Wardrobe Refashion - First Refashion of Sept/Oct

So I have signed up for another 2 month stint at Wardrobe Refashion. When this is done, I'll have been a member for 6 months. Why don't I just sign up for life? Well, because I'm going to Japan next year to teach English as a second language (gotta pay off my student loans somehow). Now, you can't expect me to live in Japan and not spend money. That's like leaving a kid in a candy shoppe. It'll probably be mostly fabrics and folk art stuff, but hey, I still want the option of opting out of WR without having to rescind a lifetime commitment.

Anyways, my first refashion of this stint was made from a shirt Mumsie got at Value Village for her brother, Wally:

Too bad for Uncle Wally that it didn't fit :( So Mum gave it to me, saying that she knew I could "do something with it." Hehe, she was right!

Toddalicious now has RAWR undies :D There was just barely enough fabric (Todd has a 34 inch waist, 36 inch low waist, and the shirt is "asian" XL, meaning it runs small). I've since adjusted the pattern I made from his old undies, as the original is a little snug. These are actually undies #2. I made the first ones out of that gorgeous blue patterned stretch satin in my Fall Fashion post. He is actually very happy with them, even though they are slightly snug. He IS disappointed that he has no air vent in the front, though. I guess I need to learn button plackets for undies...

Camping Swap is Good to Go! Plus Iraqi Bundles of Love (IBOL)

YAYYYYYYY!
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I sent my package to my partner and 6 of the other 8 camping cards. Somehow, 2 of my camping cards lost pieces in transit, so I'll fix them and send them off tomorrow. I can't WAIT to post what I sent my partner!!!! I'm really proud of one of the things I sent her, so much so that I wish I could have kept it :P We never do these awesome things for ourselves, though, do we? Hehe!
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If you want to check out the swap gallery, where we'll be posting our goodies as they're recieved, go HERE. The link in the first post is to our discussion thread. *EDIT* I am most proud of this:
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In other news, check out Iraqi Bundles of Love. I thought it was a scam until I read his blog. I wish I could participate, but I won't make the September 7th send-out date due to lack of funds. I just spent 20 bucks on sending envelopes and a bubble mailer :P

Fall Fashion to Look Forward To! And Why I'm Excited :D

Well, guess what? I took the last year off from school because I was burned out and actually managed to fail a few classes (including my thesis because I totally lost interest in doing research). The goal was to get my life in order by pondering my priorities, motivations and goals. I did alot of that. I also did alot of nothing :P Ok, well, not NOTHING, but not much.

So here I sit, less than 2 weeks away from my fifth year of university! Click the logo above if you want to check out my school's website. I'll be re-taking the math class I failed, and instead of doing a thesis or other full-year research project, I'm taking a half-year research project and a course called Applied Anthropology. Those three things are all I need to get my Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology (Honours Program, which is 4 years instead of 3). I'm rounding out my course-load with 5 Native Studies classes, which I've already taken... 4 of? Maybe 5. Or 6. I'd have to check my transcript. I'm wondering if it's enough credits to count as a minor. I have to take all 8 courses to qualify for yet another student loan. I'm already up to my eyeballs, but it's either that or give up on an education.

Naturally, going back to school necessitates a discussion of fashion!

"Etsy Treasure Chest" Giveaway! Courtesy of "Geek Details"

Amanda of Geek Details is offering up a print out of her shop to 3 lucky people! I, however, ADORE her buttons! My faves?
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It's okay, Pluto. I'm not a planet either.
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I'm not afraid of the dark. I'm afraid of the ninjas that hide in the dark.
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If you can read this, you're in my AGGRO RANGE.
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If you want in on this giveaway, go to Etsy Treasure Chest's post about it.
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Not so FAIL! How I saved some stuff, and things that turned out :D

Let me introduce you to "Mo" the mohawked teddy bear:
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I saved his little nubby mohawk by picking it apart with a darning needle, then stitched on dark blue sparkle buttons for his little eyes, embroidered his little nose, and cut a piece off the felting-disaster of the mohawk hat for his cute little tail. My brother was in absolute awe to recieve his un-birthday gift! He was especially fond of the little Xs in his eyes and laughed at his little nub of a tail, and promptly dubbed him Mo. Mikey will be getting the new-and-improved mohawk hat for Christmas so he can match Mo.

