I was hoping to have some pictures for you guys, but they’re not loaded on the net anywhere and R’s phone has lost it’s usb port.

Saturday, the 7th, the Austin School of Fashion Design had their annual fashion show.  Because I’ve been taking some pattern drafting classes there, my teacher asked me to put some pieces into the show.  So, I wore my wedding dress and managed to find someone to wear Miss Scarlet.

It went really really well!  I was pleased with how I walked and how Scarlet looked.  Afterwards, a blogger for the plus size blog Manolo for the Big Girl (manolobig.com) gave me her card and asked me to shoot her an email — that she wanted to talk some.

That last bit was my exciting news, but as I haven’t heard a peep from her, I’m kinda deflated on the topic.  I was really hoping to have something neat come out of it.  Guess not. 

I’ve been trying to keep this blog more quilt/craft/art related, but there’s been a lot of things going on in my life that aren’t, so there’s not been much to share the past two weeks.  Lots of car nonsense and interesting health developments and hubby bdays, but not a whole lot of interesting quilty stuff.

After I publish this post, I’m going to upload all those pictures I’ve been putting off.  No USB hub as of yet, but I did find the laptop (it was in a different bag than I thought and I confused myself).

Now, here’s my dillema: I’m trying to figure out how to actually post the things that run through my head.  I will be out in the car and want to post something on here, but I get home and get distracted and then it’s 12 hours later and I can’t find the camera and need to go to bed and….  yeah, you get the picture.

Anyone have any tips?

I’ve been trying to keep this blog more quilt/craft/art related, but there’s been a lot of things going on in my life that aren’t, so there’s not been much to share the past two weeks.  Lots of car nonsense and interesting health developments and hubby bdays, but not a whole lot of interesting quilty stuff.

After I publish this post, I’m going to upload all those pictures I’ve been putting off.  No USB hub as of yet, but I did find the laptop (it was in a different bag than I thought and I confused myself).

Now, here’s my dillema: I’m trying to figure out how to actually post the things that run through my head.  I will be out in the car and want to post something on here, but I get home and get distracted and then it’s 12 hours later and I can’t find the camera and need to go to bed and….  yeah, you get the picture.

Anyone have any tips?

I’ve been trying to keep this blog more quilt/craft/art related, but there’s been a lot of things going on in my life that aren’t, so there’s not been much to share the past two weeks.  Lots of car nonsense and interesting health developments and hubby bdays, but not a whole lot of interesting quilty stuff.

After I publish this post, I’m going to upload all those pictures I’ve been putting off.  No USB hub as of yet, but I did find the laptop (it was in a different bag than I thought and I confused myself).

Now, here’s my dillema: I’m trying to figure out how to actually post the things that run through my head.  I will be out in the car and want to post something on here, but I get home and get distracted and then it’s 12 hours later and I can’t find the camera and need to go to bed and….  yeah, you get the picture.

Anyone have any tips?

I keep starting posts and then not finishing them because I have to go find the laptop to upload the pictures.  I’m out of USB ports on my desktop at the moment and need to run to Fry’s to buy a USB Hub.  Blargh!

So here’s what you have to look forward to when I either a) find the laptop or b) go to Fry’s this afternoon

- the muslin for Mrs Peacock and progress on that front

- my ideas for my entries into the Austin Quilt Show

- the fashion show I was a part of on Saturday and the coolness that happened

- Annie’s first quilt (actaully, I need to borrow pics from Anjea for that one)

- and my color wheel swap dyeing from last night (and the rinse out results from today)

Sorry, guys.   I have all the drafts ready to go but I keep getting distracted.  bad!deana

I keep starting posts and then not finishing them because I have to go find the laptop to upload the pictures.  I’m out of USB ports on my desktop at the moment and need to run to Fry’s to buy a USB Hub.  Blargh!

So here’s what you have to look forward to when I either a) find the laptop or b) go to Fry’s this afternoon

- the muslin for Mrs Peacock and progress on that front

- my ideas for my entries into the Austin Quilt Show

- the fashion show I was a part of on Saturday and the coolness that happened

- Annie’s first quilt (actaully, I need to borrow pics from Anjea for that one)

- and my color wheel swap dyeing from last night (and the rinse out results from today)

Sorry, guys.   I have all the drafts ready to go but I keep getting distracted.  bad!deana

I keep starting posts and then not finishing them because I have to go find the laptop to upload the pictures.  I’m out of USB ports on my desktop at the moment and need to run to Fry’s to buy a USB Hub.  Blargh!

So here’s what you have to look forward to when I either a) find the laptop or b) go to Fry’s this afternoon

- the muslin for Mrs Peacock and progress on that front

- my ideas for my entries into the Austin Quilt Show

- the fashion show I was a part of on Saturday and the coolness that happened

- Annie’s first quilt (actaully, I need to borrow pics from Anjea for that one)

- and my color wheel swap dyeing from last night (and the rinse out results from today)

Sorry, guys.   I have all the drafts ready to go but I keep getting distracted.  bad!deana

Since I’ve started taking some pattern drafting classes, I find myself wanting to make clothes for myself again.  I get on a kick of wanting to make clothes, then I get frustrated with things not looking right on my body, then I give up and go back to quilts.   Quilts don’t require full bust adjustments and slashing the pattern for a swayback.  Well, some do

I had a customer quilt on the calendar for Sunday, and dinner with friends on Saturday evening, so I spent Saturday morning working on the muslin for Mrs Peacock. This is the Vogue pattern I’m using:

And this is where I am right now:

The blue would be the fashion fabric (dark royal blue dupioni) and it will be quilted in the center panel.  I had to stop because I didn’t have a long enough zipper in my stash.  Sunday morning, I ran to Hancock’s and picked up a couple and some “linen” fabric for skirts (I think).  It’s poly/rayon, but it seems nice and breatheable and only $3 a yard so I got a little.  I figure I’ll get the pattern worked out and then get picky about fiber content.

So yesterday, I got up at the crack of dawn and started working on the pattern for a circle skirt.  I wanted it long enough that I could sit without the back of my thighs being up against the material of the seat.  Turns out, that would make the skirt too big for the fabric I bought.  I did some math and there is a lot less waste with 44″ wide fabric, so I pulled some $1-a-yard-at-Moda’s-warehouse-sale fabric and made it up.

First, let me say how much I love my electric scissors.  I cannot express how much easier it is to cut out a circle skirt with electric scissors.  They are pure genius.

On the downside, the circle skirt looks awful on my body.  I think I’m going to play with a croquis.  I have an article about making one from a back issue of Threads.  If it works out, I’ll post about it.

Result:

It took me two episodes of NUMB3RS, all of Finding Nemo and the first 30 minutes of the Thomas Crown Affair to stitch all of the lines on the “solvy fabric.”  I did a grid first and then loopies all over, more densely around the edges.  Here’s what it looked like when I took it off the machine:

I rinsed out the solvy in warm water in the bathtub.  I was surprised at how fast it dissolved!

It’s currently hanging to dry on the line outside.

I am beyond words to describe how excited I am about this.  I’m already planning out how to use this as an insert or an overlay in future pieces.  Mrs White may have godets in her skirt made out of various white yarns and fabrics.  It’ll also make a really good scarf or wrap for future pieces.  Overlaid over dupioni or a shimmery taffeta would be amazing.  And I’m curious to try the bottom layer as silk organza with solvy only on top to keep things from getting tangled around the hopping foot.  That wouldn’t need as much stitching, either, which might mean I could avoid the grid and just do the loopies.  Another option would be to do the grid and then stitch an overall design (Free-Motion Feathers or Leaves?) in a different color.

It took me two episodes of NUMB3RS, all of Finding Nemo and the first 30 minutes of the Thomas Crown Affair to stitch all of the lines on the “solvy fabric.”  I did a grid first and then loopies all over, more densely around the edges.  Here’s what it looked like when I took it off the machine:

I rinsed out the solvy in warm water in the bathtub.  I was surprised at how fast it dissolved!

It’s currently hanging to dry on the line outside.

I am beyond words to describe how excited I am about this.  I’m already planning out how to use this as an insert or an overlay in future pieces.  Mrs White may have godets in her skirt made out of various white yarns and fabrics.  It’ll also make a really good scarf or wrap for future pieces.  Overlaid over dupioni or a shimmery taffeta would be amazing.  And I’m curious to try the bottom layer as silk organza with solvy only on top to keep things from getting tangled around the hopping foot.  That wouldn’t need as much stitching, either, which might mean I could avoid the grid and just do the loopies.  Another option would be to do the grid and then stitch an overall design (Free-Motion Feathers or Leaves?) in a different color.