Happy Ho Down

Swap: HoDown / Invite Your Partner Swap
Recieved from: groschveux
I recieved from groschveux! The Canadian post had me worried for a minute. ;) Here is what she sent me:

A marvelous sushi table runner. I absolutely love the fabrics she used! It's reversible, too.


A sushi apron! (Did I mention that I like sushi?) I swear I'm not as much of a tool as I look like in this picture. I was just so excited about having such an awesome apron! Does this mean I'm domestic? Anyway, the apron is great! It has a quilted pocket on the front with two compartments.

She also sent me some dark chocolate -- let me tell you, that is the way to this girl's heart! She also made me some sweet tags for my etsy shop. What an incredibly thoughtful gift!

Thank you so much, Marija!

In other news, I finished the sleeves for my Starsky cardigan over Thanksgiving, and got a great start on the fronts. A few more inches, and I'll be ready to cast off and block all the pieces! It is coming together so well. The yarn I'm using (the Knitpicks Sierra called for in the pattern) is positively scrumptious.

Other things I'm working on:
- Three (!!) personal swaps I have going on right now. I will be sending out at least one this week, I hope.
- A holiday dress. If I can pull this off, ladies and gents, it will be gorgeous. Here's a picture of the pattern:

The fabric I'm using is medium weight satin gradated from dark navy blue at the top to silver at the bottom. It was on clearance at Joann's for $2.50/yd, and I snapped up all 6 yards left on the bolt. Cutting the pieces out evenly was a little bit of a challenge, but with some careful measuring, everything appears to match up.

Christmas is in the air...

Swap: Christmas Stocking Swap 2
Sent to: MissMeShell
I've been coyly mentioning this swap for a while now, so I'm *so* excited to finally be able to post pictures! The suspense has been killing me. A big thank you to Meshell for taking such lovely pictures. The hell with the ones I took, these are way better! :)

Here is the stocking I made. The cuff and back are red velvet. The front is a remnant I've had in my stash forever. I went a little insane and quilted every line of the design. Two solid days of work, but it was something I was proud to give. I finally tackled using an embroidery machine so I could put her name on it.


You can really see the quilting in this picture.

The 'big' gift I included was this handmade book. It used no binding materials, only glue, and required a degree of meticulousness I didn't know I had. The inside pages are folded origami paper. I am very pleased with how this came out.




My partner is an avid reader, so I made her three bookmarks. The first has some sewing illustrations on it. The second (my favorite) has vintage Christmas wrapping paper, courtesy of my paper-hoarding grandmother. The third has a few different kinds of papers on it.

These are bottlecap ornaments. These turned out so much cuter than I expected! Just bottlecaps, head pins, glass beads, and ornament hooks. There should have been four, but the headpins proved a little too tricky for me in the beginning. But I preservered!

My first-ever felted soaps, made to look like little wrapped packages. There were really fun to make.

Little teeny crocheted flower hairpins. I loved these so much, I'm making more for myself.

The crafty grrl staple: marble magnets! I packaged a dozen in an Altoid tin. Some of the images are from a quilting magazine.

My favorite Christmas cookie recipe - sugar cookies - converted to metric units, of course! The cookie cutters are a cat (she has a cat), a bone (and dogs), and a stocking, to remember this swap by.

Mini Sharpies, two tins of assorted buttons, a few lengths of interesting trim (including one handmade by my great grandmother, bottom left), and two drawstring Christmas wrapping bags.

I also went a little nuts with shopping. Check it out...three very yummy Yankee Candles, Anne Taintor napkins and postcards, a Betty Boop nightlight, Marilyn Monroe Andy Warhol notecards, and a Christmas magic towel. I <3 magic towels!

And what package would be complete without some good 'ol American candy!? I tried to come up with some classics (Peeps, Pop Rocks, Fun Dip, and Hershey Kisses of course), as well as some newer items (Nerds rope, gummi pizza, sour Altoids). The most important part is the caramel apple lollipops: they're not available in Australia and Meshell has a certain fondness for them. :) I also found some Bertie Bott's Everyflavor Beans. Grass, yum... :-P

I had to include this photo, because it showcases my sock monkey Christmas cards. I've been waiting patiently to use them since I bought them back in January.

And thus endeth this gigantic post. Coming soon: my package from Meshell! Anticipaaaaaation..... :-D

P.S. I hope everyone had a safe and happy Thanksgiving. My family and I spent the holiday at a house in South Bethany, DE. Hooray for walks on the beach at sunrise...

P.P.S. I saw the Who in concert last night! I know this is entirely un-crafty, but I am so in awe that I had to share. Many thanks to my wonderful boytoy, who made it happen. :*

Swap Swap Swap Swap Swap Swap Swap Swap .... (to the tune of Monty Python's Spam Song)

Swap: Ho Down / Invite Your Partner Swap
Sent to: groschveux

Here's are all Marija's goodies together.

This double-stranded Lopi tote was my own design, and inspired by a purse on her wists. And the crochet flower was the first I've ever made!

A simple zip pouch and pincushion made out of sushi fabric.

