Spell, Stitch & Splinter

I've been so absent from the blog world for some time now, but I have a good reason: I'm in grad school!  I started In July and it's been nonstop work since then.  It's busy but I'm learning a lot and having tons of fun. Before the chaos of grad school began, I managed to finish 2 projects from the Colette Sewing book: Meringue and Pastille.  I'll share the Meringue skirt once I finish the Taffy blouse I'm currently working on but here's my Pastille dress. I cut a size 18.  The skirt portion fit without any alterations.  The bodice had too much material in the back, a problem I heard many people had with this pattern, so I did a sway back adjustment.  I also did my usual FBA on the front, but I only needed to increase by an inch instead of my usual 2 inches.  Colette patterns are drafted for a C-cup, as opposed to the B-cup the Big Three companies draft for. I made it from a blue mystery stash fabric I got from my boyfriend's mom, which ...

I found this at HomeGoods today. It's an adorable ceder box with a sewing machine sculpture on top.  It probably has seen better days; the hand wheel is completely separate and the top isn't attached to the hinges at all.  But I'm sure with a little elbow grease I can fix it up and use it to store.......um.  I haven't exactly decided yet, but it will be used for something!

This is a warning from the sewing gods. I, of course, did what your never supposed to do; I let a pin get caught under the presser foot and hit it with the needle. Luckily, My machine seems to be totally fine since the emergency shut off kicked in before anything catastrophic happened. My boyfriend (a physicist) marveled at how unlikely it is for me to have a small pointed object land perfectly on a small cylindrical object just right for it to bend and not simply slide off. I know, I know, you're not supposed to let pins fall under the presser foot, but I have a tendency to sew seams super fast and remove the pins super quickly without stopping the machine. Well, I think I've learned my lesson.

I made this for Halloween but just put the finishing touches on it recently.  I wanted to make a "royal"  medieval costume that had some Asian influences. I also used the color scheme of the Lannisters from Game of Thrones. It's sort of a interpretation of Cersei Lannister's red and gold dress. This fabric is sooo pretty The pattern is based on a Ghawazee coat, typically worn by tribal belly dancers. Since I do a bit of belly dancing myself, this coat does double duty as a Halloween costume and dance attire. It's the most expensive costume I've ever sewn, thanks to my boyfriend spoiling me with an entire bolt of beautiful red brocade fabric. Personally, I'm usually a very frugal shopper, buying fabric only when it's on sale. Unfortunately I never got around to adding the closures I love the neckline on this coat.  I used a black leather braided trim to outline the collar and a gold and black ribbon for the center front. ...

I've wavered between wanting these books and trying to hold off. My budget has been so strict this year that I haven't bought anything for sewing since Halloween. But now I have both books and I couldn't be happier! The Colette Sewing Handbook is a great resource for a beginner to intermediate seamstress like me. I've read through the whole book already and have begun planning a spring wardrobe made up mostly of Colette patterns. Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing is much more advanced, filled with couture techniques like hemming with horsehair and boning a bodice. I think I'll attempt some of these patterns after I've sewn through the Colette book first. I am so happy with my purchases. I especially love the sheer number of patterns that are included in the books. I think this will be a great start to my goal of sewing more non-costume clothing. It's also sort of a transition too, sewing vintage inspired clothing for everyday wear. ...

I, Vanessa, commit to using 6 pieces of stash fabric. I know I'm a bit late in joining this challange, but it sounds like fun! I need to use up my stash because I do not have room to buy anymore fabric. I have forced myself to limit my fabric to what can fit in a single storage tub. Our apartment is small and storage is limited. I can't buy anymore until i clear out space from what I already have.     Here's my stash, and my swatches on the side too. A majority of this stash is costumey fabric, like stretch velvet and curly fake fur. I don't have specific plans for certain fabrics, so I'll just see how it goes.  I've never done a sew along or a sewing challenge, so I'm just gonna dive right in. I don't know if I'll be able to keep to a schedule (I'm already late on the Itty Bits from January) but i'm pretty confident I'll have all the projects sewn eventually.

I believe my number one hindrance to plenty of sewing is a lack of suitable sewing space. I used to have an entire spare bedroom to myself, but we've since added another roommate to the apartment. So currently I am sharing a desk with my boyfriend. My poor machine hidden away underneath. I have to put my machine away when I'm done, so it's hard to work up the effort to take everything back out again. Plus, most of my fabric and supplies are stored in the hall closet, under several totes and suitcases.  Sewing would be simpler if I had a dedicated space that would need minimal set up. But that so hard to do in a small shared bedroom. Then I ran across this picture online: 2 bookcases unfold to reveal a crafting space! And suddenly remembered this under-used bookcase in the living room, salvaged from the dumpster: It looks so sad. It has no shelves and currently holds video games and random paper. But now I'm thinking about its potential and sketching ou...

I love to sew. I also love a great many other things, so much so that I'm in danger of having too many interests (is that possible?).  But sewing is definitely one of my favorite things to do. A princess,  random outfit, and a witch. Ever since high school I've tried to assemble my own costumes or revamp old clothes.  My sewing skills were limited to hand sewing, and I didn't have the patience (or time) to do anything big.  I usually combined thrift store finds with old dance costumes, whatever would work. Bellydancer, Steampunk-ish dress, Mai Valentine, Mad Hatter In college, I received my first sewing machine, and was forever lost to the world of fabrics.  I started out making costumes, ranging form simple to sort of elaborate.  Since they were usually one time wear only, I was never terribly worried about finishes or durability. My first non-costume piece of clothing Now I'm starting to venture into the world of wearable ...