Tag Archives: sewing

Week Review

Posted on by kathousekelli70

This week has flown by with an assortment of various activities.

Moving on with Belle's, Eva outfit, I worked out chain stitch embroidery using the machine and now I'm happy with where this outfit is heading! A little time consuming but it's giving the effect I want and finally got thread colours to match (not the ones in the first photo, that's a practice piece!)

 

A few more pattern matched corsets are under way, a black and white spot (although I was disappointed with the size of the spot when it came, could have been bigger)

 

We had Wednesday practice day which went well…….all except Jack's shotgun again!

Thursday was a full day at the range helping set up for Red Dirt. The stagecoach looks spectacular in its 'natural environment' so I myself am very pleased with the result. Stages look great and despite the rain early in the week, the weather is pure sunshine both for the pre-shooters and for the main match week. You're all going to love it if you're shooting it!

It's Sunday morning and you can tell Fall is creeping in. The sun is lower in the sky and the crisp morning air gives way to small patches of fog lifting from ponds and rivers as we drive NW to Sand Springs.

We shot 6 stages with 14 other cowboy's and cowgirl's – last chance for practice before the upcoming Regional.

Car projects keep me awake on the trip back with more embroidery prep. Pity I forgot the damn pins otherwise the trim would be pinned on top of a corset as well!!

Hope you've had a fun, relaxing and/or accomplished weekend!

Kat xo

 

Colour It!

Posted on by kathousekelli70

It’s fun! It’s bright! It swings when you dance! Better still it swings when you shoot!!

What a fun and colourful skirt for Belle Vaquero. A blue and white advertisement print for Remington, Pony Express, elixir’s, bitters, telegrams and even sewing machines. Trimmed in an orange gingham and even the perfect matching ric-rac braid from Mum’s shop.

Belle’s going to love this one!

All smiles!

Kat xo

Seeing Double

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Why yes, yes I am!

Matching B-Western shirts for Greenhill Bart and Bashful Kate.

Gingham fabric was often used in the 1930's and 1940's in dresses and shirts, from country music stars gracing the stage of the Grand Ole Opry and later in movies by John Wayne and of course Dorothy wore a dress of it in The Wizard of Oz.

It has actually been around for centuries having been imported into Europe in the 17th century, as a striped fabric. Later during the 18th century in Manchester, England it began being milled and woven as check, usually in blue and white.

 

Happy trails!

Kat xo

 

What A Tangled Web We Weave

Posted on by kathousekelli70

I've been doing these Tom Mix inspired jackets for Jack and I for some time now.

We first saw the shell jacket in one of our very first visits to the Oklahoma History Centre which was quite opportune at the time as they had a whole section on famous Oklahomans.

Right in the door way was a Tom Mix exhibit with his shell jacket (c.1935 from what I can tell from the plaque) a saddle and pictures.

Having wandered through the rest of the exhibit hall it really struck me that this would make a pretty neat costume and I should have a crack at it!

 

So a few photos later it's been sitting on the back burner for about 3 years, fabric purchased probably about 2 years. A good test of the soutache skills led to some eye rolling, tantrum throwing days but eventually a result that I was reasonably happy with!

A split/riding skirt for me and a new pair of duds for Jack – in coordinating fabric – and then it was procrastinate, research and procrastinate some more over the shoulder boards.

More super eye rolling and research eventuated in finding xmarksthescot.com and their question/how-to regarding the making of shoulder boards. Yes thank you! A decent blog/internet response regarding 'how to make shoulder boards'!

So step 1 – skip the part about some program that helps you develop some template on how to make a shoulder board.

Looks about an inch apart………that will do she says! Let's do this!

 

Step 2 – out to the shed. Acquire a scrap piece of timber from Jack, yep that'll do, and look at pic again from Internet conversation. We can do this!

 

Step 3 – draw up (a presumed) 1″ grid on piece of timber as per picture. Got it! Sorted!

