New Dress! The Littlest Studio: Free Dress Pattern

Friends! I made this dress! I made this dress with a friend in an afternoon!

I was trying this whole brown shoes with black clothes thing.
Please excuse the weirdness.

When digging for projects on Pinterest I immediately put this looker on the fast track. My friend, Veronica, has mentioned she would like to learn more about machine sewing and I thought this easy pattern would be a great start to give her, and myself, confidence. Its only four pieces and you get a pattern for the extremely flattering circle skirt, which you can use with a bunch of bodices and blouses. Super useful.

Veronica and I picked a Saturday to have a sewathon. I printed the pattern from The Littlest Studio. We made a trip to JoAnn Fabrics to buy material and got excited. The Saturday came and I packed my machine up and went over to her place. (Speaking of, I love my travel box. I have moved so much and I don't have a dedicated sewing area so being able to protect my expensive machine is marvelously useful.)

Cutting the pattern pieces is a snap. And ponte, the fabric that we used, doesn't fray so hemming is much easier. Ponte is like a heavier, yoga pant-like fabric that smoothes out your figure and keeps it in place. I love it and I want to make everything out of it. Even my husband noticed the weight. It gives the skirt a beautiful drape. The Littlest Studio gives a rundown on stretch stitches which is very helpful for begining stitchers. Veronica and I used a zigzag stitch because her machine had that as its only stretch stitch option and I think that our sturdy material didn't need a more delicate stitch. However I recommend taking a scrap piece of fabric and making that decision for yourself. This pattern calls for elastic to stabalize the weight of the fabric. We thought about skipping this step but don't! It is very worth it especially with ponte.

Another lovely aspect of this pattern is that it gives you a handy pattern to figure out the waist cut out. You can easily draft your own circle skirt pattern by figuring out the circumference of your waist or just use this extemely simple pattern. Woot.

I own a dress that looks just like this from H&M. That dress is made of crap material and pilled right away. I had to make darts in the bust to better fit me anyway! So I spent the same amount of money, around $25, on good material and about 4 hours of my own time to make a dress that I'll keep for years as opposed to the H&M dress which looks like garbage and was probably made in a sweatshop.

This project is a total win! I love it and I feel pretty in it. And the skirt twirl is exceptional!

BK

How did I spend January?

I know February is a tad bit late when starting the conversation on a 2017 long project. However! I was finishing up some projects for other people before I had the clear slate and mind to start my own work.

I have an acquaintance who dreams big. We work on costume-y projects for Burning Man and it's smaller events. In the past, I have created for him a sweatsuit dino costume and a highly decorative naval officer jacket. This time around I made Pac-man lingerie for a friend of his. The costume world takes all kinds. It is three pieces: Bra with Pac-man chasing Mrs. Pac-man, panty with ghost, and skirt that does a little peek-a-boo with the ghost.

Aprons in Progress

My aunt often goes to comic book and anime conventions as Carousel Accessories (though she is on the edge of a rebranding), selling really cute stuffed animals and other cute goodies. She asked me to make her some clothespin aprons (basically a big pocket) for easy cash transactions and a place to put business cards. Which was a total blast because I could add trims and bobs to dress them up! And I got to use those adorable cartoony cottons from Jo-Ann's and I always oogle and never have a reason to use. They came out super cute!

But now that these are off my plate I CANNOT wait to start projects for me! And the wait is almost over! My next post with definitely be my first new garment of 2017!!

BK

My New Favorite Resource: The Library!

As I started to delve into finding patterns for myself I, of course, tripped headlong into Pinterest where I found some really interesting online pattern retailers. But I also pinned some patterns found in books. With my trusty, rusty library card I did some searches and came out with a few new books in my request list.

THIS MEANS! That you can rent pattern books from the library and make copies of the pattern pieces kept in the envelope in the back! What a terrific discovery! I feel like I've been telling everyone who will listen this week about my new-found favorite part of the library. (Note: I will be following this up with a How To on copying patterns from books)

I had kind of forgotten the section of the library that had coffee table books detailing the careers of fashion designers but as I browsed I also found more pattern books, auto and biographies of designers, treatises on gender and fashion, and several books by Tim Gunn!

I am certainly obsessed! This photo is just one of several similar piles. Have you found anything as useful or empowering at the library?

Brittany

Back in the hot seat again!

I am not the kind of girl who thinks you need to wait until New Years Eve to make a big change. But I do like to use the new year to fine tune my hobbies. A few years ago I made it my goal to read a book a week. Which seems ambitious but it helped me assess how I was using my free time. Like "Hey Brittany, how long have you been on facebook? Do you think this time would be better spent with your nose in a book?"

