RabbitTalk Handicrafts Thread. What do YOU make?

@Rainey, those lavender sachets are gorgeous! I have at least 2 pins on my Pinterest with tutorials for how to make them... but alas, no source of lavender for me! When I move back to California I'll be able to get some from my mom (she's growing some bushes of lavender in the backyard), but until then I can only imagine how good they'll look and smell hanging in the closet :lol: <br /><br /> __________ Tue Jul 12, 2016 9:02 am __________ <br /><br /> Alright, I just finished my last two projects before the move. A duffel bag and my first ever trousers (that I've sewn myself, not that I've owned).

The duffel bag is really nice and sturdy, and at less than $10 including all the notions and such, it's our best one. I even had enough left-overs that I could make a second, possibly a third. But I'm out of time now, because those sewing machines have to go into boxes.



Aaaaand, ladies and gentlemen of RabbitTalk, the long-awaited (by me) trousers in a warm beige with blue silk-lookalike waistband facing and pockets! There's gonna be a few pictures of these, sorry!


Don't mind the little wrinkle near the crotch area, I did a pretty sloppy job of ironing them, I was so excited to try them on :blush:



The insides make me so happy... How many other trousers are this fabulous? :lol:



And there, one picture of what they look like worn. The fit is pretty good, I think. They're comfortable at least.

Sorry for the lesser quality of photos this time around, my nice camera is unable to hook up to my tablet, and we've already packed away the computer, so these were taken by my phone camera. DH is almost as done with packing as I am at this point :roll: there's just so much to do in so little time. But I got these done, and I'm so glad I did!

That bag looks AMAZING. The pants look so comfy.
I'm afraid my bag making technique isn't nearly as refined. :lol: Swim dresses and fashionable pants are WAY beyond me.
On the upside, the goat pelt underneath is one of my favorites.
I should probably paint a few new skulls now, since I know I've improved since cleaned and painted these ones.

hoo boy what don't i do

i knit:

sweater, throw pillow, and a dragonscale dice bag for a friend we play dnd with

lots more, mostly scarves and gloves and hats, but i don't have photos i guess...


i also sew and make costumes/props for renfest and conventions:


i don't expect anyone to know who he is, but we built that coat from scratch - all of it is handmade!

that is probably the most impressive one we've made. most of them are simple outfits and props like staffs or spray painting a plastic bb gun to look right and disabling the mechanism so it can't be fired.


not nearly as impressive of a costume until i tell you i hand-sculpted and cast and painted that mask myself. i also spray-painted and bedazzled the ak-47 too, but not as impressive ;P


i also draw a bit, and write, (too shy to show of either of those haha,) but my latest obsession is taxidermy:


as you can see it's a serious problem. i cleaned almost all of the skulls on that shelf myself - some were roadkill, some were given to me by my grandfather who hunts, some were bought raw. most of the wet preserves i found/fixed myself. none of the hides were tanned by me, but i have a pile of salted rabbits in my bathtub waiting for my litmus strips to come in so i can practice on them. i try to use all of the animal - clean and sell the skull, eat the meat, tan the hide, and turn the feet (and sometimes the tail) into keychains i love fur (obviously, look at my wall,) and being able to tan will also help out my costuming hobby as well.

That is a nice taxidermy and animal part collection.

My family is composed entirely of D&D and Pokemon geeks!!

LOVE the costumes.

Hello again!

I have started selling ( or trying to sell) home-made rabbit toys. All the toys are made out of rabbit and small pet safe materials.
I will try to post some pics soon....need to get them off my iphone...

I have a variety of toys:
For rabbits I make these Mr. Carrot hay toys. They come in three sizes: Large, medium, and small.
For all small pets I make Nibble Nuggets. Nibble Nuggets are what they sound like. They're small ( or medium) and stuffed with hay.
Then I make Pencil Sticks. They're little strips of hay with twine wrapped around the middle.
I would put on the prices but because I live in SA ( South Africa) The prices aren't the same.
Also this post isnt an add. I cannot sell to people on RT because of where I live sadly.

