Coming in 2016

Can you believe it is going to be 2016?

This coming year is bringing some great things.
~ I’ll be kicking off the year with two Sew Alongs, one public making a work bag and on private local one making pin balls.
~PPandP book cover I will also finally be releasing Paisley, Plaid & Purled: Shawls of the Mid-Nineteenth Century as an e-book. It will be exclusively available in my Etsy store.
~ I am enjoying making doll scale pieces. Expect an assortment of doll millinery.
~ In the millinery world, I am currently feeling a focus on ‘off the rack’ selections that will include highly authentic pieces and artistic pieces.
~ I will continue my big winter hood research and writing project. I hope to have some previews early this year with a better idea of when it will be available mid year.
~ I have an uber-secret project that will take a great deal of time.
~ And, given what birthday year this is, I’ll likely have some wacky mid-life crisis project or such. That could be particularly fun.

The essential projects list, in a completely random order:

  • The uber-secret project.
  • A new coat – I need a new coat. This need spans the modern world and the historic world. So, I have yet to determine what kind of coat this will be. I also have yet to determine if it will be made out of the black wool or the white wool/silk.
  • There will be lots of fun with the dolls. Some, okay a good portion of it, will be just plain fun, therefore, it will be found in the new blog “Don’t Pain the Cat.” The girls have their own trunk with fabric stash.
  • I need a couple piece of head-wear for me including a new corded sunbonnet and at least a 20’s cap.
  • I’ll be making kitten warmers for the rescue. They’ll be little warming beds and little warming pillows for the little ones found out in the cold.
  • Having two early 20s dresses, some 20s accessories are in store. Maybe a pair of long stays even though my short stays are so ridiculously comfortable. It will be nice to lessen the, um, extent of my mid-section. I definitely need a different shift/chemise and bodiced petticoat that won’t show at my neckline. That was a major pain to deal with.
  • Since this 20s fascination is in place, I may try a latter 20s dress just for the fun of it as well.
  • I need to recover at least one of the parasols this year.
  • It is possible I may finish either my embroidered shawl or my sewn rug (each started many, many years ago.)
Published in: on December 9, 2015 at 6:00 am  Leave a Comment  

Protected: Genesee Valley Historic Sew Along – Password Required – Making a Pin Ball

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Published in: on December 2, 2015 at 6:00 am  Enter your password to view comments.  
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Sew Along – Work Bag – Introduction and Shopping List

wpid-img_63451399129667.jpegWelcome to my very first Sew Along.

The Work Bag Sew Along will begin on January 3rd with the first of the weekly posts guiding us through the steps of making a work bag. Of course, you will need to have all your materials ready. So, here are your shopping lists.

Shopping list for Cotton bag:

  • Fat quarter or 1/4 yard of a lively period cotton print.
  • Fat quarter or 1/4 yard of lining (polished cotton, good muslin or second print.)
  • 2 sheets of pasteboard (8.5″ x 11″)
  • 2-5 yards of 1/2″ to 1″ silk ribbon or 12″ square of silk cut into bias strips and pieced (pleated trim around the flap and handles.)
  • 6″ square of tight weave tropical to light weight wool

Shopping list for Silk bag:

  • Fat quarter or 1/4 yard of a tight weave silk taffeta.
  • Fat quarter or 1/4 yard of lining (polished cotton, good muslin or period print.)
  • 1 sheet of pasteboard (8.5″ x 11″)
  • 6″ square of cotton or wool batting
  • 1 yard of 1/4″ to 1/2″ silk ribbon or cording
  • Optional: Embroidery floss or paint if you choose to decorate your center.

Upcoming posts:

  • Cutting your materials
  • Covering your pasteboard
  • Gauging your bag
  • Lining your bag
  • Finishing your bag

Q&A:

What does the sew along cost? Only what you spend on your materials. There is no additional cost.

Can I use materials from my stash? Of course you can.

What kind of cotton fabric should I use and where can I buy it? The original bag we are working from was a large scale, scenic print with architectural and floral components. in vivid colors. I’ve started a Pinboard with fabrics I think will work well.

