The skirt challenge

 

So I used to make/repair costumes, cloths and other stuff, for friends and my many, many odd jobs.

but most everything I made for myself over the years, 

after 3 kids, 

I have outgrown, 

by a lot.

The question keeps bouncing in my mind, can a 55 year old get away with wearing a Victorian costume made from drapes?

I've been watching copious Vlogs on history bounding and cottage core, can you tell?

I did all his stuff, 40 years ago, in High school and instead of collage, 

waaay before it was at all cool. 

Now they have all sorts of stuff you can source anywhere online to make corsets, 

 and vlogs and places like comicon and costume college to show off in your stuff. 

I started out in ren fairs and the beginning of the cons, in the late 70's & 80's.

When your source was the public library and mAbeeey a passing museum collection, the local specialty fabrics and whatever resale/junk shops (you all call 'em "vintage" now)you could find.

Thanks ma!

Where are those pictures? there must be tons of them! nope.

I have no pictures of any of it, because who has the time or the $$ for a camera, film and processing?

What I have is from mom's collection of

"Wait let me get the camera!" photos

So now, armed with big idea's

sketchy knowledge, somebodies old drapes

and an excess of time

I'm trying my hand at something new

When will I finish it? 

Who knows.

It's been on the mannequin for 6 or 7 years. 

It can wait a little longer.

We don't always start these things with an end in mind.

Things I know to be true

never wear your skirt before you have sewn in the pleats.

Unlike a pineapple, It needs sleeves. 

The vest needs work.

extensive work.                      

                       and a bustle pad

  

                                                      and some feathers

I made a thing

I'm workin'here!

 more specifically I made a CQ caddy out of a plant holder thing.

It started life as a planter for herbs as the side says

it ended up getting in the way and holding nothing

Being a person, incapable of throwing away something,

 that might possibly be useful in the future.

It kept getting in the way until I had an apiffany (epiphany)

one day whilst looking, yet again for my scissors and the stiletto poker thingy

I ran over this thing again

and thought, as one does, I wonder if I can sidetrack myself for an entire day AND

make this thing usefull

two empty tins, some heat-n-bond double stick, screw in hooks, a couple of fat quarters and a magnet later,

VOILA!

Heat-n-bond is magical stuff! I use it by the yard just measure, outline, peel stick and iron.

tAA-dAA!

Everything all at once! 

even on the inside

Just the way I like it!

Then I looked at all the extra space where little things could get lost 

and thought, pouches to fit in between! Excellent!

The tricky bit was getting the scissors case stuck to the side of the handle. 

I covered and old janky case inside, with enough hanging out to stick outside, 

then covered and positioned it, so the HNB would cover the inside of the handle and hold the whole thing up after repeated use.  

It's been two months and so far shows no signs of wearing out or falling off, so, I WIN!

The magnet on the right side is for my tiny pliers,

'Cause sometimes you need some extra grip n' pull.

Now I have a thing, I can tote around the house, that has all my tools in and a few extra bits and bobs.

Clever me!

 

Sharon Boggins template holder

So now I can finish anything!

                                                    RIiiiiight...............

The Farmers Wife and the reason for a Simple Question

 I am starting a new project

No, I have not finished with the last one yet but that's how I roll.

I bought the Farmers Wife books a few years ago looking for a pattern I eventually found in a magazine, go figure.

As with most impulse purchases, it's hit or miss as to weather or not I will get to them, or they will be something I move around the sewing room and thumb through occasionally.

I think part of the early "Meh" I had about this book, was that it's instructions are archaic.

they call for templates cut out for each piece and put the "ick" in piecing.

but a little bit of cleaver maths, (See my previous post below) and most of the patterns are converted into easy peasy modern methods.

all you really have to remember, is no matter what size you are sewing, every seam adds half an inch.

Ok, that may be to vague.

This may end up sounding like "Toon logic" to you but its how my squirrely brain works, so bear with me. 

Mind I haven't gotten to the more difficult blocks, with tons of parts or odd offset bits, so this formulae may only work out for the mostly easy squares and half square triangle blocks.

Anyhoo, It's my wisdom, such as it is, and It goes like this; 

#2 Autumn Tints

to get a 6.5" finished block with  4x4 pieces you have 1 seam which adds .5" 

this would make a single square 3.5", since its a 4x4 each square in the block should be trimmed to this size.

   3.5 x 2 = 7 - .5 (for the seam down the middle*) = 6.5"

*I don't count a 4x4 as 2 seams, which it obviously is because the maths are harder and I am lazy, so I only count the upper row. 

I have done about 10 blocks of the 111 in the book and this formulae has worked a treat so far!

Then we get to subcuts, same formulae, 2x2=4 - .5= 3.5

I can not stress how important trimming and ironing between every stage is!

#4 basket weave

 

 You also want to starch BEFORE you cut anything.

these little tips I give out for free, ha!

So that means the 3 seams per square in this block will be

1.5 x 3 = 4.5 - 1" = 3.5  Voila!

I'm a genius!

