Incubator Quilts

I haven't been sewing much lately.  Unless you count sewing labels back onto Other Half's work T-shirts.  And I don't.  I have been making cards, but nothing too exciting.  A few days ago I ordered a Loom for making those band bracelet things.  This trend has completely passed me by, by the way.  I was only vaguely aware of their existence until last weekend when the nieces were showing me them.  I looked on the internet afterwards to see what it was all about.  I found some fab tutorials on making Disney princesses with them and thought it would be a good way to bribe (sorry, encourage) the girls for their Maths (long story, don't ask!).  So, loom is ordered and I'm stupidly excited about it coming.  I know, I'm a grown woman.  I'm aware how sad and pathetic it sounds.  But I just want to play.  NOW!  Why do parcels take ages when you're waiting for them?

While waiting for new toy, I thought about a project I started ages ago.  Embarrassingly, I think it must be about 2 years ago.  A shop I go to for quilting fabric (The Fat Quarters at Blackhall Mill, if you're interested) held an open day and were giving out flyers about Tiny Lives.  This is a charity that supports premature and sick newborn babies and their families at Newcastle RVI hospital.  The charity gives help and support to every family that passes through the special care baby unit.  They also give a quilt to each family.  Which is where The Fat Quarters comes in.  Niece number 1 (Charlotte) was very premature.  She was only 1lb 9ozs when born.  You could have held in the palm of one hand.  If she hadn't been in an incubator.  Although she wasn't born in the RVI, she was operated on there while still tiny. So this was a cause that resonated with me.  I picked up a flyer with details of the size of quilts (to fit in the bottom of an incubator) and bought fabric ready to make quilts.  I made part of a quilt top.

Fast forward to today.  While between projects (and more importantly awaiting parcel) I thought I'd actually do something with the fabric bought.  I thought it would be a good way to ease myself back into quilt making.  I haven't made one for ages.  Probably since I made that partial quilt top.  Added to the fact that I'll be going back up to The Fat Quarters over the next couple of months to buy more fabric and I'll be able to (finally) hand them over.  I'm also hoping by typing this I get my butt into gear to finish them.

So here's today's sewing.

  
Two completely opposing designs and colourways.  The second one is much more the type of thing I normally do.  I do gravitate towards the bright end of the spectrum for baby quilts!

I have a photo I need to share of youngest niece.  While in the Lake District over half term, Katie needed to go on a train.  Everyone's been on a train apart from Katie.  She was so excited when we found a steam train to have a ride on.  She was slightly nervous as well.  I mean, who knows what could happen?

Then the train started...

She was not impressed!

An unexpected job

I haven't dropped off the face of the planet.  I haven't even been really busy.  I just don't seem to have found time to blog in the past couple of weeks.  I'm in between big projects and thought I'd have loads of time to catch up on my retrospective look at princess dresses, but somehow it just hasn't happened.  Hey ho.  as Charlotte said to me last week "But that's just life though, isn't it Auntie Sandra?".  She's right.  I'm not quite sure when our ten year old turned into a philosopher though!

Remember the Elsa dress I made for Katie?  Only a couple of months ago.  I was trying to weigh down the cloak so it had some swoosh to it.  And then I cut it too short.  Here's a reminder.

Turns out the dress doesn't have that problem anymore.  At the weekend I got Katie's dress back to do a small alteration.  Well not so small.  After Katie wearing the dress almost non-stop since her birthday the cloak's stretched.  A LOT!  Exhibits A and B.

 

I've had to chop 8 inches off the bottom!  Of course this was the 8 inches that contained the rather dodgy looking sparkly snowflakes.  So I've just spent a couple of hours gluing sequins back on the bottom.  Fortunately my snowflake design has improved.

I had to get this done this week as it's half term next week and we're all going away for a few days.  If anyone's in the Lake District over the bank holiday and they spot two children running around looking like they've been dragged through a hedge backwards wearing Elsa dresses, the chances are they'll be Charlotte and Katie.

