Author: Michelle

A Little Sewing

~ Michelle

I’m back with a short update. I’ve been doing a little sewing. Oh, it feels so good to sew again after a long time of barely any sewing.

Last year, when I was doing the BMS Challenge, I had to make myself sew. And I was really forcing myself to do it.

But my sewjo is coming back, and I’m so happy.

The first change that helped was I got a much better cutting table. Can you believe I was using a drying rack with peg board on top, and then my cutting mats. It worked, but it was starting to not work. The weight on the top was making the ends bend downward. Before it broke completely, I decided it was time for a table.  It’s just a folding table, but I’ve got it up on bed risers. I saw this little trick at Emmaline Bags‘ storefront. It works great! And I’m loving the storage underneath.

Having this all set up just made me want to sew something, so I decided to finish the collage quilt I started last year.This is Laura Heine‘s Pasley Bear. I had this great woodland cotton I thought would be the perfect background. It’s like my little Pasley Bear is in the forest. I thought that would be the happiest place for him.

You can see, I’m not quite done. The quilting on this is done, but it’s not backed yet. That will be next.

As always, Happy creating!

Taking a Break

~ Michelle ~ 6 Comments

If you’ve been following my blog, I want to say, ‘Thank you’. I really appreciate you joining me on my journey.

I’ve decided I need to take a break for the time being. I’ve been dealing with some life-changing events that seemed to happen all at once in 2019. I need to redirect my energy and focus for a season.

But I want you to know, blogging is a wonderful part of my life, and having ‘met’ so many wonderful people through my blog, I know I won’t be gone forever.

I’m looking forward to Happy Creating again soon.

December BMS Challenge – Snowy & Snuggly

~ Michelle

December – Snowy and Snuggly – Stay warm and cozy this winter in your new favourite snugly underwear. Not only do we encourage you to make warm and comfortable underwear, but why not think outside the box and try lining your bra with something that will take the chill off? It could be cotton lining, foam, fleece, fur, or something you come up with on your own!

For the challenge this month, I didn’t do a bra or underwear. This month it’s a set of matching sleep tees for a couple of dear sisters. A friend called and asked me if I’d make them for a Christmas gift. And I thought they’d be perfect for my entry because they are definitely something snugly and to keep warm.

Both sisters are musicians, and their mom found a great knit with a musical motif.How adorable is this? Being a musician myself, I love it.

I shared earlier the pattern I planned to use. It’s a really great pattern. Quick and comes together well.I made view B with short sleeves for both of the sleep tees.

Here they are from the front. I think they turned out quite well. I love the treble clefs.

I also finished both of these with my Cover Pro machine to give them a nice finished look.

Here’s the side view. I really like the curved hem on these too. I think it’s very flattering.

On the first one, I followed the instructions, which have you hem the front, back, and sleeves before sewing up the side seam. I didn’t love that, so didn’t do that on the second one. On the second one, I sewed that side seam up and then hemmed the tee with my Cover Pro. I did like that way better.

And the back view.Yes, I think these will be warm and snugly.

Happy New Year, and as always, Happy Creating!

November BMS Challenge – Movember

~ Michelle

November – Movember – Once again, we welcome Movember by making some menswear. in 2018, we released a free pattern for a men’s tank top. So many women wrote to say they used that pattern for themselves! This month is about creating menswear…OR using a menswear pattern to create something for a woman. Should we release a new menswear pattern? Maybe, just maybe…

Ooh, a new pattern. I love new patterns! I haven’t heard anything more though.

For Movember,  I’m going to make my son another pair of the Michael Men’s Underwear. My son loved the last few pairs I made him. He’s also told me he wears the ones I make as often as he wears his SAXX.

I have to tell you, a couple of years ago, I bought a few yards of the thick plush elastic for the waistbands thinking I’d make him more briefs. Then my son told me he really didn’t like the elastic I used. So, scrap that idea. I put the elastic in a give-away bag.

