Crafty Corner | “Briar Rose,” Part Three

BriarRose, Part One
BriarRose, Part Two

Admittedly, my enthusiasm for this project fizzled out after a while. Part of it was due to being sick of the whole quarantine malarkey (heh, me and everyone else in the wonky world, I daresay), but another part was an odd reluctance to tackle re-drafting my princess-seam pattern.

It didn’t make sense that I’d have kept my bodice pattern, but not the full-length dress. And what about all the different-shaped neckline supplements I’d labored over? Had I tossed them, too? ’Cos I sure couldn’t find them, either, despite looking through both supply closets in the sewing room. It irked me, to be honest, that I’d have (apparently) been stupid enough to toss a pattern made specifically for my somewhat odd proportions. As my Elven characters are so fond of saying, it is not wisdom.

Fast-forward to sometime in mid-May. Mom and I were sorting through our various pillow-forms in one of said supply closets—determining just how many pillows we really need in this house—when what should come crashing down on Mom’s head but…my princess-seam dress pattern! Complete with neckline supplements!
Quoth I: “Where was this six months ago, when I searched every inch of these closets for it?!” (Well, obviously not *every* inch, LOL)

That’s the good news.

The bad news is…I just don’t enjoy sewing that much. I love the design process—possibly my favorite part of any creative endeavor, TBH—and it’s exciting when the construction phase gets to that “hey, it’s starting to look like something!” point.

However, cutting out fabric (especially in complex shapes) has always scared me, and frankly, my skills just aren’t on the same level as my vision. I can do basic sewing pretty well, but the more formal garments I’ve made myself always turned out looking like a fifth grade Home Ec project (back when schools actually taught sewing classes, oy).

And of course, once you’ve cut a piece of fabric, there’s no going back. It’s not like yarnwork or beaded jewelry, where you can just disassemble the thing if it doesn’t work out. I mean, you could re-cut the fabric into something smaller, but…yeah. I decided I didn’t need that kind of stress in my already stressful life.

Another fact I had to admit was that I’m not as fond of pink as I once was (haven’t been for the last decade, really), and a solid-pink dress just seemed like a bit much. A bit too girly and floofy, especially with white lace trim.

We’d toyed with the idea of putting the roses on a white dress—even thought of refashioning Mom’s 1970’s-style wedding gown!—but vetoed the idea, as white is hard to keep clean, and frankly…who wears white dresses these days, save brides?

Fast-forward again to this past Wednesday, when Mom and I spotted this white tunic/short dress at the local Goodwill.

It’s made of an interesting knit fabric, which we thought would go well with the crocheted roses. While it’s too short to wear as a dress (for my taste, anyhow), it’s a graceful length for a tunic with fitted trousers, or even a flared A-line skirt. I may even wear my old pink mock-up (featured in Part One) under it.
It’s fitted, but not skin-tight, and the material is soft and stretchy enough that it’s easy to move around in. I love this flared style, and the vertical lines are quite flattering on me. Really, my only beef is that the “stripes” aren’t quite centered. *ERGLE* Aw well, can’t have everything. :-P

Imagine vines between the blossoms,
and more leaves and flowers, and....

I played around with what colored motifs I had, and I must say, I’m quite in love with it, overall. The pink and green on the white background is so fresh and clean-looking.
I’m not 100% sold on the lower arm design; the Rosebud and Half-open Rose don’t quite feel right, and the Full-blown Rose seems a bit much. I may work up a miniature version of the hem border….

Also, the area between the hem and the waist looks a bit bare, and I’m not sure I want an actual “belt”/girdle at the waist.

That said, I love the large rose and cascading leaf design at the sleeve-head and neckline, and the Rosebud at the shoulder. Will probably tweak the Half-open Rose and leaf placement once I get the Vine made and sewn down.
I’m also debating whether to decorate the back of the tunic or leave it relatively plain.

So yeah; I still have a bit of work to do on this project—mainly crocheting a few more flowers, and lots more leaflets—but not nearly as much as when this was going to be a full-on party-frock! >_< I think this approach will be more realistically achievable, and be more comfortable to wear in Real Life. Let’s face it; the long dress would only have been suitable for square dances—which I didn’t attend very often even when they were still a thing (darn you, COVID!). A tunic is still elegant and feminine, but less formal and potentially costumey.

