"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 From then on, when Persephone was forced to return to the Underworld, her gifts were withdrawn again...year after year.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?

The "Gaselli" Skirt

Good morning everyone! I have many good things to tell and show you. First off, I am finally (and very happily) employed! I don't quite start just yet but just having a start date for a new job is making me feel so much better! I was so happy, I decided to (FINALLY) post pictures of the skirt I made a while ago.

Now if you read that post, I mentioned that I named it the "Raggle Taggle Gypsy" skirt. I have hence changed my mind. Given its green color and the new book I've finally been able to read (The Orphan Tales: In the Cities of Coin and Spice) I have decided to rename it the "Gaselli" skirt.

In short, Gaselli are creatures who wear green and are sort of like vampires. I will be posting another song that explains more about them. It's actually the song that inspired the name of my skirt. I have another idea for a skirt named "Raggle Taggle Gypsy" skirt.

On to the photos!

Skirt: "Gaselli" skirt (made by me)

Top: Family Dollar

Earrings: Target

Bracelet: made by me (originally a necklace)

Necklace: gift from Sir Knight's mom

I must say this...I love this skirt. I feel really pretty wearing it. I can't stop twirling it! I made it from BurdaStyle's Linda pattern. It's a very easy pattern! I highly recommend it for people just starting to sew. I only made two alterations. First I shortened it by about 3 inches. I stand about 5'2" so I have to shorten all my patterns. This one I didn't shorten as much cause I liked the longer length for this skirt.

The second alteration I made was I inserted elastic through the waistband cause the material I used turned out to be much stretchier than I thought it was.  The bonus is that I bought it for $1 a yard! I only used about 2.5 yards so I have a new skirt for $2.50! Can't beat that!

The fabric did have some bleachy looking stains on it. Probably the reason it was on sale but I think it adds a nice quality to it. I can't wait to wear it again!

Until next time!

BurdaStyle Chose My Costume Idea!!

I'm very excited to announce that my random comment on BurdaStyle's blog resulted in them choosing my idea for their costume! So cool!

Since BurdaStyle is a German-based company, I thought it'd be really cool for them to dress up like the famous Grimm's fairy tale characters. They chose Sleeping Beauty, and quite a smashing costume they created!

Image from www.burdastyle.com

They adapted one of their dirndl patterns to make it. I like it so much I might make one as well, adapting it for everyday wear. My Little Red Riding Hood costume is coming along very nicely. I have the cape done with the blouse soon to follow (Post on that maybe tomorrow)

Thanks BurdaStyle for choosing my idea! Hope everyone is having a great day!

Feeding My Fabric Addiction Part 2...

Happy October, everyone! Here heralds my very favorite month of the year! Also begins the countdown to getting my Halloween costume done. I really don't want the same disaster as last year, lol.

I also got some new fabric! Not a lot but enough hold me over for a while. As we speak, I'm filling my cart at fabric.com with fabrics for my fall/winter sewing. Anyway, to the fabrics!

I can make a "blueberry" dress/blouse/skirt with this!

I got enough of this to make 2 blouses. Now just to pick which ones!

Already have a pattern picked out for this. It will be known as my "Firefly" dress.

Only one of these is even close to my fall palette but in my defense I purchased these before I made one. I'll post that soon, btw. I'm really excited about my Firefly dress. I chose this pattern from BurdaStyle. I'll probably shorten it as they did with their spring version. The first one, I found at Walmart like its sister (which has already been turned into a great dress!). It was in the remnant bin (2 yards) and was a meager $2.80! I literally couldn't pass it up. I see myself wearing the garments I make from the second fabric much more in the spring. 

There has finally been a change to my sewing area that I'm really happy about. I finally broke down and bought a proper sewing table! I carved myself a little area in the living room and put the folding table I bought there and my fabric bins went under and next to it. I was so happy I sat down and finished a UFO right then and there. I have a new little sleep shirt!

The new Apples of Avalon HQ!

 

That pillow on my chair is actually the first thing I EVER sewed. It was in my 7th grade FCS (family and consumer sciences...I guess they had to call it something less girly than home ec.) class about 12 years ago. I was very excited to find it while Sir Knight and I were cleaning the house. It was actually his idea to put it there which I thought was perfect.

Hope the rest of your weekend is great!

The Stars and Stripes Forever Dress Reincarnated!

Good morning! I have successfully upcycled a dress!

Yesterday was my work's company picnic. I had more fun than I thought I would, even if I got stung by a wasp! Anyway, the theme of the picnic was "Proud to be an American!". We were all asked to wear red, white, and blue and other patriotic things. Translation for me: time to sew something!

You may remember my "Stars and Stripes Forever" dress I made for the 4th of July. Well, that dress really didn't fly as well as I had hoped. I don't think it was very flattering either. The print however was perfect for the picnic so I perused all my patterns but didn't find anything that I liked or that was very work function appropriate. So I clicked through BurdaStyle's patterns and found this one. I totally love it! So simple but cute and flattering.

I had a little bit extra fabric from the dress lying around, which was the perfect amount for the bodice. I took apart the dress (that shirring was a nightmare!) and cut off the shirred part to make the skirt. This is the first time I put a side zipper into a sleeved dress. It went swimmingly though and I must say I am getting much better at inserting zippers!

Here's a before pic:

And after:

Had to add the cowboy hat...what's more American than a cowboy hat?

As I was putting it together yesterday, Sir Knight (with his blunt critiques of my sewing) said it looked like hospital scrubs. That of course, was before I put in the zipper. I've learned you should never judge a project til you've put the zipper in!

The wasps were out of control!

The kid in me tooootally wanted to get in there! :P

Besides getting stung by a wasp, the afternoon was really fun. It was weird to see everyone in "civilian" clothes rather than our work shirts.

I don't think these guys will ever eat apple pie again haha.

May not look like much, but Deb's butterscotch pie is famous! Not to mention delicious!

Sir Knight unfortunately didn't attend much to my disappointment. I really wanted to introduce him to my coworkers. To make up for it he took me to The Summit, a really nice restaurant inside the Best Western hotel here. I wore my "Pomegranates of Persephone" dress, which I actually haven't posted yet! I still have some fit issues with it. The neckline gapes a little and the armholes are oddly tiny! It's so pretty so I'm going to work on it to make it fit better.

Anyway, at the restaurant I had the pecan crusted pork chops, YUM! The leftovers are in a doggy bag and they're calling my name!

A wonderful rest of the weekend to all of you!

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?