Multiple health issues going on right now... Only online in spurts bit mainly reading, no posting/formulating sentences. Scared that stress will bring on another migraine...i hate going to the ER so much. Anyhow, I am not ignoring anyone, just really limited.

(Today is the first day I've been on the computer or been able to watch anything since Monday - it's been really insane.)

Walter Worker Dress (SPG) Part 3

This post is part of a series. Read Part 2 here.

Here it is, folks! The finished dress!

My hands were hurting so much from fibro join pain that I could only sew on about six buttons at a time.

Credits for the following photos: Cosplayer - Meg Graham, Photographer - Mary Rose Graham.

A finished costume on it's own is impressive, but what really makes it something special is when the cosplayer pulls together the whole ensemble. Meg did a great job here with all of the little details to complete her Walter Worker!

Whimsical Kitchen Dish Towels are here!

I have a new Etsy shop!

Whimsical Kitchen is your one-stop home for unique dish towels that express YOU!

I've got 10 fun designs currently listed, available in both saver and premium thread counts, and will do custom color orders as requested!

 

I want my store to be as good as possible, so please let me know if you run into any issues while ordering!

I have plenty more designs I want to add soon - let me know if there is a certain theme you'd like to see!

Walter Worker SPG Dress Part 2

If you're new to the blog, check out part 1 first!

This is where we left the dress at before.

The sleeves needed some further detail - mainly cuffs...

...and buttons! I got these buttons from Bennos Buttons, which is great for getting buttons in bulk.

Coming together!

Time to cut out the apron. I took the front panel pattern piece and made a few slight alterations, then used it to cut out the apron pieces.

The apron needed to hold its shape, so I decided to line it (unlike the rest of the dress, which I wanted to keep simple and cool) and also interface it with a featherweight interfacing.

But before attaching the apron, I needed to finish the other dress details, like sewing on sleeves and adding pockets. The original costume does not have pockets, but such things are in vogue with young ladies these days, and my client wanted them added. So I picked apart the side seams where I wanted the pocket openings to go.

I then cut and stitched simple pockets with a downwards slant and slipped them in.

I had to fiddle a little bit to figure out which right/wrong sides to match up in order to ensure that the seams would all be inside and the finished edges on the outside. Then I pinned and stitched each edge of each pocket down.

Inside out...

...right side in!

Even with ironing, the pocket still wanted to be pretty billowy. So I topstitched the upper edge of the pocket. It helped a LOT.

I then stitched the sides and upper edges of the apron, turned it right side out and pinned it onto the dress form to straighten the hem. Once cut, I pinned the hem edges up inside to conceal them.

I then topstitched all four edges of the apron, with the topstitching securing the hem in place.

Looking snazzy!

All I had to do was pin the apron in place...

...and use the buttons to hold it on! (There are no buttonholes, the buttons are decorative only, although their threads do hold the apron on).

Ready to see how my client turned it all into a full cosplay with AMAZING make-up? Check back in a few days for Part 3!

Dark Swan Photo!

Entertainment Weekly has the scoop on "Once Upon a Time" headed with a high rez photo of the new Dark One.

Now THAT is a look we've never seen on Emma before! Read the whole article here. 

Walter Worker (SPG) Part 1

My latest commission involved replicating one of the Walter Worker dresses (Steam Powered Giraffe) for a fan.

From http://steampoweredgiraffe.wikia.com/

I don't listen to the band myself, but I've got a couple friends who are into it and the premise is interesting. You can read more about the band and the Walter Workers in particular here.

I started off by making a muslin base to fit on my client. Since she is local, I was able to do a bit more nitpicky fitting than I normally am able to.

I draped the bodice and mathematically drafted the sleeves.

My client needed a few tweaks, as there'd been a change in size since we originally measured her and when I was able to actually start sewing. (This is why I always try to get my clients to give me their measurements as close to start time as possible.)

I also switched from side darts to full princess seams.

I then took the muslin apart and transfered the measurements to paper patterns.

Stitching it all up!

 We worked it out so that I saw this client two days in a row, and could test the body of the dress right away and make a few further adjustments.

BTW, the fabric is five yards of a bridal satin I found on eBay.

Very simple collar.

I then put the zipper in to make it easy to put the dress on and off the dress form, as opposed to having to pin up the back each time.

I was quite generous in the hem allowance, to say the least!

The fabric was a bit fussy to work with, and I went with my blind hem foot to eliminate as much puckering from the hem seam as possible.

Sleeve time! The first time I cut out the sleeve puff, it was too small. :(

So I cut it again and added some tulle to the inside to help accentuate the puff shape.

Much better!

Sleeves, buttons and an apron in Part 2!