Hip Dropped Stitches

My Custom-Fit Raglan In Progress

2012-01-24T18:19:00.000-05:00

In knitting related news, I finished up a couple of quick cowls in the past two weeks that I cannot wait to show you. I hope to have time for photos this weekend, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, I cast on for a custom-fit raglan sweater. For my Butterfly Capelet, I used Pamela Costello's Incredible Custom-Fit Raglan guide to get the general size and shape. Since I already have those calculations, and I have more of the same yarn (in a different color), I thought I would try to use the guide to complete a whole sweater. Here are the beginnings...

It is coming along!

Happy Fourth Birthday, HipDroppedStitches!

2012-01-20T06:00:00.005-05:00

This blog is four years old today! When I first re-read the third birthday post, where I wrote that I hoped "to do a lot more sewing this year" and dreamed of filling "my closet with comfortable, fashionable, and well-fitting skirts and dresses" made by me, I felt a little disappointed. I do not yet have a closet full of me-made clothing that I love. Then I began looking back at the past year's posts, and discovered that I completed more than I thought I had!

My closet is not yet full of me-made clothing, but I did make several pieces that became wardrobe staples. I wear the first Anda dress I made quite often (and receive many compliments on it). It became my go-to dress for when I was traveling by air for work this year. It is comfortable enough to sit on a plane for hours (and it does not wrinkle), and I always feel put together upon arrival to my destination. I wear those lounge pants, and that refashioned sweater all the time, too. So comfortable! And each of those skirts (here, here, and here) were worn numerous times this spring, summer, and fall. The infinity dresses were a bit of a flop (here and here), but my shoe sugar projects were a success (here and here)! And for gifts, the baby blankets were well received (here and here), as were the hand warmers. Mr. HipDroppedStitches wears his lounge pants and his hat, too. Oh, and there are at least three dance costumes and a dress in progress that have yet to be featured here.

Considering that this year also included our wedding, honeymoon, wedding celebration, a trip to Mexico for a friend's wedding, and several business trips, I am a little surprised I completed as much as I did! And honestly, I am a little glad my closet is not already full of me-made clothing... I have so many ideas and need space for them! I think year five is going to be a very good year.

Vite Cowl In Progress

2012-01-16T11:57:00.002-05:00

Mr. HipDroppedStitches and I joined family in a trip to the Berkshires this past weekend. We had a great time... a perfect mixture of fun and relaxation. While some in our party were planning to ski and snowboard, I planned to hit the pool, relax in the hot tub, and knit!

Here I am in the pool with my nieces...

And here is my knitting going for a little swim once we got home...

I cast on for the Vite Cowl by Kristi Johnson on the drive there, knit a bit here and there, and cast off on the drive home. It is currently blocking on the dining room table (and hopefully not becoming a cat bed for the day). Stay tuned for more details and finished photos!

Merry Christmas to Me

2012-01-11T06:15:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season this year. Believe it or not, it is not yet over for me. We had our next to last holiday party this past weekend, and have one more in a week and a half. I feel like the new year is not really beginning until February.

I did receive a few great gifts that I thought you might like to see. First, this beautiful yarn from my SIL and her family.

I cannot wait to knit something up with it!

Then, from Mr. HipDroppedStitches...

... pattern weights! I am looking forward to pulling these out of my sewing cabinet rather than gathering our heaviest kitchen items in the future.

The gift I am most excited about, however, is this...

... new fabric shears from Mr. HipDroppedStitches! Are they not stunning? They are insanely sharp and actually have a serrated edge in order to grip the fabric as they cut. I love them. I cannot wait to start a new project and put them to use!

Turning a Heel for the First Time

2012-01-10T06:30:00.001-05:00

I started knitting these socks (my first pair!) in March 2010. They, like my other recent knitting FOs, sat untouched for some time. I am delighted to be making progress on them again. In fact, I just turned a heel for the first time!

In this stage, I think they look like two little sock monsters. Do you see it? The markers look like eyes to me, and the opening like mouths. Very silly. I'm excited to finish these up (hopefully) soon!

Moody Trim

2012-01-09T06:00:00.002-05:00

One of my very best girlfriends recently spent a weekend in NYC. When she returned, she presented me with a very thoughtful and generous gift...

... a beautiful sparkly velvety trim from Mood!!!!

I hope, hope, hope to visit Mood, myself, someday. Until then, I have this lovely trim as evidence that someone who was there was thinking of me. So special. Thank you, Dear Friend!!!

A Simple Hat For Mr. HipDroppedStitches

2012-01-08T15:40:00.000-05:00

Remember this hat? It's finally finished!

Mr. HipDroppedStitches assures me that he likes it and it is cozy and warm. I'll see if I can snap a photo of him in it soon.

