The crafty thread! Please post all your crafty/artsy creations here!

[stracci2000]

I have been sick so I’ve been crocheting my misery away.







Next on the agenda - reversible octopus.

That's the cutest thing!!!!

 

[Avondale]

That's the cutest thing!!!!

Thank you! I fell in love with the pattern the second I saw it, I just had to have it.

Meanwhile I’m still sick, so…





For the time being I’ve set it to “grumpy”.

 

[Arcadian]

So cute! I love it (and I hope you're feeling better!) I can't crochet to save my life...lol

 

[Avondale]

So cute! I love it (and I hope you're feeling better!) I can't crochet to save my life...lol

Well I can't sew to save my life... There's this girl on youtube I occasionally watch, she's very much into edwardian era everything, and she sews. Not just that, but she sews using old techniques, sometimes entirely by hand. It's fascinating to watch the process.

I am feeling much better, thank you. Octopus has been firmly set on "happy".

So I found an unexpected but welcome use for the crochet kitty...



It sits on my nightstand so when I take off my ring for the night (usually only wear one at home), I slide it onto the tail for safekeeping during the night from the other siamese cat, this one very much alive, who likes to steal my jewellery and play with it.

I also have one new completed project to share. The pattern is from the same designer who made the kitty and it's, oh, cuteness overload.






The wool took forever but it was so worth it. Next time I have one whole free day on my hands, I'm making a second one.

 

[stracci2000]

Here are a few more:

Playing with watercolors again, and trying some new techniques.







This is my ode to Alphonse Mucha, featuring Miso the cat.

 

[Arcadian]

My availability took a nose dive because Ms. Gigi decided that she too could climb trees just like the kitty cats she was chasing. She of course could not get down on her own, my husband had to go get her.

She's fine thankfully aside from a few scrapes and 1 nasty cut but, we're in daily bandage changes and "stop licking" mode. Monday is staple removal.

One shirt is finished, the other...well it will get done when I don't have her stuck to me 24-7...lol

 

[Arcadian]

I'm sort of back in the saddle. Gosh its been a while! Between Gigi, Ivy, crazy job stuff and the start of Hurricane Season, its been a bit crazy.
But I finished a shirt and started some new work.


I'm not yet done but I had a free weekend away from everyone to work on it.

And of course I had problems...lol The lace was not included in the pattern but when have I ever followed a pattern faithfully?

It meant calculating where to put it and how to treat it as I wanted to do inset lace. and not merely on top of the fabric.

And then I ran out of lace.... and because it would take a month to get more I just went with what I had.




The pattern is... well its got 50+ steps. I added to that with all the lace.
To do inset you have to add it where you want it, pin it down heavily



Then sew it on


then carefully cut the fabric open in the middle of the lace


Cut away the fabric until you've got just a tiny lip of fabric, then press that in place, and, sew it down again


So 2 sleeves with a row of lace
4 skirt pieces with 2 rows of lace

then I had to dye the buttons. these are mother of pearl, and naturally I wouldn't bother but they look more yellow and brown against this stark white fabric.



Then make the button loops, there's lots of them

 

[Arcadian]

Part 2 (I could not make it fit, sorry!)

I get to sewing this past weekend. I'm messy when I create ...lol not apologizing, you're gonna see a mess tho.

The bodice with the collar. I didn't add any lace to the collar because I ran out.


The sleeves. yes the dress form is naked but its supposed to be.
The sleeves. They are not attached yet.


And the rest of the dress FYI, nothing super attached, most of it is being held in place by pins as I do the adjustments (is why you see pins everywhere)


The back will have a zipper. the buttons in front are mainly decorative.




If I have time I will start attaching it together this week but realistically it will be the weekend. 18 buttons in front. thats so dead last...lol

 

[VRBeauty]

Part 2 (I could not make it fit, sorry!)

I get to sewing this past weekend. I'm messy when I create ...lol not apologizing, you're gonna see a mess tho.

The bodice with the collar. I didn't add any lace to the collar because I ran out.


The sleeves. yes the dress form is naked but its supposed to be.
The sleeves. They are not attached yet.


And the rest of the dress FYI, nothing super attached, most of it is being held in place by pins as I do the adjustments (is why you see pins everywhere)


The back will have a zipper. the buttons in front are mainly decorative.




