Remember the pile of stuff a couple of posts back? (I'd link to it, but I'm way too lazy this evening . . . ) Anyway, here's what I made from it: The Butterfly Queen. (I did add a few beads and a piece of ribbon, but the rest is what I was given to work with.)
I made these for a swap; they mail out tomorrow. (More under the cut, for those who are interested . . . )
This was my March project from Swap Your Stash at Like Minded Artist. Everyone who signed up takes a month; you send everybody the same bits and pieces from your stash, and they make something. Hopefully using all the bits and pieces . . . I didn't, though I do have a couple more things in the works.
I do like this one. Especially the cow.
Any idea what it is? (Answer under the cut)
This is the tote bag I've been working for . . . well, far too long. The pattern is Crabapple Hill's Posy Pocket Purse. I like it well enough—other than having to sew with many layers: inside with pockets, quilting fleece, outside with pockets—but I don't like the pocket construction. She has you sew it on last, by hand, after everything else is finished. It looks nice, but I don't know how sturdy it will be. (I know myself, and I am prone to cram everything but the kitchen sink in a pocket, sometimes with no regard as to whether it will fit.) I'm thinking I may buttonhole around the outside edge for some added stability—or maybe a row of cross stitches, bracketed by backstitching. (Not my original idea; it came from someone on the Hand Embroidery list.)
And here's a closeup of the pocket. Stitching is done with DMC floss, and the little pockets are plant-dyed wool felt—I forget just where I bought it, but it was one of the sites that cater to Waldorf schoolers. The buttons came from The Stash.
Here's her sundress—it's a dotted swiss-type fabric, light and airy (and ravel-y!); the lace on the hem is from my stash (perhaps vintage? I don't remember where I got it . . . but it might be). It's hard to see in the picture, but the hem is wavy. It's a Farbenmix pattern, Sasha, one of those you have to trace off a master sheet and add seam allowances (but it is in English). I bought it from Sewzanne's, and I highly recommend them—excellent service and quick shipping, which is good for those of us who value instant gratification . . . 
And here's the smock: I loved working with this fabric! It's so smooth and silky, the way really nice cotton is . . . but I have no idea where I got it! I bought it last year sometime and stashed it away for the proper thing.
It doesn't show in the photo, but the neck is buttonhole stitched with orange pearl cotton, just because I wanted to. Here's a closeup of the pocket:
The pattern is from this book—
I bought it on eBay from someone in Japan (along with one of embroidery, over which I am still drooling); it's another of those with a master pattern sheet from which you must pick out the pieces of your particular thing, in your particular size, and trace them off. (I use a roll of soil separator, which is used in laying sewer pipe; at less than $20 for a 300 foot roll, it's a bargain. I'll probably never have to buy another roll.) It was an interesting experience, since all the pattern notations, etc. are in Japanese. So are the instructions, but it's an easy dress and I've been sewing since I was 13, so that wasn't a big deal.
Also in her birthday box (mailing tomorrow) are these books:
The lion costume is finished! And on its way, and all the tiny bits of fleece and thread and yarn are safely tucked away in the vacuum cleaner . . .
Here's the back. The front looks just the same, only with no tail . . . 
And there are spats to cover her shoes, and mitts for her hands . . .
And a headpiece, complete with mane . . .
And a matching costume for Bella . . .
Whew! I'll tell you one things—I am so, so very tired of sewing on pieces of yarn . . . but I do think it came out pretty well.
Now, on to the next project—Emma's birthday is April 1, and I am planning to make her a couple of summer dresses as her gift (plus the requisite book, of course; all grandchildren—and pretty much everyone else too—get books at every possible opportunity), and I have four pretty pieces of material to choose from, as well as a couple of new patterns—one Farbenmix, a sundress with a tiered twirly skirt; and one Japanese one, a pretty little smock with shoulder ruffles and a square yoke.
And I'm going to make myself a wool felt folder to hold my needlebook, embroidery scissors, and so on (from this pattern, only I think I'm going to choose fall colors, since that's what I have on hand), so I shall cut out all the pieces and choose the floss this evening, and then I'll have something to work on in the evenings. I don't really see well enough to do a lot of machine sewing at night—unless, of course, it's something imperative (see above). . .
This is my piece for the Daylight Savings Time Swap hosted (hostessed?) by Kai. The face is polymer clay (I confess, I bought it on Ebay), and the backing is a sheer embroidered rosette backed with wool felt and embellished with seed beads, wood rounds, and those 'stone' beads that used to be popular about twenty years ago.
And, not to blow mine own horn, but toot! toot! it was chosen as Best Interpretation of Theme!
Best of all, though, I really enjoyed working on it. A pleasant change from costumes and things that have to be done . . .
A good swap . . . and if you see this, Kai, send me another Flickr invitation, please, to Kirbanita2007—the first one didn't work, and I can't see what everyone else did!
Miss Bella's dress, to match Eliza's—
over my own stupidity, that is . . . This past weekend (and the early part of this week), I decided to make Eliza a spring dress. I had this pattern, and I thought B would be nice (actually, I wanted to make C, the jumpsuit, but I haven't had a chance to measure her in a couple of months and I was afraid I'd make the torso too short). 
Anyway, I dug into The Stash and found this fabric and this lace—the fabric is the vintage polyester I mentioned earlier (John's mother gave it to me; she'd bought it to make a dress some years ago and never did, and she doesn't sew any more.), and the lace is some that came from Mom last time we were over there. (That would be the time I brought back two good-sized bags of lace oddments, mostly needing to be sorted out and wrapped around something. I spent a couple of days last week doing that, except for a box of eyelet. I was tired of untangling things, so I just sort of folded it up and stuck it in a plastic shoebox, to be dealt with someday when I'm suffering from terminal boredom.) I have no idea how old it is either, but it isn't recent.
Unfortunately, when I was cutting the dress out, I had an attack of Teh Stupids, or something . . . now, Eliza is a good five inches taller than the pattern specifies for her size, so I always have to lengthen everything. . . but did I lengthen this? Of course not. And, if you take into account the fact that the dress illustration shows it above the knee, it would have been just below her butt. Not acceptable at all. It was a big piece of polyester; I could have just cut out another dress, but then I'd have wasted the first set of pieces. (Just so you know, I have only just now, after sewing for nearly forty-five years, become able to throw away all the little tiny scraps left when cutting out something . . . ) So I poked around in The Stash some more, and found this—gauze that I bought a couple of years ago to make myself a tunic top and [obviously] never did, and some more lace from Mom—and made a skirt to go under the dress-which-is-now-a-tunic. (No pattern; I just cut it to an appropriate length, sewed a casing on one end and the lace on the other.)
Here's the finished tunic— 
and here's a closeup of the embroidery I did over the lace on the front seams (nothing more elaborate than buttomhole stitch along the bound edge and french knots in the center of the wheels, but I think it works well)—
and here's the whole thing. I thought I'd never finish it, but I'm happy with the way it turned out. Now I just hope it fits . . . 
Here are a couple of bad pictures of Riley's pig (fleece and a pattern from Carol's Zoo):
And here is the reason for these bad pictures:
It's so good to have lots of help!
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