The stack of fabric waiting to be pants and jumpers!

So I have decided that this year I want to make and alter more of my own clothes. I have done pretty well buying clothing from thrift stores and altering them to fit my figure but I have seriously slacked on the alterations that ended up in a pile in my closet-re: loose buttons, worn spots, broken zippers. And I cannot ever remember the last time I made something from scratch for my closet!

I've decided to blog through 2017 to keep myself honest and to remember what I learned! Let's be honest 365 days is a long time. I'll certainly forget stuff!

I started by pinning like crazy! I posted pictures of fashion I dig with no patterns under Get Dressed! and pictures of fashion with patterns under Sew What. I bought a few of those patterns that haven't any buttons or zippers. Let's start easy! And they are mostly wrapped garments and jumpers. I've got specific tastes.

I'm so jazzed! I have already stacked the To Sew list! 

BK

Great Halloween Craft/DIY/Everything Sites

Hey Malloweenies,

Instructables has a great Halloween thread. Its got a bit of everything too! Make up tutorials, cool decor tips, snacks, pumpkin carving. You won't regret it.

Brit+Co has really great tutorials on Halloween crafts and costume ideas. I've always liked how Brit+Co's team isn't super professional and glossy with their crafts. They look like anyone can, and has, done them.

So You Think You're Crafty (who once hosted BK in their competition) did a Halloween contest in their 17th season.

How About Orange's Halloween paper crafts are amazing. So cute and so versatile.

BK

Thrift Store Costumes

Hey Costume Ceepers,

I love pulling together a Halloween outfit from the thrift store because you can get a better quality and more authentic version of your chosen costume character than if you buy it from the store. If you take like $10 bucks in, I bet you can get a great costume. The trick here is creativity. Any of these can be turned into a zombie.

A dude and a Fortune Teller

Tourist: Hawaiian shirt, khaki shorts, any camera with a strap (can be broken); Bonus detail: Fanny pack

Fortune Teller: Long skirt, blousey top, scarf; Bonus detail: Chunky jewelry

Bride (Miss Havisham)/Disney Princess: Any bridal or prom dress; Bonus Detail: The signifiers of your character usually a necklace/crown/veil

Professor (could be a Harry Potter thing if you find a black graduation robe which thrift stores love to trot out before Halloween): Tweed suit or jacket; Bonus detail: Patches on the elbows, colors of your HP house

Rosie the Riveter: Blue work shirt (men's dress shirt), bandanna, red lipstick; Bonus Detail: Voice bubble

Lady Liberty

Grunge Rocker: Flannel worn open with a concert/band tee or while tee, baggy jeans (holes option but recommend), wear hair down; Bonus Detail: Guitar Hero guitar

Marley from Xmas Carol: Grey suit, buy plastic chains at Home Depot, dark grey spray paint; Bonus Detail: Scarf around the head

Sherlock Holmes: Trench, two baseball caps (one pointing forward the other backward; Bonus Detail (twofer): Cover the baseball caps with some plaid or tweed, pipe.

Have a blast and please send photos of your Halloween costumes!!

BK

Spoonflower Design Contest: Pies!

Pumpkin Pie !! by demigoutte

Hey Fabric Fiends,

Spoonflower's most recent contest is Pie themed! Check out my Spoonflower Pinterest page to see my votes. I tend to lean towards two groups, geometric and cutesy pie designs. I always love the 50's like designs with a ton of tiny images in a design. But the design above was my number one favorite, Pumpkin Pie !! by demigoutte. I love that it looks a bit Halloweenie in its color scheme.

BK

Cheap Halloween Decor

Cover a surface and change your mood!

Hey Practical Pumpkins,

I have a handful of tips on cheaply decorating for Halloween.

Using the Joann's app for discounts: I like Joann fabrics for two reasons; they often run deals of 40% off and if they are not, we have so many options to get the discount. Joann's has coupons in their weekly mailer and their app always has several coupons. They also just have really cute, quirky decor for Halloween.


Checking the remnants bin: Right now there are a ton of fall remnants lurking in the bin. Burlap, upholstery fabrics, and sheer net blacks are all great options for Halloween/Fall decor. I made a table runner from a half yard of burlap. I also had the great luck of discovering the remnants were 50% off when I went in!

Spray painting things: One can of black spray paint can go a long way. This year I bought a can of matte black and experimented with pumpkins and empty wine bottles. The wine bottles I soaked and scraped the labels off and plan to attach potion labels printed off the Internet (tutorial to come). You can also slap a coat on weird shaped jars, frames, figurines, branches, etc. The world is your oyster. To make a safe, clean space to spray, cut one side of a cardboard box and place it outside. Recycle it when you're done!