Wow! All these things you make are SO COOL! Good job to everybody! :lol:

Here my facebook hobby page so far.

https://www.facebook.com/bigfootbaitcom ... page_panel

I make just about any color of plastic fishing lure in the molds I have so far. I also carve balsa wood lures when I got time. I make them mostly in the winter months because I have some time then. I fish and crossbow hunt. Yea I know you all going to give me grief about the next one since I am a man. I loom knitted my own hat last winter. Oh yea forgot that when I go fishing its from a nucanoe kayak. Started a small pot garden I got carrots and cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes. This is a test garden for the raise bed garden I am planning next yea. It being grown in rabbit poo and with hay mixed in. Its doing great so far since I started it late this year. If I remember I will get a pic of it when I start to harvest it.

Nymphadora":kzmvs8jf said:

Aaaaand, ladies and gentlemen of RabbitTalk, the long-awaited (by me) trousers in a warm beige with blue silk-lookalike waistband facing and pockets! There's gonna be a few pictures of these, sorry!

Don't mind the little wrinkle near the crotch area, I did a pretty sloppy job of ironing them, I was so excited to try them on :blush:

The insides make me so happy... How many other trousers are this fabulous? :lol:

And there, one picture of what they look like worn. The fit is pretty good, I think. They're comfortable at least.

Sorry for the lesser quality of photos this time around, my nice camera is unable to hook up to my tablet, and we've already packed away the computer, so these were taken by my phone camera. DH is almost as done with packing as I am at this point :roll: there's just so much to do in so little time. But I got these done, and I'm so glad I did!

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Those are gorgeous! I'm trying to teach myself to make clothing that fits and am currently working on some shorts for my sister (among other projects). It takes quite a bit of skill to get the garment to fit properly...

It's definitely a labor of love! If there's anything specific you'd like some help with, feel free to PM me

Are you using a commercial pattern, or did you draft it yourself? I've had great success modifying existing patterns, drafting them myself has been hit or miss. But I've learned a lot from all of it, so I'd be happy to share my experiences

Nymphadora":1gkrrtp3 said:

It's definitely a labor of love! If there's anything specific you'd like some help with, feel free to PM me

Are you using a commercial pattern, or did you draft it yourself? I've had great success modifying existing patterns, drafting them myself has been hit or miss. But I've learned a lot from all of it, so I'd be happy to share my experiences

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Thanks! I'm drafting it myself using measurements and following the instructions in Metric Pattern Cutting for Women's Wear by Winifred Aldrich. It takes me longer than it should, because I have limited time to work on it between raising children and animals and everything else I have to do, and then waiting for my sister to be available for fittings. I'm really close to having the basic pattern block fitting satisfactorily...
I've been struggling the most with getting the crotch to fit smoothly, but I think its getting closer to fitting right. My goal is very close fitting jean shorts...that is what she asked for.
Actually, originally she wanted a fitted summer dress, but I couldn't, for the life of me, get the bodice to fit properly...due to her very petite yet very curvy shape. If I can get these pants to work, I'll probably try the bodice again, if she's willing to endure all the fittings... Right now I'm waiting for her to be available for a fitting for the pants toile...I'm hopeful this time it will actually fit!!

What resources have you used for your drafting or pattern alteration?

bikegurl":17liavyn said:

I've been struggling the most with getting the crotch to fit smoothly, but I think its getting closer to fitting right. My goal is very close fitting jean shorts...that is what she asked for.
Actually, originally she wanted a fitted summer dress, but I couldn't, for the life of me, get the bodice to fit properly...due to her very petite yet very curvy shape. If I can get these pants to work, I'll probably try the bodice again, if she's willing to endure all the fittings... Right now I'm waiting for her to be available for a fitting for the pants toile...I'm hopeful this time it will actually fit!!