EPIC FAIL!

This post is gonna be all about my fails :P
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First up, faux-hawk hat! DISASTER! I put it in the wash and it is felted into a little nub that extends the whole of 3/4 inch from the hat :( The little matching teddy bear that I gave a mohawk was likewise a felting-fail. I got some more blue wool, so I'm going to cut off both mohawks and try again without the picking-apart of the yarns. I'm going to "follow the instructions" this time :P
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That waves dress from months ago? FAIL! Using my modified 60s dress pattern, it was not how I wanted it at all. So I decided I would modify it into a halter-type dress, like a pillowcase dress. It ended up too small :( I can get it on, but it's reeeeeally tight. It would look better on someone with no boobs or perhaps a young teen. I've been occasionally wracking my brain as to how I might salvage the fabric, at least. I'm kinda clueless.
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How bout the Lakeport Honey Lager tee-into-blouse? Sorta-FAIL! LOL :P I put it away because I was getting way too effing frustrated. The pattern itself was too large, so I kept having to undo stuff and take it in. This is not easy with knits. The neckline facing turned out pretty shitty, so I redid that, and now it looks only slightly shitty. I did some embroidery on the print, though. The girl's hair is chain-stitched with three colours and it looks FAB, and the bee's butt is satin stitched. I'll finish it eventually :P For the pattern itself, I'm really not impressed. I need to figure out how to make the back of the neck not all gape-y. I think it's cuz my shoulders are very square and broad. My stance is more erect than average, so I guess I need to move the armholes back like I had to for a jacket that's half-done in my supplies box.
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OMG, the jacket... Vogue 8301 (view B) is a PAIN IN THE ASS! It's labelled as easy, which is UTTER POPPYCOCK! If I didn't have to make so many bloody alterations to the damn thing, sure, maybe it would have been easy. I had to move the shoulder line rearward, broaden the back AND move the armhole rearward to compensate, shorten the waist, lengthen the peplum, draft an inside shoulder yoke and front facing, draft the lining... Ok, I think was it. The reason it's not done? Figuring out how to put piping and a zipper into the front at the same time. I think I know how to, now, but I was awfully fed up! And because I had to shorten the waist, the front panel thingies are shorter than the buttonhole guide, so I think I'll just sew the buttons right onto it, no undo-age! Screw that! Want to know when I started it? LAST AUGUST! Ya. It's been sitting in my bin for 11 months.
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So there ya have it. My great big sewing FAILs.
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Yarny Plannings and Other Plannings

