Last year, I shortened an orange floral skirt for a friend, leaving me with the bottom of it in my stash.  Now that I'm determined to clear out my stash, I pair the skirt bottom with a bit of orange charmeuse, and make a lined scarf!  It's really simple; I'll show you. 

For two reasons, I'd like to document a basic, sew from a pattern project.  First, because I haven't shown the whole process here before, and someone might be interested.  Second, I am trying to keep better track of my time as I work. 

Since I've recently started a new job with a dress code requiring sleeves, I shall make myself some long-sleeved shirts! 

Today a simple alteration that introduced me to a new, and not entirely sensible way to finish a skirt. 

As you can see from the tag, this is a skirt designed for bridal wear, and indeed, the owner is a bridesmaid.  Like all bridesmaid/wedding gowns, this skirt is too long on purpose, so that even the tallest women can wear it, but this means most women will need to have it shortened. 

The next part of the leather costume was the leather jacket.  I suggested starting with an existing jacket and modifying it, so we went to Goodwill and picked up a black leather jacket.  Being a motorcycle jacket, it had the following features:

• leather, to protect against road rash in case of fall
• tight snaps at wrists and elastic at the waist to prevent wind from getting in and ballooning the coat
• double closures: a CF zipper to close the coat, and a double-breasted snapped closure to keep wind from getting in at the zipper.

It was very 1980s style, with raglan sleeves.  Since my client is big boned, the cuffs were too tight to snap shut on him, but the rest fit. 

My favorite kind of project is when someone gives me an idea or assignment, and then lets me make it how I want.  If the idea is unusual enough, I am stretched by trying to make it, and I learn new techniques.  One repeat customer of mine always gives me such projects.  One time his inspiration was "the nineteen-eighties, super-artificial, and kind of Japanese".  I combined this with "Neelix from Star Trek Voyager" and came up with a red vinyl jacket that closed diagonally across the chest with red pleather details reminiscent of a Japanese fan.  I had never worked with vinyl or pleather before, so that was new!  Nor had I ever altered a pattern like that, or made anything like it. 

In October 2017, he approached me with a new idea, for album cover art, and as always, it was my favorite kind of project. 

Today, a brief needlelace tutorial!  This is a simple edging stitch, meaning you can use it to decorate your hems and other edges, even if you're not hard-core into lace-making! 

The stitch is called "shell stitch" in the Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Needlework, as well as in other sources.  However, several Victorian resources I've found online name it the "point de Venise", and Thérèse de Dillmont simply numbers her stitches (which is not memorable at all)!  As you may recall from my post about French Needlelaces, the nomenclature for lace is not consistent.  So "point de Venise" could mean Venetian needlelace in general as well as being a name for this particular stitch.  I'll stick with "shell stitch" for this tutorial, since the finished nubs look like wee shells.