Upcoming Projects

 Hey! It's been a long time, but here I am! I've been adjusting to life as a mommy. My sweet peanut is almost eight months old now, and some things are getting easier while others get harder. She's learning fast, and getting really independent. Thanks to that, and the fact that she has a somewhat predictable sleep schedule lately, I've been able to start working on some sewing projects! Here's a timeline for what I'm hoping to accomplish in the next few months. The main projects are all for Elinor, but I have a few side projects for other people as well.

Project 1: I'm hoping to have it done fairly soon-- hopefully before the 15th, but definitely by Thanksgiving. The design is based on this doll dress. Forgive the low quality and blue arrow thing; the picture is a screen shot I took online, and I didn't think to try to find a better photo since this was all I needed to get started on a design.

The doll dress is based on a vintage girl's dress.

Here is my design sketched out, with the fabrics I'll be using. I'm also making a pair of long bloomers to go underneath. I have the pattern all drafted and ready. I'm super excited. If I have enough leftover fabric, I will make a matching outfit for my antique doll Rosie.

I forgot to put the ribbon trim I'll be using, but you get the idea.

Projects 2 and 3: Most Christmas dresses for babies have short sleeves, for some reason, and I wanted Sweet Bean to not freeze in hers. I was inspired by this really pretty plaid fabric left over from a doll outfit I made several years ago. What better way than to use it for my doll baby? I found some lovely gold fabric to go with it, since there wasn't enough plaid left to make a whole dress. I'll also be using the fabrics to make Goofer Bean's stocking. Obviously, the plan is to have these done before Christmas.

Again, I forgot to get the trim in the photo... it's a cream and gold braided cord. Very pretty.

Project 5: This is probably the biggest project I'm planning. It's going to be Goofer Bean's birthday dress! It's going to be super-duper ruffly. I'm really excited about getting the pattern ready and whatnot. I haven't spent quite as much thought on it since my deadline for it is farther away, but I can't wait to start nailing down the details.

These fabrics are very shimmery, so it was hard to get a good photo.

At least I remembered the trim this time!

Side projects: I have a few other projects that I don't have photos for. Christmas presents for my nephews, the long anticipated lighthouse drawing for my aunt (it's almost done, I promise!), a skirt made of neckties form my sister-in-law, a sweater I've been knitting for myself, and a Christmas stocking for my younger nephew. I'll post pictures as I finish each project. It's exciting to finally have ideas and motivation, and to see myself making progress. So... until next time! Thanks for reading!

New Stuff

Hey! So, I'm back, after many months... It seems that's the pattern. But in these months I've made things! Most importantly, this one:

My little peanut-head! Don't worry, it reshaped back to normal in a couple days.

Dollbaby!

...but also artwork. I finished two projects in the past few months, and I even took progress shots of each! So, before Dollbaby was born, I made a wedding gift for some friends; they wanted a thumbprint tree in place of (or maybe in addition to?) a guest book, and asked me if I'd make it, so I did! It was a fun and fairly easy project. The hardest part was making sure it was mostly symmetrical.

Preliminary sketch. Apologies for the crummy picture; I was sketching really lightly...

Inked with a sepia Pigma Micron marker. 

Filled in with watercolor.

After the reception with all the leaves added.

So, the day after that wedding, I had a baby. Then I made her a fancy gown! I was inspired by finding my great-great (or maybe my great-great-great?) grandfather's dedication gown at my grandma's house. I'd always thought I'd like to make an old-fashioned christening/dedication gown for my kids, and this was my chance! So here it is, along with plenty of progress shots and pictures showing the construction. Some notes on the construction: 1. I lined it and flat-felled most seams. The only exposed rough edges are inside the sleeves. 2. All the ribbons are tied, not sewn, so that if Handsomeface and I ever have a boy, we can switch the purple ribbons with blue. 3. I used a doll dress pattern as the basis for the pattern I drafted. If you have questions about how I did anything, comment!

Sketching out ideas.