I've been doing alot of crochet. I learned how to increase and decrease! I really wanted to make a faux-hawk hat for my little brother. I started crocheting with black acrylic yarn, but I either did something terribly wrong, or the pattern has something wrong with it. More likely it's just me :P It ended up eight-sided instead of six-sided, somehow. That made it parabolic-ish, and it was tres tres wonky. So I undid it all and went on the hunt around the interwebs. I found some hats with flappy bits like I wanted, but I didn't know how to double-crochet (still don't, really; only tried a swatch, and it was ok, but haven't actually made something with dc yet), and most of those patterns wanted dc, tbc, hdc and other wierd stitches. I finally found a simple beanie pattern in single crochet, though. I used the technique suggested by the first tute to make the earflaps.
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After that, I snagged a bunch of gray-blue, light gray and dark gray wool felting yarn from Todd's mum and started the LOOOOOONG process of cutting and weaving little strips into a mohawk. If I ever make this hat again, I'll hold it to 3 or 5 rows, but this one for Mikey has 7 rows. Then I decided I wanted it to felt PERFECTLY. So I picked apart each and every single piece of mohawk yarn. Then I combed every row. It's now a wonderfully fuzzy multicoloured mohawk. I just have to toss it in the wash in a pillow case and c'est fini!
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Project deux is a surprisingly large amigurumi teddy bear (now that I know how to increase and decrease!). A woman on Craftster wanted a few people to test her pattern and I decided to jump on the chance to try something new. I think I shoulda snagged a 3 mm or 3.5 mm from Todd's mum, because the 4 mm must be too big. The teddy is sposed to end up 14 cm tall, but if his head is this huge, he's gonne be ENORMOUS. I'm making him out of black felting yarn, though, so I think I'll just felt him :D Then he'll shrink, and if I comb him, he'll be slightly furry-ish.
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I'm also taking part in a swap! YAY! It's the Camper's Swap on Craftster. This is only my second swap. My first was the March Birthday Swap. Thankfully, I've been partnered wih a fellow Canadian, so no shipping internationally, YAY! It's only a 4 point swap, but it's gonna be pretty intensive anyway because we are making little travel cards featuring a camping location that we like (not telling what location I picked, in case a fellow swapper mosies on over here). I've already got the layout for mine on the computer, though I may change it up. Once I have the layout all decided, I'm printing out seven of them (cuz there's 8 in the swap including me), then papercrafting my little heart out :D I got supplies from the dollar store and some goodies from Canadian Tire to include.
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I also had an AHA moment while at Dollarama. I'm not gonna say what I'm making, but I'm hoping that my swap partner likes it! It's something I've never done before, and I'm pretty excited. I still need to MacGyver a couple things, cuz I'm not going to buy more supplies if I can help it. It's probably more art than craft, because it's something meant for display, rather than use, but it IS camping related.
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More SoapDeli Giveaways!

The fabulous Rebecca of SoapDeli is giving away MORE soap! She's sure working hard to draw customers! I'll reiterate that my faves are Lavender Pine and Buttercream Vanilla :D Mmmmm. I think the PL is something my Dad would really like, actually. He likes manly soap, like peach and vanilla :P Heeeey, his birthday is soon... Hmmm...

You can enter to win some NEW soaps from Rebecca: Star City Seduction, Mill Mountain, and Virginia Honeysuckle. All you have to do is go directly to her shopping blog, ShopByHand.

GIVEAWAY: July’s Five for Five - PURPLEPINKANDORANGE.COM

GIVEAWAY: July’s Five for Five - PURPLEPINKANDORANGE.COM

Posted using ShareThis

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This is a pretty cool giveaway! You have five chances to win something from one of five shops! Some really beautiful work by these craftstpeople, too! My fave pieces are the "Reflections" pendant from Madison Reece Designs, and it's a toss-up between “Butterfly Fused Glass Pendant” in vanilla, and “Fused Glass Pendant” in vanilla with black gingko leaf from PennyGlassGirl.

Handmade Soap Giveaway!

Apparently SoapDeli is really going all out with giveaways (at least I THINK it's the same seller as another giveaway awhile back), but regardless, all those soaps are making me swoon! My fave is Lavender Pine, but Vanilla Buttercream is a VERY close second!
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To participate in this giveaway, go to Etsy Treasure Chest, surveyor of handmade goods across the interweb!

Sharing Vintage Patterns

I did some research into US copyright law. I had to if I wanted to share this awesome knitting pattern:
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Once again, I will stress that this pattern has a teeny tiny slim chance of still being under copyright, and as unlikely as that is, I would encourage anyone who uses this pattern to ensure that you don't make money from that usage. If anyone associated with the Marriner estate comes across this and would like me to remove it, I'll do so immediately.
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If you'd like to download this FREE, NON-COMMERCIAL-USE knitted sweater pattern, go via this Craftster post, where you will also be directed to my research into US copyright law.
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Yarntastic! Finished Some WIPs :D

