By Sunday afternoon, I had sold half of my stock of elephants, plus a couple of soft dolls and one fairy. :) I am already looking forward to next year! But for now, I'm gearing up for an event in Marietta on August 3rd. Stay tuned for more details!
Needle and Thread, Quill and Ink, Pins and Seams, Tea and Friendship...
Showing posts with label Hydrangea Fest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hydrangea Fest. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
The 5th Annual Penny McHenry Hydrangea Festival
The festival has come and gone! I had a wonderful time, made some new friends and got to see some old ones again too! Here are the photos I promised!
By Sunday afternoon, I had sold half of my stock of elephants, plus a couple of soft dolls and one fairy. :) I am already looking forward to next year! But for now, I'm gearing up for an event in Marietta on August 3rd. Stay tuned for more details!
By Sunday afternoon, I had sold half of my stock of elephants, plus a couple of soft dolls and one fairy. :) I am already looking forward to next year! But for now, I'm gearing up for an event in Marietta on August 3rd. Stay tuned for more details!
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Striped Regency Gown
It's finished and ready to wear next weekend! :) What do you think??
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| It wrinkles if you breathe on it wrong, but it's still pretty. :) |
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| I'll wear a petticoat under it. |
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Sneak Peek!
I thought you might enjoy seeing what I'm doing this week.
Besides running around half mad because it's so close to my deadline.
Besides running around half mad because it's so close to my deadline.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Hydrangea Festival Progress
I have had an extremely productive day. So much so, that I'm having to retro-post this because all of a sudden, I looked up and it was 1:20 AM. On Wednesday morning. (Time doesn't mean much to me when I'm in The Creative Zone.) Here is a tiny glimpse of what I was working on:
Things are progressing for the festival. Not as fast as I would like. I need to pick up the pace. But I have amazing music playing as I work, and that helps keep things moving along smoothly. There is nothing like a good, epic soundtrack mix to get you in that zone. :)
I'm going to grab a little sleep and then get back to the work table. I can't have anything to blog about here if I don't get it done and photos made of it first!
Things are progressing for the festival. Not as fast as I would like. I need to pick up the pace. But I have amazing music playing as I work, and that helps keep things moving along smoothly. There is nothing like a good, epic soundtrack mix to get you in that zone. :)
I'm going to grab a little sleep and then get back to the work table. I can't have anything to blog about here if I don't get it done and photos made of it first!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Concept Boards: The original "pinning"
I shared a little about this in an earlier post on the Hobbit costume, but I wanted to share another one I've finished, and also why I love them so much.
There are so MANY ideas and inspirations running around in my head for pieces to make (just take a look at my list in the right sidebar!), that sometimes I miss out on wonderful materials or design ideas, simply because they fly by too fast. Concept boards allow me to hang on to a basic idea, and then piece things together either as I find them, or (more commonly) find time for them. I'm not a spectacularly organized person by nature. The concept boards take a lot of stress off of me to remember whether I've found this or that bit for trim, or what the exact color of the main body is, etc.
Oh, and about the title: Some of you have asked, but I'm not on Pinterest, simply because I've heard how addicting it is, and I already have MUCH TOO MUCH to do as it is. I'm convinced, at least for the time being, that joining Pinterest would send my creative happy little brain off the edge and you'd find me in a padded room saying "I want to do this, and this, and thisandthisandthisandthis!" over and over whilst hugging myself. :} Society can do its "pinning". I'll do mine. :) Getting back to the concept boards...
I finished out the Hobbit board by FINALLY finding the right contrast fabric for the bodice. I'd fallen in love with the stitching on this material:
But when I paired it with the bodice swatch, the flowers were WAY too purple. The bodice linen is more of a wine-ish shade. So, as much as I hated to, I had to nix this as the contrast.
