52 Project Challenge, 2013 - Page 10

[rere]

I finished up a few things this weekend.

A triangle bag for my cousin:

Some band dolls for a friend:

And a photo collage on canvas for another friend.

Still need to finish my daughter's floor blanket.Maybe later today after I get some work done.

Glad to see people are still making!It's keeping me motivated.

[zebra15]

did some crochet last night...  managed to stay focused for about an hour.  

[Angelorum]

My slip is finished! The top of it is stretch lace and meant to sit just under my bra so that it stays out of the way for breastfeeding, but doesn't leave a big waist bump under my dress like a half slip.  The straps/suspenders keep it from sliding down to my waist and sticking out the bottom of my skirt.  Success!

And that was the last project I needed to finish before I could start my dress, and I still have over 2 weeks before Easter.  I might actually get it done in time!

17/52

[lilacvioletiris]

That is a pretty awesome idea for a slip.

[Angelorum]

Thanks!  I feel pretty clever about it :D
 

[Smokering]

I'm taking three points!

8/52: Made DS a little green shirt with a Celtic knot pattern appliqued on the back - which took forever. The fabric and buttons were off Dad's old army shirt. We're hardly a military family - he was in the Territorials at university, while protesting the war on Vietnam, and never saw combat (thank goodness, as he would have lasted about five minutes!); still, I felt properly awed when I saw the unfaded chevron patches on the sleeves, and felt vaguely guilty about cutting it up. Then again, he did throw it out, and it was good fabric.

9/52: DD's Cinderella dress. Never again. I hate working with tulle, and that puffy whatever-it-is sheer stuff I used for the panniers and sleeve puffs was pretty bad too. Still, it turned out pretty well (I don't think the photos do it justice). It's good to know DD suits that icy blue - she's never worn it before. I usually go for warmer, smokier blues, but this works well with her hair, don't you think? I might make her a winter coat in that same colour.

She's standing funny in that one - I arranged the panniers properly afterwards, but then no-one took photos. :p Oh well.

And 10/52 is the cake. Farmyard-themed, this year, which was considerably less involved than the castle monstrosity of last year.

So I feel I'm getting back up to speed! Right now I'm cutting out a pattern for a long-sleeved blouse for DD. It's time to start doing her autumn/winter clothes, and I'm very excited about it - I have a few Ottobre magazines I haven't used yet, because of the whole opposite-seasons-in-the-northern-hemisphere thing. This blouse has a yoke with tucks, a gathered front and shirred wrists with lace - it's very pretty, and I'll probably make two of them. The hard part is not buying fabric. I'll need some for the coat and a few (gulp) jersey/knit items she wants, but we're kinda broke. I'm trying to convince myself that it is not entirely unreasonable to spend money on one's daughter's winter wardrobe, but the size of my stash is judging me. I have too much quilting cotton; it's not as versatile as I once thought. Too stiff for shirts, really.

[Angelorum]

So I feel I'm getting back up to speed! Right now I'm cutting out a pattern for a long-sleeved blouse for DD. It's time to start doing her autumn/winter clothes, and I'm very excited about it - I have a few Ottobre magazines I haven't used yet, because of the whole opposite-seasons-in-the-northern-hemisphere thing. This blouse has a yoke with tucks, a gathered front and shirred wrists with lace - it's very pretty, and I'll probably make two of them. The hard part is not buying fabric. I'll need some for the coat and a few (gulp) jersey/knit items she wants, but we're kinda broke. I'm trying to convince myself that it is not entirely unreasonable to spend money on one's daughter's winter wardrobe, but the size of my stash is judging me. I have too much quilting cotton; it's not as versatile as I once thought. Too stiff for shirts, really.

Ha!  Before I remembered your location, I was all "Wow, autumn/winter, way to plan ahead, Smokering!"

The Cinderella dress turned out great!  And I agree, a coat that color would be darling.

As for the whole buying fabric thing... I have been pouring over online fabric stores lately, and pinning tons of pretty fabrics on pinterest.  My birthday is this week, and I was hoping to be able to point my mom and sisters to the pinterest board if they wanted to know what I wanted, but so far nobody has asked :/  Oh well, I still get birthday money from Grandma, and I'll definitely be using that to purchase some cotton lawn for a shirt dress or two :)

[lilacvioletiris]

Love the cinderella outfit. Totally agree on the shiny stuff being a beast to work with. Once made a wedding dress with that sheer overlay over everything so the woman "looked like a princess". It was pretty but slippery!

[Momsteader]

I 'drank the koolaid' and made one of those 'Sashay' scarves with that special yarn. It turned out well, but didn't take an hour (more like two) as 'advertised'. Though I did knit it rather than crochet as crocheting didn't look right, so I pulled out the little bit I'd done and started again knitting. It's a gift for my mom who is going on a cruise in June for her 40th anniversary! 

