Uncategorized Archives • Page 9 of 12 • Jessica Smith Creates

December 26, 2013

Post-Holiday Update

I told you last week that I was going to be working on a bunch of projects during my winter break.

How many of you thought I would actually start any?

Don’t answer that.

I worked on a few of my ready-to-wears, getting them wearable.

You see before you a sack of a shirt. But I need a white shirt for interviews and stuff, so I took in the sides and decreased the bulk of the sleeves a bit, and now it’s a bit less sacky, but it’ll look good under a blazer.

This one fit well everywhere, except the sleeves. They were just too tight. So I took out some thin elastic, and made catches for the buttons out of that, and now it feels so much nicer.

This one wasn’t exactly a ready-to-wear, as I made it up from a Simplicity pattern this summer. I got the awesome fabric from a department store in Germany, and I love it dearly. But the dress was falling apart at the waist, because I had used a stitch that was a bit too large, and the thread snapped in the wash. So I just sewed up the waist, and hopefully I’ll not have to fix it again!

And I’ve finally finished this corset belt! It’s been a few years in the making, while I was building up skills. I bought cheap flannel from Joann’s to line the belt, and I had been gifted the top fabric, which seemed to be a two layer brocade-type. But I don’t really know my fabric types.

I had made up this pattern, Butterick 5371 before with vinyl, and I had been surprised just how much it cinched me in. So I wanted to try a fabric version, but I never got around to finishing it. So it was first on my list to work on out of my unfinished projects. Don’t worry, I have more. Plenty more… We’ll get to that later.

December 20, 2013

Getting Back on Track

If nothing else, December so far has been busy.

Busy busy busy.

You may have noticed that I haven’t posted a thing since Thanksgiving…

You may not have. That’s good too.

(I’m going to whine for a bit, just to let you know.)

Being a college senior is tough. Can I mention real life is on the horizon?

I’m trying at all costs to avoid such a thing. I’m applying for graduate schools, and hopefully it’ll work out for me.

Please cross your fingers for me.

But my applications are pretty much in, and that makes me terribly happy.

(I’m now done whining, I think.)

I’m back at home, so I’ve brought a number of projects to do while I’m here, to supplement the ones I’ve already got here.

Here’s all the beads I’ve got, since I’ve tasked myself to make my Belle and Claudia beadwork while I’m home. I also brought home other beading projects, but there’s less of a push for those.

I’ve also got a jacket in the works. Years ago, I got this pattern, along with some dark purple bottomweight from Joann’s, and I think it’s high time to make it up. I’m planning on view F, the vaguely military view. I’ve got this really neat quilting fabric that I’m going to make a lining from, as well as using it for the contrasts. The fabric is pastel – rainbow with gold crackle running around.

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There were a number of ready to wear items that I’m still planning on fixing up, I just didn’t get to them this summer while I was home. Here’s one, a shirt that is just a little too tight around the arms, so I’m thinking of removing the fabric loop and adding an elastic one.

I had a little war with myself, a few weeks ago, on whether or not to buy the Archer pattern. I told myself that I didn’t need a button up shirt pattern, because I never wear them, especially a long sleeve one. But then I thought, maybe I don’t wear them because I’ve never gotten one that fit. So the second voice one, and I’ve got the pattern cut out. Just need to cut this awesome (and free) fabric, and to sew it all up!

I keep telling myself to finish up my crochet sweater, so that’s on the roster, as well as a sundress out of lovely pink fabric from my mom, and a ballroom dress, and a corset, and maybe a t-shirt, etc. So lots of stuff. We’ll see how far I get!

Hope you all have wonderful holidays, if I don’t talk to you before then! It’s quick approaching the new year!

(real life!)

November 23, 2013

Welcome to the Day of the Doctor!

In honor of the occasion I decided to subtly cosplay Donna!

Keep in mind I just woke up, and I’m not in any proper mood to take pictures. I was even too lazy to pull up the blinds. But I am dutifully celebrating the occasion, and I can’t wait to see the show!

And of course I put on my good ol’ TARDIS shoes!

By the way I’ve been doing a good bit of stuff, and have accumulated fabric and I have all sorts of stuff to share, but I currently am letting life get in the way for a bit. Too many projects and stuff due right before finals, and graduate school applications to work on.

But I will catch you up soon!

November 11, 2013August 22, 2022

There’s a swimming pool in my library!

So the leather dying didn’t work out as well as I had hoped, so I got out my acrylic paints and went at it.

See? Not lovely, but for the first time working with leather dye, I think I made out well!

I washed it with some blue, but then it was a little too bright.

Then I washed it with a bit of black, forgetting that I still didn’t have any white to soften it to a dull grey.