If I have time I will start attaching it together this week but realistically it will be the weekend. 18 buttons in front. thats so dead last...lol

Oh my. So much detail, and so many little button loops! But it’ll be absolutely lovely and absolutely bespoke! And its giving me a very “Princess Kate” feeling - you’re giving her coutouriers a run for their money.

 

[Arcadian]

Oh my. So much detail, and so many little button loops! But it’ll be absolutely lovely and absolutely bespoke! And its giving me a very “Princess Kate” feeling - you’re giving her coutouriers a run for their money.

My husband call it "Little House on the Prairie Dress"

I love the fabric but those button loops made me say some things I don't normally say! turning those was not very easy due to the embroidery, but going with plain fabric was not an option!

Any time I make something thats this detailed it reminds me why the high end houses charge so much for some of this stuff. Sure they surf off the name a bit too, but ....when you're building from the ground up and using a lot of hand work, its intensive and it can take a lot of time. and of course the real people who work at these brands want to get paid too (and seriously good fabric isn't always cheap!!) the things that look simple, really aren't at all. Heck yesterday I spent near 4 hours doing nothing but slip stitching the seam allowances down so that it looks invisible. The stitches are tiny, and I used silk thread which makes it not so visible.

If life did not get in the way and I didn't have to work to pay the bills and could sew all day, this dress would still take easily 80 hours or more in straight time needed.

Will be pretty enough to walk the dog in...lol.

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

My husband call it "Little House on the Prairie Dress"

I love the fabric but those button loops made me say some things I don't normally say! turning those was not very easy due to the embroidery, but going with plain fabric was not an option!

Any time I make something thats this detailed it reminds me why the high end houses charge so much for some of this stuff. Sure they surf off the name a bit too, but ....when you're building from the ground up and using a lot of hand work, its intensive and it can take a lot of time. and of course the real people who work at these brands want to get paid too (and seriously good fabric isn't always cheap!!) the things that look simple, really aren't at all. Heck yesterday I spent near 4 hours doing nothing but slip stitching the seam allowances down so that it looks invisible. The stitches are tiny, and I used silk thread which makes it not so visible.

If life did not get in the way and I didn't have to work to pay the bills and could sew all day, this dress would still take easily 80 hours or more in straight time needed.

Will be pretty enough to walk the dog in...lol.

Call me Laura then, because it's super cute!

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Just popping in to marvel at how insanely talented you all are!!!!!

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Part 2 (I could not make it fit, sorry!)

I get to sewing this past weekend. I'm messy when I create ...lol not apologizing, you're gonna see a mess tho.

The bodice with the collar. I didn't add any lace to the collar because I ran out.


The sleeves. yes the dress form is naked but its supposed to be.
The sleeves. They are not attached yet.


And the rest of the dress FYI, nothing super attached, most of it is being held in place by pins as I do the adjustments (is why you see pins everywhere)


The back will have a zipper. the buttons in front are mainly decorative.




If I have time I will start attaching it together this week but realistically it will be the weekend. 18 buttons in front. thats so dead last...lol

Oh I want to wear that with Bulbasaur!!!!!

 

[tyty333]

Wow @Arcadian , your work is amazing! Love how you put the lace through the middle of the sleeves and the waist so it all matches
up! Talented indeed!

 

[monarch64]

@Arcadian that pattern looks VERY very much like Zimmermann to me. Show your husband some looks from Zimmermann and the prices. I think your dress is going to be gorgeous and I love the fabric and trims you chose.

 

[stracci2000]

@Arcadian
What a gorgeous dress! Romantic and feminine.

 

[Arcadian]

@Arcadian that pattern looks VERY very much like Zimmermann to me. Show your husband some looks from Zimmermann and the prices. I think your dress is going to be gorgeous and I love the fabric and trims you chose.

He knows as I've showed him. But there's a certain association as he grew up in NYC in the 60's and 70's and of course the popularity of those styles is really echoed in Zimmerman's style quite a bit. And actually if one looks in the back catalog of McCall's they'll find some really uncanny Zimmerman like looks....I'm just sayin!

But he does say its very nice looking. I told him its a good thing he's not wearing it...lol