Thursday, October 25, 2012

We have superpowers


Three superpower dresses done.

And yes, fairies have superpowers, too. They fly, fight crime and control the weather (obviously Minnesota's fairy population is wiped out).

Just the boots left. And the magic lassos, of course. All superheros need them, even those that don't do the cowgirl thing. 

And since I've emerged temporarily from my cave, I might as well do some miscellaneous updates. How has everyone been? 

Again, I apologize to everyone who's written to me by email, comments or any way else: I'm not going to be able to get back to you till the end of October or early November. Strangely, there has been a spike in the number of requests for drafting- and clothes-sewing-related help. Must be that everyone's realized summer is over and it's time to hibernate and be domestic. Hurrah for you! I'll try and give some generic answers here but anything more specific will have to wait till after Halloween and Jenna's party.

  1. No, I am unable to give advice on how to convert toddler measurements to infant dimensions. As I've said before, I can only produce a pattern if the body is physically in front of me to measure. I don't do disconnected numbers and I don't work with standardized charts. The concept you are looking for is "grading". So google "grading", "sizing chart", "measurement chart", "pattern grading" etc to find help elsewhere on the internet. 
  2. Please accept my tutorials as they are. If you see a project on this blog that has no accompanying tutorial, it is because I didn't intend to create a tutorial for it. Also, I have no plans to beef up my current tutorials by adding more detailed steps - what you see is all I have time (or motivation) to share. 
  3. Also related to my tutorials: I do not have plans to convert them into other formats e.g. pdf. But guess what - you can convert them to pdf documents yourself if you prefer hardcopy. Ask a tech-savvy friend or do some googling to find out how.
  4. Unfortunately, I am not interested in inviting guest bloggers to write about scrapbooking on ikatbag. Or crocheting cats. Although if you are a cardboard artist with exhibits in the Smithsonian, it might be fun to hear from you. 
  5. And, finally, I'm sorry if my free patterns are not in the size you want for the child you're sewing for. If you need a pattern in multiple sizes, either draft it yourself or buy one. Remember: I don't grade patterns (see point 1). 

Unrelated: I bought myself two swimsuits yesterday. Not the pretty, flimsy lounge-by-the-pool kinds but real racing suits, for swimming laps. Yes, these are the ones without ruffles or fabric roses and whose only promise of "waist slimming" and "hip minimizing" is by actually wearing them and working out (groan). I bought them because I've been wearing my old ones from pre-baby days and uh, let's just say they don't hold as much in as they used to. And I was suddenly struck by the urge to sew my own racing suits. Then I realized how sad it was that I would feel excited about choosing sewing over shopping. I attributed it to all this intense Halloween costuming making my eyes stray to other garment projects. Bad LiEr. Bad LiEr. Must focus. Only six days more to Halloween and we have six boots to make. That's a boot a day! Talk about needing superpowers. Get on it!!!!!


23 comments:

  1. I cant wait to see them finished. I have to get in gear. i still have sheep, arrows and a proton pack to make... dragging my feet, would rather be shopping.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ooohh... those costumes are lookin' GOOD!!

    Next you ought to create some new MN weather fairies! Snow, indeed! Brrrr!

    "by actually wearing them and working out"... you made me giggle out loud. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. GG: Yes, weather fairies, to go with our elves that don't exist either. Wink.

      Delete
  3. Hahaha I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels a little stretched thin by lots of online requests about stuff I'm putting out there for free. I love this post!

    ReplyDelete
  4. A couple of years ago I saw an art installation of cardboard monkeys at the San Jose Museum of Art. Very fun. Unfortunately it wasn't me. Good luck with the sewing. I'm almost there. One reversible mermaid/dolphin costume down. One Indiana Jones jacket and whip to finish.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Go Alison!!! None of my costumes this year do anything (reverse, morph, ignite etc) so I bow to you - yours are superior.

      Delete
  5. I really, really love your blog and your attitude. I also mostly choose sewing over shopping; what is there to have a bad conscience about or be sad?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Then sew away! I naturally prefer shopping over sewing, so anytime that flips, I get worried!

      Delete
  6. Go go go! Get those boots! Can't wait to see the finished costumes. I'm floundering in crushed panne and Harry Potter robes, with just a week to go. And here I thought Aussies didn't celebrate Halloween. Sigh.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You go, too! Harry Potter robes are forgiving! Don't give up!