So I then washed the entire bit in water, and wiped off most of the black. It left a nice marbled appearance to the leather.

Like an aged River Song journal.

This left me in a good mood about the state of the project.

Then I got busy, so I ended up waiting to sand the altoids tin for a while.

Note to self. Don’t sand indoors. Perhaps wait to do it outside with a slight wind. Breathing in aluminum dust fumes was not my best decision.

By the way, I’m beginning to think that Sharpie products are little bits of miracle.

All summer I’ve been loving the Sharpies with the super fine tips, as I’ve been using them for sketching and stuff.

But my new favorite is this metallic copper one. It adheres rather well to the sanded aluminum, and even looks nice!

Not a whole lot sticks well to this aluminum. I tried to use the gold paint pen I made my Farnsworth with, but it didn’t adhere well. It might have been the pen, or that I was using it over the original altoids paint, but nevertheless.

This looks so much better. But it may need another coat.

Especially after I sanded down the altoids tin. In hindsight, this probably should have been done before the clay “water” was put in, but oh well.

A couple weeks later, meaning this past weekend, I bought some E600, and glued the tin to my leather cover. It took two tries on one of the sides, since the tin was in at an angle, making the leather sides look wonky.

So then I remembered that I still hadn’t painted the inside, so I set to work doing that.

Got it painted with the handy acrylic paints, then I covered it in modge podge to seal.

And here it is:

My swimming pool in the TARDIS journal!

Now off to finish my Belle dress…

October 5, 2013

Heigh Ho

It’s been over a week since I last posted.

But I promise I’m still here.

I’ve been working at my student job quite a lot this last week.

And I’m taking the GREs next week. Which means studying this week.

I’ve gotten quite a lot done in the past few days, and I’ve been procrastinating on picture taking from some projects in the past weeks.

The sun has been too bright, or it’s been too late at night. I’ve been unwilling to do my hair, and put on makeup, and I hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep. Tests and such.

So all in all, I’m happy to have done what I’ve done in the past few days.

But knowing that I won’t be posting for another long time, since I’ll be studying for my future and all, I’ve got some posts prepared for the upcoming week that I’ll have scheduled.

Each of the pictures I’ve got in this post represents a post that I will have up at some point this week. Not necessarily in the order they appear. I’m not that organized.

Now it’s off to work I go!

September 25, 2013

Mesmerizing and Cardigans

So I’ve got lots of yarn, and I’m going to continue working on projects with it. I’ve still got my crochet sweater to finish, but that really doesn’t stop me from starting new projects. And now I’m gonna tell you about them, because now I can!

I got this lovely cornflower blue yarn for Christmas last year, and I knew that I wanted to make something special out of it. It’s soft and silky, but even though I have quite a few skeins it doesn’t add up to a lot of yarn.

crochetme5a

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This sweater caught my eye the first time I got out the book Crochet Me, by Kim Werker, from the library. It’s called the Mesmerize Sweater, for good reasons. It’s so visually pretty, and could be versatile in my wardrobe. I’m thinking it would look lovely over a black dress or something.

These lovely yarns are both a deep purple, and are very different from each other in texture. The one on the right is super soft and fuzzy, and even though it looks blue, it’s really a deep deep purple. The one on the left is more reddish purple, and is a bit scratchier, like it has some wool to it.

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I’m planning to make a Cardilero with these, from the book Warm Knits, Cool Gifts by Sally Merville and Cady Merville. It’s basically a long rectangle with armholes, which I’m going to make with the reddish purple yarn. I’m also thinking of modifying the pattern a bit, so it’ll be a bit warmer. The other yarn will be for sleeves, for as long as one skein per arm will get me. I’m hoping for at least getting sleeves to the elbows.

September 12, 2013August 25, 2022

Well, lookee here!

So this is my 50th post, which I’m quite proud to have made.

Not that this post in particular is a terribly important post.

I’m not good at keeping up with things like blogs, or journal writing, or reading scientific papers. Those things they say will get easier the more you do them. People may not say that about scientific papers though…

But I’ve made 50 posts! In six months!

And there are many more to come.

I thought I’d use this post to tell you about some stuff I normally wouldn’t write about. Like self promotion. I tend to forget to self-promote, so I made this post!

For one, I’ve had 1892 views in total so far. That’s exciting!

The most used search words seem to be revolving around Warehouse 13’s Claudia and Altoids tin projects.

I’ve completed a Farnsworth, a watchband, culottes, a vest, and tons and tons of planning.

There’s a Tumblr associated with the blog now, for when I get bored or sad and need a tumblr pick me up. I mostly reblog things I find absolutely wonderful, though it is mostly fangirly stuff. You can find me here!