So this next one, is the block that got me to the Simple Question and it's attendant blogs.

I figured it out but not till cutting up a bunch of fabric in experiments and trying to explain to my hubs what I wanted.

My simple formulae works here too

#6 Big Dipper

even for half square triangles (AKA the HST)

This is how I worked it out;

You want a 3.5" block to get 2 HST you start with a 4.5" square 

if you want 4 you add 2" (Because triangles act differently than squares, mumble, mumble square root of 2) this gives you 

a  6.5"square, sew 4 seams around the outside edge all the way around (-2"=4.5) cut this from corner to corner this gives you,

4/  4.5"HST cut those in half.  Sewn together > gives you 

4/ 3.5" hourglass blocks.

now all of this does leave you with bits to trim off to the proper size. but it does work out.

I was giddy with my accomplishments, when I put it all together 

Addendum: I am not sure how well this works out if the blocks get over 12" The square root of two does some wonky things in the macro.

Take thAt mr. Marion! The worst H.S. algebra teacher EVER, The man completely put me off math for decades and not just because he flunked me out freshman year.

For those of you not inclined to follow me down the rabbit hole of "I DO IT!" 

You want this lady and fellow, better blogger than me, Karen Walker, who has done all the hard work of teaching other people in classes on youtube and sells her method of piecing at her shop Laugh into Stitches. You have to scroll all the way to the bottom to find the farmers wife lessons and she has broken it up into 12 bite size bits, to get all 111 blocks, at about 12 - 15 at a time for about $9 a lesson. 

I may inveigle myself of her services when I get to some of the harder blocks but right now I am having fun figuring it out, and lets face it, I'm cheep. 

resolution or list?

I'm not much for new years resolutions. I've tried them in the past and they last about as long as my attention span, which is another way of saying, not long.
 I am, however, a fan of lists and organizing and blogging about my thought process and why I do things in the way I do them.
I find this helps me to put things into perspective. It also helps me when I can put an actual name or a why to feelings and thoughts.

so this year I decided to write all this down and inflict them on you people.

1) What makes me most productive? (sounds simple enough but sometimes it just helps to write it down)
    a) having the tools I need to do my project (duh)
    b) having an organized place to do my project (it doesn't have to be 
clean, just organized so I can find stuff)
    c) light (double duh)
    d) an Idea of what my project will be when its done (sometimes this is very important, sometimes not so much. depends on how creative I'm feeling that day)
    e) emptying my head of useless thoughts (pertaining to the project)
    f) staying the hell off Facebook! (Oh yeah!)
    g) starting work in the morning when the light is the best ( I work best in the morning)
    h) bloggong about my process (hi there)
    i) a good breakfast (car works best when full so do you)
    j) being comfortable (try getting something creative done when your not)
    k) keeping hydrated (water keeps your tummy from distracting you with demands for junk food)


2) What projects do I want to do? Ha! what don't I want to do?
    I suggest making a list of projects, including the yard work and house work you want to get done and revise as needed. 
you know what you need to do, writing it down puts in front of your mind 
and it works on that, instead of what so-and-so said about whatever.
Chances are you have just as long a list as I do so it should keep you too busy to worry or agonize about the other stuff. 

3) How best to accomplish these projects? (AH, introspection)
    a)have a routine
    b) exercise ( get those grey cells moving)
    c) put a time limit on social media distractions ( go ahead and surf just don't do it all day)
    d) keeping my tools organized ( can't use it if you can't find it)
    e) make a plan and stick to it (it helps, really)
    f) give myself time and space when my creativity wanes (sometimes you just need to walk away from it)
    g) if its not working GO DO SOMETHING ELSE (really, go for a walk, or scrub something)
    h) sometimes its ok to do nothing (the world will not fall apart if you sit your butt on the couch and potato for a day)
    i) give yourself a break ( and not just for lunch)
    j) clean off your workspace every once in a while ( just saying)
    k) organize your stuff so you can find it( you'll be surprised what you might find, again)
l) Have a place you can put your project when it goes dormant ( because sometimes your muse just gets up and goes on vacation)
 

4) What inspires me? ( sounds simple enough but is a good practice to get into reminding yourself what makes you tick)
    a) Pictures- mine/ other peoples (research)
    b) books- pintrest- paintings (more research)
    c) sketching it out (part of the planning)
    d) research (learning the history of an idea helps)
    e) deep contemplation (looks like taking a walk, sitting on the couch or cleaning but is so important)
    f) exercise (can't stress moving the grey matter enough)
    g) cleaning house/yard (something to do when your brain is on the fritz)
    h) gardening (ditto, with fresh air)
    i) music (thought distractor, get up and dance, you know you want to)
    j) reading (sometimes you need to do something else)
    k) poetry (it gives me ideas)
    l) CQ Wednesdays with girlfriends (we do lunch and kibbutz)
    m) organizing my space (so i can find stuff)
    n) gathering the materials for my project (cant use it if you don't have it)

