Gotta Catch Em All - Pokemon!

For Halloween this year, I got out on the easy side.  This is my little Ash from Pokemon.  The shirt/jacket and gloves were all I had to make.  The shirt is made from a blue cotton twill and underlined with a heavier cotton twill to add more body so it would flow away from the body just like in the cartoon.  The pattern was created by altering a simple kids button down shirt.  I added the pockets (both fully functional of course) and made the sleeved from a faux linen fabric.  It is fully lined.

Ash has fingerless single finger gloves, but the fleece that I purchased was just too bulky for that with little hands, so I made them a simple thumb and fingerless mitten sort of glove.

All in all, the costume was a success.  EVERYONE knew who he was and he was thrilled with his costume.  I was originally hoping he would be able to wear it to the summer comic-cons, but the way he is growing, it may be going to his little brother for con wear.

Here are a few more poses, just for fun:

And since I don't want his little brother to be left out, this is Minecraft Steve in Diamon plated armor.  I made the armor from rubber floor tiles and hot glue.  Not my best work, but he loved it, so I win!

Good Morning 2014

Good Morning 2014!

Today I embark on a new journey as I do every year about this time.  I like to think that as I am writing this, I am just a little bit better than I was this time last year.  I have learned so much this past year about sewing and about life and I plan to learn even more in this new year.

So here I am starting off a new blog.  I have thought for a long time about writing a blog as I am an avid creator.  I get a lot of people ask me how I find time to create so much in the precious little time I have at the end of each night, so I have decided that it is time for a blog. The plan is to blog EVERY single thing I create in 2014.  Phew, this is going to be hard, but I want to do this as a diary of sorts and to share my love and passion for creating.

So what will you be seeing here?  What projects do I have planned?  Well, as those who know me know so well, I have more than humanly possible planned for this year.  I am notorious for having random new ideas that just must be created and tend to interrupt current projects, so even though I have a plan, there is always something amazing hiding in back of my mind that will find its way out.

So here is the first project I will be working on for 2014.

1. The Belated Trumpet Skirt Christmas Gift

The Story: As always, I put too much on my plate to sew in the allotted amount of time.  One present that got left behind was my grandma's Christmas gift.  Now, this skirt has sort of a long story.  My youngest brother got married in the spring last year and I made the bride's dress (many posts on lessons learned from that crazy project will follow soon).  My grandmother made the flower girl's dress (my design to match the brides dress).  Throughout the crazy weeks of planning my grandma and I both had to find something to wear, so my grandma was inspired to sew a trumpet skirt from this amazing yellow lace.  Well, the clock ran out and I did not get a chance to draft the pattern and the fabric was set aside and never made.  So for Christmas I decided to steal the fabric and make the skirt for her.  So the first project this year will be to draft and make this skirt.

The Inspiration:  The inspiration for this skirt is sort of an old school long denim dress.  Something like this:

From Amazon - Link Here

The Fabric:

The fabric was selected from one of my fave fabric websites for when I want something not too pricey and fast - Fabric.com

The outermost layer will be a yellow stretch lace (because my grandma fell in love with the design) underlined with a stretch cotton twill to create a single fabric that has enough weight and a stiff enough drape to tolerate the design.  The cotton twill will be white under the yellow lace for a springtime look.  I am undecided as to whether to line this skirt as the twill is thick enough not to be see through (no undies showing please).

Here is the lace:

Giselle Stretch Lace from Fabric.com

The Design:

I am going to draft the design myself on this one.  This is only the third skirt I draft from scratch and I have resolved to make more of my own patterns this year, so wish me luck.  I will be creating the skirt with the help of the amazing book Patternmaking Made Easy by Connie Crawford.

Patternmaking Made Easy by Connie Crawford (my fave pattern drafting book)

Note:  Yes, this book is a pricey $95, but it is worth every penny.  The instructions are clear as day and the diagrams are so easy to follow.  I have several (too many to admit) books on flat pattern drafting and of them all I love this one the best.  If you join Connie's email list on her website, she sends coupons every once in a while so you camp out for a good sale.

The design will be a 6 panel trumpet skirt with some modifications to add my own personal designer flair of course.  Be on the lookout for many posts as I draft and test this pattern.  The skirt will be just above the ankle, a great length for grandma's thin figure and she love to  wear skirts with knee high heeled boots.

So what are you sewing in 2014?  Comments and questions are always welcome!