Crinoline: Almost finished. (and a little Fairy Queen)

Yup, after a week off I almost finished the crinoline. It is more work than I anticipated and I had to alter the lengths of the hoops a little bit, but it's almost finished now.

 

Yup, that's ductape :P The twill bone casing tape I ordered with the hoops is too small. The hoops can get inside, but it's too tight to push the hoops through. So I just taped the hoops together to measure and finish it as best as I can until the newly ordered wider twill tape arrives and I can properly finish. 

At least it's finished enough so I can fit the Fairy Queen costume over it and see how that works out. It seems that I haven't bought enough fabric for the base of the skirt, so I have to get an additional 1,5 metre tomorrow. Now I just hope I did buy enough for the layers. Something which I'm also doubting, but can't verify just yet.

Wintercoat: Almost finished and almost gave up. Crinoline and Fairy Queen: teasers... Happy Fairy Queen

Wintercoat

hi Y'all,

The winter coat is almost finished. Sleeves are in. Seams are finished and I hemmed the coat. Some little mistakes that arise will still need to be fixed and pockets need to be added. But I wanted to do the buttons and stuff, so I can at least start wearing the coat before winter ends.

So on New Years Eve I sat down to do the button holes. A task which takes about an hour and with sewing the buttons on would take 2 at most. All my test button holes on a failed collar (so it had all the layers and stuff) turned perfect after a few adjustments. But when I put my coat under the machine it started acting up.
Breaking the top thread even after adjusting the tension. So I gave up on the button holes. I hate doing them with the intensity of a thousand suns.
So last Saturday I took the coat to a tailorshop and asked them to make the button holes. I can sew on the buttons by myself. I don't care that it will cost me, because it will save me a lot of frustration.

Crinoline: 

So I sewed the bag parts together. Still need to finish the seams before continuing it, but I started on it. With the tailor Dummy I can work on it.

Fairy Queen

I'm also very happy with my Fairy Queen costume. I haven't bought fabric yet, but I bought my first part of it. I intend to start on the Fairy Queen costume at the end of January. 

A couple of weeks ago I went to the Beverwijkse Bazaar to buy some pretty shiny fabrics. Unfortunately I couldn't find fabric I like for the price I liked. So I will go to Amsterdam on the 20th with a friend of mine. 

However I did see some nice embellishments there which would save me a lot of time with adding beads and shinies by hand and then I saw a bodice! It was so pretty I had to buy it. It was expensive but it will look gorgeous, fabulous and amazing while saving me lots of work. 

Is that a GIF? Hell no, that's a normal camera photo that literally sparkles of your screen! It's magic!

It's a glass beaded bodice that you sew over the top. Awesome! Woot!

Wintercoat: Let the sewing begin! Also Tailor's dummy

Wintercoat

I took a few days of to work on the Wintercoat. I made much more progress than I anticipated.
I didn't work a full day on it yesterday nor today and it's almost finished. Please forgive me for the quality of the pictures. I made them with my phone.

Yesterday I cut the fabric pieces and sewed it on the batting an lining. On the picture you see the 2 sleeve parts. Since my back was hurting from sitting on the floor cutting pieces before sitting hunched over behind the sewing machine and my dad came home I thought that was enough of the day. 

However after dinner my parents went to the neighbours and I decided to continue the coat. I ended up sewing all the bodice parts together but stopped when my parents came back. On the picture you can see the unfinished bodice. It looks like I lined up the print, but I didn't. Just a happy accident.

The first day I could see a lot of progress, but today was a finishing seams day.  On the picture below you can see the inside of the coat with 2 finished seams and 2 unfinished ones. I left the seams quite stiff so they work as a kind of flexible boning and will form on my body.

I also sewed and finished the sleeves, but I haven't got pictures of that.

Tomorrow I will go to the market to buy buttons for the coat. I also need to decide on the storm collar from the pattern or if I will make a hood for it. Since I have plenty of fabric for both I will make both. Perhaps I can make them interchangeable so I can alternate. At the very least I can pin them on the semi finished coat and see which one I prefer.

If all things go as planned I might be able to finish the Wintercoat tomorrow or at the latest this weekend.

Tailor's Dummy

I also bought a Tailor's Dummy for my sewing online. The store said they would deliver it the next day so hopefully I will have him tomorrow. It would be easier to finish the hem of the coat. It is also essential for the making of the crinoline. I also think it would help me a lot in my sewing. 

Crinoline and Fairy Queen: small update

Crinoline

Awhile ago I told you guys I was going to make a Crinoline in this post. Before I focussed on the Winter Coat.

I bought almost all the necessary fabric, hoop wire and ribbons for it. Still need to have a closing mechanisme for it, but those are easily obtained on the market (either local or Albert Cuyp) and the shop in my hometown.

I already cut the bags but still need to sew it before making the hoops and stuff. Kind of excited about it.

Fairy Costume

For the next Elf Fantasy Fair in April I'm going to make a Fairy Queen costume. I hope it will be awesome! 

