And I'm of again :)

The time around Christmas and New Year is always the busiest for me: I have to wrap presents over presents, visit friends and family and spend as much time dancing as possible as competitions start in January. There seemed to be a big gap in my heart where sewing and stitching and everything crafty usually reside (to melodramatic?). In my desperation (definitely overdoing it here!)I got out a pair of knitting needles and bought some cheap yarn and started on a lace pattern my mother was working on. I didn't even like it, but I had to do something. I did use thickish wool, because I don't like the look of lace. I prefer it if it looks like this.

But somehow it just wasn't mine. It had to many edges and right angles for my liking. I never thought I'd say  this, but it just wasn't playful enough. Also I'd just started knitting and so I didn't know that this thing would be huge. As in: Even-Bigger-Than-A-Blanket-Huge. I opened it up again. Since I do quite like the brightness of the wool I will probably make a scarf from it. And since I can't give up I'll just play around with the lace pattern until it's a scarf-pattern I like :)

That is phase one of my Anti-Craftiness-Deprivation-Programme (ACDP).

Phase two will be digging out this pattern from Caron International, that didn't work out so well. What drew me in where the bright colours and the simple design. As well as the playful stitches, that aren't fussy enough to dwarf my already slight frame (well the bone structure any ways). And it didn't look like it would be far to warm. I was in love and then I started knitting and it went so easily and quickly. But the stitches didn't look anything like in the photos. So with my heart in a thousand pieces I started unravelling. I showed everything in a corner and tried not to think about that lovely jacket denied to me. 

But it would call for me in the depth of the night:

"Butterfly, Butterfly! Don't you love me any more? Just think of my lovely bright red hue that matches your complexion so perfectly! Oh and how soft I am! And isn't this look flattering on just about everyone?"

So I spent an hour looking for ways to fix the problem. I will not be made a fool of by a few stitches!

This is what the folks at Lionbrand got, when they knitted the same pattern.

See? Not at all like the kimono! So I went in search for a holey pattern, that looked as though it had been woven.

First I came across the woven cable stitch.

But it didn't have any holes in it and according to the instructions it drapes badly.

Then I found this great tutorial by Jill. It's still not quite the effect I'd hoped for (or rather: I'd have to use a different yarn to make it work.), but it gave me an idea of how to achieve "my" pattern. If it doesn't work I'll go back to this though.

I won't be able to post for at least a week as I'll be travelling to my aunt's and uncle's and I want to give them and their two darling sons my undivided attention. And afterwards I'll be in dance boot camp. I'll just drop straight to sleep as soon as my coach let's me go in the evening.

The photo uploading is still somewhat tricky. I managed to upload the photos for the last post with Internet Explorer but it just doesn't seem to work with Chrome. It's kind of funny that there should be a glitch with using Blogger with a programme made by Google. But the point is that I just got all my pictures of the web and so I can't claim credit for the photography.

Until then!

Butterfly

Merry Christmas!

I find it fascinating that so many different cultures and religions have come up with celebrations for solstice. So no matter what or how you're celebrating; Have a really good time with family and friends. Do something special and show everyone how much you care.

Uhm a little help please?

Does anyone have any idea whatsoever on how I can upload pictures? The pictures start loading normally and then the thing just freezes :( I have something I'm really exited to show you, but it needs lots and lots of pictures to be fully appreciated and I can't upload even one ...

So I thought I'd beat the stomach flu ...

... and then it kept me in bed for almost three weeks :( Between sleeping, reading other blogs and - um well you know - ... I actually got crafty ^^ So what DID I do?


Stuff I want to fix BEFORE christmas ...

• I drafted slopers based on my new measurements. I'm probably going to have to make new ones again in a month or so. Loosing weight can really annoy you. But twice as much dancing is worth it.
• I started sewing these trousers / leggings based on my new slopers. I choose to experiment with shifting the side seams. Even though they're not finished yet I wear them around the house. They just fit that well.

  

  The wrinkling will disappear ...

  

  ... as soon as the placket is closed

• I finally took in the under bust band on my favourite bra. I have tiny bone structure and lots of mass on top. Ergo: Bra size 26-28 H. Only I can't find any bras in that size. Therefore my bra bands keep sliding up over my shoulder blades. Well not any more!