You can see this project on Ravelry here.

Butterfly Capelet

2012-01-04T06:52:00.012-05:00

After two years (has it really been that long?), my Butterfly Capelet is complete!

Photo by Gary Amara Photography.

I began this project in January 2010 and finished it on the last day of 2011. I knew I had not been knitting much, but this is real proof. I hope to make more time for knitting in 2012!

Photo by Gary Amara Photography.

For this project, I used the same wool (a generous gift from my sister-in-law) that I used for my Butterfly Hat and my mittens. I used Pamela Costello's Incredible Custom-Fit Raglan guide to get the general size and shape (I simply did not separate for the arms and increased every ten rows for a gradual flare), and used the butterfly technique from Sofiya Cremin's Butterfly Hat.

Photo by Gary Amara Photography.

I wanted a capelet that was cozy, but did not completely conceal my figure. I think that by ending it at my natural waist line and adding a bit of vertical detailing down the front, I was able to make it work. In fact, I love it!

Photo by Gary Amara Photography.

You can see this project on Ravelry here.

Farewell Corona

2012-01-03T07:08:00.012-05:00

I recently, excitedly, picked up this project that had been sitting for too long... my Corona sweater... in the loveliest shade of pink Cascade 220... I was loving everything about it when knitting it, but it was set aside in the business of this past year... and when I picked it up again... I was devastated to find... that the moths found it first... and it is ruined... completely ruined.

All of my yarn and projects are sealed in bags and bins, but this wip was sitting, unprotected, in an open-top knitting bag. I have not seen signs of moths elsewhere, and I am fairly certain that the rest of my stash and projects are safe, but this loss hurts. I have yet to decide if I will begin this pattern again. I really like it. I might, someday. The wound is too fresh right now. Farewell, Corona.

A Baby Blanket for Baby P

2012-01-02T07:55:00.001-05:00

So many of our friends are having babies this year. It is very exciting! Baby P was born this summer and she is simply precious. I made this second baby blanket just for her! (I have yet to drop it in the mail, eeks! Tomorrow. I will mail it tomorrow.)

I used the same technique as I did with Baby E's blanket. I expected this blanket to go more quickly having already made one, but a couple of mistakes required a bit of rework. That was a little frustrating, but I think the end result is nice! I hope Baby P enjoys it!

Pretty Hand Warmers

2012-01-01T07:42:00.001-05:00

This year, as Christmas presents for a few of my favorite girlfriends, I made pretty hand warmers!

These are simply two squares of coordinating fabric serged together and filled with rice and lavender. They can be microwaved for 20 - 30 seconds and then placed either in coat pockets or mittens. They stay warm for quite some time. I might need to make a pair for myself!

An Eye Pillow for Mr. HipDroppedStitches

2011-12-31T07:51:00.001-05:00

Mr. HipDroppedStitches and I both enjoy practicing yoga, but we have not been making time for it lately. That is one of our goals for 2012, so when Mr. HipDroppedStitches mentioned wanting an eye pillow for the final resting pose, I decided I would make him one for Christmas.

You may recognize this fabric as it matches the lounge pants I made for him earlier this year. The outer fabric is similar to a pillow case in how it slides over the actual eye pillow. It may be removed and thrown in the wash. The eye pillow itself is made of muslin fabric and filled with rice and dried lavender. I serged the seams, but did the hem by hand.

I think he was delighted to find this handmade gift in his stocking this year!

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-31T06:43:00.000-05:00

Mr. HipDroppedStitches and I enjoy creating a holiday card to send to our friends and family each year. This year, our holiday card includes a photo of us in this year's Halloween costumes as Jeannie and Major Nelson from I Dream Of Jeannie. Mr. HipDroppedStitches researched and purchased the components of his Major Nelson costume, and performed the Photoshop magic. I enjoyed designing and sewing my Jeannie costume.

May all your dreams come true this holiday season!

Love, Mr. and Mrs. HipDroppedStitches

Our Wedding Celebration Photobooth

2011-11-22T23:22:00.000-05:00

While we were grateful to have our wedding day to ourselves, it was also important to us to celebrate with our family and friends! We planned a reception for the end of August, and while hurricane Irene intervened and foiled travel plans for some, we were honored that so many of our friends and family attended and celebrated with us.

We hired a photographer for the event, and I will share some of those photos when they are available, but we also set up a little DIY photobooth. Everyone had so much fun with it, and now we have 120 photo strips of some of our favorite people!

Me and Mr. HipDroppedStitches

Me and My Brother, and Me and My Future Sister-In-Law

Everyone else!

I just love how creative and silly everyone was willing to be. These photos could cheer me up on the dreariest of days. Thanks, everyone!

