"Pomegranates of Persephone" Dress!

My my my! Two project posts in two days. I'm on a roll! Let's see if I can keep this momentum into 2012. :)

Here I present the "Pomegranates of Persephone" dress. It earned this name even before it was constructed. When I saw the fabric in the store, I was instantly drawn to it. You know that moment where all the other fabric bolts around become non-existent and the fabric just calls to you. I know there are people who know what I'm talking about. It's a magical moment :P

Anyway, Sir Knight was with me when I was getting the fabric cut and he mentioned that the pattern looked like pomegranate seeds. I just love pomegranates, they're my favorite fruit. I knew instantly that whatever I created from this fabric was going to be named after them.

Persephone, of course, is the Greek goddess of springtime and wife to Hades, god of the Underworld. She's daughter to Demeter, goddess of agriculture (her Roman name, Ceres, is where we get the word 'cereal') and one day she was kidnapped by Hades, and taken to the Underworld to be his bride. Demeter furious that her daughter had been taken from her petitioned Zeus, King of the gods, to allow her to be returned. Zeus decreed that if Persephone had not eaten any food from the Underworld, she would be able to return.

Source: http://www.artrenewal.org

Hades tried his best to tempt his newly taken bride with delicious foods. None of which she ate. It wasn't until she was presented with a delicious pomegranate with it's juicy, tart seeds that she finally partook food of the Underworld. She indulged in six seeds.

Pomegranate...YUM! (source: http://rubyredpomegranates.co.uk)

Meanwhile, in despair for her daughter's absence, Demeter had withdrew all her gifts of abundance to the world of men. The world became cold, the crops sparse and produced no food. No flowers grew and the trees were bare. Finally Zeus decided on a compromise...for each seed that Persephone ate of the pomegranate she would have to stay with Hades for one month then she could return to be with her mother.

With her lovely daughter returned to her, Demeter restored the bounty of the fields back to the Earth. From then on, when Persephone was forced to return to the Underworld, her gifts were withdrawn again...year after year.

This is how the Ancient Greeks explained the seasons. It was the first Greek myth I learned back when I was about 11 years old. It's still one of my favorites to this day.

Back to the project, for this dress I used BurdaStyle magazine's 02/2011 #101 (dress with gathered rectangle skirt and cap sleeves). Very simple pattern. I like it cause it only prints out the pieces for the bodice. The skirt is very easily constructed by cutting out two rectangles using the measurements they give in the instructions.

I cut a size 12 which was way too big. I'm still having some fit issues. I think I added too much of a seam allowance as well. A very simple fix but I just couldn't wait to post it. I can definitely see myself making this again in the future. I also think a good idea would be to attach a different skirt to the bodice. I think I might have some fun with that.

Sorry for the poor quality of the photos. Cold temperatures are still keeping me inside. 

The sun came in making it look lighter than it is.

I love how I can put tights, boots, and jacket and it's perfect even for cold weather. As it gets warmer I can wear it with sandals and it's ready for warmer weather. I love trans-seasonal garments! :D

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Anyone working on any sewing projects?

Little Red Riding Hood Costume...Part the First

Greetings everyone! Hope everyone's October has been as delightful as mine. This weather is making me itch for a trip to a pumpkin patch!

It's also getting me in the mood to start making my Halloween costume. I feel a little nervous starting it just now, but the pattern is pretty easy. I've already read the instructions about a dozen times lol. Speaking of the pattern, here it is:

I love the pirate one too! Might use that one next year!

Obviously making option A. I made a very similar one a couple years ago to make a really pretty gypsy costume. I won a contest that year! Now to the fabric and notions...

Going clockwise from the left:

• White lace that I bought for a friend's costume I made along with my gypsy one. I'm hoping it'll dye to match the red tulle for the petticoat. 
• Red double knit (with not stretch) for the cape and vest. It has a nice texture and weight for both pieces. The only problem is the gal who cut the fabric for me cut a yard less than what I needed! I'm thinking we'll need to go back to get more :(. Luckily the bolt was pretty full so it should still be there. 
• White broadcloth for the blouse. Very simple so it wouldn't take focus away from the vest. 
• Black satin for the skirt. I also have a 7" invisible zipper. It's cool cause the pattern piece is basically a 1/4 circle skirt piece. Cut on the fold, it make a 1/2 circle skirt! Very versatile piece that I can use for many other things. I LOVE multitasking patterns!
• Velvet ribbon for the trim on the vest and cape. 

