8 legs in wool

I’ve recently become more and more interested in felting – nuno felting and needle felting in particular.  While I was on Vancouver Island, I did a fair amount of shopping in yarn/knitting  and fabric stores, and wanted to continue while I was in Tofino.

Unfortunately, Tofino has a number of galleries and artisans, but there weren’t a number of supply shops – which isn’t surprising, it’s a very small town on Vancouver Island that although isn’t ‘touristy’ (in the way that Banff has become, for instance), obviously has discovered the tourist dollar and there seem to be more restaurants and hotels then people.  (I’m exaggerating, but there were a lot of restaurants!)  I first saw a fabric store (which happened to be around the corner from a place where we took a whale watching tour) and wanted to head in, but was disappointed.  They had a very, very small selection of quilting fabric, and even less fashion fabric.  It’s obviously a VERY new store, because half of the shop itself was devoted to classroom space, and I can’t find them online at all.  In the location where I would expect to find them on Google Maps, there’s a bake shop listed instead.  (Approximately 421 Main Street).  We were in and out within 10 minutes, though I can see it will be a charming space once it has the opportunity to establish itself.

Since I didn’t see anything there, I headed to a little shop on the next block called Knits by the sea – which also is a very small shop but seemed to be better established.  (They boast on their website about being voted a favorite new business for 2010, so they’re pretty new themselves!)  They carried mostly commercial wool, with a small selection of hand-dyed and spun skeins from local artisans.  They didn’t have much in the way of roving (which was what I was more interested in for felting), but they did have a number of little needle-felted animals (ones that would be local to the region).  I ended up picking up a kit for a North Pacific Giant Octopus.  The kits come with the roving you’ll need, two felting needles, some thread and a sewing needle along with some beads for the eyes.   Photo illustrated step-by-step instructions are also included.  I’m certain that the label said that the kit was supposed to include a piece of foam to work into (to avoid pricking your fingers) but mine didn’t.  Guess what I was doing while sitting in our hotel, watching the ocean the next evening?  Yep.. pricking my fingers!

(Oh, and in case you’re wondering, I did try to email the shop to let them know – but the ‘info at  knitsbythesea.com’ email from their website bounced back.. maybe they’ll find this post at some point?)

So… I’d like to introduce you to my new little 8 legged friend, along with his friend, a little starfish  (which I made blending the orange and the white wool together with my fingers).

Slightly out of his aquatic element, sitting by the window.

Cute little face...

Close up of his little friend

"I"m bigger than you! ... as long as you have a macro lens..."

If you happen to know the name of (or even better, a website for) the little sewing shop around the corner from Crab Apple flowers – please let me know in the comments below!

Or, if you’re in Tofino, you can visit Knits by the sea (or if you’re not, they have online shopping too…)

Knits by the sea
366 Campbell
Tofino, BC V0R 2Z0, Canada
(250) 725-3700

Black velvet Victorian purse

So in the recent post “Elegant Steampunk – Victorian purse” I mentioned that I ended up making a second purse after the first one, because the first was so incredibly small.

Full completed purse

The most challenging thing about making my own (not from a kit) was finding the purse hardware.  I almost bought a ready-made change purse, just for the (incredibly plain) frame, before finding another frame in a craft store (in Abbotsford I think… but I don`t remember anymore).  This time bonus – it was silver-tone instead of gold-tone! Much nicer for my wardrobe!  Subsequently I`ve picked up a few other small purse frames as well,

I enlarged the original pattern, keeping the shape and size of the new purse frame in mind, and cut the fashion fabric for the purse out of black silk velvet.  The lining I cut out of silver taffeta.  The embellishment on the front of the purse is another printed portrait, then black chainette fringe, black rayon lace, and then topped off with deeply dyed (no more pastels!) rayon lace.  The top and bottom lace motifs were lace appliques, while the remainder were   just rayon lace trim by the meter, cut into appliques for the project due to the scale – not actually purchased as appliques.  I accented the lace with small dark beads – the kind that always remind me of an oil spill – the colours shift from green to black to purple.

The opening of the purse, along with some baubles I decorated it with.

