Girl with a punctured heart

For Halloween this year I wanted something suitably in theme, suitably rare, and suitably feminine. After a little bit of browsing the internet for inspiration I decided on this sassy little voodoo doll dress.

It's a smart fitted number, with a lovely flattering bias cut waist-band. Working with Buckram was not exactly a bag of laughs and my flat is now covered in wisps of the stuff which no hoover can conquer. Naturally it needed to be entirely lined with a thick black cotton to save me from itching my way through the party, it also meant that neckline and armholes were faced. Happy days. (If I were to make it again though I'd give it sleeves as my underarms were a little raw at the end of the night - ow!)

The heart is made from felt appliquéd on with a blanket stitch and the pins were a couple of ex-coat hangers with a painted paper-spun ball hot-glued to the end. It's quite odd coping with such a protrusion and trying to navigate a crowded room or take a sip of a drink but the pins were stitched in place and pretty sturdy.

Much back-combing and crimping later and just the right accessories and I'm so pleased I didn't do the tired sheet-over-the-head look!

Halloween in Mordor

A friend of mine had his heart set on a Ring Wraith costume from the Lord of The Rings films for this year's Halloween. I don't know the films that well but luckily he had a little toy figure for me to work the pattern from. The friend in question is very particular about accuracy of design and between us we finalised a design that was a little different in construction but exactly the same in appearance.

The final costume had 4 parts to it, including a top with 2 sets of sleeves to give a layered effect as despite buying a whopping 12 meters of fabric there wasn't enough to make a second top. Choosing the fabric was a bit of a challenge. We needed something with a really obvious sack-cloth type weave, but also close weave as we didn't want it see-through! A lot of the fabric we looked at was far to new looking, but finally we found some heavyweight upholstery fabric that fitted the bill.



It was made on a tight deadline but luckily the costume was supposed to look a little shapeless so precise measurements weren't needed so much. Part of the specification of the design was that it needed to be very flowing and incorporate a lot of fabric so the skirt part is in fact a circle skirt with a draw-string waist.

The cloak that goes over the top isn't actually attached to the hood, which is placed over the shoulders and has long flared parts that are almost knee length and adds even more to the layered look. The cloak itself has a small folded back capelet attached at the neckline and split at the shoulders, as well as having split sides from the shoulders downwards which I am reliably informed is to enable the Wraiths to draw and wield their swords! Both the skirt part and the cloak needed to be long enough to drag on the floor to give a 'floating' look when worn. I think it all came together pretty well!

My first proper knitted 'garment'!

I've knitted baby hats and the odd scarf before, but this was my first go at a proper piece of clothing using the ancient cloth-out-of-string method known as knitting, and I chose to make a tank-top for a chap. Considering that knitting is the slowest craft EVER it didn't really take that long. I started it as a holiday project when I went away to Wales in early September and finished it about mid-October- not bad!

I used a different weight wool for the trim because I liked the rich teal colour, but it didn't seem to generate any problems. It was my first time using the picking up stitches technique needed for the neckline and armholes, but once I had consulted Motherapeadia it really wasn't so hard. I also had my tension complimented by a seasoned knitter friend of mine so that was quite pleasing too.



















I admit it is a bit geography-teacher-esque, but it suits the chap it was made for, as seen here.

It's the first time I've knitted since the Christmas present disasters last year and I think it may have got me past the hangover of that horror. I may even try and knit something else as it's winter well and truly now!

Apple of my father's eye

Buying or making my father a birthday present is always a bit tricky, as he's one of those chaps that will just get himself something if he needs it!

Luckily this year I had a tip-off from my mother, telling me that what he really needed was a tea-cosy for his new pillarbox red Stump tea pot. Armed with some precise measurements I started knitting in earnest from a moss stitch pattern cozy.

It didn't take long to do once I was in the flow, and the leaf was a lot easier than I thought. The stem is done with french knitting.

Thankfully the birthday boy liked it too - and now his tea stays warm through the winter nights!

1950's for the younger generation!

Recently a friend of mine asked if he could employ my services for his daughters 13th birthday present of a handmade dress. He wanted her to choose the design and the fabric, and plenty of space for it to be let out as she inevitably shoots up over the next couple of years!

The new teen in question is really into her rockabilly style so I dug out some of my 50's patterns and she chose the one I'd made for myself back in January (as seen here.)

In terms of design it was perfect for modifying for the young lady's needs: I turned the neck straps into a tie halter for easy adjustment, and the gathers on the bustline and the sweetheart line over the lining panel give it just the right amount of femininity without being too revealing for a 13 year old!

I made the dress with 1 inch seam allowances and a 4 inch hem that should keep her in it for a good while yet! I've never made anything for someone quite so little so I had to measure her every single dimension but it fits really well, and with the petticoat underneath she looks ready to rock and roll!

2 and half hours well spent!

I'm rather pleased with this. I picked up 3m of this fabric for a song last week with the vague intention of turning it into a circle skirt one day. Yesterday, I got home from work and decided to get started on it while my dinner was in the oven. I started by getting to grips with pi all over again.

2.5 hours later (not including a break to feed my face) I had this skirt made of 2 semi-circle panels. I've not used a zip as I wanted it to have a cleaner look and feel. The button has enough overlap that you can't see anything you shouldn't through the placket!

The only problem is that it's a smidge see-through! It should be ok with the petticoat underneath it, though I'm a bit nervous of UV lights... I'm currently trying to convince the world (or myself) that the petticoat size is perfectly appropriate day-wear, so far I've only knocked a couple of small light objects off shelves, had several Marilyn moments in the breeze and taken up a seat and a half on the bus!

16 pieces of fabric for a skirt?!

Yeah I didn't really consider the complexity of this skirt before I decided to make it. I bought the pattern from some dodgy market stall years ago after which I completely forgot about it. It came to the top of the pile recently and when I saw this bold print 100% cotton I felt inspired to make it.

To be honest, I think something more synthetic would have been better as it creases a LOT which is tricky in terms of keeping the pleats in place. It's got a static-free lining which makes it quite warm too, not exactly the cool, summery skirt I was after for this hot weather!

The pattern was for the wrong size so I had to scale it up, but it's still a little tight which makes it just a smidge too short. Hopefully by winter I'll have slimmed for it!

Pretty though!