It's about exploring and sharing my creative adventures (mostly sewing these days) ~
~those activities that sometimes obsess, usually inspire, occasionally frustrate
~and always provide a delightful maze to wander through.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

A Sneak Peek at My Frosting....

I'm still in the mixing phase of my new "frosting" project - you know how your arm can get sore when you're mixing up a batter that seems to take forever?

Well, my arm is sore.   So I thought I'd take a break and share a taste.  ;-)

I'm actually a bit excited about this piece of fluff, but it's one of those projects that keeps getting re-invented as I go along, and is definitely taking longer than the quick little piece of icing that I thought it was going to be.

Here's Step One.   Actually, it's more like step 9 or 14, but it's what I'm going to share at the moment....

A welt pocket.   
An angled welt pocket.
A free-hanging angled welt pocket (aka, not attached to any stabilizing seams)

A free-hanging angled welt pocket installed in a hunk of 3" long faux fur.
Yeah, I know....Right?
(what WAS she thinking???)

My preferred method of constructing a free-hanging welt pocket is Judy Barlup's, which I blogged about way back when, and I think I haven't constructed one like this since.   And I've certainly never installed one in 3" faux fur!  Truth is, her method is the most complex I've seen, but it does have a couple of major advantages:  the ends of the welts are mitered, so you don't have the bulk of the seams at the ends.  That's not an issue in this case (all that fur is going to hide a multitude of sins, after all!).   The other advantage is that the pocket bag is attached directly to the welt, so it's really designed not to need the stability of a waist or side seam.

I lightened this shot a bit, so that you can see the mitered seams on each end:

I marked the welt seam on the wrong side of the fabric, and pinned along the mark.....

Then searched for the pins on the fur side, separated the fur, and trimmed some away along the seam line...

It may SEEM like it's been a simple process to this point, but truth is that by now I've probably been futzing and fussing over all of this for at least 2 hours (maybe more....no, definitely more....)

My intention had been to make 2 pockets.

I'm already thinking that one will be enough.

Actually, I was having moments of thinking that maybe none would be enough, and that there's enough fur there that no one would even notice the bit that I've snipped away....

But I persevered....  I'd already made the welt, after all...

Welt pinned in place:

I'm going to spare you the gory details (including one bloody finger) of the rest of the process.   I muddled through the instructions, which even included bringing out my sample welt and studying that, and adding notes to my previous blog post where I got confused.

2...or 3.....or perhaps 4.....hours later, I had a finished pocket!:
All that work and you can't even see it!   But I guess that's a good thing, right?

It is there....:

And the project really kind of does need 2..... but I just can't face it right now, and I'm storing the thought that I can actually install another one later with just a teeny bit of unpicking a side seam if I really really really want a second pocket.  

Right?

Next post will be the reveal, but I have tax prep to do first (and if you have the same attitude about paperwork/taxes as I do, you might have chosen to do a struggly welt pocket too......)

What's on your plate right now?  Cake or frosting? :-)

14 comments:

Jillybejoyful said...

I know I know.....the second one will take 1/4 the time if I do it while the knowledge is fresh, right? I'll think about it after tax prep is done.....

Dilliander said...

Jill that's great! What a fabulous pocket, you can do another one for sure :)

prttynpnk said...

I love it! Like a sassy monster mouth!

Andrea said...

Hmmm...4 hour welt pocket or taxes..... No contest, 4 hour welt pocket wins. But alas, I promised myself I'd get all the tax crap organized this week. Looking forward to the finished garment!

Unknown said...

Fur and pockets. You want 2 pockets. A jacket? Probably not in SF, but I'm hoping that's what it is. A vest? Maybe. A robe? You made one, but maybe another one? A tote bag or purse...they have pockets. ??? Can't your taxes wait? We have a month and a half. :)

beckster said...

Tell, Jilly, tell!

Jillybejoyful said...

Oh, jackets are DEFINITELY a necessity in SF! But that may not (or may) be what it is.....

Taxes can wait. Appt. with the tax acc't. can not. :(

Jillybejoyful said...

In due time, in due time......

Martha said...

You are such a brave girl.

Dixie said...

Sounds like a difficult surgical procedure to me. I'm glad you were able to do it to your satisfaction. I looks good and I know you'll be glad you put it in. Now for your taxes, then the second pocket. You go girl!

Glenda said...

Yummy looking! Can't wait to see the entire confection.

Carolyn said...

I'm absolutely not surprised that this awesome welt pocket took four hours ... so much fur to delve through! You go girl!!

Mary said...

Jillian! welt pockets and in fur! Good heavens, you are courageous.

poppykettle said...

ooh. OOH. Well this looks both interesting AND challenging!