Fast forward a bit. The Angie comes out and you can use that same lovely plush elastic on the bottom of that bra. And my son comes and tells me he really likes the elastic on the new briefs I made him. I pause and tell him he told me he didn’t like it (thinking all the while how I got rid of a few yards of it!). He says no, he didn’t like the elastic on the first couple of pairs I made him, but loves the most recent ones. Sigh.

If you look at these photos, the elastic all looks the same, but it’s not. The black & white print pair have elastic I bought at the fabric store. It’s not the same as the plush elastic I bought at BMS – so says my son.

The good news is I don’t need to buy elastic again. I bought a men’s underwear kit from BMS and it comes with this nice plush elastic. I’m all set to make him a pair for Christmas.

I’ll make him the same style as I made him last time – with the flap and the opening.Believe it or not, I couldn’t figure out how I did this. I had to sit down an re-read my old blog post. I just wasn’t getting it when I first started to sew. But once I saw what I’d done, I got it again.

Here are my son’s Michael Men’s Underwear.  They don’t fit my dress form as well as my panties, but this works better than pinning them on my dress form.

I decided to use fold-over-elastic on the opening. On the last ones I made, I simply serged the edges. I like how finished this looks.On the side view, you can see just how ill-fitting they are. There’s not as much of a difference between the waist and hips on these. And that will fit my son much better than something more curvy.And the back view.

Lastly, here’s the inside with the sling.   So these are fully equipped. They’ve got the front opening and the sling.

I recently saw a pair of his favorite brand that were sleep pants. Hmm, I think I need to take a look at a pair of those to change up my Michael pattern to make sleep pants.

Happy creating!

Christmas Gifts

~ Michelle

Often, when we sew, we’re asked to sew for others. And this year I was asked to sew for my own dear Em, and her sister. How could I refuse that?

Would I sew up a couple of sleep shirts? Well, of course I will. Hmm, now what pattern will I use for these sleep shirts.

I just happened to be buying some fabric, and went to see the Kwik Sew patterns the store had. I found a perfect sleep shirt pattern.I think this will be perfect.

Em requested a curved hem like Style B. Her sister will get the straight hem.

Sewing on the sleep shirts hasn’t started yet though. I will start them this month so they’re ready for Christmas.

What I have been doing is making little felt poinsettias brooches to give away for Christmas. These were the first two I made. Then I went on to make a whole bunch more. 15 more to be exact.

If you’re wondering where I found these great little felt poinsettia shapes, I’ll share that, and how I put mine together too.

I ordered the little felt cut-outs on Etsy.   Here’s a screen shot from their shop. Look at all these lovely colors. I bought the red, and the white ones. And I’ve been really happy with them.

What I’ve done with mine to make brooches is, first I put a little Elmer’s glue in the center of each one, just to hold them all in place. Then I add a stitch. Next I have fun with my Hot Fix tool and add crystals.And you can tell, I like my crystals. They fun, they add pop, and when the light hits them they’re even more fun.

I have some red and white felt that I’ve been using to make backs for the brooches. The backs have a secure pin too. I think I bought a pack of those at Michaels.Then I hand-sew the backs onto each brooch.I think these will make lovely little Christmas gifts for family and friends. I know I’m keeping a couple of them for me too.

Happy creating!

October BMS Challenge – Fall into Fashion

~ Michelle

October – Fall into Fashion – Have you “fallen” for a gorgeous look from ready to wear, but want it to fit your body? This challenge is about “falling” for fashion and re-creating the look for yourself by cloning or copying a ready-to-wear look. Be ready to be inspired!

It took me a little while to decide what I wanted to copy from RTW for my challenge entry this month.

One of the things I thought about was a lovely bra. This is the Dream Catcher by Freya. Look at that little peep hole on the bridge! Isn’t that adorable?This is lovely, and I may copy that little peep hole feature at some point.

I also love the Prima Donna Milady. Oh, this was a nice bra.

A foam cup for some amazing lift, and a vertical lace cup over top.

