Etsy Order: 'Madeline' coats.

A few weeks ago I made a pair of coats for the same girls I made the dresses for here. They were inspired by Ludwig Bemelmans' "Madeline".

She ordered the fabric from fabric.com. It was cotton duck so it was quite stiff. :)

I used an base a-line pattern which I altered to fit the girls. Appearently a-lines are like the straightest forward anything comes. lol

I made 3/4 length sleeves. With a plain narrow hem.

I think trying to get the collars the right size and to lay right was the hardest part. :D Not a huge fan of making peter pan collars here. :P

They were so easy to make.  :D It was nice change from some of my other recent projects which have been overly complicated. :P Anyway I guess there's not much to say about them so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. :)

Brooke

My swimsuit!

Over the summer me and my sisters decided it was high time we got around to making ourselves some real swimsuits. :) Nothing on the regular market is really modest and most of the modest options that are out there are way over our price range. So for the last few years we've just been wearing our regular clothes in the water. But that's no fun and honestly it doesn't work that great.

 After searching thru our options we decided to use Miss Olivia's e-book pattern as our base. Tonight I only have pictures of mine, we haven't had the chance to do photoshoots of the others yet. :( But with time you'll get to see them. :) I ordered the fabric from Spandex House. They have so many choices...I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to decide. :P Finally I narrowed it down to 2 final choices....and this is what I came up with. :D For the shorts that go under it I just choose a plain 2-way stretch black.

Lots of measuring!

 I was slightly intimidated by thought of sewing with spandex never having done it before. But it really wasn't as bad as one would expect, not even as bad as a china silk or chiffon...
 As with most things I make, I altered the pattern and instructions some. For example I put the waistband (doing away with the elastic) on the skirt then sewed the bodice onto it. Rather then leaving it in 2 pieces. I have to say I don't think that would have worked well, at least on me. I'm sure it would constantly be riding up...And it hasn't showed any signs of sagging or any such thing.

Even more measuring. :P

I was planning on putting puff like sleeves on it, but as I was constructing it I tried it on to see how long I needed to make the straps and I fell in love with the way it looked with out them. I just hemmed the armscye edge where the sleeves would have been put...



Cutting! Would you believe I was brave enough to let my sister cut that close to my hands?!!? :P

  It was pretty easy to construct. We were able to use her sample pattern with several adjustments rather then having to start from scratch. So that was really nice. :)
 I was also going to make a sash for it which I may still do I was drawing up a blank on how to get it to look like I was picturing. Plus I'm happy with it, without it for now. ;)

The hardest part was by far drafting the sloper for the shorts. I have a smallish waist with considerably large hips and that is apparently hard to draft for. lol 

Going over instructions....



Some of my 'weapons'. :P

Yet again measuring...



Its a code I use so only I can understand it. :P

The beginning of a pattern!

Working on the front....

Getting redundant is it? :P That's kinda how I felt doing 3 slopers in one afternoon. Enough measurements, lines, and dots to make my head spin. :S

At last a finished product. :)
*Thanks to Megan for taking all the pictures of the construction process. :)

 And now for the many photos of the finish suit. :)

As you can probably tell by all the pictures I'm kinda obsessed with it. *grin* I've spent countless hours in the pool with it and it works very nicely! I was able to stay with my Aunt and Uncle in Missouri for 10 days this summer. Thanks to my dear little cousin, Lois. I learned how to swim!!!!!!!! I've wanted to master it for so long. So as you can imagine I was completely thrilled to finally be able to do it. :D I had many wonderful 'teachers' there. And when I came home I went to the last 4 days of swim lessons with 3 of my siblings and 6 cousins. We had complete blast and I'm so thankful God has blessed me with such a wonderful family! :)

*Photo credit to my dear sister Michelle. She's such a wonderful photographer. :) Fall has officially kicked in here so we had to fight with extreme winds, as well as my unruly to long bangs and a full circle skirt and I know how hard that can be. So a huge thanks Michelle. :)

Love,

Brooke

He's a Pirate - piano solo

 *This doesn't have much to do with sewing, but if one was desperate for a reason I suppose I could say Pirates of the Caribbean does hold alot of costumes.... :P (I'm one of the unlucky ones that hasn't seen the movies yet... :-/) AND when I'm sewing I never do it without listening to music, so maybe this is a fun peek into my routine for y'all... :)

  I'm a huge music person. Its rare you would find me not listening to anything. I love pretty much all types of music (Especially classical!). Its such a piece of art! :) I am captivated by the violin, electric guitar, drums, and the piano.  I have an extensive list of favorite songs. :P I think it comes from liking so many different genres. Anything from Linkin Park and Green Day to Handel's Messiah and Antonio Vivaldi to Celtic Women and Enya. So you see I decided this song was to spectacular not to share.... :) I do hope y'all won't mind my quick dive into the world of music.  :)

 I'm not even able to comprehend the talent he must hold to be able to play like that! He's so dramatic and yet so very graceful the same time! Amazing!  Makes me feel like failure of a musician. :P haha Not that I know that much anyway...*note to self....improve your skills. :D*

What do y'all think? Was it okay or would you rather I stick to posting about other things? ;)

Love,
Brooke

Blog Award!

Miss Virginia of the Lady's Resource Blog has kindly given me my first blog award! I'm so thrilled... :D Thanks so much dear! ♥

The goal of the award is to spotlight up and coming bloggers who currently have less than 200 followers. The rules of the award are:
1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.
5. And most of all - have fun!
My Top Five Picks:

1. A Most Peculiar Mademoiselle "I am a 28 year old woman, recently married to the love of my life. I am a registered nurse, but before university I worked as a seamstress. I still sew a lot, mostly historical clothing. Which period I make clothes from varies with my present interest - pretty much everything from viking age to early 20th century. When I don't sew, I read. I also enjoy living history and re-enactment, and I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. " Sarah posts about all sorts of things is and a fantastic costumer.

2. Dreaming of Avonlea "I'm a nineteen year old Child of the king, Striving whole heartedly to become a proverbs 31 woman, so I may someday run my home in the way God would want me to. I'm an old fashioned person and study my favourite eras with passion, and would completely prefer a horse and carriage over a car. :D" Meggie's blog is full of variety. She posts about sewing, life in the country, etc.

3. Her Heart In History "I am a young wife and mother. I am most passionate about Christ, my family, and my home. I have two blogs. On one, I blog about my passions and interests--including good health through good nutrition (Real Food, including sugar and wheat-free cooking), natural living/being a good stewardess of the earth; on the other I blog about Civil War reenacting and other things that might be of interest in that category."

4. A Lass Of Yesteryear "My name is Tara Janelle. I am 17 years old and am a history fanatic, especially when it comes to clothing. In my leisure time you will find me drumming on the piano, reading a good book, writing letters to my fabulous pen-pals, painting or drawing a mouse in a jacket (I like Beatrix Potter, if you didn't get the hint), singing at the top of my lungs, or sewing a new dress."

5. The Couture Courtesan  "This blog records my adventures in historical clothing construction and historical reenactment. I reenact Civil War, War of 1812, and Revolutionary War, and was a Maid of Honor in the Queen's Court at the Southern California Renaissance Pleasure Faire. " Samantha is one of the best seamstresses I've seen. I'm sure you'll enjoy seeing some of her work... :)

100 years of East London style in 100 seconds

This video was shared on a forum I'm a member of. I thought it was pretty clever and that y'all might like to see it to. :)

I have to say once it hits about the 70's I'm not real impressed with the fashion, but never the less its fun watch. :D

Brooke