I'm sooooo bad for WIPs! I just put the finishing touches on THREE scarves. All consist of plain ol' single crochet. I'll present them in reverse order of start-date (you'll see why!).
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I started this one only about 5 weeks ago and finished it two days ago. It's made from leftover felting-wool yarn from my BF's mom (she makes mittens and slippers with this stuff). Out of 5 colours, I have three colours left, but they are TEENY TINY little balls that I'll probably make flowers out of.
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This scarflette was started in March and finished in May. All it needed was buttons, which were put on last night. It's made from black acrylic yarn carrying black and pink polester eyelash.
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This is the LOOOOOONGEST WIP I've EVER had! I started this scarf for my mother THREE YEARS AGO! I got sick of it because the tension has to be maintained PERFECTLY so that the nubbles are evenly spaced. I FINALLY finished it this evening. The yarn is even more gorgeous in person, made from a really soft and fluffy wool/mohair blend. It took 4 balls, 2 each from different lots, which is why each half of the scarf is slightly different. Finished length is about EIGHT FEET and Mumsie is shorter than I am.
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I almost want to make another nubbly one for me!
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$2 Blankie = Old-Man Dog Sweater

My boyfriend's family's dog, Jinx, is 13 or 14 and the old man is slowing down. He loves to go camping with us, though Last year, we spent 3 very cold and wet days trying to catch fish (we failed), and the poor dog did a lot of shivering and moaning, sitting on us in front of the fire and trying to climb into my sleeping bag (he had his OWN darn sleeping bag ). So, now that fishing season is upon us again, I knew the pup would need some sort of sweater in case of inclement weather (instead of wearing one of my shirts).
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Off to the dollar store I went, where I found a 46x36 inch fleece plaid blankie. I already knew which tute I would use :D It took a lot of math, because this is just a guideline, not a pattern, but I did it!
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The one thing I wish I'd done differently: cut the armholes SMALLER than what I thought they should be (for the top piece; I needed to cut MORE out of the chest piece). I had not originally intended to put sleeves on, but the armholes were HUUUUUGE!
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Here is Mr. Jinxy-Poo in his fabulous new camping sweater! In conclusion, I would recommend this tutorial if your math skills are decent and if you remember to cut the armholes a bit small to try out first.

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Giant Robots Deserve Needlework, Too!

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I FINALLY matted and framed the embroidery I made for Todd's brother! He promptly went and hung it above his bed :P

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Trevor is absolutely BANANA BREAD with extra walnuts for Gundam. He has thousands of dollars worth of action figures lining the walls of his living room. So I asked him what his favourite mobile suit was, and he replied that it was the Full Armor ZZ Gundam, aka FA-010-S.

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These are the resources I used:

https://www.plajapan.com/product_info.php?products_id=1381

http://www.gearsonline.net/gundam/sentinel/fazz/fazz.php

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I used one of the linearts on the second page, traced it onto a piece of an old curtain using carbon paper and had at it. All backstitch, and I missed an orange spot. Oh well :P The matting is silver-faced denim with mitred corners.

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Ruffles on and below butts

So I haven't finished my mystery skirt. It needs to be ironed due to having been smooshed in a box for the move, and frankly, I'm just so not motivated to finish it because of my bloated and unattractive gut. Ugh, I need prune juice...
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Anyways, Todd's brother was tossing a couple pairs of jeans that are mostly intact, so I butchered a pair. I was greatly inspired by Thorn on Craftster, who also inspired Ioukr.
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Oh yeeeeeeeeeah, those are some ruffle-butt jeans :D Todd thinks I have lost it. But he says that a lot. Meh :P I should have made sure they were pulled up properly before I had Todd take the picture though, as the waistband ended up in an unattractive place :P
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Out of the top part of the jeans, I made ye olde butt apron:
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I modified missgabbielynn's method. The back of the apron is the front of the jeans with the zipper removed and the bottom of the fly taken out. I still have to put on the bib part to protect me from spatter, but I've used it already and it kept me from wiping my hands on my butt :D
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The fabric was a gift ages and ages ago. I don't even remember if it was my Mumsie or my aunt that gave it to me. I've always been into Native culture, and so whoever gave me this proclaimed it awesome by dint of it's collection of highly-stereotypical images. So, this metre of high quality quilting-cotton covered in stereotypical Nativism from a company called R.E.D. sat in my craft supplies for lack of a non-embarrassing purpose. VOILA! Not much of anyone sees me whilst I cook :P I won't have little old Native women glaring at me as I walk down the street, for example. Cuz seriously, there's no Navajo or Sioux people in Northern Ontario. Hmm, actually, I wonder if I could find fabric with Ojibwe or Cree imagery... Then I can make a non-embarrassing purse :P
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I'm still here! Quick refashion + 'broid

