Pumpkin Fascinator

Last summer I found the most amazing/hideous bright orange plastic bridesmaid's dress (or, awful prom dress?) and it was immediately decided that I should wear it to be a pumpkin this Halloween. So I was excited about my costume for MONTHS, although somehow I neglected to plan out a suitable pumpkin-leaf headpiece to go with it until the weekend before. We were going to Providence for a conference and then a Halloween party, so I grabbed some felt, scissors, copper wire and a hairclip and started working on a pumpkin leaf/tendril fascinator on the train. I cut out pumpkin-shaped leaves from three colors of felt in graduated sizes and embroidered veins on them in contrasting colors. The embroidery not only added color and line to the leaves but also caused the felt to bunch up and become more leaf-textured. The leaves took me most of the conference, and I sewed them to the hairclip during the afterparty and added tendrils of copper wire.

Here's the finished product:

And here's a couple shots of it with the ridiculous dress at the party that night:

 I'm not planning to make anything that over-the-top to sell except by special request, but I do have fascinators with similar (though smaller) leaves in my Etsy shop.

Celtic Knot Bracelets

I intended to have these ready for the St Patrick's Day SLAM on Saturday, but unfortunately my sewing machine wasn't cooperating. I've finished them now, though, and they're available on my Etsy site for a limited time.

Fabric Coasters

I recently acquired a few bags of fabric scraps and have been devising things to do with them. One thing that we always need in our house is coasters; making coasters has been a project of mine since we moved in, but I could never really figure out an effective method. We did purchase some cheap plastic and cork ones, but I'm pretty sure the plastic scratches the glass coffee table. I tried sewing together some squares of fabric, and I think they're great as slightly rustic drink coasters. They work well to soak up condensation, and they don't scratch glass or wooden surfaces. I'm thinking of making some backed in felt and selling them in sets of three or so.

Men's Polo Shirt Refashion

I recently acquired a huge polo shirt as a giveaway, and figured I would see what I could do with it.

First I took the sleeves off with seam rippers. Then I tried it on and put pins in the sides at my bust and waist to mark where to cut. I drew a curve (with silver sharpie on the right side of the fabric -- not recommended!) to connect the points and then cut.

I hemmed the sleeves to the point where the side seam would start, then stitched the seam. I had to make some adjustments for a nice flare, but I think it turned out surprisingly well!

Now I just need to work on taking out (or just covering up) that logo, and find some projects for the fabric scraps!

Singed Fabric Flowers

I've seen many tutorials on making fabric flowers, and the multicolored creations I saw at Sew What recently inspired me to start making them myself. I found some remnants that were being thrown out and decided to experiment with them.

The technique I followed involved cutting circles from fabric and singing the edges (I used a candle) to make them curl and also seal the plastic fabric from fraying. Since I was using white fabric, at first I tried very hard to keep the fabric from taking on color from the candle smoke. However, that method doesn't allow the fabric to curl very much, and I discovered that if I dyed the fabric a little with tea (plastic materials don't really take up tea particularly well, but it was enough to make some difference) the slightly charred edges actually provided a nice contrast and a more organic look. Today I wore a necklace with a flower pendant;

 I also wore floral hairpins yesterday on a trip to the beach.

The "leaves" are small snips of leather remnants that I received from a handbag designer I met at Somerville Open Studios. Her bags are really amazing, and it was an incredibly thoughtful gift! I've been using the scraps to make cuffs in all colors, and will post when I've worked out some of the ideas I have for them.

Embroidered Maps

I have been trying different ways to incorporate maps into textile pieces. I tried embroidering a map freehand last week. It was difficult to create order without the blocks of water to separate everything, but it was a different way to work. I found myself referring to it while drawing a paper map, so I suppose the exercise was good for something. It's hard to get the same kind of precise, architectural lines that I like in paper maps. The fabric I was using was just too thin to support backstitching, so I used more of a dashed line, sort of like a treasure map.

After I finished the map, I framed it in a basic clip frame that I had left over from SOS. I hadn't bothered to iron it, so the fabric bunched up inside, but I think I like the effect. There isn't much to suggest topological features in my drawn maps.

Embroidered Cuff Bracelet

I recently acquired a collection of embroidery materials, and have been playing around with ways to use them that do not involve kitschy cross-stitching. I was inspired by my roommate Hilary's cuff bracelet that her friend made from some recycled denim, and decided to embroider strips and turn them into cuff bracelets. I really love the way this looks. Staining the fabric with tea after embroidering does wonders to eliminate the plastic-y look of the cross-stitch fabric.

I may end up keeping this particular bracelet - it's so incredibly comfortable! I wear it all day and barely notice it. It would be a great way to wear a particular statement, if I didn't feel like cross-stitched letters were too kitschy. If you have any suggestions for subjects, please leave a comment! I've posted this to Etsy, since I'm working on an identical version that won't come pre-loved by me...

Autumn Headband

I added the gold rose for accent, but I wanted to avoid fake flowers this time and go for more of an autumn theme. I stitched down the ends of the ribbon bow so that they wouldn't stick out in front of my face, and now they just hang down by my ear.

Flowered Headband

This was very easy to make. I collected some fake flowers and lace from my stashes, sewed them to a felt oval and sandwiched a fabric headband between that and another piece of felt so the whole thing can slide around. I like the color combination - I'm really looking forward to fall...!

Cute

One of my favorite recent projects was a Cute:

It's about all I can call it. Its expression is pretty great.

Doll Project

On graduation, I got a sweet little doll from Fran at the costume shop. She had a heavy winter dress on, so last night I decided to update her.

Plushies

Also some cutesy things. I made these Easter chickies from a pattern my friend had. After making three in quick succession, though, I was pretty sick of the pattern.... It works much better with stretch; the head is really huge and kind of a strange square shape. I don't know why they didn't try to make it a ball shape instead of a prism, but I suppose you use fewer pattern pieces this way.