So there it is. My Halloween costume in potentia! Can't wait to get started! Have you started on your costume?

The "Waiting For Fall" dress!

First and foremost, a most blessed Mabon to everyone!

Being the first day of fall, I thought it a great excuse to debut my "Waiting For Fall" dress. I began making this dress early August when I was longing for longer and cooler evening. They have arrived! This dress was made with BurdaStyle magazine's 05/2010 tiered mini dress #114.

It was very simple to construct and was the first time I made buttonholes! I was very excited about them!

Sir Knight says I look like the cat who swallowed the canary :P

 The sunset was beautiful this evening. Perfect for pictures. Sir Knight, his mother, and I drove up the loop road to visit the mountain lakes. Unfortunately my camera didn't find itself in my purse and I couldn't take pictures of any of the GORGEOUS aspen trees in all their golden glory. We're planning to go up there again this weekend and I will remember my camera this time!

Some tiny biting bugs were eating me alive by that tree!

All in all, a great dress that I can wear both in the summer time without the tights, or with a cardigan and boots. I think I've achieved all my wardrobe goals with this one.

Hope you have all have a great weekend!

Wardrobe Gaps...

After the failure of last month's challenge, I began to think about it and realized I shouldn't be rushing my sewing projects. These should be things I enjoyed making, not resented cause I had to stay up til 11 pm trying to get them done in time. Anyway, moving on to what is probably my most favorite time of year...FALL!

I love absolutely everything about fall. Fall colors, fall fashion, fall foods, fall weather...everything!  Although I'm not a huge fan of the blustery temperatures of winter, I truly love the transitional period before the real cold sets in. Already, I have to wear a jacket when I walk to work in the mornings.

The deer have started coming into town more often with the starting hunting seasons. It's always a nice treat to see them in the dark of the early morning. Sir Knight and I like to peek through our bedroom window and spy on a group of bucks that frequent the tiny field in front of our house. I'll try to get some pictures of them if I can. The camera flash would send them sprinting!

Failed challenges and deer aside, a cursory glimpse into my closet today revealed huge gaps in my wardrobe. Huge gaps...gaps you could park a Buick in. My closet is still very much a Goth/custodian/laundry worker's closet. Full of black...full of boring T-shirts and men's shorts (that aren't Sir Knight's). It's rather embarrassing, really.

What makes it particularly embarrassing is that anything to the right of the light green shirt is Sir Knight's side. Not much of a difference, is there? Well, there is more black on my side, I guess lol. I remember really loving my Goth style years ago but I look back and think "What was I thinking??" Not only because I've totally grown out of it but because it entirely is not who I am. At least not anymore. My mother will be so pleased to hear that :P

So it's now my mission to remedy my sparse wardrobe and make it be the following things:

• unique
• feminine
• expresses who I am
• practical
• warm for winter and cool for summer (and maybe the possibility of going back and forth)

The last point actually brings me to my first order of business. The few dresses I made last month were all pretty much sundresses. Perfect for a hot summer day but with it getting cooler they won't be very practical. The bottom is easy to fix: tights and some cute boot and I'm ready to go. My arms however need covering so I've been perusing BurdaStyle (not to mention my huge pattern stash) for some cute cardigan and jacket patterns.

There's of course the Karen cardigan, which I think is adorable. I actually have some knit fabric that might work, I would just have to dye it. It's this peachy color that's a little too close to my skin tone for me so I think I might dye it green. Also, I have been DROOLING over the Tikva trench. I want to make it in either a hunter green or burgundy. Definitely going to make a muslin of it first.

I have never owned a denim jacket before and I have some denim yardage that's just screaming at me to make it into a jacket. Found a pattern on BurdaStyle that I really like, here. I think it'll look really good with a pencil skirt I have on my project list.

Til next time, have a fabulous weekend everyone! How's your fall (or spring for you in the Southern Hemisphere) sewing going?