Finding Your Creative Voice

In 2005 I began attending an Artist's Way seminar in hopes of "unblocking" my "inner creative". It was, for me... interesting. It's nothing against the program, facilitator or other members of the group. Far from it, actually. For me, it was an uncomfortable thing to do. I have ADD and SPD*, two conditions that make life interesting - to say the VERY least. Part of my discomfort stemmed from the fact that I didn't consider myself an artist. Artists painted, sculpted, drew, made masterworks. I saw things in my mind but couldn't get them out. The other discomfort came from the fact that "morning pages" are an integral part of the program. I don't journal. I never have. I can't. It is quite literally impossible. There's no amount of cajoling or prompting that can make me journal. Part of it is psychological, but the other part is physiological. You can give a pig a pencil, but you can't make him write. I did give the group my best shot, but it was very much a square peg/round hole situation.

Over the years, I had attempted (in no particular order) diaper making (fail), apron making (fail), scrapbooking (fail), papercrafting (fail) and more. I was searching for my creative voice with little success. The one bright spot in this series of unfortunte events was Stephanie. When I threw my hands up in disgust at getting frustrated with sewing aprons, I sent her the only one I finished. It was a vintage pattern done up in vintage fabric. With that gift of an apron, two things happened. The first was blessing someone and encouraging them to learn to sew. The second was relinquishing the need to find-my-creative-voice-right-now. I like to think I'm Stephanie's "apron godmother".

I hadn't found my voice yet. And I had pretty much given up trying. During my short stint with the Artist's Way group, I found out I was pregnant with my third child - a boy. Early pregnancy for me is never easy, so I used my "all day long sickness" to gracefully bow out of the group. That's not hard to do when you're not able to move without being terribly ill. Something I contemplated while I spent weeks laying perfectly still on the sofa, not daring to move, was clothing for this child. I had two girls already and to borrow from Prissy from Gone With The Wind, I don't know nothin' 'bout no baby boys. Once my health improved for me to be mobile, I began making baby clothes. I made a christening gown, shorts, tops, his outfit for going home from the hospital, you name it. I sewed like there was no tomorrow. While my fervor was high, my skills were not! But each piece saw improvement. I was learning to speak with my creative voice.

Hospital to Home Outfit

Christening Gown

As my son grew, I kept sewing. I didn't like what passed for most little boys' clothing back then and so I ventured into more complicated clothing territory. Eventually, I began making costumes in addition to clothes. They weren't great, but with each one, I learned. I learned about fabric quality. I learned to pay attention to the type of fabric a pattern calls for. I learned how to skip some steps to streamline the construction process. The next year, I was even more ambitious. I created costumes from self-drafted patterns based on reference photos. I was creating things that didn't yet exist - including costume footwear. One of the costumes even won an award. My vocabulary was growing. My creative voice was getting stronger.

Ariel Warrior Princess

Mulanabella

In subsequent years, my daughters began participating in pageants. To keep costs low, I made their dresses. The first few looked like it too! There were a few missteps, but with each event, I learned something. The ore I sewed, my confidence grew. Costumes I designed, constructed and styled began to win awards. Especially at events with a "themewear" division. In fact, my daughters' themewear has consistently scored high enough to win at almost every event.

Angel On Top Of The Tree

A Very Special Gift

Throughout this journey, there were many times when I was discouraged. I thought I wasn't good enough because I wasn't a "real artist" and I doubted I ever would be. I can see now that it's like a child learing to talk. First with nonsense sounds and babbling, then words only parents can understand, then finally fluent speech. Don't get discouraged if it feels like you'll never find your own creative voice. I started really searching for mine in 2005. It's now 2013. I can finally say...

I AM! a costume and clothing designer.
I CAN! see it in my mind and then MAKE IT HAPPEN.
I WILL! continue to hone my skills at every opportunity.

I have also learned that creating and sewing - even the most tedious of tasks like hand beading or matching plaid(!) help to soothe me when I get overwhelmed by the world around me. Finding my creative voice was more than an expression of who I am. It became therapeutic. It made me be myself - only more complete.

