Fancy Pants

A common problem in LARPing is that our pants (or skirts, for that matter) don't have pockets.  In an age of bulky cell phones that we simply *must* have on us at all times, this is a very serious problem.  While my current line of skirts don't have pockets built into them, it is a plan for the future, and in the meantime my good friend Sue (who sings with the group London Julie) wanted a pair of pants with pockets.  Specifically, she asked for two cargo-type pockets and one back-pocket on the right-hand-cheek.

This is what she's ending up with...

They don't look like much here, but I promise you these are formidable pants.  I made them from a bottom-weight fabric, the crotch seam is flat-felled, and the side-seams are "french".  Amusingly, when I folded the top of the pants over to create the waistline (as I usually do), each seam had become too bulky to machine-sew through.  So, I hand-stitched those sections shut, breaking a hand-needle in the process.

An example of one of the cargo pockets.  They have a drawstring at the top of them in order to keep any goodies inside safe, and each is large enough to hold two... er... adult beverages.

The back pocket is a single-welt pocket and is deep enough that she can fit one hand in her pocket.

((>_>))

A show of how the back-pocket opens.

Leafing this Right Here...

I've been steadily receiving commissions for "Eleventh Hour Sewing" and it is truly awesome to be doing something I love to do all day long.  Seriously.  I'm amazingly blessed to not only have a skill, but to have people that want to pay me to use that skill.

This piece is today's finished commission piece...

This dress is made from cottons, which I love using for its durability and color-range.

The leaves are appliqued on, and I have to say that this is some of the best applique I've done in my life.  The leaves are small, perhaps 3x3, and are arranged to look as though they are sweeping from the hem of the dress and up the body.

The neckline and collar for this pattern goes in a little wacky, and I worried that the neckline would be pulled further down by the heaviness of the sleeves.  To solve this, I ran a drawstring into the cased-seam of the collar.  Unfortunately, it creates a ruffled effect here, on the dress form, but once it is on its intended wearer, I am confident it will smooth out considerably.

A view of the dress from the side, and how the sleeves drape.

A view of the dress from the back.  Because there are no arms on my dress dummy, it looks a bit rumpled here, but it will be nicely filled out once it is worn.

A detailed view of the back.  Those are button holes that go up to right under the collar.  What isn't shown here is the modesty panel I cleverly inserted into the back, so that any underpinnings the wearer might have on can be kept hidden.

Back in the Saddle

Remember that pretty dress I posted the very raw version of?  I have pretty pictures of it with the pretty lady it was meant for wearing it!

Photo credits go to my dear friend Hersera.

If you are looking for style with an edge, she's definitely your gal!

I also whipped up these yesterday, which I'm pretty proud of, given the new-and-improved design variation on the original skirts these are based on...

The World's Smallest Violin...

... cannot play "My Heart Bleeds for You" well enough to capture the agony I've experienced with my most recent crafting conquest.

What looks like an ordinary pile of red and blue fabric is actually 5 red/blue parti-colored 84" x 108" tablecloths and 30 red/blue (15 of each) 12" x 12" napkins.  They are table linens for my local LARP group, and represent about 8 hours of sewing in devastatingly un-creative straight lines.  I am considering offering my services to make more of these sets to other LARP groups, but I'm not sure they'll like the price tag and I'm not sure I want to put myself through it again.

So, needless to say, I'm pretty pleased to be working on *this* little number:

The satin-brocade might fray to all hell, the seams might be long, and what will eventually be put in as the neckline might be overly complicated, but it is *great* to be working on a garment again!

Incredibly Official Promise

Lookie what I got in the mail today...

I already do an amazing about of peddling/hawking my wares on my Facebook page and Twitter, so I'll make this promise right here and now.

I am going to try my bestest to keep this blog to my sewing projects and their construction.

Now, this isn't to say that I won't post random pride-filled pictures of new stuffie creations, stock-garb designs, or commission work, but I'll try and keep the links to my Etsy page at a minimum.  If you are interested in seeing my wares as they come and go, I definitely invite you to "Like" my Facebook Page ( http://www.facebook.com/EleventhHourSewing ).

And now I'm going to take a moment to gush about how awesome my friends and family have been/are/continue to be.  Taking the plunge into crafting-for-a-living is seriously scary, but I have had nothing but support and good vibes coming at me from all directions.  It is comforting and overwhelming, all at the same time.

Thank you, Guys!  From the bottom of my heart!

Available on Etsy!

Today, Eleventh Hour Sewing officially opened on Etsy!

Thus far I have a few stuffed animals listed...

If you like what you see, but not in the colors you would *love* it in, don't be shy about dropping me a line!

I am available for custom orders!

eleventhhoursewing@gmail.com

Happy New Year... Awesome New Adventure!

Firstly and Foremostly, a very belated "Happy New Year" to all of you.

I know that you've all been *dying* to see my Peacock Dress in action, so here it was as I wore it to the fantastic event hosted by the Steampunk Society of Nebraska.

The dashing Gentleman in these photos would be my Beau, who coincidentally won the prize of "Best Top Hat" for the evening.  Yes, that is a clock on his top hat.  Yes, the clock is functional/accurate.  Yes, it was AWESOME.

You'll note that I don't have any pictures of the bustle that I promised in my original "Peacock Ensemble" post.  That is because the bustle had severe problems in bustling.  I might tackle it again in the future, but for right now it is safely tucked away in my "mending" pile.  For purposes of the ball, I made myself a half-tutu from some blue and green tulle.  It was cute, but nothing remarkable.

But on to my *New Adventure* in the New Year...

... looks awfully official, doesn't it?

That is because it totally is.  I've taken the plunge into the world of freelance artistry.  I'm wide open for commissions, I'll be appearing at a con here and there, and I'm even opening an Etsy store.  I'm terribly excited about all of this.

So, join me on this grand adventure!  Start out by liking my Facebook Page, and keep an eye open for updates as I get my Etsy store rip-roaring!