I am so looking forward to finishing this project!

Until next time, Gentle Readers,
God bless,

~ℛ~

Actually Finishing Something | Nooroo Plushie

Post #220 on The Rambling Rose, so I’m doing something special to celebrate!

A few years ago, I joined the Miraculous fandom, following the adventures of Ladybug and C[h]at Noir as they fought to save Paris from the evil Hawkmoth and the people he turns into super-villains.

via Pinterest

One character I fell in love with (and wanted desperately to see rescued) was Nooroo, the little purple Kwami of the Moth/Butterfly Miraculous…which happens to be in Hawkmoth’s control.

Somebody save this precious bean!

It’s probably safe to say that half the fandom wants to adopt this adorable little guy, and give him a better life than he has with his current master. And of course I chose Nooroo as my favorite Kwami—I mean, come on; he’s PURPLE! Plus I always did have a soft spot for the underdog. But obviously I couldn’t reach through the screen and snatch him—and his Miraculous—away from Hawkmoth and bring them into the Real World, LOL.

My solution? Crochet a plushie!

I used this pattern as a base (since most of the Kwamis use the same basic model), working it up in this vibrant lavender baby/fingering-weight yarn (doubled) and a 00/3mm steel hook. I used a smaller hook for the eyes and antennae (more on that below).

[Screencap by me, for illustrative purposes only.
No copyright infringement intended.]

For the facial features and spiral designs on his head and lower wings, I studied the photo and screenshot pictured in this post for reference. As you can see, the proportions are a bit off, and the eyes are a bit higher and more slanted than on the character model (but I couldn’t reposition them because I’d glued them on prior to sewing them down). And while it doesn’t show in the picture that much, the chalk I used to position the eyes stained the yarn, which really ticked me off.
If I were to do this project again, I’d crochet some wire along the wing-edges for stability, as they are rather floppy as-is. May revamp them down the road….

For the curious, I used a worsted-weight, super-soft purple yarn for the spirals, which has a slight sheen that the camera doesn’t pick up. These were embroidered more or less freehand, using a split-stitch. The mouth is worked in a tight chain-stitch, using the same periwinkle embroidery floss as the iris of his eyes.

Initially, I tried making the eyes out of white felt and gluing a tight spiral of the shiny purple yarn for the iris. It looked awful. Embroidering the eyes onto the crochet also DID NOT WORK. So in the end I crocheted the eyes in embroidery floss and thin crochet-cotton.

Below are the patterns I developed for the wings and eyes, since I haven’t see one anywhere online.

If you want to make up your own Nooroo plushie—for yourself or that special munchkin in your life, or to sell—all I ask is that you check with the creator of the base pattern, and give me credit for the wings and eyes. Good faith and common courtesy and all that.

But enough yakking—on to the patterns!

(For crochet term abbreviations chart, click here)

~Wings~

Antenna:
(Use US size 6 hook & single strand fingering-weight yarn or #10 crochet-cotton)

Row 1: Ch 4, 3 dc in 4^th ch from hook. Ch 3, turn.

Row 2: 1 dc in next 3 dc, holding back last st of each until last; yo, draw thru all 4 lps.

Row 3: Ch 4, 2 dc in 4^th ch from hook. Ch 3, turn.

Row 4: 1 dc in next 2 dc, holding back last 2 st of each until last; yo, draw thru all 3 lps, turn, insert hook in base of Row 1 and make 1 sc, folding yarn-end down inside work.

This forms “bobble” at end of antenna, which is sewn together at sides later. For “tail” of antenna, make a double chain-st of 30 ch.

For Lower Wing, switch to #00/3mm hook and continue working with doubled yarn. NOTE: Do not work in 3-ch of previous rows.

Row 1: Ch 4, 3 dc in 4^th ch from hook, ch 3, turn.

Row 2: 1 dc in next dc (counts as 2-dc inc), 1 dc in next dc, 2 dc in last dc, ch 3, turn.

