Tuesday 29 January 2008

Small Flags

I have the first flags done. This is how I proceed. As I said this pattern is more simple than the previous that I had made. It has more to do with origami, which I'm quite good at:-P

I fold two longer sides, by sight, width of half the shortest side.

I cut the pike in a bit smaller angle than is of the triangle in the center. It's better to cut it after folding because it doesn't fray out and deform while folding that much.

I sew the folded part and as I have really many pieces I don't snip the thread and I get a continuous belt of these. I solve the threads in the end offhand. I just cut it, no lock, no tie, it will be places inside.

And the origami part - I fold the corners along the drawn line and the whole unsewn side according to this line.

Sewing with a lock on both sides - this part will be stressed.

The first eight flags. Four flags take about half an hour.

Monday 28 January 2008

Small Flags Pattern

I have a task - to make little triangular flags (hung on a cord) to limit our perform space. Many they'll be.
I did this some time ago but with a different pattern. This one is very simple, just a triangle without a tip.

I want to vary blue, red and yellow triangles.

Sunday 20 January 2008

Updo for Today - Three Loops

This is my favourite one - a high ponytail turned into three braids, just this time I ended them up in the middle.

Afterwards I folded them and fastened with a elastic band so that the rubber bands were hidden. And voilá, this is it.

Friday 18 January 2008

Lamp-Shade

I wanted to make a shade for my table lamp. It has a very strong bull in it and it's uncomfortable if you glimpse the bull directly.

I bought this napkin in a cheap shop. I traced a lamp - the circle in the center, and cut two rectangles.

Then the rectangles were sewn together and added to the circle. I hid the tying inside.
I know that's not very safe, but I promis I'll keep an eye on it. Anyway, it's better than the tissue and sello tape, that was there before:-D

Thursday 17 January 2008

Poi Sacks

I finished the poi: turned them over and stuffed with millet. Loose filling is the best, I was thinking about flour as well but this one surely won't penetrate through the seams.

Here are both poi, with elaborated handles. These are for two persons, as this type of twirling needs only one poi.

And even if I don't know if I'll get some extra money for this I can't leave out sacks:)
Two same rectangles, down in the shape of the ball with some cm added.

I joined a strip of fabric..

..turned it down and sewed again. Room for the lace. No machine embroidery, this time I differ with colour of the lace (according to poi).

These are my sacks:-) I put two loops of ribbon to each one, it's easy-to-close fastening.
This is how the poi will be delivered to their owner.

Tuesday 15 January 2008

New Type of Poi

I got a request to make poi for belly dance with veil. I had been studying the original and I hope I understood.
This is the second poi - I know how to do it already:-)
I cut this shape out of a gentle light fabric. I found out that I'm unable to zigg-zagg sharp edges - this one will be inside the poi.

Straining a bit is necessary and makes the curly border. I folded a few milimeters to get a smooth line.

Quite good result:-) Folding the seams is easy as the fabric winds itself.

I made this pattern just out of the knowledge of the ball's perimeter. Fortunatelly it worked:) Four pieces, I marked their upper parts to recognise them - the fabric had quite long nap, it's visible when you complete the pieces wrong..

These are the panels - I sewed two and two ovals together. I prepared a plastic band and put it up, the napkin was put down with a loop for the veil.

What should be outside must be sewn inside:-) I sewed along the outline and left some centimeters free - so I didn't have to stuff the whole napkin inside.

Sunday 13 January 2008

My Heart's Pleasure

This is my new green dress. It's a thing I'm the most contented about of all my creation.When I have time and sun, there'll be a better photo on this place.

And there's a room for big Thanks to my boyfriend who helped me a lot with it. This is the fingerloop on the bodice that he made himself.

Saturday 12 January 2008

Green Dress Finishing

I can't, and don't want to, sew this long stripe in hand as the sleeves. I cut the leaves with one cm allowance on both sides, sewed it to the same width green stripe and folded like this. Ironing.

I put the black stripe's edge to the dress' one, right side to right side. Ironing like this. I folded it along the line that's on the right now and sewed (on the face) just between the green and black.

Bingo, stitched are almost invisible from the face side :-D Yeah

Friday 11 January 2008

The Very Last Leaves

Today I only managed to join the embroidery to a circle, adding some siw leaves or so. It's about Two and half a meter long.