As much as I love both of those ideas, time was not on my side. When I realized October was half over, and I looked at my schedule, I knew it was time to pick a project that I could fit into my schedule.

I thought back to some other RTW lovelies I have wanted to copy, and then I remembered a really adorable panty. This is the Panache Quinn High Waist brief. On, this is pretty. Yes, this is my inspiration this month.

Here are my own pretty lace-hipped panties. I chose not to do a high cut brief. I used to love high cut briefs when I was in my 20s… before I had kids. I’m much happier with hipsters these days.

The don’t look so different from the front or the back.There is a peek of that lace in both views.

But the side view. That’s where we see the design of these panties pop.Ooh, that is so pretty. This lace is so soft too, so these cotton-Lycra panties will still be so comfortable, as well as very pretty.

To finish these lovely panties, I used the same lace I used for the sides for the trip at the waist. I simply trimmed it below the embroidered part, and attached it the same way I attach elastic lace trim.I just may have to make more of this design.

Happy creating!

Out of This World

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

Have you ever made the famed Turducken? I’ve cooked it a few times. Twice after purchasing it with all the work done. And twice I’ve made it as a ‘roll’.

I do have a recipe to make it myself. In fact, I’ve had the recipe for 20+ years. However, I’ve yet to get brave enough to debone all these birds on my own. You can find Paul Prudhomme’s recipe here.

Just recently, I purchased another prepared Turducken and the meat to make a roll, all for our dinner group. Our theme this month was Out of This World, and was inspired by a genealogy find: The name Picard. Just like the captain of the Enterprise on Star Trek.

To start our dinner, I set a pretty Fall table.Then it was time to cook.

I didn’t get a photo of the Turducken before it went in the oven, but did remember to take a photo of my ‘roll’.  It looked even better when it came out of the oven. Except that little pale spot? The duck skin I’d put on top stuck to the lid!And here’s the Turducken when it came out of the oven.The Duck meat created so much juice. I poured it off into a jar and almost half of it was fat! I put that in the fridge for the fat to harden up and I’ll throw the fat away. My hubby will get some nice soup with the broth that’s left over.

Here’s the Turducken browned up a little more, and ready to be carved.And my Turducken roll browned up, and carved.I wasn’t the only one to brought an out of the world dish to our dinner.

My friend, Jan, brought a dish that I’ve never seen or heard of before. Meat Fruit. It took her four days to make it!    These looked amazing. Unfortunately, I couldn’t have any, but enjoyed watching Jan’s joy as everyone else dove into them.To round out our dinner, our shepherdess friend brought Shepherd’s pie, with meat from her own flock.It was a great dinner, and there are lots of Turducken leftovers.

Happy creating!

September BMS Challenge – STRAPtember

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

September – STRAPtember – We often see interesting straps in ready-to-wear, but how many of us actually try those straps on our own garments? Here’s your chance! We challenge you to make interesting, innovative and inspiring straps. The straps can be for a bra, bralette, swimwear, or other intimate apparel. Our tutorials this month will feature straps from ready-to-wear you can make at home.

Ooh Straps

I don’t usually do too much with my straps, but I think it’s time to try. I’ve had a few ideas of what to do, and I have a whole folder on my computer full of images of straps. Here are just a few.I even have a couple of kits with strap lace in my stash. You know those kits that you save for someday. The strap lace is similar to what’s shown below on this gorgeous bra.   Just look at these straps from a favorite RTW bra, the Prima Donna Milady. Those little bits of heart lace are adorable. I have some similar bits in kits from Kantje Boord. In fact, I bought the kit for the strap lace.

I decided it was time to break into that kit. It’s time to use the pretty things I have and not save them for someday. Oh, it’s so pretty.

And I decided to use my Ruby pattern again.

My September BMS challenge entry

Here’s my latest Ruby bra.This is a gorgeous left & right mirrored lace. It was my first time using anything like this, and it was fun. I chose beige duoplex for my frame because there was some pretty floral detail in beige too. I tried it with brown, but that was just too dark.

