OhSewCrafty

2015 WIPocalypse: December Update

So, time for a recap!

Goal No. 1 was Lizzie Kate Xmas by the Letter, to finish and frame.  At the beginning:

It was finished in March and framed in December.  Success!

My subgoal for No. 1 was to do some more framing (DIY).  Some of my older projects were finished, including Home, and my Seasonal Fairies.

Goal No. 2 was Emerald Mermaid by Mirabilia, to finish.  At the beginning:

She was finished and framed in April.  Success!

Goal No. 3 was Celtic Christmas by Lavender & Lace, to progress to 50%.  At the beginning:

I worked on her in June and again in December.  Progress around 80% done.  Will finish next year!

Goal No. 4 was Petal Fairy by Mirabilia, to progress to 75%.  At the beginning:

Happy dancing in August!  

Goal No. 5 was Beacon at Daybreak by Dimensions, to progress to 75%.  At the beginning:

It was finished in April!

Goal No. 6 was Mask of Colors QS by HAED, to progress in 50%.  At the beginning:

I reached my goal in October.

Goal No. 7 involved new starts.  A Christmas project, Joan Elliott's Christmas Angel, I started in January, finished in September, and framed in December.  A Halloween project, Toil and Trouble by Erica Michaels, was started in August and finished in October. Something for my son Oliver, Dragon Dreams' Fairy Tale Sampler was started/finished in March and framed in April.  A BAP, Teresa Wentzler's The Castle was started in April and I reached the 50% mark, just about.  I started and finished another 2, Gabrielle ornament by Mill Hill (November)  and Mediterraean Mermaid by Mirabilia (September-November).  Midsummer Night Fairy by Mirabilia was started in May and now she's ready for backstitching and beads.

  

   

Goal No. 8 was sewing, garments. I did sew a Halloween costume and a little Christmas suit for Oliver (better pics of the suit to come, hopefully).  For myself, just a skirt.  Moderate success, I suppose.

 

Goal No. 9 was sewing, home dec.  Well, I did finish my Halloween ornament kit.  Oliver's crib quilt got some attention, but no work, and I'm pretty sad about that as he's almost 2.  My stained glass star quilt WIP will be finished this week (fingers crossed)!   A lot of my sewing projects never advanced beyond the planning stage, though.  So, I'll call this moderate success.

 

Goal No. 10 was knitting.  I finished Apres Surf.  And Oliver's pea coat.  It's done, but it doesn't fit (too big).  Maybe it will fit next year, but I'm worried that by the time he's wide enough for it, he'll be too tall.  That was a bitter pill.  I finished three new hat projects, Solitaire Beret, Kat, and Declan (toddler size).  Unfortunately the weather has not been conducive to hat wearing; there have only been a few days cold enough so far (very unusual for my area and I don't like it!)  And I finished some older projects, including Iris and Peach Yoke. I still have several old UFO's though, so this is moderate success.

Overall, I'm very happy with my cross stitch progress, but I think sewing and knitting could have used more love.  There's a few days left in December and I'm hoping to crank out a few FO's by the new year.

2015 WIPocalypse: November Update

Sorry this is a few days late. Thankgiving prep kept me busy for a while- I hosted.  I tried a new roll recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction- oh my gosh.  These rolls are pure bliss and the recipe is easy.  If you like to bake bread, try this one!

This past month, I worked on Mediterranean Mermaid.  Previously:

So, I finished the cross stitch and the backstitch (minimal).  Now, beading is in progress and I should be happy dancing soon. 

I started a small project (Mill HIll ornament kit) and had a happy dance.  

Gabrielle is my first cross stitch ornament, besides some plastic canvas stuff I did as a child.  I want to do more!

Sewing- I finished Oliver's Halloween costume (above).  My sewing room received a dose of decluttering and organization, which was badly needed.  I unearthed a pattern I had stashed, to make a Christmas suit for Oliver, but then realized it wouldn't fit.  (He's too big for baby patterns-sniff).  So I bought a new pattern and some materials for that project.

Knitting- I finally, blocked, finished, and got photos of Iris and the Peach Yoke Tee. I made two hats- the Declan cabled beanie for Oliver and the Solitaire beret for myself- no pics yet, sorry.  But it's finally cold enough for hats, so pics soon hopefully!  I started a sweater project for myself, Greenaway.  It's over 50% done; the back and first sleeve are finished.  The front is in progress with about 9" completed so far.