Ok, so I haven't done ALOT of sewing lately because I moved last weekend and alot of chaos still reigns in my new home. I did, however, get two things done lately:
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A friend of mine gave me this jean jacket she picked up at St. Vinny's monthly bag sale because it was a little small for her. I LOVED the look, but what is up with the shoulder???
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Those pleats on the sleeve cap made me look slope-shouldered, and I'm not! At all! I have broad, square shoulders. So, 20 minutes with my handy dandy stitch ripper later:
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Much better!
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I also finally finished a 'broidery I started in February:
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I got alot of positive feedback on Craftster about it, which made me happy, since she's only my fourth real embroidery (not counting my first ever two practice pieces on a grubby-work shirt).
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I wanted to post another 'broid I did for Todd's brother, as well as a preview of what I'm working on right now, but unfortunately the bluetooth dongle is giving me licence-issues, so I have to wait til Todd reinstalls the drivers to get the photos off the phone.
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YAY! IT'S DONE!!!!

I got my gathered skirt done! YAY!!!! It would have been done much sooner if I hadn't gone for a week to Toddalicious's parent's house (though I did crochet a scarf while there out of Mrs. B's scrap wools, which I left there). So, TADAAA!!!!
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It ended up too big, so I took a bite out of the side where the zipper is (which required ripping out the zipper, YAY!). It's STILL too big, but thankfully not by much. I used the waistband from BurdaStyle's Marie, and obviously I am not a size 40 if it's so damn huge. There must be 2 inches of ease built into the bloody thing!!!! So when I make Marie in my as-yet-undisclosed-fabric, I'll try 38 and see what happens (I think I need to do more test-fittings, LOL!).
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In other news, I finished my patching on my poor pants. These jeans have been with me since... grade 10??? So I was 15 or 16, and now I'm 25. And I bought them at a second-hand shop. Yeah. So the knees decided to start giving out and I was slowly patching each new tear as it appeared. For awhile I was wandering around with the latest patch only half-attached. Whatever, the landlady thinks they're adorable, and now they look adorable plus finished :P
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Another pair of jeans that I've had just as long is also ripping out. I'm going to deal with them differently though. I'd like to take apart the legs and apply a seam-to-seam piece of fabric at the knees. Maybe in brown denim, maybe pink denim, maybe some denim-backed quilting cotton. We'll see.

YUMMY VINTAGE CANDY!!!

Loose Teeth Vintage Inspired Sundress with Petticoat GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!
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LOL, not literally CANDY! But it looks good enough to eat! It's absolutely ADORABLE!
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Heather of Loose Teeth has offered to make this dress to fit whoever wins it. If you are not drooling over the goodies in her etsy store, please put your glasses on :P
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/dies of cuteness overload
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Underwear - The Making Of

In my first Wardrobe Refashion post, I showed off some panties I had made out of a golf shirt, and several people expressed an interest in knowing how I'd done it. I went the super-simple route of just tracing panties I owned already, like this person did.
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There are also patterns/templates available for download. Burdastyle has one, called Cheeky Panties. One Hour Craft has a template in size small/Aussie 10. I also found directions for Hanty Panties, which are panties made out of hankies. If you are a man or know a man who appreciates more delicate underwear than what is usually available for gents, Runo has several how-tos for ergonomically suitable mens "panties" and fancy-schmancy boxers.
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Threadbanger and DIY Style both have videos examining the fabrication of underwear.
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I Hate Gathering!

