Bed and Dress

Okay. As promised, here's the pic of the bed. It was a whole $10.00 - ten dollars - for the bed. Very nice bed, very comfy. And cheap! We found it at an estate sale that really didn't care - they just wanted to get rid of stuff! We expected it would be 50-100 dollars, but the owner said ten, and we looked at each other and said "yes, please." It's nice, and in good shape - just a few chips in the veneer. Things like this are why I like estate sales. It's a little creepy sometimes, sure, going through the belongings of a dead person - or worse, some poor soul being moved to a nursing home or assisted living facility who sits and watches you go through their stuff. I don't think I could sit there and watch. It would be too hard.

And... the dress. A friend threw a League of Extroardinary Gentlemen party. So.. I went as Lady Blakeney, (wife of the Scarlet Pimpernel), who was part of one of the Leagues. Here I am. My hair isn't done and I don't have my feathers, but most of the rest of it is right. A modified chemise de la reine. The sleeves are actually attached to the overdress, because I was feeling lazy and it was for a costume party. The entire thing is made of muslin (period correct), and some fabric that I've had for a few years... at least two... just sitting around. It shades from coppery to goldy and back, and looked pretty good. Somewhere there's a pic of the front of the dress, with corset showing. :)

So... that's the update so far. More later.

Another doll

So the party is tomorrow, but today's post is about another doll. This one is for someone I've never met, but I had a picture and descriptions to work with. Apparently it turned out very close to the person in question, so... here's Winifred.

She's a Pettyjohn - a daughter of the Scarborough tax collector. From what I know, she's the 'good girl.' I hope that the woman who played her likes her poppet.

Tonight I will try to update again to show my new bed... story about it later.

Updates....

Okay, so I let lots of time lapse between updates. Real life - that life outside of faire and sewing, that is - got in the way. For one, I now have a real, 40-hour-a-week, professional job. Makes me happy to finally be back in a job! However, it does mean less time for sewing and stuff, since I am away from home between 10 to 12 hours every weekday. And weekends... that's the running around doing things and doing housecleaning that I don't have as much time for on weekdays.

That doesn't mean I am not sewing, though. Currently I am making a chemise de la reine for a League of Extrordinary Gentlemen party. The overdress is done except for the hemming, and the underdress is waiting for a corset to arrive from a friend, so I can match fabrics.

The other project is a doll for a former faire actress, now living in Europe. Her 'sisters' commissioned the doll, and it's the first one I've done 1. with a hoop and 2. from pictures and drawings only. Never met the woman who played the character, but have pictures a plenty. Once these dolls are done, I will do the sisters.

And of course, I am working on several long term projects, and adding more all the time. I am almost done with a pirate doll for myself. He needs a headscarf and an eyepatch and he will be done. Those SHOULD be done tonight, and maybe I can get pictures up soon. Took measurements for silk duvet covers, and planned out one of two Christmas gifts that I will hopefully make this year for relatives. I had thought about a third, but if I do it, it will wind up as a birthday present next year. :( Too much to do and too little time to do it in.

Anyway... hopefully I will get updated soon with more pics.

Bustle the Seahorse

Bustle is a seahorse for a friend's kid. The same one getting cat hats and the octopus. Bustle is... well... he started out life as a bustle for a dress my roommate is making. But, she decided she didn't need a bustle, so here he was, lying there, waiting for something. I took one look at him and thought: "That looks a little like a seahorse." So, restuffing, eyes, and fins later, he is a seahorse.

Now I'm thinking about how to make a Loch Ness monster... because I need another project.

Lion stuffie

Finished yet another project - the heraldic lion stuffie. He didn't come out exactly like I wanted, but he's not bad looking. If I were to do him over, I would embroider a little more on him and probably fix his head... go ahead and stuff the entire thing. But I like him anyway, and I might do a tutorial on him - make another one with the embroidery, etc.

Either way, it's another project off the list. Only 17 more to go! (although I technically have 2 more that can go on the list soon).

More updates

More sewing done.

This time - dolls. Gypsy dolls. The adult has bells in his stuffing, so he jingles when he's moved. I only intended to do him, but the others were just too cute not to do. He's a gypsy storyteller - all I need to do is embroider his vest with various motifs. Most of the clothing is hand-stitched, and the patterns for the little dolls were bodged together based on larger patterns. Seemed to work out reasonably well.

The other completed project - a dress for the wedding of friends. It's a Claire McCardell 1940's pattern, and worked out better than I had expected, in all honesty. It looks pretty darned good on me, as well. Now all I have to do is come up with jewelry and a 1940's hairstyle!

The pic doesn't do it justice, really. It's floor length and drapey... very nice. And flattering, which is a nice change for me and dresses! All it lacks is a hook-and-eye for the back and I am completely done with it. Yay!

Next up, working on the Bento Box quilt and other dolls. Probably. Except working with Donna to finish her dress for the wedding.

Right.. updates

So, between being sick as a dog and faire and all... I've been busy. Mostly being sick. But... it's almost all gone, and faire is over, so I can make time for posting again!

There are a LOT of updates to be had: my project list has changed dramatically - added more, finished some, and so on. And we've decided to add a fence to the garden-to-be, and are using pallets to make the fence. Means staining the pallets as we get them. I would do some today, but it just rained, so no staining today.

This one might just be picture heavy, so be warned. I've done a lot recently.

The octopus for the child of friends. He's made of blue/black tafetta, so his color shifts. He will stand up on his eight legs, too, thanks to a little rice in the tips. I may add eyes to him. He looks like he is blowing a kiss. The pattern is adapted from Runi, who makes absolutely fabulous little stuffies!

The metallic pillow. It was a test for another project, and did not turn out like I wanted, but I like the look, so it became a pillow. It's stuffed with pieces of fabric - heavy, but comfy. Three layers of silk dupioni in copper, silver, and gold. It's like a D&D gamer's favorite pillow - all the monies you could need!

After seeing Johanna, other people decided they wanted a poppet of their characters. So, the ones I have completed so far are: Katherine Boothe, the town crier, in blues, and Ellie Chandler, the candle maker's daughter, in the yellows. Like Johanna, each of them comes with their own set of accessories: a bell for the crier and candles for Ellie. Although the picture doesn't show it, Ellie's hat is singed and burnt, like the original's.

A cat hat for a newborn. There are three others to go with this, all in various shades. Now all I have to do is find a time and way to get them to the kid.

These are not the only things I've done, but they are all I am going to post right now. I have also completed a new skirt for myself at faire (a circle and a half, very swirly), a poppet for my character (who needs the new skirt still), finished cutting out the pieces of the Bento Box quilt I am working on, and started on a dress for the reception of a friend's wedding: it's to be a masquerade ball, which means I need to find my mask. And think about hair styles. And there's more... but right now I can't think.