Blocks and sparkles

Charlotte's Elsa dress is almost finished!  All that needs doing is a couple of little bows sewing on and the bodice lining tacking down (a step I completely forgot on Katie's!).  And I've still got ten days until her birthday.  I find it slightly discombobulating (one of my favourite words by the way.  The other is 'dirigible'.) to be finished so long before a deadline.  I've spent the last couple of days getting high on Gem-Tac glue.

What do you think?  I like the red sparkles, although I'm not really sure about how well they tie in with the 'Frozen' theme.  I'm also not too sure about the bows, but it's what Charlotte wants.

My snowflakes have improved since I made Katie's dress.  But don't tell her that.  Actually overall the dress is better.  I'm going to be in so much trouble!  There's no sneaky cuts under the arms of this one.  I think I worked out where I went wrong with the last one. I don't think I added seam allowance all the way around the top net bit of the bodice.

The point and the seam matching is way better in this dress.  I refused to let Charlotte have the bow centre front because it would have covered up the point!  Does that make me a bad Aunt?!

We had to add the trim around the curved top of the bodice on this one as it was slightly too low cut at the front for Charlotte.  I'm hoping that's added enough height to the neckline.

That's obviously not an Elsa dress.  These are the blocks I made on Sunday.  They're for a friend of Other Half's family.  Two squeak, two rattle and two scrunch.  I like making sets of six blocks so you can do this with them:

It appeals to my mathematical side.  Ten would be even better, but I think that might be starting to verge on the ridiculous.  Plus I can really only draw hearts,  so for the other blocks we'd just have to have some kind of unformed blobby shapes.  

Finished black and white spotty dress

Finally.  The pictures you've all been waiting for.  Drum roll please.  Although I finished the dress a couple of weeks ago, it was only earlier this week that we managed to get out of the house in some decent (i.e. not foggy) weather.  We went to York for the day, and found a quiet spot in the Museum Gardens.  I wanted as few witnesses as possible for this.  I'm going to apologise in advance for the pictures.  I'm not, as you will see, a natural in front of the camera.  In fact I try to avoid it whenever possible.  The sacrifices I make for you all!

So, for those not up to speed, I wanted to make a dress to replace one that I loved but that fell to pieces.  Well split down a seam once too often to be repairable anyway.  I drafted the pattern myself.  And here's the result.

 This is my 'I don't know where to put myself or how to pose' pose.  This is the best full length shot we got.  No, really.  In all the others I looked just as dopey and a lot more, how shall we put this?  Erm, Buxom.  I think we'll move swiftly along to some close ups of the dress features now.

Collar and sleeve.  Note the lack of wrinkles and puckers in the sleeve.

Slightly (!) baggy front of dress.  This was because I forgot to interface and stay stitch neckline before adding the collar.  I did genuinely forget, but I never really understood why books and patterns told you to interface and stay stitch.  I do now.  The collar was supposed to meet front and back, but because of afore mentioned oversight they don't.  It's a design feature if anyone asks.  It also lead to the whole of the bodice being too big.  View exhibit A below.

I'm not even sucking in my stomach or anything, it really did stretch that much.  Always remember the interfacing people!  See what I mean about the buxomness though?

 And this is quite clearly the back of the dress.  Judging by the stance, it's a bloke in that dress!  I really must practice posing.  I did feel a complete eejit.

Twirling.  There was no one around, which was why I wasn't carted away at this point.  I did want a fuller, more twirly skirt, but didn't have enough fabric.  I also forgot to put pockets in.  D'oh.

And one final shot.

 I feel really stupid now.  Once you've all picked yourselves up from the floor I have other updates.  The dress for the wedding (next week) is finished.  Yay.  Three times I pinned that hem yesterday.  I'm still feeling quite bitter about it.  I've made the World's most over the top wedding card as well.  I'll post pictures of that when I show off the dress.  I will try to get more sensible photos of that.  Today I made a set of baby blocks, again pictures will follow.  I haven't forgotten my nieces by the way (if only!).  Charlotte's Elsa dress needs the bodice lining attaching, the cloak trimming, a hem and lots of sparkles.  I've also just realised it's her birthday in less than two weeks.  I think I should stop typing now!

