Week 15 – City Inspiration

The Facts

Fabric: black knit from stash

Pattern: McCall’s M6556 Fashion Star

Year: 2012

Notions: Thread, from stash

Time to complete: ½ pot of coffee

First worn: N/A

Wear again? Possibly

Total Cost: Um, $2-$3 for the pattern?

*Please note that this post was written last year, and I have only just now gotten around to sharing. Please enjoy!

City Inspiration. Like many of my challenges, the hardest part of this one was the getting started on the project. I was originally going to make a vest, but I couldn’t find a fabric in my stash fit the criteria that I was looking for in order to make said vest. Maybe I will find something and use it for a future post. Maybe I need to shop for new fabric…

When I think of what people wear in the cities, versus the suburbs or the country, I think of three things. One is an edgy, trend setting look. Two is business attire, tailored and polished. Three is what one would wear for a night out on the town. The vest that I was going to make would have fallen in between the first two categories. It would have been a tailored vest appropriate for the office, but with an edge. Just the thing for one to wear if they were working in graphic design or a similar field.

This pattern was picked out by Mr. Uncommon Geek on a trip to the local fabric store. I was feeding my addiction, I mean, stocking up on sewing patterns while they were on sale. Since he was bored, I gave him a book and asked him to look and see if there was anything that he liked. He picked this one.

The pattern itself is simple. There is one piece for the front and one piece for the back. However, the pieces are so big that you are supposed to attach the bottom pieces of the pattern front and back before laying out the pattern pieces on the fabric. However, the fabric I was working with had been used for a different project previously and there was not enough to make the full dress. So, the extra drapey bit at the bottom was not included and the instead of making a dress that is its own outfit, I made a long shirt that can pair well with some skinny jeans and sparkly accessories.

I’m not sure if I will ever have a place to wear this top. Most of my social activities don’t really call for trendy or fashion forward attire. They tend more toward steampunk events or casual get togethers. However, I have noticed that a large portion of my closet looks like it is from 10 – 20 years ago and is in drastic need of an update. I have recently began toying with the idea of having my friends come over and pull out everything in my closet that they hate seeing me wear, like how they do in “What Not to Wear.” However, I fear that I will end up with truly nothing in my closet and I will have to go shopping for new clothes in my steampunk attire. (Come on, my steampunk stuff would not be involved in the purge. I’m not completely crazy.)

To get back at the subject of this sewing challenge, I recommend this pattern as a beginner’s introduction to working with knits. There is only a front piece and a back piece to worry about and there are instructions for modifying the pattern to make different variations. If I ever do get up the courage to wear this out and about, it may give me the courage to try out some of the Japanese sewing books that have been translated and made available. Since they all seem to have pretty mixed reviews, I will definitely be checking them out of the library before I try purchasing them.

Happy sewing!

Week 14 – Stash Busting (VIP Fabric)

The Facts

Fabric: Mystery blend fabric. Unknown origin, unknown fiber content.

Pattern: Mashup of McCall’s 6819 and modified Simplicity 4046

Year: 2014

Notions: Thread, interfacing, ribbon, grommets

Time to complete: 30+

First worn: Not yet

Wear again? Maybe after some intense reworking

Total Cost: Unknown

* This is a post that I wrote last year, but did not get around to posting until just now.

I have had this fabric in my stash for quite some time. I do not know where I purchased it originally. Since it was cut by a previous owner, I probably got it from a charity shop/thrift store or an estate sale. I love the color and the pattern. I knew that whatever I made from it would have to be really special.

In addition to my hoarding fabric, I also collect sewing patterns. I have managed to amass enough patterns to open an Etsy store that sells nothing but vintage and gently used patterns. (Hint, hint.) Most of the newer patterns that I own are ones that I have bought on sale so I can practice making all of the tailor made clothing that I love so much, or so I can recreate some of the steampunk outfits that I covet. Most of the my vintage patterns are ones that I have collected from various sources and are unlikely to be made by me. So while it seems that most everyone I know has been furiously creating a costume for either the Steampunk Empire Symposium or for C2E2 this weekend, I have been working on this jacket. I was hoping to possibly wear it this weekend, but I have not finished it and I have made enough mistakes during its creation that it is possible that it will not ever be worn without a major overhaul. It may be possible to wear it as is if I make a bustle extreme enough, but that is unlikely to happen any time soon.