Our Wedding Day

2011-11-20T21:43:00.001-05:00

I promised to share wedding photos with you ages ago... so finally... here are a select few!

"Few" may not have been the best word... I had such a hard time choosing which ones to share. I spent some time going through them today and the memories are just so precious...

We spent a week at Couples Negril in April, and were married in a private ceremony on the beach. It was just the two of us (and the minister, photographer, videographer, and coordinator). After the ceremony we danced in the garden and then shared cake and champagne in the gazebo. We spent some time with our photographer (Misha Earle, she was amazing!), called our parents and siblings, and then enjoyed a lovely dinner.

Our wedding day truly exceed all of our expectations. It was beautiful and perfect, and I would not change a single thing. I am so grateful for my amazing husband, our life together, and for the opportunity to have the wedding of our dreams.

Stay tuned for photos from our vacation, and the reception we held for our friends and family in August!

A Baby Blanket for Baby E

2011-08-07T21:15:00.000-04:00

Our dear friends are expecting a baby girl in October, and we are so excited! I attended the baby shower last weekend, and for one of the gifts, I made this blanket.

I fell in love with this fabric when I found it. It is very pink, but it is for a baby girl! I think that the organic print with touches of orange keep it from being too pink. I used this tutorial by Tea Rose Home to do the self binding. Before binding, I added batting to the back of the printed fabric to give the blanket a little loft. The backing is a pale pink that coordinates well with the print. I did a little "free hand" quilting with my machine to finish it off. I imagine a small lofty blanket like this would be great for a baby to play on. I hope Baby E likes it!

My New Buttonholer

2011-07-26T18:28:00.000-04:00

I have been sewing! But I have nothing yet to show you... In the meantime, look at what Mr. HipDroppedStitches found for me at Goodwill...

a buttonholer!

I attached it to my sewing machine, and it works! Now I just need to learn how to use it... I am excited about the possibilities!

A Little More Shoe Sugar

2011-06-24T11:52:00.002-04:00

A dear fried of mine celebrated her birthday earlier this month and gathered a small group of fantastic women for a lovely evening celebration. She made one request... that everyone wear red shoes!

I loved the idea of the red shoe party, but I did not own red shoes. I tried finding a pair, but was unsuccessful (I have already spent too much blog space complaining about my shoe finding woes). I was again inspired by Kathleen of Grosgrain's Shoe Sugar Month and decided that red flowers on black shoes would have to suffice.

About an hour before the birthday celebration, I ran to my fabric stash and found some red chiffon. I cut a strip of the chiffon, folded it in half a bunch of times, and placed a small juice glass on top to use as a stencil. I used my rotary cutter to cut around the glass (this was not as easy as I had imagined), leaving me with several circles of chiffon.

Next, I picked up each circle with a pair of tweezers and carefully melted the edges over a candle. If you try this, please note, you do not need to get very close to the flame. The heat melts the edges and curls them up. After this step, they looked like lovely rose petals!

Once each circle was sufficiently melted, I made two stacks, and used my machine to do a quick stitch right in the center. I thought I had a few swarovski crystals left over from a costume, but was disappointed to find that I did not. I hoped to add them to the center of each flower to cover the stitch, but decided (out of necessity) they were good enough as is. I attached an elastic to the back of each flower to slip over my shoe strap, and voila!

I think they're great! Most importantly, the birthday girl seemed to approve. We had such a lovely evening... dinner, gelato, sangria, and some of the most beautiful, amazing, and inspiring women I know.

My (Almost) 20 Minute Simple Skirt

2011-06-19T08:55:00.001-04:00

Do you remember the skirt I talked about in this post? Here it is!

This is based on this "20 Minute Simple Skirt Tutorial" by Kathleen of Grosgrain, and is my first project with my serger. The fabric is actually a sheet I purchased at Goodwill. I thought the edging was just so pretty! It is very soft and comfortable to wear. I have worn it at home several times, and also wore it to a friend's dance performance last Sunday afternoon. Comfortable and feminine... perfect!

You can see this project on BurdaStyle here.

My Black-With-Blue-Polka-Dots Fold-Over Waist Half Circle Skirt

2011-06-18T16:25:00.002-04:00

You may remember from this post that I had enough fabric remaining from my second infinity dress to make another fold-over waist half circle skirt. Here it is!

I love this skirt, and have already worn it several times. I wore it in Jamaica... I have worn it to work... I have worn it on the weekends here and there... I love it!

It is a stretch polyester rayon knit that I purchased on clearance at Fabric.com. It is comfortable, and doesn't wrinkle. It washes beautifully and doesn't need ironing. Easy. Oh, and it is fun to twirl in!

You can see this project on BurdaStyle here.

I won! I won! I won Popina Swimwear from Couture Carrie!