Dress for wedding

I was going to head this post as 'Wedding Dress' but I knew that would get people excited and jumping to the wrong conclusion, especially my Mam (Hi, Mam).  It's just a dress for me to wear as a wedding guest.  The wedding will be over in less than a fortnight and panic's really setting in now!

I finally decided that I wanted to make a dress with a fold-down back detail like this from Gertie's blog

She posted a tutorial on how to do this a while ago and I thought it looked fab.  After deciding how to do the back neckline of the dress all I had to do was make a decision on the front neckline.  Easy right?  Wrong.  I'm terrible at making decisions.  I dragged Mam around shops on Saturday looking at the necklines of all the dresses I could find.  She took it quite well.  We did have a small incident with a sales assistant who didn't seem to like us handling the merchandise without any intention of buying.  We had to sneak back later when she wasn't looking to see where the darts were on that one!  We eventually decided that just a plain round neck at the front would be best, keeping all the interest at the back.

So to work.  I drew a pattern and made part of a toile.  How good am I?  It was mainly to decide how big to do the opening on the back.  I want to be able to wear an ordinary bra without straps showing.  I had to get other half to help with this bit.  He took great delight in pinning up the back of the bodice and then leaving me trapped there.

See, partly made toile.  It's not much of one admittedly, but it's more than I normally do.  This is obviously the back view.  

After taking several deep breaths I cut out the real fabric.  It's just cotton, so it's nice and easy to cut.  It's also well behaved and stays where you put it.  After learning my lesson the hard way with my black spotty dress I made sure I interfaced and stay stitched around the neckline.  I cut a cream facing as a contrast for the fold back detail and cut a lining to fit the rest of the bodice.  I used the same cap sleeve pattern as I used for black spotty dress.  I will eventually post pictures of that I promise.  I'm off work this week so if the weather holds I might get to take some pictures then.  No promises though.  I know how disappointed you all are to read that!

I used a tutorial I've used before to make a nice clean job of the lining of the bodice.  It's here if you're interested.  It says for a sleeveless bodice or one with cap sleeves.  I've only tried it sleeveless before and part way through I wasn't convinced it would work, but it did.

 With the bodice and lining attached at neckline.

 Some seam matching at the shoulders.

 The point where I was very concerned.  Because you've got the sleeve trapped inbetween the neckline and the arm hole it won't sit flat and pinning is really interesting.

 Front of almost completed bodice.

 The bodice just needs the centre back seam finishing and the zip inserting.  Oh, and the buttons sewing on.

 Lined front.

 Close up of lining and facing.  That lining really is transparent isn't it?

 Close up of lined shoulder.  No puckers!

 I got a bit carried away taking photos at this point.  Sorry.  Not sorry enough to stop showing them mind.  I'm really proud of how neat the inside of this dress is at the moment.  I know, I need to get a life.  It keeps me out of mischief though.

Some more seam matching, this time under the arm.  

That's all for now folks.  I've got to draft the skirt next.  If I remember I might put pockets in.  The problem is I get excited when a projects nearly finished and have a bit of a race with myself to get to the end.

Updates

I've been quiet on the blogging lately because I've been too busy actually crafting.  And it's only going to get busier.  I've finished the black and white spotty dress.  I love it!  It's definitely the most wearable dress I've made for myself. I've had a couple of comments at work about it and I've done really well not to point out all the flaws and mistakes in it.  You're not going to get off so lightly though I'm afraid.  I need to get other half to take some photos of me in it.  I'm not sure I want to post pictures of myself, but fair's fair.  I'd have some done already but in the past week when I haven't been at work it's been really foggy here.  And I think it's going to be bad enough posing as it is.  Although, in the mist nobody would see me.  I didn't think this through fully.