 Questions of the month: Which designer has inspired you to stitch the greatest number of designs and why do you think that is?

I'd say it's a tie between Mirabilia and Joan Elliott.  Both designers make incredible fantasy designs, and it is the fantastical stuff that captures my imagination.  My faves from the Mirabilia line are the mermaids- there are many spectacular patterns. As for Joan Elliott- my faves are her "ladies"- fairies, angels, etc.  Her designs are wonderfully detailed and the faces are just lovely.  

Next month, my priorities include finishing Mediterranean Mermaid, making some progress on Celtic Christmas, framing  2 Xmas cross stitches (materials are stashed), finishing Greenaway, sewing Oliver's Christmas outfit, working on a few Christmas decor projects, and adding the binding (ie, finishing) my Stained Glass Star quilt WIP. 

Sewing FO: Inspired by Iris

• Pattern: Tutorial: Kate Spade Inspired Skirt by Melissa Esplin
• Materials: 2 yards lightweight cotton, 9 inch invisible zip, thread
• Size: Custom per tutorial (32" waist)
• Time to sew: A few hours (including cutting)

This pretty fabric caught my eye when I visited G Street to get buttons for Iris.  And I had a Groupon.  

I wanted a pleated skirt, something with a vintage flair.  This skirt tutorial at Melissa Esplin fit the bill.  The tutorial is well written.  I did not make a real pattern, just a small sketch and marked the dimensions on the fabric with pins, pressed it to make lines, and cut along the folds.  The pieces are all rectangles so this isn't hard.  

My waistband is a little different- I opened up the lengthwise fold, seamed one side to the skirt, turned under the seam allowance on the free side, turned down the waistband along the lengthwise fold to the inside, over the waist seam, pinned carefully.  Then I stitched in the ditch of the waist seam on the outside so my waistband would be finished on the inside.    I should have interfaced it, the waistband is a bit floppy since I used a lightweight fabric.  As for the zipper, 7" would have been preferable, but my zipper stash is pretty anemic at the moment.  And I did a blind hem. 

After taking 4 years to knit Iris (most of the time in hibernation, but still....), making up this zippy skirt was a lot of fun.

Sewing FO: Shield Maiden Costume & Baby Knight

• Pattern: Simplicity 4940, View B
• Size: 14
• Fabric: 8 yards poly satin, organza for yoke, suedecloth for vest, assorted trims
• Time to sew: 1 week in October 2014

Here is my Lord of the Rings outfit- the design is from Eowyn's dress, but the color is more like something Arwen would wear.  The main fabric is pretty, but synthetic, hot to wear and it ravels like crazy.  The pattern specifies lace for the yoke and for some reason I bought organza instead, probably because I couldn't find a nice lace at Joann that day.  I have dreams of sewing this again with better fabric!  Anyway, the trims are very cool, though I had to deviate a bit from pattern requirement (couldn't find anything of the specified width).  In my opinion, the trims make the costume.

The pattern is fine, easy enough if you follow the instructions, though anything made with so much yardage will take a while.   (Volume in the skirt accounts for the yardage).  I subbed an invisible zipper for the dress because that is what I had on hand, and I prefer the look anyway.  I barely had enough length to do a rolled narrow hem at the bottom.  I'm 5'8"- tall but not extraordinarily so.  I would add a few inches of length to the dress pieces if I sew this pattern again.  

I love sewing Halloween costumes and I had a lot of fun wearing this in 2014, carrying Ollie dressed as a dragon, in the neighborhood Halloween parade.  I wore it Halloween night too, it was more comfortable then, in a cooler weather.

I wore it again this year.  Though I intended to sew another costume (medieval dress), I failed to acquire the materials in time.    Oliver needed a coordinating costume and I didn't want to dress him up as dragon again.  My husband suggested a knight.  

So I sewed a knight's tabard, with crushed velvet, satin blanket binding, and flannel.  I used the tutorial at Make, Jane, make!  Though, I cut the tabard in two pieces, instead of one long rectangle, since I wanted a natural slant to the shoulders.  This provided a better fit but it made attaching the trim trickier- I had to do a little tuck at the shoulders.  There was a problem with the neck opening- though it was the same size as another shirt, it wouldn't fit over his head, because the tabard isn't stretchy.  So, I cut a slit in the back neck, sewed narrow hems on the "placket", and a hook & eye at the top.  For the fleur de lis embellishment, I downloaded an image, resized it, and printed it out as a pattern.  I cut the design out of white felt and appliqued it to the tabard.  I sewed snaps onto the trim at about his waist level, to connect the front and back of the tabard.  A cord/belt would be better but I positioned the fleur de lis too low and the belt would have cut across it.

