Analogue Chic

Posts Tagged ‘sewing’

Not so much a review this month– sorry. But here are a couple of tutorials I found this week that I'm dying to try.

Adorable layered dress

Via Craftzine

I want to try making this more versatile by creating a skirt with a wide waistband, rather than a dress with a strapless bodice.

Friendship-bracelet-meets-hardware

By Honestly WTF

I'm seeing this as a shimmery, badass necklace.

Are you going to try these? Let me know how it goes – comment and add your pictures on the Analogue Chic Facebook page!

Ideal for poor college students, birthday parties, pre-prom prep …

Let's redesign the sewing circle, and re-imagine your wardrobe!

Get the details here!

I’m working on some bigger, long-term projects (which you will hear about, all in good time…), but wanted to give a quick look at some of the smaller projects I’ve accomplished lately.

 Clockwise:

• boxers for my man – Simplicity 9958; I shortened the legs just a tad, they were old-school long. Fabulous, easy-peezy pattern.  This feller looks remarkably like the wearer:
• owl potholder – knitting pattern from Workbasket Magazine, July 1995, which noted the pattern had also been printed on Aunt Lydia’s Rug Yarn (is that still even produced?) years before.  This was inspired by this beautiful sweater– I can’t afford that much yarn, so a potholder from leftover yarn will have to do me.
• Fascinator - jerry-rigged from purchased feathers, ribbon and doodads from my stash, held together with dental floss (yes, really) on a plastic haircomb.
• Chicken of the Sea Purse – first mentioned here.  Made from a pattern from Creative Quilting Magazine, with some adaptations. 
• Madame X embroidery – I’ve been itching to do some embroidery ever since I found a very colorful, straightforward book at my grocery store, of all places (see sidebar, What I’m Reading). This was my own pattern, adapted from a stencil my sister helped me make years ago; just brown embroidery floss on a scrap of hot pink crap satin, outlined with stem stitch, filled in with satin stitch.  Sargent is one of my favorite painters, and this painting is just so badass. Sargent’s work is very much tied up with Edith Wharton in my mind, and I’ve been thinking about all these folks a lot, as far as ambience and fashion and textiles.  See:

Edith Wharton – Age of Innocence – by AllieAnalogue on Polyvore.com
Edith Wharton at Home – by AllieAnalogue on Polyvore.com

We’re having a great discussion over at CT Green Scene about reusable shopping bags.  They featured a number of links where you can buy ready made bags, which make great gifts, and should really become a part of your daily life.  While they do present some ecological and social concerns, I think the widespread use of these bags is definitely a big step in the right direction.

Since this is, ostensibly, an environmentally-conscientious blog, I wanted to follow up on the issue of reusable bags with links  for crafty green-folks, or green craftspeople, whatever you call yourselves, to make your  own market bags, in a variety of craft media.

For Knitters

A string bag.  The original pattern link seems not to be working.

A felted bag.

For Crocheters

Another string bag.

Another one, by Vickie Howell

The CTGreenScene article referenced MyRecycledBags.com, which offers many crochet patterns for different styles of bags.  And she sells her products here, if you’re not a crafter.  Buy handmade!

For Sewers

I think this is my favorite.

A bag based on the traditional plastic bag.

This awesome bag folds into its own zipper case.

As convenient as it is to buy a 99-cent polyethylene bag at the supermarket, it’s much more responsible to make your own, if you can, and make it from recycled materials.

The Internet has many, many, other patterns and inspirational ideas for bags in any style, made of any material you can think of.  Craftster, again, is a great resource for ideas on making bags and other stuff-for-carrying-stuff from recycled materials.  And if you’re more into buying handmade than making things by hand, there are lots of offerings on Etsy.

When I was "fabric shopping" at my parents’ house, I found this unfinished project from pre-2003, a tote bag knit from recycled plastic bags, cut into strips.  It’s been stowed away for so long, I have no idea where the pattern is.  Luckily, it’s knit in garter stitch, and I know I have to knit 3 pieces and that it’s shaped basically like a cereal box, and I’ll have to devise some handles for the top.  I’m slowly working on it….

Some more ‘stache-themed goodies I’ve seen recently:

This fabulous onesie, incidentally made by one of the ladies in my craft group.  Shop here.  Because babies need disguises too?

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And this awesome fabric– would be great for a lining.

What is it about the ‘stache?!

Being cooped in the house for the last 3 days (blizzard) has forced me to finally put this together: Directions for converting your sweatshirt into a cute little cape. It’s very long and wordy, as my writing usually is, but please post comments if things are utterly unclear, or if you have suggestions– although I will not be doing one-on-one sewing lessons through this blog. (If you’re a new sewer, please try to be resourceful about things like, what is a seam allowance? or how do I get sharp corners when I turn the seam right side out? There are lots of good sites for sewing basics on the web.)  Just forgive the wonky layout and first-tutorial flubs. If you do end up making your own, please register on Craftster and post yours as a reply to my original post. Well, have fun and be creative with it!  Get thee to a stitchery!

  And I LOVE my local Salvation Army Store– they have HUGE discounts on all clothes on Wednesdays, thereby enabling my fabric-stash-addiction and closet overcrowding problem, without hurting my wallet!  Mwah! The button-downs above are for conversion into tote bags/gift wrap for my homegirls, a la this project– whoops! just gave away 50% of my holiday gifts! Here are some more new members of my textile collection: Now, on the left there, that is a Man Shirt: it is big, wooly and warm, literally a working man’s shirt– that shirt does not mess around.  And there’s a cute, vintage, lamb’s wool and angora Lady Sweater with semi-batwing sleeves.  And a very cute, kid’s belt from LL Bean.  Lots of possibilities with these: not sure if I want to reconstruct the Man Shirt, it would make an awesome cape, or a felted bag, perhaps; I may wear the Lady Sweater as is, also possibly a felted something- beret?; belt is obviously too small, and it would be a pain to reclaim the hardware, it may become a handbag handle. And for dessert– too sweet!–   Again, a real toss-up between wearing it or felting it– what do you think?  Comments, suggestions? I’ve never actually felted anything (intentionally) before, I need to do more research on how to do it, and I’m not sure what I would make from the felt with any of these, but I would like to try it.  I’m just scared of committing a great garment to felting, and then wishing I hadn’t so I could do something else!  Oh, well, I’m sure it will come to me in the middle of one of the sleepless nights I seem to be having lots of …

Here are some of my other recent projects as posted on Craftster:

Nauti' Girl Top - reconstructed men's shirts

*well, for some reason, wordpress is not letting me put a link in the photo captions…*

Nauti’ Girl Top

Tote bag (no clever nickname- suggestions welcome)- men's shirt recon

Tote bag

If you dabble in crafts of ANY kind, at any skill level, I highly recommend registering with Craftster and getting up the courage to post in the forums.  There are great tutorials that people have patiently put together, you WILL be inspired by other folks’ work, and your projects that you’ve worked so hard on, alone in your dark garret craft room, will get the mad props and love that you deserve.  I <3 Craftster 8<.

Take a look at my latest homemade fashion, on Craftster:

Keeps my chin warm.

The Fiance says I look like Vincent Valentine of Final Fantasy VII:

Mr. Valentine

Whoever.

It’s all made of recycled materials (previously owned clothing) except for my homemade button and the hem tape I used for the button loop.  I’ll be putting a general how-to on the Craftster page, so bookmark it and check back in a couple of days if you’re interested in that.