shape
carat
color
clarity

The crafty thread! Please post all your crafty/artsy creations here!

So cute! I love it (and I hope you're feeling better!) I can't crochet to save my life...lol
 
So cute! I love it (and I hope you're feeling better!) I can't crochet to save my life...lol

Well I can't sew to save my life... There's this girl on youtube I occasionally watch, she's very much into edwardian era everything, and she sews. Not just that, but she sews using old techniques, sometimes entirely by hand. It's fascinating to watch the process.

I am feeling much better, thank you. Octopus has been firmly set on "happy". :D

So I found an unexpected but welcome use for the crochet kitty...

1709825893493.png

It sits on my nightstand so when I take off my ring for the night (usually only wear one at home), I slide it onto the tail for safekeeping during the night from the other siamese cat, this one very much alive, who likes to steal my jewellery and play with it. :lol:

I also have one new completed project to share. The pattern is from the same designer who made the kitty and it's, oh, cuteness overload.

1709826094508.png


1709826107504.png

The wool took forever but it was so worth it. Next time I have one whole free day on my hands, I'm making a second one.
 
My availability took a nose dive because Ms. Gigi decided that she too could climb trees just like the kitty cats she was chasing. She of course could not get down on her own, my husband had to go get her. :roll2:

She's fine thankfully aside from a few scrapes and 1 nasty cut but, we're in daily bandage changes and "stop licking" mode. Monday is staple removal.

One shirt is finished, the other...well it will get done when I don't have her stuck to me 24-7...lol
 
I'm sort of back in the saddle. Gosh its been a while! Between Gigi, Ivy, crazy job stuff and the start of Hurricane Season, its been a bit crazy.
But I finished a shirt and started some new work.
20240409_101310.jpg

I'm not yet done but I had a free weekend away from everyone to work on it.

And of course I had problems...lol The lace was not included in the pattern but when have I ever followed a pattern faithfully?

It meant calculating where to put it and how to treat it as I wanted to do inset lace. and not merely on top of the fabric.

And then I ran out of lace.... and because it would take a month to get more I just went with what I had.

20240511_115453.jpg


The pattern is... well its got 50+ steps. I added to that with all the lace.
To do inset you have to add it where you want it, pin it down heavily

20240428_123811.jpg

Then sew it on
20240505_120900.jpg

then carefully cut the fabric open in the middle of the lace
20240504_184308.jpg

Cut away the fabric until you've got just a tiny lip of fabric, then press that in place, and, sew it down again
20240504_185054.jpg

So 2 sleeves with a row of lace
4 skirt pieces with 2 rows of lace

then I had to dye the buttons. these are mother of pearl, and naturally I wouldn't bother but they look more yellow and brown against this stark white fabric.

20240511_113203.jpg

Then make the button loops, there's lots of them
20240511_142238.jpg
 
Last edited:
Part 2 (I could not make it fit, sorry!)

I get to sewing this past weekend. I'm messy when I create ...lol not apologizing, you're gonna see a mess tho.

The bodice with the collar. I didn't add any lace to the collar because I ran out.
20240512_105857.jpg

The sleeves. yes the dress form is naked but its supposed to be.
The sleeves. They are not attached yet.
20240512_123111120.jpg

And the rest of the dress FYI, nothing super attached, most of it is being held in place by pins as I do the adjustments (is why you see pins everywhere)
20240513_023955.jpg

The back will have a zipper. the buttons in front are mainly decorative.

20240513_024044.jpg


If I have time I will start attaching it together this week but realistically it will be the weekend. 18 buttons in front. thats so dead last...lol
 
Part 2 (I could not make it fit, sorry!)

I get to sewing this past weekend. I'm messy when I create ...lol not apologizing, you're gonna see a mess tho.

The bodice with the collar. I didn't add any lace to the collar because I ran out.
20240512_105857.jpg

The sleeves. yes the dress form is naked but its supposed to be.
The sleeves. They are not attached yet.
20240512_123111120.jpg

And the rest of the dress FYI, nothing super attached, most of it is being held in place by pins as I do the adjustments (is why you see pins everywhere)
20240513_023955.jpg

The back will have a zipper. the buttons in front are mainly decorative.