The pattern for a little sword, made of black and grey felt and reinforced with cardboard, is also courtesy of Make, Jane, Make! and it is quite an ingenious design.  I will probably make more as he grows.  I thought about making a shield too, but he's so little (20 months), I felt one "extra" was enough.  We went to a big party with other kids and a little boy around 3 years old had so much fun playing with the sword. 

The helmet, I used the tutorial at Wine and Glue, and also made use of this tutorial from Stitched by Crystal because I had to draw my own pattern for Oliver's head size.

I used felt, which doesn't ravel and has plenty of body in just one layer, so I cut fewer pieces and skipped some of the steps. For piece 3 (the plume), I used liquid stitch to attach the crushed velvet to both sides of the felt. (Crushed velvet doesn't have enough body to stand up on its own.)  I suppose I drafted the pattern piece wrong, but once attached in the center back seam, it didn't have enough ease to stand up straight.   So, I cut it into fringe that splays nicely and is a nice stylistic element, IMO.

Next year, I want to sew the whole family costumes for the Renaissance Festival. Maybe Oliver's outfit will still fit, but if not, his costume was pretty quick to sew (about 4 hours for the 3 pieces including cutting and drafting).   And I want to do a family costume for Halloween.  Maybe a wizard of oz theme if time allows, or vampires (only Oliver would need one, since I sewed vampire outfits for me and DH a long time ago- 2004-ish).  

 

2015 WIPocalypse: October update

Last month, I had a happy dance under Goal No. 7 (new starts): I finished my Halloween project, Toil and Trouble! 

I also worked on my BAP by a new-to-me designer, Teresa Wentzler's The Castle.  Previously: 

Now, I suppose it's about 45% done.  Most of the stitching on the bottom half of the chart is complete, and the top half is less dense, I think.  Also, the castle doesn't have as many color changes as the rocky cliff portion, for sure!  I may bring this project out again and try to finish the bottom half of the chart by the end of year.

My HAED QS "Mask of Colors" (goal no. 6) got a turn on the scroll bars.  Before:

After a week or two, I had finished the top half of chart, reaching my goal for the year.  Actually 50% progress was last year's goal.  Better late than never, I suppose.   Maybe next year I'll try to finish her.

 I'm not sure if I enjoy working on this project or simply derive satisfaction from conquering the vast amounts of confetti.    This small pattern (95x100 st) has 90 colors.  I'm stitching 2 over 1 on 22 ct lugana.  Especially with the confetti, that is a lot of thread, but I love the detail and color saturation. This piece is truly a riot of color.

Re: Goal No. 9 (Sewing-home dec), I finished my Halloween ornament kit.  Now I have 12 for my spooky tree!

Re: Goal No. 10 (knitting), I started Oliver's peacoat.  He could use it soon, if not now, so I'm really trying to pump it out quickly.  The main pieces of the sweater are done (back, two front, two sleeves).  I modified the shoulders with short rows and joined them with 3 needle bind offs; the collar is now in progress.  

Question of the Month: Are there any fibers or materials you're nervous to try?  Black evenweave.  I feel confident re: black aida, but I really prefer evenweave .  I'm not sure about counting the threads on black evenweave, especially 32 count (or higher).

As for next month, I'm hoping to finish the peacoat ASAP and finish sewing Oliver's H'ween costume by Friday.  I have other goals, re: knitting, sewing (garments), and quilting.  Finally, I want to make progress on my Mediterranean Mermaid WIP.   This is a long list so I'll be thrilled if I get to everything!  

Halloween ornaments HD

• Pattern / kit : Bucilla 86430
• Time to stitch: ~2 hours per ornament

I finished my Halloween ornament kit and I love it! Last year, I completed 6 (half), and this year I did the rest. It was a pretty quick project, completed over 4 days in late September. It's not boring, since each ornament is unique, but some of the work is rather fiddly (small pieces, odd shapes, etc).

The witch has a lot of detail, including warts (french knots).

