Christmas Craft-a-palooza

If you're a family member of mine, chances are you (or your children) have received a yarny gift from me at some point. This tradition may have started in the poor-college-student Christmases of yore, but it still continues today! This Christmas was no different--here are some of this season's Christmas crafts.

For my baby niece Elliana, this teddy bear (dog?), made with Lion Brand Homespun:

Who quickly made friends with Don Leon.

He'd be annoyed, but he's too busy sleeping.
Next, this heart purse for Ellie's older sister Kate.

Next, I whipped up these Tunisian crochet Christmas stockings for me and the Mister:

No fireplace, so an office door will have to do.

These stockings are huge--over 3 feet long. Great for giants with big calves.
And, the piece de resistance, the sweater I knitted for Mr. N. Yes, knitted! It took me about 3 months and 3 or 4 false starts but he loved it (and actually wears it! The pinnacle of achievement for any crafter):

It was a unisex pattern I altered to fit--I lengthened the body and sleeves three inches, and that was just barely enough. I used Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool, my favorite yarn ever! Here's Mr. N. with Mom and Dad N.

I also made the scarf  Mom N is wearing from Lion Brand Amazing Yarn. Love the beautiful color variance.

That's about it from Christmas. And now, my belated gift to my wonderful readers: gratuitous pictures of Don Leon.

We'll get back to our regularly scheduled fashion soon. Thanks for stopping by!

ps. All patterns I used can be found by clicking the links in the text above.

Floral

After the photo shoot I decided to make a few more garments to round out the new collection. I wanted a print that would complement the tones in the previous pieces as well as the feel of the crochet. I came across this lovely brown floral at the Needle Shop in Bucktown (the last 2.5 yards!) and I knew I had a winner. Before I started with the floral cotton, though, I had to work out the silhouette by making a muslin. I didn't have any strong design concepts for this dress, I just started draping:

It's not bad, there's just one problem--it's boring me to tears. I decided to start again with a different approach, an interesting sleeve. It's a truly rare occasion when I'll drape a sleeve, but apparently this was one of those occasions.

Ok, I'm liking the volume, but let's see how this develops.

Hmm. Going...

Going...

And Gone, into Shakespeare territory. This is a full on costume sleeve. It's Juliet, or Elizabeth Bennet, but not me. No sir. Unless any theater companies out there need a designer, in which case, please call.

So I started over, with a simple silhouette and interesting style lines.

I love all forms of a sweetheart neckline.

And a full skirt. We pear-shaped ladies love a full skirt.

I was pleased with this, so poof! Brown floral:

I'm loving the June Carter/Dolly-pre-implants vibe of this piece. But it's not done yet.

A sweet, simple sleeve.

But wait...just one more thing.

Perfect!

The Big Payoff

After all the sewing, crocheting, and finishing are done, my favorite part about a new collection is the photo shoot. Thanks to my incredibly talented friends, this shoot was the best yet! I had a total blast and I'm awed by the finished product--everyone makes my clothes look outstanding!

The garments, ready to be shot. I can't help but look at this rack and think, seriously? All that work and that's all there is?

The garments with accessory, shoe, and music selection.

The talent--gorgeous already. Here they are in hair and makeup. From left, Mallory, Emily, and Carolyn, and nope, not one of them single. Sorry boys.

Ready? Here we go! Click on any picture to view it larger.

Here's Carolyn in the April dress.

Sometimes I have to make adjustments, and it can get awkward. Luckily everybody has a sense of humor.

Here's Mal in the January dress.

Emily in the Faye dress:

Carolyn in the Shaw Jacket:

Thank you to everyone involved--Mal, Em, Carolyn, our amazing photographer Lauren, site supervisor and jack of all trades Mr. N., and moral support and shoe lending by Steph. You are all incredible and brought my vision to a whole new level. Thanks for lending your time, talents, and energy! I am abundantly blessed by every one of you!

A Little Something Extra

So far I've walked you through three dresses in the new collection. Three looks is a great mini collection, but I wanted to expand this one a bit and add a few more separates. The first is a great jacket. I love love love those open cardigans that are so comfy and easy to throw on over anything. I wanted to make a jacket that had the same type of feel but with a little more structure and polish. Here's the muslin:

I also love low breaking shawl collar blazers and I wanted this to have a similar feel. I added a very laid back, non-80s peplum to the waistline. I realize the very word strikes fear into those women who wore them in their heyday--it makes them remember stuff like this:

 but fear not. Let's ease back into the peplum's good graces and embrace it once again.

Here's the jacket in the final fabric, the same brown tweedy-looking slinky knit the last dress was made of.

I just love this fabric--it's a body hugging slinky knit that holds structure incredibly well. Which is also where I hit a snag. It tends to be a bit bulky, and when I lined the peplum with it it was a hefty, beefy mess. I re-lined it with a lighter fabric, added the crochet appliques and a hook and eye, and...

There you have it. A comfy, easy to wear, professional (provided you wear something under it!) blazer with some interesting details, 80s shame not included.

Get excited--photo shoot pics are officially coming soon!