I combined the top part of the McCalls’ pattern with a modified bottom of the over skirt from the Simplicity pattern you may remember from last week. I found out that fabric drape is an important consideration when making a full skirt. This fabric is very stiff, which is good for the top portion of the jacket, but not so much for the bottom. If there had been enough to follow the pattern exactly, I think it would have turned out alright. I was thinking a shorter version would work with the dress that I made previously. I obviously did not think it through well enough. You can see in the pictures that the front does not line up in the center front because the jacket front does not line up in the center. That is how this jacket was designed. You can see in the picture of the pattern that there is a choice of a peplum or some tabs. Either way, there is a visual distraction at the waistline of the jacket to hide the fact that it overlaps in the front and it is a fact that I did not realize until after the jacket was constructed. But, I am sewing to learn more about sewing and clothing construction. As much as I love this fabric and the idea of this pattern, there is a fabric that I have had since I began my fabric hoarding. When I feel more confident in my sewing abilities, I will cut into that fabric and make this jacket again (or one very like it) but I will match the fabric at the seams, I will understitch my seams on the correct sides, and I will know how to match things up better so I have a more symmetrical jacket overall.

Happy sewing!

Week 12 – TV Inspired: Based on a character from TV, past or present

The Facts

Fabric: Old pair of jeans

Pattern: Self-drafted

Year: 2014

Notions: Thread, fabric paint, fabric markers

Time to complete: 3+ hours

First worn: N/A

Wear again? I hope so.

Total Cost: Most of the materials I had on hand because I had originally purchased them for other projects. To make this new, it will cost from $5-$20 for materials, depending on if you are purchasing new fabric and if you are buying studs instead of using fabric paint.

Someone had shared an article on Facebook quite some time ago that showed cats wearing classic punk denim jackets. (http://www.buzzfeed.com/sbkasulke/look-at-these-19-adorable-cats-in-punk-vests) I shared the article and asked the general question of what punk jacket would be best to make for a cat and my friend Kevin said Vyv from the Young Ones. Thankfully, this show is much loved and there are many research options available for reference pictures as I did not see the Young Ones as I was growing up. Scandalous, I know. I watched Are You Being Served?, Mulberry Days, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, The Black Adder, Red Dwarf, All Creatures Great and Small, and Fawlty Towers. Oh, and Doctor Who. It was alway fun watching an episode of All Creatures Great and Small and then watching Doctor Who and going, ‘wait, didn’t I just see him?’ But I did not know about the Young Ones existence until much later.

Anyway, this project presented many challenges. As I do not have easy access to a cat for pattern fittings, I had to guess on the sizing and shape for the best fit and cat comfort. My research shows most pet harnesses and jacket type items are kind of hourglass shaped and close in the back. The article shows jackets fitting the cats like they would on a person – closing in the front and pretty much a straight, somewhat boxy shape. Most of the measurements that I could find for cat jackets were somewhere around 16 inches long with a 9 inch neck/collar. So, I measured and I cut 17 inches off of the bottom of a leg of a pair of jeans, the extra inch to allow for seam allowance. I realized that the fabric was very long. I laid the cut fabric on my lap and realized that if a cat were to wear a jacket that was that long, it would probably not make a very good lap cat. Or it would be mad at its humans for putting it in a thing that interferes with the glory of its beautiful tail and would start destroying anything it could, provided it could get over the disdain of moving in such a monstrosity.

