A Change of Pace

I've been doing lots of patchwork and cross stitching this year because of the SALs and QALs I joined, but my fingers were itching for some embroidery.  Last winter I had a vision of a charcoal sweater with dark purple and blue embroidery so that was the solution:

I used water soluble stabilizer, and had fun with the woven and whipped spider webs (and a few daisies and french knots for good measure).

I need to embellish more of my clothing.

Granny Square Fingerless Mitts

Now that I've joined the ranks of the smart-phone using, I needed gloves that are touch-screen compatible. Which means I also needed fingerless mittens/gloves/what-have-yous to keep my hands warm on my cold commute. I looked at some patterns on pinterest, but they seemed beyond my abilities, especially the ones that make actual little tubes for one's digits. Granny squares, on the other hand, I can do, and Annie's A Granny Square Christmas had the perfect pattern:

The pattern may have been super easy (make two squares, so them together leaving a gap for the thumb, crochet a few more rows above and below), but it took me forever to pick out the yarn -- at least three colors, worsted weight, same material, preferably from my stash. I didn't succeed, and used yarn of two different weights in three different fibers (don't tell the Crochet Police! Or my aunt, the self-described "yarn snob"!)

I love granny squares. I'm itching to sew together these into a pillow top, and I want to buy some nice cotton yarn in, say, five colors, to make a sampler, but I'll wait until the new year; I'm way behind in my Christmas projects.

Stylin'

I never got around to blogging about it, but one of my ongoing projects this year was making some simple skirts for myself.  It's too cold and dreary to take out the skirt I made from linen and a summery Liberty of London print, but the second Alabama Chanin skirt fits right in with the season:

This time around I constructed the skirt first, which allowed me to make the hem accurate and also tweak the fit a bit since I lost some weight.  This ensured that the rose stencil would be even all around the bottom of the skirt.

The stencil came from the Alabama Stitch Book, although I smoothed out some of the edges for ease of stitching and cutting (and simply colored in the two tiny segments at the center):

For the reverse applique I switched to perle cotton rather than using the recommended upholstery thread, and that turned out to be a great idea.  Size 8 thread obviated the need to double the thread, the cotton was easier to work with, and I think the knots will last longer (some of the knots on my other skirt have started to come undone, because the thread is so slippery).  The cotton may not be as strong, but that's not an issue for this part of the sewing.

In a burst of activity, I also pulled out a boring black cardigan I had been meaning to embellish for years, and finally did it:

I sewed a strand of sequins up and down the front and around the collar, then sewed on some black rhinestones in the corners.

After photographing them I stacked the two pieces together to put away, and realized they work quite well together -- festive (and warm) enough for Christmas Eve Mass!

Other People's Crafts, Part 1

With the arrival of Beadboy3 last month, my crafting came to a complete halt.  However, I'm not the only crafty person in the family.

Beadboy2 decided a couple of months ago that he wanted me to help him make baby clothes for his future brother.  After a long conversation where I explained 1) I don't know how to make baby clothes, 2) I don't think I'd be very good at it, and 3) I wasn't about to try in my ninth month, I came up with an alternative for him.  I picked up a plain white onesie and a pack of fabric markers and gave them to Beadboy2.  He had a very particular design in mind -- "clouds and stars all over, and a sun over the belly button."

The result:

Beadboy3 loves it.  Or, I'm sure he would if he were old enough to have an opinion.

Alabama Skirt

I finished the Alabama Skirt last night, missing the summer but at least I can wear it through most of the fall.
I'm excited to have it finished, although it was a learning process. When I make the next one (ha!) I will:
1) Redraw the pattern onto something sturdy but pinnable, perhaps muslin.
2) Shorten the pattern more. Even though I chopped a couple of inches off while redrafting the pattern, it is too long, and I can't trim any more off without cutting into the applique.
3) Find a better way to draw the lines of the pattern onto jersey. The marking tools I had, no matter how smooth, still caught on and dragged the fine knit, making it impossible to draw a clean line. I ended up cutting around the pattern freehand, which led to very uneven seam allowances.
4) Remember to stencil the design a bit higher in the front, since the front should be hemmed (i.e., cut) two inches shorter than the back.
5) Experiment with using pearl cotton for the applique. It might not be as strong as the upholstery thread, but I think it also won't tangle or come undone as much. Plus I'll have a better choice of colors.
6) Really, really pay attention to basting the top of the panels so as to not stretch out the waist. I did baste, but I forgot I had done that when, after sewing the four panels together, I pulled the skirt over my hips to check the fit. I heard the basting stitches snap, but not until I sewed the elastic on did I realize the damage -- a whole four extra inches in the waist. And I had gone through such trouble to redraft the waist in the first place, sigh. I unpicked the back of the waistband and put in two tucks at the two back seams. It's not really noticeable because I don't tuck in my tops, but still. Grr.

It's a comfy skirt, though, and moves nicely.

Alabama Stitching

Beadmom and Father Beadbrother came to visit for a week, so not much crafting got done (especially since my sewing room is also a guest room). I did start a skirt for myself. The pattern is from the Alabama Stitch Book, which is all about handsewing with knit fabrics.

I've never worked with knits before, but I adored the skirt, and after seeing Artsy Crafty Babe tackle it successfully a couple of years ago, I figured I'd give it a shot too. The technique is simple -- four panels make up the skirt, each with two layers in different colors embellished with reverse applique. Stencil a design on the top layer using paint, sharpie markers, or whatever, sew a running stitch around the shape, and cut away the top layer inside the stitching line.

I've already cut out the panels, stenciled them, and completed stitching on one. (As usual, my apologies for the crappy photo; maybe my camera needs a new, not recharged, battery?)
It's been easier than I thought. Cutting out the fabric was a bitch, because I had trouble marking the design with the recommended tailor's chalk (the knit fabric is very fine and kept catching) and so I had to cut around the pattern, which was held in place with cans, which led to jerky cutting. There are various ways I can remedy this in the future, however. Layering the two pieces on top of each other smoothly was also kind of tricky, but once in place they did not budge, which made sewing less nerve-racking. The sewing itself is a piece of cake.

I'm still apprehensive about how it will all come together. I had to enlarge the pattern, and shorten it, and narrow the waist (I'm so easy to fit!). It's pretty, though!