Row 3: 1 dc in next dc (counts as inc), 1 dc in next 2 dc, 2 dc in last dc, ch 2, turn.

Row 4: Dc 2 tog, 1 dc in next st, dc 2 tog, ch 2, turn.

Row 5: Dc 3 tog .

Border: Using 1 strand yarn or CC and #6 hook, ch 1 & work in sc along edges, making a sl st at base of wing/top of antenna and upper tip. Fasten off.
Make 2^nd wing.

Upper Wing:

Row 1: Ch 4, 2 dc in 4^th ch from hook, ch 3, turn.

Row 2: 1 dc in next st (counts as 2-dc inc), 1 dc in next st, 2 dc in ch-3 of previous row, ch 3, turn.

Row 3: 1 dc in next st (counts as inc), 1 dc in next 3 dc, 2 dc in ch-3 of prev row, ch 3, turn.

Row 4: Sk 1, 1 dc in ea dc across (including ch-3 of prev row), ch 3, turn.

Row 5: 1 dc in ea dc across, ch 2, turn.

Row 6: Sk 1, dc 2 tog, 1 dc in next 3 dc, dc 2 tog, ch 2, turn.

Row 7: Sk 1, dc 2 tog, 1 dc in next dc, dc 2 tog, ch 2, turn.

Row 8: [Dc 2 tog] twice.

Make a border as for Lower Wing, working 1 hdc, 1 dc, 1 hdc around opposite tip from starting point. (For second wing, turn work and work Border in opposite direction as first Wing, for a mirror image.)

~Eyes~

Left Eye:

Using #10 steel crochet hook and 3 strands embroidery floss (or #30 crochet-cotton) in Purple and White.

Rnd 1: With Purple, make a magic ring and ch 2, 5 sc in ring (counts as 6 sc), sl st in 2 ch of ch-2.

Rnd 2: Ch 2, sc in same st, 2 sc in each sc around, join with sl st.

Rnd 3: Ch 2, sc in same st, *1 sc, 2 sc* around, join.

Rnd 4: With Black, sl st in each sc around, join.

Rnd 5: With White, ch 2, *2 sc in next st, 1 sc* 6 times, ch 1, turn.

Rnd 6: Sl st in next st, 1 sc, 1 hdc, 1 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 4 sts, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc, 1 hdc, 1 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc, ch 2, turn.

Rnd 7: 1 dc in next st, *1 sc in next 4 sts, 2 sc in next st* twice, 1 hdc in next 3 sts, 2 hdc in next st, 1 dcin next 2 sts, 1 hdc, ch 2, turn, 1 sc in next st, sl st in next st, fasten off.

Right Eye:
Work as for Left Eye to Rnd 4. Join in White and continue thus:

Rnd 7: 1 dc in next 2 sts, 1 hdc in next 3 sts, *2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 4 sts* twice, 1 dc in next st, ch 1, sl st in next st, pull out loop and pass ball through, pass thread under work and connect loosely to opposite corner; ch 1, 1 sc in next st, ch 2, sl st in next st, fasten off.

Glue Eyes to head in desired position (iris only). Sew outer edges to head with black thread, using a tight whip-stitch.

~*~

Overall, I’m pretty pleased with how he turned out.
I think my favorite part of this project is the eyes. It still tickles me that I had embroidery floss on hand in the perfect shade of periwinkle, and I love how they just pop and give this little guy so much character. He’s definitely a keeper, regardless of whether or not I continue watching the show (which is another kettle o’ fish altogether).

What say you, Gentle Readers? How do you like my attempt at replicating a fictional character? Fellow Miraculers—which is your favorite Kwami? I want to know!

Until next time, Gentle Readers,
God bless,

~ℛ~

Crafty Corner: "Briar Rose" Dress | Part Two

Briar Rose, Part One

As Officer Bill Gannon (Harry Morgan) once said, “Like the Pilgrims, we’re making a little progress.” (Name that line!)