So, I cut the giant piece of fabric into two, more manageable pieces so I could make two jackets instead of one. Then I decided which side I wanted to be the front and I cut it straight down the middle. Then I guessed on where might be the best place for the front legs and cut out the sleeves. Then I cut out four collar pieces, using the tops of the jackets as a guide. I tried to make sure that I included the seam allowance, but I made the one too short. Then I sewed everything up. I did a straight stitch on the sleeves to help maintain the shape and to make sure that they will only unravel to a certain point, and I sewed the front of the jacket to create a clean edge and to prevent unraveling.  I sewed the two collar pieces together and attached them to the jacket, for each jacket. For the jacket that I made the collar too short on, I folded the front of the jacket in and hand sewed it down to make everything fit. Then I started the decoration process.

I elected to not use actual studs on these jackets for two reasons. One, I do not know if the cat who may one day wear this will decide to try to chew on the studs. Two, the studs that I was able to find that were not iron on, were $10 for a small box. I think there may be 90 or so studs in the box, but they are of a mixed variety and there is no guarantee that there would be enough of the same kind to complete one jacket. Plus, I am poor and did not want to spend that much money on a thing for a test prototype. Once I perfect the pattern, then I can justify the expense.

The first patch shows the paint pen after repeated coats were added. It shows up better in this picture than it does in person. The middle one is what the fabric marker looks like. The final one is me practicing with the fabric paint. I painted a star because I was tired of doing anarchy symbols. Bonus: I now have three denim patches for future projects.

Thankfully, I already owned silver fabric paint, as well as fabric markers in various colors. Unfortunately, I could not get the white paint pen to work well, so I used glue. Once it finishes drying, I can attempt the same technique shown in this Instructable: http://www.instructables.com/id/Vyvyan-Basterd-The-Young-Ones-Costume/#step0

There was some conflict in what Vyvyan’s jacket said. The reference picture that I was using said “Love Your Dead,” while the instructable shows his jacket saying “Love You Dead.” I feel that if I had watched the show I would know which one was correct. I’m mostly ok with my choice and too lazy to look up screenshots again. Of course, if I really wanted to make a screen accurate jacket, I would have included front pockets and chains on the back.

Anyway, here are the finished products, as they lay drying. Notice, the one that I made the collar too short on does not have enough room for the words on the front. Should the day come where I figure out the measurements to make a kitty coat, I will make sure that the jacket is more square and less skewed. However, for these I will say that it is entirely intentional. It was surely not laziness on my part. It was definitely an attempt at making the jacket as punk as possible. Right angles are for the man. Don’t follow the rules that society laid down for you. Blaze your own path! And such.  

 

This is the shorter one.

This is the longer one. I’m still worried that it is too long and that it has too much fabric in the front. I’m not sure that an animal that wears this will be able to move easily.

 

This is what the little one looks like on a space buffalo. I’m hoping that it will fit an actual cat better, but it gives an idea of how it will look.

Happy sewing!

Week 12 – Mad Men Inspired

The Facts

Fabric: socks

Pattern: self-drafted

Year: current

Notions: buttons and thread from stash

Time to complete: I think I finished this one while watching Skyfall

First worn: N/A

Wear again? N/A

Total Cost: $5 for all materials

Interesting fact: Not directly related to the week’s theme. I mean, there are several characters that could have inspired this, but not quite like how it turned out. Also, I apologize for these challenges being out of order. I am trying my best.

I  have watched and enjoyed the show Mad Men. However, I tend to binge watch shows on Netflix and Mad Men can get to be a little intense if I watch too many episodes at once. With this in mind, I tend to choose shows with a lighter hearted storyline over the darker tones of Mad Men. In fact, I initially had heard about this show because of the sewing blogs that I follow and I ended up watching it a lot because of the fashion that the characters wear. I love seeing the styles evolve as the years go by and I love the matching ability of Betty Draper as well as the plaid ensembles that Peggy wears.

So while I have seen the show and drooled over its fashions, I have neither watched any episodes recently, nor have I done any research to see what I could find as inspiration to make an outfit. On top of that, I have been making items for the show that I will be vending at on May 24. I also managed to pick up additional hours at work, so my time that I would be using to work on the sewing challenge has been sucked up by everything else that I am working on and finishing up.

