Aimee, In Stitches

So, I replaced the dress with 2 dresses!

My goals are:
1 completed item for Etsy each month (single pieces or outfits)
800 knit stitches per month.  My current project is an itsy-bitsy sweater, and that equates to 3-4 rows per week.
4 completed items for myself, my friends & family, or my dolls per month.

March status so far:

• Regency gown made and sold on Etsy
• 2 easter dresses made for Olivia, so Linda can take her pick.
• 1 fencing doublet nearing completion (needs closures)
• 1 15th century kirtly nearing completion (needs closures)
• 4 plain mid-19th c. day dresses for 1/3 BJD cut out
• 1/3 of a row since March started on Penelope’s cabled vest

I was going to make Olivia an easter dress.  I put it together in a couple of hours, and somehow, along the way, it got stained.  It was a sort of orangy rust -type stain.  And, I’m one of those ridiculous people who iron as I go, so before I knew it, the stain was set in. 

But, wait!  It gets better!  I tried numerous stain removal tactics, to no avail, and then decided the only way to salvage this otherwise perfectly adorable item was to tea-dye it. 

Well, I don’t have to worry about that stain anymore.

I got stuff all ready to tea-dye the dress, laid it on a cookie sheet alongside the dish it’d be dunked in. Then I set the kettle up, turned the burner on high, and then wandered away waiting for the kettle to whistle. I saw steam in the kitchen, huge puffs of steam, but no whistling.

I turned the wrong burner on. The dress burned up.
 

Sunday and today were very productive.  On Sunday, the Barony hosted a sewing day, at which I managed to cut and piece together the first of many new late-15th C. Spanish gowns and cut out the DH’s new doublet for rapier fighting.

I also managed today to do all the handwork on a 1/3 scale piece I figured I’d frog, finish all the machined stitching on the aforementioned gown, and begin a 1/3 scale cowl neckwarmer. 

Here’s what I’ve been up to:

Regency for Elfdoll, cut out over 6 months ago, finally finished today.  I’m not a fan of Regency, so it’s going up on Etsy.

And my in-progress gown, modeled on the black dresses above (next up, a few partlets in varying levels of sheerness with red stripe patterns, and black stripe patterns, and perhaps a matron’s headcovering like Queen Isabella’s above):

So after creating a little owl cup cozy, I’m a little obsessed with owl cables.  I’ve decided to make myself a set of owl accessories for winter, starting with Owlings.  I’ve finished the left, and I’m starting the right.  I’ve got some gray-blue glass seed pearls to use for their eyes.  Once finished, my plan is to make a cowl and perhaps a hat.

I found this neat bamboo-wool blend from Moda Dea on clearance and I’m loving the way it just barely clings to my bamboo needles.  Plus, it’s fairly warm and has the slightest sheen.  The color is “coffee,” and I think the ruddy undertones will match my bright red wool coat nicely.

Yes, it’s after Christmas.  But I don’t have to be in VA for another day or two, and since my gifts are hand-delivered, I have wiggle room.  Just finished a set of armwarmers for my mother-in-law:

And I’m still working on a felt tea set and tea fare for our god-daughters.  I’m modifying the patterns from Umecrafts to get classic cucumber sandwiches, and I made Moravian cookies. 

In my continuing saga of holiday stitching, I have to profess my love for Urban Threads.  I’ve been making Buttercup bags for the holidays, in a huge array of prints for various people.  But for Nycole, I had some trouble getting edgy enough.   

Enter Urban Threads.  The result, a black velvet Buttercup lined in blood red, with skeletons:

I’ve decided I need a new blog, to keep my stitching lives separated.  So, from now on, all the random personal projects I’ve got going will be here. 

Thanks to E–, I’ve taken up knitting.  I’m still learning, but I’m doing pretty well.  For the holidays, I took on the challenge of making most, if not all, of the gifts for family and friends.  This was a slightly selfish challenge, as it meant I could practice knitting in the process.  Here’s where I’ve gotten thus far:

I decided to learn to cable with an owl, and then made sure that I understood the process by making a coffee cup sweater for my mother.  I was pretty shocked at how easy it is.

A cowl for my hubby.

And a needle case for me.  This also has a matching circular needle case and bag.  I also made a circular case for my friend Emily.

A lovely eggplant for Tina.

