Handworks Crochet and then Some!

Well, I'm off to Atlanta today! Sorry I've not been posting much... traveling and I've been pre-occupied with our diet changes! Setting up a Raw kitchen and finding good tasting recipes that won't shock my taste buds to bad! If your curious about what the heck I'm doing now.... http://wheresmyhealth.blogspot.com Some might say this is extreme... and it kinda is... but so was the intense energy I felt for 3 days of doing it! Until I had a drink that is! Yeah... there's a post about that too!!! Anyways.. everyone have a fabulous weekend!!!

This is a pic heavy post! And not much to do with sewing... except I did buy some fabric in Boston... Its been awhile since me n' the Bald Man got away for a long weekend. I had never been to Boston and love big cities so off we go! Above is a pic of us on our first night in Boston at a restaurant called Ginza... great sushi! bad service... Below are some pics of the town. A couple of pics of Bald Man and me at the Garden park which was SO beautiful! I love lush green parks/gardens in the middle of cities!!! Oh, yeah... I'm wearing a top and jeans ... made by me! Boston seemed alot like New York to me... a city with a constant buzz! Oh yes... a fabric store... not much in the way of fabric stores that I could find. I got a few good pieces I'll picture later. The yarn was fab-u-lous!!!! I spent way more on yarn that fabric... I know real cute.... all these beautiful yarns turned into funky scarves and socks with my Barbie Knitting machine! lol! And the night brings out ...

The "Zebra Jeans" ! I actually finished these last weekend. I am just now getting around to posting them. Anyways... I used a 8 oz. stretch denim from fabric.com. I'm not thrilled with the quality and think the denim will loose shape... which we all know happens with poor quality stretch denim... and honestly some higher stuff too. I took some extra care in making these stretch jeans, and hopefully it will safe guard against... saggy butt jeans... saggy crotch and stretched out waist jeans. After getting the crotch and back fitted the way I want I took hem tape and sewed it down to the front and back seams... I think I remember getting the tip from the Zapp Method book. Then I sewed the hem tape down around the waist band too. Here's to hoping they stay in shape... cause they're really cute and took along time to make! Check out my side detail... cute, cute!!! The pattern from these jeans were copied from a pair of my RTW. On the rtw pair there is a leather strip...

I got really side tracked from my jeans Friday. This cute knitting machine I won from ebay came in the mail. Its much like the Barbie Knit Magic knitting machine from Mattel made in 1974. This is like the knock-off version I think. It quickly knits little tubes... to make Barbie clothes. How cute is that! I don't want to make Barbie clothes... but I have found a number of projects using this for 'grown folk'! I was on ebay looking at knitting machines when I found it. You see, I love yarn!!! I love knit and crochet items!! But I don't like to knit or crochet. I have learned the basics and can knit and crochet some ... but it takes FOREVER!!! Its not a process I enjoy. I know, I know... many knitters think knitting machines are cheating... but I don't care! I want soft yarn clothing items made by me that don't take SO long! See how the little tube comes out... I can't get over how nice and tight the stitches are! Not one skipped stitch! In less than an hour ...

Yes!! The Bald Man got me my new serger Tuesday!!! Look at how BIG it is. The 8-thread really does freak me out and I can't wait to try it. I've been using it but just in a standard way. I am going to made some little vests and boleros to practice the awesome decorative stitches and coverstitches this thing can do. You see before I really get into putting the Evolves special skills to use I have to finish up these jeans!! Imagine that... I'm making jeans! But check these out.. I am making them using a pattern I copied from a pair of my rtw ... which I have used before. They have patch pockets on the front... which I really do favor. I think they are very slimming and eliminate the bulk of traditional jeans pockets. These jeans also have another unique detail. They have no yoke. So I call them trouser jeans. I have added another detail of the black and white zebra trim and yes, it sparkles! Its from the fabric my Mom got at that yard sale a few weeks ago. The denim is 9...

