Something's Gotta Give

So...this post is later than I would like it to be...as a matter of fact, I would love to post here almost every other day, but alas I have too many things competing for my time. That being said, I decided that something had to give in order for me to actually get a post up....this week it was my weekly knitting group.

I am taking a mid-term this week, and my husband is having surgery on Wednesday so things are a little busy. Enough about the stresses of this week, lets talk about the joys of last week :)

I did not start & complete an entire craft project last week. Rather I completed one relatively major one and started a really major new one.

So for the successes - I completed knitting my first pair of socks...finally. I had started these in January and had set them aside while knitting my first sweater & my first shawl. Once I completed those projects I picked my sock back up and got it done.

The other thing I have been working on is my costume for Costume College. I told you a tiny bit...really just that I was exited about it...earlier...but I haven't mentioned anything in detail about it.

So Costume College is a week-end long conference that teaches several classes related to the art of costuming. There are basic sewing classes, fitting classes, organizing classes as well as armor making and costuming theory & fabrics. I stumbled upon the class list and it was amazing. I was enrolling late so I couldn't get access to any of the limited classes, but there were so many interesting classes that I found that I would have more than a full day each of the 3 days and I am slightly grateful that my choice wasn't that much harder.

On the Saturday night of Costume College there is an event called the Time Traveler's Gala where costumer's go to show off their hard work. I really want to attend this event...so I need to have a costume. I don't have anything pre-prepared for an event like this, so I was going to have to come up with something new.

Right now at least...I am a Star Wars costumer...it may be, and it likely will be, that I will branch out in the future, however for now I am sticking to costumes from the Star Wars movies. That being said...I looked at the costumes available from Star Wars and evaluated the time I had to complete one before Costume College...and decided on "the Corset Costume" I have to give super credit to the website The Padawan's Guide. There is SO much information on that site. The picture below is a reference photo from that site.

I already have a corset and I thought this would be easiest to construct. I should mention that I have a tendency to be obsessive compulsive about making things movie accurate. Which this first draft of this costume will not be perfect, but it will be pretty close.

I primarily felt that getting the shape of the costume was the most important. So being sure the skirt was structured appropriately was top on the list. I got a pattern from Etsy.com for a Gothic costume and modified the skirt. The skirt in the pattern is lovely, but has a lot of ease and is not nearly as fitted as the costume skirt.

I cut a muslin of the skirt exactly as the pattern said, and sewed the darts and main seams, and then tried it on. It was rather large as I expected, so I attempted to pin the back of the skirt closer...and then stitched the seam...tried it on...stitched it closer.. until I got it relatively right.

I took the muslin and used it to alter the pattern pieces for the lining of the skirt, which I was using basic Costume Satin for. Currently I have the darts sewn on the satin and the two back pieces sewn together and the seam pressed. I am planning to sew together the pieces and repeat the process with the lace overlay.

After I have completed that I will finish the waist band and the zipper and then get started on the other aspects of the costume.

My main pieces are:

skirt

corset cover

fingerless opera gloves

hair

headband/crown

not too bad....but enough to keep me busy. :)

Here is a shot of my fabrics - Starting top-left (and continuing clockwise) is the velvet for the collar, pleather for the corset cover and opera gloves, the costume satin for lining and the lace for the skirt overlay.

Ok...I think I have to go to bed for now...there is so much ahead of me... I hope you have a fabulous crafty week. I will try to post more frequently to be sure I am keeping up.

Just Like New

Well the first week of my new ambition (one craft project a week) is coming to a close and I actually accomplished several things this week. For the purposes of this blog and my craft project goal I am going to use a Monday - Sunday week...that way I can utilize the full weekend to complete my project.

I had intended to start small - completing a small project bag that I could carry my knitting in - but this weekend was one of the first really nice weekends here in Western Washington so I decided I should take advantage of the beautiful weather and complete a project that has been on my list for some time.

I have this little dresser that has been in my room since I was in highschool and I have painted it several times to match my room as it has changed. I have not however ever changed out the ugly brass handles. The last time I painted it, I painted it matte black. I would not recommend ever painting furniture in a matte finish...it just doesn't wear well or look that nice.

It had been about 12 years since I painted it last and I now wanted to use it in my front entryway, but it was really beat up as you can see.

My house and furnishings are mostly earthtones so even if it was in better condition, black would have looked really out of place in my house. I had picked up the spraypaint I wanted to use a few weeks ago  - I find that spray paint can give you really even and smooth coverage once you get the hang of it. The trick I have found is short, fast sweeps will give you the best most even coverage.

You could use regular paint and a small foam roller too if that is more convenient or less intimidating. The big thing to remember is to watch out for drips if you use spray paint. You can wipe them off quickly with a wet rag and respray once it has dried.

So I drug the dresser out into my yard and laid down a plastic painting tarp so I didn't spraypaint the grass as well. It's important to wipe down whatever you are painting to get any oils or dirt off the surface so you don't just paint over the dirt. If I was being super thorough, I would have sanded down the previous paint job, but for this particular piece I didn't feel that it was entirely necessary for this project.

I did a good solid coat of paint and then waited about 20-30 minutes before going back out to give it another good coat. I then let it dry for a couple of hours before bringing it inside and then let it sit for 24 hours before replacing the hardware with new drawer pulls.

It is painted a nice espresso brown in a satin finish with brushed nickel drawer pulls and I think it looks quite nice now. I am very happy with the results and when I had it all put together, my husband declared "It looks just like new!"

I have so many more projects to tell you about, but I will cut it off here for today.

Here's wishing you some Crafternoon Delight :)

Welcome!

Hello & Welcome to the Crafternoon Delight blog. My name is Amanda and I will be your guide through this crafty journey. It is my intention to take this into a podcast as well, but at the minute that will have to wait.

My deal: I love to craft in almost all areas. I sew, knit and love Do-It-Yourself projects. When I pick up a craft I typically tend to set my ambitions really high...so there is usually a really big learning curve with my projects. But that means that new ideas are always emerging..it is my hope for this blog that I will be able to share with all of you my research as well as the very well established sites out there.

I have also...in a very declarative action...have "decided that I will finish one craft project a week" ....did I mention that I am working full time and going to graduate school... I will finish one craft project a week....

Other crafts I do: I have tried drop spindle spinning, but I haven't really had my full three bites (ep 153) of this one yet, so I am looking forward to trying more!

I also really love to work on costumes...I particularly enjoy sci-fi films and their costumes, but I am working to be educated in all types of costuming and am hungry to learn more.

These are the first costumes I have made. I did a lot of research on these and am looking forward to linking everything in the blog so you can find the fantastic blogs/resources that are out there...and avoid clicking on a million dead links.

The thing I am most excited about right at this minute is Costume College in LA. I stumbled upon this over the long Memorial Day weekend...and the minute I saw the class list ...it was over...I NEEDED to go...but I already went to CampKIP this year...totally last minute, and felt bad that I had asked for 2 personal holidays without the hubbs! We worked out a deal and I have purchased my flight to Costume College!

Well that isn't for a few weeks...so we will stop this here for now and I will tell you more about my costuming plans...My new and recent knitting...and any DIY projects on the horizon...