stitchin: frosted pewter rennie {patterning hers}

you can check out the inspiration post here

i started playing around with the faux suede that i was sent, and while perfect for  his doublet, it was too visually heavy and stiff for her dress. i attempted to source new fabric locally, but matching grey fabric in terrible fluorescent lighting is more than a headache.....{this one's too brown, this one's too blue, wahhh!} so taffeta and faux duponi fabric samples were ordered.

even though i can flat pattern and design in my sleep, there's no need to reinvent the wheel. so i dug through my newly organized pattern stash, and found this lovely Simplicity 3782. it has a low and square neckline and the corseted, cylindrical shape we're going for, so only a few {ha!} tweaks were needed. 

once i had all of the pattern pieces cut out and ironed {quite a task in itself, thank you exacto knife!}, i started in on the bodice for view a {with the shoulder rolls}. but, i couldn't wrap my head around the adjustments with the way this pattern bodice was constructed, so back to the tried and true McCall's 6097.

this pattern already had a higher back, so i made the front into a single, longer piece, reworked the waistline from front to back, and narrowed the front shoulder.  then added some channels and steel boning, and tada!

the bodice insides are done :/ pattern matching {and a lot of swearing} came next.

 otherwise, the last modification request was for a 2-piece dress. it's much easier to get in and out of a skirt and bodice combo, and much easier to construct it all in 2 pieces anyways. {ummm, you want me to gather allll of that skirt and attach it where?!?!?!??}

stay tuned, sneak peeks of his are coming soon!

what's in your filing cabinet?

it's been a while since i've organized any of my bills or other adult paperwork in manila folders and hanging files {hooray for digital!}, but there is still a lot of other paper things in my life. mostly in the transparently thin, giant sheets of uber fragile tissue paper variety. which also involves the attempting-to-return-them-to-their-envelopes wrestling match when i'm done with them. now, they've got room to breathe {and all of their "modification" friends too}, and i still have hair on my head.

i used to keep all of my patterns in one of those plastic drawer thingies, left over from my college days. while it worked well enough, {aka kept them upright and off the floor} i'd have to pull them alllll out and dig for what i wanted. no bueno. so now they're sorted by category {party dresses, purses, rennie, etc} and super easy to search through.

also, the printer paper, printable labels, scrapbook paper, and other flat "crafty" things i had laying around. but wait, who needs 10 different kinds of printer paper...?!? filed and organized my friends.

this is probably old new to some, but it's been 3 weeks and still blowing my organized mind. seriously, where have i been? under a rock?  {more like a giant pile of UFOs...} right now it is all housed in file crates and the awesome printer stand the FIL made, but i've got some grand plans for a big lateral file cabinet in the near future, fyi greg ;)

while this corner of the studio is now oh so neat and tidy....turn around and you find this....yikes!

hello december 2014

last month was a struggle with the cold and darkness, slowly but surely i'm adjusting {no other options, right?}. i got lots of stitching and running done, and this month looks about the same:

 

> small biz christmas: oh target, you've got me hook/line/sinker with so many lovely things, but big box stores, are the problem.  so kickin it up a notch from last years goal, i'm shooting for 75% of my gifts to be from small businesses and/or handmade {by me or others}.update: success! between wandering into small shops around town, finding fun things on etsy, lots of stitching, and stocking stuffers from Trader Joe's, only a few books were ordered from Amazon. yay!

> blog revamp: new year, new fresh and shiny spaces. that's the dream, right? well not much can change in our rental house, so i'm thinking it's time for a blog renovation instead. also, not nearly as expensive or messy :) update: i've got a {secret} pinterest board of inspiration, but so far, nothing ready to go live.

> finish rennie garb: i always forget how complicated these outfits are. mostly it is the pattern adjusting or the coordinating fabric finding that slows it down, but now that everything is in house and cut out, it's time to pull it all together. update: still working on them, and i'm oh so close to being done. it's always the finishing bits and buttons that trip me up.

> run 50 miles: ahhhhh! that's all i need to get my {adjusted} goal of  300 miles this year. i'll be super pissed if i miss it by a handful of miles. super. pissed. update: eff, eff, eff. i was going strong the first few weeks, but then a week of heavy nor'easter rain, a wicked cold, then focusing on christmas presents.....and that's where i'm going to end the excuses.

stitchin: frosted pewter rennie garb {inspiration}

you can check out sneak peeks of hers here

the last masterpiece outfit i created for my mom and her hubbie was inspired by their recent wedding.  the newlyweds wanted something light and airy, romantic and soft. they choose the floral and green material, and i found the perfect, crinkly gold taffeta at a local fabric store:

this time, multiple yards of a great pewter jacquard and matching grey faux suede arrived at my front door. the very anal {ahem} detail-oriented part of my brain kicked into overdrive, and i began to plan for all of the repeat pattern matching to come....

soon, the googled inspiration photos started flying back and forth via email:

 

{via}

{via}

based on the fabric that was sent, warmer, fall/winter weight outfits were quickly decided on, and with these pictures, a long, straight, low and square, corseted bodice for her. he sticks to the same waist-length doublet with full-ish sleeves. otherwise, i was free to do what i wanted {woohoo!}.

keep in mind, i'm not shooting for historical accuracy here, i just like to make pretty stuff  :)

hello november 2014

this fall has been quite the whirlwind, september was busy, and poor october was jumped right over. so november, let's get some sht done:

> run 40 miles: last month was a bit of a stretch, running-wise, so this month i'm going to work on maintaining at 40 miles, not to mention the inevitable sweatpants-on-the-couch-under-a-blanket struggle when the temps drop. update: 45 miles completed, efff yea!

