a little cottage industry

Patterns & Pasta

2011-01-28T23:34:00.004-05:00

Here's a few pictures of the pattern "spaghetti" that was mentioned earlier....

Shift!

2010-10-02T22:36:00.003-04:00

Had to make a screeching halt on the cloche - need trim!
Started this frock from 1930 out of wine-colored striped rayon crepe from Elegant Fabrics in Manhattan. Altered the pattern a bit & jumping into the fray - could be disastrous, since I'm too impatient to do a muslin! Tally-ho!

Next Up...

2010-09-30T00:24:00.004-04:00

This is the beginning of cloche pattern #1603 from the Vintage Pattern Lending Library!
The view inside-out. The fabric is from Flirt in park Slope. A remnant for $5!!

A Few Things for Fall

2010-09-30T00:11:00.003-04:00

Made a while back this Spring. Used the first pattern I ever used & extended it into a dress. It didn't go so well at first, but with a lot of futzing & help from D, it turned out alright! It's so easy to wear, so comfy, and SO 80's!

Piped neckline & sleeves along with Fabulous new necklaces! The beaded one from the Brooklyn Flea the morn this photo was taken & the heart locket from our good friends, Bob & Judi.
This pattern is my new standby, Burda #7866. This is the 3rd &, I think, the best of the bunch!! (just finished a few days ago.) I added gathers in the back at waist, longer sleeves &.....
a keyhole shoulder-detail! So much you can do with one pattern!

Summer Top

2010-09-02T23:23:00.003-04:00

Some pics of a little summer top. Fabric from Superbuzzy, pattern from the Pochee Spring 2010 edition (Somewhere there's a pic of the pattern page from this puppy! Like spaghetti finding the correct pieces. A lovely challenge!)

Whistful Longing on a Workday

2010-06-03T15:23:00.003-04:00

Yes, I should be working, but I must take a moment to wax on about Japanese fabrics & why they're so addicting.....

First, the quality that I've encountered is pretty consistently amazing, the "hand" of the fabrics is wonderful, and I just can't get over the fabulous designs (for the most part)! Okay, so there are some 'not so fab' designs out there, but they're just not my cup-o-tea, I'd say.

What else?.......Okay, when I look at some of the stuff & I want to eat it or make something, anything, immediately, that's a positive indicator, no? I'm having a problem accepting any other fabric source - is it a form of snobbery? Or just amor??

Woodland Creatures!

2010-05-24T14:47:00.003-04:00

Finally, here's another project.....a little stuffed snail (well, not yet stuffed) for F & J's new little baby boy - he's so sweet!

Hopefully, he'll like the the little bits of this there are to pull & chew on. By the look of his feelers, this guy is in full exploration mode, right?

Been starting on many things, but not finishing, due to work & life, but will get on the stick, as it were! Happy Spring!

(listening to Joanna Newsome while stitching this guy - kind of makes sense, right?)

Slight Coverage

2010-02-08T09:47:00.005-05:00

Well, here's a project that's not quite finished, but will be soon (she says!)...all I've left to do is trim the second pull shade & we're done! These are in the dining room/office/craft room. After 4-1/2 years, I finally put up window treatments other than $4 pull shades! I think the look kind of goes with the cottage-y feel of our apartment.
The body of the curtain is poly lace I got ages ago from somewhere - given to me, I think. The trim on the bottom used to be attached to a petticoat I wore in college. Love that trim & it's had a few lives so far. The off-white bits are flocking, for cryin' out loud!

The trim now on the pull-shade to spruce it up (too cheap to buy new ones - these still work!). Note the area where I slipped when stitching - kept it there for wabi-sabi's sake. Still remembering "it doesn't have to be perfect, it doesn't have to be perfect...."
The pull from some shop in Soho - bone or something like that.
The summer handbag I'm beginning - still needs a lining. The fabric is white cotton with metallic silver images!! what could be better?!

It's been so long....

2010-01-18T15:02:00.004-05:00

It's a New Year & now that there's finally free time, I can do a bit of posting. These pic's are of "taggie" toys I made as part of my sweet baby twin nephews' Christmas package (from the Simple Sewing book - fabric from Superbuzzy & Fiber Notion)

some tricked out hot pads I just completed. (click on the picture for a larger view.) The fabric is a Japanese import from Superbuzzy that I just love, but had no use for yet, & the hot pads are from Mom's give-away pile a few years back. I made the fabric into bias binding & stitched it on through the pad from front to back to secure - easy since it was so soft. The hang tag was applied to the bias & hot pad first so it's rough edges could be totally hidden. Viola! hang-able & cute.