Finished jeans!!! I love'em! The pic on the left is a little blurred but you can see my off to the side button and loop! And how I distressed them. Below is a pic of my total Friday night outfit! I made the top I'm wearing last year. I made the shrug too. I made it about a month ago. Back pocket details! Spade back pocket with a flap and hot fix rhinestones! My mothers day breakfast!! Eggs Benedict!!! On a whole wheat english muffin, claw crab meat, asparagus and a great sauce! The Bald Man can sure cook!!!! And here is the shirt I made Bald Man a few weeks ago! With all his good cooking , keeping me in fabric and machines he deserves some shirts that fit him and are actually comfortable!! Ofcourse the embroidery designs were done by my Pfaff 2034... I figure if I not only make my Bald Man clothes that make him happy and help justify the serger and sewing machine... by adding embroidery that helps justifies the embroidery machine... and will help in my pursuit for an upgraded ...

Ok! I want the BabyLock Evolve serger... which to me is the 'king' of all sergers!!! I love my BabyLock Imagine serger. Its been so awesome!!! But it doesn't do ALL the extra stitches the Evolve does... When I took the class with Margaret Tully back in Feb. I got to sew on one. It looks pretty intimidating... its bigger that a regular serger and it has up to 8 threads! Talk about some decorative stitching! It does that cool cover stitch that would look amazing on jeans... hmmmm.... and that Triple stitch.. also, would look hot on jeans and so much other stuff!. ... Yeah, I need this machine. All About Sewing is where I have bought my Imagine... my Pfaff embroidery machine, Pfaff sewing machine and my Pfaff felting machine and its where I will be buying the Evolve....I guess you could say, I really like dealing with them!!! If you're in the Knoxville area you are crazy not to deal with this sewing shop!!! Top of the line machines, super friendly and they are SOOO helpf...

These are my Hot Kiss rtw jeans... I copied a pattern from them last week. I really like these and have wanted more jeans without a waist band like this but haven't been able to find any... so I'll make my own... ahhh! The joys of copying RTW! I started work on them this morning and this is what I have done so far.... Aren't the pockets cute??? I got the ideal for doing the pockets like this from a pair of Japanese jeans that were for sale on ebay... (the buy it now price was $49,000 for those jeans!!! Crazy!!!!) I still have to do the rivets. For a design change I double top stitched down each side seam instead of the inseam. I also put the coin pocket on the left instead of the right. Thats the beautiful thing about making jeans... there are so many design changes you can make very easily to give them a unique designer look. I haven't put my jeans button on yet either... Check the Allen B's on the right... I am going to do it like this...with a loop closure... dif...

The last few days I've gotten some pretty good things in the mail and from my mom... ************************************************************************************* First we have on the left... The Art of Fashion Draping... which honestly, just flipping through it looks scary!! I mean scary like way over my head!! In the center: Easy Needle Felting is awesome!!! Lots of great techniques for hats and purses... embellishing! Clear and easy instructions... with lots of pictures! Love this book! Denim by Design is also awesome! Its giving me great ideals for purses, boleros (yes!!) some really awesome belts and more. It includes patterns too!! On the right is some vintage books on sewing jeans... theres some pretty great info in these if your into sewing jeans!!! Some shortcuts... very neat pocket ideals... copying RTW jeans, fitting... I consider these a really good find for me!

We had a fabulous weekend... even though I am bruised up a bit! I'll get to that later... First we started Friday night off with going out to dinner and then stopping by Mirage... It was nice to see our friends. I've not really been in the mood to go there since I got SO burnt o ut on dancing there... But... I wanted to see 2 things at Mirage! First... here on the right is Sonja doing her Bellydance/Hoop fusion number... It was SO cute!! I loved it! (I don't know why I can't make this pic bigger!!!) Here below is me n' my Bald Man. I am wearing a pair of copied Jeans I made a couple of months ago... Next thing I wanted to see at Mirage was a costume I made a few years ago that Sonja bought last week from me. It looks great on her and I'm very happy to see it "dance on"! Now lets talk hoops! I went to a hooping workshop Saturday and Sunday taught by the amazing Jewels !!! Make sure to check out her site and her videos.. she's an awesome hoop danc...

Ok.... I'm making this top from a vintage simplicity pattern (could the collar BE any bigger? I love it!) I'm using the vintage fabric Mom got me at the flea market last week... I can't decide if I should leave it like it is or add this ribbon down the front??? I can usually decide things pretty easy when it comes to design and embellishment... But I'm lost on this! I like it the way it is.... but then ... oh I don't know!! Please help! What do y'all think???