This afternoon, I dug out my bodice mock-up for this project and laid out the motifs...quickly realizing my original design wasn’t going to work. See, the dress mock-up I used before is Empire-waisted, whereas the actual dress will be princess-seamed, which made placement a bit difficult. I felt that having two lines of trim down the center-front panel would look too busy with the vines covering the seams, but leaving it out made the middle look bare:

So I played around with a couple different options, once again adding white leaves as place-holders, since I ran out of greens. I also ran out of whites eventually, as you’ll see. But it gives a general idea of the new designs...and how many more leaves I’ll need to make....

Option 1: V-neck and pointed waist trimmed with Irish crochet beading; rose-vines all-over, w/most embellishment in center-front.

I think my idea here was to have a vine running more or less up the middle, snaking its way between the main flowers, then branching off at the Full-blown Rose at the point of the neckline, ending with a Rosebut at the top of each shoulder, and one vine branching off along the side where those random white leaves are. I was trying to keep that large leaf grouping that went along the French dart on the dress mock-up. The Full-blown Roses at the waist will just have a small stem running up between the leaflets.

Option 2: Similar to #1, but with Beading along neckline and princess-seams (the latter extending to hem, perpendicular to hem-trim). Leaf groupings at sides and shoulder-seams.

As you can see, I ran out of leaves and trim, so you’ll just have to imagine the design on the right side of the bodice being mirrored on the left.

This of course means making more leaflets, and one more Rosebud. Which is fine...only I’m running low on the bright-pink thread for the scalloped edge, and I can’t seem to find it online (and of course I can’t go thrifting, either).

I’ll keep looking....

Initially, I thought this incarnation to be my favorite, as it certainly fills up the blank spaces on the sides...but looking at the simplicity of the first picture, this one feels a bit too crowded. On the plus side, having the trim run vertically all the way down will be potentially more flattering than adding a false waist. So I’ll have to play with it some more....

Crafty Corner | Lavender Butterflies

Today, Gentle Readers, we have yet another Irish crochet project—this time, lace butterflies to decorate this T-shirt I bought several years ago.

(Please excuse the wrinkles; it’s been in storage a long time, poor thing)

I think my favorite part of this shirt (apart from the gorgeous lavender color—one of my best!) is the fagoting and dainty lace along the neckline:

What I don’t savvy are these glue-spots on the right sleeve

nor the width and depth of the neckline (a bit much for comfort). Solution? Embellishment, baby! 😊

My plan (Lord willing) is to “hook” up some pretty lace butterflies of various shapes and sizes, and scatter them across the front and sleeves (hide the glue-spots!), and fill in the neckline—perhaps trim it with this cute butterfly edging found on Pinterest.

For the back, I intend to make this beautiful large butterfly:

Instructions can be found on
Antique Pattern Library under Priscilla Irish Crochet Book No2
or on YouTube

You know those tops that were popular a few years ago—with the lacy backs? And the ones with wings printed on the back? That’s kinda what I’m going for here. “Look! I’m a butterfly! Or a Faerie...or Casual Cosplaying as Nooroo....”

What can I say? I like a bit of whimsy in my wardrobe. :-P

All butterflies will be worked in shades of lavender, using six-strand embroidery floss split in half (’cos none of my crochet threads are the right color):

The two cards and small ball are what I had on hand, which I took to Jo-Ann to find additional skeins. As you can see, color 210 and 209 are almost spot-on with my light and medium shades, respectively. The picture makes it look like 209 matches my deepest shade (center card), too, but it’s actually a bit deeper in real life, and Jo-Ann didn’t have anything that looked right. So this will be used as accents. 

 

I did a test-run of one of the upper wing sections yesterday, using three stands of embroidery floss, worked over purple Speed-Cro-Sheen as padding cord, with a #13 steel hook.

While the result looks pretty good overall, I think I’ll use three strands of padding cord when I make the real thing. One strand just doesn’t give it that raised look typical of Irish crochet.

Also, the #13 hook I used has a really shallow under-cut (which you might be able to see in the pic) that made it a bit difficult to work with. Kept splitting the threads. So I plan to work the actual motif on a #9 hook, as it’s about the same size as the one I used for the mock-up anyhow (???) and has a deeper hook.

Already, I’m loving the soft texture and slight sheen of the embroidery floss! Somehow fits the “feel” of the top....

Stay tuned for Part Two!

Until next time, Gentle Readers,

God bless,

~ℛ~