The frame was a sew-on type, so after finishing the purse and the lining, I sewed the frame onto the purse, and then found very narrow black gimp braid (It`s hard to find the narrow version!) and glued it inside the frame to trim the raw edges. I attached a proper purse chain with hooks into the purse frame so the chain could be removable, and then added a gorgeous skeleton key on a chain to the strap as well – though it`s not fuctional, just pretty!

What do you think?  Do you like the black or ivory version better? Reply in the comments!

Close up of the portrait

Corset class – Tisket, tasket, notions in your basket

Corset-making notions

The notions you’ll need for corset making may seem unusual, unfamiliar, or hard to find.  A lot of people substitute out less expensive or more readily available alternatives for the “correct” notions with various degrees of success.  If your first corset will be a one-time-wear for a comic book convention (and you have three other costume changes for the weekend), or if you don’t intend to wear it much until you perfect your pattern and skill – these alternatives are fine.  However, just like with a lot of things, using the correct tools for the job will likely give you more consistent and enjoyable results.

After picking out your fabric, you’ll need:

• Waist stay tape – I recommend a 1″ wide twill tape.  This will not be seen, so any colour (that won’t show through your fabric) is fine.
• Double fold bias tape – I recommend the wider width available.  You can also purchase tools to make your own if you can’t find any in the package to match what you are looking for.  This will be seen.
• Grommets & a setting tool – I recommend size 00 2 piece  grommets and a grommet press – however this is out of most budgets (and you’d need to be making a lot of holes to justify the price). Purchase twice what you think you will need plus a few extras.  These will be seen, and are available in a few colours.
• Interfacing  – I like the ease of the iron-on kind, but whatever you are comfortable with works.
• Grommet support washers – optional, however I recommend them.  These will not really be seen.
• Corset lacing – I recommend a nylon round cord.
• Lacing tips – completely optional
• Boning – I recommend waiting until you have your muslin ready before ordering or purchasing your boning, even if your pattern instructions tell you how much of each size you’ll need.
• Boning tape – or you can make your own out of your interlining fabric or coutil.
• Thread – to match your fashion fabric and your lining.  (If it doesn’t match your interlining, that’s totally ok.
• Busk or other front opening – optional but highly recommended.  Like your boning, you should wait until you have your muslin ready before ordering this.
• Decorative trim – optional.  (Lace, braid, piping, appliques, etc)

Ribbons and fabric and cord - oh my! Creative ribbon storage by Sew Many Ways

Sources

Most of these items you can find at your local fabric store, while others you may need to travel to a specialty store or order online to purchase.

Find at your local fabric store:

• Waist stay tape
• Double fold bias tape or the tool to make it
• Thread
• Interfacing
• Decorative trim

You may be able to find these items at your local fabric store, or you may need to go to a specialty store for these:

• Grommets & a setting tool
• Grommet support washers
• Corset lacing

You likely will need to order these items unless you live in a major center:

• Boning
• Boning tape
• Busk
• Lacing tips

Feedback

Hopefully you’re not feeling overwhelmed!  If you need me to explain any of the notions you’ll need, let me know in the comments below!
If you’re  just joining me… click the Corset Class category (on the right hand side, or this link) to read all of the posts so far in the Corset Class.

Knotty By Nature

Inside Knotty By Nature

Sorry for the terrible photo – this was a quick iPhone snap before I totally forgot to take a photo at all…
While in Victoria, I was in Gala Fabrics and happened to mention to the owner who was assisting me that I was interested in nuno felting and needle felting, and she suggested I head to Knotty By Nature.  I hadn’t even really thought about looking for wool batting, and hadn’t added this shop to my “want to visit” list, but since it was very close, we headed over a few blocks and checked it out.

