unfinished projects Archives • Jessica Smith Creates

March 18, 2014

When you play the Game of Thrones…

This weekend I embarked on the journey known as the show Game of Thrones.

It is a good journey, filled with lovely costumes and entertaining murder.

And I have news.

I’m a non-monogamous crafter. By far.

Maybe that’s not news. In fact, I think you all probably have caught onto that by now.

But now its most definitely okay!

I will not be attending SDCC this year, like I had planned. My friends and I decided that it was more important to go on an adventure together, rather than some of us attending the event while others couldn’t.

This means that a) I won’t have the deadline of July for my costumes, leaving me more time for non-monogamous fun.

b) I won’t have to shell out airfare for southern California on the super busy busy week.

Whew. Saving money is fun, ain’t it?

I’m still planning on making the costumes, so never fear, my super difficult to conceptualize and describe plans are definitely going to happen. It’s just a matter of when.

But this allows me to have some more fun too!

Although, knowing this, I should mention how many projects I’ve got going.

Ahem.

Archer shirt – my brown and cream one’s red bias binding came apart, so I need to fix it.

Belle’s cape – attaching ties and lace

Belle’s necklace – in a super hibernating state

Cardilero – Hehe. Let’s just not talk about it. Haven’t touched it in awhile.

Green denim jeans – I recently lost my favorite pair of jeans to inner thigh holes, so I’m gonna try my hand at making a pair.

Mesmerize sweater – I started it this weekend. Game of Thrones is quite lulling.

Strax – haven’t touched it.

UFO #2 – finally found it and got some pictures. Expect a post soon.

Sleeping? That I’m good on. Got lots of it. Perhaps that’s why I’m not being productive. Or doing homework. Sometimes my short term sanity takes priority over my long term homework efforts.

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…

August 17, 2013

Re-acquaintances

It’s been a long time now since I’ve been home, with my stash.

It’s also been a while since I’ve posted. Flying around to far places tends to mean lots of mess back at home! I’ve been cleaning. And marveling at my large and uncontrolled stash.

My stash for anything and everything, really.

Yarn

Fabric

Beads

For that matter, old makeup and clothing.

I’m going to be a senior in college this upcoming fall. The impending moving out phase will be happening soon. I don’t really want to drop any of these stashes, except perhaps the old makeup stash. I really should just clean that out.

It’s time to really clean up my stuff, and see exactly what I have.

I figure that I have enough stuff that I’d like to share that I’ll have a bunch of posts for this set.

For my yarn stash, I’ll be sharing the yarn that I have plans for, and the projects that have a bit of work done will also be shared.

My largest ufo project stash is included with my fabrics, so those will all be documented in their own posts eventually, but I’ll give you some peeks before then! My other fabrics will be divided like yarn, and I’ll let you know if I have plans for any of it!

Beads, beads, beads.

Do you like it? My projects for these are a little less planned, so it doesn’t get another post. I already took the opportunity to show you my creative process, or my attempt to at least, so you can probably tell that.

As for the rest of my planning…

I’ll be working with some of my clothing to make it more appealing for me to wear, because some of it just doesn’t fit right. If I do anything particularly interesting, I’ll let you know. Even if not, I’ll probably make up a fun before and after post. A lot of it is just going to have to go.

You don’t have to see that though. Just the fun stuff, I promise!

Well that’s all for now! Got some more work to do!

I will leave you with a picture of my notions!

August 4, 2013

T Minus One Year

In one year I’ll have a bachelor’s degree, and hopefully some sort of employment.

I’ll have had this blog for a year and four months or so.

I’ll also be going to Comic Con.

Which was the main inspiration for starting this blog in the first place.

I wanted to let you know what is to come in the next year, in a more updated and compact list than I have before.

Costuming:

TARDIS costume – Doctor Who

corded petticoat

bum roll

console skirt

bustled overskirt

underbust corset

high necked sleeveless shirt

sleeveless shrug with dangling pearl “sleeves”

time rotor necklace

hair embellishment of some sort

television monitor purse (which will attach to the corset

spats for my t-straps

Belle – Once Upon A Time

Lace and knit skater dress

embellishment necklace

Queen Susan – Narnia: Prince Caspian

white underdress

blue overdress

potentially a quiver – like object

Claudia – Warehouse 13

finishing off the vest – lining and a new zipper

necklace of some sort

Steampunk base costume – potentially for Halloween. Or life in general.

link

corset waist skirt

link

Short sleeved high necked button down shirt – emerald green? I like this simple version of the drawing

link

short corded petticoat

Sewing:

UFO #2 – Velvet and Lace Vintage Dress

Kaylee inspired dress – Firefly

Ballroom dancing gown

Refashioned Ready To Wears (so I’m willing to be ready to wear them.)