There have been many small disasters in my work life lately, nearly all of them resulting in increased duties and paid time to work. I have had a bit of a windfall, though. This morning, I’ll be accepting a full-time position with my current employer. This is going to result in a lot less free time on my part, and a great deal of change to my long-term commissions schedule. I will have more personal sewing to do in the future, because there may be costumed interpretation in the future of the museum where I work, and I’m feeling ready to become involved in SCAdian pursuits again. I will, of course, share those projects in my sewing blog.

What this means for people I’m currently working with: Signed contracts are signed contracts. I will complete commissions currently in progress with no change to the deadlines, except in dire circumstances, and even then, I will give you warning. In short–no change.

What this means for people on my list who have yet to sign their contracts: We may need to re-negotiate the timelines we discussed, but I will still happily complete the commissions that are currently on my list. Those commissions that are still to-be-determined might need to be refused–depending on the scope of the project once clients have decided what they want, it may no longer be feasible for me to deliver in a timely fashion.

For those who are contemplating requesting a commission, I’m not going to stop altogether, but I am going to have to be very selective in order to ensure that I’m able to produce quality items in a timely fashion. Chances are I would love to work on your project, so don’t hesitate to ask. Please be aware, though, that I may not be able to get to a project immediately and may not be able to say yes to something with a very near deadline (i.e. please plan ahead).

Italian Renaissance gown is underway–the patern’s draped and getting ready to be stitched up. Here are some progress shots:


Also, changed my mind on the fabrics–I think these are more elegant (burgundy velvet, mauve polished cotton lining, gold brocade with diamonds woven in.

I rarely chat here about my own personal projects. I made a ball gown for Penelope (Elfdoll Large Bust) for our local BJD group’s anniversary meetup and it was great. However, I can’t imagine she’ll ever wear it again (heaven forbid she be seen in the same thing twice at a formal event!). I got to thinking about it, and I’ve decided to purge some of the seldom-used pieces in the dolls’ wardrobes. I make clothes for my own dolls using the same methods I use in commissions, but these pieces were not intended for sale, so at times, I took a shortcut or two. I’ve appended “caveats” to each outfit so that interested parties will be fully aware of any oddities with the pieces.

Ice Queen (8+ piece outfit)
The gown itself is winter white silk dupioni, with a too-long skirt (I intended for it to puddle on the floor when she was seated, but it can be hemmed if a buyer materializes and requests that), and extremely low-cut sleeveless bodice. The back closes with a tiny zipper and hook and thread eye for extra security. The sash is an icy blue synthetic organza with tiny hot-fix rhinestones attached. There is also a silk taffeta cape lined in warm flannel, with a re-purposed vintage rhinestone and silver pendant for a brooch. All the accessories would also be included: a tulle petticoat on lace waistband, handmade necklace, bracelet, and earrings made with a mixture of silver-plated and “silver” findings, glass beads, and swarovski crystals. The necklace closure is magnetic. CLICK HERE for more photos.

Some caveats:
There are also hair ornaments (a couple of single beads and a few “icicles”)–the hair ornaments photograph well and are sturdy, but they were an afterthought and were not put together in a very logical manner. Likewise, the bracelet requires a bit of adjustment, as it is only beaded on one side and has a very tricky jury-rigged clasp.
Within moments of dressing Penelope for photos, in spite of the application of fray-check and other seam finishing techniques, the sash began to fray–there are small areas that have been darned or otherwise repaired. They are not noticeable unless you are looking very, very closely. I have been unsuccessful capturing this flaw on film–I’ll keep trying.

Pink and Brown (4 piece outfit)
This one was Penelope’s outfit for the Rainyverse pageant last year. It was worn again for a meetup at the IMA last April (See More Photos Here), and has never been touched since. It is 100% silk, with the exception of linings. It is in three parts: skirt of dupioni and chiffon, corset bodice in silk, bustle drape in silk chiffon, and silk chiffon hooded shrug. The bodice laces with a piece of pink ribbon. Caveats: The bustle drape’s hook is a bit loose, so a buyer would need to wait a day or two for me to repair that before shipment. The pearl necklace in the pictures is mine, doubled over and was a gift made by a friend, so it is not included. I might be able to track down the earrings, however, in the disaster that is Nel’s accessory drawer. If they materialize, I’d include them.

I’ll be posting more items later today, so stay tuned!
Pricing: Normally, I price items by adding materials and labor costs, but since I didn’t actually keep track of either on these personal projects, I’m going to be taking offers. Contact me via email (inquiries AT adournements DOT com) or PM me on DOA (ARoseFormo) with offers. You can also comment on this post with offers, since I moderate every comment–I’ll keep them in my to-be-moderated box so your info stays private.