*ADD: Attention Deficit Disorder; SPD: Sensory Processing Disorder.

I dreamed a dream...

This post has been imported from my other blog.

I have a dream...

Of one day owning a quaint little shoppe in our quaint little downtown area. I've even got a location all picked out. The pictures are courtesy of the Sanford Historic Trust.

1923

2011

I want the corner space on the right, bottom floor. It's got GREAT street visibility and is right next door to the Sanford Visitor's Center/Historic Trust. When I first moved to Sanford over a decade ago, this building caught my eye and it spoke to me. That's how these things normally start, right?

So more about my dream.

One thing this town needs desperately and doesn't have is a children's boutique. I remember going to "Nana's Kiddie Shoppe" or something similar when I was a little girl. It had fluffy dresses, pretty underthings, fancy shoes and hair dos and some toys, but not many. They sold suits for boys, too. The thing about Nana's was the QUALITY. Quality that you just don't find very often these days. And I can promise you that there isn't a store like that in our area unless you're willing to DRIVE. FAR.

So I want to fill that need. I think I became most aware of the "lack of" in this area when my oldest was a baby. I had to drive 40 minutes just to get a decent christening gown. And we won't even SPEAK of what passes for children's "fashion" over the last almost a decade. I have contented myself with shopping for my kids in three places: Target, The Children's Place and Justice with an occasional side trip to the Disney Store. And even then, I like the stuff I make best. So do my kids.

Which brings me full circle.

Imagine a working studio...

The front windows would have displays of things I've made in the past for us while an lcd monitor on the wall shows images of things I've made for others in a slideshow while gentle music wafts from the speakers mounted near the ceiling. In the front fourth of the space there will be a rack of some children's clothing I've made to sell. There will also be super comfy seating and a play area. To separate the work space from the "retail" space, there will be a wall that is only 4' high allowing a clear view through the work space to the front windows.

The remaining three fourths of the space would have all my machines, adequate work areas and a private consultation area. The walls would have shelves with racks of fabric and patterns and all manner of sewing stuff. It would be inspirational and functional. And MINE. ALL MINE.

A girl can dream can't she?

PS: I've already got a label name for my designs, but if I told you what it was I'd have to kill you...

Where No Man Has Gone Before...

Technically speaking, more than a few men and women have gone down the road I'm going...

It's getting close to Halloween and this means the Annual Halloween Extravaganza at the Prince Consort's employer. Those of you who know me personally will find this ironic...

The task this year is to create a Starfleet (original series) uniform on the cheap. While this is definitely sewing related, I felt it better to leave it here rather than post it at The Vintage Family blog because it's retro kitsch, but not vintage. ;-)

The process begins at Dharma Trading Co. Since I've got my supplies on order, I'm not going to give the full on tutorial here, but it will happen soon!

Live Long and Prosper... And don't spend a fortune on a halloween costume!

Featured Blog Post: Aux Belles Choses

And the "Alice Apron".

Once upon a time a girl had so much vintage fabric
she didn't know what to do.
So she cut it all out and stitched it together
and said to herself, "Now that is MUCH better".
But still she was blue for she had no more room
to keep her creations.
So she packed it up and mailed it forthwith
from Florida to Texas as a surprise gift.
Little did she know that that little thing
would be one tiny spark and from it a business would spring.

Stephanie was the recipient of the apron in the "poem". I took pictures of it and here they are:

I've been so thrilled to watch her progress as an entrepreneur and sewist. The Alice Apron is - in my opinion - one of her best works. From concept to creation, she's really captured the feeling of Alice in Wonderland but with a mature twist.

The Golden Rule?

OK, so I made my first Lutterloh outfit last night. Well, mostly made. Not sure what I think of it. It went together easily enough and my invisible zipper rocks, but for some reason, using the correct measurements, I have to make my seam allowance 3/5" instead of the 5/8" that I measured out from the pattern. Once I'm finished with it I'll post pics. Hopefully. ;-)

Hah. Proof that nearly anything can be found on the interwebz! The skirt part of the picture below is what I'm making.

