Road Trip!

I'm taking a few days off and heading up North to finally see my Grandbaby, Ivy Skye.  I am pretty excited about this as its hard to get away and she is 6 months old already. Kristine and Spike and I will be driving through the night - we will both be doing our own separate family reunions..........I have to leave a few orders hanging as I couldn't get them done before I leave - but I'll get back to it on Monday. Ive been cranking out the work for the last two weeks - furiously. "Careful Cranking", I would say, as I hate to use that term. I'm not doing production. I'm sewing up some odds and ends that I cut out ages ago or using up some fabric before I move, but no production.

I think it must be confusing to people at times.......how can I be working on all these orders and then work on other stuff???? Well, to be honest, my Gemini brain needs constant stimulation. Call it ADD, call it being a Gemini, call it what you will.........but I seriously need to keep my brain from getting bored. And when I do the same thing over and over, I get depressed. If I put down one project to work on another, I'm making my brain happy. And then when I complete all these projects, I really feel like Ive accomplished something. I fought this process for years. But when I came to peace with it, I was happier. There is no one right way to do anything.

Now this can get out of control, and it seriously has a few times. Ive juggled so many things that I accidentally drop a ball now and then. An order overlaps another order and they both have to be done at the same time . Things like that.

My goal now is very obvious to me. I have about 10 designs that are marketable to several demographics, and I need to start putting them into production and making them more available. About three of them can be sold as patterns for the sewer. Ive known this for a long time, but I felt like my hands have been tied with no forward movement available to me. So I'm taking baby steps. And that's all I'm saying on the subject for now. I just mainly want to design and oversee and free myself up for some sample sewing and custom sewing. Now that this is so obvious to me, we'll see where I go with it.

But first, I'm gonna go get some baby kisses.

And if any burglars are reading this......our cats will kill you.

My New Etsy Purchases

Thank you - and you know who you are - for buying my lovely skirts off of Etsy yesterday! I, in turn bought groceries, paid Comcast, and bought myself a couple little vintage patterns.

This one will be worn at my son's wedding next year. Thats the plan anyway. It will go swell with my new look (get it!). I will be chic and socially acceptable and no one but my closest dear ones (and an ex dear one) will know the crazy girl inside. I will be poised and sophisticated in this silhouette, don't you think? Little will anyone know of the trouble maker that lurks inside!

I have two choices here - summer sophisticate or cool weather svelt. Either will take me anywhere I want to go.........unless they have some funky ho down wedding or something like that and then I'm screwed.

And this is a little outfit right out of 1952 for little Ivy Skye. She is either going to just hate me and be traumatized and  embarrassed to death by my eclectic tastes - or she wont care. I don't care either. It'll be fun! Wouldn't this be perfect Gothic Lolita though?

Little Princess Ivy

Little Ivy is lounging like a princess in the  silk and lace gown that I made for her. Refined and Regal as a princess of my lineage should be!

Ok - there WAS a castle in Belgium somewhere down the line according to some in my family...........but there were also a lot of peasants on dirt floors. We'll just pretend, shall we, that Ivy is a throwback to royalty for now. She COULD be!

I sewed the seams of some of this outfit by machine, but the rest was all hand stitched. I had a lot of silk scraps from various wedding gowns over the years and a bit of lacie loveliness that I couldn't throw away. So for those inclined to making baby clothes, you can do wonders with a lot of time and a few materials. This is not my calling, but I'm glad I did it. Hand sewing can be very relaxing and I enjoy it immensely, but baby clothes are a whole different world!  For those who notice these things, I would do the neckline differently next time. A simple little facing would have made more sense. I was using two vintage christening gown patterns with missing pieces. The directions were confusing and I just winged it. It was very intuitive and felt much like sewing with The Force guiding me! I sewed on pearls and buttons for embellishment. It turned out pretty cute - and Ivy is an awfully pretty baby regardless! But of course, Im biased.

Thank you Sarah and Haydn, for posting Easter photos!!!!!

kc.costumecouture@gmail.com

Labor Of Love

Its been a while since Ive blogged - so much has been going on! Ive been vending and working on backorders and trying to get into the spirit of Christmas .......but only made it as far as Solstice!


First of all, my new little granddaughter was born last saturday. Ivy Skye. Fabulous name if I do say so myself! And she's awfully cute. Hopefully I'll go see her early next year.

I mentioned before, that I wasnt going to be making baby clothes. But I caved because of all the cute little vintage childrens' patterns out there. And the baby needs to be decked out. I mean, she just does.

I dug into my remnant bins and came up with a lovely grey/brown silk velvet that was used once several years ago to make a wedding coat for a lovely woman I know. I used a bit of blue silk velvet for the trims and bonnet. I made self covered buttons. I used up some of my bits and bobs and came up with a pretty cute little outfit. I wasnt sure if it would even fit as we usually pop out pretty big babies, but shes's a wee 7 pounds 14 oz. So no worries there. And worse case scenerio, she'll have doll clothes.

Then I took some scraps of Ariellah's wedding dress and made a little dress that resembles a christening gown, although that was not my intention. With a little china silk, I made a little slip - and there you go.......

And I vowed I would never do it again! (but Im always saying that about things) Its hard making baby clothes!!!!!! All those little pieces! Some of the pattern pieces were missing, so I did my best. Not so crazy about the neckline on the dress, but the directions on the pattern made no sense whatsover. Still, its pretty and the photos dont do it justice. I used this pattern for the coat and bonnet. The dress pattern seems to have disapeared. We didnt like each other!

Im sure I'll find the time down the road to make Ivy something cute now and then, but this was truely a labor of love! There is a reason these designer baby clothes cost so much in the boutiques!!!!!!



kc.costumecouture@gmail.com

Cruel Universe

I swore - swore with all my heart and soul that I wasnt going to be one of those grandmothers..........you know - the ones who make baby clothes. I mean, then what next - DOLL CLOTHES? I know this makes me sound un-baby friendly, but this isnt the case. I love the cute little things, and I'll love my grandchild, but I dont want to be a designer of baby clothes. Thats not where my focus lies. And certain people are thinking that I just naturally will want to fill my spare time with making baby stuff. What spare time, I ask you..............

So what do I do? Buy baby clothes patterns. Now I have to dig out my vintage patterns and find the little girl dresses. Im starting to get obsessed. When am I going to have time to do all this sewing? I have no idea. But the bug has bit and now Im distracted by little tiny things. Tiny hats. Tiny dresses. Tiny coats. Tiny buttons. I guess she'll have to have a tiny pair of Fluffie Rufflies. A tiny choli. A tiny ghawazee coat.

I guess it could be worse.
I hope she likes to dance.
She'll have to learn to shimmy just like Grandmama.

If only I hadnt received funeral expense junk mail on the very day that my son announced that they were having a baby. Yeah. I kid you not. And an AARP card. Thanks, Universe! Thou Art So Cruel!

 I hate the sunflower hat - but I like the little baby bonnets. I see a future for all my scraps here!


kc.costumecouture@gmail.com