Easy webs: Cotton ball or hot glue webs are really easy and I bet you have both in your place right now.

Candles from the last Ladies Craft Night

Table cloths: I love table cloths for many reasons including their easy flat storing and they keep messes on your furniture to a minimum. But the number one reason is that they they cover a large area with a holiday or themed pattern. It is an instant change in mood. You can cover a desk, end table, coffee table or dinning room table. And it takes a half hour max to hem a yard of fabric and throw it over a table.

Paper chains: The safest, easiest, most classic craft of all time. Looks festive and is great for young crafters. Glue, tape, or staple closed.

Remember have fun while saving a bit of cash. Let me know if you try anything out!

BK

Halloween Pinterest!

Hey Halloweeners!

I love Halloween with all my heart and have been decorating since September! If you are trying to figure out what to dress up as, how to decorate your home, or what to make for a spooky supper follow me on Pinterest for ideas! I'm still trying to decide what to be for Halloween and I've been thinking about it since last October 31st!

BK

Homemade Fire Starters

Not pretty but does the job

Hey Firestarters,

During my recent Ladies Craft Night: Poured Candles I squeezed in a second craft that has been on my crafting bucket list for years. Fire starters!

I make quite a few bonfires during the summer months and my ability to forget what I need to start a fire is unmatched (Get it? Matched?) I was inspired by The Art of Doing Stuff's Homemade Firestarters post. From top to bottom, the whole craft is very simple. Just keep a few candles that have burned out for their residual wax, an old paper egg carton, and your dryer lint (other more ambitious option include wood chips, paper towels, cotton balls, pine cones, and sawdust). I used them on an overnight trip to a few WI State Parks and they worked like a dream! Just cut them apart, stick under your future fire and light.

A few tips for prepping this project:

• The original blog post suggests that you can melt your wax in an old can on the stove. I just put my wax in a Pyrex and stuck that bad boy in the microwave for a minute and a half or until it melted.
• Take the metal wick holders out of your old candle wax before you put in the microwave.
• Place your carton on a surface that you don't mind catching wax that has seeped through. Maybe lay down some paper grocery bags first.

Fanning the flames of my heart, BK

Ladies Craft Night: Poured Candles

Hey Crafters,

I just had an amazing Ladies Craft Night.

I offered my services to a organization near to my heart for their silent auction. The deal was I would facilitate and gather all supplies for an evening of crafting if the winner hosts and  invites guests. A friend bought the package and we decided to make pour candles. We played some late 90's boy band tunes and danced in the kitchen. We ate some great dips (artichoke onion garlic dip!!). We made some candles. It has been a long time since I've been able to host a Ladies Craft Night and this one was a tremendous success.

I used a mass DIY Survival Candle recipe from Teowawki Blog and figured out how to add fragrance. We made the candles individually in a Pyrex measuring cup so we could change the fragrance by guest preference. It was so easy and a real big blast.

BK's Slightly Adjusted Soy Candle Recipe

Supplies:

• Soy wax, flakes or chips (est. 3 8oz. candles per 1lb. of wax, so do the math!)
• Wicks with metal base
• 8oz. Ball jars
• Candle fragrance
• Pyrex measuring cup (at least 8oz.)
• Spoon
• Microwave
• Pot holder

Optional: pot with cold water and butter knives

Instructions:

1. Pour soy wax up to the 8oz. line of your Pyrex, microwave for 1:30 mins.
2. Pour a finger's width of wax in the bottom of each jar. Put in a wick and let cool. Use your butter knives to keep the wick up right by laying them across the top of the jar. This will keep your wick in place as you fill. *This is also where you may place the jars in your pan of cold water to speed up the cooling process.
3. Pour soy wax up to the 8oz. line, microwave for 1:30 mins.
4. Stir in three drops of fragrance and fill to 6oz. with more wax. Microwave for 1:30 mins.
5. Stir and pour into jar.
6. Wait for the candles to cool before cutting the wicks to a half inch.

**To make large batches follow the original Teotwawki Blog link.

Keeping the light on for ya, BK

Jauntaroo

Hey Craft Buddies,

I have entered a contest with friend Jessica W. on Jauntaroo to be sent on vacations for the entire year of 2014! Do me a favor and give my video a "like". You don't have to sign up for anything and you can vote every 24 hours till the first round ends on September 15th.