On the other hand, since I have been making items, and most of them seem to involve some sort of hand sewing, I felt that I had to share some sort of blog post this week. I don’t want to look back and think that I missed a sewing challenge because I did something silly like choosing sleep over sewing. So here it is, my sewing post for this week.

 

This is a view from the center front. The thing sticking up in the middle is its dorsal fin. Not visible in the picture is the tail. I do realize that it looks nothing like any shark ever.

I started working on this plush awhile back. I’m not sure what I was thinking I was making when I started, but when I saw the components together I heard a voice in my head say, “I’m a shark!” I guess this means that I am officially addicted to that webcomic that I have been reading and the next step is to make a tinfoil hat. I will spare you the emotional rollercoaster by not telling you the title of the webcomic. I know it seems cruel, but I am trying to help you. However, if you feel like you can handle the flowy capes, the science, and the city on fire, then comment on my facebook page (either Sew Late at Night or Mrs. Uncommon Geek) and I will tell you which webcomic I am talking about.

If you like my plush and want to see more of it, or some of my other creations, then come on out to Ye Olde Yellow Cabaret tomorrow, May 24 in Dayton, OH and see what monster or minion you want to take home. I will also have books, old photos and other things available for purchase. If I have some time before the show, I may even refashion a new top for the event. I hope to see you there!

Happy Sewing!

Week 9 : Make Do, Make Anew

 

The Facts

Fabric: dress from sample sale

Pattern: self drafted

Year: current

Notions: Thread, elastic

Time to complete: about 2 hours

First worn: Not yet

Wear again? I should get a lot of use out of this skirt this summer

Total Cost: $10 for the dress, thread from stash, elastic reused from dress

First, some history. Back when I was in high school, my mom worked for a women’s clothing catalog. Every so often, there would be a sale where employees could bring up to 2 guests and they could purchase clothing from the catalog at a super discount price. Selection would vary as the stock would include samples, overstock, customer returns and defective merchandise. For anyone willing to dig through racks of clothing and tables of shoes, deals could be had. Years passed. The catalog company got a new CEO. The clothing sold began targeting a younger crowd. Most importantly, the outside company responsible for organizing the associate sales discovered e-commerce. The associate only sales became more and more open to the public. Not widely advertised, but that is why it is important to sign up for their mailing lists. The merchandise decreased in quality and it was much harder to find the really good deals that had previously been available.

In present day, things have balanced out. My mother has retired and has been for a few years. The outside company that does the associate sales has expanded and there are a few brick and mortar stores in the Columbus, OH area, pop-up sales that happen in the Dayton and Cincinnati areas, as well as the ever successful online stores. I purchased this dress for $10 at one of the pop-up sales. Not bad for something that retails at $88. Anyway, since my mom doesn’t work for the catalog anymore, and since I can’t afford their clothes, I am really not familiar with their merchandise. So I did not notice that this dress was missing its halter neck piece. All I noticed was that the dress, for all its supportive elastic, did not want to stay in one place. When I tried it on at home to confirm fit, I had to constantly pull up the top of the dress.

I did love the idea of this dress back.

I threw the dress into a pile of things to modify later, and today it got transformed from a dress that doesn’t quite work into a maxi skirt for any occasion. I cut off the top of the dress and removed the elastic. Then, I reattached the elastic in the cut portion of the bottom of the dress, creating a waistband. Thus, a skirt was created.

Happy sewing!

Week 11: Green

The Facts

Fabric: Curtain from the thrift store

Pattern: From instructions from a panel done by Jessica of Ties that Bynde

Year: 2013

Notions: Safety pins and twill tape

Time to complete: About an hour

First worn: Not yet

Wear again? Hopefully

Total Cost: $10 – $5 for the curtain, $5 for the safety pins and twill tape at the panel.