Image courtesy of LutterlohSystem.com

Oh The Huge Manatee

You'd think I have enough on my plate with regard to sewing, right? Obviously my childrens' new school thought I had plenty of spare time on my hands...

Yesterday, I registered the girls for school and got the news that uniforms were being required this year for the first time ever (thanks! I just spent all my clothes budget buying my oldest clothes for school because nothing fit her already yet) and I could conveniently array them in polo shirts (for GIRLS??? WTH??? Say it ain't so!!!) and either khaki, navy or black bottoms (pants, shorts, skirts or skorts). Oh yes and by the way, mom, you can get those polos at The Evil Empire.

Now let me go on record as saying I despise Wal-Mart. I understand that for many, many folks, that place is the ONLY place they have to shop and I'm sorry that is the case. Aside from that, I'm unimpressed with their so-called "everyday low prices" because at my last comparison shop, they weren't any cheaper for the same items I buy at my local Super Target. So here I am, trapped in a no-win situation. I have to give Big Box Mart my hard earned cash because it's the ONLY place to get the shirts required for school at anything resembling a *reasonable* price in the correct colors. ORANGE??? NO ONE sells them except BBM. No one. Unless I want to spend $35 for an already embroidered "eurostyle" shirt. For a child. Oh hell no. So BBM got $50 (that's ten shirts) + 7% sales tax.

And on top of that, I'm going to have to alter each and every shirt to get them to fit my children. because obviously size XS (4/5) means Muy Gordo in BMM-ese. I'm not kidding when I say that my 5yo would be able to wear these shirts well into high school. Heck, *I* could have worn them in high school. She's such a TINY little thing. She still wears size 1-3 dance tights and can wear some 18-24 months pants. When I sew for her, it's around a size 2-3 and those still have room to grow. So yeah, mommy is going to have to de-sleeve, take in and re-sleeve and then hem all ten of these mother-lovin' shirts. Because the 7yo swims in them, too.

Add to that the necessity of britches. I *could* send my kids to school in the unaltered shirts and call them dresses, but I'm pretty sure that isn't what the school admins had in mind. So britches it is. And I'll be doggoned if I am going to spend $10 to $Infinity on school bottoms. No Way No How. $5 and they might have had me. So off I go to Joann's because the rules say "khaki, black or navy" and there's NO restriction on what kind of fabric I can use. OR the style. Heh. I'm obeying the letter of the law, I promise! It's not my fault I conviently have

Simplicity 4384

and

Simplicity 5540

in both of my girls' sizes... ($1 each a couple of weeks ago on sale!!! WOOT!!!) AND that Joann's had all their bottom weights and suitings (except Sew Classic) on 60% off sale. How could I resist that? For $51 & change, I was able to get enough fabric to sew each girl at LEAST half a dozen bottoms (if not more) which will last them at least 2 years each. That breaks down to ($51/12)/2. Or $2.13 per item per year. Now tell me, is there ANYWHERE you can manage that (inlcuding sales tax?) For custom tailored pants/skirts/shorts? In really AWESOME fabric that has spandex for better ease? I.Don't.Think.So. Heh.

And I don't mind ironing on a few school patches. Not at all. Really. Because it's not as if I've nothing better to do with my time.

Sew Say We All...

Today I finished the two piece vintage skirt/midriff top (except for buttons). I'm saving the buttons for TV time. See? I can multi-task. One thing though... Simplicity 9978 only calls for FOUR buttons for that outfit. For the top. It's plain to see that the skirt buttons, but I guess we're just supposed to *guess* how many we need for the skirt. Meh. I bought some lovely sand infused ones that are semi-transluscent and they totally go with this better than the mere FOUR buttons I purchased earlier that there were no more of today. I guess it was meant to be since I wasn't really keen on the first set anyhow.