 

Step 4 – nails, find nails, yep, hot enough. Hammer nails in to create a 'loom' type piece for making shoulder board weave on.

 

Step 5 – acquire internet picture again. Yep, should be able to do this……..get so far and use drawing to complete required weaving pattern.

 

Step 6 – follow through with braid again as per instructions. Hmmmm yeah, nup, not liking this look.

 

I decided that the 3mm flat soutache braid is too narrow and flimsy looking, not the required look I'm going for so it was off to Jo-Ann's and Hobby Lobby. I settled on some coordinating braid that would probably work and set about to again make the shoulder boards.

 

I will add the guy was right when he said the easing and tightening of the weave took longer than the actual weaving itself. Eventually I got 4 even looking epaulettes I was happy with.

Next I needed matching military braids. How am I going to make these? Back to google I go, found a link and a YouTube video by Tieing It All Together. You ripper, here we go!

So two goes and I got it! Yee Haa!

 

Had also ordered bugle cord ends – usually used on bolo ties – and completed the cord end.

 

Hmmm not too bad.

Oh and I did a bit more research on Tom Mix, he was actually born in Pennsylvannia but did spend a lot of time in Oklahoma?? I know the saloon in Guthrie has a claim to fame with Tom Mix having tendered there and the Tom Mix Museum is in Dewey, so I guess Oklahoma can claim him as one of their own.

Have a good one!

Kat xo

 

The Week That Was

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Not much exciting this week at all really but still a full week.

Last weekend we had cowboy on Saturday and Wild Bunch on Sunday wih the Territorial Marshal's. Pretty good run on stages and getting the 1911's working ready for State and End Of Trail.

A lot of cutting out, ready to get Pearl's outfits done, corsets a plenty, have even managed to throw a few pieces my way. Looking forward to later doing some little dresses for three tiny cowgirls.

Practice this week was good, throwing lead down range is always a good day anyway!!

Weather has been exceptional with the occasional tornado watch thrown in but hey! That's what you get when in Oklahoma! 🙂

Yesterday we hit a few shops, lazed in front of the tv and watched a movie with coffee and danishes. No work, no phones…..I'm sure each of us dozed off at least once.

Then to top it off it, went to the Dr's for Jack to get the stitches out of his thumb and head to Louie's (same car park, like we hadn't planned that!) for cheap beers and burgers!

Got to talk to a few kidlets and the grandbaby boys! FaceTime and Skype are awesome!

Now it's time to get up and get moving, enough of this laying around, bacon and eggs are calling and I can hear the geese on the pond!

 

Have a good one!

Kat xo

 

Machine’s Running Hot

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Many hours in, the embroidery work is done!

Can't show full patterns of some as they are sort of surprises but there is enough there in the pile to get the gist.

Eight full panels, two Oklahoma armbands and smiley pocket triangles complete!

 

Here are the finished Oklahoma armbands ready to get to Pony Soldier this weekend.

 

Having a productive afternoon!

Kat xo

 

Poppycock!

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Poppycock! Peacock corset I intensely dislike you!

Sigh, you know, sometimes I just don't get it right for me, get it right for other people but alas sometimes it is not always the case for myself. Weird I know.

This corset has been bugging me for ages, I bought the fabric and then another lady shooter in Australia bought the same fabric and of course I don't make the same thing twice so I inset these blue panels into mine. …………….,,I don't like it……….. Every time I look in the draw for a corset I see it and I don't like it.

 

BUT!! During my sewing and embroidery right now I had a brain wave, so off tangent to the rest of what I am doing that I think I have come up with a solution and a whole new outfit!

Cool! (Claps hands with child like excitement!) finally I will look forward to wearing it – not with those blue panels in it though – it's now in the bag of car projects ready to unpick so I can replace those panels with more sweet peacock feather like fabric (lucky I still had some left) and then will work on the rest of the ensemble later.

Weird moment of thought!

Kat xo 🙂