Before christmas

   A basic small shoe box

I'm going back to work next week.I have to prepare gifts for christmas .I hate to be at the last moment and my mind could be in peace.A few years ago , I do receive a gift in a shoe box which have been transform in a beautiful gift box.I did like the idea and did this.

                The box after the transformation.

 

I buy a beautiful and heavy paper to cover it inside and out.Like gift bag it could be use again and again.It's easy to do and so beautiful.It's mostly like wrapping a gift with a roll  of  paper.It not complicated and it's a way to recycle .

 

 

For the son of my friend Gwenyver , I decided to make him a blanket for christmas.Something warm and soft for a baby but tall enough to last when he will be 3-4years old.I use a big piece of wool flannel I had as a leftover for one side.The other side is berbère ou something that was in the child section.I don't remember exactly because I had 1m of it since a so long time.I think I found a good use for it.

                               
A close-up of the detail.My camera is somewhere in a box so I can't take another picture .I know it's bad but I think it gave a pretty good idea .

To be more cute , I embroided all the green side of the blanket with a white design that could be a bee or butterfly (use your imagination).On the bottom at right , I embroided his name with the day and year of his birth.For privacy reason , I will not show this part .It's a gift I hope he will appreciate when he will be older and that will last for years to come.

Making the jacket - a transformation

The last piece of the costume : the jacket.As you know , it was a simplicity dress with a zipper in the back before and I wanted to modify it to something more historically correct.Here is want I get.

 The last picture of the dress before I undo it.The sleeves were too long and the ruffle in the front were falling.The blue seem darker but only because of the light and the spot I take the picture.Now I have  better  .

 A front view of the result  with a stomacher made of the same fabric.The yellow butterflies are pins.

The original pattern from Pattern of fashion 1 by Janet Arnold , p26 model B jacket from 1735-40

Where should I start.Making this project was a challenge and a nightmare.The challenge part.There is many thing I didn't know how to do it like the petticoat , finding the good accessoiries and using a pattern from a book for the first time.

The nightmare part.My first plan was to use the pattern from the book  Pattern of fashion1 p26 model b .We don't have a scanner at home so I ask my honey to do it from work and he says no problem.He also told me he could scan it and print it at the right scale.After asking well 10 times and more , it take 3-4 weeks before I finally get the thing.

The deadline was closer at this moment and I had no time for problem.I first cut the pattern in a cheap fabric to see how it fit but something was wrong.I had this pouffy effect on the side.I didn't know how to fix it .I was so , so dissapointed.My first thoughts was to give up , later to invent a false reason to not go to the activity I was suppose to organize.Finally I use the old part to create new one.

Front view with the jacket open to show the stomacher.The shape is similar to one model page 28.

To save time I use the pieces I already have to create something closer of the  pattern .The original front and side become a single piece and same thing for the back .I use the same sleeves and did the ruffle like those page 30 in the book.

I make a stomacher which really did not need embroidery because the fabric already have a great design.I start sewing hook and eye to fix the stomacher but sadly I soon realize they do not match so I can't close it properly.After three , I stop. For the event,I use safety pins .

I create the lower part of the jacket  but I'm not really satisfy with it.All the new pieces had been cut from the four pannels of the old dress.

A side view to show the ruffle.I really like the effect it create , it's elegant.I look at the piece in the book and draft it on paper.That was simple to do.

As you can see the back piece is too long.With the bumroll in place it gave this pouffy weird look.Anyway,the jacket itself is at least 2 sizes biggers then it should be.It's suppose to be adjust and it's not.At least it's comfortable.There is no lining inside because even if some fabric can breath , I have a very low tolerance for heat.

My honey make a confession:he doesn't like costuming event anymore. I must admit I haven't make anything for him since a long time and my skills are better now then when we met.He did came to the event in his old costume.It has required many reparations like some open seams need to be close and lost buttons .Time haven't been gentle with his costume.I gave him the choice to come or not , he came and I'm glad he did.

A new bedroom

An other transformation of a room , but this time with more budget.The first picture is before.I always wish to have a medieval bedroom with the canopy bed but until I buy a house I really can't.

The description of the room before is short.The curtain is very opaque and blue is the major color which give a dark room.

I wish to transform the room in something that will remind the orient specially India and Thaïland.I choose red as the major color mostly because I like it and it represent love , passion and fire.

First step : I buy a new bed.After 10 years of good and loyal service the old one will be recycle.The new bed is so comfortable and my back stop hurting every morning.

I made new curtain from a cheap coton , I know the sun will change the color with time and years but it wasn't expensive .In fact it's 2 curtains(yes it's normal you see only one on the picture) and it's less opaque.I like to see the sun in the morning.Both have some kind of false jewelry to attach them.

All the pillows and blankets are red , orange or gold to match together.I have a small blanket on the bed with a special design that remind me exactly what I want. I choose all other color to match with it .If you'r planing buying sheet made of percale , it catch all dust , fiber and everything it can.It's terrible. The picture below is a close up of the blanket.

On both side of the bed we have a small bedside(in wood) with a lamp.The lamp came from my gran.My mom take it when she move in case I wish to have it.Mom told me gran had it since she was a young girl so it mean the lamp have at least 40 years old.The base is a marble squarre with a character half naked that lift up his arms to hold scrolls.There is also false red jewelry on it and the top is red with a touch of gold.After a clean up , my honey realise the character was not dark gold , it's a very light tone of gold.Guess what ?Gran never clean them.My honey also did a reparation to be sure the lamp are safe to use.