If I like the length I'll do a neater finish ...

• I restarted a project I'd just showed into a corner a while ago. My feet are weird. They're small in all directions. Having short feet is typical for dancers (they actually shrink ...) Having a very small arch isn't. Nor are slender feet. I'm rambling aren't I? So anyway I decided to make my own shoes. I don't like moccasins. Even though those I have made turned out really well. Instead I wanted to make my own ballerinas. I also decided not to use any glue with them. I want to be able to throw them in the washing machine! But when I started sewing the insoles everything went wrong. The sewing machine was skipping stitches and badly stretching the felt layer.  I'm going to spare you a picture of those insoles! That's about when I gave up. But now I carefully undid all the stitching. I used a lot of pins. I never use pins so this is a big change for me. I'm also sewing the two layers together by hand.

A big thanks to you for choosing to put up with my rambling and start following my blog. :) Now I don't feel like I'm writing to myself.

 

Butterfly

 

Sloper decisions

As I'm still undecided about the sloper issue I decided that Dolly (yeah the name stuck) gets to have a new skirt. That really doesn't make sense as I threw out the horrid dress she came with and made her a wrap skirt instead. She needs a jacket or a top. But yeah, now she has two skirts. I'll post pictures of both skirts and how I continued drafting as soon as she has a top. She might be made out of plastic, but she'd feel pretty embarrassed otherwise.

Oh and my sewing machine is finally going to the doctors.

The Influence Films have

To start of with: It's perfectly acceptable for me to think about selfish Me!-Me!-Me!-projects again. My mum actually bought a new coat. The fit is horrible. But it's much better than the last one. So I'm not going to complain (as long as you don't get me started on the princess seams that is). So there goes the CCP.

So what's the next selfish project? As you can tell from the post title it comes from a film. "Enchanted" to be precise. I got around to watching it. I know a lot of people consider it overly kitchy (why hasn't blogger spell-check heard of it?). I for one think the producers where mocking themselves with it. No? Well you don't have to believe me of course ^^. I will however stick to my hypothesis.

If you start from 4:44 you can see the dress I mean in action. As well as Giselle's "cutting layout". That shot actually made me smile. But not for the same reason as HE did. It's more like the seamstresses perspective  ;).

Anyone who knows me also knows how much I love dresses like that. The full skirt and the fitted bodice: Oh my! I do believe the bodice has a lot of boning, with the bones between the lining and the fashion fabric. The boning channels seem to be by sewing straight seams down the bodice. All in all it reminds me of stays.

So that's the dress I'd like to sew. Do you think it's prom worthy? I know I can neither pull of the colours nor the flowery print. I can't pull of prints in general. In the little flowery ones I look like a child in a nightgown. And quite frumpy too. In the large prints I tend to look like an overhung Christmas tree. Geometric and non-flowery prints work from time to time. But I don't think it would be formal enough. So maybe shiny, navy fabric? I wear a lot of navy as it is my favourite colour. So to spice it up maybe a bright pink petticoat?

Come to think of it, the first dress would probably suit me well too. And it reminds me of the Titanic swim dress. As a matter of fact I haven't seen Titanic yet. As far as I know there's no book that says you can't admire the costumes though.And know the music of by heart. I'm strange like that.

A fitting question

For the next pattern drafting step I'd have to use my own sloper. Unfortunately it doesn't fit any more :(A mixture of dancing and stomach flu has caused me to slim down. I didn't actually loose weight. It's more like putting on muscles in the calf, thighs, but, lower abs .... okay everywhere. Even the bottom of my feet!

But I digress. The point is that I feel like I'm wearing this when I put on a "dress" made from my sloper. I nicked the pic from the lovely Marissa at her wonderful blog. You should really check it out if you haven't done so yet. This dress for example gets transformed into the cutest thing ever.

The really important question now: Should I draft new slopers (again!?) and make my skirt pattern from those? Or should I hope to put on weight again and make it from my old sloper?

Oh and just because I love stealing pictures I find on the Internet and sharing them with you. This is what a blogger suggested to put on clothing labels: