Sorry...

No posts this week, as real life is beyond mad with deadlines and commitments.  I should be sorted by next week and I'll try and do an extra post to make up for it.  Sorry!

Robes...

Sewing has been concentrated on robes this week.  The blue robe to my own design is done.  The black robe to a commercial pattern is a work in progress, which should be completed early next week.  This is good as it means I can go onto the 3 tiered skirt, blouse and waistcoat that are my next project.

The blue robe is modelled on Nessa's robe, but has many more pleats so that it is easier to move in, as the only problem with Nessa's robe is that there isn't a great deal of width when it comes to walking in it.

Pinning pleats was the most time consuming part of making this robe

The sleeves have been made using a cool little trick explained to me by a lovely friend of mine, who also sews kit!  It's possibly not the most elegant solution, but it does away with the need to shape an armhole and means there will be plenty of room under the robe for extra layers of clothing in the winter.

It's a square, folded in half, how awesome is that?!

Aside from that there isn't a lot to say, really.  I've zig-zagged every seam to help it withstand the brutal treatment larp kit gets, and I'm hoping it stands the test of time!  I like it quite a lot and I'm looking forward to seeing it in use!

In all it's glory...

Lace and Ribbons

So, we went down the pub on Saturday for an IC meal.  That meant a new frock for me!

A little while ago I made a draped sleeve over dress pattern and a long chemise to go under it for a murder mystery party.  The dress was lovely and I adore the sleeves, but it gave me an idea for a sleeveless gown for my LARP character.  So I got to work :D

I used a printed poly cotton with tiny flowers all over it for the chemise, which I made with long sleeves and trimmed the cuffs with lace.

I have mentioned how much I adore trim, right?

I then made the dress up, leaving of the sleeves, in brown cotton.  It was pretty but very plain for a party dress, so I put a wide green ribbon around the waist, and then I layered velvet rickrack over the top of that in a fawn colour.

I laced it up with a narrow green cord to match the ribbon.

I then finished it by trimming the hem with lace and adding a band of the velvet rickrack just above it.

I love lace!

It's turned out quite nicely I think, so I'll probably wear it for the next IC meal that character goes to!

Here I am wearing it, at the meal.

Here's a side view, in case you are interested!

So yes, that's what I spent a large part of last week doing!  Now I'm back to robe making for friends, hopefully I'll have one finished to show you all on Thursday!

A brief change of subject

Ok, so this isn't sewing (no fabric, thread or pins involved...) but I had such a lot of fun making these I wanted to share them with you!

On Saturday I went up to London, and I did a course on fan making!  I went to the fan museum (http://www.fan-museum.org/), which incidentally is an awesome museum and you should all go visit! The fan museum runs courses for small groups and so my family filled a course up and we went on a day out.

This was my second go at fan making.  I had my first attempt in 2007, at an evening for the Worshipful Company of Fan Makers (http://www.fanmakers.com/home.aspx?id=1). 

My first fan

This was a pre-pleated leaf and all we had to do was attach it to the sticks.  This isn't as easy as it sounds.  Or at least, it is easy, but only if you've understood the instructions!

This is me showing off at the time

We got to pleat our own leaves on this course from wrapping paper we had chosen ourselves.  The only rule is metallic paper cannot be used.  This is because it doesn't keep the pleat.

We each made a chinese fan and a fontage fan.  Both of these are folding fans, the fontage fan is much simpler to make, as it doesn't have as many pleats.

This is my chinese fan

I love this paper so much!  As you can see though, I cut it a little short, so this fan will be acquiring a ribbon trim, to cover the ends of the sticks.

This is my fontage fan

I love how well this worked!  Many thanks to my Granny, who helped me select the best bit of the paper for the middle of the fan.  I am planning on using this fan at the next dinner I go to, and we discussed what dress I should make.  We as a family thought that cream fabric under black lace could look very striking.  What do you all think?

I will also be adding tassels or wrist straps to each handle.  So yes, not sewing but much fun!

Shock horror!

Another post!  I'm going to try and see if I can keep to twice a week for this blog.  An interesting challenge!

So this week I have been working on two robes, one to my own design one to a commercial pattern.  I'll post pics when they are done.  I'm about to start work on another project, but I can't say what yet, in case I give the game away.  More details on that in a few weeks!

I've also finished up some projects such as a half finished apron and I've made a purse.  The purse is likely to get a remodelling though as I've now decided I'd like to gather the lace.  So again, pics when I'm done!

I'm falling in love with all sorts of trim at the moment.  Ribbons, braiding, rick-rack, you name it I want it!  So I expect once I'm done with this batch of kit making I'll attempt some uber-girly projects for myself, anyone got any good suggestions as to what to make?