I also started on the Vintage Vogue 2636 I posted about earlier. Because I've got a weird shape, of necessity I must pin-baste the thing together FIRST and then go back and sew it. Which is PITA but oh well. I'm 98% done with that step and tweaking the fit. I will say that it looks very nice on the dress form. Better than I anticipated. The backing of the fabric is super silky polyester knit. No slip necessary, yay! The skirt on it isn't nearly as full as some of the others, but it's got plenty of ease.

And in other news, I bought a new pair of scissors. But this time, instead of buying the "chipper chicken" (name the movie this references & win a prize), I sprung for the spring action knife edge Gingher scissors. Sure they were a mere $44 & change. But I was SICK TO DEATH of having to find the doggone "sweet spot" on my POS spring loaded scissors so as not to mangle whatever I was working on. And did I mention I got 40% off? WOOHOO. So they only ended up being $26 + tax. Not too bad, really.

Also, I've begun conceptualising my oldest's First Holy Communion Dress. That's for Easter 2010. I've already got the fabric and the pattern and the thread. I've had those for years now. Today I scored (on my button run) a pearl headband for the veil. Tissues out... I'm going to use the pearl enhanced netting from my wedding veil for hers. Sniff sniff. My baby is getting so big. And I got 40% off the headband, too. I had a dream about it last night actually. And there it was.

Last week I got the most adorable cuddle fleece for oldest daughter's winter coat. Again 40% off. Which since it was already $13/yard was VEEERY helpful. It will be lined with cotton interlock fabric that is super soft so it has a little extra warmth and body. I found the perfect pattern for ONLY $1 folks. A BUCK!!!! Crazy, no?

I'll post pictures of all this madness later on. Right now, I'm too pooped to pop, so I'll sign off and check you on the flip side.

I have made buttonholes!!!!

To some people that may seem like no big deal. Prior to completing this dress, though, I had gone 35.75 years (granted not all of them sewing years) without ever having to make a button hole. I don't know why they were so scary. Maybe it was my defective sewing machines that didn't like me. Who knows. Here is my "bumblebee" dress in all it's buttonholed (6) glory:





Now all I need is a WIDE black belt so I don't look so WEIRD....

I will say that it's got a LOT of ease. I'm finding that to be the case with most patterns even though I'm substantially larger than the patterns...

I've also started on the two piece retro Simplicity number (bottom left)...

From Musings from the throne room

I'll post pics of it soon, I promise!

Wardrobe Refashion - Ready, Set, Sew!

You know those items of clothing you never ever wear? The ones lurking in the dark recesses of your closets and the depths of your dresser drawers? And don't tell me you don't have at least ONE item you never wear for whatever reason. Well, those are the items I'm going to get started on during my 2 months of WR. Bear in mind I'm also sewing from scratch a wardrobe of outfits, so if the Closet Refugees don't get gotten to before the 2 months is up, don't sue me.

The first candidate is the sort of neat denim skirt. It's just HUGE in the waist. I mean HUGE. It rides so low on my hips, it could fall right off if I suck in my tummy. It also has these side button slits with brass buttons that dig into my rump and thighs if I sit down wrong. Tres Uncomfortable. So that's going to be my first victim.

To begin with, I'm going to revamp the waist and put the zipper in the side. Front zippers are mannish. Side zippers (or back ones, even) are sexay. Then, I'm going to rotate the skirt around so that the button slits are front to back not side to side. The back ones will be removed and the front ones will be expanded to get some sexyfront (as opposed to SexyBack). The inset pockets will be removed and either replaced with patch pockets on the front or foregone altogether. It depends on just how much fabric is left when I'm done frankensewing this thing backtogether.

[Forrest Gump]

One thing is for sure: those brass buttons are never going to dig into my but-tocks again.

[/Forrest Gump]

Before & After Pictures Coming Soon!

Cruisewear Progress Report #1

Remember this dress?



Well, here it is 90% finished:



I'm pretty happy with it. Just have to sew the bodice to skirt, hem it and then put the buttons and buttonholes on.

On second thought, maybe it's only 75% done...

