Handworks Crochet and then Some!

I am a slacker! There... I've admitted to having this problem lately! No real sewing for 3 days now!!! Not even anything cut out... I've been reading up on new techniques and planning.. organizing .. does that count for anything? The Bald Man was off work today. I can't get any real sewing done when he's home! Sunday was hoop making and I worked at the spa Mon. I did embroidery these cute dish towels though..... I wanted to give something to my friend who invited me over to her house for lunch tomorrow. I've also been distracted by my new mini obsession... and there's tons of Hoola Hoop Trick 'how to's' on youtube.com I'm not afraid to say this... hoola hooping with the fancy tricks and dance stuff is HARD! and I am terrible at it! My waist is sore! my hand is sore from trying to 'lasso' it up, AND I've even hit myself in the head a few times.. whacked my calves! Pathetic! Prada is doing very well here in her new home. She's...

First let me say I'm wearing BWOF top 105 7-07 that I made it Saturday morning. Easy top... cute... casual.... On to the hooping! Yesterday Sonja (on the left) invited me and Rach (in the middle) over for some hoola hoop making! You see we are taking a Hooping workshop next weekend... Have you seen how people are hoola hooping these days??? Check out my favorite hooper Awesome! We made our hoops from some kind of plastic pipe.. male to male connector... I don't know... Sonja got all the stuff . I just brought the champagne and Chocolate Cheesecake... which is very important to have when making a hoola hoop!! The we decorated in with different tapes! I sent Bald Man out to get us more tapes and he found some awesome cheetah and zebra print tapes!! Our hoops are so pretty!!! Now after we learn to do this good (which Sonja, ex-hippy that she is can already hoop good!) I'm going to have to make us outfits to match our hoops... It will be SO cute!!! And if we don't get goo...

I'll start with what I got in the mail from ebay... 6 back issue Threads magazines and the Kwik Sew pattern for a mans jean jacket... cause of course the Bald Man wants a distressed jean jacket!! Then... my Grand Mother sent me this shoe box full of vintage patterns that was from her pattern stash! And... yep they are my size! Now, let me say thanks to my Mom for being on the lookout for fabulous sewing goodies for me when she hits the flea markets. She hit the jackpot this weekend!!! She got me these 2 Magic fit "kits" to the right. I have no ideal how to use them! They have french curves in them.. dart templates, pattern paper and instruction books... They are so neat!! To the left is a huge amount of back issue Machine Embroidery, Sews News and many other sewing magazines. Now the magazines came for her stash... but she got all those cool vintage patterns you see at the flea market!! There are a few my size.. the others I would have to size up 1 or 2 sizes. These...

Sweet Sonja brought this over to me yesterday... It was her moms and it needed a home! They gave it to me!!! Thanks to Sonja and Sonja's mom!!!! A seamstress can never have to many dress forms! This will come in so handy when I'm working on two projects!! Here is BWOF top 126 from issue 7-01. Made from some awesome fabric I got from Gorgeous Fabrics. Around the ties I did a rolled edge using metallic lime green thread. I feel Sexy, Sexy in this! **********************************PETS********************************************* I had the most wonderfully mean, black Manx cat for 3 yrs named Rain... one day he got out the back door and we never saw him again... Its taken me awhile before I've really wanted another cat. But I miss having a kitty around the house... So my n' my son went to the animal shelter Saturday and found this beautiful black kitty.. 8 months old. She had been there for about 3 months... Now she's here!! Her name is Prada! Below is my chi...

Here are the vintage patterns I have found/ordered for the retro jumpsuit I want to make... Aren't they all so cute???? I love'em!!!! I have been working on The Bald Man another shirt... its the same style as the last one. Here's the embroidery on the back shoulder of the shirt. I also but a design on the front shoulder... Its looking good! I am so glad I can make the Bald Man some nice , unique clothes... he's such a big guy its really hard for him to find nice shirts! For me I'm working on BWOF top 126 from issue 7-01... its a very darling top that has little ties up the front instead of buttons. I made it last year... so its not a challenge but I'm doing it "up" a bit! Its almost done! I also have BWOF Bustier 129 from issue 5-03. I have also made it before... but it came out much to small in the bust. Its so hot though I have to try it again... with the bust larger!!! Much!!!!! It also ties up the front for closures. Also have out to make BWOF 105...

I admit it! I love jumpsuits from the 60's and 70's.... so when I saw Pattern review was having a Vintage pattern sewing contest I started looking for jumpsuit patterns!!! I have an excuse to make one now. The search is on! This pattern to the right is Simplicity 9674 There are so many cute ones I can't decide which one to buy.... plus I've never sewn from a vintage pattern before so it will be a challenge for me too! This will be fun!!! Hers is BWOF Top 111 from issue Nov. 07. Sorry the pic is kinda blurry to the right... its the Bald Mans fault! I made up this little shrug to go with it. Love the print of this fabric! I got it in ATL at the sewing expo. And here is the other BWOF top I worked on last week. From issue 11/99 Top 134. I LOVE this top and plan to make it again soon. I have alot of nice stretch lace fabrics and this top and shawl/cape are perfect for them. There were darts in the back but I added them in the front also. Love it!!!