And a few little things, for good measure: bottlecap earrings, marble pushpins, and a hemp keychain. Thanks again for inviting me to the swap, Marija!

And speaking of being invited...I have just been asked to the Ho Ho Holiday Swap (another Invite Your Partner Swap) by the lovely raina.storms. I can't wait to get started!

In the meantime, I am *so* close to being done my package for the Christmas stocking swap. I have two more little things to finish, but everything else is made and wrapped. There's a slight chance I might be sending out Friday, but more likely it will go Monday, just on time. ;) This swap has been so much fun! I can't wait for Meshell to to be able to open everything. Sorry, but no pics until she gets it... :)

Craftacular Tutorial & Flickr

I have a tutorial for postcard purses up on Craftacular, a neat new wiki-style craft site. Thanks to Shana for asking if she could post it! Here are two purses I've made in the past using this technique:



Also, I started up a flickr account a while ago, and promptly forgot to post about it. It's just crafty stuff, and it's supposed to be sort of a reference for my swap partners. Also, sometimes it's just satisfying to have visual documentation of your body of work.

Starsky Progress

That's a finished back, and two sleeves in progress. I am loving the way this yarn is knitting up. I'm hoping to get a lot more work done on it (and maybe even finishing?) over Thanksgiving. We shall see!

If I were still in college, this sweater would have been done weeks ago. The transition to the real world has been a bit frustrating, as I have precious little free time to craft compared to what I'm used to.

Speaking of free time, I am fully relaxed and happy after a wonderful weekend with my better half. I surprised him for his birthday with club tickets to the Penn State vs. Temple game, and we had an awesome time getting totally drenched while cheering on our alma mater. :) Ben is one of those people who can guess a movie's plot 5 minutes into it, so being unpredictable and surprising him is always a little personal triumph. (P.S.: Get Well, JoePa! You were missed this weekend!)

I'm working on a ton of swap stuff right now that I'd love to post, but I'll just have to wait until some packages reach their destinations. I'm doing some personal swaps right now, and also the awesome Christmas Stocking 2 Swap on Craftster.org. My partner is talented beyond words, and I've been working extra-hard on her stocking and goodies. I can't wait to send out to her! And as an added bonus, this is majorly getting me into the Christmas spirit.

Here is some lovely yarn from JoAnn's that I got on sale. I'm envisioning a hat, scarf and glove set. It's a bit of a color departure for me, as I usually don't wear pink, but it's growing on me.

Btw, apologies for the crappy pictures. Now that it's daylight savings, it's dark by the time I get home. :-/ I must come up with a better system.

Stuff I've Sent Recently...

Swap: Ongoing Wish Swap 14
Sent to: aeronberry


Swap: Ongoing Wish Swap 14
Sent to: SevsOnlyGirl

Swap: Ongoing Wish Swap 14
Sent to: bhean

Stuff I've Received Recently...

Swap: Ongoing Wish Swap 15
Received from: reneecarol

Swap: Ongoing Wish Swap 15
Received from: mlsocci

Swap: Ongoing Wish Swap 15
Received from: animegirlie

Swap: Ongoing Wish Swap 14
Received from: orange_sunset

Swap: Ongoing Wish Swap 14
Received from: Miss Mermaid Strikes Back

Swap Info Post

I'm jumping on the bandwagon and making a swap info sheet for my Craftster partners.

About Me
I’m a 22-year-old recent PSU grad turned working stiff. I’m living at home for now, but will eventually be moving out with my SO. ;D There’s a cat and three dogs in my house, one of which is mine. He’s a large border collie / german shepherd mix named Taz, and he likes to wear festive, seasonally-themed bandanas.

Links
- My Wists
- My Craftster profile
- Staarlight's Etsy Shop

I Can...
- Sew
- Knit
- Crochet [a little]
- Decoupage
- Bind books and journals
- Make jewelry
- Quilt
- Make stuffies

I’d Like To Learn...
- Resin
- Screen printing
- Glass etching

Objects, Symbols and Themes I Like
- Anything Japanese
- Domokun
- Blythe dolls
- Tattoo flash art [swallows, etc.]
- Retro 50’s housewife-ish stuff
- Sushi
- Green apples
- Avocados
- Cherry blossoms, orchids and lotuses
- Anne Taintor’s art
- Kitsch

Objects, Symbols and Themes I Don’t Like
- Hello Kitty
- Country / primitive style

Colors and Combos I Love
- Favorite color: apple green
- Blue and brown together
- Retro color combinations
- Pastels with dark brown
- Greens, blues, and browns
- Silver (in jewelry)

Colors and Combos I Don’t Like as Much
- Hot pink
- Neon colors
- Pastels by themselves
- Orange and yellow [OK in moderation]
- Gold (in jewelry)

Craft Supplies
- Fabric, especially cotton prints
- Natural fiber yarn
- Unusual beads
- Inkjet Shrinky-Dink plastic

Smells and Flavors I Like
- Pumpkin
- Ginger
- Cherry blossom
- All kinds of chocolate, but especially dark

Smells and Flavors I Don’t Like
- Lavender
- Vanilla
- Cherry
- Heavy floral scents
- Nuts

I Collect...
- Pressed pennies
- Fabric
- 7.5” x 4.5” pieces of printed 100% cotton [for a quilt]. I would like each rectangle to be a different fabric. The quilt will have 111 different fabrics, if I ever finish it. ;D
- Charms for charm bracelets

Random Info
- I’m allergic to nickel in earrings

Hayden Christensen, eat your heart out

At last....*drumroll please*...Ben's surprise Halloween costume!