I love the cat's big yellow eyes and raised tail.

I managed to finish the project without running out of any beads or sequins.

Like I mentioned last year, the quality of materials is good but I found the instructions annoying- there is a lot of flipping back and forth.  

The owl is very detailed too; I love his little orange feet.

My favorite is the pumpkin- so festive and sparkly. Now I have more felt appliqué on my wish list -the haunted house and gingerbread house wall hangings, the nordic Christmas ornaments.  Santa's Vintage Car. (Oops- I saw a deal on ebay too good to resist!) 

WIPocalypse 2015: January update

Another year, another WIPocalypse.  My name is Stephanie.  I pass the days with my baby son, Oliver, and my evenings crafting.  Mostly I cross stitch, I also sew and knit. My favorite colors are blues, greens, purples- jewel tones.  Topically, I enjoy fantasy- I love stitching dragons, fairies, mermaids, etc.  Truthfully, in the past few months, I have not crafted much as I've been gaming (World of Warcraft is such a timesuck), but I'm planning to shift the balance in favor of crafting, again.  So, without further adeiu, here are my goals.

1. Lizze Kate Xmas by the letter.  The goal is to finish and frame for Christmas 2015.  As a subgoal, I have large stack in the to-be-framed pile, it would be great to finish some of those (I do my own framing).  

2. Emerald Mermaid by Mirabilia.  The goal is to finish and start another Mira, possibly Midsummer Nights' Fairy or Mediterranean Mermaid, or Halloween Fairy.

3. Celtic Christmas by Lavendar in Lace.  I started this project in 2013, did not touch at all last year.  She is currently around 15% complete; progress (to 50%) would be nice.

4. Petal Fairy by Mirabilia.  Currently around 45% complete- progress to 75% is the goal.

5. Beacon at Daybreak by Dimensions Gold Collection.  Currently at 50%, this is a small project (5"x7"), progress to 75% is the goal.  Finishing would be nice, but no pressure.

6. Mask of Colors QS by Heaven and Earth Designs.  Currently at 25%, progress to 50% is the goal.  This was a goal last year, but it never saw the light of day.  I would like to finish a HAED project, so hopefully this year I'll be more motivated to work on it.

7. New starts- a Christmas project, probably Joan Elliott's Christmas Angel.  A Halloween project, maybe MIrabilia's Halloween Fairy.  Something for Oliver- Dragon Dreams' Fairy Tale Sampler is mostly kitted up. Something from a new-to-me designer and/or a BAP.  Progress is the goal.

8. Sewing-garments.  Cute stuff for Oliver, especially holiday outfits.  Clothes for myself.  I've lost all the baby weight, then some. My old clothes are too big, and even the older (smaller) clothes aren't quite suitable.  I spent 10+ years working in offices (most recently in higher education); the business casual style isn't right for my present jig (stay at home mom).  I have a huge fabric stash, which I may as well put to some use.  

9.  Sewing-home dec.  I want to finish Ollie's crib quilt and another quilt WIP, Stained Glass Star.  That one is meant to be a wall hanging and only needs binding and some loops, etc for hanging.  Also, my Halloween ornaments kit needs finishing (I did six last year and there are 6 more to do).  My Valentine's fabric rose wreath, which was in progress last February when Oliver decided to make his appearance one week early, needs finishing.  I want to sew some holiday decor for other seasons as well.

10.  Knitting.  For Oliver, this pea coat.  Also, the Lancelot pullover.  For myself, I have the Baudelaire jacket, which needs ends woven, buttons, etc.  Also, the Apres Surf Hoodie, I started on my trip to England last year.  After about six weeks, the front, back, and both sleeves were done, but then I learned I was pregnant and had zero desire to knit for expanding self.  So, the hood, seaming, finishing, etc remains.  Also, I'd like to do some smaller projects.  For years, I had a New Year's Day tradition of starting a hat project.  January 1 is past, but I plan to cast on a hat project during the month of January. As a subgoal- photography and documentation!  I have several older projects, basically finished, which need to be photo'd, blogged, etc.  

Overall, this year, I'm hoping to do more- stitch, knit, sew, etc.  2014 involved a lot of adjustment as a new mom, perhaps 2015 will allow me to boost my crafting productivity a bit.  

WIPocalypse 2014: December update

Better late than never, eh? 