> wake up early: no matter what time i get up in the morning, by 9:30 pm i'm wiped. it could be 4:30 or 6:30, but as the evening wears on, i put my cranky butt to bed. i don't mind getting up early, i actually feel better when i can get some stuff done before my day starts. update: this was surprisingly easy, instead of flipping and flopping around all morning, i'd get up, have some coffee, do some reading/writing, a nice slow start to the morning

> get my biz-ness paperwork in order: bow ties are awesome and pocket squares are cool, but receipts and paperwork are not. so before the pile of papers grows larger, it needs to be tamed. oh, and spreadsheets are my jam, so no fear there. #nojudgie update: nope, all i had on my mind this month was running and stitching.

> haha, third time's the charm. that is all. update: i'm over the hump on this one, i didn't get them completely finished before the month's end, but all of the major bits are done.  check out my progress here

hello july 2014

june was the last quiet month for a while {heaven help hermit me}, with the annual 4th of july lake house extravaganza, weddingpalosa 2014 kicking off at the end of the month {aka 6 long distance weddings in 2 months, aka, that's why we opted for a 2015 wedding}, and lots of other things to get done in between, i'm gonna keep this months list pretty simple:

> soo have you checked out my etsy shop yet?!?!? right now it's looking pretty sparse {boo}, but after a recent trip to the fabric store, i've got lots of fun fabrics to work with. check this post out for more details and a special coupon {woohooo!} update: well i did get some new stuff stitched, photos of it all, a few things actually listed in the shop, and more of the preppy collection ready to go!

> we're not gonna talk about how i'm having issues with the jeepy and am stubbornly ignoring it. once again, we're gonna focus on how i only live 1.5 miles from work and i shouldn't be driving anyways.  it takes me just as long to ride my bike as it does to drive, and i get equally as sweaty walking home in the afternoon, so i might as well speed up the process. update: the jeepy's going in next week, and i've enjoyed riding my bike around town this month.

> every couple of years my mom and her hubby request a new set of renaissance faire garb, made by yours truly. this seems simple enough, and after making 3 sets you'd think i'd be more realistic with the timeline. so in all reality, i'll be super pumped if this is the only thing that actually gets done this month. update: ummm, nope, not yet, sorry :(

> i finished june with 21.3 miles, and with how busy this month is, 25 miles is gonna be super hard to do if i skip runs when i'm outta town.  so i guess i'd better pack my runnin gear {and not stay up too late drinking :/ } update: i started working on longer runs, which meant fewer runs, but i still ran around the same {small} block until i hit the last tenth of a mile i needed to finish, yay!

geek is chic

via

via

via

whether you're nerdin' out, a suave bad-ass, or up to some after party shenanigans, you can't go wrong with a fancy-pants bow tie. they're great for everyday at the office, lookin your sunday best, or the swankiest of events. but don't worry, you're not going to find any boring and blah ones here....

you can choose self-tie or pre-tied, either way, these handmade bow ties are gonna make you look good. head on over to adventuresNnonsense.etsy.com and order one for your next occasion {or every day of the week!}

ps, use the code geekischic for free US shipping, wooohooo!

diy: super easy and reversible ironing board cover

remember back to that fancy pants cloth napkin tutorial? and the terribly awful {yikes!} ironing board cover i told you to ignore? well i finally got around to getting a new cover for it. unfortunately vintage ironing boards aren't the same size as new ones....boo.

in my many years of stitchin, i've learned that leaving your old covers/pads on your board makes for a very soft {but firm}, awesome ironing surface. when you make a new cover like this, it will be big enough to keep all of the old covers covered and under control ;)

you'll need:
2 yards of each quilting cotton fabric {4 yards total}
3 1/2 yards of 1/4" drawstring {rope/twill tape/ribbon} i used 1/4" satin ribbon

step 1: wash/preshrink your fabric

spread it out on the floor, right sides together, and lay your ironing board on top.

step 2: trace around your board

give it a 6" border and cut it out.