I have a Spoonflower account, for all you sewers! I can’t quite afford the fabric at the moment, being a starveling college student, but one of these days you may see one of my fabric designs in one of my projects! If you’re interested in my fabric head on over here.

And I’ve mentioned my beaded jewelry shop BeadsAndQuotes here, but here’s the link again! I also sell handmade illustrated quotes there. My Christopher Robin one is popular.

My final bit of self promotion: I have a shop of t-shirt designs on a site called Redbubble. I’ve got it stocked full of wonderful geeky t-shirt options and pretty greeting cards. They also sell stickers of designs and ipod/ipad cases. You can see my shop here!

And that’s all, folks!

Here’s to another 50 great posts!

September 11, 2013

Cleaning and Planning

Cleaning is a double edged sword for me.

Being a generally lazy person, cleaning is just so much work. I’ve been on a cleaning kick though.

It would stop if I was assigned homework.

However, while I was cleaning out my fabric stash, I found some of my projects that I thought I had left at home. Squishable ones.

Like my Claudia vest.

And my culottes.

And this fabric that will interface my TARDIS shrug.

And this shirt that I’ll be altering for my TARDIS. It’ll be smoothed out, like the bottom. I bought it crinkly, but I like the color more than the crinkly texture.

Did I ever tell you that my culottes were a bit too tight? I’m going to be making a fix for that shortly, and showing the super finished product. I’m starting with this so I can wear them before it gets too cold.

Then I’m going to finish my Claudia vest, which will pretty much finish my Claudia costume. Just need a necklace then…

Soon there will be petticoats and my TARDIS shrug and some necklaces and a Belle muslin and a properly fitted underbust corset and a bum roll and my TARDIS skirt and a sweater and…

September 10, 2013

Doo Dwee Doooooo Dah Do Dwooo

Ah, the Doctor Who theme song. It would be easier to title posts if it had words to it.

Well, after working on it off and on for the past six months or so… (mostly off, I should mention to clear up any confusion. I am capable of attaching more than an average of one bead per day. I’m just too lazy to.) … I have finally finished my time rotor necklace!

As a reminder for those of you who are just tuning in, I’m working on costumes for SDCC 2014, and one of them is a anthropomorphic version of the Eleventh Doctor’s first TARDIS.

Yes.

And for this costume, I still wanted to pay homage to many of the mechanical aspects of this TARDIS that can’t be easily incorporated into a human being costume… Like the awesome TV screen, and the gorgeous time rotor.

This is the time rotor in question.

And here is my finished necklace!

I created this necklace by covering round and oval beads with the clear ones visible. I used brick stitch, which is slowly becoming my favorite stitch to design with. It’s so convenient and visual both in its flat and 3D form.

The beads in question were two fake gold pearls, a hematite oval, and a large goldstone round bead, which was slightly larger than the gold pearls, but not really once it had been covered up.

Because this difference was negligible in the end, as I showed in the last post, I re-brick stitched over the second bauble.

It looks so much better now, and I’m happy with it. Yayayayayayayayay! One project done, five million left to work on!

September 8, 2013

Happily Beading Away!

So… It’s time for an update.

Since the last one, I’ve finished moving into school, gone to a wedding, and went through my first week of classes. Which is why it’s been a while.

But the show must go on!

I’ve been working on my necklace projects at the moment, as I work on getting my serger up and running.

Remember how I was working on my Belle necklace, getting the swoosh bits finished? The ones that look like question marks, without the dot?

Well I’ve got one of the two mostly done! Some strings to handle, of course, but its pretty much finished! Only one more to go, which I’ll likely be working on over the next week.

After finishing these swooshes, I’ll be then designing and creating the smaller versions, which will then allow for the real creation of the necklace!

Then I decided to work on the TARDIS time rotor. I finished making all the baubles, and made the loop to thread it onto a chain.

There’s still something missing from it, and I’m pretty sure that I have figured it out.

The second bauble from the bottom is a bit too small. On the time rotor in the show, one of the spheres is significantly bigger than the rest. I tried to emulate that by encapsulating a slightly bigger round bead, but it doesn’t show nearly enough. I’m going to put another layer of the clear beads on top, which should increase the outward appearance of the bauble, making it more like the actual time rotor.

Should be done shortly, so look out for a final post for the necklace this week!

Also, I finally got a picture of this nice leather purse I purchased before I got home from abroad.

Nice and sweet little cross body bag. If I don’t make another purse option for my Susan costume, this will be the purse for it.

It’s small enough to not detract from the awesomeness of what the costume will be, but large enough that I’ll be able to keep some money and small souvenirs or papers and stuff. It’s even something I’ve been using in real life, because it’s cute, and just enough space to for wallets and such.

I’ll see you soon when I finish the time rotor!