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Have you considered doing a ducktape bodice? This is by far the easiest method I have found. You take an old T-shirt and cheap duct tape and with the appropriate undergarments tape over the T-short with short (about 6-10") pieces of tape. Be careful not to tape to tightly. When the bodice is fully taped you cut it off along the seam lines. To make the bodice pattern you cut it at the dart lines until it lays flat and then trace it. Tadaa! Bodice sloper. I've done this twice with my daughter who has very sloped shoulders and a tiny front (takes after her mother). It worked like a charm both times.

I'm planning on trying it with pants for myself this winter when the garden slows down a bit.

alforddm":23kqzai6 said:

Have you considered doing a ducktape bodice? This is by far the easiest method I have found. You take an old T-shirt and cheap duct tape and with the appropriate undergarments tape over the T-short with short (about 6-10") pieces of tape. Be careful not to tape to tightly. When the bodice is fully taped you cut it off along the seam lines. To make the bodice pattern you cut it at the dart lines until it lays flat and then trace it. Tadaa! Bodice sloper. I've done this twice with my daughter who has very sloped shoulders and a tiny front (takes after her mother). It worked like a charm both times.

I'm planning on trying it with pants for myself this winter when the garden slows down a bit.

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I should try that. I considered doing a duck tape dress form, but after reading about how it tends to droop after some time, I decided it wasn't worth it.

Now I have to pin my sister down for an afternoon of fitting and taping...

Nymphadora - those are some amazing sewing skills! Absolutely beautiful

My handicrafts would be making goats milk soap, salves, lip balms, etc. Also photography. Not sure if gardening counts? Probably some others, just can't think of them now

I wanted to share my latest project. My daughter can't find any dresses in the store that she likes. It seems everything now days is low cut, short, and extremely thin fabric. So, she picked out a pattern and I've sewn it up. I still need to slip stitch the lining in place and hem but it turned out pretty good. I did a new duct tape bodice since her old is a couple years old, and then used the store bought pattern as a guide to draft the pattern.

I do think I messed up on the pleats in the skirt. I think I was supposed to stitch them closed a bit lower down but the instructions weren't that clear and I'd never done them before. :lol:

:up:
Looks great, Alforddm! What kind of fabric did you use, if I may ask? It looks like it has a slight texture to it, very pretty. I don't envy you the slip stitching, but I've found some excellent tutorials in the past of making neatly finished partial linings (although I suppose you could modify them to become a full lining) without any hand stitching at all. Doesn't work if you're trying to shape the seams much, but it works on most commercial patterns.

And I agree, pleats are a pain :evil:

Nymphadora":37x3ns3z said:

:up:
Looks great, Alforddm! What kind of fabric did you use, if I may ask? It looks like it has a slight texture to it, very pretty. I don't envy you the slip stitching, but I've found some excellent tutorials in the past of making neatly finished partial linings (although I suppose you could modify them to become a full lining) without any hand stitching at all. Doesn't work if you're trying to shape the seams much, but it works on most commercial patterns.

And I agree, pleats are a pain :evil:

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Thank you! I think the fabric is linen or linen blend, but it's been in my closet for years. :lol: :lol: I even still had the matching thread I bought to go with the fabric. I figured it would be a nice spring/summer dress.

She wants me to make a fancy dress with this same pattern for her prom dress. She wants a floor length skirt and I think I'm going to add a tulle overskirt to fancy it up a bit. She looks really good in maroon so I was thinking maybe a maroon satin with black overskirt? This was a good trial run of the pattern and something she can still wear.

Thoughts? Suggestions? <br /><br /> __________ Wed Mar 22, 2017 8:33 pm __________ <br /><br /> I forgot to ask. Do you links for those lining tutorials?

alforddm":2yh2lwlh said:

She wants me to make a fancy dress with this same pattern for her prom dress. She wants a floor length skirt and I think I'm going to add a tulle overskirt to fancy it up a bit. She looks really good in maroon so I was thinking maybe a maroon satin with black overskirt? This was a good trial run of the pattern and something she can still wear.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

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Do it!