 

step 3: stitch around the edge

using a 1" seam allowance, leaving  4-5" open on the square end. then press both edges in.

step 4: add buttonholes
with the edges pressed in, add 2 buttonholes to one layer, on the square end.

step 5: turn it right side out
and press everything nice and flat.

step 6: top stitch
1/4" and 3/4" from the edge, all the way around.

step 7: drawstring time!

carefully open up your buttonholes and thread your drawstring.

tada!

ps, if you like it, pin it ;) please and thank you!

diy: a super easy way to shorten your pants {and keep the original hem!!}

this weekend i managed to carve 15 minutes out of my super busy schedule.....of laying on the couch :/ ...to shorten my jeans {finally}. it's super easy to do, so here we go.....

step 1: put on your pants and appropriate footwear

i usually wear these pants with flats or flip flops, so barefoot was fine.  if you are going to wear heels, put those on.

step 2: fold 'em up to the desired length

make sure you pin it in place before you take your pants off {hehehe} but be careful not to poke yourself {too many times} in the process.

step 3: measure

measure between your fold edge and the original hem.  then divide by 2.  so my measurement of 4" was divided in half to give me 2".

step 4: remeasure, pin, and stitch

adjust your fold for your new measurement. make sure you measure between your fold edge and the original hem. pin it in place and stitch right next to the original hem. a zipper foot helps.

step 5: turn it right side out and press

if you follow the pink *stitches* on the right side, you can kinda see the seam. press the extra fabric up the leg, and try your pants on. make sure you like the length, because now is the time to re-do if you don't.

step 6: tack or trim
my excess fabric is only 2", so i just hand tacked it up the leg, in the side seams.  if you have even more excess, you can trim it down and zig-zag the raw edge.

step 7: ta da!

boom! you can't even tell ;)

diy mitered cloth napking tutorial

so i love greg to death, he's my fav. but, anytime there's food involved, you can tell where he's been. in the kitchen making a sandwich,  at the coffee table eating the sandwich, or just packing his lunch. there are crumbs/shredded cheese/sriracha sauce EVERYWHERE. and bless his heart, he knows he makes a mess, so he takes a handful of paper towels/napkins with him. just to wipe his face.  so when i stumbled upon this tutorial from Sewbon, i knew what to do with some leftover NY Giants fabric.

step 1: ignore my super old and dirty ironing board cover.

step 2: cut your fabric to size+2.25" and fold/press 1/2" from the edge.

traditional napkins are somewhere between 16"x16" to 22"x22"; what ever size you choose, just add 2.25" to that measurement. to maximize my left over fabric, i cut it to 11.75" x  16.25", which gives me a 9.5" x 14" finished napkin. then flip it wrong side up and fold it over 1/2" and use lots and lots and lots of steam. you want a nice, crisp edge.

step 3: make the adjacent edges touch, with right sides in:

flip the fabric right side up, and fold the top edge down and over so it meets the side edge.

make sure its evenly folded by pulling the unfinished corner tight and lining up the cut edges. pin through all layers to keep everything together.

step 4: stitch your miter.

you want your stitches to be at a 45* angle, from where the raw edge of your 1/2" fold meets the rest-of-the-napkin fold {at the arrow}, to the outer edge.

the easiest way to do this is by lining up the fold horizontally/perpendicular/at a 90* angle to the needle. then you just stitch to the edge. make sure you back stitch at the beginning and end.

then snip off the end and extra thread, and stitch the other 3 corners.

step 4: turn 'em right side out and press

turn your corners right side out, use a chopstick {or very carefully the tip of your scissors} to make the corner pointy. if your 45* angle was spot on, then you should automatically have another 5/8" of fabric turned under. tada! if not, no big deal, your corners might be a little wonky, but it will still get the stickies off your face. press the magic 5/8" so there's a nice crisp edge.

step 5: top stitch around the edge

and your done!

the best seam ripper of all time....an xacto knife!

i've never been all that great with traditional seam rippers. having the sharpest part of the blade allll the way at the back is bad news for me and my fabric. usually it's because i get the pointy end stuck in the nice part of my fabric, and rip it. or i start sliding through the stitches and the fabric catches in the blade and i slice my pretty fabric instead of the stitches. basically i'm a disaster with a regular seam ripper.

so as crazy as it sounds, using something sharper{caution! i'm not lying, it's sharp!!} actually works better for me: an xacto knife!

 

you can {carefully} use the sharp, pointy blade to get yourself started or pick apart top-stitching. it's awesome for opening up buttonholes too! just make sure to use the straight pin trick ;)

but for regular rippin' of stitches, i love, love, love the rounded blade. you can glide between the layers without the pointy end getting caught on your fabric.

just lay the larger part of your item on your leg or work surface, and using the hand holding the knife, sandwich the fabric between the side of your palm and work surface/leg. then use your free hand to pull the other half/smaller side away, and voila! look at all those stitches to slice!

my favorite handle to use is the orange one shown above, made by fiskars. you just slip your pointer finger through the loop and press down. no more hand cramps from holding a regular, skinny handle. it also comes with a great blade cover and won't roll off your table!

ps, what is your favorite sewing/craft tool?