Assuit Belts Started...

So I stayed up late and woke up early but i just covered the first half of my assuit belt! The leftover assuit from Sonja's hideous assuit dress we slashed (figuratively speaking). and covered bras with and now we are making matching hip belts. :)

After much thinking I figured out how to attach the assuit to the belt with the felt, buckram and lining. And I figured out how to do it with the least amount of sewing necessary!

Order I did it in.... Sew buckram to felt. Quick baste stitch Assuit to felt. Then take lining cut to size, fold over buckram then whip stitch to the assuit. Really quick and easy! yay! The sides are not done b/c i want to make sure i have the correct width and I am still undecided with how I am going to finish it (to grommet or not to grommet, that is the question!). Thus why you see the piece of fabric in the R side.

Still a work in progress. But I'm getting closer. Won't be able to work on it since we are house sitting with some dogs so I've got to wait until Sunday night (realistically to work on it). But my apt is also a huge mess so either I clean or I sew. LOL you know which one I'd rather do!

Evolution of a hip belt...

The Evolution of a Hip Belt

Well Its a semi-journey here... I took pictures between some of the intermediate but this is by no means a tutorial.

This all started with my purchase of a silver bra with the matching skirt from ebay. It was very inexpensive but it did not come with a hip belt. The picture was deceiving. But that is beyond the point.

I decided to set out and design and make a hip belt to complement my new shiny bra. I knew from the get-go that I would be unable to exactly match it. And even when I tried I learned I could not get the trim that matched it (it came some where from China and impossible to find in Alabama). I decided to make my own using 8mm cupped silver sequins and gluing rhinestones to each one in the same pattern as the bra.

So I started one night and using a belt I got at an outlet store, which makes a great template, I traced out a simple hip belt on white felt. I then attached a white satin (crepe satin maybe? i forget!) that sort of had the same feel as the white straps. I stitched them together with my sewing machine. Since i was adding trim on top of my belt, no one was goign to see my line.

Here's me adding the first sequins with my middle circle I am making to match the circle on the bra. It was still being glue at the time (it was a wrapped wooden circle bead with white ribbon). I started to add the stones to them, to get a little idea (plus its easy!) Now onward to blinging...

Next I made appliques that semi matched the design on the bra. This was harder than i thought. And i never did this before! But i made a total of 6 in the 3 different sizes and added them to the belt. I anchored it by using some 11/0 seed beeds (~3) and tiny silver sequins (3mm i think, cupped). Here is the larger view for both sides. :)

Well we are still pretty bare and need some filler sequins. I wanted to play a bit with texture so you could distinguish the different types of sequins. I used a 5 mm flat silver sequin and 5 seed beds and i started on the bottom left and worked my way to the edge....

Nice!

Here is a better view

And yet another view.. (Can you tell I was happy to figure this out!)

Next I worked on the botoom left and began to fill in. Here is the picture of what it looked like in addition to adding the circle. I could not complete the next step until the circle was added. So i just glued it on! Seriously!

Next I filled in both the top areas and the areas on the bottom next to the circle. I then added the hologram sequins in the middle of the circle. Hint if you are using no beads, use invisible thread so you don't see the thread! makes a whole big difference.

Wow I was starstruck and here is the whole belt done! and with the bra!

Another view looking at the edge.

Well I still needed some fringe! I mean come on I AM A BELLYDANCER! This I had to make myself. From past experiences with belts I know its best to sew each one individual so you don't loose everythign should one of them break. In the middle of the belt below the circle i added a string of silver seed beads with a hologram oval and some pearlescent beads. each one indiviually done!

Need more fringe! I cam up with a simple idea (mostly b/c i was running out of time!) I marked with a disappearing ink marker every 2 inches on the belt. Then I beaded 3 inches of seed beads and made a loop and continued a long on the belt. Both sides. At each loop then I added another single strand of beads just like in the middle.

A farther out view.....

Then I was done. Not too shabby for my first time! Here is it on me for an event (sorry the picture did something weird to our skin). And somehow after i added my hooks the fringe actually lines up. its crazy and i will never be able to do that again! Ever!

Enjoy!

Lauren of Baklava Bellydance

Mobile, AL

Every time!

This is what happens every time i try to craft, sew, etc on my table in my dinning room. My adorable cat Isabella aka "Monkey" or "Monks" always tries to lay on top of everything. Then she gets soooo comfy that she falls asleep. She decided to sleep on the batting I was using for one project.