For this I'm going to use above mentioned Crinoline. 

This top in white, silver and either pink or blue hues, perhaps with beading and shinies!: 

And this skirt in above mentioned colours. Off course with loads of organza and shiny fabrics in different colours, making a sort of gradient: 

I also intend to make a crown and wings. But I haven't figured those out yet so I will keep you updated about that. 

I'm still debating the main colour. I like the pink because it's fairy like and girly and OMG! COTTON CANDY IN YOU FACE!
But I like how blue looks on me. So tell  me your views! 

Wintercoat: Lining and stuff

So this weekend I didn't spend as much time as I thought I would on the coat. I cut the lining though.
I forgot that I really needed to re-cut the body pieces, since the sleeves are fine from before. So I cut the inner sleeves twice (or fourths (I have no idea. It's 4 pieces instead of 2 though. You know what I mean)). But this made me think...
Perhaps if there's enough fabric left I should cut all the pieces dubble (or 4x) so I can put the batting between 2 lining fabric layers. So it will be:

Fashion Fabric
Lining Fabric
Batting
Lining Fabric


Also I picked  up a sewing machine yesterday. It's a nice sturdy machine with lots of different stitches. I haven't tried it yet, but I will soon.

Also picked up thread and locking thread at the market. Still need to buy buttons, but haven't seen nice ones in the vicinity. Might have to go to Albert Cuyp to get those. Still not sure what kind of buttons I want too, so there's that.

Winter coat: Pockets, hoods and a funeral

Funeral

So last Saturday I brought my sewing machine to the repair shop. Tuesday I got a call that my machine can't be fixed. The part needed to be replaced isn't being made any more and so it's deceased. I'm kinda bummed because it was a nice machine.
Luckily I had plenty of others for replacement machines. I was already planning to buy a new one in the future so these plans are just moved forward a bit. In the meantime I've got offers to loan a machine or buy them for a steal. This Sunday my mother and I will pick one of these machines up in return for a home-made apple pie.  Nice deal!

Pockets and hoods

With the rain we been having lately it made me realise the winter coat hasn't got any pockets or a hood. Things I really need, since it's one of the reasons I don't wear another similar style coat because of it (and the fact that it keeps losing it's buttons). So I looked up what to do.

For the pockets I tried doing a similar method that I used on a previous pattern, but I would have the coat pattern quite a bit for it to work. I then looked for other methods. I have only made pockets once and that method wasn't going to work. Luckily the internet helped me. So I'm going to make a Welt pocket with a flap using this method. Off course with everything I'm going to test it first on the prototype coat.

I had some hood patterns with my cloak patterns which can be used for the coat according to stuff other people said with minimal corrections. I'm also going to make a little hair comb on the inside of the hood. This way I can clip this in my hair keeping the hood in place when it's windy instead of holding it with my hands and rain coming into my sleeves. 

Wintercoat: recutting patterns again, hood, pockets and a sewing hospital visit.

So, yesterday I sat down to cut out fabric pieces. With the hiplength Size E (Before had size C) patterns I had already cut the lining and now I was sitting down to cut the fashion fabric.
However I had doubts about the hip length. My current coat is thigh length and I love how in rainy weather it keeps my ass dry and warm. The hip length wouldn't cover my butt when sitting down or on my bike.
But I wasn't really sure yet.
So I decided to not do the lazy thing, but the smart thing. Namely recutting patterns in hip length and size E and then see how it looks in thigh length. It's easier to shorten the coat when it's almost done than lengthen it.
This means however I also have to recut the lining pieces, but I have plenty leftover fabric. I don't have that much extra fashion fabric for budget reasons. The lining was EUR 1,- per metre and the fashion fabric was EUR 16 per metre.

Than later that evening it started to rain and it made me realize (with the twisted and winding roads my  mind makes) that this coat won't have a hood or pockets. The very reason I'm not wearing another similiar style coat in bad weather. So I put on the prototype and started to see if pockets could be made. It's possible, but I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to do it.
I made a coat with pockets once so I'm trying to see if I can use the same method. I'm gonna try with some leftover fabric I have.

Also having to figure out how I'm going to make a hood on the coat. I have some hooded cloak patters which has nice hoods that I can adapt. Problem is... I can't find those patterns. I have almost all my patterns in a bag, but these cloaks are one of my first bought patterns. I don't know where I put them. Otherwise I have to get one from the internet or perhaps try my hand at making one myself. Off course, also the hood will be made first in leftover fabric on the prototype. Hood might be so hard. I just hope I have enough fabric for it.

Saturday I brought my sewing machine to the shop to get fixed. With the Miss Hartigan Project my sewing machine stopped transporting my fabric. Keeping it in place. So I had to use a back up machine. This machine is fine, but it's not my Singer. So I hope they can fix it. An aquintance of my mother said it might be a simple thing to fix, but at the shop they said they would do their best. I know they always say this to protect themselfs, but still.

Still need locking thread for my lock machine though... So have to get to the shop saturday. Perhaps I can pick up my machine then. I hope so.