In Their Easter Bonnets

Or rather frocks, they were the grandest (little) ladies at our Easter function. Don't you think?

And to think it all started with two cute hairbows. Which of course we didn't get any pictures of. Drat. I'll say this about these dresses, they were really easy to make. Just a couple of hours each. The hardest part was the peak in the front/box pleat.

I'm thrilled with the result, even if I'm not overly excited with the way the fabric drapes. It's REALLY stiff. I'd expected cotton to eventually soften up. And it may eventually. The up side of it being so stiff is that I wasn't really worried about them running around the yard and playing with their cousins.

Wardrobe Refashion

I've decided to take the plunge and join in the pledge not to buy any new clothing. I wish I could say that I was able to make the pledge for life, but I'm chicken. REALLY chicken. So I'm going to join up for 2 months and see how I make out.

The Pledge

I Nina, not a llama, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of
"new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 months. I pledge
that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my
own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge
that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoted,
recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so
that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings!

Signed Nina, not a llama.

I'm determined not to fall off the wagon.

This all gets under way May 1st, so check back!

Cruisin' Together

Not the sappy song by Huey Lewis, either.

August 31st we embark on a 5 day cruise from Jacksonville to Key West to Nassau and back to Jax. It's the first vacation since our 1st anniversary that didn't have a child along (including in-utero). I'm so jazzed about it.

And of course, something this momentous (did I mention it's our 9th wedding anniversary?)




deserves a complete new wardrobe. Lucky me, I got in my shopping spree *before* Wardrobe Refashion starts. Sneaky me, I know.

Anyhow, one is not permitted to look like a hobo stay at home mom at dinner. Apparently ratty yoga pants and stained snarky t-shirts are inappropriate. And here I was looking forward to wearing my Cthulhu for President t-shirt. Shucks. I'll just save it for 2011. I break it out for election season because you know, why vote for the "lesser" evil and all. But my rant on the two-party political stranglehold is a post for another day. Today it's ALL about the amazingness that is the fabric I have and the patterns I have to create a wardrobe worthy of the most fashionable diva the Love Boat ever saw.

The nominees (in no particular order) are:

Butterick 3052 from Patterns From The Past. Hi Michelle!

This pattern will be sewn up in views A & B. View A will NOT have the detachable frilly business because I have a cool grey, yellow & black patterned fabric that doesn't need it. View B is a silky butterfly adorned print that will go with my Lutterloh flounced skirt (not pictured).

Butterick 4369 that I picked up at a rummage sale.

This is being made up in a coordinating black, grey and yellow print from the same collection as the blouse above. I'm making the shorter version.

Vintage Vogue 2636 from LanetzLiving.

This is getting made up in a nice poly blend that is green with orange flecks, courtesy of my mother in law.

Simplicity 4044 & 9978 (sadly out of print) from my local fabric shop.

The skirt will be yellow (surprise) and the slacks will be grey to match the blouse above. Mix-n-match is a beautiful thing.

I'm making the skirt/midriff top at the lower left in a cruise-themed cotton. Now I just need to tone the midriff...

New Look 6244, 6521 & 6669 also from my local fabric shop.

Skirt: brown. Blouse: View A with the ribbon. Turqouise cotton with sheer turquoise/brown print overlay/sleeves.

Top: View A in yellow and pants in charcoal.

Dress C as shown on model with a white/pinkish cotton embellished with sequins with the strappy one underneath in plain white.

Some of these patterns I've had FOREVER and never got around to making them up. Well, the time is NOW.

I'm also making up Lutterloh 205, 154 & 155 (maybe I'll scan them in) also. Lucky me, there's the skirt pattern. Not having much luck finding the capris/top online. But well, there you go.

Once all the fabric is washed, I'll take pictures so you can see the fabulousness that is my biggest project to date. Now, I just need to finish my daughters' Easter Dresses. You know. That they have to wear in less than 48 hours. Pressure? Me? Naaaah.....

The Intrepid Seamstress: She Sews, She Scores!

