What a week!

On top of everything else, I have been dealing with dental misery—tooth broke twice and I am about ready to accept a gummy future (not really).

But 6 out of 8 Sound of Music playsuits are complete. I always like to imagine that there won't be any hand sewing but there always is. No floppy facings! The boys’ and Frida’s shorts were from patterns I had on hand, Liesl was altered from a Vogue pattern, and everything else was drafted from scratch.

Here they are (both boys have the same lederhosen style, so I only took one photo):

And the photo of the originals I’ve been working from:

Next, finishing touches on the Gretls (the role is split between two actors) and then I can put the Von Trapps out of my thoughts forever! 

The Warner Sister Dot

So a couple of years ago I started a Hallowe'en costume that I never entirely finished! I was taking notes as I improvised and intended to publish the Toon Hands pattern eventually, but who knows where those notes ended up.

Anyway, I was thisclose to finishing the head - just had one ear to go - but then it was Hallowe'en and I went out in plain clothes and abandoned it.

Well, while working on the Spiritron Dress with the kid, I asked, what should I dress as for ComiCon? Generic mum in jeans and sweater? Or the Warner Sister Dot? They voted Dot, so I finished my lid, hemmed an old pink skirt, and here we go. I might make a bigger flower; it was all very last minute. But overall pleased with the finished product, and three people asked to take my photo!

Liesl is done!

And Kurt is done too, just needs a couple of buttons sewn on!

Astolfo: the sequel

After last Hallowe'en's Third Ascension cosplay was a hit, the kid asked for the Memories of Trifas Spiritron Dress. This time, I said they have to do the work! 

It's been a great project to work on together - planning, figuring out all the pieces, going  on excursions to vintage clothing stores and fabric shops, and working together to assemble. 

A little panicked because ComiCon is tomorrow, but got the hoodie pretty much done yesterday and that's the biggest part! We worked together to draft the hoodie pattern based on one they already had, and traced the ears from the previous Saber Astolfo cosplay. I made them lay out the pattern, do all the pinning and cutting, and I'm doing the sewing. 

Currently I'm sewing the skirt while they paint stripes on a t-shirt. I think we'll make it!

How do you solve a problem...

Like playsuits made from curtains?

A while ago I volunteered to work on the costume crew for a local production of The Sound of Music. Turns out, I'm the only sewer on the crew, and the playsuits Maria makes out of her curtains all need to be made from scratch!

There was a bit of confusion about getting the fabric, but after a long anxious wait it is finally here, and I am finally sewing! And my collection of random vintage kids' sewing patterns is finally proving its worth!

Of course nothing is exactly right, but at least I have starting points for things in kids' sizes I'm not in the habit of working with.

Liesl, at 16 going on 17, is basically a grown up, so I dipped into my for-me pattern stash for that.

Like I said, lots of alteration...

I'm just kind of freestyling it. Crossing fingers it all works! 

Banya hat

I thought I posted about this before but I guess I’m mistaken!

Last year I started going to a Russian sauna/bath house, aka banya, with a friend of mine. One of the traditions of banya is to wear a wool hat to keep your head from getting too hot. With my friend’s birthday coming up, I decided to knit and felt a hat!

It did not work!

I mean it kinda worked, but not really. Shape right, size wrong. I had modified a pattern, and also substituted the yarn as I couldn't find the one they recommended, and after all of that it turned out waaay too big.

So I decided to start again (this is why I bought extra yarn!) and I think I’ve got it!

I completely altered literally everything from the original pattern I started with, so here it is, my banya hat pattern:

Banya Hat instructions

Using 2 balls of Istex Alafos Lopi and 9 mm circular needle

Cast on 84 sts. Join to work in round.

Work in stockinette (knit every stitch). Place markers every 21 sts.

Brim shaping: 

Row 4: *Knit to marker, sl m, k1, k2tog* repeat 4 times across row (80 sts on needle)

Row 8: *Knit to 2 sts before marker, ssk, sl m* repeat 4 times across row (76 sts on needle)

Continue working in stockinette.

Crown shaping:

Row 38: *Knit to 2 sts before marker, ssk, sl m, k1, k2tog* repeat 4 times across row 

Continue working in stockinette repeating row 38 until you have 4 sts on needle.

Next row: k1, k2tog, k1. Slide sts to other end of needle. 

Work these 3 sts as i-cord (sliding to other end of circ or dpn to work in same direction, rather than in the round) until the i-cord is 6” long. Fold over, break yarn leaving long tail, and graft to top of hat near base of i-cord, closing any gaps at top of hat.

Felt. I find by hand is more successful than by washing machine, even if it is kinda miserable.

I have a double kitchen sink, so what I do is fill one side with hot water (and a squeeze of dish soap) and the other with cold. Keep a kettle and ice cubes on hand to keep the hot hot and the cold cold as necessary.

Wearing rubber gloves, put the hat in the hot water and go at it like a puppy with a chew toy. Agitate, agitate, agitate. Imagine you are Lady MacBeth crying, “Out, damned spot,” as you go postal on your handwashing. Then squeeze it out and plunge it in the cold water. Agitate, squeeze, and return to the hot.

Keep going back and forth like this, adding boiling water (pour it right on the cold hat!) and ice cubes as needed to keep your water temperatures extreme.

Also keep a ruler handy so you can measure your progress. I find it takes about half an hour of back-and-forth to get ’er done. About 10” across the bottom is what you’re aiming for.

Use your hands to shape/sculpt the wet hat until it looks about right. Let air dry for a bit so it retains its shape—I put it over a milk bottle (to keep it upright) on a floor vent (for airflow). Stuff loosely with a hand towel, zip into a mesh lingerie bag, and finish in a hot dryer. Put a dry bath towel in with it to help get the moisture out.

Progress is slow

I have been slowly, slowly working on a dress. It was supposed to be for my holiday party! Or at least the Panto! Whoops.

Thing is, my Elna Supermatic hates this fabric. I kinda don't blame it. It's cute, but it's nylon. But sheer black with silver polka dots? How could I say no?

Meanwhile I picked up a shirt I had cut out and pinned years ago, and that's almost done. Just need to find the grey buttons I know I have somewhere...