20240513_024044.jpg


If I have time I will start attaching it together this week but realistically it will be the weekend. 18 buttons in front. thats so dead last...lol

Oh my. So much detail, and so many little button loops! But it’ll be absolutely lovely and absolutely bespoke! And its giving me a very “Princess Kate” feeling - you’re giving her coutouriers a run for their money.
 
Oh my. So much detail, and so many little button loops! But it’ll be absolutely lovely and absolutely bespoke! And its giving me a very “Princess Kate” feeling - you’re giving her coutouriers a run for their money.

My husband call it "Little House on the Prairie Dress":roll::lol:

I love the fabric but those button loops made me say some things I don't normally say! turning those was not very easy due to the embroidery, but going with plain fabric was not an option!

Any time I make something thats this detailed it reminds me why the high end houses charge so much for some of this stuff. Sure they surf off the name a bit too, but ....when you're building from the ground up and using a lot of hand work, its intensive and it can take a lot of time. and of course the real people who work at these brands want to get paid too (and seriously good fabric isn't always cheap!!) the things that look simple, really aren't at all. Heck yesterday I spent near 4 hours doing nothing but slip stitching the seam allowances down so that it looks invisible. The stitches are tiny, and I used silk thread which makes it not so visible.

If life did not get in the way and I didn't have to work to pay the bills and could sew all day, this dress would still take easily 80 hours or more in straight time needed.

Will be pretty enough to walk the dog in...lol.
 
My husband call it "Little House on the Prairie Dress":roll::lol:

I love the fabric but those button loops made me say some things I don't normally say! turning those was not very easy due to the embroidery, but going with plain fabric was not an option!

Any time I make something thats this detailed it reminds me why the high end houses charge so much for some of this stuff. Sure they surf off the name a bit too, but ....when you're building from the ground up and using a lot of hand work, its intensive and it can take a lot of time. and of course the real people who work at these brands want to get paid too (and seriously good fabric isn't always cheap!!) the things that look simple, really aren't at all. Heck yesterday I spent near 4 hours doing nothing but slip stitching the seam allowances down so that it looks invisible. The stitches are tiny, and I used silk thread which makes it not so visible.

If life did not get in the way and I didn't have to work to pay the bills and could sew all day, this dress would still take easily 80 hours or more in straight time needed.

Will be pretty enough to walk the dog in...lol.

Call me Laura then, because it's super cute!:love:
 
Part 2 (I could not make it fit, sorry!)

I get to sewing this past weekend. I'm messy when I create ...lol not apologizing, you're gonna see a mess tho.

The bodice with the collar. I didn't add any lace to the collar because I ran out.
20240512_105857.jpg

The sleeves. yes the dress form is naked but its supposed to be.
The sleeves. They are not attached yet.
20240512_123111120.jpg

And the rest of the dress FYI, nothing super attached, most of it is being held in place by pins as I do the adjustments (is why you see pins everywhere)
20240513_023955.jpg

The back will have a zipper. the buttons in front are mainly decorative.

20240513_024044.jpg


If I have time I will start attaching it together this week but realistically it will be the weekend. 18 buttons in front. thats so dead last...lol

Oh I want to wear that with Bulbasaur!!!!!
 
Wow @Arcadian , your work is amazing! Love how you put the lace through the middle of the sleeves and the waist so it all matches
up! Talented indeed!
 
@Arcadian that pattern looks VERY very much like Zimmermann to me. Show your husband some looks from Zimmermann and the prices. ;) I think your dress is going to be gorgeous and I love the fabric and trims you chose.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_4710.png
    IMG_4710.png
    397.2 KB · Views: 22
@Arcadian that pattern looks VERY very much like Zimmermann to me. Show your husband some looks from Zimmermann and the prices. ;-) I think your dress is going to be gorgeous and I love the fabric and trims you chose.

He knows as I've showed him. But there's a certain association as he grew up in NYC in the 60's and 70's and of course the popularity of those styles is really echoed in Zimmerman's style quite a bit. And actually if one looks in the back catalog of McCall's they'll find some really uncanny Zimmerman like looks....I'm just sayin!