So I'm working on this skirt. Not just any skirt, but a full skirt. The kind with a waistband and the body of it is just a rectangle gathered to fit. So here I am, at my boyfriend's parent's with not much to do and HALF A SKIRT sitting at home waiting to be finished. Literally, half a skirt. The fabric is gooorgeous, which I got as a gift in the March Birthday Swap on Craftster, and of course Todd thinks it's wretchedly ugle.
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I've modeled it off the floral Target teen skirt I posted awhile ago, with the waistband stolen from BurdaStyle's Marie, which I'll also be making soon (with a fabric I have yet to post). I took a trip to Fabricland for appropriate zippers and supplies to help Todd's mom re-do her dining chairs. Yay for sales!
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NOT YAY for gathering. Which is why I only have half a skirt :(
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On a positive note, I found a PERFECT high-waisted pencil skirt pattern UNCUT for FIFTY EFFING CENTS. It's from the early nineties with a couple options, but it's exactly what I wanted for the back part of my Marie skirt (I don't want additional PUFF around my large backside) and I don't have to print out the other pencil skirt pattern I found. I will have to trace it, but that's ok. I think I'd like to buy some muslin to make my tracings onto, instead of taping together sheets of tracing paper. We'll see. One thing at a time.
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Wardrobe Refashion!!!!

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YAY! I am officially a guest-blogger on Wardrobe Refashion!!! Click the image to take you there :D

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For Those Bad Hair Days :P

Swanki Hats GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!
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Jeeeez, I gotta check Grosgrain more often! This time, Jenny and Wendy of Swanki Hats are offering a hat of the winner's choice from what's left of their very-fast-selling stock!
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I sure as heck wouldn't mind a hat or two of theirs! Those are some swank hats :P I think my fave are the jeep-cap style ones with the pockets, or the distressed jeep caps (those are the flat-topped military looking ones).
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Art Nest, Maker of Fine Pincushions!

Art Nest Pincushion RingGIVEAWAY!!!!
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I have noooo idea how this woman finds the most awesome people to offer goodies to give away!
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I was considering making a bracelet-pincushion, but this is WAAAAAY more practical, AND really damn adorable!
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Maybe I'll just buy one :P
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Art Nest Etsy Shop
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Some Thrifting/Crafting News

I went to Value Village awhile ago to satiate my need for new crafting goodies. I also happened to need another white tee for the Burdastyle JJ I'm making out of a Lakeport Honey Lager shirt (not enough fabric in one XL shirt :P). I got one, for 2.99! ARG, coulda gotten it cheaper at one of the other thrifts, but I like VV's crafting section. I started the shirt, but I need to check the fit before I attach sleeves and finish the bottom. Seeing as how it's been darn cold still, I haven't been too tempted to strip to my tank top to try it on.
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In the crafting section were various goodies I *almost* bought. There were some baggies of quilting strips, but none of the fabrics really inspired me. There was also a quarter-metre of light blue cotton with silver stars, but it was 99 cents. That's the same price as a fat quarter at Fabricland, so not exactly a wicked deal. I did buy a couple awesome but slightly useless things :P I picked up a booklet from Coats & Clarke of crocheted sweater patterns (for men, women and kids!) from 1963. My fave out of the booklet is the "Popcorn" sweater. I also got a knitting pattern for a totally fab 50's sweater. I haven't crocheted in a while (and I suck at it), and I haven't knitted since I was a kid (and I sucked at it), so I'm not entirely sure WHY I bought them! At least they were somewhat cheap, being 99 cents each.
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I also wanted to buy a sheet to make a wrap dress, something kinda 40's-ish. I did indeed find a nice purple flat sheet in really good shape. BUT! I had a crisis, and my common-sense failed me. I ended up spending almost 20 bucks that day because of what was in the sheets section. CHARACTER SHEETS!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!! So I bought a Ninja Turtles sheet that's pretty worn right in the middle but the edges are still good, a well-loved Star Wars sheet dated 1971, an absolutely IMMACULATE Strawberry Shortcake sheet (literally, it's still thick and crisp!), and TWO!!!! Rainbow Brite sheets that have very little wear. All of these are flat sheets.
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Um, so ya... What the heck am I gonna do with these character sheets?!?! I'm getting a little old to be wearing say, a Rainbow Brite dress (I know, I know, 25 isn't OLD, I just feel damn old). I've been pondering for a while that I should sew goodies to sell on Etsy, but there's soooooo many people on there! The prospect is somewhat daunting. What with the insanity lately (boyfriend didn't get a paid placement, so we move in 5 weeks), getting a job for the summer only to move AGAIN for the fall seems kinda ridiculous. Not to mention that since I got fired from my bar-maid job in October, I haven't found another... Ugh... At least with selling online, my stuff goes where I go, and in theory, so does my income...
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Would I have any degree of success selling purses made from bedsheets, for example? Almost every single one I saw was a TOTE BAG. I HATE tote bags! Not because I think tote bags themselves are bad/evil/ugly. No, no. I just think an empty or near-empty tote bag layered under a purse looks about as ridiculous as a sad clown. But the question remains: if I were to make purses (with useful pockets and a closure of some kind) out of bedsheets, would these appeal to the same people that would buy a sheet-tote? My stuff would obviously cost more, since it wouldn't be just some rectangles of fabric sewn together. Would that 17 year old girl in love with Rainbow Brite buy my $30 purse or the $10 tote?
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I've seen some skirts and they seem to sell alright. Alot are made with a jersey waistband and some sheet attached as a ruffle, but that's not particularly attractive to me personally. The jersey acts wierd when it's attached to a woven. But if I did make skirts with a cased elastic waistband, would they be as desirable to my target market as these jersey-waisted skirts? I'm seeing a short straight skirt with a cased waistband and then a bottom ruffle. Not as scandalously short as the jersey-waistband ones, for sure. Might even be cool to use it as one tier of a hippie skirt (although it seems the boho bandwagon have mostly died of the plague, they're so quiet).
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Modified Buttercup Bags (and pouch)

