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!

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!

A Second Blushing Addition

~ Michelle

This is another short and sweet post.

I like to make a second pair of panties for every bra I make. And I didn’t have time to make a second pair to go with my Blushing Bridal submission for the June Bra-Makers Supply Challenge – at least not in time for the deadline at the end of June.

But there was nothing to stop me from making a second pair after the deadline. So, I did.Here’s my second pair.

For this pair, I’ve used lace across the front of the panty, and cotton Lycra and lace trim for the rest of the panty.

I also moved the side seam further to the front on this panty.I moved this seam only because I wanted it a little further forward. I could move it forward still, but really, I’m just playing with the seam at this point.

The side looks pretty much the same as the previous pair of panties and so does the back. The front is the only difference between the two – with the lace detail.

Here’s my full Blushing Bridal Part II set:    Happy creating!