Wednesday, February 26, 2014

The last few months

And once again I am updating a few months' worth of projects on my neglected blog. Is it really neglected if no one reads it? 
I made another coat for Mina because the first one was too narrow for multiple layers or even a sweater underneath. I decided to use box pleats to get enough room in the body of the coat. I love the bright turquoise lining and the way it peaks out when the coat moves. 
Mina wore it without closures for a while. I wasn't sure what to use or the color to choose because of the coat's color. In the end I used some silver filigree buttons. 
Excuse the funny red cast in the picture, the playground equipment is very bright. 
I fell in love with the cute double collar on a few items in the Fall/Winter Hucklebones collection. I bought a really pretty purple turtleneck at the DI and decided it would be a great dress for Mina. The combination of the double collar and cuffs has lead to a few funny comments at church. Namely, "school marm" and pilgrim. 
I picked up a large piece of light weight dark teal wool at the "give and take" table at Relief Society on night. I loved the color and the fact it wasn't overly scratchy. I used a BabyGap dress as inspiration for the jumper. 
This is actually the second version of the jumper, the first was too narrow and short. I think Mina will be able to wear this one for quite a while. She wore it to her first official day of nursery. 
I made this colonial dress for my friend's daughter. She picked out the pattern and materials. I think it turned out really well. It was a very fun project!
Last up, monkey wings. My Mom's school, Oak Hills, is presenting "The Wizard of Oz" next month. I was asked to create 8 sets of monkey wings for the winged monkeys. I brainstormed a structure for the form and then created a set of prototype wings. Last week I took the wings to rehearsal and luckily, they worked. 
My hands were so sore from clipping all of the curves on the scalloped edges. 16 individual wings means a lot of curves to clip. I made the framework for the wings out of a dry cleaning hanger because that type of hanger is lightweight and it bends well. After that I added the felt wing and stitched them together. I made a harness out of woven elastic, foam core board and Velcro. I glued everything together after that. 
I think it was a success. We'll see how they hold up during rehearsals and performances.