I love invisible zippers!

But as you can see, I'm not a huge fan of ironing. Can't win them all. When PH and DC were here this winter--together! at the same time!--they gave me the rundown on how my whole life would improve with the addition of invisible zippers. Of course they were right. I haven't looked back. I've made five things with invisible zippers in a month!!
This dress is one of my favourites. I bought the green linen in Vancouver this summer and have just been waiting for time to sew it into a new dress. I know the dress is not flashy and linen wrinkles like a son of a gun, but I just love it. This is the second time I've made this pattern and I did a really good job following instructions. The first time there were a few things I couldn't puzzle through in the instructions that I thought I could figure out on the fly. Hmmm. Not so much.
This time I trusted the great sewing gods at Vogue, did their bidding, et voila! it is a testament to mankind. It is lined and fits perfectly (I did have to take in the back a bit and I left off the giant bow, blech) and it's linen, so why waste time ironing it anyway?

Stained Glass

Boss Hog and I did a collaborative project this year. It went really well. It's not often we can work together and still end up happy with each other and pleased with the results. This project was perfect in its division of skills and labour. He took a stained glass course and knows how it all goes together. I have a fine arts degree and large paper. This was Boss Hog's second piece of stained glass ever, and it's about 2feet by 3 feet. Yup, 'go big or go home' is often our motto around here.
He said he wanted a tree in this window.
I obligingly sketched one out.
He took it away and thought about it.
He said it would work and took me to the glass supply shop to pick colours.
Then he, the sheets of glass and the sketch paper disappeared.
Boss Hog returned one night with a roll of copper foil and stacks of labeled rectangles of glass. I was allowed the menial chore of rolling the foil around the edges of the rectangles and squares while we watched a movie.
Then the squares and BH disappeared again.
When they finally reappeared, the window was finished and framed with a lovely and ingenious frame that hangs IN FRONT of the actual window (so we can take it with us if we move!).
So, by working alone on parts of a collaborative project where we never had to be working together AT ALL we managed to complete this window and stay married.

Delighted with my darning foot

After cursing and fiddling with the darning/free-motion foot I picked up for my sewing machine a month ago I finally had time to get it to work properly. The manual for my machine offers no insight and the package the foot came in has nothing printed on it other than the name. I assumed the best way to work this thing was without feed dogs to allow for the implied free-motion. HA HA! Silly me. I also assumed that using an inverted embroidery hoop would give me more control and allow for more even tension on the underlying fabric (wool felt in this case)I found a diagram to this effect. Again HA HA!
The stitches weren't catching and the tension was way off on the bottom. My frustration levels were rising and so was my blood pressure.... then I walked away (in an uncharacteristically grown-up fashion). I came back to my machine days later and pretended not to have any clue as to how free-motion sewing SHOULD work.
As it turns out, my machine would like the feed dogs up and engaged with nary an embroidery hoop in sight. Who knew?
Now that I do know though, I will likely need to buy thread in bulk. This free-motion stuff is fun and hypnotising and burns through thread like there is no tomorrow.

Felted Cuffs, the next generation

I had some scrap pieces of felt from making larger things and decided to make more cuffs. I love wearing big jewellery and mostly can't afford it. I have some issues with all the leather cuffs out there too. They are a bit boring. In any case, I sweated over making this felt and I don't intend to waste any. So I went out and found some glass beads and shell buttons and did my best to blind myself sewing into the dark of night to satisfy my craving for felt that sparkles. Imagine satisfaction in blinding yourself. I should be locked up!

Felted wall hangings

I am participating in an art fair this December. It's the second time I've done this fair and I really enjoyed doing it last year. Since it's in a gallery they make you go through the whole application procedure. I think it's worthwhile just to keep up practice jumping through gallery hoops. I re-wrote my bio and justified my practices on paper. Being forced to think that way about what you make is dull but usefull.
This is one of the felted wall hangings I made for the show. I used some of the new techniques I learned this summer from Jessica at her excellent felting workshop. I also went out and invested in a darning foot for my sewing machine and spent two afternoons trying to make the thing work (it came with no instructions and my sewing machine manual was no help at all). It was worth it though. That is a fun attatchment. I can burn through the thread in no time.
My mom and dad were up for a visit and Bad Babs photographed nearly the whole procedure on her camera from roving to rolling and cutting. She had to leave before it was dry so she missed the sewing machine part but it looks like she has the makings of an excellent documentary on the fabulous skills of her daughter. I expect nothing could be more rivetting than an expose on felting.