Thursday 10 January 2008

Front Gore

How to make the gore smooth and flat? Without making a seam througt the whole dress it's pretty tricky.

As necklines are the only thing I'm probably good at I'll use its technic :-)
I've sewn this piece of fabric to the upper end of the future gore. After sewing I cut it in the middle and turned it to the wrong side. Then I've added the whole gore (without the pike). Now I can use the hidden backstitch to attach the gore to the upper ply and maybe once rip out the middle auxiliary one.

Why does it always have to be so complicated:-)

Wednesday 9 January 2008

Sleeve Leaves

I must admit that the feeling of cutting the prepared embroidery's not an easy matter. There's a piece of my heart in it and fear of spoiling it.

I cut the sleeve pieces and I've sewn them to the sleeves along the lower hem (the line on the right). Then I turned it to the right side and sewed it to a circle.

The embroidery had to be completed which took me some time. I draw all the leaves freehand, with very sharp yellow pencil. When the pencil is sharp enough it lets the track easily.

I folded the upper edge inside and used my favourite (not really, but the most useful for me :) ) invisible backstitch.

Tuesday 8 January 2008

Belt and Necklines

I had big problems looking for a belt suitable to my dress. I'd prefered a textile one.
And today I was lucky. I found a natural strip of fabric in a shop, in a linen and cotton green colour. Coincidence?.-)

I wanted to put it together with a buckle I had bought before. It was wider so I ripped a piece and weaved it back after inserting the buckle.

I'll have to sew it afterwards, now I don't have enough time. I tried to cover the belt edge but I'll have to do it as if I had made the strip myself - to finish with weaving again.

And this is usual neckline work. I used to cut it some few milimeters from the line before sewing but after my velvet experience with non-fitting pieces I decided to cut it after sewing. The front panel is on the top - I sew along this drawn line cause it's more important.

Both necklines done, the green edge attached with back stitch as well as the linen one. The belt just suits! ;-)

Sunday 6 January 2008

Petty Neck

I've done the neck - the usual process, and in the end I attached it with some hand backstitching. (Sleeves were backstitched as well.) I have chosen a pattern to complete it but I'm not sure yet.

If I do it, it'll be the chained feather stitch from Annie's vocab of stitches, outlined with two backstitch lines. I tried it and I didn't believe how nice it was ;)

Saturday 5 January 2008

Green Gores

I've cut the gores - double for back, two doubles for sides and a single one for the front.

Today I inserted the side gores. It was easy because there's a seam already on the sides. The front will be worse :-(
At first I've sewn the two gores to the side and finally attached them together in the middle.

I tried to draw the neckline but there's no point taking it seriously until the petticoat neck is done.

Friday 4 January 2008

Petty Gores

I added the rest of the gores to the petticoat. Two to the front and two bigger to the back. I didn't sew the two gores together first but I sewed them separately to the dress instead. This way I can see if the gores fit well and in case of need I can easily work with them using the middle seam.
I put too small gores to the sides, next time I'd use one small gore to the front, and the other three big.

And I must say that I found a very interesting tool today. I don't have to look for inspiration for a long time anymore, it comes to me:) Just check this Google Reader thing at Sharon's post.

Thursday 3 January 2008

Petticoat Bodice

I made a mistake as far as the petty. The back seam was not in the center. And I had to make a bodice as I wasn't able to put it on. I've made a paper model at first:) I cut a hole (pic. 1) to correct the falsity.

I prepared a rectangle and ironed it like this, then sewed the narrower half, right side to the right side. Folded the bottom, the center of the triangles is not equal to the one of the halves. I folded the piece according to the ironing and sewed neatly at the right line so that the stitches almost wouldn't be visible (it attaches the back side of the strip as it's a bit wider than the front side). The same for the other piece. Finishing the triangel is a matter of hand sewing.

Today I bought metal eyelets. I'd like them to be covered with a cotton - as if sewed in hand but stronger. If I have time once, cause now I'm in a hurry. The 12th is the ball I want this dress for:) There won't be this nasty black something, I want a fingerloop cord there instead.

Cottesimple was right, this picture was taken without a bra and it seems like a good support.
In the meantime I've sewn the sleeves together and added two gores to the sides (too little yet). And today I undertook a neckline.