Next, I tried a couple of plain neutrals. Here are two that were considered:
But ultimately, while I liked the textures, I didn't like the fact that there wasn't any pop of color. The entire look has to be achieved by all of the elements working together, like instruments in an ensemble. If one part is "off", the whole look loses its full potential. So, after several more afternoons scouring the fabric stores (and another thing- in this instantaneous society, people often want to know "Why does it take you so long between when you promise photos of a costume and when it's actually finished and being worn by the model/client?" This is why. I don't just throw any old thing together. I take my time and find the right parts and then do all the work of cutting and sewing. To quote one of my favorite films, "You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles." Okay, tangent/rant over!), I finally found what I'd been searching for:
It has the right texture, the fabrics complement each other and are very "Hobbity" together, and the color of the flowers and the bodice linen are a perfect match. Here is the completed concept board:
As you know, I don't need the Hobbit outfit until December (which is no reason not to hurry up and finish it, I know, I know!). I DO need this piece in just over 6 weeks- this is the sheer overlay Regency dress for the Hydrangea Festival that I've been telling you about:
I hope to have more concept boards finished soon. The Hydrangea Festival is getting the lion's share of my time right now. It's going to be a busy summer! :)
There are so MANY ideas and inspirations running around in my head for pieces to make (just take a look at my list in the right sidebar!), that sometimes I miss out on wonderful materials or design ideas, simply because they fly by too fast. Concept boards allow me to hang on to a basic idea, and then piece things together either as I find them, or (more commonly) find time for them. I'm not a spectacularly organized person by nature. The concept boards take a lot of stress off of me to remember whether I've found this or that bit for trim, or what the exact color of the main body is, etc.
Oh, and about the title: Some of you have asked, but I'm not on Pinterest, simply because I've heard how addicting it is, and I already have MUCH TOO MUCH to do as it is. I'm convinced, at least for the time being, that joining Pinterest would send my creative happy little brain off the edge and you'd find me in a padded room saying "I want to do this, and this, and thisandthisandthisandthis!" over and over whilst hugging myself. :} Society can do its "pinning". I'll do mine. :) Getting back to the concept boards...
I finished out the Hobbit board by FINALLY finding the right contrast fabric for the bodice. I'd fallen in love with the stitching on this material:
But when I paired it with the bodice swatch, the flowers were WAY too purple. The bodice linen is more of a wine-ish shade. So, as much as I hated to, I had to nix this as the contrast.
Next, I tried a couple of plain neutrals. Here are two that were considered:
But ultimately, while I liked the textures, I didn't like the fact that there wasn't any pop of color. The entire look has to be achieved by all of the elements working together, like instruments in an ensemble. If one part is "off", the whole look loses its full potential. So, after several more afternoons scouring the fabric stores (and another thing- in this instantaneous society, people often want to know "Why does it take you so long between when you promise photos of a costume and when it's actually finished and being worn by the model/client?" This is why. I don't just throw any old thing together. I take my time and find the right parts and then do all the work of cutting and sewing. To quote one of my favorite films, "You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles." Okay, tangent/rant over!), I finally found what I'd been searching for:
It has the right texture, the fabrics complement each other and are very "Hobbity" together, and the color of the flowers and the bodice linen are a perfect match. Here is the completed concept board:
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| The colors aren't showing well in the photo, but trust me, they look great! |
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| Close-up of the design sketch. |
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| Notice how I am sure to turn the fabric to the direction I want it on the dress rather than just randomly pinning it to the board. |
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| This trim is going to look so sweet around the neckline and around the sleeve cuffs! |
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Not The Regency Dress I Was Intending...
but it was on my list anyway, so it's all okay. Let me explain:
JoAnn Fabrics has this wonderful white cotton with pale blue stripes that I want as the fabric for my Regency dress to be worn at the Hydrangea Festival in June. Because it is a "coordinate" fabric, it falls under a certain group of cottons called "Baby Basics" on the shelf. You know, mix-y match-y stuff for a nursery, etc. For the longest time, it has been on sale. But not a very good sale. Like, part of last month, it was $1 off per yard. It's originally $5.99/yd. $5 a yard isn't terrible, but I knew I could do better.