I’ll admit, as a novice, I was a bit intimidated by all of the selection of various fibers (along with a selection of yarn and spinning supplies) but the gentleman working in the shop was understanding and helpful, and told me a bit about how the shop operates.  There were pre-bundled batts (I picked up one in shades of blue, another in blues, greens, purple, and black) and then there were braids of solid coloured wool batting as well – each is 2 ounces for 6$, and you can take as much or as little as you like!  There is also a bucket under the rack, with the leftovers, so if you only want 1 ounce of something, you can look there first.  In there I found a gorgeous blend of wool and angelina fibers (which bond to one another but nothing else with heat, and sparkle!).  I was tempted to get a grey as well, but I still have some grey left over from the nuno felting project – I think it will look great with the blues…

The shop also offers a community carder, as well as a range of really affordable classes.  Of course, since I’m not local to Victoria, I’m out of luck, but if you’re in the area (or are heading there) it might be worth checking out.  It reminded me of a smaller, more intimate version of our local Shuttleworks (or near-local… since it’s not actually in Calgary..)  If you ARE in Victoria though, check out BitchyBees - a knitting group in the area with a LiveJournal presence.

Now, just to make something up with all of this gorgeous wool!

Knotty By Nature

1816 Government Street
Victoria, BC V8T 4N5
(250) 412-7980

P.s. Yarn bombers – check out the photo of the bike that sits in front of the shop!

For the blogroll – Knotty by Nature has their own blog that looks interesting (I’m heading off in a minute, and will have to remember to head back there to read more later!) The Straight Male Knitter was blown away by the shop too, (and by the sounds of it, like me, a little intimidated by everything there), and the Fiber Sauvage comments on a class at Knotty By Nature.

Loom

Loom on Vancouver Island

While driving up to Nanaimo while on Vancouver Island, we stopped at a set of little shops off the highway – mostly lured there by the promise of fresh fudge (FYI, it was awesome… I recommend the chocolate ginger) and found this shop called “Loom”.  I had just come from Victoria, where I had picked up some wool batting, and I was looking for more.  Unfortunately while I was there, there wasn’t anywhere near as much wool batting as I’d seen previous (or at least, not coloured which was what I was looking for… I’m not up to the task of dying my own wool, carding it and all the rest yet!).  However I did find LOTS of other luscious things.. which I’ll blog about separately.  For now, let me just give you a little tour!

Such luster and sheen in this wool/silk blend!

This iPhone photo totally captures the sheen of the silk in these colourful skeins of wool/silk blended yarn.

Racks of colours from Loom

There were shelves upon shelves (up to the ceiling!) of commercial yarn, but there were also a few baskets and selections of hand-spun wool as well, and yarns from what I presume are local spinners.  I couldn’t find much online about Loom, but here’s a post from Jenn’s Yarn Addiction with lots of photos too!

From Loom

There were also the requisite swatches of  different yarns knitted or crocheted up into squares, but better still were the samples of actual (small) garments.  I totally fell in love with a neck cowl in a combination of black, purple, and blue.  Ah.. if only I could knit!

If you want to visit Loom – I couldn’t find a website, but in person you can check them out at:
4705 Trans Canada Hwy
Duncan, BC V9L 6E1
(250) 746-5250

(In a little area called Whippletree Junction near Duncan, BC)

Elegant Steampunk – Victorian purse

While at a sewing trade show a few years ago, there was a vendor who specialized in Victorian arts & crafts. I’ve seen the same vendor there a few times now, though they weren’t at the last show I attended.    Looking online, I can’t find their website either.

Regardless, I thought I’d share with you one of the projects I did from a kit I purchased from them.

The finished purse

The kit starts off with a pattern that is vaguely teardrop shaped, though you could use any shape you wanted.  The most important thing about it is to measure the inside of the purse frame and mimic it’s shape for the top of the purse. The body of the purse also needs to be large enough for the scale of the embellishment.

Then cut out two fashion fabric pieces, and matching two lining fabric.  In the kit there was this lovely ivory-on-ivory floral brocade, with a plain white cotton lining.  The “front” of the fashion fabric purse piece gets embellished – first by stitching down a printed ‘portrait’, and then by adding in  hand-dyed rayon lace in lots of pastel colours.  Put the ‘fringe’ lace down first, and then add the floral appliques on top.  Due to the scale, you don’t need actual appliques, just cut them out of lace trim by the meter.  From there I added in some crystal beads as well, and a butterfly pendant from a vintage necklace I no longer wore.