But he does say its very nice looking. I told him its a good thing he's not wearing it...lol
 
OMG. Buttons.....:eek2:Am very sick of buttons right now.
20240519_211052.jpg

My form is leaning because its up much higher so I can sit and do these buttons :geek2: I have 6 more to put on and 3 to adjust. But I'm totally done today because if I do more I will mess up. I have not hemmed anything yet, that will be after the buttons are on. I thought about putting in the zipper but I might not. (its basted in, but I can easily remove it)

I am a little uneven. I'm not going to drive myself nuts over it though, I just have to do better next time.

I do hate that I ran out of lace for the back though. I may just order a little more and finish it at a later date, I'm undecided because unpicking would be a lot of work.
20240519_184841.jpg


Its really all together at this point but this dress is rather grubby! after I get it hemmed she gets a good wash. Thankful this is cotton and will clean up well. Should have it completed by Wednesday if I'm ambitious...lol

For the curious on the cost analysis:

Fabric $17.00/yard for 3.5 yards 59.50
Buttons $12.00
zipper: $0.80
lace: $3.75 yard for 5 yards 18.75
interfacing $2.00
pattern: 6.00
 
OMG. Buttons.....:eek2:Am very sick of buttons right now.
20240519_211052.jpg

My form is leaning because its up much higher so I can sit and do these buttons :geek2: I have 6 more to put on and 3 to adjust. But I'm totally done today because if I do more I will mess up. I have not hemmed anything yet, that will be after the buttons are on. I thought about putting in the zipper but I might not. (its basted in, but I can easily remove it)

I am a little uneven. I'm not going to drive myself nuts over it though, I just have to do better next time.

I do hate that I ran out of lace for the back though. I may just order a little more and finish it at a later date, I'm undecided because unpicking would be a lot of work.
20240519_184841.jpg


Its really all together at this point but this dress is rather grubby! after I get it hemmed she gets a good wash. Thankful this is cotton and will clean up well. Should have it completed by Wednesday if I'm ambitious...lol

For the curious on the cost analysis:

Fabric $17.00/yard for 3.5 yards 59.50
Buttons $12.00
zipper: $0.80
lace: $3.75 yard for 5 yards 18.75
interfacing $2.00
pattern: 6.00

It's really gorgeous!
I love it❤️❤️❤️
 
You are so incredibly talented! The dress is stunning…! Great job, wish I could wear it. It’s right up my alley!
 
You are so incredibly talented! The dress is stunning…! Great job, wish I could wear it. It’s right up my alley!

Thank you! I tried it on late last night and wooo boy the bodice fits like a GLOVE...lol ( its a size 18, but for this pattern that measures out to 40, 32, 42 inches without a whole lot of ease)

I think I will put in a few hooks as a safety measure.
 
Well, this project is now done I can rest easy. I didn't figure I would finish but I did and I'm exceptionally glad for it! yay!

I did not realize in my haste I left pins in it but I'm just happy to be done. I still hadn't washed by this picture but it has been washed, dried and now hanging on the closet.
5.jpg


I'm not sure what the next project is going to be off the bat, but I have until Friday to decide...lol
 
Well, this project is now done I can rest easy. I didn't figure I would finish but I did and I'm exceptionally glad for it! yay!

I did not realize in my haste I left pins in it but I'm just happy to be done. I still hadn't washed by this picture but it has been washed, dried and now hanging on the closet.
5.jpg


I'm not sure what the next project is going to be off the bat, but I have until Friday to decide...lol

That definitely deserves the heart eyes emoji but i don’t seem to have that option on my phone!
 
I’ve wanted to show this one for months now but I wanted the perfect picture in the perfect place.

I did find the perfect place, but the wind made it near impossible to get the perfect picture so you get two imperfect ones. :bigsmile:

I’ve been knitting this one from the start of April until the end of June - slowly and with a number of long breaks. It’s the Sialia shawl and I’ve had it on my to-knit-list for at least a couple of years.

Pictures were taken on the Faroe Islands where I currently am but leaving in the morning. It’s a magical place, feels like I’ve been transported to a fantasy world of elves and hobbits. Will miss it terribly when I go.