Knitting/Crochet:

Lacy slouchy hats

Thick shawl

Some necklace making, some quote illustrations, some cards, some leatherwork.

May 1, 2013

Don’t get into a spaceship with a madman.

Tardis time rotor update!

Please excuse the bad lighting. I was excited to share.

I’m over half done on my mockup of the time rotor. I’m using a brick stitch to create a stiff backbone, and I’m filling in the mockup with the same beads as the backbone, primarily.

When I get to my white thread, I’ll be making a version that is hopefully at least a little less noticeable in regards to minor flaws.

April 28, 2013

Good ol’ shopping!

Who doesn’t love shopping! Well, kinda me, but when I get goodies, especially lovely and gorgeous goodies, it all works out for the best!

So, I got lots of fun stuff, but I’ll be showing you the highlights.

Isn’t this button cool! It reminded me of Gallifreyan, and so I had to buy it, even though it was the last button in stock! If there had been more, who knows how many I would have gotten!

These are three throw pillow covers in a brilliant copper, with a suede pattern on the front of the pillows. It was so Tardis-y that I couldn’t stand it! Charity shops are fantastic!!

So I haven’t shown you this project yet, but it will become UFO number 2, upon return to the states, when I can get my hands on it to take some pictures! This is a stretchy lace shirt that I picked up to save some time and effort in finding the perfect lace and making a shirt top.

April 26, 2013August 19, 2018

UFO #1 About Half Done

Look! Look! Look!

I’m about halfway done with the main structures of the sweater, with creating the base portion of the sweater. The next part to do is the shawl collar, after fitting the base.

In case you aren’t up on your yarn-based crafts, I’ll remind both of us about the proceedings.

To fit the base, I first need to block the base. Because I don’t have all of the supplies I would prefer to do this, ie an ironing board and a spray bottle, I’ll be working with a towel. I have some safety pins, and I’ll find a ruler.

I’ll be pinning the project to the wet towel, in the dimensions dictated by the pattern. Make that, as close to those dimensions as is possible…

Once its dry, I’ll be sewing up the arm seams, making sure I have the proper room to move.

I tend to find that even with careful measuring and blocking, I still rarely get a garment that really fits without me fixing it somehow, normally enlarging certain portions, so I’m doing it right this time. By checking for fit early on, I’m hoping to arrest this problem well before the end of the project, before I can decide that I’m not going to wear the project that I spent so much time on.

After any fixes, I’ll be making appropriate fixes to the pattern for the shawl collar, and then I’ll be working on finishing up that one!

Edging, and then finishing the garment with a waistband, and then I’ll have myself a sweater!

April 15, 2013

It looks like… something?

Here is an update on my crochet project.

I’ve finished over half of the main sweater portion. It doesn’t quite look like much yet, and it is a little wonky in dimensions. But that is for blocking! And blocking can solve all problems!

My progress wasn’t quite as much as I had planned, as I only managed to finish about a half of the blocks I was meant to, but I promise I was working on homework instead. I promise!

I’ll see you next week for the next update! And there are some more posts in the works for this week, to make up for the radio silence that has been currently abounding.

April 7, 2013

Here we are again…

So I promised you an update.

And I told you that I planned to make three squares a day, but considering these can take me up to 45 minutes to make each, that isn’t always feasible for a homework night. AKA week night.

But I’m trying. I promise. And I think I’ve made up all of it this weekend!

Here’s what I’ve got so far! I have gotten one of the remaining sides of the back nearly done. Six more squares!

Progress on UFO#1.

I have done more work on this project in the past two weeks than I had since I started it last year.

Very good progress!

Though, I’m only planning on doing two squares per day now. And more when possible.

Wait for an update next weekend!

April 3, 2013

Parking Brake

One of my favorite parts about the Eleventh Doctor’s first TARDIS is the time rotor.

It’s the part in the center of the main console that is enclosed in a clear tube and moves up and down.

Its also the most gorgeous use of glass sculpture I have seen in a non-museum setting.

Granted, the show did commission said glass piece, but still…

It’s lovely.

And I want one.

You can see a video tour of the TARDIS here, which shows off the TARDIS and mentions the time rotor. It’s so cool!

But for my costume I really wanted to take the time rotor and make a necklace pendant inspired by it, so I’ve created a draft. I’m considering a few ways to do this, but I wanted to create a loose draft.

Then I realized I had only brought black beading thread with me on my study abroad excursion.

P.S. It’s not finished yet.

And looks so much better on a nearly black background.

I also thought I’d let you know, if you happen to care, that I plan on crocheting three blocks on my crochet sweater per day. By that method, I’ll finish the back in about two weeks if I just stay with the three per day. Then I’m over half done.

So far so good!