Much love and a ton of thanks, BK

Artist Spotlight: Joe Garber

Photo by Jihee Kim

Hey Crafters,

The Odyssey of BlueBoy is an online weekly comic drawn to wake up the creative process. The illustrator, Joe Garber, takes suggestions of what next week's adventure is about. I made a submission and it became Week 8!

The Odyssey of BlueBoy was recommended to me by Artist Spotlighted friend Andy Musser.

When did you decide that illustration was how to wanted to make your way in the world?

I think I'm still deciding that, haha. It seems like every day I have to question and weigh the pros and cons. An ex-boyfriend told me once that I was like a sheet in front of a storm. That stayed with me probably because it's at least partly true. Illustration-type things is what I seem to keep coming back to. I wouldn't say I really chose it, but that seems like such a canned-answer. I've been drawing forever, which is also a canned-answer, but I just think that there's something about drawing for me, that specific way to express my thoughts and ideas, that I just find really exciting every time I do it. So it wasn't really a choice just a part of life that really excites me, I've definitely put a ton of work into it, too. I also animate as a day-job.

Tell us about your process, please.

My process seems to always be changing, but the base is always a strong idea. An idea that really resonates with me to my core, when you have that nothing else really matters, even if the art turns out a little wonky you still have that idea in your head of what you meant it to be, an idea that resonates with you. I always come back to objective and subjective as two basic forces in life. When I see a canvas in a coffee-shop somewhere that a person has carelessly splattered paint onto it seems like that would be an enjoyable experience for the painter, but the objective experience of looking at a piece like that is probably not going to be so good. And on the other end of the spectrum you might have some amazingly beautiful photo-real rendering of a vase of flowers, which looks like it might not have been so fun to make, but it still dazzles your eye. The first one has too much emotion and is to subjective, too sloppy, and the second has too much technique and is too objective and it doesn't stay with you or resonate. Beauty is found in a balance and balance is my goal. Not that these people should stop spraying canvases with paint or doing photo-realistic drawings of their converses, people need to express themselves in whatever way comes to them as an individual; that's the only way they are going to use their full potential or progress in a way that is exciting for them. But if you were asking about physical process I usually like to use ink on paper and then Photoshop to color things. Lately I've been doing gouache paints, too!

What do you like to snack on when you work?

I'm vegan so anything that doesn't have animal products. Lately I've gone a little too crazy over Jo-Jos. My friends might say that my favorite food group is calories. Pan-fried PB&Js! Oh my gawd, those are super good.

How do you break through creative blocks?

I think the best way to break creative blocks is to use them. Try to dig deep, find the feeling that's stopping you and incorporate it into the work. I find myself thinking things like "Oh my god, no one is going to like this (random thing I'm creating)" and I try to find the core of that feeling, like the fear of not being accepted, and I try to bring some of that into the work. I think that if a creative block does completely stop you from being able to work it's important to find what that core is and if you still can't get past it then you need to examine your intentions. When you have good intentions with a piece, you can't really go wrong. There's good and then there's great.

What is your proudest achievement so far?

My proudest achievement is that I have become a person who wants to do this kind of work. A person who still has hope enough in life to value what I'm doing. As in The Odyssey of Blue Boy, the hopeless still haven't captured me, haha! They have come close though! Too real? Maybe. The non-heady answer, though, would probably be the most recent thing I've done which, right now is cartoon I'm about to release, it's called Home Town. Check my website for it soon!

Please check out Joe on his website, at The Odyessy of Blue Boy and Joe's new cartoon Home Town!

BK

Tutorial: Paper Beads

Hey Paper Crafters,

I recently made a metric ton of paper beads for a project out of magazine pages. I was laid up for a week after injuring most everything under my knees and I needed something to keep my hands busy. I also watched a metric ton of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (every season now on Hulu; you're welcome).

Making paper beads is extremely easy and the beads are surprisingly sturdy. When I was young I had a cheap-o plastic machine to help roll the beads up but as an adult I don't have room that for that kind of junk so I used a drink stirrer to help curl the paper and hand rolled the beads. It felt like a joint rolling intensive.

Supplies:

• Scrap Paper, fashion magazines and National Geographic tends to be a great place for colorful, low text images but sheet music or scrap booking paper would be nice too.
• Scissors
• Stick glue
• Something long and round; drink stirrer, pencil, chop stick

Directions:

1. Grab your paper and cut long triangle shapes. No need to make them exact. I just ripped out magazine pages and cut about 6-8 strips.
2. Curl around the stirrer starting with the wide end of the paper to make curly.
3. Swipe glue along wide end to start and add when needed, especially at the end to finish.

