Assorted Crafts . . .

Detty Scarf

A scarf for my former sort-of-mother-in-law who I adore! Normally I avoid the weird shaggy ribbon yarn they sell at some knitting stores because it looks old-ladyish. I used it as trim here and it actually turned out quite glamorous:

At long last . . .

Dear readers,
Forgive my long absence. I'm sure it seems as if I have stopped all hand crafts, but actually I have been non-stop knitting, sewing, quilting, spinning, etc . . . for months. The production has been so intense that I have barely even taken pictures before giving things away. But here is a brief sample of what I have been up to. This scarflet/neck warmer is for our delightful department secretary. I tried to make this neckwarmer as quirky and warm as she is. The yarn is from Falklandknits in the UK, the Spinninglab on Etsy, and the buttons are vintage and come all the way from the Czech republic.

Lady Felicity Victoria Bearington Goes to Africa

"Having finished her education at Riddlesworth Hall with top marks, the Lady Felicity Victoria Bearington plans to join her brother, Lord Neville Bearington, at is mission house in Africa. As several of you may recall, Lord Bearington departed last September to the darker continent in order to bring light to our lost brethren. He has sent back reports of smashing success. Lady Felicity is delighted that she can go and be of help to her brother. Is the young lady worried that she is leaving before her Season ends? Not at all! They eldest daughter of the noble Bearington clan has far loftier goals than ball gowns and waltzes. "It has always been my dream to join my brother in the greatest work of all," she has reportedly told several intimate friends. Before leaving our fair country, Lady Felicity enjoyed a tea party with some school chums. What a jolly time they had!"

As quoted in the Times, 1903

So I made this bear for the Mother Bear Project, a group who collects hand-knitted bears and distributes them to various African countries. http://www.motherbearproject.org/ The bears go to orphanages, refuge shelters, etc . .. where children are suffering from HIV or have lost parents to HIV. All the bears are made by hand from a 1940's pattern. It is really quite a sweet project, but I can't quite escape its colonial overtones. Hence, all the bears have British names and turn of the century identities. Felicity is my second bear--I sent Lord Neville off in January. My goal is to join the 100 Bear Club. I would love to start a bear-making club as well in Huntington.

Miss Mermaid goes to a Wedding

I made this dress at the beginning of the summer for my friend Angela Ryan FM's wedding to my other friend, Doug Stewart. The fabric is Moda and the pattern is from Betsy Ross, but it went horribly awry. The problem seems to be that my shoulders are tiny but my belly is round and full of doughnuts, so a dress that fits my waist droops around the top. (I know, the people who make stuff out of muslin first and then adjust to fit completely avoid these issues). So I made this dress, which originally had a much higher neckline as well as straps, and it looked terrible. The straps were uneven, the neckline was so high it was practically modest, and I generally looked like a satin clad nun with a drunken seamstress. At first I was grumpy and discouraged and yelled at some cats. Then I became inspired and ripped out all the top seams and took them in about two inches. Then I ripped out the straps, flipped over the neckline, and form-fitted it to myself. I was pleased with the results and held up the whole affair with some stretch lace ribbon. The waist is encircled with some turn of the century (the last one, not this one) pink silk rayon ribbon dating that I found from Inwiththeoldvintage on Etsy. When I originally started the project I was envisioning 1950's debutante but by the end I was seeing mermaids. To complete the look I got nail polish in shimmery turquoise and an aqua beaded hair vine from Chicallure (also Etsy). I certainly didn't look as pretty as the bride, but another wedding guest with whom I was not acquainted made my day by calling me "Miss Mermaid."

A New Dress for Upstate New York