Some time ago I attended a steampunk convention where Jessica of Ties that Bynde had a panel on how to create a bustle using a yard of fabric, some twill tape and some safety pins. Kits with or without fabric were for sale for anyone who wanted to learn how to create a simple bustle but did not bring materials with them. I picked up this curtain for the purpose of making something steampunk related. I love the light green color and how the fabric drapes. I also like that it is not meant to be a smooth fabric and I do not have to worry about ironing it. I do not like how reflective it is when a flash is used.

The creation of the bustle is very simple. Twill tape is pinned to a piece of fabric that is pleated to fit the wearer at the waist (or where you want the bustle to sit). More pleats mean less coverage but a fuller looking bustle, less pleats mean more coverage but the fabric will be stretched out more and it will be harder to make the bustle look as full. This first piece of twill tape is also serving as the waistband and needs to be long enough for this purpose.

To this first piece of twill tape, attach 3 more pieces of twill tape, going vertically. Then, play with draping. Pick a spot and pin the fabric of the bustle to the twill tape. Make it symmetrical. Make it asymetrical. Find what works for you. Since the fabric is being attached to the twill tape with safety pins it can be changed for future wearings. Personally, I am going to play around with the bustle draping a little bit more and then I am going to sew the fabric down to the twill tape to create a permanent bustle.

The pictures above show the bustle with a bustle pad. I also took picture without the bustle pad as I have not yet incorporated a bustle pad into my steampunk outfits. Here is what the bustle looks like without the bustle pad.

From the back:

 

From the side:

 

Happy sewing!

Week 6: UFO – Unfinished object

The Facts

Fabric: 1 pair socks

Pattern: self-drafted

Year: 2013

Notions: thread

Time to complete: 2 hours once I actually started working on it.

First worn: As soon as I was done making them.

Wear again? Definitely.

Total Cost: I’ve had these so long I will count them as free.

I love, love, love, fingerless gloves. I am usually the person who is cold and/or chilled when everyone else is either comfortable or too warm. Gloves like this are perfect for those times when there is a chill in the air but it is too warm for a jacket, or when you need something to keep your hands warm and still be able to use your fingers. They are great especially for working on the computer. At our house the computer is next to an outside wall and all of the cold just creeps in and freezes anyone who sits next to it for too long. These gloves help to keep the hands capable of working while using the computer.

I had this pair of socks that got a hole in them, but were too cute to throw away. So, after a thorough washing, they got added to my crafting material collection where they sat for some time. Eventually, I cut off the part with the hole, made both socks equal in length, and serged the cut ends. I noticed that they were too long to just wear as arm warmers and would need to be modified. So, they sat for some time longer.

Then this crafting challenge came up. I am pretty good about sewing stuff once I have all of the fabric cut out, so I didn’t have much to choose from in the way of unfinished projects. Most of what I have is uncut fabric sitting next to unopened patterns. So, I sat down and started to finish these.

First, I put the arm warmers on and marked with straight pens the placements for where I needed to cut/sew for the thumb opening. Then I started hand stitching. It didn’t take me long to realize that I wouldn’t be happy with the seam that I was creating. So, I took out my scissors and cut the sock so I would be able to sew along the cut edge. I sewed the seam twice for extra reinforcements. Then, I repeated all of the steps on the second one. Now, I have a way to keep my hands warm while I do my hand sewing as I catch up on my Netflix watching.

Side note: I make and sell creatures made out of socks, and as a result, I have several bags full of new and unworn socks. I get the feeling that I will make additional arm warmers in the future so I get a chance to add different embellishments to them.

Happy sewing!

Here is the left one:

Here is the right one:

I tried to take a picture so you could see some of the detail, but I don’t think that it came out too well.

 

 

Week 4: Belated Christmas present is finally finished

Supposed to be MadeThisLook Actually is – Finally finished this Christmas present!