I've just started this project in the past week

Recognise it?  Yes, Charlotte decided she wanted an Elsa dress for her birthday in May.  We've had tears.  From Katie.  Who doesn't think that Charlotte should get the same dress as her.  Charlotte has decided on a couple of changes.  She wants red sparkles on the cape and a bow on the front.  I'm really not sure how this is going to work out.  But, if it's what she wants, who am I to argue.  I'm just the slave.  Sorry, the adoring Auntie who loves to sew and make costumes for her two delightful nieces.  I think I was closer with the first description!  SShh.  Don't tell Katie, but the point at the front of Charlotte's bodice and the matching of the panel seams is loads better than the first one I did.

I should think myself lucky.  When I was looking for inspiration for Katie's Elsa dress I came across this website.  Charlotte saw this and wanted, I quote, "the pink one with the big bum".  By which she meant this

How amazing is that?  I think I dodged a bullet there mind!  I heard a couple of days ago that official Elsa dresses were sold out in Disney stores in America and were being sold for hundreds of dollars on Ebay.  I think I'm in the wrong business.  While I was in a fabric/haberdashery shop the other day I got talking to a lady in the queue who was on making her fourth Elsa dress.  I feel quite inadequate only being on my second.  

In a couple of weeks I'm off to a wedding.  I wanted to make my own dress and it's suddenly dawned on me just how close this wedding is.  Panic has started to set in.  I bought this fabric (hence the trip to the fabric shop).

I now just need to decide what to make with it.  I want the basic silhouette of the black and white dress, but with a fuller skirt.  I have no ideas on the details yet.

Also in the next few months I'm going back to my patchwork and quilting roots.  There's several babies on the way from family and friends so I'll be making quilts and blocks for them.  I also owe a friend of other half's family an outfit for their not-quite-so-new baby.  She was born before Christmas.  On top of all that I have my usual cards to make.  As well as a few special ones.  I think I need a lie down, and that's just thinking about all I have to do.  

Vampire Queen

Charlotte didn't know what she wanted to be for Halloween 2012.  We brainstormed for quite some time.  Eventually she decided on a vampire.  I'm sorry, a Vampire Queen.  Not just a common or garden vampire.  Now we just had to design an outfit. I quite fancied something Steampunk looking.  A kind of possessed Victorian child doll. With a cute teeny, tiny top hat.  I harbour a secret hope that I can get one (or both) of the girls interested in Goth or Steampunk so I can spend my days making corsets and bustles.  Everyone's got to have a dream!  I'm not sure their Mam would agree though.  Anyway, back to Charlotte.  Steampunk was out.  I found loads of dressing up outfits on t'internet for her to browse through.  She eventually picked something like this

She wanted a cloak though.  The fact that Katie had got a cloak when I made her Snow White dress was still a sore point.  Two years later.  These children have long memories.  I wanted to make a bigger collar with more shape to it.  More like this one

In the end we compromised.  She'd condescend to wear the collar if I made a cloak.  I thought a kind of Scottish Widows type cloak with a hood would be good.

So to work.  For the bodice I adapted good old Simplicity 2817.  I cut it short so it would be more empire line.  I ended up putting some very stunted darts in.  I wasn't sure if it would work without or not.  Better safe than sorry.  I used crepe backed satin for the most part, but I overlaid the red with some spider web tulle to give it some pattern.  The sleeves were slightly problematical.  I wanted to put strips down the puff sleeves so they looked like slashed sleeves.  It took me a while to work out that it was easier attaching the strips before gathering.  It seems so obvious now. The lower sleeves were also made of the spider web tulle. 

The skirt was made from crushed velvet.  I just made a long, slightly A line skirt.  The collar was also made from crushed velvet.  I adapted the Snow White collar.  The cloak was just an internet tutorial.  I have no idea which one.  There are a lot out there.  

On this outfit I think I put the most trim on I ever have.  There seemed to be gold braid everywhere.  I was concerned while making it that the dress would be too tight.  Charlotte insisted it was fine.  I just think she liked the fact that something was so close fitting on her.  This is a child that makes skinny jeans look baggy!  She did manage to squeeze into it last year for Halloween as well, but I think she's finally outgrown something I made.  I never thought I'd see the day.

And finally a vampire (queen, notice the tiara) and her pet cat!

Scary or what!