In the meantime...

2009-10-08T12:20:00.002-04:00

No pictures as of yet of anything new. Starting to do some hemming, but have many projects in mind. Finishing the brown dress for one!!

And now, for something completely different!

2009-09-16T18:13:00.002-04:00

A silhouette I made for D.'s birthday last month. It's of Lulu & her long, lost mouse - the one she found in our apt. 3 years ago & for whom she still carries a torch. We almost wish another would make an appearance just to make her happy.

19-what?

2009-09-14T16:54:00.003-04:00

What era does this trimming look like? Kinda 1930's meets 1940's? Anyhow, I've yet to wear it in public, since the season's pretty much over - sob! Trim is from Brooklyn Mercantile, another lovely Park Slope shop!

Cute-ify!

2009-09-14T16:43:00.005-04:00

A Project long in the making: a sweet valance for our kind of modern, yet still wanting to be 1920's kitchen. Finally found the perfect fabric for it at the Red Bank, NJ antique barn.

(Mitts to the left were a project from last year...pic on right is by the fabulous Aunty Cookie)

I took a table/dresser runner which is beautifully embroidered, cut it down, hemmed it & added hanging loops out of thread I had chained (is that how you say it?). Like a tailor's tack, but longer & looped. Add an Ikea curtain rod for $4-$5 & voila! Sweetness!

Another Day, Another Project...

2009-06-22T23:51:00.007-04:00

Well, I just got finished saying that basically time was at a premium & not much crafting was happening, but that's sort of not totally true. My sister-in-law's due very soon with twin boys (yea!) & I wanted to send out a little something when they arrive on the scene.

Simple Sewing is FAN-tastic! (Scaredy Kat can special-order it for you, if you'd like!) It features simple (as the title suggests) or simply styled practical baby items that make perfect gifts if you're strapped for time as I am right now.

I'm doing the bias-trimmed burp cloths - 3 for each little guy! The fabrics are ones used in other quilts or just hanging around - don't you just love the ruler fabric?? The blue is 'gnomes gardening' print (Heather Bliss) & the red is cowboys on horses (an integral part of my nephew's quilt). The burp cloths are actually diapers & came from the fabulous Boing Boing in Brooklyn.

(PS - The sweet little guys were born on the July 4th! Cute as can be!!)

Duh

2009-06-22T23:41:00.003-04:00

Well, the below pictures never got their text, for cryin' out loud! I didn't even think anything was posted at all, so here's a little text:

Because the Mr. & I have been getting ready to move our store (Scaredy Kat), crafting has taken a back seat. SO, in lieu of that, the other day, I decided to post a little number I worked on a few years back - why not?

Anyhow, the below pics are of my niece's communion dress & veil that she & my sister-in-law wanted jazzed up a bit. Thus, the pearl trim & sequins - fun & glitzy, no? She looked so great in it, I must say!

Just Because....

2009-06-13T16:09:00.001-04:00

Cha-cha-changes

2009-05-17T13:25:00.004-04:00

{Before}

{After}

So, ever since I altered these Shabby Chic curtains & put them up, they haven't quite fit the bill. Wrong color? Too much coverage? Not so sure, but I felt uneasy. SO, the new & improved curtains are here! White mid-weight linen from Denver Fabrics & clippy hanging thingies from Ikea. When we wake, there's sun, but not too much & the color is clean & cheery. Nice!

Voila!

2009-04-29T13:27:00.003-04:00

Here's the finished product. What a breeze of a dress!

Don't those yellow swishes on the hem look like shrimp?

Madras + Simplicity = ???

2009-04-21T16:21:00.001-04:00

Okay, so a little diversion of a new quick summer dress using fabric bought at the Brooklyn Flea last year. This fabric was one of those "it will either be really great or really horrible!" Plus, the fabric is pretty "ethnic-y" & that is something I normally don't venture into. But, not time like the 40's to try something new! Well, I think this might be on the non-horrible side of the scale. Oh - and it's going to get an elastic waist - just wanted to take a clear pic of the outrageous fabric.

Also...

2009-04-11T13:00:00.000-04:00

Lulu wanting to assist as cutter

Here's the fabric of choice - 100% lightweight cotton w/mylar gold threads (from Denver Fabrics)

A Sweet Frock To Start With

2009-04-11T12:18:00.000-04:00

To start the ball of this blog rolling, here's the newest project - a Hollywood Patterns 1930's frock.

She looks so happy in her new outfit!