Sew tiny!

As you may know, I got kind of obsessed with my new Monster High doll :D (not childish at all, after some research I found there are many adults obsessed with customizing and creating their own dolls, even naming them, photoshooting with them ... :P )

Well, while I was organizing my sewing supplies and going through my patterns, I stumbled upon some leftover lace (from spring when I was obsessed with sewing it on socks :D ) and my basket of fabric leftovers, so I decided to sew for my super cool Operetta the Monster :) And as my five year old sister also got her Monster high - Draculaura, I decided I could sew a dress for her too :) 

This dress you see here is actually meant for Draculaura, as her color theme is pink and black. This pink fabric is cotton I used to line my sister's spiky clutch and when I saw it in the basket I knew I had to use it :D 

To make the dress I first measured some parts of the doll's body such as waist (1 cm diameter - envy!), body length and some more. I started with a circle just as if I was making a circle skirt for myself.Then I cut it out into hexagon to make it all spiderweb shaped.  I was going to embroider the spiderweb on, but I need to get rid of my black fabric paint so it doesn't dry out, so I ended up painting it on. It turned out quite cool i think ;) Next I sew lace all around the diameter. I cut a slightly bigger circle of stiff tulle for an underskirt and basted them together. 

Next I made a bodice, I only measured the length and eyeballed the rest (these dolls are really monstrous in proportion, they have super tiny waist and boobs the same width as hips...). The bodice looked a bit plain so I added a strip of lace on top as well. 

The worst part was attaching a velcro to the back! pain in the ass, but unfortunately it's necessary for the dresses to be wearable :( It's a bit weird, I'm ashamed to say I had no idea how to sew it in, so the result is the back part of the dress sticks out a bit. Thank god for Draculaura's long hair to cover it :D 

As I was in the making already, I decided to make a little matching hairbow for my sweet sister to wear. I hope she likes it as much as I do :D 

Stay tuned for what I have planned for my Operetta :D (and don't worry, this is not turning into a doll blog....maybe :D :D :D ) 

Top 5 DIY projects of 2013

As this blog is mostly DIY and craft oriented, I decided to share my best favorite projects from last year. I chose by my own preference, not by the number of hits at each post :)

5. This pillow was my favorite evening project this spring. It was back when we didn't have internet connection, and while my darling was spending time outside with his friends, I was sitting on the floor of our tiny bedroom, cutting squares, sewing them together and finally quilting... It was made from an old bedsheet, and at first I was really happy when my squares were aligned in the corners :) the quilting itself was a bit worse, as you can see :D I need to work on that this year...

4. 2013 was clearly my year for making bags :) I have always loved tote bags, they are a great blank canvas for customization, and as my local craft store started selling them I made a lot of them :D (Darth Vader, Indian chief...) but these two got the most wear and as they are both my favorite it was a tie, so I included both :) The owl is hand embroidered and really sturdy, great for library trips, and the cross one was my go-to all spring and granted me a huge amount of indignant stares :D 

3. My crocheted beanie is the most useful thing I made this year. Although the winter has been mild so far, I like to keep my head warm and my hair away from my face :) I have many berets and beanies, but  I have mostly been wearing this one so far :) 

2. These spiky clutches were made for my sister and her friend :) It was my second time sewing with fake leather, and I believe it was quite successful. My crazy sister broke a zipper on hers the day I finished them when we went to a club wearing them, so I have that one to pick apart and redo really looking forward to it :P thanks sis :/ ... but well, I think these clutches turned out well, I had great fun making them and recieving compliments on them :D 

1. My handmade handbag is my most favorite project of this past year. I made it in October, and haven't worn any other ever since! It goes great with all my clothes and shoes and the fact I made it myself is just a cherry on top. Of course there are a couple things I could have done differently, But I will wear this bag until the day it breaks apart, and the very same day I will make a new one :D Is it bad to love something you made so much ? Whatever I don't even care :D 

Screwed!

This beauty is my newest creation. I made two of these clutches for my sister and her friend :) I was really looking forward to making it for more than a month, I was just waiting for those spikes to arrive as I ordered them from China on ebay... I also took pictures of the studding process ... The sewing I suppose you can figure out on your own ;)

First I cut out the leatherette piece for the body of the bag, than I drew a frame on it with seam allowances and a smaller frame with marked stud positions just to make it perfectly centered. Also it worked out quite nicely, as the frame was split exactly into 1,5 cm pieces - stud positions means i didn't have to do any math to even them out :) 

I made all holes with this hole punch thingy :) and you can see the first screw in there...

