Month: February 2016

Basic Black And Not So Basic Black

~ Michelle ~ 6 Comments

I’m happy to say, as of this blog, I have no RTW panties in my drawer. Yay! That means all my panties are now very comfortable, pretty, and me-made. I like that.

So, what did I make? It was time to make some more black panties.

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Here’s some of my stash. The Cotton Spandex is all cut out and ready to be sewn. The gorgeous wide leopard lace was a find eBay. Oh, it’s nice. So I’m building my black panty wardrobe here.

I’m using my favorite TNT pattern, Kwik Sew 2286. They don’t call it a hipster, but that’s how it fits me. It’s hard to find, but if you can find it, grab it up. It’s a great pattern.

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What really sold me on this pattern was it’s almost exactly like my favorite, now-discontinued, RTW panties. Both have elastic lace trim at the waist and leg opening. It’s almost the exact same shape too. The pattern sits a little higher, and I found I preferred that.

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Here are the first couple of pair done. I really love that leopard lace! And although it’s not a perfect match for my Pin-Up Girls classic bra with the leopard mesh trim, it’s close and I’m happy with it as a set.

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The next pair was made to match too.

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This one is black with red lace at the waist and leg opening. I couldn’t resist putting a little of the Lycra on the panty to mimic the Lycra on the power bars and bridge of the bra.

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This is another fun set for me.

I am making four pair of basic black with black lace trim. I ran out of lace after making the first panty, so off I went to the fabric store and I found this wonderful lace on sale for 65% off. I bought 15 meters! I think it was $2.20 to start, so I pretty much cleared the bolt.

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The lace trim wasn’t the only great deal I got that day. I wandered into the discount area, and walked by some lovely bright crinkle cotton. I walked by it, and then back to it. It was only $3/meter. I think I walked away three times, but kept going back. Am I ever happy I did! When I went to get it cut, I found out it was half price! So I took what was left on the bolt, just over two and a half meters. This will make a lovely summer top.

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As for the lace I bought, I think I’ll have enough for a little while now. Before I even found this lace, I knew I was getting low, so had also been looking on Etsy and eBay for laces too. I found this lovely scalloped lace that I plan to use on two of the basic black panties.

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This will make my favorite panties almost exactly like my former favorite – they had scalloped lace trim at both the waist and leg opening.

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I bought a few meters of that too. The next time I’m looking for black lace trim, I should be set!

Happy creating!

DIY Wool Dryer Balls

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

While I was recovering from the flu, I got to that point where I didn’t want to rest anymore, but didn’t have the energy to do much of anything either. I decided it was a perfect time to start a project I’d read about and wanted to try.

Wool Dryer Balls. I have no idea where I even saw this idea at first, but once I did hear about it, I had to read up on it and, or course, find a project to make.

Here’s the site I found for my project: Do It Yourself Natural. The link will take you to the article on wool dryer balls, and explain how to make them. Here are their very pretty wool dryer balls. I’m thinking I need more color!

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The wool I used was some I’d bought from a friend who is raising sheep. The balls are a Cotswold/Merino blend. I’m also very happy to say, the balls didn’t take that much wool. I still have the better part of the ball of wool I used left over for whatever my next project will be with it.

Winding the wool was the easy part. There’s more to them than just winding them up though. What makes these little balls work in the dryer and not fall apart is they’re felted. So the next step was washing these little balls while they’re tied in a knee high. Hmm. I don’t own any knee highs so my little balls of wool sat for a few weeks.

Then this past weekend, my hubby and I were out just spending some time together and I said I wanted to hit my favorite second hand store – the same one where I scored all that leather. So off we went. I was looking for wool blazers and leather clothing for bag-making, but didn’t score any this time. While we were looking around I did find some footlets. They weren’t exactly what I was looking for, but I thought they’d work.

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They did work just fine too. However, tying them was a bit tricky. Next it was time for them to go for a spin in the washer and dryer. Once you’ve washed the dryer balls you’ll know they’re felting when your nylons become all fuzzy with wool like these ones.

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Here’s how they came out after they’ve been set free from the footlet. They’re still fuzzy, and you can still see the individual yarns, but I’d have a hard time separating one of them. They’ve become very attached to one another.

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So, how do they work? I tried them with my polyester tablecloth with no fabric soften sheet, and I have to say not bad. We live in a very dry environment, and usually if I don’t use a dryer sheet, well, everything clings together. There was only a little bit of static, no cling, and the tablecloth felt nice and soft coming out of the dryer. I used them with a dryer sheet and a load of laundry as well, and I did notice the clothes coming out were softer. I’m thinking these are a win.

Happy creating!