Battle Skirt

This was an interesting commission. The player had recently gotten custom armor, and he wanted a battle skirt to match it. The LARP he plays has a rule that all armor must be visible to count, so the skirt needed to be something that would show off the leg armor underneath. 

The design is based off of a video game (I don't know which). He wanted the skirt to be random as far as the circular designs and the width of the individual panels.

This is the sketch we settled on, though he wanted the black in front and back rather than the every other as shown here.

This was my first time using the reverse applique technique. All the gold pieces are done in the traditional manner where one cuts out a shape, glues it to the background and then stitches around the edge. In reverse applique, one draws the design, sews through both layers and then cuts the single top layer as close to the stitching as possible.

The back of the reverse applique ends up being very colorful. Since this will show while he fights, I worked to make the back as clean as the front.

This was a very interesting project. I may try reverse applique again, and I may try combining it with an applique lace technique where you cut both layers.

Y - Yoyos

Fabric yoyos are a fun little thing to try. The basic premise is that you take a circle of fabric and hand stitch along the outside, then pull tight. Here is a demo pic I found on the internet:

And another picture of a finished yoyo:

Last year, I attended a camping event for my role-playing group. One of the vendors there held a crafting contest where we had a gallon bag full of crafting supplies and had to make something using only those supplies and tools that you brought with you. I decided to make a belt favor (a decoration to hang off of a belt) by making as many different flowers as possible with the crafting materials.

Yoyos can also have shapes, so I did a flower shaped yoyo, and I pulled the back through the hole to give it more of a center of the flower look. Here is the final favor:

U - Unusual

I have a few unusual projects and patterns I have developed, so here are a few.

This set of fairy wings was a crafting challenge. I had a budget of less than $20 plus whatever is in your private stash. We had to make something appropriate for a fairy court. I used branches off of the tree that fell in my dad's house, and a bunch of different things from my stash. I used crocheting to make the dragon fly/dream catcher-like wings. I love how it turned out, but I can't figure out a way to make them to sell because they are so fragile.

This is a better picture of the over-all wings.

I made these for the same challenge. We were supposed to make something that is thrown in the game of Amtgard. I made spell balls using the Japanese technique of Temari balls. This launched my interest in making better and cooler balls.

This is a pattern I developed for a fairy skirt. I haven't seen this type of skirt/dress anywhere else. I have fabric to make three more, and I am looking forward to making more because they are so fun and different from the others out there.

This dress is also a skirt. It offers lots of costuming possibilities. Thanks for reading... Almost at the A-Z finish line!

M - Makeup

We did an Alice in Wonderland themed tea part at an event a couple weekends ago, and the person in charge asked me to do makeup for the Mad Hatter. I also did makeup for a witch and painted faces for the masquerade. When I was in college, I took a really awesome theater makeup class. It is fun to get to use the skills again.

L - Linen

Most of my tunics are in cotton because it is less expensive and has more color options without having to use the internet,  so I was super happy to make this one in linen.

It is viking inspired with a horn of Odin symbol appliqued on the front.

Sorry for the blurry back. The sun was at a strange angle when I took the photos.

K - Kilt

Last year I attended a kilt making workshop. When I went to find material, the local plaids bared no resemblance to any of the clan tartans that I wanted. Then I stumbled on this flannel and went for it.

The friend I was making this for has a sister who struggled with breast cancer. He also is one of my fiercest advocates and is always checking that I am healthy after my breast cancer as well.

I added a pink ribbon in case the hot pink kilt was misunderstood.

The pleats in the back. I love how it turned out. I don't have any pictures of him in the full garb, but if I get one, I'll add it in.

I - Ink

Ink printing is a new area that I have been trying. If you read about the ermine or saw the picture of the bunny dress, that was my latest project. I made two other stamps in the last year, the sunflower/sun and the clarinet tree of life.

I found the white stamps at Michael's, and I plan on trying out embellishments on tunics to see how well they work. It is definitely a different way of decorating fabric, but I am really enjoying it.

H- Heraldry

Heraldry, also known as Coat of Arms or Device is the historic way of telling people apart. Think of it like football teams in the Renaissance Era. They had to be distinctive enough from each other so that a person could tell if they were a friend or foe at fifty feet. When it comes to crafting, I use heraldry all the time in my designs. Here are some examples:

These are the ones I have done with my heraldry in Amtgard:

F- Filigree

So, there are a lot of F-based sewing words like fabric, fiber, fleece, flannel, etc. so I thought I would do a word that is less well-known. This is a circle cloak that I made a few months ago with tons of filigree appliqued on.

I began by sketching the filigree on some newsprint paper, then I mirrored the design.

I traced it on to heat-n-bond and ironed it to some crepe backed satin (a.k.a. hammered satin). I love how crepe backed satin in gray or gold looks like real metal.

I carefully cut out each piece and ironed them down to the black linen.

I used gray thread to satin stitch around each piece.

The finished cloak. You may notice that the edges are torn, and that was done very much on purpose.

D - Designing

I find that I spend a great deal of time designing the garb I sew. A lot of people will come to me and say, "I want something cool with this color and this thing." My drawing skills are not the greatest, but it is the easiest way of explaining what I am thinking.

So, here are a couple before and afters and a few still on my to do list. I really love coming up with ideas and working with my clients to make something that is totally unique and totally what they love.

C - Circle Cape

This is my friend Evan, molding a circle cape I made. I really like circle capes because you can throw them over anything, and it makes it look like you have both a tunic and cape on. It can change field garb into court garb in the time it takes to pull it on over your head.

Rather than doing grommets, I experimented with these decorative metal findings that I got in the beading section. They work well and have a cool look.

This was the first project that I got to try out my new serger on. It made finishing the edge a breeze rather than a nightmare. I like how it can give a really nice thick decorative edge on a fabric that would otherwise fray, and without the hassle of trying to roll the hem of a perfect circle.