Circle Skirt- The Cut

The middle two weeks of the month are always pretty hectic for me.  Most of my deadlines as a freelance writer are either mid-month or end of the month, so I've been chipping away at my projects a little at a time.  Thankfully last week Brittani came over and we were able to get some work done on the circle skirt.  I didn't bother to draft a pattern piece for it, simply using a bit of math and a tape measure to mark the curve.  That's a picture of the main fabric- inside out, though, so you can't see the pretty floral pattern!

The lining and waistband are also cut out at this point, but I still need to pick up a zipper for this an then actually put it together.  I'm hoping to have it done by the end of next week!

For the sake of complete honesty, I can't say that I've worked on this skirt in all my spare time.  The truth is, I've been way too busy gaming and painting models.  Upon arriving back from Spain I was itching to get back into tabletop roleplaying.  What I didn't anticipate was my partner having a Battletech starter box.  Turns out, Battletech is pretty awesome.

That is a Bombardier and a Sagittaire, two Battletech miniatures.  I painted them myself, and have a bunch more to be painting.  There's a convention here in October that I may be running some tabletop games at including a demo of Battletech we're providing the miniatures for so between my partner and I, we have a lot of painting to do!

-Kellie

The Start of Something New: Crocheting

8 August 2013

A few years back I had nonchalantly picked up a set of knitting needles thinking I was going to sit down and learn how to knit.  The short story is that they were set aside and completely forgotten.  Many years went by and I had pretty much given up on ever having the time or desire to try anything like that again.  Well the whole returning to the States and having time as well as a need to be more resourceful and profitable in other areas I returned to the idea of knitting.  But a new question arose, to knit or to crochet?

I did a lot of extensive research into what each created and how easy or hard they were to learn.  What it came down to as far as I could tell is that the main difference between the two was the needles used.  Crocheting uses a single needle with a hook that is about 6 inches long whereas knitting requires two needles that can range in size from a few inches to a foot or more depending on what you are making. 

Crochet Hook

The reason I decided on crocheting was because it was a smaller single hook, much easier for travelling with and since I am going to going to England in a few months it made more sense.   So the next step was to acquire some other supplies, namely yarn and needles.  A quick pop over to JoAnn and I had a set of three different sized crochet needles, two balls of yard and two little books about stiches.  In total I spend about $17, with a student discount.

Two stitch books, two balls of yarn and a set of three needles

One thing that was difficult for me to initially understand was the different sizes of needles and yarn and how they corresponded with each other.   What I found out was printed on the yarn packing it says what size needle you need to work with it.  

Yarn Packaging

Needle packaging

 I would say that the most common sizes are between 2.25-5.0 mm or B-1 to H-8.  In my set I have a G-6 (4.0mm), H-8 (5.0mm) and J-10 (6.0mm).  In all of my initial attempts at crocheting I am going to use the G-6 (4.0mm) size with the yarn pictured in my supplies.

So, the first thing I need to do is get something started and for my basics I turned to a website: http://www.anniescatalog.com/pages/stitchguide/index.html?cid=3, starting with how to hold the crochet hook and then on to how to tie the slip knot which starts off your crocheting experience.  From there you create a ‘chain’ which is simply a single strand stitch.

My first attempts at making a chain stitch

From there I worked on the very basic stitches of single crochet, double crochet, half double crochet, treble crochet and the slip stitch.  These are all the basics that each come with their own abbreviations that are used in patterns on the internet and in books.  Chain is ‘ch’, single crochet is ‘sc’, double crochet is ‘dc’, half double crochet is ‘hdc’, treble crochet is ‘tr’ and the slip stitch is ‘sl st’. 

Top Left: Double Crochet, Middle Left: Half Double Crochet
Bottom Left: Slip Knot, Middle: Treble Stitch, Right: Single Crochet

What is even more interesting and important to learn, besides just how to create a single strand of a stitch, is how to make that second strand.  That is where knowing how to chain stich is important, that is how to gain height within a stitch to make a double crochet stitch larger than a half double crochet stitch.

Now I have a few basic stitches down I can pretty much start a simple project, like a scarf, choosing one of the simple stitches as the means to create it.  Or at least that is how I think you get started on a scarf.  Haha!  I suppose a little more research is needed.  Well until next time!

Brittani

Pattern Drafting

How quickly our plans can change.  The dress I was going to make I've decided to do as separates instead.  One of the reasons being- I started drafting the blouse pattern today.  As a self-taught seamstress, this isn't exactly easy for me and I'm struggling a lot with it.  On the other hand, I know how to handle the skirt.  So, next week I'm going to try and whip out the skirt and when Brittani comes over for our Craft Day, she's going to help me work on the blouse pattern a bit.  To say it's being unruly is an understatement.

