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Block UserOld Singer
In one of the messageboards, we got into a thread about old sewing machines. Well, I finally got around to taking a picture of my old Singer. A friend bought this at a garage sale for $10 and gave it to me. I needed to get it serviced a bit and get a new belt, but it works great. My favorite attachment is the hem foot.
A few years ago, my mom bought me a new sewing machine, a Brother or something. I use that now, because it does a zig-zag stitch and button holes, etc.
Cosplay
Most of my sewing is making costumes, either for dance or cosplay. So I'm posting my first cosplay costume: Yachiru from Bleach.
That's me in the pink hair. I made everything for this costume, except the wig. It's a traditional Japanese costume, kimono over kosode, with hakama.
Kimono: In this case, it's a men's kimono, so the sleeves are not very wide. Kimono construction is basically a tube, which works for an Asian body style, but a little more problematic for a curvy Caucasian.
Kosode: Another kimono, basically an undergarment. The layered look is in for kimonos. For this, the kosode is white, the kimono is black.
Hakama: Wide legged pleated pants. All these clothes were basically made from rectangles. Ironing the pleats for this was not particularly fun...
Tabi socks: Traditional split toed socks. usually made from silk, I made mine from a cotton knit. Just seemed more practical.
Waraji sandals: these are usually made from rice straw; since I didn't have that available, I made mine from jute. I found the instructions on Ebay of all places. These were the easiest thing to make for this costume.
Katana: This is not a katana; it's really a bouken, a practice sword. It's made from wood and is purchased from a karate supply store. I painted the scabbard black, added the gold details, the white cord and the pink hilt wrap.
Anyhoo, another crazy hobby! Yes, I did wear this to a convention, but so many other people were in costume, it would have been weird to be in street clothes. Also, it was fun to learn about traditional Japanese costumes.
Fair Isle hat
Thought I'd finally blog about this project:
I wanted to try some colorwork, and thought it would be smart to start with something small, like a hat. I found the pattern on knitty.com, and it was an easy, easy intro to colorwork. Since it calls for two strands of yarn to be knitted at a time, it knits up really fast. And the pattern is simple as well. I'm really happy with the results; the pattern is a keeper. The only thing left to do is add a tassel/pom-pom!
Here's a little better view.
Just a short note
I'm in the middle of a bunch of stuff, with pictures in my camera waiting to be posted.
But right now, I'm part of the Knitalong breakaway group. Instead of the Two Tone Shrug, a few of us are making felted bags from a pattern in Stitch and Bitch Nation. Mary's doing the messager bag, I'm doing the laptop bag and I'm not sure which one Terri is making. Neither Mary or I are following the pattern exactly, so we'll see how that comes out! Mary and I couldn't find the bulky yarn called for in the pattern (although I didn't look real hard). I substituted with Cascade 220 and am knitting with two strands, while Mary subbed in Patton's Merino Wool and doubled the number of stitches.
I'll let you know the results; it's almost like a little experiment.
Finally, the vest
Here it is! I wore this for the first time to our knitting group.
The jacket hides the bulkiness around the middle. Of the vest, not me.
Next time I make this vest (assuming I do), I think I'll try to make it more fitted at the bottom. i'd also like to increase the ribbing width, just as a fashion sort of thing.
I cut out the stupid expression on my face. Another thing about this pattern was that the instructions for the ribbing around the neck were wrong. At least, if I'd followed the instructions, the ribbing would not have matched the photos in the book.
Altogether, I'm happy with it. I'll get my colorwork hat up here soon. And another fun project.