I love maroon and personally think it's just a tremendously flattering color. Here's a fun twist to the idea of adding an overlay on the skirt though (which I still think would be beautiful)... get a nice wide black lace with scalloped edges on both sides, and sew it as an overlay so that it accentuates the waist. Kind of like a super wide "belt", but sewn onto the dress itself so that it breaks up the single tone of the dress but doesn't give it an aesthetic "top heavy"- or "bottom heavy"-ness. Just an idea. :mrgreen:
*not sure this would work with pleats, but godets could give you a nice full skirt as well, and work a bit better with any kind of overlay*

And of course I'll link the tutorial I mentioned!
http://theslapdashsewist.blogspot.com/2010/08/all-machine-clean-finish-sleeveless.html
That's really the best one I've found, and it's very accurate in the results. You have to plan it before you start sewing the dress, but hey, there's always a next time!

I love to craft; now, if I just had more time!!!

Currently doing:
Learning to salt/alumn cure Pelts
Canning jams, jellies, pickles
making soap
sew... farmers' market bags
Paint wooden bird houses for market stand decorations and sales.
Gardening attempt

What I want to do:
Make key chains from the feet and tails of rabbits. (in the freezer right now)
Make velum/parchment from my first batch of flopped curing pelts attempt (a lot of fur slippage)
Gardening focused on herbs, peppers, tomato

What I can do, but never seem to have the time/set-up for:
Throwing pottery
Sewing
Painting (pet portraits, is my latest thing)

I have a Farmers' Market Stand in the summer, so a lot of what I do ends up breaking even by selling at the market.

Edited to add:
I'd attaché photos but my DH just moved the photos off my phone to the "cloud" & I am still not clear on how to retrieve them.

Nymphadora":2covtn9o said:

get a nice wide black lace with scalloped edges on both sides, and sew it as an overlay so that it accentuates the waist. Kind of like a super wide "belt", but sewn onto the dress itself so that it breaks up the single tone of the dress but doesn't give it an aesthetic "top heavy"- or "bottom heavy"-ness. Just an idea.

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I was thinking of doing the tulle skirt as a kinda apron with a wide black belt and a big bow in the back. That way she would have two outfits in one and I could always shorten the skirt later if she wanted to wear it for something else. If I have time, I may even do a bolero jacket to go with it, although it maybe to hot for that then.

However, I really like your idea as well, I can picture it and think it would be lovely. I'll have to run it by her and see what she wants to do.

SarniaTricia":2covtn9o said:

I'd attaché photos but my DH just moved the photos off my phone to the "cloud" & I am still not clear on how to retrieve them.

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You know the rules...pictures or it didn't happen :lol: <br /><br /> __________ Thu Mar 23, 2017 5:09 pm __________ <br /><br /> Nymphadora, I've been thinking about your suggestion for the lace. How would I fit it to the pattern? Would I draft a pattern piece for it out of the pieces I have? And then top stitch around the lace at the top and sew it with the bodice to the skirt on the bottom?

I can do this, I'm just trying to picture how it would all go together.

alforddm":14ex1ty0 said:

You know the rules...pictures or it didn't happen :lol:

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:yeahthat: Tricia

alforddm":14ex1ty0 said:

Nymphadora, I've been thinking about your suggestion for the lace. How would I fit it to the pattern? Would I draft a pattern piece for it out of the pieces I have? And then top stitch around the lace at the top and sew it with the bodice to the skirt on the bottom?

I can do this, I'm just trying to picture how it would all go together.

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The simplest way I could see it is keeping the lace in as much of one whole piece as possible, and basically taking out darts along the "waist" to fit the lace to the finished (or finished but unlined) dress. Then use a pick-stitch or something similar (I did this to add the lace to my wedding dress... time consuming but near invisible) to essentially tack or sew the lace to the dress. It would be most similar to using a draping method for fitting/pattern-making.

I didn't get to say it earlier, either, but I really like the idea of making it a "convertible" dress. So cool! And very modern chic, too!

Cruel and unforgiving task masters!!! :lol:

ok... let me see if I have any photos left on my phone...