Jalie – X Back Gymnastics Leotards

by alwaysacraftylady

I made these leotards a full year ago. Aren’t they cute? Too bad my kids quit gymnastics a few weeks later. It’s okay. We all needed a break.

Project: Gymnastics Leotards

Recipient: Lu and Charlie

Pattern: Jalie 3241

Fabric: Left over fabric from Halloween 2017.

The girls needed new leos, but nothing fit from shops because Lu is so long and lean. So I pulled out some left over fabrics and gave this pattern a try. It went together super well, but the fabric lacked the vertical stretch really needed. So Lu’s was never quite long enough. Oh well. They’ve been worn dozens of times around the house as base of super hero costumes, so I consider the project a success!

18Aug2019

Rhinebeck 2018 – The Knitting

by alwaysacraftylady

What’s Rhinebeck without a couple of Rhinebeck sweaters???

I knit two sweaters just for my trip. The weather can vary quite a bit on each year, but I’m a thin-skinned California girl so I opted for a couple sweaters on the heavier side.

Pattern: Keynote by Wencke Pertermann

Recipient: Me!

Size: 38.75 at the shoulders and 43.25 for the hip

Yarn: Madelinetosh 80/10/10 Sport

Sadly this is no longer in my life. It was huge in the shoulders. A wide neckline that didn’t sit well. The stitch pattern was really pretty though. The yarn had been in my stash since 2011, so it was a worthy project and looked nice for the event.

Pattern: Ellery by Jenn Emerson

Recipient: Me!

Size: 38 ish, I don’t know what that means now, but I probably added extra increases through the hip.

Yarn: Madelinetosh 80/10/10 MCN Worsted

Jenn is a knitting friend of mine and everyone in one of my knitting groups knit the same pattern. It’s tradition and it was super fun to be part of the rainbow in 2018. This sweater is pretty heavy for my usual climate, but I’m holding onto it for chilly winter nights as our living room doesn’t have heat. Easy pattern and pretty too! I’d had the yarn since 2014 and it sheds so much. So many pills. So soft though.

And just in case you think I’m the only person who knits a sweater for Rhinebeck, I encourage you to click here! You’ll find me looking really awkward right around 1 hour, 43 minutes.

11Aug2019

Lamplight – The Knitting

by alwaysacraftylady

And now for the knitting from Lamplight 2018.

Project – Lamplight Sweater

Recipient – Me

Pattern – Miss BB from Chic Knits and French Aviation Hat #613 (from Wearing History)

Yarn – Foxhill Farm Millspun Cormo Cross

This yarn was my Rhinebeck splurge. I saved for the trip for months and I couldn’t afford to buy a lot so I had to really be choosey. I landed on this so soft and warm Cormo Cross that my Rena recommended. The color was perfect for my Lamplight costume, but I also wore this sweater all winter. The biggest problem was time. I had to sew a whole costume AND knit a shawl collared sweater in one month. Thank goodness I got it done! The hat was less successful. In an ideal world I would have had tons of time to swatch. But that just wasn’t my reality so the hat is much much less slouchy than intended. Oh well. I was plenty warm and cozy for the night time program. Too bad I had such a hard time learning lines last year. Ugh. Much too big a part for my meager acting skills. This year I’m requesting a part with a much more manageable amount of speaking!

4Aug2019

1918 Winter Ensemble

by alwaysacraftylady

The museum is already planning Lamplight for 2019, so let’s look at what I made for last year’s program!

The 2018 holiday program at the museum picked the very boring fashion year, 1918. Our costume coordinator on the night of the performance said, “I think pretty good considering.” Ha! The late 1910s do have a pretty subdued palate, but I think I did pretty well on our limited budget. I ended up pulling everything from my stash except the skirt fabric! No way I could have done that if I’d needed a bustle dress, but 1918 is a pretty tame fashion year.

But for fun, this time I thought I’d show you the under layers too. All these historical looks take some serious underwear and even though the 1910s are more relaxed, there are still underclothes.

The bottom most layer is a chemise. This is one I made years ago and I wear it under any light colored ensemble. Is that historical accurate? Heck no. I don’t care. Chemises din’t change a huge amount , so I think its good enough. I’m also wearing knee high stockings, sturdy shoes, and an underbust corset. I bought the corset, but I’m starting to maybe think on making my own. Or even better, do a trade with another costuming friend to see if we can do a skill trade.

Next up is a corset cover and petticoat. This corset cover was made last year when we performed Cinderella. I swapped the red ribbon for a white one and even though the cover was patterned after an original from 1880, the style was super similar to the 1910s. The petticoat is new! Nothing I already owned was short enough and shaped correctly. Thankfully I had left over black twill from Lu’s halloween costume. It wasn’t much, but by stitching a few panels together, I had just the right amount. Thank goodness I saved that strange shaped remnant.

Next, the blouse! Made with remnants from the girl’s baptism dresses using Wearing History’s Elsie 1910s WWI Era Blouse. It came with the original instructions that are best described as brief. But the blouse was similar to others I’d made so I was able to muddle through.

Finished with a skirt of plaid purchased from Renaissance Fabrics. I love their selection, reasonable prices, and fast shipping! The pattern is the 1918 Ladies Two Piece Skirt from the Vintage Lending Library. It also came with original directions that were pretty confusing, but Wearing History’s YouTube channel came in VERY HANDY!

So that was my sewing for last year’s Lamplight program. Next up…the knitting!!! We had a super tight budget last year so I am so thrilled with how much I was able to source from our own home.