I always pushed more screws through, because if I was working one by one, all the flipping would probably make me flip :D also, because I added glue on every screw to make sure they stay on, as the spikes would be enclosed in the lining and if any of them falls off I'd have to take it all apart...

 One is with silver and one with gold spikes, as they wished. The lining they wanted black, but when I saw this hot pink cotton I couldn't resist and my sister said she loves it so I'm happy I went with my feeling. There is also a small pink pocket for ID and money :) 

I'm just sad I didn't order more of those spikes because I really need to stud everything I own :) too bad I have to wait for another month ...

DIY: Lace trim skirt

I'm really busy the last few weeks, I have no time to craft, draw or to do anything worth sharing :( Over the last week I managed to sneak a little DIY into my schedule. It was really simple, and if my sewing machine was working, it would also be really quick :)

I had this lace at home, I was planning to use it as a trim on a cardigan, but it didn't look so good when I pinned it  ... so it was just lying there, and I found it while cleaning. I decided to use it on this NEXT skirt, because it's a bit short, so just for the feeling of added length ;) I pinned it and started sewing on the machine, but it was tangling my thread into big messy bulks. I tried to change tension and everything, different speed, new needle, but nothing worked, I guess I will never be able to sew lace on my machine (unfortunate, as I wanted to sew a new evening dress ...) so I ended up sewing it by hand. This denim is a bitch, especially those big bulky seams where the panels meet. I was going to give up, but finally I finished :D 

I'm going to a concert and record release party tonight, so I might wear it :) 

The bagmaker

So, I dedicated all of today to create the bag I was talking about. I was really looking forward to it, because I didn't sew anything for a looong time, and also I wanted to try something new :) Also I took the time to take pictures of all the steps to maybe inspire some of you to try as well :) nothing difficult about it....

First I cut out all my base pieces, 1x from leatherette, 1x from lining fabric. 

 Next I used fusible lining to keep the lining fabric in shape

Next I had to figure out how to change needles in my machine :) not really difficult. Maybe I wouldn't even need a denim needle, I just wanted to make sure it goes through all the layers without breaking... 

 Time to start sewing! I bought extra thick thread used in shoemaking to make sure it doesn't break while sewing. I sewed the lining first and the outer shell next, always doing the base (circle) first, and then sewing the side seam. I'm not sure that's how it's supposed to be done, but well :) it worked ;)

 Next I wanted to add the silver things (what the hell are they called in English? :D ) so I had to find the  hammer and make the holes first. I was looking for a hole punch in store, but turns out it can only be ordered online and that takes too long :) so I bought a little device that helps you make the hole by punching it with hammer :D ... Some of the holes weren't punched through so I had to cut them by hand. The next step was to attach those silver thingies, again with hammer and that little magic device :) 

The first one was simple :) by the time I did the 9th one (there are 10 alltogether) my hands were hurting terribly and I realized one of my silver pieces were missing... I was happy for that little break and set to find it, when I couldn't I had to go to shop to source some more :) I did found them, so luckily I could finish :) but they were in bag of 1é, so now I have 9 more left and think about making another bag already :D 

I tried to capture the detail of my shoulder strap, it's zigzag  stitched on both sides, nice how it worked out that the stitching looks like chevron,and the middle part looks quilted :) I like that.... 

I made little loops with snap hooks that are sewn between the lining and shell. This wasn't really necessary, but I wanted to make a second strap with some chain, so the snap hooks will allow me to change it :) The strap itself is finished with D-rings to make it look really clean and a bit less homemade :)

The drawstring is made the same way as the strap, just thinner. I wanted to make the ends tasseled, but then I wasn't sure about it and decided to just knot them. And the slider is also made by me, I have copied that from a bag I saw in H&M on Monday :D 

This post is unusually long, but I hope at least I made it a bit clear for you to see how I worked, and maybe some will be inspired to try the same :D If so, send me a link... 

It's really the most rewarding feeling to try and do something new or something you may think may be over your skill level and it turns out so great that you really love it and feel proud. Didn't happen to me a long time and now I'm really satisfied with myself, grinning like a freak and I'm ready to wear my pwetty bag until it falls apart! Although there are some crooked stitches and little mistakes, I love it !!!!