The Facts

Fabric: Two twin size flat sheets, 10 t-shirts, and one yard of licensed Star Wars flannel for the binding

Pattern: Self drafted

Year: current

Notions: Thread, fusible fabric stabilizer, quilt batting, bleach

Time to complete: I am not sure of the exact number, but it was over 40 hours. It was one full day to lay out and secure the layers together (8+ hours) and it was two full days (16+ hours) to hand sew the binding around the edges since my sewing machine refused to sew all layers together. It was two days (16+ hours) cutting, ironing, and figuring out the spacing, layout, and all other details.

First worn: Presented January 2014 as a belated Christmas present

Wear again? Hoping to get a lot of use out of this for many years to come as it is very warm and cozy.

Total Cost: The most expensive part was the quilt batting, which I remember ended up being more than I expected, even though I purchased it on sale. Some of the shirts had to be purchased new (thrifted) since I was unwilling to cut up some of what I had available due to size constrictions. The flannel that I used for the binding, I managed to catch on sale for 50% off which made me incredibly happy. I did not keep track of my receipts and I can not tell you how much it ended up costing in total.

Fairly early in 2013, Mr. Uncommon Geek moved out to Washington State to embark on a new job opportunity. The plan was to have me follow as soon as I got my craft collection small enough to move easily. It was around that time that I got the idea of what I would make him for Christmas. My limited knowledge of the Pacific Northwest includes the idea that the winters are cold with the type of chill that you never really warm up from. I had both sheets at that time and I purchased the quilt batting…at some point. I don’t remember if I purchased it for this project or for something else prior to this project.

I first noticed a problem when I laid out the sheets with the batting. Even though both sheets were a twin size, the Star Trek sheet was considerably skinnier than the Nintendo sheet. This meant that I would have to add to the Star Trek side or take away from the Nintendo side. It also meant that I would have to trim the excess batting away. I don’t remember how much I paid for the batting, I just remember having sticker shock even after the discount was applied. Trimming the bamboo batting away didn’t really seem like a good option.

I had taken the pieces that I had over to my parents’ house as they have more available floor space to work in. My mom knows a lot about sewing and she suggested that I use the Nintendo sheet to fill in the Star Trek side and to use as the blanket binding around all of the edges. Having read accounts from other bloggers who have worked with sheets like these, I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to cut into either sheet and risk turning them into some sort of shredded nightmare. The question became how to add fabric without compromising what is already there.

I dived into my crafting supplies to find something that would fill in the spots and make it a cohesive unit. I had settled on a piece of green fabric, but wasn’t really happy about how it looked with the green on either the Nintendo or the Star Trek design. I put the whole thing aside and decided to not worry about it for awhile.

Sometime around the end of October, I realized that Christmas was approaching more quickly than I would like to admit, monetary resources were severely limited as I had just been laid off from my job, and I still had to figure out the challenges that this project presented. In researching ideas for how to make a quilt, the thing that seemed to pop up most was how to make a t-shirt quilt.

I did some more research into it and found that a t-shirt quilt is just a bunch of 15in x 15in squares sewn together. The t-shirts are stabilized with an iron on stabilizer to keep the knit from stretching and make sure that the squares stay square. It is probably the easiest way to introduce someone into quilt making because there are no small fabric pieces to worry about, and the seam allowances don’t have to be as exact as they do for the more intricate quilt blocks. One of the variations of t-shirt quilt even has strips of fabric in between the t-shirt squares for added height and width, as well as a more uniform and quilt-like appearance.

After reading a few tutorials on how to put together a t-shirt quilt, I knew that I had found the answer that I had been looking for and I was able to use some of the Uncommon Geek’s old t-shirts out of my crafting stash. Unfortunately, not all of the shirts that I was able to excavate out of my crafting jungle would work, and I was not able to find all the shirts that I thought would be available. I went to the thrift store and was lucky enough to find some shirts that would work for this project. I did end up purchasing more that what I needed as I have a tendency to fail at math, but that just gave me more options to choose from, and I now have more t-shirts to use for future projects.

