It's Gonna be a Party!

The count down is on for Chantel’s packing and it is nerve wracking. Two more decisions to be made: how is she going to get into the dress and will the ‘opening’ be on the side or centre back?

The other thing is - the shape of the bodice along the sleeve edge. I knew there would sleeves so I don’t know why I crocheted the bodice like that. Now the sleeves will take on a whole new shape….

If there is an opening, the only option now would be buttons but that doesn’t seem right for this dress. Another fitting and thank goodness this girl can shimmy into just about anything! 

Blocking is important before sewing up the dress. Sequence of  blocking before proceeding to the next part: the skirt, the middle, the bodice and the sleeves, added the edging to the hem, then blocked and pressed the edgings.

I love it when a plan comes together!

The big reveal...please Chantel, please send full body pictures!

She wore it so it must be okay?!

One HOT Mess!

It is going faster and easier than I thought. Even though I have a large collection of vintage and older knitting and crochet magazines with patterns, I could not find one with all of this open work. So I taught myself to crochet from an American book and choose a pattern from an English pattern. This is significant because the nomenclature is different!

Chose a basic chevron pattern then a combination of chains and loops to create the trellis net look.

Design flaw...how to keep the waist open but not saggy?

Recalculating, recalculating...

Now to figure out the bodice and make another size transition. Testing stitch and edging ideas.

It all starts coming together but the worse is yet to come! I am out of time and the sleeves pose yet another design challenge.

Final pictures will be posted once the gal makes her debut at Viva Las Vegas!

Crochet Trials and Tribulations!

What do I say when a friend sends a photo of a 70s looking open net dress and asks: “Can you knit this?” Always up for a challenge, looks like a project! Even though it is crocheted and is a photo of Felicity Shagwell [played by Heather Graham] from the movie ‘Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me’. It is the inspiration for what is to become one Hot Mess!

“I would like to wear it to Viva Las Vegas in April”. No problem, it is February after all. Just have to finish the order from a designer, going into the busiest two months of my working year…but hey, this is just too cute and an extra small size, how can hard can it be?!

A shopping trip to the local yarn store is in order and I really could not believe the spring colors! Just the right shade of hot pink and orange in a synthetic/cotton blend in a medium weight yarn. I get distracted easily.

After a week of knitting different net samples it became clear that it needs to be crocheted! Great, because other than edgings I haven’t crocheted anything significant. Now I have to learn, find a quick and easy stitch for the solid parts and learn to crochet net! This just became a marathon project because as usual, there is not a pattern. 

After measuring my friend, and I really needed the weekend to work everything out, big sister and Mom organized a birthday party for my old but younger brother. Out to the farm we go and design time was not going to happen, so I experimented with different stitches for the solid part of the skirt in order to have something to work on while I am there and work on in the van on the way home.

Here's hoping for a small miracle and relaxed fingers.....