My darling Mother-in-law gave me a gorgeous sarong and shawl with coordinating fabric a while back and while I don't have the knowhow to wear a sarong, I dearly love the fabric and have wanted to *do* something with it for ever since she gave it to me. So, I decided that I was going to tame the beast and start sewing for myself rather than just for the kids. Partially because of Wardrobe Refashion and partly because I'm disgusted with RTW stuff.

I posted a poll over at SewRetro to see what should be my next project and unofficial result was a Very Easy Very Vogue pattern that used to be my Nana's. It's never been used before, so I wanted to make something from it. I took it down to my local FedEx/Kinko's and had them run it through the large format copier. $11.24 later, I had my pristine pattern ready to be altered. And boy-howdy did I have to do some alterations.

I had to add 6" to the bodice, 11" to the waist and 6" to the hips. Luckily, the empire-ish waist and A-line skirt made that a fairly simple endeavor. I didn't even swear ONCE! I guess that's why it's called "VERY EASY". I omitted the sleeves and pockets since I was going for a nice simple line and short sleeves and I don't coexist well. I've got fairly large biceps for my height and getting the ease right is twitchy.

The bodice is made from the front of the sarong:

I used the zig-zag pattern that used to run lengthwise down the sarong as the front and the back of the sarong makes the back of the bodice as well as the front of the skirt. The back of the skirt is made from the coordinating pink fabric while the hem is actually the border of the sarong cut and sewn along the bottom edge of the skirt.

The dress got the seal of approval from the Mini-Fashionista known as my oldest child. She's suddenly turned into an expert on anything fashion-related. Which doesn't surprise me since she's got an eye for color and so on. At 6 years old she painted an amazing rendition of koi fish. Look out world, she's coming. She's the one on the left.

Back to the topic at hand, not only does the dress fit like it was custom made for me (der), it totally matches the shoes I bought in Indonesia to wear to my brother-in-law's wedding. SCORE! I picked up some gorgeous beads at JoAnn's with a 40% off coupon and I'm going to make some matching jewelry to go with. Go me!

Intrepid Seamstress vs. Hildegarde

When last we saw the Intrepid Seamstress, she was battling the bodyform known as Hildegarde the Unweildy.

Intrepid Seamstress 1, Hildegarde 0:

After removal of the foamie mammaries and repositioning of same, fitting could proceed on the bodice:

Snug as a boob bug in a rug! Onwards!

Note the leftover mammaries in the belly area. ^_^

The finished product:

A few notes to ponder:

1. The Intrepid Seamstress is not now and may never again be pregnant. That bulgy thing is what happens when three babies have taken residence on the interior of the abdominal cavity for approximately 9 months each.
2. The Husband of the Intrepid Seamstress nearly busted a gut laughing at just how accurate a representation of her body Hildegarde is.
3. No, the Intrepid Seamstress will NOT be showing a comparison photograph, so just don't even ask. Trust me, it's A PERFECT COPY. Srsly. 4 realz.
4. The middle child pointed to it and said "You have a BIG BELLY!" No kidding squirt. See #1 above.

Creating a legacy

Behold, the Elder Princess Ella's first major sewing project!



This was her first ever sewing class at our local Joann's. I had the Ariel fabric in my stash and she picked out the purple border (a perfect match I might add). With minimal assistance with pins and scissors, she learned how to put the pedal to the metal and make the machine go all while guiding fabric AND removing pins. She was also the youngest kid in her class by at least 1.5 years *and* she finished first.


*beaming* I'm so proud of her!

Unfortunately, the picture quality isn't great because it was taken with my HTC 8585 SmartPhone. C'est la vie.

The Amazing Adventures of The Intrepid Seamstress

Once upon a time there was a girl who loved to sew. She sewed Barbie clothes from scraps of fabric and colthes for her tribe of Cabbage Patch dolls from remnants. When she grew up she longed to sew clothing for herself but alas and alack, she was unable to find someone to help her fit her garments to her body. She consulted the magic portal known as Google and found that there were many ways indeed to create a doppleganger that would enable her to create beauty and wonder from the bolts and bolts of fabric that were beginning to pile up.