I'm also tempted to make another patchwork blanket, though I know the moment I start work on it I'll hate making it.  I can't stand sewing patchwork but I love the end result!

The first patchwork blanket I made.  It took forever!

The squares were ridiculously small on this.  However it does make a very awesome camping blanket, both IC and OOC.

Made for Amy's birthday present

Bigger squares made this a much easier sew, but the repetition of the pattern bored me to tears whilst making it...

Made for Andy's birthday present

This was fun to sew, because I laughed every time I thought about it, so it didn't bore me.  Also having a huge ready made panel in the middle was a great time saver :D

Gah!

So, I fail badly at this regular posting idea.  This is partly down to a holiday and partly down to a manic social life and partly down to be useless at actually taking pictures off my camera and putting them on this computer.   Oopsie?

So anyway,  I finished the project I mentioned in my last post!  It's a skirt, made to my own pattern and I am very pleased with how it turned out.

Here it is!

It consists of 5 A-line panels, interspersed with 4 kite shaped panels.  I started by hemming each panel, as I've found it's easier to do this at the start then try and hem the odd shape I ended up with!  I sewed all the panels together in a long line, then stitched the A-line panels together for a quarter of their length so that the kite shaped panels were stuck behind them. 

Then I pressed the kite shaped panels and then put in a zip and connected the 2 back A-line panels.  I finished the skirt with a waistband attached at the front, folded over and then machine stitched again.  Not entirely invisible but it will be stronger and as this is for LARP kit I decided strength was better  than aesthetics.

As you can see it contains a fair amount of fabric!

I think it looks really cool, and I am very tempted to make one for me :D


I also made a lace over skirt to go with it, for more formal occasions.

Ta-daa!

 

 

This is much simpler.  I made a rectangle of fabric into a tube and pleated it attaching it to a ribbon for a waistband with a hook and eye fastening.  The fabric is very lovely and it swishes nicely.

I'll try and do another entry soon.  You'll either get to read about how I make satchel style bags or my struggles with wizard robe design!

And last but never least, many thanks to the lovely Ruth for letting me post about her skirt and modelling for pics :D

Sewing and What I Make

I was going to sew this evening,  but I've run out of thread, halfway through trimming a skirt.  Oopsie?  Luckily I'm off fabric shopping on Saturday so I'll remedy that then, and in the meantime I shall amuse myself with this blog!

Ok, so I mainly make costumes.  For me and for my friends.  The reason being I LARP and I love /any/ excuse to dress up.  But dressing up clothes from costume shops cost money I don't have, and due to the fact that I'm tall and not super skinny I can't ever find anything that fits that well.  So I make my own.  Some I use patterns for, and some I make up entirely!

With that thought in mind, tonights post is pictures of a few of my favourite costumes.  And the reasons why I love them. :)

  So...  This is kit I made in a rush, late at night.  I love it!  I made the robe and skirt.  The skirt is simply a tube with an elasticated waistband and not massively exciting.  I am however, very fond of the robe.  It's in made of 2 pieces, a rectangle on the shoulders with a neckline cut out and a long rectangle with holes cut for the arms.  There are pleats, front and back where it joins the shoulder piece, which gives me more fabric at the bottom, so I can stride around easily.  It currently doesn't have any fastenings or decoration, but I may change that, as it gets used a fair amount.

This is also made to my own design.  Though the rabbit ears were sewn by me, but design and inner framework is Caroline's genius!  The dress is an over dress, kind of dungaree style and an under dress in medieval chemise style.

The over dress is meant to look as though it button on the straps, but it acutally has a side zip.  This is because dressing in a tent is hard enough already!  I love the skirt, and I can dance (and run away from scary foxes) easily in it.  Also this dress contains a lot of firsts.  It's my first completely designed on my own pattern (and what a lot of struggle with tissue paper that was!), it's my first zip (not bad, if I say so myself) and it's my first costume that I really loved, when I put it on.

This is a picture of the under dress.  It's a pattern I made, with copious help from my very patient mum.  I made the sleeves in different fabrics to match the dress.  Oh, the other thing I love about this costume?  The fabric was all on sale so the whole outfit cost me less than £10.  I love a bargain!

And my other favourite costume of note is

This is a pattern I bought, which I adore!  I didn't have a lot of time when I made it, but I am planning lace edged petticoats to go underneath and fluff the skirt out a bit.  The jacket is so lovely and worth every penny I splashed out on the cotton velvet.  And the buttons are just darling!  I need more victorian events, so I can wear this more!

So yeah...  Some of my favourites, that I've made so far.  I'm hoping to do a blog about my current project next week, but I need to check with the person I'm making it for.  What are you all making right now?