Many of you have wrote me and asked about the hinge method I referred too. Its also called Seam Method. I don't have a book on it. I learned the basic principle of it from a class at the Sewing Expo with Lorraine Henry. Here is a link I found about it too... http://www.taunton.com/threads/pages/t00018.asp

Several of you guys have asked me to take pics when I copy RTW... And so I did...months ago! Sorry I'm just now posting them! My instructions to go with the pics are probably going to be 'lacking'. Hopefully you'll get the ideal of what I'm doing from the pictures though. I find writing instructions very hard... maybe I should do a video and post it on youtube! After much reading and researching different ways to copy RTW and make patterns this is the easiest I've come up with... and gets me the best fit. So far I have used this method to copy a pair of rtw yoga pants, 3 different pairs of jeans and a long sleeve knit top. I use cheap non fusible interfacing for my pattern. Its strong and sheer. First I turn the garment inside out. For pants I put one pant leg inside the other. It stays flatter, makes it easier to pin down. I do this on a carpeted floor so when its all smoothed out and flat I stick the pin straight down into the garment and in the floor. This ho...

Today I got a job... I mean I have 'jobs' I sew and make costumes for other bellydancers.... I also bellydance at Mirage on some weekends. Lately I've not wanted to dance much down there though... its kinda boring ... after a year I'm pretty burned out.. It takes up my weekend nights! When I want to go out with the Bald Man!!! Anyways! Seeing as how I paid for, went to school for and took those crazy tests for my Esthetics's License, I thought maybe I should put it to use when I heard of a new salon opening up just minutes from my house. So I'll be putting my license to use at Gentleman's Top Cuts... 2 days a week. We'll see how it goes... ************************************************************************************ Also today I finished up BWOF Top 111 from Nov. 07. It was totally easy! Its flattering and a good fit. I love the pleat/darts in the front! They're very 'shaping' I almost have BWOF Top 134 from Nov. 99 finished... just g...

It was a process!!! From the 2 pair of cut up jeans you see on the left to what you see on the right. Using a copied pattern from my RTW XOXO jeans and 2 pair of Goodwill jeans.... A pair of size 14 Tommy jeans have been cut to make the front and back of the new jeans. A pair of Rt. 66 were cut up to make the pockets, carriers, waist band and the yoke. After all the pieces were cut out I used my embroidery machine to do the pockets and 2 matching but smaller designs on the front legs... then a few matching really small flowers here and there.... You can see at the top of the back pockets where the old pockets on the Tommie jeans were placed.... I made a contoured waist band this time instead of a straight waist band which I always have to place darts in to get it to fit. I don't know if I made the contoured band right but it worked great!!! I simply took the straight waist band and used the hinge method of fitting... which gave me a perfectly curved waist band. This was much...

Lots I want to post today!!! So I'll make 2 separate posts... The jeans I started this week were finished up Friday... and I am SO happy with them. I'm going to wear them tonight so I'll post a pic of them tomorrow or Monday. This pair seemed very 'labor intensive'! So I am brain fried!!! Instead of using my double needle on the top stitching I used a single need this time which was extra time consuming but I did get better results. Thanks to the dvd, Jeans Couture!!!! If you're thinking of making a pair of jeans please get this DVD... I wish I had got it before I made my other pairs! I'm working on some smaller projects this weekend since the jeans took alot of of me this week. Like this pair of jeans below... no, I didn't make these. They are a really good pair of Ralph Lauren jeans I picked up at Goodwill. They are plain so I decided to paint this panda bear on the upper leg. Isn't he cute??? Didn't take long at all to paint! I'm also goin...

Felted Purse! This is a self drafted purse made from a cute purple Goodwill sweater I felted and lavender leopard print for the lining and handle. Now whats really 'special' about this is the fold over flap.... its a vintage brocade that I felted wool roving into, following the designs on the fabric.... and it took forever! I love the hardware I found for it! On clearance at Wal Mart!!! The inside lavender leopard print... with a zipper pocket, a cell phone pocket... and an extra non zip pocket. I interfaced it lightly since the felted sweater was already very stiff....I'm not quite done with this purse though... I feel like it needs more hardware or something... and ofcourse I need to add my label to it. Over all I'm really happy with this bag! This little bolero is a felted cashmere/wool blend. I am taking the left over brocade scraps and felting them into it.... I am not sure where this project is going honestly... I just knew I wanted to do something with those broc...