Not all my WIPocalypse projects saw the light of day, but I did do a fair amount of crafting this year.  So, in review:

1. Unicorn Mystique.  This project is now finished, and I am super happy with it.  I would love to frame it for Oliver's room. Before:

Now: 

2. Maiden and Unicorn cross stitch- this project saw not a day of action.  

3. Mask of Colors QS cross stitch- this project never saw the light of day.

4. Petal Fairy: I reached my goal of ~50% and started a new Mirabilia, Emerald Mermaid.  Success!

Before:

Now:

5. Beacon of Daybreak- I did work on this for a while, and reached the 50% mark.

Before:

Now:

6. A new Christmas cross stitch project- I started Lizzie Kate Christmas by the letter.  I've been working around a color that I ran out of, so it looks a bit odd.  But the thread has been ordered and I'm hoping to finish this project in 2015.  

7. Cross stitch for the baby- I completed a birth announcement, framed, etc.  Very happy about that.

8. Tree of Life Baby Blanket (knitting).  It took much longer than I would have liked, but I did eventually finish it.

9. Baby clothes (knitting).  Well, I finished the aviatrix hat.  It still need a button, and it finally fits (it was way too big when he was born, now he's almost 11 months old).  It is super cute, pics soon.  I thought about knitting a sweater or something, but never felt inspired to cast on.  Part of my discinclination is the fact that outgrows his clothes so quickly. 

10.  Nursery decor / baby projects (sewing).  I finished the curtains and the crib skirt.  I made a name sign that is pretty darn cool if I do say so myself.  I pieced the quilt, though it's not done yet.  I sewed a shopping cart cover.  I made two cute outfits- little suits for his Christening in June and just recently for Christmas. 

Better pics of his Christmas outfit to come, hopefully.  It's hard to take good photos these days; he's constantly in motion.  Not everything in my list got attention, but I also started (and finished) some stuff beyond the original list.  So, overall, I'm pretty happy with my WIPocalypse progress.

Halloween Ornaments Half HD

• Pattern / kit by Bucilla
• Time to stitch: about 1 week, in early October

I consider this a half a HD since the kit has enough materials to make 12 unique ornaments- this is only 6.  I figured 6 would be enough to look decent on my little tree and I had other Halloween crafts on my list (most of which I managed to finish!).  I"ll do the other 6 next year.  

The ornaments are very cute and detailed, in my opinion.  The quality of materials is good, the felt is firm enough to stand up to stitching very small pieces (unlike the Sequined Santa stocking kit).

The instructions leave a lot to be desired, though.  The directions are very spread out and there is a lot of flipping back and forth.  Not all the felt pieces have dots stamped for the sequins so you have to study the color photo and figure it out.  

My other pet peeve is the method described for attaching the hangers-  put a small loop of cording between the two layers and applique the layers together.  Well, I don't blanket stitch tight enough to truly the secure the cording.  A little hot glue does the trick.  I used tweezers to work the hanger thread ends between the layers, then pressed it together and used a dot of hot glue to secure.  

I love Frankie's expression.   

My favorite is the ghost, though- I think he is just adorable!

 

2014 WIPocalypse: November update

Sorry this is a few days late, I've been busy trying to get quotes for some kitchen updates.  Anyway, I decided to get down to business this past month.  I'm proud to say I have some finishes!  

First, I worked on the shopping cart seat/ high chair cover.  Before:

Now, finished!  Details here.  

Unicorn Mystique, my oldest stitching project, got some love.  Before:

Now I'm happy dancing!

The tree of life baby blanket got some attention.  Before:

Now it is finished!  Details forthcoming. 

I worked on Beacon of Daylight, as a daytime project (little bits of effort, sporadically, while I play on the floor with Baby O).  Before:

Now, it is around 50% done. 

For next month, I'd like to do some baby knitting, like a sweater or coat project.  And I hope to make a lot of progress on Lizzie Kate's Xmas by the Letter, which was half finished back in June.  It would be nice to make a bit of progress on another WIPocalypse project, either Maiden & Unicorn or Mask of Colors QS.  And I really hope to finish the crib quilt before the end of the year.  It is sandwiched and pin basted, but I probably need to redo that since it's been folded up so long.  I'm a bit intimidated by my idea of free motion quilting it with a new free motion/darning foot.  I tried it on a small sandwich, and it worked out okay, but I might decide it's better to just stitch in the ditch with my walking foot and finish it already.