Seeing as the emphasis this month was straps, here’s a nice close up of my straps, and the lovely strap lace.To reinforce them, I’ve used sheer cup lining to make narrow tubes behind this strap lace. It worked perfectly.

Here’s the side view.I’ve used the lower edge of the lace with just a little bit of the embroidery on it for the lower cup pieces.

Here you can see the back of the bra. This kit had the most adorable oval sliders. Just adding something a little different like this can be such a nice change. Lastly, I cut out a tiny floral from some of the remaining embroidered lace and used that instead of a bow on the center front.    Have you used a kit with strap lace before? I really enjoyed it and want another kit now.

Happy creating!

Dyeing Findings

~ Michelle ~ 4 Comments

I ventured into dyeing some findings again. The first time, and the last time I did this was for my January challenge entry. I needed lavender, and only had purple dye on hand. A few seconds in the bath, and my elastics were already a little darker than I wanted. But they all still worked, probably because the lace had lighter and darker elements and brought it all together.

You can see in the above photo how the elastics are just a bit darker than the power net.

I decided it was time to dip some findings into a dye bath again. This time, it’s not for a challenge entry though. This time it’s to match some of the gorgeous lace my husband brought me from Amsterdam last year.This is a lovely coral and silver lace, with coral sheer cup lining, coral stretch mesh, and some coral findings. As well, it has small silver strap elastic, and silver upper cup elastic.

Here are my newly dyed findings. I’m so pleased with how well they turned out.Does anyone else feel a little geeky about how excited they get over lace, or findings? I hope I’m not alone, because I really did get excited about these.

I did think about using BMS’s platinum findings to match this – because I prefer the larger findings and elastics. But…I also prefer softer elastics. The BMS platinum elastics are the firm ones. So instead I bought some soft white elastics, and white findings, and dyed them. (I have heard a rumor that the BMS elastics are being changed to something right in the middle of soft and firm. I hope that rumor is true!)

Here’s another white kit ready for my next dyeing experiment, along with my new silver grey findings. Didn’t they take color beautifully? I really am seeing why so many others have started to dye their findings or lace to make the exact colors they want.

Everything took color so well too, except for one little thing.Look at that glaringly white bow. It didn’t take any color at all. It must not be polyester like the other findings. It’s a good thing the kit from Kantje Boord came with three little silver grey bows.

Here’s my lace with my newly dyed findings.Perfection!

I have to say, this dyeing experience was even more fun that the last one. The last one I didn’t have the exact color of dye I wanted, so it didn’t turn out exactly as I wanted. This time, I couldn’t be happier with the results.

Happy creating!

August BMS Challenge – Lacy Daze of Summer

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

August – Lacy Daze of Summer – In 2018 we asked you to construct garments using two pieces of lace in the same garment. We won’t ask you to do that again this year. Well, not exactly. However, we are asking that you use lace and a sheer fabric together in the same garment. Cool and comfortable, as well as beautiful.

I liked this idea better than the two laces in a single garment we did last year for the challenge. However, I still wanted to do something a little different. So, here is my Lacy Daze of Summer submission.This is the lovely Ruby pattern. The cups are all lace with sheer cup lining behind the lace. That lining is not my sheer though. You can’t actually see the sheer part of my bra from the front.

But a peek at the side view and the sheer comes into view.I’ve used this awesome burnout material for the band. It’s a little bit lighter than regular power net, but I couldn’t resist it. And it’s a fun little detail to make the sheer detail part of the band.

Here’s a close up of the material with my hand behind it.I love this material. This was a purchase from a few years ago from Merckwaerdigh’s Etsy store.

Here’s the back of the bra.There’s no lace showing here. I think it’s so fun to have two very different looks for this bra.  Oh, I love this material! I think a whole bra in this would look amazing.

This has been a very fun challenge entry for me. I love the surprise of the back band with it’s sheer burnout parts.

Happy creating!