The pattern and trims.

The skirt, all trimmed and tucked.

Another view of the skirt.

The bodice, mostly finished.

Front View

Bodice

Sleeve

Cuff Detail

Cuff Detail

Cuff Detail

Skirt Trim Completed

Back View

Bodice Back

Bodice Back, open

Inside Front

Inside Front Detail

Inside of Cuff

Inside Back

Inside Back Detail

Dollbaby modeling her gown!

So, that's what I've been busy with! The next projects I'll be working on are drawings, most notably the long-delayed lighthouse drawing for my aunt. Check back in a few months to see how I've progressed! Thanks for reading!

I'm Still Alive!

Hey, readers! It's been nearly six months, but I do still remember I have this blog! Life's been crazy, what with moving, growing a baby, friends getting ready to wed, and whatever else has been going on. My husband and I moved to Michigan, where he finally got a full time job, after months of applying. He's in construction, for anyone that missed the memo, and it's a great fit for him since he's already so good at building things (and he enjoys it too!). We're temporarily staying with family, but it looks like we'll be moving into a new apartment very soon, so with that and the baby's due date coming up, posts here are probably not going to be gaining regularity anytime soon (sorry!) Things are relatively calm right now, though, which has given me time to make stuff! Woohoo! So I thought I'd post about some of those things. Here we go!

Project number one is a wedding gift for some friends of mine, so I'm going to keep it secret for now (I'll probably post pictures after the wedding, since I'll have also done my second stint as wedding florist (well, I made the bouquets, anyway) and my I-don't-know-how-many-th stint as wedding hairstylist. So I'll have more things to post in a couple weeks, maybe.

Project number two is one that has been in the works for going on three years, much to my embarrassment- a drawing commissioned before my wedding, with the proceeds (paid in advance, no less! People, never pay me in advance.) going toward the beautiful circlet I wore. Here's where I am so far, and hopefully it will be done very soon now since I'm on an artsy kick:

Little Point Sable, the prettiest lighthouse in the world.

Not a very good photo, but you get the idea. I think it's going pretty well so far. Now if I can just finish it before I have to move again...

Project number three was not really a planned project at all. My sister-in-law invited me to the new moms' group at her church, and they were doing an art day, pretty much on a whim. The one idea given ahead of time was to think of a word, quote, or scripture that meant a lot and see what it inspired visually. I immediately thought of Psalm 139:13&14, grabbed my stack of ultrasound pictures, and headed out the door with Angie. Here's what ended up happening:

My sweet baby.

This is just what happens when you set free materials in front of me for an hour and a half and say, "Make some art! Have fun!" I don't even know how to explain it. I just hope it doesn't scare people off from making whatever stuff they have fun with... I worry that I intimidate people when I make stuff in the same place other people are making stuff... P.S. it's really hard to express all that without feeling like I'm being a showoff or something, so I guess just enjoy art? Whether it's fine art in a museum, or some silly thing you doodled on a restaurant napkin, enjoy art. If you made it, had fun, and gave it an effort, it's worthwhile. There, I suppose is the heart of the message. And now I'm done waxing philosophical. On with the post!

Project number four is probably the one I'm most excited about. I'm making an old-fashioned christening-type baby gown! I have the pattern all drafted and the materials ready. Here's the design:

Many design options. Also, that is my toe in the bottom corner,
holding the sketchbook open.

The bodice will look like the one labeled Da, drawn with the whole dress. The sleeves will look like the sleeve on the left hand side of the drawing, labeled D1. The skirt will look like the one drawn separately up in the top right hand corner, also labeled D1. If you are having trouble taking the picture apart and putting it back together, I don't blame you one bit. When I post pictures of the finished dress, you'll know what it looks like and that's what matters, right? Also, my pattern and all my fancy trims. I'm so excited to work on this more!

So much lace! Whee!

So that's what my creative life is looking like right now! Hope you had fun catching up! Talk to y'all later (hopefully in less than six months this time!)