Getting Ready Santa's House

I missed building models the most ... gosh, model kits nowadays are not cheap and time-consuming.  I need a quick fix and also a cheaper alternative, for a Christmas diorama.  Here's a site I always run to for fun & print at home paper craft ... Canon Creative Park 

Amongst their Christmas Special Collection gallery, I downloaded this Santa Claus's House, printed it and was already working on it soon enough.  One thing though, I printed this in half the size it was supposed to be so, everything worked out smaller than it should. 

Something Pink

There will be a reunion dinner for my school in July, and the theme is Something Pink. Although I am just gonna go in a Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Ribbon pin, I've decided to experiment with something pink, anyways...

Found these wonderful lace trimmings and thought I would test something out on it. I wanted to do a headpiece with some tulle and attached it to a headband. But at the moment, I got something that looks like a doily. I loved it anyways. I loved that it looked vintage.

Here's what I did, I stringed some beads together with the lace, intending for it to cluster together at the end and form a 'centre'.

And I continued for another 10 pearl beads...

At this point, I cut off the extra lace trimming and looped it back to join with 1st bead, and tied it together. And I also stitched the ends of the lace trimming together.

There we go, after the ends had been joined.

Since I thought it looked too constricted, I cut the lace up at the nooks to further define the 'petals'.

I tried to enhance it sideways, so it doesn't look so rounded, by adding extra petals to 2 sides, on opposite ends.

And stitched it on...

Guess that's progress until now, until I decide to work on it some more ... ;)

Another Wrap Pants

I made some modifications to my earlier wrap pants pattern. A much simplified version, with less pieces. From 8 pieces to 4 pieces.

Steps:
1) Red & Orange - sew the reds together, and the oranges together. Both of the same piece.
2) Green & Blue - sew the green on one piece to the green on the other piece. And repeat for the blue. At this point you'll have the legs.
3) Cyan & Magenta - sew the cyan on one piece to the cyan on the other piece. And repeat for the magenta, until it becomes a loop.
4) Yellow - attach the top piece to the bottom, all along the yellow line.This time, I tried it with separate colored cotton silks, and this is for Irene. (fabric F&G from Fabric Galore entry)

Fabrics Galore : Dec 2008

Fabrics for New Year Projects!
A - B : Irene's pajama pants
C : Own blouse. (Yet to find a pattern still)
D - E : wrap pants for me
F - G : wrap pants for Irene
H - I : obi belt and somemore

Roman Ruins : Prologue

After salivating, for the longest time ever, over hosting a Murder Mystery Dinner, I finally requested my sister's help in getting one of those box sets for me. She chose How To Host A Murder® - Roman Ruins (with CD).

So I did my homework and watched 'Rome' Season 1 & 2 (the best series ever). I got my inspiration from the costumes in the movie, and thought up a simplified version of those costume and also sketched out possible dinner settings/props.Knowing that some of those people I will invite may find making the costume 'troublesome', I offered to prepare everything for them. I hope this is just my own excuse for justifying my need to sew. I will document every costume I am going to make, until we have the Dinner.

Before I got started with the costumes, I whipped up a 3D model of the scene based on the map/house plan provided in the box set.

Project Flea Market

Yesterday, G texted me a message that triggered of another set of creative alarms. Next project after M's wedding will be flea market.

I think it may be a good way to start putting all my hobby produce and crafts to work for my wallet, erm ... purse. Since most of my other craft experiments had been piling up and lying around the house. It should be a good way for us to de-clutter our mess and put it to good use.

I quickly dug out a few inspirations online. Stuff I have seen before and other new related links. Stuff I had in mind were shopping/grocery bags, tote bags, laptop sleeves and luggage tags ... at least for now.

This should set the Self-Taught-Sewing-Machine-Operator in motion ... for awhile.