Furry Scarf in the Making

Guess what I have?

Faux fur from the remnants bin of Fabricland ($8.25) and crochet cotton from Salvation Army ($0.50) will become this:

For more info, check out:

When Yarn and Fur Combine

and

Further Notions on Furry Scarves

Now I Have One: Chains and Pearls Bracelet

Inspired by the very-awesome Flamingo Toes, I just HAD to have my very own Chain and Pearl Multi-Row Bracelet!

Modeled by my giant wine bottle!

Montage!

I made my own S-clasp and triple brackets, deconstructed a ring for the pearls and a wallet chain for the medium weight chain, and took the various bar doohickies from two pairs of earrings. The smallest and largest chains are from the dollar store!

It was very challenging, and VERY satisfying! I can't wait to wear it!

FFR: HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2012 is here!

Happy 2012! I don't know how happy a year it will be, but I'm determined to make the most of it! Here's my very happy, snappy, snazzy New Year's Eve outfit:

I made this!

Boyfriend's tuxedo jacket pinned at the back w/ a pineapple brooch (Moore's/thrifted)

Carroll Reed lurex tee (thrifted)

Unbranded pleather pants (thrifted)

Single black 80s spike earring

Goldtone articulating collar necklace worn as a bracelet (thrifted)

Chinese brass bangle

Miniature top hat fascinator (handmade by me!)

Bonus shot of Neko, aka "Top Hat Cat:"

FFR: Red, Green, Sparkle, Bow

Green raglan tee (Garage)

Lime green headband (Dollarama) with gift bow earring (thrifted)

Basic face, eyelid contouring, Avon red lipstick

2 red plastic bangles, one octagonal, one round (thrifted)

Mermaid-inspired salvaged textile cuff (hand-made by me)

FFR: Wild Animals That I Dragged Away

Moose shirt (thrifted; hand-shredded by me)

Wood bangle (Ardene)

Vintage brown plastic bangle (thrifted)

Coyote tooth (yard sale; hole drilled by jeweller)

Basic face, Avon shadow in Bronze, Avon gold dust, unbranded blue dust.

Hippie Pants = Epic Fail = Little-Girl Skirt

A couple of years ago, I made these awesome bell-bottoms out of jeans that totally bit the dust at the knees:

I went to a friend's house a couple weeks ago wearing these and wouldn't ya know it, RIIIIIIIIP! There's now a giant split across one butt-cheek! The denim is dying in other places as well, so I'll have to make a pair of shorts to attach the legs to.

I have another pair with ripped knees, and several people have requested a tutorial, so another pair of hippie jeans WAS my plan.

PR Contest - Knock-Off 2011 - Getting Started

I've decided to enter only Pattern Review's Knock-Off 2011 contest so as not to overburden myself. Besides, I have the materials I need for it close at hand. I'm making my version of a leather-front top from ASOS and a pair of fringed shorts from TopShop.

So what do I need to get this ball rolling? A t-shirt, some leather, a pair of jeans, and brown dye!

I'm going to look through my leather stash and see if I have a wider piece. I just grabbed whatever out of the bag for the sake of the photo. That's also not the pair of jeans I'm using! This pair has a hole in the crotch, but again, just the first pair I grabbed for the pic :P

So my plan of attack is to dye both the top and the pants with a weak mixture of the brown dye, plus some onion skins to get the colour a little more to the orange side of things. For the shorts, I'll cut the pants off, slit the side seams open and sew in long pieces from the legs. I'll cut the fringe afterwards. The top will be almost as easy! I need to cut off the hem and neckline, cut a piece out of the front and insert a leather panel. TADAA!

Happy crafting! :D

PatternReview Contests - Vintage Pattern 2011 and Knock-Off 2011

I've still got a few days to think about it, but I'm considering entering one or two of May's contests on PatternReview, seeing as how I have a sewing machine at my disposal for a couple weeks. Besides, I love having new clothes, and new clothes for cheap is even better! This way, I can tailor the season's trends to my own tastes and budget.

Spring Fashions I Want to Wear (Part 1)

I think I'm going to start a series to keep me posting more often. Here's some goodies I LOVE and can totally make so I can stop drooling and start strutting :D

Ruffled Crop Top Tutorial

I love that ruffled bit of awesomeness so much, I'm sharing my method with the world :D You can read the Craftster version of the tute HERE.

A Little Boy Grows Up... Into a Sexy Girl :P (Plus: Crop Tops as a Trend)

That cracks me up every time I think about it! I entered Craftster's Challenge 59: Super Ugly to Super Awesome. You can read my entry HERE.

Before:

A size 6x boy's tee from the local Salvation Army. It was stuff-a-bag day, so this is one of MANY goodies I brought home that day :D

Yet ANOTHER New Hobby! Plus Rapunzel.

I've taken up spinning. Not the sweaty, furious pedalling of a stationary cycle with 20 other people in a tiny room full of mirrors. I mean spinning. For months and months, I oohed and aahed, and finally dove into researching what it's all about. After reading everything I could find on the internet, I splurged on this kit from "Maine Woods Yarn and Fiber" on Etsy:

My First ATC (plus: I'm Swapping)

I have long been intrigued by ATCs. Every time I see a new one in the Recent Projects line-up on Craftster, I am once again filled with wonder at the tininess of these works of art. It just so happens that I love arty things as much as crafty things, but I never got up the nerve to try an ATC. Until NOW!

September was my last post?!?! Here's a costume and a skirt.

Obviously I've done alot since September. School has left me very busy and stressed, and life has left me very depressed. I'm not going to Japan, I had to drop two of my winter classes because I'm out of money. I need a job, but I'm messed up and have a lot of schoolwork. Dear god, I hope I get those bursaries...

NOW! On to the crafting and fashion of awesomeness! I haven't done as much as I've wanted (psha, isn't that always the case), but I did get some stuff done.

First up, my Hallowe'en costume! I decided my Xena costume just WILL NOT DO! I've worn it 7 times in 13 years. Nuhuh, no more. Well maybe, but not this year. So I needed another strong female character as my alter ego. BEHOLD! She-Ra! The Princess of Power!!!!

I was already quite in the bag when this photo was taken, so please forgive the extraordinary goofiness. To give a better idea of the details:


That was ALOT of work. I used BurdaStyle's Lydia for the top with a point in the front, made a modified ovular circle skirt so that it'd long enough in the back, and the first head-wing was a total epic fail. The gems needed the silver crap sanded off the backs and were painted with nail polish, and rayon thread does NOT like playing a strength role. I just liked the shininess... I also made my own matching panties and butchered those sandals and added gold rope (they almost fell off my feet at least 5 times at the bar). So for next year, I need to add spats, gauntlets, a choker and a red cape. And I might redo the neckline, because it just looks sloppy (but it's attached REALLY well, arg).

I think the only truly sad thing about this whole costume is that maybe 3 people at the bar recognized who I was: 2 gay guys in their late 20s/early 30s, and one young woman dressed as Anne Boleyn. I was asked several times by the barely-legals if I was Sailor Moon *facepalm*


Guess what?!?! I FINALLY used the pheasant fabric my boyfriend's mom bought me! YAY! It turned out SUPER cute! I used BurdaStyle's Marie for the front, a Simplicity "sewing workshop" pattern from 1992 for the back, and shortened it by... oh god, like 7 inches. AFTER basting it together. I wish I'd known it was stupid-long before I'd cut the fabric. I also had to take the waist in ALOT because it's meant to sit about an inch below the natural waist. I wanted it AT my waist, and because there's such a huge difference between my hips and waist (about 10 inches), I had to take out almost 3 inches through the darts and back seam.

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!

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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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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