LMAO!!!

My parents just brought a new cadillac escalade. my mom loves it b/c she loves suv's and being higher and taller. however the one thing they did not consider is will it fit in the garage.....

LMAO!!!

I told her that rappers drive escalades but she just loves it! she's going to put a low jack on it just in case it gets stolen.

they believe it will barely fit in the garage lengthwise

they believe it will just fit in the garage heightwise (barely!)

however opening and closing the doors may be an issue..... they can probably get one side to open but if someone wants to sit on the passenger side well sorry you must climb!

they are in the process of rearranging the garage and deciding what to do (toss some crap???) and hopefully my mom can put her pretty black escalade in the garage.

this still just cracks me up!

wahoo for civics!

I'm serger ready!!!

Well yesterday I had my first lesson on sewing with a serger. For those of you who don't know what a serger is, a serger is basically a fancier sewing machine that will cut your material as it is sewing on a series of threads. Your fabric won't fray and the ends looks professional. I got my serger off craigslist. I have never used one nor did I know anyone who actually has one. I had some basic ideas of what i wanted in a serger and luckily an ad came up on craigslist for a Janome serger. I looked it up, the machine normally costs $500 and they wanted $160. I chewed the guy down to $140 and poof I had a serger! Its actually in great condition considering the guys wife only used it 5X!!! Sweetness.

But before I could sew I need lessons. I managed to get the machine threaded and snuck a quick sew. Awesomeness but i really didn't know how to use the machine. I needed lessons. Basic serging 101 was offered at "all about sewing" (see www.allaboutsewing.org) Again I was the youngest person in the class. And I was the only bellydancing scientist too. But I mentioned to my teacher how i was interested in sewing costumes. Luckily she had in the past sewed some gynastics uniforms for her son so she had a lot of advice to give me.

I got there and immediately my already threaded machine was dethreaded before I could blink my eyes. That little old lady was there and maybe she recognized me and immediately she started to talk her head off. She also kept showing me stuff, and i just thought maybe she's just this friendly to everyone. LOL I havve no idea! And i had to learn the proper way. Poo! And apparently I'm a retarded b/c i didn't bring a screwdriver or tweezers or a needle lasso like everyone else so i had to keep asking for help. LOL they just said bring your machine and 4 different colors of thread. But i mastered rethreading it and theory quickly and i was the first in my class to sew. Take that lady who's machine is idiot proof and threads itself! :p

I finished my class excited and on cloud 9. i can do a rolled hem now. sweetness.i got a needle lasso. and i go home pumped. i need to debulk my black skirt i have so much extra fabric in there. perfect time to test out my machine. with a few calcs i figure out how to debulk it. I took 20 inches off the waist! OMG and with in minutes the edges of the skirt look great. now i just need to fix the casing for the elastic band. and the skirt is officially done. now i'm jonesing for another project! LOL :)

Valentine's day Wreath

Is done! OMG it is totally not what i had intended to do with the heart wreaths since I got this heart garland on sale a few weeks ago. I got inspired by this sequin fabric i had brought years ago (circa pre 2004??) but never used it b/c the glue used to attach the sequins messed up your sewing machine unless you want to clean the needle every few inches. So i never wanted to actually sew with it! but I thought it would be awesome to attach it to the wreaths it might be cool. i cut strips and grabbed my hot glue gun. After getting hot glue all over my fingers (it means i'm doing it right!) they were complete! I sat and looked at them and thought what else I should do with them but I just couldn't get myself to add anything to them and I didn't know what i wanted to add even if i did. I just thought it would be too cheesy. The picture does not do it justice b/c they sparkle. LOL I love things that sparkle! Tacked a hook on the back to hang up and it is now the decor on my front door! Someone better not steal it!

Ok off to finish another project but tonight I need to go to bed early tonight.
I'm exhausted, maybe from all the thinking i have done in addition to the crappy sleep i got last night. So early bed time for me tonight, I need to have my A game tomorrow. I get trained on the new confocal tomorrow. I am going to need every brain cell tomorrow.

doing the happy dance!

well its official i have officially signed the papers for my position til June 1st here at the college of medicine. i am so excited and blessed to the way things ended up. I have a fairy godfather! I'm not jobless and I have plenty of time to look for another position and think things thru.
And with all the reading i am doing i have found some loopholes and avenues to pursue now in research! yes! i'm so sick of sitting on my ass in my office. i am ready to do some work and generate data! i am so excited about it! :) yay!!