The Quiet Book.

I've been working on this friggin thing since August, but as of Christmas morning, 10 am on very little sleep

Ta! Da! (ignore my messy background) my niece has her Quiet Book. I bled for that book, she better use it everyday until she has a child to pass it on to. Serious.

The harlequin shirt part - the lower sleevelettes

Many curse words were spoken that day.

I hate you, knit. I hate you and your slippery soul.

Sewing machine, get with the program, huh?!

The Harlequin Shirt part BAM BABY!

Mother effer. The harlequin shirt. Buttonholes.

Currently drinking.

This hole is why I'm drinking.

This ain't no buttonhole. This is a rogue razor gone rogue. This is also why I'm now drinking.

One legged Storm Trooper knows my pain. 

The harlequin shirt- part 8. The punching the floor and crying edition.

No kidding.

You know how something works some days and then the very next day you poke yourself with 50 pins and then decide to roll old school and hand stitch?

Well, I've hand stitched the shirt to my %{£{!}~£}£{+{£~~! ironing board.

I need a nap. Or booze.

The harlequin shirt part I don't even know- the collar

So stoked that I got the collar figured out!!!

Pinned it on and

Wrong way, Mr. Jones.

Expletive.

The Harlequin Shirt part 6 - The Ruffle Shuffle

Ignore my Runaway Bride eyes and jammies
and everything else that's wrong with this picture.
No one else will be my model. 

I'm pretty much happy with this.

I bought big ribbon and then realized that i don't need big ribbon.
Commence cutting. 

Then I sewed the raw edge of the ribbon (and right sides together) onto the ... what's it called?
 The tutu material. But really, why can't I think of what it's called? I need some serious coffee. 

Then I folded it and sewed the other end on (like you would do with bias tape)

Two pieces with their ribbon edges. 

Baste stitching the two pieces right down the center. 

Baste stitching the two pieces right down the center. 

Once I got them together, I scrunched them up by pulling the back thread of the basted stitch.
Here's a tutorial if you want to know what the crap I'm talking about.  Then I sewed them scrunched to a black ribbon. 

And TADA! 

Ruff! 

The Harlequin Shirt part 5. The Sleeve

It's floppy. It's supposed to be puffy and it's a flop mess.

Well, here's pictures and I'm gonna go work on the neck- scratch that. I'm gonna go to Jo-Ann's and get more fabric THEN work on the neck (I've completely abandoned the jester/Kermit point thing) and when Bronwyn comes to try this on, I'll see how they look. I can always rip them out and start again with wider armhole fabric to make the puff bigger.

Pictures, yes?

The Harlequin Shirt part 4. Sleeeeeeeves

I haven't dealt with the collar yet. I don't even.

But I'm on sleeve patrol.

I'm sure Edith Head taped her pattern mistakes,
 too. 

That face down there
 is why this is taking FOREVER 

And after a beer last night and several cups of coffee this morning, I think I've worked it out and am now on a roll.

Even though my husband asked if I was making a Zoolander costume...

Cannot stop laughing

Sleeve bottom before ironing into shape

Sleeve bottoms with ironed in hems

It's crooked because I don't want to have to make a trip to Jo-Ann's today to get more fabric.
C'mon, work out for me.

Puffed sleeves up next. Or possibly a trip to Jo-Ann's. 

Here's Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

Like looking into the belly of the beast. Or a pin shark.

Here's the tutorial for puffed sleeves that I'm using. In case you didn't have enough stress and pin pricks  in your day, clicky there and you too can go make some effin' puffed sleeves. Hers look cuter than mine :(

image borrowed from www.danamadeit.com

The Harlequin Shirt- part 3 (the collar)

I have been stumped by this collar business. Not the huge, awesome, crinoline-esque, quintessential "COLLAR", just the stupid part that goes on the shirt to finish the neck part.

This is what happens when I get too excited and plan nothing out first.

Bronwyn (whose costume I'm currently messing up) and I had talked about like a mock turtleneck thing which would protect her neck from the big ruffle collar, but I haven't been able to work it out in my head.

I'm working with a very specific fabric pattern and I don't want her to look like a patchwork clown because I went ahead and cut everything out before thinking about the collar.

And now I've been thinking about this collar day and night to no avail. Everywhere I go, everything I do is me thinking about the collar.

Me at the beach thinking about collars. 

But then tonight it hit me. And I think it will be gorgeous!!


What if I pulled some Kermit the Frog action? Maybe layering a black underneath to keep the patterns neat?

I think I'm totally in love with this idea.

I feel so Project Runway!

But probably without so many points. I got really excited in my drawing. Just let it be. 

The Harlequin Shirt part 2

I'm rolling this post out from my phone cause I'm all high tech and do not question my authority and get me a coffee. Also, from my phone I'm not able to choose where pics go so figure it out yourself. Don't blame me, blame the blogger app.

I am kind of in love with how this shirt is coming together but my boob darts may be a little Madonna, but we'll see. I'm having Bronwyn (who my phone wants to call "Brownie") over tomorrow for her fitting and we'll see if I'm a crying, frustrated mess of a noobie who is redrafting a pattern on a new yard of fabric.

So today I leave it be and head to the beach. Enjoy your random set of pictures.