      Delete
  7. My infant daughter wants to be a superhero for Halloween. If I send you a picture of her could you draft a pattern for me, convert it to PDF and give me detailed instructions for sewing on it? If you do, I'd be more than happy to guest blog about my macramé pumpkin!n

    You produce a lot of wonderful content for free and some amazing patterns that I try to think of excuses to buy. I'm glad you stand up for yourself when people beg for more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lis- hahahahaha! For a moment there, I was about to sock you through the computer screen. Thanks for the laugh.

      Delete
    2. That comment made me smile! I think sometimes people online forget their manners, and think it's fine to impose on people. Good on you for saying no! The content you post is more than generous. (a long time follower, whos' love your cardboard creations :) )

      Delete
  8. Costumes look great!!!!! Much better than those ratty ones at the shops!

    ReplyDelete
  9. It's a superhero kind of year. I have a Spiderman and Firestar at my house. I took the easy way out this year when it came to making the entire costume from scratch. Instead I dyed and embellished. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Not the Smithsonian, but the Chicago Children's Museum currently has an amazing exhibit dedicated to the versatility and possibility of cardboard.

    http://www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org/index.php/experience/unboxed-adventures-in-cardboard

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. RD - THANK YOU for the link! I watched it with growing envy and unhappiness that this was not in our Children's Museum. The husband, to cheer me up, said "Maybe it will come to the MN one, next." It had better. It looks awesome. The bit in the video where the announcer says, "And you can take home what you make (at the craft station)..." had me saying, "Which you will regret offering to our family, because boy, will we use up all your cardboard."

      Delete
    2. It really is a special exhibit. To promote it, the museum offered a pop-up store front - Mr. Imagine's Toy Store - that only "sold" flattened cardboard boxes (donations supporting the museum.) The kids took their boxes into a back room filled with cardboard scraps, glues, tapes, tacks, scissors, you name it, and created a toy to take home. My daughter made a train out of her box, complete with smoke stack and little cardboard passengers. I hope the exhibit does make it to MN, and then to every other children's museum in the country - it is fantastic!

      Delete
  11. It amazes me how forward people are in requesting you to do things for free for them, as they themselves are just "too busy" to learn to do it themselves. Ugh! I'm sure the first thing they said to you wasn't "Thank you so much for sharing these!", because it should be!

    As for the fairies...once the Renaissance Festival is done they all fly south for the winter. True story.

    Good luck on the boots! I bought my kids their costumes this year. Of course that doesn't preclude the need to sew them some sort of fleece underclothes this weekend. They are sure to be freezing at some point wilst trick or treating on Wednesday. It looks to be about 40 degrees and that is very chilly indeed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stacy - Go ahead and laugh but actually ALL those comments, without exception, began with , "I love your blog...." and then then continued with the request.

      Hurrah for you buying your costumes! Ours are store-enhanced too (fairy wings and foundation mask from JoAnn, for instance). If only the stores stocked Thinsulate costumes, or those designed by Columbia or The North Face, I'd buy them in a heartbeat.

      Stay warm, friend! We're promised 40s here, too. And not much hope of sun, either. Well, there never is, at 7 pm, but not even in the daytime, it appears.

      Delete
  12. I just finished sewing a velvet lined hooded witches cape for my grand daughter for Halloween, and I have to say I really enjoyed making it. I started out with a pattern, but then I threw out the directions because I didn't like the end result, and I sewed the cape the way I wanted it to look. I tend to underestimate my ability to sew something but once I get started, my creative juices start to flow, it is such a nice feeling to see the end result of your own ability. Of course, I love hearing my grand daughter say, "You are the best, Grandma". It made my day :). Enjoy your Halloween!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I got the Dog's Dragon costume done and the Boys' Saint George tunic done, two whole hours before the party! I'm glad it's sunny and (relatively) warm here today. My Fairy Princess has not gone into hibernation yet!

    ReplyDelete
  14. At least yours stuck with the Superhero theme. Last year, Grace decided she wanted to be Supergirl. So I learned how to sew spandex, (had never done knits before) shopped around and bought the materials, and started frankenpatterning.... and then she changed her mind. She wanted to be a "nice pumpkin, not a scary pumpkin, but with big teef and fangs." She even drew out the face. And she claimed that baby sister Nikki wanted to be the same. So I stored the materials in my stash and that's what I ended up making. This year, she's Rapunzel and baby sister is an owl. Both made by me, Aunt Laura.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for talking to me! If you have a question, I might reply to it here in the comments or in an email.