E21A135D-1646-4D29-BB07-A0CE12825C98.jpeg

F6AF272F-B3ED-4CA4-B34F-FB2CA20C7E02.jpeg
 
I’ve wanted to show this one for months now but I wanted the perfect picture in the perfect place.

I did find the perfect place, but the wind made it near impossible to get the perfect picture so you get two imperfect ones. :bigsmile:

I’ve been knitting this one from the start of April until the end of June - slowly and with a number of long breaks. It’s the Sialia shawl and I’ve had it on my to-knit-list for at least a couple of years.

Pictures were taken on the Faroe Islands where I currently am but leaving in the morning. It’s a magical place, feels like I’ve been transported to a fantasy world of elves and hobbits. Will miss it terribly when I go.

E21A135D-1646-4D29-BB07-A0CE12825C98.jpeg

F6AF272F-B3ED-4CA4-B34F-FB2CA20C7E02.jpeg

That's beautiful. It looks so delicate.
 
I’ve wanted to show this one for months now but I wanted the perfect picture in the perfect place.

I did find the perfect place, but the wind made it near impossible to get the perfect picture so you get two imperfect ones. :bigsmile:

I’ve been knitting this one from the start of April until the end of June - slowly and with a number of long breaks. It’s the Sialia shawl and I’ve had it on my to-knit-list for at least a couple of years.

Pictures were taken on the Faroe Islands where I currently am but leaving in the morning. It’s a magical place, feels like I’ve been transported to a fantasy world of elves and hobbits. Will miss it terribly when I go.

E21A135D-1646-4D29-BB07-A0CE12825C98.jpeg

F6AF272F-B3ED-4CA4-B34F-FB2CA20C7E02.jpeg

Thats so beautiful!!! :kiss2: I have tried to knit and its terrible but man I so envy those who can! what fiber?
 
I’ve wanted to show this one for months now but I wanted the perfect picture in the perfect place.

I did find the perfect place, but the wind made it near impossible to get the perfect picture so you get two imperfect ones. :bigsmile:

I’ve been knitting this one from the start of April until the end of June - slowly and with a number of long breaks. It’s the Sialia shawl and I’ve had it on my to-knit-list for at least a couple of years.

Pictures were taken on the Faroe Islands where I currently am but leaving in the morning. It’s a magical place, feels like I’ve been transported to a fantasy world of elves and hobbits. Will miss it terribly when I go.

E21A135D-1646-4D29-BB07-A0CE12825C98.jpeg

F6AF272F-B3ED-4CA4-B34F-FB2CA20C7E02.jpeg

It's fabulous!!!
 
what fiber?

Honestly, I don’t know. It’s some blend of wool and synthetic, that much I can feel. It’s really soft, and it also warms you up, but it was some very old yarn, dating back to my grandma’s stashes, and unlabelled. There were two cakes of it, one was used for a baby blanket I made for a friend, and the second one I worked into this shawl. It’s kind of a speckled lavender and cream that looks uniformly light purple from far away but up close you can see the texture of the colour. It fell into the category of “that one special skein of yarn” so I had to make sure it was used for something really nice. 8)
 
Before Covid my sewing machine, needles and thread were my venting place, I may pick it up again soon. This was my first wedding bouquet, I made around 180 Flower pens (not pictured) for a church event, to go allow with journal as a gift for the ladies. Each flower is handmade including the burlap roses.
In Texas Homecoming is a big deal, so for my kids and my kids friends I make them their own garter/mum. To me it’s therapeutic until it becomes a chore haha. Not the most extravagant, but my kids enjoy them. Nothing compared to you guys, but just a few of my crafts.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1598.jpeg
    IMG_1598.jpeg
    528.3 KB · Views: 23
  • IMG_1599.jpeg
    IMG_1599.jpeg
    555.9 KB · Views: 22
  • IMG_1601.png
    IMG_1601.png
    577.7 KB · Views: 22
  • IMG_1602.png
    IMG_1602.png
    740.2 KB · Views: 22
Last edited:
I don’t have much time on my hands, but I managed to make this with my eldest for this year’s Women’s Day for two of his school teachers. Acrylics on canvas. (I just MIGHT have done a lot more on them than he did, but I had fun.)

IMG_1120.jpeg

IMG_1119.jpeg
 
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Top