidery with stoning started and on the right is a sleeve panel before any sewing or stoning. What a difference!
The second photo shows the dress pieces laid out before sewing has been completed. I ended up taking it all apart, lengthening the bodice by an inch and shortening that gold sequinned lace pleated panel by an inch to improve the proportions. Altering an already stoned dress is not the easiest thing in the world.

I like to use a variety of sizes on the dresses. This one has both AB and crystal in stone sizes 20, 30, 34, 40 and 48. I have added far more since these photos were taken, so will try to do an update later on.

Sources I have used and like include:
http://www.rhinestoneguy.com/
http://www.suessparklers.com/
http://www.johnbead.com/

A Hosta Takeover

We have a tall, narrow, East facing 1920's brick house on a long narrow lot with a plenty of mature trees. Our frontage is only 33' and that includes half of a driveway (we share the drive with our neighbours). On the South side the neighbour has very tall cedars that form a fence between our properties. His tiny yard has a large-ish maple centered in it. We have a large-ish deciduous tree in ours as well. The tree canopy blocks any rain from hitting the ground. As a consequence of these feature we have a tiny yard that is perpetually dry and in shade. Not surpisingly, we haven't had any luck keeping grass growing there.
Last year we planted hostas. Little tiny hostas from dividing the ones I had as well as a few that a friend brought over (along with 10 bags of soil and some muscles) for my birthday. We dug up an "L" shape that goes along the stone pathways and built up the soil.
This year a neighbour brought over a few wheelbarrows of mulch he didn't need.

(The above picture was taken from the driveway, so you can imagine how small the yard is.)
Another friend donated the large hosta from her own garden. Last year it was a single leaf. Look how well it is doing!
The grass still isn't doing well, despite the wet weather. Maybe next year the entire yard with be hostified! Who needs grass anyway?

For Gail

The dress just before shipping. It made it to Ohio on time and was worn on Saturday.

Saved?

Sometimes you don't discover a goof up until it is too late. The motif in the first picture looks a little large for the scale of the design and the size of the dress, but the bodice was already sewn together and ready to put onto the skirt. I added a lot of crystals to the knotwork on the applique. I am not sure whether it was a save or not.

Also, the hearts on the sleeve look like the have antennae coming out of them. Ooops! Some crystals will distract from that though.

Thank you Gwen!

Gwen of All My Seams has given me this award. Thanks so much Gwen! I have enjoyed seeing your projects along the way and really appreciate your comments and support of me as well as so many others in the sewing blog community.

I am going to need to get back to this one though due to some computer problems.

Rules:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award on to other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Wow- thanks Ann!

I would like to give a big Thank You to Ann for giving me this award.

I am going to name just a few people, but there are so many I could name. I am not sure if any have received this one before, so sorry if it is a repeat.

Carolyn - An enthusiastic sewist who takes the time to describe her processes, answers questions and isn't afraid to point out the odd "Ooops" moment

Wendy- who sews a LOT and does a little bit of everything.

Angie- who blogs about her kids, books, TV and work as well as sewing.

Attitude of Gratitude - The Rules of Accepting and Sharing this Award
1. Put the logo on your blog or post
2. Nominate a few blogger's that show an attitude of gratitude
3. Link to your nominees within your post
4. Comment on their blogs to let them know they've received this award
5. Share the love and link to this post and the person who nominated you for the award.
6. Tell us how you've come to have an attitude of gratitude

I have an Attitude of Gratitude because I have a job doing something I love that supports my family. I am grateful to all the bloggers who share their projects and their challenges. Also, I am so grateful for my family. I have a couple of great kids who keep me busy and keep me inspired with their creativity and enthusiasm.

New Book and Old Quilt

I had to search through my messy studio this weekend for a fabric to alter a client's dress. In searching, I came across a quilt top I had begun for my son long before we were even hopeful for Maisie. He has been using a pieced quilt top with dinosaurs on it for about six years. Bad mum that I am, I didn't even quilt it. Instead I made it into a duvet cover. Well, at eleven he is a bit old for dinos anymore. He had seen this one in progress and claimed he didn't like it, but that was years ago. To be tricky, I shook it out today and pretended to be folding it when he came in from school. Immediately he asked "What is that?"
" A quilt top" I replied.
"Who is it for?"
"I don't know yet, probably Maisie." (who gets everything, in his opinion) "Why? You don't like it, do you?"
"Yeah, yeah yeah!" jumping up and down, with his hands in front like a little bunny.
This works out well for me and the little guy in line for the dino blankie has almost outgrown them himself! Had I asked him if he liked it, the reply would have been "Not really."

Also, below if a GORGEOUS book that came in the mail today. I love William Morris designs and this is filled with beautifully interpreted applique versions.

Spring Flowers

Carolyn from Diary of a Sewing Fanatic had a post yesterday that brought home some feelings I have been having. She discusses using books to get better at sewing. I LOVE books. I love magazine, I love tchniques and am curious about many things. I realised years ago that I was reading rather than doing, so I tried to change that. Then came marriage and babies and other obligations. I stopped sewing for myself for a while. I sewed for work, but not for pleasure.
In the last few years I discovered Stitcher's Guild, Pattern Review and blogs. So many blogs! But again, I used them as I had previously used books. I read them rather than doing. With my husband's illness and inability to work, I have had to add more hours to my work week. I feel like I never leave my basement studio. I need to change that somehow, even if it means part of the time I am down here I am doing something for me.
So I have decided that I will try to do something for fun, for skill development and not for profit, everyday if I can.
Here is the most recent attempt: fabric flowers. I can't get outside to enjoy them much so this will be my replacement for now.
Ribbon Roses
Using a technique from Threads , number 64, article by Camela Nitschke.
Bias Roses
Top left has satin back shantung flower and leaf is silk dupioni, on right is metallic silk with ribbon leaves.
Bottom flowers are satin, acetate on left and polyester on right.
I am sure my skills need imrovement, but they are fairly quick and the results are cute from the start. Just what I need right now.

This is for KBenco. Here is the box from the ruffler foot that fit my Janome MemoryCraft 4000