Sewing Progress
Jun. 9th, 2012 02:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladybug_archiveI made pants!
Not very exciting for the heavily craft-minded people, I suppose, but for someone whose sewing projects through the years have almost always resulted in utter disaster, I was thrilled to have managed to make something that actually fit. They're definitely the work of an amateur; one leg is a bit wider than the other, the waist may be slightly tight, but they fit and I'm so glad. I was terrified that they would be too small.
Also, my sewing has improved. My stitches are so lovely and small and neat. They were big and sloppy and a mess when I was a kid. Yes, I am sewing everything by hand. I prefer it, actually; I can sew anywhere, as opposed to setting up the machine in the living room each time. And I feel I have more control. For an amateur like me, hand-sewing seems the best way to go when it's small stuff. I really only like using the machine if I'm sewing cosplay stuff for myself to wear.
Strangely, what was far more complicated than the pants was making ears. Yes, this pre-made plush did not come with ears. I had quite a battle with them. Each one I had to do over about two or three times. And I probably sewed them on wrong. But I'm fairly happy with the shapes I finally got, at least.
Over the weekend I'll be tackling the shirt and jacket. They don't seem too complicated. For both that and the pants, I've been using these awesome tutorials I found on dA a while back.
What I'm really nervous about is attaching the hair. I'll probably have to use one of those curved carpet needles that I usually use to sew up holes in furry plush. I hate those things.
I found something on eBay that looks like it might work for the hair, and I hope it will, because nothing locally seems to. I hate buying fabric-related items without being able to see and touch them in person, but I figured this thing finally looked close enough in color and style and I should grab it up while I could. I was just in time too; there was only one left.
No one has seen my progress except me. I kind of like that, too. If possible, I'd like to keep it that way until I'm all done, and then display the finished product. It might not work out that way, but we'll see.
And I've been having such fun with this in general that I've actually considered maybe making others in the future. I'd still like a Duke plush. And one of his friend/manager David would be awesome. I'd probably never get around to either project, but it's neat to think about. JoAnn's has the most awesome accessories; they even have little glasses for dolls!
Not very exciting for the heavily craft-minded people, I suppose, but for someone whose sewing projects through the years have almost always resulted in utter disaster, I was thrilled to have managed to make something that actually fit. They're definitely the work of an amateur; one leg is a bit wider than the other, the waist may be slightly tight, but they fit and I'm so glad. I was terrified that they would be too small.
Also, my sewing has improved. My stitches are so lovely and small and neat. They were big and sloppy and a mess when I was a kid. Yes, I am sewing everything by hand. I prefer it, actually; I can sew anywhere, as opposed to setting up the machine in the living room each time. And I feel I have more control. For an amateur like me, hand-sewing seems the best way to go when it's small stuff. I really only like using the machine if I'm sewing cosplay stuff for myself to wear.
Strangely, what was far more complicated than the pants was making ears. Yes, this pre-made plush did not come with ears. I had quite a battle with them. Each one I had to do over about two or three times. And I probably sewed them on wrong. But I'm fairly happy with the shapes I finally got, at least.
Over the weekend I'll be tackling the shirt and jacket. They don't seem too complicated. For both that and the pants, I've been using these awesome tutorials I found on dA a while back.
What I'm really nervous about is attaching the hair. I'll probably have to use one of those curved carpet needles that I usually use to sew up holes in furry plush. I hate those things.
I found something on eBay that looks like it might work for the hair, and I hope it will, because nothing locally seems to. I hate buying fabric-related items without being able to see and touch them in person, but I figured this thing finally looked close enough in color and style and I should grab it up while I could. I was just in time too; there was only one left.
No one has seen my progress except me. I kind of like that, too. If possible, I'd like to keep it that way until I'm all done, and then display the finished product. It might not work out that way, but we'll see.
And I've been having such fun with this in general that I've actually considered maybe making others in the future. I'd still like a Duke plush. And one of his friend/manager David would be awesome. I'd probably never get around to either project, but it's neat to think about. JoAnn's has the most awesome accessories; they even have little glasses for dolls!
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no subject
Date: 2012-06-09 10:09 am (UTC)What color are you making the suit? And what about the eyes - are they/will they be a nice light blue?
no subject
Date: 2012-06-09 04:36 pm (UTC)I would have liked to have made the eyes lighter blue, but with the materials I had to work with my only choices were turquoise or sapphire blue. And since Raymond Burr seems to have very striking turquoise eyes, I decided I didn't want to emulate that, so I used sapphire.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-09 05:02 pm (UTC)I can't wrap my mind around the fact that Burr's eyes were blue. Somehow I became firmly convinced that they were deep brown and the idea won't go away; it's how I've always imagined Perry and still do.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-09 08:08 pm (UTC)Ah, it's so strange when one is faced with the truth and it still seems impossible. I've had a couple of those denial situations, such as how Disney always insists Don Karnage from Talespin is a wolf. He's always been a fox to me, and I refuse to believe otherwise.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-11 03:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-11 09:01 am (UTC)Aww, those things sound cute! I'm not sure my mind is wired for sewing, either. I'm ready to tear my hair out over problems with this blasted shirt.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-16 08:22 pm (UTC)My turtle wasn't very stuff, though. :D Good luck with the shirt!
no subject
Date: 2012-06-16 08:52 pm (UTC)I am in awe of people who can sew well. I'm still pretty much a disaster. I'm still dealing with that shirt. I'll definitely need good luck!
no subject
Date: 2012-06-11 08:43 am (UTC)...I'm terrified of sewing machines. When I was in elementary school, one of our teachers told a story about how his wife got her finger caught under the needle, and the needle broke off in her finger, and he could see the needle pressed up against her fingernail from the inside, and ever since then I've never wanted my fingers near a sewing machine. It's probably a fear I ought to get over, what with wanting to make a coat for a cosplay at some point, and handsewing a coat would be a nightmare, but...ngh. Needles.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-11 09:04 am (UTC)These are neither. I wondered if I'd need a waistband of some kind, but they seem snug enough as is, so I don't want to mess with them further. And gaaaah, I'm going mad trying to make a shirt. I think I need a different tutorial for it than what I've been using....
Eeeek! I'm rather uneasy around mechanical needles myself. I'm worried that I'll get my finger caught. I'm accident-prone enough that it could easily happen.