[lilacvioletiris]

That is really cute!

[Smokering]

lilacvioletiris, you made a wedding dress? Respect! I hope to be that awesome by the time DD's old enough to need a wedding dress... y'know, potentially. Mum made mine, but she swore "never again" afterwards... sorry, other five sisters! :p

Momsteader: Ha! I saw that scarf wool at the fabric store just yesterday. I didn't get any, but I must admit I succumbed to the featherwool craze when I was a teenager. These ruffly ones are much prettier, though...

[Smokering]

11/52. Finally finished my sailor dress! I was hemming and hawing about the slightly-too-loose waistband, wondering if I should shirr it or add some darts through the whole lot without picking apart the waistband and skirt and bodice, or make a white sash to tie in a bow at the back, or what; until I showed a friend and said "It's a little loose around the waist still" and she said "Oh yeah, are you going to get a belt?" And my mind went "ding" and I was all "Get... a belt. GET a belt. Hey, I could get a belt!" So I went to an op shop this morning, found a belt of the perfect shade of red for $2, added a few belt loops to the dress, and now it's done. Hooray for blindingly obvious solutions! (In my defense, I never wear belts...)

No photos yet, but I'll try to get some tomorrow.

I would have finished DD's shirt tonight too, but after carefully hand-sewing all the buttonholes during our church AGM I realised I'd made them too small for the buttons! Sooo, yeah, need some new buttons. Oops.

DS needs some new trousers, so I guess that'll be my next project. Or DD's flannelette nightie, but I accidentally didn't buy enough and now, of course, Spotlight's run out of it; so I may have to do something creative with the sleeves. Oops again. I want to make myself some warm winter pyjamas, too - any ideas?  A breastfeeding-friendly top would be good - my current pyjama top just buttons down the front, but I recall getting a cold chest last year during night feeds.

[lilacvioletiris]

Smokering, what about something like this dress used to keep you warm while nursing? I thought it was an ingenious design http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=357815.0#axzz2OjaVYnBN

[Smokering]

Well, I bit the bullet and bought some knits online. I hope they're decent - the shipping was killer.

lilasvioletiris: I've seen that dress before and I love it on her, but I'm not sure if it'd work on my non-busty self. I'm thinking of doing one of those twisty-over-bust-pull-up... things. Anyway, I hauled out DD's winter nightie - I shoved it back in the closet when I realised I didn't have quite enough fabric and Spotlight had stopped selling it! - but with a slightly peculiar seam on the sleeves, covered by ribbons, it should be OK. Sort of. OK, it won't be my most gorgeous project ever. But it should keep DD warm, and she chose the fabric and style herself, so I imagine it'll be more popular than it deserves. At any rate, while I finish that and make her coat, I'll have plenty of time to ponder my jammies.

Anyway, here's my sailor dress. It's amazing how much better it looks better with the belt - it looks really frumpy without it. I like it - wore it yesterday and today, and got compliments both times. :) This may be the first item I've made myself that I don't feel slightly embarrassed to wear. That's a good start!

Yes, the photos are ghastly - taken by DH and my five-year-old, who have approximately the same level of talent. :p

Twirling (full circle skirt):

Front details:

[Angelorum]

I love the sailor dress!  I made a dress a couple summers ago that looked awful until I added a belt to it.  It was also polka dot printed.  I wonder if the business of the print obscures the waistline?

The dress I'm working on is currently having trouble submitting to my will.  I've worked through most of the problems, though I'm not sure if one of my solutions looks more like a mistake or a design feature :/  I am quite determined to have this dress done this weekend though! 

I also knit up a quick little baby hat recently

18/52
 

[lilacvioletiris]

Smokering, I love how you look in the twirling polka dot dress.  It does look awesome with the belt.

Angelorum, I love the little strawberry looking baby hat. Very cool.

[Momsteader]

Angelorum, love the hat! I just made a similar baby hat for my latest project....just must take pics! Mine is an eggplant I guess...it's purple....LOL 

Smokering--love the dress! So cute!! 

[potatocraft]

Well, after not being super productive for a while I have a few thing finished. 

This is a pair of quick change trousers I made for Fynn.  I also recovered my Ironing board.  It was getting BAD. 

So I think this gives me a rather pathetic 8/52...I better check on that. 

[Angelorum]

I need to make a new cover for my ironing board too, potatocraft!  It just seems like such a dull project I keep putting it off!  Maybe I should just go buy one instead....
 

[potatocraft]

It was really easy.  I literally just laid some fabric and a couple layers of batting out on the table and put the ironing board upside down on it, cut aprox 4" around it.  Zig Zag some elastic all around the edge and slip it over the Ironing Board and call it good.  It has been hanging out happily ever since.  and it really only took line an hour total...including deciding what fabric I wanted to use.