*You could do your gluing around the stirrer but I found free rolling worked better for me.

Uses for paper beads include children's crafts like stringing beads for jewelry and gluing to frames in place of pasta noodles or stringing them for garlands for parties and Christmas trees (try spraying the garlands with glitter for festive shimmer) or making paper chandeliers (which is why I made mine, stay tuned for those).

Have fun!

BK

Ladies Craft Night: Sky Lanterns-Part Two

Hey Pyromaniacs,

After our first attempt at Sky Lanterns went south I had to figure out a way to use the rest of the Sky Lanterns we had bought. I reasoned that if we add a length of yarn to the circular frame of the lantern, we could make them into kites so we could keep better control of the lantern's distance and clean up after ourselves.

I was in a bit of a pre-moving time crunch so we picked a slightly windy day to try this theory out. Remember, when trying Sky Lanterns pick a day with little to no wind. My theory proved right! We were worried about the string being a fire hazard but it was safe and no more a fire hazard than lighting a paper lantern on fire in the first place.

Like a kite, it was easy to handle and much more satisfying since we could control the height and enjoy the full length of the life of a floating Sky Lantern. If you try this, wrap your string around a book or into a ball. If it is just a pile of string it will get tangled and you'll loose the max length of string/height of the lantern.

I still don't recommend the purchase of Sky Lanterns but if you just have to try it for yourself, keep an eye out for a deal and happy floating!

BK

Ladies Craft Night: Sky Lantern Fail

Hey Pie in the Sky Eyed Crafters,

Ladies Craft Night had an interesting trial run working with Sky Lanterns. I think every young woman thinks these brightly glowing, floating, paper lanterns are super magical and idyllic. The Ladies and I found them to be the EXACT opposite.

I found a Groupon that made ten Sky Lanterns $25 plus S&H (about $8). It is one of our more expensive crafts but we all wanted to take a crack at floating one of these babies in the night sky. When they arrived we decided to wait out dusk on a picnic blanket in the park and snack and chat. I picked an evening with little to no wind and a park with a lake thinking that the lanterns would be less of a fire hazard in case they floated into the lake.

We decided, after realizing we had many unanswered questions, that we would send up a single test lantern.  Not knowing how far away our lantern would go, how fast it would travel, how long it would burn we decided to follow it so we could pick up the wire frame (the paper would biodegrade but not that frame) and make sure we weren't setting our neighborhood on fire.

The first thing we realized is that this lantern is made of paper and if we're not careful, we could light the whole kit and caboodle on fire. I held the small wire frame, another held the paper part upright, and a third lady lit the fuel pack provided with the lantern.

The bag they come in says Sky Lanterns can go up to 3,000 feet and we wondered whether that was horizontal or vertical. We soon learn that it is horizontal. This paper bag can move! After about 7 seconds of Ooo-ing, we realize that it was on the move and immediately split into two teams, one on foot and one in a vehicle.

In the end we lost that darned Sky Lantern. We haven't the foggiest where the frame ended up but I believe that the fuel pack dies, then the lantern just floats to the ground with no danger of setting anything on fire.

This is a BK's Craft Blog first: A video! This video shows our first and only attempt at launching a Sky Lantern. You can see just how quickly our joy turns to safety awareness. Right after the video stops, we immediately split into teams to track the lantern.

This week we are trying a modified version of the Sky Lantern (since we had 9 left!) by tying a length of yarn to the wire frame so we can control their height making them...FIRE KITES! Stay tuned for Part 2 for the exciting conclusion of Sky Lanterns!

BK

Ladies Craft Night: Chicago Edition

Hey Craftnight Oilers,

During a recent trip to Chicago to visit friends I hosted a Ladies Craft Night complete with hot tea, red wine and cupcakes. Although I cannot take credit for inspiring the edibles (thanks, Liz), I have been eyeing these henna patterned jars from LITdecor and thought we could grab a jar from the recycling and a tube of puff paint and go to town!

Boy I'll tell you, it took a lot more patience than I had anticipated. The slow lines take a steady hand and a keen eye to keep the designs balanced. We got creative looking for places to hold our jar while you paint. And have a doodle drawn out on paper to guide you before you start so you're not wasting any time thinking of your design. As for the wire hanger, try a 22 gauge wire and pliers, once around the neck and one half circle for the hanger.

 BK

PS While at the Michael's we found these totally cute cards designed after patterns in the dollar sections ($1.50-ish for six) The clincher are the envelopes covered in the tissue pattern's shapes. We saw three different sets which I immediately bought. LIKE I NEED MORE STATIONARY!