Month: August 2019

Candle Making

~ Michelle

My hubby was recently gone for a week on business. I’m sure I could fill up my hours while he’s gone without help, but my wonderful (almost) DIL Em decided to plan something fun for us. She organized a candle-making evening and invited some friends over to my house to join us.

Here’s our little gathering, and everything was all over the counters. We had wax to melt, candle dyes, essential oils, jars, tea cups, and empty votive candle holders to fill. From left to right we have Tracy, Jess, and Em.

I donated some of my china tea cups to the cause. I never use them. I barely use my china, and when using my china, I have mugs I prefer to use. So, these lovely tea cups are finally getting used.I also hot glued the saucer to the cup to make it one unit rather than two pieces. It’ll make it easier seeing as no one is trying to drink out of it.

Here’s Em showing a little votive candle holder she reused.And here’s Jess enjoying the scent of her homemade candle.I made a sweet little lemon-scented uncolored candle in this little votive holder.I also made a lovely pink candle in one of my husband’s grandmother’s tea cups.We all had fun, and made as many candles as we wanted. I had a 12-case of jars and only one or two had already been used. So we have lots of options each.

Here are all my candles. My hubby wants a jar one.Em also made a bunch of heart-shaped candle melts. Unfortunately, when she was removing them from the mould, both of mine split in half. Being as creative as she is, Em had a solution. She used hot wax to glue them back together.It was a really fun evening, and we’re already planning another evening. I think we should start our Christmas baking soon.

Happy creating!

An August Watson

~ Michelle ~ 4 Comments

A very dear friend of mine has wanted me to make her something for a couple of years now. The trouble has been she lives most of the year in Guatemala and she’s not back in Canada for long. When she is back, she’s busy seeing family and friends. It’s been hard to make arrangements to measure her with everything she has going on.

But this year we did it. I asked when she had time for a visit, and I made sure my measuring tape was handy. We had a great visit, and before she left I got her measurements.

She’s loved the long-line Watsons I’ve made for Em, so I made her one too.This lovely lace is from Libelle Sewing. Everything else was in my stash.

You know, I think this is so pretty. I love making all kinds of pretty colored bras, but I also like my neutrals. I think it’s time to make myself another pretty beige bra.

This should be lovely and light for such a warm climate. I’ve kept the cups unlined to keep them cooler. I did use sheer cup lining to stabilize the frame and keep the lace looking unlined.I brought the back straps in a bit because my friend is petite, however, they still look wide on the display. I’ll have to see how they are on her.I hope it fits perfectly. I haven’t had a problem with sizing for the Watson before, so here’s hoping for one more perfect fit.

Happy creating!

July BMS Challenge – Totally Twisted

~ Michelle

July – Totally Twisted – You’d expect our summer challenge to include swimwear, but this challenge is Swimwear with a Twist. That means your swimwear has to have a touch of a fabric twist, gathers, or ruching. Let’s get creative and manipulate fabric into swimwear, bikinis or other beachwear.

I had been thinking of making a tankini for the May BMS Challenge – Spots and Stripes. That is until I looked ahead a couple of months and saw the July Challenge was swimwear. I don’t wear enough swimwear that I needed 3 new swimsuits – one I made in my class, one I planned to make in May, and another one now.

So I changed my May entry and saved my tankini until July. But what I planned to make in May no longer would fit with the challenge, as well, I wondered if I really wanted a second swimsuit now even.

These designs were all spots and stripes (the May challenge).For my July entry, it was back to the drawing board in terms of design, and pattern. I just didn’t feel like I wanted a second swimsuit right now, so I asked Em if she wanted one. YES! Yes.

So, Em’s getting a new swimsuit for my July Challenge entry.

I showed her the pattern I have and she loved the Marsha pattern from Pin-Up Girls’ Three Sisters Bikini pattern.But she also loved the Rebecca. She’s getting a mash-up of the two patterns.

Em’s Teeny Weeny Polka Dot Bikini

Here’s Em’s new bikini:

It’s pretty adorable. But it’s also too small. I’ve never made this pattern before, and I’d need to size up the bottoms for sure. Sadly, they won’t fit Em, and they won’t even fit on my display.

The front of the Rebecca pattern has ruching, which is great if you have a bit of a tummy.  The front of the Marsha pattern has some adorable features too. A fabric twist at the center front.I’m sad this is too small, but am glad I tried this challenge and learned a few new things.

Happy creating!