Then carefully sew the fashion fabrics right sides together (being careful not to catch any of the trim in the seams) and sew the lining fabrics right sides together.  You can leave the top open for turning, that will be handled later anyways.  Turn and press the seams of the fashion fabric, and just press the lining.  Then tuck the lining into the purse (wrong sides together) and line everything up. I ran a running stitch to keep the edges together.

From here it depends if you have a sew-on, or a glue-in purse frame.  This one was a glue-in, though a subsequent one I used was a sew-on. Use glue that is suitable to attach metal to fabric (fabric won’t be the problem here, since it’s porous, but the metal might be) and VERY carefully (working a little bit at a time) glue the top edge of the purse into the frame.  Once the glue is dry, the kit included a small length of ivory mini gimp braid to trim the inside edge and hide the raw edges.  This is also glued on over top of the fabric, inside the purse.

Next, the strap – on this one I used a length of chain doubled (since the chain was a bit finer than normal purse chain) and attached it to the purse frame.

Ta-da!

My only complaint about this purse is that it’s VERY, very small.  It will hold my cell phone, but not my iPod Touch, a credit card, ID, and a lipgloss, and that’s about it.  I ended up making a slightly larger one, which I’ll post soon!

What do you think?  I’ve made one other – what do you think you would do differently?  Let me know in the comments below!

Close up of the purse frame

Corset Class – down to the weave

Shopping for fabric

Fabric photo by Litlnemo

While you’re at the fabric store picking up your pattern (or browsing online) you likely will also be tempted to pick up fabric and notions as well.

For your first corset – stay simple. While of COURSE you want to make a black leather corset with hand-embossed edges and contrast piping… or a gold butterfly brocade corset with hand-beading and a matching ballgown skirt… your very first corset is very likely to be ‘not-quite-perfect’. Plus, you’ll be using a bunch of new tools and techniques. So, with that in mind, keep your fabric choices inexpensive and easy to work with. (Of course, I say this even though my first corset was a brocade, my second was a sheer fabric with flocking, and my third was pvc…. but do as I say, not as I do!

I won’t give you a list of fabrics to choose, but here are some traits you’ll want to look for:

• non-stretch
• firm, even weave
• affordable
• sturdy
• opaque (not see-through)
• washable

… and here are some traits to stay away from:

• Stretchy fabrics
• Sheer fabrics
• Fabrics with a very loose weave or floating threads
• Very expensive fabrics (metallic, silk, etc)
• “Sticky” fabrics (like pvc, latex coated spandex, vinyl, etc)
• Hard-to-sew fabrics (like leather, velvet, fun fur, etc)

I would recommend avoiding these fabrics too, unless you’re feeling especially ambitious:

• Fabrics with an obvious direction or nap (these will just be slightly more challenging – if you’re set on them and have worked with them before, go ahead)
• Fabrics with a large print (if you are fussy and want to match prints)
• Fabrics that are marked “dry-clean only”

Of course, once you get really good at making corsets, all of these not-recommended fabrics can make it back up on your to-do list – but to improve your chances of first-time success, stick with the recommendations to start out.

How much fabric?

I recommend making a corset with a lining, an interlining, and a fashion fabric.

• The fashion fabric is the fabric that everyone will see. This can be something decorative (I’d recommend a pretty printed quilting cotton for your first corset), or something plain if you prefer.
• The lining fabric will only be seen by you (and anyone who sees your corset before or after you wear it) so it can be plain or as wild and wacky as you like. This is a good way of using up fabrics that you might have once loved, and now aren’t as fond of anymore. I generally use a cotton broadcloth for this layer myself.
• Finally there is the interlining. This is the layer that will do all of the hard work, like carrying your boning and your waist stay. Some corset makers will skip the interlining layer and put their support in the lining. Others make four-layer corsets with two layers of interlining. I prefer a three-layer corset myself (I generally consider four layers to be a bit of overkill.). Coutil is recommended for this layer, however I generally use a very sturdy cotton (like a canvas) mostly because I can’t get coutil locally, and having it shipped in gets expensive!

