Search Results for: sewing

Is that a Dalek dress?

Why yes, yes it is. Color me impressed. So impressed, in fact, that I’ll admit that Daleks kind of turned me off of Dr. Who at first. In fact, I first met them during a sewing project.

I was working on something challenging and the show was playing in the background. My sewing project hit a frustrating snag and all I heard in the background was that horrible >>EXTERMINATE EXTERMINATE<< and I.just. got. stressed. out.

The way my story ended was with a poorly hemmed pair of fuzzy pig print pajama pants and a moratorium on Dr. Who in my house (or at least in my presence). I do not have the skill and tenacity of somevelvetmorning, who produced with sewing poetry (also known as sewitry).

She shares the step-by-step instructions with us to attempt to replicate her awesomeness.:

Category: Craft, Geek, Girly, Sci-Fi, TV | 2 Comments

February 6

Poppet of Power

Lanikins and I are united by tragic stories of loss in our respective childhoods. She lost her She-Ra to a bratty brother attack and rightfully gives him a hard time about this crime to this very day.

I mourned an entire She-Ra family of action figures (good guys and bad guys!) that was accidentally thrown away. I stored the crew in a plastic bag with their “wedding” regalia. I “designed” these bridal party gowns using multicolored Kleenex and my grandmother mistook the heaps of colored facial tissue for trash. The Crystal Castle, once buzzing with activity, stood empty and hollow. My wails of sadness were likely heard all the way in Eternia.

So nearly 30 years later, it warms my heart to see Lani passing along the joys of She-Ra to a new generation of powerful young princesses with the lessons learned: I have no doubt this She-Ra will not fall pray to bratty brothers, nor will she need to suffer the indignities of a Kleenex wedding dress. This particular plushie was made as an exchange with Padfoot, and it was destined for Padfoot’s daughter. Lani does the cutting and sewing for all of her plushies sans pattern, because she is a plushie making goddess. Most of her plushies are not for use as children’s toys, but she rose to this particular challenge by making a beautiful doll that is built to last. Just like the good ol’ Princess of Power herself.

As part of her process, she did watch a lot of She-Ra on Netflix, which sounds really fun. She is currently working on some Dr. Who’s (10 & 11) so I’m guessing she’s suffering through those Neflix marathons. What a trooper ;-)

She-Ra: Princess of Power

Category: Craft, Geek, Girly, Toys, TV | Comments Off

February 4

Red Shirt Syndrome!

Being active myself in historical reenactment for many years, the colder months were often spent at the sewing machine prepping for the upcoming events throughout the year. The same can be said for people who love attending Cons. Their creativity and ingenuity forever astounds me!

Working roughly off of a pattern and adapting on the fly, graverobbergirl on Craftster has made a great version of the original Star Trek costume! Even the hair and accessories show her dedication and attention to detail that are sure to make her stand out in the Con Crowd.

What makes graverobbergirl’s costume extra special is that she has planned for the inevitable. She has a patch to sew onto her costume when she finally (and inescapably) gets hit by the phaser aimed for a commanding officer!

The Expendable Yeoman (2-in-1 Trekkie Costume) – CLOTHING.

Category: Craft, Geek, Sci-Fi, TV | Comments Off

January 17

Terrible Puns, Artfully Knitted

It is January 17th and I have made zero progress on my new year’s resolutions, I just haven’t got around to it.

I have not re-made the towels that I embroidered badly and wanted to unpick. I have not finished the second cushion from my set, even though it’s almost done and will only take an afternoon. I have not taken my sewing machine to the repair shop despite it’s having been kerput for nearly 2 months. I have not even started the hat I promised my boy, even though the supplies are stashed under my bed (and have been for a year)…

I just haven’t got a round to it.

Fortunately for me, Ayliza, a knitter I follow on Facebook, has exactly the same problem, and she created this Round Tuit so she can get on with stuff. She’s planning to stock them in her Etsy store so that we can all get a round tuit, stop waiting or procrastinating and get on; To Do Lists at the ready, let’s (finally) tick some stuff off.

Ayliza on facebook

Ayliza’s Etsy Store

Category: Craft | 1 Comment

December 10

Ten Points to Gryffindor But Purses for All!

I mentioned in my introduction that you would be meeting some of the people who helped fire up my interest in ‘geek crafting’. One of the very first was my dear friend, Rosemary Waits, or Quietish as she is known on line. We first met on line in 2000 and lived over one thousand miles apart. As the fates would have it, I ended up moving only three and a half hours away from her and we would occasionally see each other in person.

It was Quietish who referred me to a couple of on line crafting groups for Harry Potter and, later , invited me to help her and another friend at an area event, Mugglefest. Two weeks before, she mentioned she was working on a Gryffindor scarf to wear that day. I barely could knit garter stitch at this time. There was no way I could create a scarf for myself in that time. Searching links, she sent me one for the sweater I mentioned last week and that was it.

There’s been many Harry Potter moments and crafts since there between us, and other friends, but one of my favorites is her HP House Fair Isle Pouch Bags which she shares here along with a link to her PDF pattern for all four houses found on Ravelry. With it’s flat style construction, the bag serves as a nice starting point for a knitter wanting to begin including pockets in their work. The pattern is a Fair Isle and is knitted in the round and includes a bit of basic crochet and some simple sewing to finish. The bags are lined and the pattern contains the graphs for all four house mascots.

If you’re not a member of Ravelry, membership is free and there are many patterns both free and for purchase available there.

Category: Books, Craft, Geek, Movies | 1 Comment

December 5

Crafting Christmas Movies

I have a few movies I watch over and over and over again this season, that always put me in the holiday spirit. And I’m sure most of you, like me, can’t sit still and watch a movie. You have to be doing something, whether it’s crocheting, sewing, cutting, drawing, (anything you can do on the couch, really).

Well this season, why not make something from your favorite movie, while watching you favorite movie. You could even race and see if you can finish your craft before the movie is over. No pausing the DVD for bathroom breaks, that’s cheating. Here are a few I’ve found.

If you grew up in the 80’s, like me, you know all about the forgotten Henson Classic, The Christmas Toy. It was released on DVD a few years ago, which is great, because my VHS copy recorded off the TV was really wearing out. Now you can make your own Mew, and have the “cat toy, people toy” argument until your heart’s content.

Check out CRAFTYISCOOL1 ‘s beautiful work.

My next favorite is another Henson great, Emmet Otter’s Jug-band Christmas. (something about Jim

Henson and Christmas just go hand in hand) Check out this amazing needle felted work from REMAINSOFTHEDAY.

The Muppets make great crafting projects, because they are made out of felt to begin with. It’s a lot easier to recreate than a person, although, this next boy looks pretty amazing in felt. Here’s an Emmet Otter I crocheted.

Check out Ralphie’s bunny costume, from A Christmas Story, made by Etsy Shop My Little Cabbage.

So go grab your supplies and your remote, cuddle up on the couch with that blanket you made last week, and whip up some great crafts to go with your movie. How cute would it be to give someone the DVD of a great Christmas movie, and one of these crafts to go with it?

Ooo, now I know what to get my Secret Santa……….

Category: Craft, Geek, Toys, TV | 8 Comments

Geek Crafts

Where geek and crafts collide