Still, I promised progress today and progress was made!

Thrilling, isn't it?  That's the front and back blouse pieces, with the french dart pinned in on the front.  I was originally going to gather the back fullness in to the waistband, but since it's now going to be separates I'm going to eliminate the back zipper and probably dart the back.

Before this week, I didn't have a sewing area set up, but my super sweet partner and roommate let me take over a corner of the living room.  So here it is, super classy.  The serger was my first major sewing machine purchase- the sewing machine was my mother's.  I'm not even sure how old it is, but I love it.  My (currently quite small) fabric collection is in that bottom drawer, with the exception of the current project which is all draped over a hanger in the closet.

Alright, that's it for this week!  Next week it's Brittani's turn to take over.

-Kellie

Fresh Starts, New Projects

It's a bit strange, coming back to the United States after living and teaching in Spain for a year.  For both of us it's a whole new chapter in our lives.  In fact, this is the first time in three years that we aren't living together.  We've been through a lot together, half our lives.

My name's Kellie, and I have never been able to take the easy road.  I've been a student on and off again ever since leaving high school, but getting a degree just never seemed that important.  After spending a lot of time at dead-end jobs in call centers and financial aid offices, I decided I'd had enough.  It was right about then that Brittani was finishing her bachelor's degree and we both needed a change.  My parents had attended a TEFL course in Spain and after much deliberation we decided to follow in their footsteps.  Not only did we go for the course but we committed to staying and teaching for a year.

In the beginning it was pretty rough.  Being thrown out of our comfort zones allowed us to jump into other pursuits that had always been put off in favor of 'real' work or school.  Namely, writing.  Fast-forward to now.  We've been back in the States for a month.  Writing is going well but I'm itching to do something else.  One of the things I found I missed most while I was away was my sewing machine.  Writing is a wonderful creative outlet and allows me to make a living doing something I love but it doesn't have quite the same reward as creating something tangible.  I've revitalized my Etsy shop and gone fabric shopping.  Freelance writing may pay the bills, but there's no reason my other hobbies can't help!

Forgive the abysmal artwork.

My first project is a full skirted, boat neck dress.  The top will be this gorgeous ivory linen/cotton blend, with the grey floral as the skirt and an underskirt/lining of ivory crepon sheer.  Once the pattern is done and I've made the sample, I'll offer it made-to-measure in my shop.  I'm so excited to get started!

-Kellie

The Beginning

27 July  2013

On our way to Spain, a quick stop over in London

This tale starts over a decade ago, when we first met in junior high, a time of tumult and uncertain identities.  We met through a mutual friend and in those days we were the weirdest of the weird, nicknamed the Pony Club for our obsession with horses.  Eventually we grew out of that particular weirdness and moved on to other things.  In particular, anime and all the things that go with it.

Japanese street fashion really caught our eye in those days, and after beginning to dabble in cosplay we quickly moved on to making skirts and dresses covered in lace and ruffles, entranced by gothic lolita style.  This new fascination also allowed us to explore the idea of creating for others and we made our first attempt to sell our creations, which also included hair accessories and brooches, to others.

It was more successful than we initially thought it would be, but the end of highschool and other dramatic life changes pushed sewing and creating to the background for a while.  Focusing on school and work we didn’t have the time to set aside for personal crafting hobbies.  As the end of university studies for Brittani drew to a close the indecision and uncertainty of life after prompted a look at living abroad.  After hearing good things about the TEFL school in Granada, Spain, the decision was made.  Spend one year abroad, living in a different culture and supporting ourselves by teaching English.  Plus, we would always have the certification to fall back on if our other plans for life fell through.

A bullfight in Ronda, Spain

So we packed our bags and flew off to another country and way of life.  We obtained our TEFL certifications and learned that teaching was, perhaps, not really our cup of tea.  Still, we made it the full year.  It was incredible.  

Fast-forward to present day.

One month in the States and we were at loose ends.  Brittani is getting ready to go to England for graduate school.  Kellie is trying to make a living writing freelance.  More than that, for the first time in our entire friendship we are going to be living across the world from each other.  So the idea of this blog began.  Document our projects- Kellie’s sewing, and Brittani’s quest to crochet.  And also, use the blog as a medium through which to share our friendship, and keep it strong.

-Brittani and Kellie