#298 Drafting #288 Painted Lettering

So a good friend did this amazing standee for an awesome wedding. I helped by drafting the type (3 different creatives) and then painting it with him.

Here is a snapshot... I will try to get close ups soon too.

#299 Recon 30's style dress

So in my previous post about the "plan" to make this dress I made claims to not counting it twice... but this was hard work so I am gonna anyway. On the up side it was quick work and next time I will more closely follow the plan. I am happy with the result but it could be even better. This was a 1.5 - 2 hour project.


I was inspired by these looks from the 30's.

#300 Black and Cream Vinty Recon Dress Idea

So in order to tackle a project I really need to think it through. This starts with sketches and a plan.

Stuff needed

• 4 buttons (possible to snatch off bottom of shirt)
• Small (10 in x 10in) Scrap of thick black fabric
• Loose fitting man's shirt
• 2.5 yards black cotton fabric (I will use a strippy kind)
• Black thread

Equipment needed

• Pins
• scissors
• sewing machine
• Dress Form*
• chalk
• Butterick 5001 (for the skirt part) Or any mid calf stretchy skirt pattern

Master Plan

1. Make the skirt from the pattern
2. Take the loose fitting dress shirt, and place inside out on the dress dummy, tack down the side seams and center front with pins and tape so it doesn't shift around.
3. Press the shirt firmly down the boob and use a spare piece of elastic to test how it will fall when you cut off the bottom. 
4. Pin any darts in the back and fiddle with gathers needed for the girls, mark all with chalk including marking the cut line all the way around.
5. Take the shirt off the dummy, clean up the cut line and cut the bottom off the shirt 1 inch below the cut line. 
6. Sew in any needed darts and put back on the dress form. Check and mark places for gathering etc. Then put the shirt on the dress form inside out
7. Tape the skirt to the dress form
8. The drappy middle bit is going to be two layers. One for the ruched effect and one for structure. Measure from the waist of the skirt to the bottom of the shirt all the way around. Average out the numbers and divide in half. Add .5 inch seam allowance. Cut from black knit fabric. Now add 50% to 100% more to the height of those pieces and also cut out of the Knit fabrick... this will be the outside.
9. Next Sew the sides of the tall bits together gathering along the side till it is the same height as the short bits.
10. Sew the short bits together.
11. You should have to tubes at this point.
12. Next match up the short tube to the bottom of the shirt. With the right side of the tube facing the wrong side of the shirt. Match up the sides and center (front &Back) then pin. Next match up evenly about 2 inches of matertial from the sides to the center front. Stretch and pin the remaining knit fabric along the front of the shirt, careful to remain even on both sides.
13. Take off the dress form.
14. Take the ruched up band and with the right side of the band facing the right side of the shirt pin it to the bottom of the shirt making a sandwich... match up sides and stretchy bits to the short band.
15. Sew to the bottom of the shirt, being sure to stretch when needed with a .5 inch seam allowance.
16. Flip bands down. You should have a nice finished edge at the bottom of the shirt and all the sides should match up.
17. With the right side of the top facing the right side of the skirt, match up the sides and pin and sew first at the .5 inch mark. Then again at the .2. inch mark for a nice strong waist. Flip up seam and tack to top
18. Embellish the front with 2 button frogs made from the extra shirt bits and scraps. Possibly use shirt scrap fabric to embelish the skirt.

*Optional if you have a friend help with the fit part


P.S. Okay, So I promise not to count the dress too when I finish it.

#301 Quick Creepy Halloween costume

I needed a costume in 3 seconds or less... and I had lent out all of my stage make up. Soooooooooo... So I came with this Typhiod Mary costume (name tag not shown)

#302 Embelishment on a killer Fallout Costume

So I modified a wide collared jumpsuit added magnetic button and yellow piping as well as a yellow fabric top stitched 13 on the back. More pic's coming soon.

#303 My friend's Head - Now in Blue

So I don't have pic's of the finished because I am apparently exceptionally crap at visual record keeping.

Either way My friend has good dark latin hair... so we bleached it all to hell and then went blue and green... hmmmmm good times!


Here we are in action.

#304 Omlete de whatever is in the fridge

So I has lovely spur of the moment guests for dinner.... and not a lot of options for food... so we hand pretty omletes with mushrooms and avocadoe and grilled leftover peppers done all saucy.

Hmmmm... Saucy.

(pssst. I know this one may be considered weak, but hell I never made this exact omlete before so there.)

#305 Vintage Apron

This number is done out of out of some awesome amy butler fabric for a really good friend. I will look up the pattern shortly and list it.

#313, #312, and #311 Brand comps for my friend at Fresh Bit Baking

I put together 3 ideas for their brand that included Logo, image philosophy, typography, iconography. To illustrate how these elements would work together for each idea I worked up very rough drafts of a website, a pastry case card and a business card. The final product was a variation on one of these and can be seen in action at freshbitbaking.com

Below is a picture of the brand board we used for conversation.

(Pic coming soon I frickin' swear... I didn't wait long enough for them to transfer to this drive. Doh!)

#314 Flaming pink burka

This number is super simple to make and was made for a crossdressing friend to take to the playa… no pic's on the playa due to camera loss (grrrrrrrrr)

But I promise to post pics of it I dug up very very soon.