Sunday, November 10, 2013

Lace Buttons

Fantastic GBACG workshop yesterday with Nancy Nehring, author of 50 Heirloom Buttons to Make. We made 5 buttons from her book. Four of mine came out great, the fifth was a hot mess. I would definitely make the morning star and the Victorian flag again.

Wood mold for braid and soutache buttons.

Finished soutache button
Completed morning star in hemp cord, couldn't get the evening star to work. The Morning star looked great in thinner gimp.
Singleton button starts with a running stitch 1/4 inch in from the outside.

Pulled in and back stitched around a brass ring.

Victorian flag in silk buttonhole twist

Completed Victorian Flag in black silk.


Friday, November 1, 2013

Rockford Peach Halloween

Photo by Nina
I dressed up for Halloween at work this year and won the Costume Contest!  We aren't really a "fun" workplace so I've never dressed up before but  I can't resist a chance to show up in costume.

There was a good showing.  A crew of zombie Federal Regulators.  The Colonel as a Roman centurion complete with jokes, "They told me it would take a legion to transform Civil Works".  There was a surprising lack of punny costumes.  Maybe we're a very literal-minded bunch of engineers and scientists.

Anyway, this was a reprise of my Rockford Peaches costume, which I wore at Costume College this summer.  This is the team from the movie, A League of Their Own and was also a real team in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

I altered a modern commercial pattern using images of the original baseball uniforms as a reference.  The hat and belt are purchased.  My friend Catherine embroidered the patches for me using a pattern that I believe she bought from etsy.  Modern athletic socks and modern black leather sneakers.

Zombie Regulators and everyone in costume. Photos taken by Ryan Mcclymont