It finally did come off being $5/yd, only to be on sale for 30% off. Which makes it $4.19/yd. Ok, yes. Less than $5/yd, but still not quite the deal I'm striving for. Then this week I got a load of coupons for a "make your own sale" event. YAY! "Surely," I thought, "surely it will be off sale and I can use the 50% coupon and get it for $3/yd. Please, please, please!"
No. Such. Luck. :(
It is STILL on sale at 30% off ($4.19) until March 17, which is the day AFTER the coupons expire. Argh!!! But it's ok. I'll keep watching and waiting. Eventually sometime between now and May 1st, it just has to go off sale and there also be either a 40% or 50% off coupon in the mail. Preferably the 50% one, but you know, I'd even take the 40% if that was the best one offered, because that would still make it $3.59/yd. Anywhere less than $4/yd would be awesome.
So there I was in the fabric store, with a bunch of coupons in my hand...
And I remembered the sheer overlay confection that I have wanted to make and absolutely could not justify spending the money it would cost on. I couldn't afford it at regular price; not in my wildest dreams. But for half off, well now... I might could shift some other projects around to make that happen!
And that's what I did. I ended up with this:
I'll be working up a concept board for it this week, so you can better see what it will become, but the general idea is a short sleeved Regency era dress; the main body of the gown being the white muslin and then the sheer stripe wonderfulness over that, with the front skirt part split up the middle to the waist line so it is all flow-y and gossamer and ethereal. The sleeves will not have the muslin under them. They will just be sheer cap sleeves. Don't forget how hot it gets here in June!
I'm planning on wearing this on one of the two days of the festival, since it's a hassle to sweat so much in one on Saturday, get home right away and have to wash it out and let it hang dry and hope it is ready by Sunday morning! This way I have a dress for each day. And more justification for buying the pretty sheer! ;) If you really want to know, it was more than $20/yard at regular price. Those 50% off coupons make this little seamstress a happy camper. Er... sew-er. :)
That white and blue striped cotton will still be mine. Eventually. For now, I have materials to play with while I watch and wait for it to go off sale again. :) I'll post the progress as soon as I can!
JoAnn Fabrics has this wonderful white cotton with pale blue stripes that I want as the fabric for my Regency dress to be worn at the Hydrangea Festival in June. Because it is a "coordinate" fabric, it falls under a certain group of cottons called "Baby Basics" on the shelf. You know, mix-y match-y stuff for a nursery, etc. For the longest time, it has been on sale. But not a very good sale. Like, part of last month, it was $1 off per yard. It's originally $5.99/yd. $5 a yard isn't terrible, but I knew I could do better.
It finally did come off being $5/yd, only to be on sale for 30% off. Which makes it $4.19/yd. Ok, yes. Less than $5/yd, but still not quite the deal I'm striving for. Then this week I got a load of coupons for a "make your own sale" event. YAY! "Surely," I thought, "surely it will be off sale and I can use the 50% coupon and get it for $3/yd. Please, please, please!"
No. Such. Luck. :(
It is STILL on sale at 30% off ($4.19) until March 17, which is the day AFTER the coupons expire. Argh!!! But it's ok. I'll keep watching and waiting. Eventually sometime between now and May 1st, it just has to go off sale and there also be either a 40% or 50% off coupon in the mail. Preferably the 50% one, but you know, I'd even take the 40% if that was the best one offered, because that would still make it $3.59/yd. Anywhere less than $4/yd would be awesome.
So there I was in the fabric store, with a bunch of coupons in my hand...
And I remembered the sheer overlay confection that I have wanted to make and absolutely could not justify spending the money it would cost on. I couldn't afford it at regular price; not in my wildest dreams. But for half off, well now... I might could shift some other projects around to make that happen!