The good news for most of November and December is that I was able to find a job and work pretty much 40 hours every week. The downside was that I pretty much ended up exhausted and trying to figure out how to work on this project with Mr. Uncommon Geek at home. The answer was that I slept when I got home from work and just did not work on the quilt at all. I let him know that I would not have his gift done in time for Christmas and he graciously was ok with that. After the New Year’s bustle died down, so did my hours at my part-time job. I worked on this quilt as much as I could, guessing a lot of the time with the measurement, cutting, and placement of the t-shirts. I tried to assemble the blanket at home, but found that there is no flat space in our apartment large enough to lay the blanket flat. I also found that there were some holes in the Trek sheet. I mended the Trek sheet with some scraps of one of the shirts that I used. I bleached the shirt to look like one of those home done galaxy prints that I have been dying to try out.

After I measured, cut, and sewed together the t-shirts to the sheets, I took all of the pieces over to my parents house to secure all three layers together. Thankfully, I come by my love of books naturally and there was no shortage of weights available to make sure that nothing shifted on me as I put them all together. My mom thought it funny and unusual that I was using books to weigh down the quilt. Yes, J.K. Rowling, Andre Norton, and J.R.R. Tolkien are all helping here, along with many others. Like I said, I come by it naturally.

Once I had all of the pieces sandwiched together, I still had to put blanket binding around the edges. When I had gone to the craft store to price and hopefully pick up the four packages of binding needed, I found that each package was around $8 and that it would be $32 to use the satiny stuff that would be a pain to sew down. (I have used it to make a baby blanket before. The experience was not something that I care to repeat.) Knowing that the binding is a pain and that it would be difficult to sew in the cramped space around my sewing machine, and that I am not willing to spend another $30 to finish the blanket, I wandered around the fabric store looking for inspiration.

I found it in the licensed fabric section. They have fabrics printed with things like Star Trek, Star Wars, DC, and Marvel. It made me giggle to myself because there is this giant sign that says “STAR WARS” and it has Star Trek and Star Wars all grouped together.

Anyway, one of the sewing blogs that I follow has instructions for how to make bias binding out of fabric so you can make your own binding for whatever project that you are working on. I was able to put all of this knowledge together and realize that I could buy one yard of fabric and make my own blanket binding for less than the cost of one package of pre-made binding. It was just a matter of figuring out which one to get.

I finally settled on the black and white Star Wars repeating because of a few things. One: even though there are no Trek shirts, one side is mostly Trek so it does not hurt to balance things out by having this much Wars all around. Two: the fabric is flannel which makes it soft, warm and pretty perfect for use in blankets. Three: the pattern is small and would not be overwhelming, nor would it be lost entirely once the fabric got cut into strips. Four: The Nintendo Fabric had a lot of white in it, the Trek fabric has a lot of dark colors in it, and most of the t-shirts are some shade of dark or black. By using a black and white print, I don’t have to worry about color matching and it helps to unify the different pieces that I am working with.

Although frustrating at times, this is something that I am really happy to have made. Mr. Uncommon Geek said that he has never before received a gift that so accurately captured who he is so completely and is now in the process of writing a blog describing what the different parts mean to him personally. This winter has been the coldest, most wintery winter that we have had to deal with in many years here in Ohio and I am very glad to have this cozy blanket to snuggle underneath. I am a little disappointed that we are not spending the winter in the Pacific Northwest where, every time that I check, they are consistently warmer than we are with less snow as well. However, it also means that this blanket would not have turned out like it did, and we would not appreciate it in the same way.

  

Here is how I laid it out so Mr. Uncommon Geek could see all of the different t-shirts that I used, as well as both the Star Trek and Nintendo sheets.

Happy sewing!