Over the bed , attach to the ceiling , we have a canopy.I do not know the exact name for it in french it's call "un ciel de lit ou daie de lit".In fact , it's a net you hang over your bed and it can be open( like the picture and mine are fix to the wall )or close all around your bed.Mostly it's sold in pink and pastel color for 20-30$.I wish I found one red.It was something I already have since a long time.I don't know why but when it's close around the bed , I have the impression I saw that in an old movie where the action was in India.

If I burn incense , the result is great and I'm pretty satisfy of it but not entirely.I want to paint something on the wall.

A new addition

I finally finish the green curtain for the evening room.I also put the disco ball in a place where we can see it.Those littles things make a major difference and now I really feel in the sixty.In case you ask , the curtain are normally open and attach on each side but I think there is no need to see the kitchen.The fabric I used to hide the congelator now it hide the rack of wine bottle.For a cat what it can't see doesn't exist.My two sweeties seems to have some kind of fatal attraction to a few bottle of wine .

I thought it will be nice to show you my two helpers when I do sewing.They follow me everywhere and I have no peace until they decided they are close enough to me to sleep .In general , I put one in the basket and one in the bed(not on the pic).They can do anything to attrack my attention but when I put them in the basket or bed , it's magical .

Making a medieval pavillion with a low budget

For my first experience of camping I wish to be comfortable.I was for a week for LARP(live acting roleplaying).Having a tent which is consider "period" gave an access to a different encampment.So I have to make something with a low budget and fast.

I first buy a pavillion which have a good base , in sold for + - 150 $.The only thing I have to do was to close the wall (for privacy or at least to have the illusion of).

I buy cheap cotton + - 12 m, yellow and green to make a contraste of color.It cost + - 60$.The two pannel in the front are not sew to make a door and is close with fastening.

Advantages: -the price is very low 210$
- you can find similar model , smaller or bigger

-you can use more then one pavillion to create a big one for you and your friend

- easy to assembly

- together the ropes and the cover do not take little place in the car

-you can make an entire new cover which give you thef possibilty to create something special

Negatives points:-the structure is not very solid

-using cheap cotton make the wall a little transparent in day time

-with time the seams of the roof will open which mean if it rain outside , it rain

inside too

- if you do not close carefully the bottom of the wall , you can have some

surprise at the morning (like squirrel)

- to attach the new wall to the existing one take time and patience

You can deal with most of the negative point.The most beautiful thing in this : when people will look at your pavillion and say wow ,you will be proud to say I made it.Maybe you will work a lot but that's rewarding.

Note: one day I want to buy a second pavillion like this one and make a very big one .We can invite friends to join us and we will have a place to play card when it will rain.

A new evening room

I did a last visit at my grandparents house before the news owners came in and I found a few treasures.The lamp on the picture was abandon in the basement and like so many thing , I did have good memories associate with it.After a time of reflexion , I thought I could transform my evening room to match with the lamp and get something more like the sixties.

I start hating the color of my divan(too dark) and cushion so I did covers to change that for a more colorfull and light fabric .The congelator (which can't be place somewhere else)have a cover too with a "pied de poule" style.The advantage of covers is they can be remove easily and wash.The painting was in my grandmother sewing room and never moove from there until I safe it because it was abandon.I get a very similar painting but smaller which will be put in my sewing room.There will be a green curtain with dot on it on the right of the divan which is the entrance of my kitchen , but it's not finish yet.You do not see it on the pictures but I do have a disco ball , a must which was a necessity.

I feel my evening room is more alive and this little changement make me more happy when I look at it. Some people may not like , but my hapiness is the only important thing.

Transformations part 1

To transform something ordinary into something medieval-fantasy is easy and can be less expensive then you could imagine.

At left is a coat that reach the knee .At the beginning it was a coat(for the winter season)made of wool with a lining inside.My honey buy this use for 10$ but at home he realize the sleeve were too short .He ask me if I can do something with it.I decided to transform it in an elegant coat which can be use for LARP he was doing at the moment.

The process was not clear in my mind before I start but when I begin , it become clear.You should listen your instinct and intuition.I first remove the sleeve and cut the bottom to get a shorter lenght.To make it elegant I add a two tone of fur (silver and black)around the sleeve , the neck , in front and at the bottom.It does not close at the front since I have remove the buttonhole and this make the front smaller then the origin.By this way it can be put with anything and fastly remove at any moment .The cost of the coat was 10$ and the fur was a left over fabric but I do remember it was not expensive so I think 10$ is ok .That make a total of 20$ for this.Not expensive for something you wear for LARP during the weekend.I know the picture is not well , but I was very hurry.

The second is a pair of jeans , I think you all know what jeans looks like so I only take a close up of it.My cousin married two years ago and decided she want it medieval-fantasy.Many thousand of dollars were spend only for the costume and trust me , there was nothing that could not be done at home.Since we should be in costume , my honey does not want something he could not wear again.He already have a shirt , a cloak and an hat I made .

For the pant , he choose a pair of black jeans (cheap one for 10 or 20$).He put metal eyelet on each side of the leg ,52 to be exact.It was so long to do.The white and red trim (2$ ) were add because it was the color of the wedding.At medieval store a pair of pant does not start under 80-100$.For a pair of pant you will not wear very often , you save a lot.I want to add a precision , My honey did it alone and he's the one who had the idea .You'r a genius my love.