5) What stifles my creativity?     
    a) Facebook suckage ( ever been on that thing and next thing you know dinners pizza, again?)
    b) brain fry (sky blue, tree pretty. that's it. that's all I got)
    c) anxiety ( and who isn't after this election?)
    d) too many thoughts that are self deprecating/non-productive (youre wonderful, just not all the time and that's ok. now go have some chocolate)
    e) anger at things I have no control over and can not change or effect ( this election for example)
   f) not having the tools I need when I need them (clean off your desk dummy)
   g) not being organized (can't find it, don't have it, I just had it...)
   h) not being set up to work (I put it away and now I need it, sigh)
   i) not having a plan (sometimes intuitive creativity is a good thing and sometimes you sit there and skive the day away)
   j) being stuck on a part that is nOt working (walk away)
   k) discomfort (bad chair, bad posture all bad for creating)
   l) not being able to find what I need (stops me in my tracks sometimes)


so there you go. the basic questions are good ones to think about.
my thoughts with commentary in blue, I don't know about you but I have this sarcasm fairy in my head, who can't let a thought go without commenting on it.

Ciggi box tutorial

For this project you will need
1. A Cigar box (I found a bunch at value village)
2. A Cq piece big enough to cover the top of the ciggi
       box  + at least 1 inch (tell you why later)
3. pair of scissors an exacto blade and a rotary
     cutter and mat.  you will need them.
4. pencil
5. Smoother or other flat not sharp thing you can use
    to  smooth down the glue under the paper
6. Long flat blade ruler
7. Glue - I use Aileens tacky glue
8. roll of washi tape at least .5 inches wide for a
    regular roll ( 2 if you are using a smaller roll)
9. 4 pages of scrapbooking paper 2 for the inside 2
    for the outside
    I recommend the thicker type (so you don't break
    through it like I did!)

he back should look like this

Start with your box and your artwork. prepare your art work by cutting a piece of cardboard to fit the top of the cigar box and stretch your piece over that.
sew a running stitch from one end to the other until the piece fits firmly over all sides. you can pad it if you feel the work needs the extra lift or if there are wobbly bits on the front that aren't laying flat.
I recommend doing the corners first and then the middle over that

it should peel right off

be careful of the hinges!

 now for the box, remove the edge paper from the top edge on the sides of the box only.
Use an exacto knife if necessary.
since you will be adding more layers to the box over time this will help the box from sticking or not shutting all the way.

It should look like this

DO NOT take any of the hinge paper off!

your fingernail should fit in between the lid and the side wall

like this!

 Next with your exacto blade score all the outsides of the box.

Scoring your box

use a straight up and down also criss-cross scores to get maximum glue hold.

this is so the glue has a grip on the shiny paper that most cigar boxes are covered with

now measure the inside of your box, make the square a scoshe bigger than you need to cover any wobble in your measurements

Add caption

cut the sides bigger than you need to wrap around not only the bottom but the sides as well

place the paper for the sides upside down,

in the box,
crimp the corners
cut them and
cut the ends at an angle

 so when you overlap the ends they don't pooch up



now pooge glue all over the backside
getting the corners and the edges


fit the glued up paper into the sides, smoothing down as you go.
wipe any oozing glue with a paper towel

 you will notice that a small amount of paper
hangs over the front edge of the box. you need to trim that with an exacto knife.

repeat on the other side
measure and cut for the front and back of the inside of the box with NO overlap on the sides, only the bottom.

don't forget the corners

now glue and smooth the bottom down

I rubbed too hard

Be careful not to use too much elbow grease

if you are  using a thinner paper or you might go through it while smoothing it down
or rubbing too hard while trying to get stray glue off the wall (like I did!)


 the inside of the box is done!

measure and cut for the top
at this point you want to place a ribbon folded in half for ease of opening the box later cut it half the width of the top of the box glue it firmly down and then place the top paper and glue that down over it. ( I forgot to do that here so it will have to go under the art work, oops!)

measure out your washi tape and smooth that down over the hinge.
making sure to get coverage on both sides of the paper

for the inside corners I like to crimp the tape down the middle first, this gives you a good head start on keeping it straight smooth down

cut the ends even

you don't have to use washi tape on the inside if you got your corners nice.

get those corners

I use it if my corners are a little wobbly or for added visual interest






Now go for the rest of the inside

 a little washi tape covers a multitude of sins!

Ta-Da!

thats one smudge I can cover at least!

now do the outside much the same way you did the inside

I added a pocket

I forgot to put a ribbon Under the Inside middle of the box for ease of opening the box later. (a lot of that going around bad Flora, BAD!)

if you want this extra step, cut enough ribbon to extend to the bottom of the box, so it doesn't pull out, and glue it in before you place that piece of paper.

the bottom

Washi all around

when you do the out side remember to overlap the bottom much like you did on the inside by about an inch.




you can washi the top before placing the top piece of art work on as that will go over everything

get the top positioned and glue it down good!

I use cloths pins to hold it down till the glue dries.
Rubber bands work well too.
  that's it for this tut.

if there are any unclear or confusing instructions or if you think I have missed something important please let me know!
have fun!