Edited: Boho skirt restyle

BEFORE: 

I found this skirt in a thrift shop a few years ago. At that time I loved the length, it was mid calf, really weird... I didn't wear it for maybe 2 years, and two months ago I found it somewehere :D I wore it twice since, belted as a dress and intended to keep it that way. But a friend of mine, who is really honest (sometimes too much) told me it looks bad... But as I fell in love with the print all over again, I didn't want to give it up... 

AFTER: 

I bought some elastic, snipped off the top part right under the side zipper, ruched it and sewn it together. Now I have a pretty updated skirt that I can wear until it gets too cold :) those colors fit perfectly into my fall color scheme :)

8.9. 2013: I created a turban style headband from the leftover fabric. I can't decide if I want to wear them together or no :) I need to try...

Dreaming of fabric

I haven't been sewing for sooo long... I really miss it. Last time I did the lining for my crochet handbag, but that's not really challenging :) I would love to sew a fall corduroy skirt, and some tops, but now I want to show you some of my bookmarked fabrics for my dream garments, disregarding the season ahead :) 

This fiesta fabric would be perfect for a headscarf and some full skirt I'd pair it with a blouse and wrap flowers and scarf into my hair - Frida kahlo style...

I want to make cosmetic bags and luggage tags from this one, love it...

this pretty fluffy fabric in this exact shade would be great for a bathrobe or a sweatshirt for my Mom :) 

All of the above can be found here

I've been lusting after these two for a while, I would mix them with some matching solids and make a panelled maxi dress...

Also this one has been on my wishlist for a while. Perfect for psychobilly dress, I actually have seen them ready made (Too fast clothing? I'm not sure...) but prefer to make my own...And the fabric is on sale now so I'm really thinking about it...

All of the above can be found here

I am sooo excited with these two... And there are more star wars fabrics, I had to hold back not to copy all of them here :D I don't know what I would make of these, but I know I need to have them!!!!

This one would be turned into a dress and maybe some more stuff for my sister. She could cover her whole world in it, she is a huge HK lover...and 20yrs old :D :D :D

I would love to make car seat covers with this one, even though it's not too practical :) 

I added this one just because I like it, no idea what to do with it...

I sooo adore this one, would be perfect for slouchy boho pants to live in through summer...

I can see this one turned into a 3/4circle skirt with a sash or a belt to tie into a bow 

This tattoo fabric would be really pretty turned into a rockabilly dress, but that maybe a bit too obvious, I love it so much, I could make more things with it ;) 

All of the above can be found here

I know the list is quite long, and if you scrolled all the way down, I apologize for that :D but it's noway near the end... my list of fabric and craft supplies dreams is close to endless :D I will probably share some more lists in the future :D

Chambray dress restyle

BEFORE:

Shapeless thrift store dress gifted to me by my boyfriend's mother. They were too big on my chest, hips,  not to mention the straps were snipped off at a weird length... but i loved the material so I got to work...

AFTER: 

I snipped off the top part with the straps to create a strapless dress with lower back

Excuse this awkward pose, I always seem to tilt my head to side :D even when I take ID photos :D 

Finished !!!

Konečně jsem dokončila svoji háčkovanou kabelku :) i s podšívkou... původně jsem do ní chtěla dát zip, ale hrozně klouzal a zatrhávala se mi nit tak jsem se na něj vykašlala. Taška je stejně tak hluboká že kdyby mi do ní někdo chtěl sáhnout tak to ucítím... Už se těším až budu mít příležitost vzít si ji někam a chlubit se s ní :D 

 I finally finished my crochet handbag :) complete with lining... I originally intended to put a zipper in, but it was slipping out and messing with my thread, so I ditched it. Nevermind, the bag is deep enough so when anyone wants to steal from me I would feel it :) I can't wait to wear it out and show off :D 

podšívka je tam hlavně aby se mi o očka nezachytávaly klíče a podobné věci a aby se moc nenatahovaly, ale kdyby mě náhodou přepadla chuť mít oranžovou kabelku tak se dá klidně otočit :D 

 I only did the lining so that my keys and stuff wouldn't get caught into it, and so that it wouldn't stretch too much, but in case I want to wear an orange handbag, I can now :D 

pattern detail

A taky jsem začala novou, kterou si objednala kamarádka :) 

And also, I started a new one, commisioned by a friend :)