He's a huge Star Wars fan, so I made him an Anakin Skywalker costume, from Episode III. After a month and a half of work, three restarts on the outer tunic, almost every bolt of brown fabric Joann's has, and no opportunity to try it on a real person, I *finally* gave it to him this past weekend. It fit (mostly...needs a few tweaks)! And even more importantly, he loved it!

The cloak is made of a synthetic material that is dark brown on one side and black on the other. All the seams are french seams, so it is very tidy on the inside.

The tabards are synthetic leather, but they look and feel quite real. The inner and outer tunics and pants are all cotton. The large part of the belt is flannel.

And a closeup. I may be a bit biased, but I think he's the best looking Jedi this side of the Universe. :-D

This is the image I was working from. Overall, I think I put together a very believeable replica.

I used a pattern for the cloak, tabards, and inner tunic, but made up my own outer tunic and pants patterns. The boots and thin outer belt were purchased, but everything else was made. Oh, and the lightsaber came from his personal collection. ;)

Let me know what you think!

A model I am not.

...so ignore me, and focus on the dress.

"Run away! Run away!"

I made a dress for the Renaissance Faire on Saturday. I started it Monday. (I’m insane, I know.) The outside is green brocade home decor fabric, and the sleeve lining is an antique gold gathered taffeta -- also home dec. Unfortunately, all I have right now is a pic from my camera phone, but this whole post will make more sense once I take decent pics tomorrow.

Here I am with King Arthur, Patsy and a random stranger.

Funny story about the green fabric...the girl who cut it for me rang me up incorrectly. It was on sale for $4.50/ yd [regularly $19.99/yd], and I got 6 ¼ yards. Somehow (and I realized this way later), she only charged me for ¼ yard. So I got allll that fabric...for $1.12. It’s kind of sad that I bought so much other fabric and stuff that I didn’t notice a $27 gap!

I fell in love with the beaded trim, but of course JoAnn’s didn’t have enough to do the neckline *and* the sleeves. I had to make do with another trim for the sleeves.

After my unintentional savings, I splurged a little on the gold fabric and got 3 yards @ $6.50 apiece [regularly $12.99/yd]. The red trim was 1 ½ yds @ $5.59 apiece, and the beaded trim ended up being 2 yds @ $5.39 apiece [regularly $8.99/yd]. All in all, this will cost me around $40. Not bad, considering how much the Halloween costumes are costing me.

I put all the main pieces together and tried it on. WELL. Apparently Butterick’s loose, flowy dress pattern is a body-hugging (and not in an entirely bad way) column dress. Whaaa? I know I’m no stick, but I am definitely not so large as to warrant the tightness of this dress. [It makes my ass look fantastic, though...maybe I’ll make one of these in the future.] So, I went back to the pattern, bought another 2 yards of fabric, and added the godets for view A of the pattern. Once I put them in, I got the effect I was going for in the first place. It was a big pain in my ass, though. I was really nervous that I wouldn’t be able to finish it in time.

I took some pictures of myself in the dress before I started putting the godets in, and I’m going to send it to Butterick to complain. There is *no way* that the dress shown on the envelope came from the pattern. Warning: the following is not a pretty picture.


Also, I helped my mom with a 'secret' pirate costume for my dad. I made a very manly ruffly shirt. Aaar, matey! I'll try to get some pics of that, too.

On the Halloween front:
The whole point of making elaborate costumes was to wear them into Hersheypark during one of their Halloween weekends. A wrench in the gears: Hersheypark apparently doesn’t allow adults to dress up. Something about frightening the kids. Personally, I think that’s crap. Plenty of other parks have ‘kid-friendly’ hours during the day and scarier stuff going on at night. And our costumes won’t even be remotely scary! So*now we need to find something else to do. I mean, we’ll still go into the park (dressed like normal people), but I have put way too much time and effort and money into these costumes to not wear them *somewhere*. Any ideas? Damnit, someone throw a Halloween party so my creations won’t go to waste!

Finally, a knitting WIP!

Take 12 skeins of KnitPicks Sierra in 'Cinnamon'...

Add Knitty's pattern for Starsky, by Jordana Paige...

And you get the first sweater I've started in a long time.

Closeup of the cable. oooOOOoooh!

I am so pleased with the way this is coming along. This will be the perfect sweater for work, as it gets very cold in my office. The yarn is wonderful aside from the stray knot here and there, but it is very soft and warm, so all is forgiven.

I'll post some more progress shots as time goes on. Unfortunately, this whole 'work' thing is really eating into my knitting. What's a girl to do? ;)