Crafty Projects

 Hello all,

I've made some crafty projects in the past few months that I thought I'd show you; some of them sewing-related, and some not!

I used a pattern to embroider classic cars on T-shirts for Christmas for my younger brothers. 

The older one got a '67 Mustang and the younger one got a '57 Bel Air. 

I did not realize how long it takes to embroider images like these! But I got them done in time for Christmas, which is what matters :)

A note to those who might try this: I had difficulty seeing the embroidery pattern after I had ironed it onto the dark grey shirt, because the color of ink and the shirt were so similar! Our patterns, at least, applied more vividly to a lighter colored shirt. I would recommend using a light-colored shirt if you're not confident in your free-hand embroidery skills!

I've been doing quite a bit of water-coloring recently. 

Not all of my family thinks that the blue-and-white humps in the background have a striking resemblance to mountains. I hope you can tell what they are...

I painted this picture using an old Country magazine picture for reference.

This is a birthday cake I love to make every year. It uses about every form of chocolate you could crave, I suppose. It all starts with three layers of moist chocolate cake. Between the layers is a rich dark fudge frosting. Covering all of this is a smooth Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream. A crown of homemade cakey brownies is placed on top and drizzled with glaze. It's homemade...with organic ingredients...so it's good for you, right? Haha.

I made a book for a Christmas gift - an edited version of the public-domain The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Perhaps in future days I will be able to bind my signatures more closely together.

Do you recognize the fabric covering the book? I used the same combo on my Christmas dress.

to God be the glory,

Miss Humphrey

What Do I Do With My Scraps? Make This, Of Course!

Hello all,

I discovered a fun sewing project recently. It consumes scraps and turns them into useful items for yourself or great gifts for others! 

Enter the Zipper Pouch. 

I made a few of these for Christmas and let me tell you, it was good practice working with zippers, which are a sore spot for me ;) 

These pouches are a relatively fast sewing project that you can accomplish without taking too much upon yourself.

If you are a very detail-observant reader of this blog, you might recognize this dark blue fabric from my 1830's dress. 

This one was made with fabric pieces and lace given to me by a friend. I like the look of a bead string attached to the zipper pull.

You can develop or practice quilting/patchwork skills in a small project like this.

I monogrammed the back of this one...can you spot the letter?

Well, that's all for today...Enjoy your January!

to God be the glory,

Miss Humphrey

It's A New Year!

 Welcome 2024! 

Here's a look back at the dressmaking I did in 2023, and some sewing ideas for 2024.

My mother and I made matching denim skirts. This is the most useful thing I sewed all year. Every girl needs a jeans skirt!

We also made matching jumpers together.

This was a circle skirt that was made out of a tablecloth. 

A simple circle dress with a sash I had in my collection.

a tiered and yoked springtime dress

I made this dress, except for the ruffle that my grandmother added, and wore it to watch a fiddle contest. It pairs well with Western attire.

I dislike this dress. The skirt was gored, which was fun, but some things up top didn't work out. Perhaps I will renovate it in 2024.

This dress was made by altering a pattern. 

You'll recognize my Christmas dress if you've been reading the blog recently! 

Plans for 2024

I was informed by my mother that 2024 is the Year of the Blouse, and during the holiday I was given blouse patterns and a Hobby Lobby gift card. So with all the hints, I think this year's sewing will include some tops! I also have a goal to finish my hexagon quilt. We shall see how that goes.

Here's the first blouse I'm making.

This dress is inspiring. Notice the sleeve detail!

I also got this blouse pattern for Christmas. 

I would like to recreate something like the first dress in this post.

to God be the glory,

Miss Humphrey