Week 3 – Buttons and Space Buffalos

The Facts

Fabric: 2 ½ felt squares, 2 pieces of 9in x 12in faux fur per plush

Pattern: Plushie Bantha from Star Wars Craft Book by Bonnie Burton

Year: Book published 2011

Notions: Per bantha – 2 buttons, 1 chenille stick cut in two, polyester fiberfill

Time to complete: Longer than it probably should have. Some time ago, I originally checked out Bonnie’s book out from the library and made this for a friend. This time, I remade these from memory and have done more hand sewing than what probably is necessary.The one pictured that is mostly hairless is one that I had worked on when I made these the first time. The reason it is so hairless is because that was all of the scrap fur that I had left over at the time.

First worn: N/A

Wear again? N/A

Total Cost: Buttons and fiberfill were from stash, felt, fur and pipe cleaners were new, so about $10

I love the original Star Wars and think that this pattern is just too cute! The hardest part is figuring how to create the horns. I had made and saved a horn pattern, but chose instead to do a different horn that used less felt. The result is a shorter horn that makes them look more like goats than buffalo.  I think that they are still cute regardless.

  

I think I may go back and cut and re-position the fabric on this one so that they legs are better covered. Mr. Uncommon Geek thinks it is fine the way it is and has taken to calling this one Doctor Brief. 

 

I love how much personality the mouth can add to these creatures.

Happy Sewing!!

Week 1 – Favorite outfit made from the previous year

The Facts

Fabric: Navy blue cotton sheet set from the thrift store for jacket and lining, sleeves are lined with satin fabric from stash

Pattern: Simplicity 2172

Year: Recent

Notions: 4 buttons from stash (got from a friend who wanted to pare down their stash) and some ribbon for the back from stash, ribbon trim for the sleeves and collar from stash

Time to complete: Unknown

First worn: at a steampunk convention 2013

Wear again? Yes 

Total Cost: Since the buttons, ribbon for lacing and trim were from stash, and the fabric was less than $5, the whole jacket probably cost me less than $10 in materials.

 

I made this jacket with one of the Steampunk patterns that I have seen at every Steampunk convention that I have been to. I modified it a bit. The sleeves seemed a bit short to me, so I added some length. I originally wanted to make the sleeves removable like they are shown here: http://www.pattern-file.com/archives-2011/pattern-reviews/thar-she-be-pirate-bridesmaid-costume-from-simplicity-2172/ , but I decided against it as this was my first time with this pattern. 

I did decide to do a different collar since I do not really want the version that they show on the envelope. The versions that I have seen with the ruffle do look nice, but I don’t think that it is really for me.  I used the collar pattern from the men’s costume pattern Simplicity 4923 and modified it to where I thought it would work. It didn’t really turn out like I expected it to. I really thought that it would stand up, or lay flat, but it folds over. I hand stitched the ribbon trim around the collar and sleeves. I then used ribbon for the back laces in colors that matched the trim to pull the details together. I’m pretty pleased with this overall. Eventually I would like to make the bodice included in this pattern, but I doubt that I will ever make the skirt as shown on the envelope. I do not want to bother with all of those pleats.

Speaking of skirts, the skirt that I am wearing is one that I made. When I saw this sheet (yes, I have a lot of thrifted sheets that I will be using for sewing) I thought that the color stripe would make a really neat design detail at the bottom of a skirt. I used some pattern pieces that I had used previously as templates and guessed at the width that I would need at the waist. I ended up with 4 gores (from a 6 gore skirt) because the fabric was not wide enough to have 6 with the stripe. I considered making it 6 gores and have 3 with the stripe and 3 without, but I decided against it. My goal was really to have a solid design detail at the bottom of the skirt. I botched the waistband and the zipper horribly, but once I pair this with a corset and the Simplicity 2172 jacket, both are covered and no one can tell, except for me. Sorry, but I don’t have any good pictures that show the skirt bottom. 

 

 

 

Look, I have pockets! I wish they were bigger on the inside…

 

Detail of the lacing in the back. This was the first time that I worked with a pattern that added laces. I am rather proud of how they turned out. Sorry about all of the wrinkles. I didn’t iron this after it was washed. I should probably do that before my next convention. 

 

Happy sewing!