The first quest was to create the "Duct Tape Double". It was, sadly, not that great. It did indeed look like the intrepid girl, but sadly the adhesive that caused the duct tape to adhere to her underthings and create the replica of her form also made it impossible to pin into and thereby tailor anything. So Hildegarde the Duct Tape Double was relegated to the bin.

Later that year, the girl had a birthday. While sojourning in the land of Google, she found yet another amazing invention known as the Uniquely You Dressform. Which in theory was ... well ... unique. It's squishable foam made it an ideal candidate to replicate the girl's shape and form. Unfortunately, the instructions that came with the dressform were written in some arcane language that the girl was unable to understand.

Many years passed and the girl became a woman and bore children. Which, as could be expected, made many changes to her body. It's shape was barely discernable as that of the girl's. "But that's not a problem!" cried the girl. "I can just alter the cover of yon dressform and in two shakes of a tailor's chalk the form will be as mine own!"

But the dressform gods are capricious and hid the intructions for altering the dressform to fit. And so, the girl once again ventured into the land of Google and acquired a second copy of the instructions. Fearing that some tragedy would befall the slip of paper on which they were inscribed, she put them into a "safe place". Which as everyone knows is really a black hole from whence they will never return until after a period of 20 years or the original item has long since been sold or given to the local charity shop.

After a period of 4 years, the girl rediscovers the dressform - known only as Brunhilde - and decides that indeed to attempt once again to create a doppleganger is a quest most worthy. And so she ventured again into the land of Google to learn the alchemy that would create the perfect double of her body in latex foam rubber.

Again, as before, the dressform gods ridicule her attempts at creating a cover for Brunhilde and in her desperation, the girl consults every oracle she can find to learn the secret to taming the latex foam rubber shrew.

Will she tame the latex foam rubber beast? Can she create her perfect double? Or will she die the death of one thousand and one straight pins?

Tune in next time for the continuing adventures of "The Intrepid Seamstress"!

Abducted by aliens!

At least I thought they were... These are items that have been languishing in my stack of "things I really ought to get to". The first grouping are items that need repairing.

The second grouping are the items that are projects in progress. My New Year's Resolution was to finish them. Some of them have been hanging around (har har) for over 3 years. Bet you can't guess which ones THOSE are.

Christmas gifts 2008!

Even more Christmas 2008 splendoriferousness!

Diaper cover, footie pjs & shorts set c. February 2006!

One diaper cover, dress & pajama top c. 2006, 2008 & 2007 respectively!

Detail of godets!

A Sew Retro Post

Again! I'm on a spree this week.

This time I'm seeking advice on what dress to make next. Click on over via the linkie above and leave a comment, ok? I'll make whatever dress gets the most votes by March 31st!

A Sew Retro Posting

Click the link above to see my post over at Sew Retro on my most current sewing project.

You know how it is, right? You see something so perfect - so right and you know you Must Have It! It all started with Lanetz Living and the New York Pattern. And then I had to get the boy a haircut. And that's where I saw the hair bows. Wouldn't you know that I can't FIND the pink one? Anyway, here's a picture of the turquoise one:

I'm disappointed I can't find the pink one. Really. But I know it's around here somewhere.

I'm hoping to get these dresses done by Easter. I've only got 40 days of Lent to work on them... If I'm feeling REALLY adventurous, I'll make their "Melody" dolls (American Girl Clones) matching dresses. But don't count on it!

Thank God I have at least another year for the Elder Princess Ella's First Holy Communion dress. Because that? Oh my goodness. I've got an idea in mind, but it's going to be a LOT of work. I've got the fabric and some of the stuff to go on it, but I'm still not satisfied with the patterns I have. I want something *special* and unique and memorable and ... and ... well, HER. She's not the frilly, flouncy type. She's the stylish, sleek, modern type. Poufy sleeves and butt bows are not her style. Mei Mei (Little Sister aka the Younger Princess Ella) is more the froofy type.