Is there a Facebook Group? Yes, there is. ________

Published in: on December 2, 2015 at 6:00 am  Comments (9)  
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FanU Gets Festive – Gift Card Holder

Make a new template, a sample with Christmas fabrics and take photos.

One of the thing I love about the techniques I shared in Fanciful Utility is that they can be used for so many projects. This time of year, FanU is great for fun, festive projects. For the next few weeks, I am going to share some of the ways FanU gets Festive.

IMG_7794A basic, single pocket work pocket makes an excellent gift card holder. These are also a great way to gift a museum or site membership.

Make a simple pocket up with holiday fabrics or your giftee’s favorite colors to be reused throughout the year.

Here is a simple set of directions for making your own:

Gift Card Holder Template

Need a copy of Fanciful Utility ? for yourself or to give as a gift? Visit www.thesewingacademy.com to order today.

Don’t miss previous FanU Gets Festive projects:

Published in: on December 1, 2015 at 4:00 am  Leave a Comment  
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Password Confusion

There is a little confusion over the post that went live today that requires a password.

That post is for the local, private Sew Along group.

The public Sew Along, making the Work Bag, will have separate posts without a password.There will be an introductory post for that Sew Along next week.

I was trying to find a way to keep the closed group only visible for those in the group. This was the best I could find with the revamping WordPress is doing.

I am sorry for the confusion.

Published in: on November 20, 2015 at 1:02 pm  Leave a Comment  

Protected: Genesee Valley Historic Sew Along – Password Required – Making a Pin Ball

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Announcement: Paisley, Plaid & Purled Going Digital!!!

PPandP book cover

I have decided to release Paisley, Plaid, & Purled: Mid-Nineteenth Century Shawls as a digital publication.

I will be locking myself away during my Thanksgiving recess (and possibly Christmas recess) to reformat for the digital release.

Paisley, Plaid, & Purled will be exclusively available through my Etsy store come the new year.

Published in: on November 18, 2015 at 6:00 am  Leave a Comment  
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What’s in Store this Holiday Season?

I am filing my Etsy shop with gift worthy items for this holiday season.

Here is a highlight of some of the gifts you will find:

Published in: on November 1, 2015 at 1:00 am  Leave a Comment  

Research = Brain Implosion

Um….. What?!?!?!?

You know those discoveries that turns your research on end? Or, at the very least throws a wild, unexpected kink in it?

Yep.

So, I’m scrolling along…. I see… Ooo, a hood. Zoom…. Odd combination a hood and straw hats…. hmmmm…. Scroll up… read…. “Sea-side Toilet. – The little red hood, with a deep cape”… Wait, What??? …..”Sea-side Toilet. – The little red hood, with a deep cape to it is now a very fashionable style of head-gear at all the French watering-places, and it is called in France “Le cappe Bretonne.”…. Scroll down… scroll up… repeat… reread… yep, that is what it says… brain implosion!!!

The Little Red Riding Hood is in January, 1862’s Peterson’s Magazine. It is a winter garment. It really, very much is a winter garment. But, this one has nearly the same name. Though, in some ways, it looks more like The Princess Capote from May of the same year. May…. May!…. I always wondered why a winter hood was published in May.

Well there is a huge, huge snarl. I know for a fact that the Princess Capote, or a nearly the same pattern/cut, was made up as a quilted winter hood. Oh, what a tangled web… a fascinating tangled web. Twist

Published in: on October 30, 2015 at 6:00 am  Leave a Comment  

Delightful Illustration(s)

Reading through the 1862-63 edition of The Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine, I came across this delightful image. How nice to see three styles of hats grouped together in such a playful scene. These young ladies are of school age in a casual setting. Notice all the games being played around them.

This second image is of a depiction of Town and Country. This is a must read story… “I knew she was quite a Bel in town, and must know all the fashions—not that I ever dress much in the fashion, for we are such very plain, countrified peple [sic] at Cudleychugh, and father never will let one have cloths different to the other farmers’ daughters.”

Published in: on October 30, 2015 at 6:00 am  Leave a Comment  
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