Cosplay Sewing 2018 - Lily Hoshina

My monster is planning to attend a con at the end of September and she has decided to cosplay Lily Hoshina from "B: The Beginning" for the event.

I've never seen the series and know nothing about it so she sent me some pics of the character so I can help her put together the costume.


I'm so pleased that the character and costume she's chosen appears be relatively simple to recreate - no elaborate foam crafting or makeup skills required.

She's on a pretty tight budget to put this costume together so a real leather jacket is out of the question but I think I've found a pattern for a reasonable facsimile of the jacket (with a few minor modifications).

The pattern I've settled on is  Jacket Pattern 4305 by Lekala sewing patterns.


I think with the addition of patch pockets on the bust it should work for the cosplay.

Now to tackle the actual making of what is possibly the most complex garment construction project I've ever taken on. 

This one definitely warrants making a trial version before cutting into the more expensive pleather (or whatever I end up finding/buying for the real version) so I'm off to the fabric store.

I'll keep you updated on how this one comes together. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

K

One-off custom quilt

One of the things I really enjoy about working with fabric is the ability to make gifts that are really personalised to the recipients.

My significant other (SO) is a keen online gamer and through that has made friends the world over. When he said a few months ago that he would like to send an Aussie care package to a couple of his gaming friends in the US and asked if I could do something special and unique in fabric as an extra item to include in the package I jumped at the chance.

I know that my SO was initially thinking that I might do something with an applique design using the recipients' gaming logo, and in all honesty it probably would have been a quicker project had I done so, but applique really isn't my thing. I almost certainly could have done the design component for what would have been a multi-piece applique, but I'm just not confident with the actual sewing part  - I can never seem to get the finish of an applique project just right no matter how hard I try. So for this project I just knew I had to do a paper-pieced design.

I'm not sure that my SO had a proper understanding of what I do as far as quilt design and construction before now so it was really nice to have him involved in the design process, seeing it come together and being so supportive and helpful as I worked on this one.

In the end the finished project turned out a bit bigger than either of us had initially thought at 30-inches square for the paper pieced logo panel plus a bit extra added all around, but I think it turned out to be a good size for either a lap quilt or a wall hanging (rod pocket added to back so it can be hung easily) and I'm really happy with the overall look of the finished piece. It's not identical to their logo, but I think its pretty close.

Paper-pieced quilted wall hanging/lap quilt
One-off custom pattern designed by me based on the Liberate Gaming logo 

I hope the recipients enjoy the Aussie package, including the quilt. I'm pretty sure the Tim Tams will be a hit and the Vegemite is sure to be an interesting experience!

Tim Tam assortment

Vegemite on toast
(image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegemite)

Dry season project dilemas

The season referred to as winter doesn't really happen here in the tropics; instead we have a dry season when the humidity drops significantly and the daily temperatures hover in the 18-31 Celsius range. It really is a beautiful time of year, and the sunsets are spectacular!

The cooler, dry weather means that it's much more bearable to work on projects that end up in your lap or draped across your body while you work - large quilts, knitting, crochet etc.

This dry season my go-to project has been a large crochet blanket. I'm working on the "As-We-Go" Stripey Blanket by Hannah Owens (Pattern on Ravelry).

As usual I haven't made things easy for myself. The pattern was originally designed as a throw blanket, but I decided to go all out and make it a full queen/king size blanket. I'm at the point now where I'm wondering whether that was such a good idea or not.

I love the colours I've chosen, and I love the pattern, but it's sort of busy looking and I'm actually beginning to think that an entire bedspread in this stripey pattern is just going to be too much.

So now I need to decide... do I continue with repeats of the pattern for the whole length of the blanket? or do I alternate with multiple rows of a single colour? and then if I do that, which colour? and which stitch pattern? Do I just have the stripey pattern for the top and bottom of the blanket with solid colour in between? or have 3 or more of the stripey panels?

Too many decisions.. Help! I need outside opinions in this one before the whole thing ends up as a never ending WiP.

Goblin King: Labyrinth Quilt and Stitch Along - Finished Quilt tops

I was just updating my WiPs page, and going through old posts, and I realised I never posted the images of both of the completed Labyrinth quilt tops after the quiltalong event.

I did post pics of the Black and Grey version...

Goblin King: Labyrinth Quilt and stitch along - Completed quilt top
Embroidery on white panels

But I didn't post pics of the version I was doing with the orchid / purple panels... so here it is

Goblin King: Labyrinth Quilt and Stitch Along - Completed quilt top

Isn't it amazing how much of a difference fabric choice makes with the look of the finished product?

Crochet Creations

Needing a portable project to keep myself busy while a passenger on our recent cross country road trip I took the time to acquire a new skill - Crochet!

I had planned to get some work done on a couple of cross stitch and embroidery projects while on the road, but just before we left I made an impulse purchase of some cheap ugly yarn and a set of crochet hooks. I also downloaded a free 'learn to crochet' e-book. It was probably a good idea in the end - it didn't take long to work out that moving car, bumpy roads and sharp needles are not a good combination.

My first crochet creation was the most hideous, mismatched pair of finger-less gloves ever. I almost frogged them but the monster adored them and wore them almost non-stop while we were in cooler climates. I'm really glad that first lot of yarn was cheap acrylic because the gloves needed washing several times after getting covered in dog slobber and hair, mud and grass. The acrylic held up well to to all of that.

My first crochet attempt. Finger-less gloves.

Feeling reasonably confident and inspired by my semi-success with the gloves, I made sure to pick up some slightly nicer (but still reasonably cheap) yarn during one of our stops and started work on a beanie for myself.

The beanie wasn't finished until several days after our visit to the snow, but I got it finished, and it turned out awesome!  It's basic but it's squishy and soft and warm; everything a beanie should be.

Car-selfie taken only seconds after I wove in the last tail of my second ever crocheted item.

Sadly it's too hot to wear my beanie here at home in the tropics so it will probably not be seen again until our next adventure to the cooler southern climates, but I did it... I learned a new skill and made something for me, that turned out better than expected.

Since we've returned home  I've turned my hook to some other bits and pieces including some Christmas decorations and a sampler afghan trying out a few new stitches. So now I have a a couple more works in progress and a whole heap of crochet creations on my to-do list.... crocheted clothes, slippers, hats, more blankets.... the list goes on.  But that's OK. It's another portable craft that I can switch to when I feel like I want to change things up or need a break from other things.

They do say that variety is the spice of life, and as far as my crafty stuff goes my life is feeling pretty flavourful right now :)

Until next time

K

Let's do it again... #PODQAL2018

Did you see the Harry Potter themed bookcase quilt I made and gifted recently? My post about it is here

There was a lot of work (and love) went into making that quilt, and as I was making it I felt sure that it was the only one that I would ever do. 

But I should know by now that you never say never... because I'm about to do it again!

The quilt is the Harry Potter Bookcase quilt (AKA The Project of Doom or PoD). Patterns are free and available over at my favourite fandom/quilting site fandominstitches.com. There is also a very active and welcoming facebook group. 

We're running a quilt along over in the facebook group from today right through to the end of August and I'd love for you to join in with us. 

You don't need to have any experience paper piecing, and your quilt doesn't need to be the monster size that my first one was. We're taking a choose your own adventure approach - you decide how big you want your quilt to be, how much time you have each week, what you want to include etc and there will be lots of encouragement and advice available in the group.

So head on over and join the facebook group to join in the fun (make sure you answer the question on joining, and have a read of the group rules)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/projectofdoom/


Look forward to seeing you there.


K