You’ll need to get fabric for all of these layers. Your pattern envelope will instruct you how much fabric to get, but a good rule of thumb is to get the length of your corset. So, if you are doing an underbust corset that goes from under your bust to just below your waist, you’ll need a lot less than someone doing a corset dress! For larger individuals, fabrics that will need to be laid out using a ‘with nap’ direction, or for very narrow fabric, you will need more. For fabrics that are likely to shrink considerably, you should also purchase more fabric to account for this.

For your interlining (or the most sturdy fabric you get, purchase an extra 10 (approx) inches beyond what you need – you’ll be using this for your lacing strip during your fitting.

What about muslin?

One important step in using a new pattern is making a ‘muslin’ (so called, because muslin fabric is affordable) which is just a mock-up of the finished garment in an inexpensive fabric. This way you can work out all the fitting issues and kinks in something cheap, before cutting into something expensive. The problem with a corset, is that you practically have to get 80% of the way complete before you can try the garment on to see if it fits. (Unlike a dress, where you could sew the body and a single sleeve, but omit the facings, hem, collar, etc in order to try it on.) Because of this, we’re going to be working with less expensive fabrics to start out, and will modify the corset from there. This means you might have a totally wearable ‘muslin’ when you’re done if you’re fortunate!

A note on breathable fabrics

A lot of people really believe that natural, breathable fabrics are superior, (cotton, linen, silk, wool) or that at minimum the lining that touches your skin should be a natural fiber (namely cotton). I personally disagree. Corsets are going to be hot simply because they’re so darn tight. Having a breathable fabric that tight against your skin is never going to be as comfortable as a lightweight floaty sundress in an natural fabric. That being said, I personally don’t LIKE a lot of synthetic lining fabrics, and find that the cost of cotton broadcloth is much nicer than the cost of a really nice rayon lining. I also consider how a fabric will sew, how it will wear, and how easy it will be to clean.

In contrast, some people believe that the only thing you can line a garment in, is lining fabric. Others will say that the only correct fabric to use is linen (typically those who do historical corsets) or coutil (a special fabric made especially for corsets). If any of these ‘rules’ ring true for you, and the type of corset you want to make – go for it!

Feedback

We’re off to a good start – what other corset-making topics are you interested in?  Share them in the comments, and I’ll try to do a future post about them!

Even more buttons!

So yesterday I blogged about the steampunk buttons I picked up from Button Button… well today I’m going to share with you the buttons I got while at Dressew.

First up, let’s talk a bit about Dressew…. if you’ve been there before you can skip this, but if you haven’t, and might someday.. read on.  First off, there are a lot of not-very-positive reviews about Dressew on Yelp.ca, and I hate to say, but I think that most of them are pretty accurate.  But – I would temper that with the idea that you don’t expect the same kind of quality (service or product) at a garage sale, as you would at the Bay.  Think of Dressew like a giant garage sale for fabric and costuming supplies.  If you go in with those sort of expectations, you won’t be nearly so offended or confused as some people clearly have been.

Don’t ask the staff for yardage estimates, if this fabric would look good in this pattern, or if they happen to have fabric X in red as well… they likely won’t know.  I think that some of their staff actually sew, but I would guess most of them don’t.  Don’t go in looking for everything to be put away neatly and promptly – imagine that it’s a once-a-year sale day, and it’s 20 minutes before closing instead.

Have I scared you yet?  Don’t worry – there are plenty of GOOD reasons to go here too. Great cheap costuming supplies, more fun fur than you could ever imagine, loads of knits and fashion fabrics, aisles and aisles of trim, braid, and lace, every zipper style in every colour and length you can imagine, and really, really reasonable prices (compared to other fabric stores).   Shopping at Dressew is like shopping at a vintage store – you never know what you’re going to find – which means that you’ll find amazing things you hadn’t even thought of… but if you go in looking for something specific, you’ll likely be disappointed.

ok… On to the buttons!

Having just come from Button Button, my mind was tuned to Steampunk – and I found some reasonable approximations in Dressew too.