I signed up for the March Birthday Swap on Craftster. You post a list of five crafted goodies you want, plus a list of supplies you want, plus a list of nifty extras you'd like. I think the budget was 20 bucks or something. I picked a girl in New Zealand who said she'd love a new day-purse that wasn't so huge as to eat her stuff and leave her digging for things all the time. I'd never made a purse before, but the Buttercup Bag by MadeByRae has been all over the net lately and I thought it would be a good pattern to start with.

I KNEW I'd have to do a trial run, because I always mess something up, and besides that I had some changes I wanted to make to the pattern. I added a bottom piece to make it 3-dimensional, plus the lining has the same top-piece as the outside. Gotta love messing up the pleating... I just ended up putting two pleats in the middle. AFTER the purse was done, I realized "aw nuts, the pleat marks are supposed to MEET!"

The purse itself is made from a quilting cotton leftover from making a corset a few years ago. It has a beige ground with pink cherries, white cherry blossoms and green leaves. The lining is the lightweight interfacing I had flatlined to the corset pieces for strength/stability. It's also got about 3 yards of vintage pink piping on it (I bought part of a late-sewer's trimmings stash), the very last of the beige cotton eyelet lace from the corset project, and a pink vintage button (from a different late-sewer's stash).

*ALL PIX ARE CLICKABLE THUMBS! YAY!*

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For the NZ girl, I basically made the exact same bag except with a 32 inch strap because she's pretty tall. I used a vintage cotton (looks 70s to me) that I got at a rummage sale with plant bits and geometric stuff (and some metallic print, too!), scrap brown twill, blue vintage piping, a brown/orange vintage button, and the lining is leftover from a cotton short kimono for my boyfriend to wear with his hakama (japanese pleated pants). I also interfaced the bottom piece of her bag, so it holds it's shape a bit better.

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I'm pretty proud of myself :D Neither is perfect by any measure, but I think I did alright for my first ever purses. I'd like to give magnetic clasps a try, though, because buttonholes are notoriously difficult for me.

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I also made a little matching pouch for the brown purse, but because the buttonhole on the purse killed my sewing machine (not permanently, I fixed it), it didn't make it in the package to New Zealand. Dunno what I'll do with it, other than send it to New Zealand :P It's inspired by the Buttercup Bag, drafted by me and made out of the same mats as the purse. It closes with hook-and-loop tape (velcro is a brand name :P like calling all facial-tissue kleenex, nyar).

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