And that's what I did. I ended up with this:
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| This photo does not do those sweet, sorbet colored stripes any justice! |
I'll be working up a concept board for it this week, so you can better see what it will become, but the general idea is a short sleeved Regency era dress; the main body of the gown being the white muslin and then the sheer stripe wonderfulness over that, with the front skirt part split up the middle to the waist line so it is all flow-y and gossamer and ethereal. The sleeves will not have the muslin under them. They will just be sheer cap sleeves. Don't forget how hot it gets here in June!
I'm planning on wearing this on one of the two days of the festival, since it's a hassle to sweat so much in one on Saturday, get home right away and have to wash it out and let it hang dry and hope it is ready by Sunday morning! This way I have a dress for each day. And more justification for buying the pretty sheer! ;) If you really want to know, it was more than $20/yard at regular price. Those 50% off coupons make this little seamstress a happy camper. Er... sew-er. :)
That white and blue striped cotton will still be mine. Eventually. For now, I have materials to play with while I watch and wait for it to go off sale again. :) I'll post the progress as soon as I can!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
On Your Mark, Get Set...
In the month since my last post, SO MANY things have been happening here. Although my Facebook is the best way to keep up with me, currently, I realize that I need to up the ante and post here more regularly. One way I'm going to make that happen is by doing on this blog what I did last year on The Modest Peacock: the A-Z Blogging Challenge!!!
If you haven't heard of or done the A-Z in April, follow this link and check it out! It's amazing fun! And just to give you a little bit of scope: I signed The Modest Peacock up early on the official sign-up day and I was blog #383 to join. I took a lot of time to decide whether I could even do the challenge on more than one blog (It takes up a little bit of time and effort to create a themed post every day of a month, not going to lie), but today I decided that I absolutely can. So I've just today signed up Lucy Jane's Writing Desk to participate and it is blog #748 on the list. Wow! That's a lot of blogs!!!
I didn't sign up until I wrote out a rough draft list of possible post titles that have to do with all things Lucy Jane: sewing (mostly costuming), tea, etc. When I reached the half way mark, I knew we were good to go.
There are still some things that are having the kinks worked out. Business license questions, next years taxes (yaaay, fun! :P), travel logistics for taking the show on the road, and other such things. But there is currently a stack of fabric around 2 feet high being gone through and pattern pieces cut out. I'm completing concept boards for at least 6 costume designs that have been making laps in my head (it's wearing me out, honestly), and I have the fabric selected for my new Regency Dress to wear to the 5th Annual Penny McHenry Hydrangea Festival that is coming up fast. Whew! It's amazing the momentum that builds when creative people get on a roll! ;)
I have plans later in this coming week to catch up with some photos here, so be on the lookout for that.
I hope you all have a lovely day, and I will post again soon!
If you haven't heard of or done the A-Z in April, follow this link and check it out! It's amazing fun! And just to give you a little bit of scope: I signed The Modest Peacock up early on the official sign-up day and I was blog #383 to join. I took a lot of time to decide whether I could even do the challenge on more than one blog (It takes up a little bit of time and effort to create a themed post every day of a month, not going to lie), but today I decided that I absolutely can. So I've just today signed up Lucy Jane's Writing Desk to participate and it is blog #748 on the list. Wow! That's a lot of blogs!!!
I didn't sign up until I wrote out a rough draft list of possible post titles that have to do with all things Lucy Jane: sewing (mostly costuming), tea, etc. When I reached the half way mark, I knew we were good to go.
There are still some things that are having the kinks worked out. Business license questions, next years taxes (yaaay, fun! :P), travel logistics for taking the show on the road, and other such things. But there is currently a stack of fabric around 2 feet high being gone through and pattern pieces cut out. I'm completing concept boards for at least 6 costume designs that have been making laps in my head (it's wearing me out, honestly), and I have the fabric selected for my new Regency Dress to wear to the 5th Annual Penny McHenry Hydrangea Festival that is coming up fast. Whew! It's amazing the momentum that builds when creative people get on a roll! ;)
I have plans later in this coming week to catch up with some photos here, so be on the lookout for that.
I hope you all have a lovely day, and I will post again soon!
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