Cogs in silver -tone

When I saw these, I totally saw gears/cogs – don’t you?  These were in 20 and 22 mm and silver and brass.  They also had smaller ones, but only had one card left, and I couldn’t see the point of getting only TWO small buttons…  I picked up a few cards each of brass and silver-tone.

Brassy!

Oh… and the cost? 49cents a card… the regular price on these is about $2.50…. (true, I’d usually buy buttons at 50% off at my local fabric store, but that STILL isn’t 49cents a card!)

I also picked up some sunshine-y buttons too at Dressew… I had these in a project years ago and really liked them!

Sunshine!

Want to visit Dressew yourself?  You can find the shop at:

337 West Hastings St.
Vancouver, BC V6B 1H6
(604) 682-6196

Want to see a photo from the inside of the store?  Check out Rebecca’s post on Oh, Shoot!

So… I’ve got a similar question to end this post…. if you had the cog buttons above, and had no idea what to do with them… what would you be inspired to make?  Let me know in the comments below!

Steampunk buttons

Huge gear/cog buttons, one in silver-tone, one in brass-tone

One of my must-visit shops in Vancouver, BC is Button Button.  First off, it’s a seriously cool little shop, and makes me ooh and ahh over all of the pretties on a regular basis.  Secondly, it’s around the corner from Dressew.  I remember when they were nearby, and when I went back there, they were gone!  I was upset, but then on a subsequent visit, found them again – hurrah!  This time when I was in Vancouver, I made a point of stopping in, and picked up some gorgeous steampunk-inspired and gothic buttons while I was there, along with a few other goodies…

First up – the top image is of two show-stopper buttons – these are HUGE – and if they don’t just become a pin/broach on their own, they likely will find a place as the single button on a caplet or somewhere else where they can be a focal point.  They’re about 2.5″ in diameter (I’m guessing.. I don’t have them handy as I write) and gorgeous…

More cogs from Button Button

Next up are three more, smaller cog/gear buttons – in silver-tone as well.  They only had three, or I would have bought five for a set… these are still pretty large though, so likely will be on something like a coat etc…

SkullGear... rawr!

My next find – this awesome skull on a gear… LOL.. it’s so funny!  I only got one, because I thought it might work well with the other three – it’s the same type of button, same shape, colour, and details… apart from the awesome skull (and I do love skulls….)

More skulls from Button Button

Yep, I do love skulls… four red and silver-tone enamel skull buttons – they had them in purple and black as well… but I love red!

Fly on my window sill

Yes, I took this photo on my window sill because where else would you find a fly? This one is so not steampunk really, but I think it will find a place in a floral hair clip/fascinator.  It is TINY – so tiny that I’m actually a bit concerned that I might lose it if I don’t find a home for it soon!

I also bought a huge wooden button, which I hope to use for casting – we’ll see how that turns out (or if I even get to that point…) in the future.   Here’s a shot of all of the buttons from Button Button below.

so many beautiful buttons!

So, after Button Button, I had to hit Dresssew.  I can’t go to Vancouver and NOT go here (or so it seems…) More on that later!

If you want to check out Button Button (and how could you not?) you can find the shop at:

318 Homer Street, mezzanine
Vancouver, BC V6B 2V2
(604) 687-0067

If you’re just shopping vicariously check out Words and Pictures – the author has some exterior photos of the shop and a bit more information as well.  For lovely photos you can also check out the Collette Patterns blog – I really need to start to remember to take more photos like these while I’m out and about, instead of being all shy and doing quick iPhone snaps!

Do you find buttons can inspire an entire garment?  If I didn’t have any idea what I was going to do with these (ahem), what would you make with some of these buttons?  Let me know in the comments below!

Word art

I found these interesting instructions to make ‘word art’ – and although I just did this one up fairly quickly, I kind of like the effect, and think that I might try it again on a different source image.  I just cant decide if I like the black and white version better, or the colourized version.  What do you think?

Let me know in the comments below, or check out the original instructions on the Cant Stop Making Things blog!

Black and white version

Colour version

P.s. Yep, that’s the photo of Waterton National Park that I used for my Gavitar!