2011-06-13T17:48:00.000-04:00

Ahem... pardon me for the outburst, but I am very excited! One of my favorite fashion blogs, Couture Carrie, recently conducted a giveaway of any swimsuit from Popina Swimwear... and I won! This is the first blog giveaway I have ever won. I do not enter every one I see, but I do enter when I know I will treasure the prize... and this prize I will treasure, indeed.

I chose this halter bikini top

Photo source and link to purchase

and this vintage inspired draw cord boy short bottom.

Photo source and link to purchase

My new suit arrived last week and I love it! It is well made, fits great, and I love having more modest bottoms for more active swimsuit days.

Thank you, so much, Couture Carrie and Popina Swimwear!

My Bridal Shoes

2011-06-12T11:08:00.000-04:00

Mr. Hip Dropped Stitches and I finally received our wedding photos! I will share more of them with you soon (I need to share them with my mom, in person, before posting too many), but I could not wait any longer to share with you my bridal shoes.

Photo by Misha Earle Photography

In January, the lovely Kathleen of Grosgrain did a month-long series she entitled "Shoe Sugar Month" which is filled with great ideas and tutorials to spruce up any pair of shoes.

The tutorial describing a method to customize shoe insoles especially caught my attention. I love the detail shots often found in wedding photography... the earrings... the dress... the shoes... and customized insoles would make the shoe detail photos so much more lovely. I also had yet to incorporate butterflies (which, you may have noticed, have significance to me) or "something blue" into my wedding attire and this seemed like a great solution.

I received a Jo-Ann's gift certificate as a bridal shower gift from one of my wonderful aunts and used it to purchase a pair of pinking shears (which I have been wanting, desperately), fabric, adhesive backed foam, and additional spray adhesive. My mom helped me choose the fabric, which makes this project even more special. From there, I believe I did exactly what Kathleen did in her tutorial, so you can go visit her post for the rest of the instructions. I am so thrilled with the way they turned out!

Photo by Misha Earle Photography

If you ever have an occasion for pretty insoles, I highly recommend this this method. Just keep in mind that you will be adding a bit of foam, so it is best if the shoe is not already too snug.

Me And My Serger: Our First Project Together

2011-05-17T12:22:00.000-04:00

I popped into a local Goodwill on my lunch break one day last week. When I came upon a bed sheet with a beautiful embroidered edge, I instantly thought of this "20 Minute Simple Skirt Tutorial" by Kathleen of Grosgrain... a perfect first project for me and my new serger!

This my new me-made skirt.

Look at this serged seam!

Mr. Hip Dropped Stitches was going to be near the sewing shop, so he picked up some cones of white thread upon my request. (Yes, he is the greatest!) I had yet to thread the serger entirely on my own, but I think did very well. On my first attempt, I did miss one of the pins, but I was able to locate my mistake quickly and be on my way. I love this machine!

I whipped this up rather quickly. It took longer than 20 minutes, but if I were to do it again, and the fabric was already washed and pressed, and my serger was already threaded, I think 20 minutes could be realistic.

I really like this skirt. The fabric is so soft and comfortable, and the trim is just lovely. I doubt anyone (well, except all of you) will ever guess it was once a bed sheet, and I believe it will become a staple in my summer wardrobe.

This week's weather is not conducive to outdoor-springy-summery-skirt-photos,

Image by Weather.com

but when it improves, I promise to have photos to share!

Annual Salvation Army Fabric Sale 2011

2011-05-12T06:53:00.000-04:00

The Annual Salvation Army Fabric Sale was held last Friday! I arrived at 8 o'clock in the morning, an hour before the sale began, which put me in a much better position in line than in previous years. Standing with my back to the wind, attempting to soak up as much warmth from the early morning sun as possible, I enjoyed listening to the chatter in the line. Women of all ages spoke of quilting, sewing, knitting, embroidery, and projects that have been buried for years and recently excavated. I especially enjoyed seeing couples, wise in years, arrive together; several husbands escorted their wives to the sale and sat with coffee and newspapers while they shopped. I wonder if that will be Mr. Hip Dropped Stitches and me someday!

At 9 o'clock the doors opened, and for the first time, I was a member of the first group to enter the room. Rows of tables displayed myriads of fabric remnants, all so neatly stacked! I swiftly moved from table to table and filled two re-usable grocery bags with fabric treasure. Next, I found the sewing pattern table and thumbed through the boxes of patterns. I scooped up several of them and made my way to the check out line. I was in and out in less than an hour. This is what I found!

Most of this fabric is in large enough quantities for skirts and dresses. I realize the nautical fabric may seem like an odd choice, but I think it might make a nice beach bag, or at the very least, I might cut out the shapes and create appliques. The paisley on the left may become a curtain for our home office. It would look great above the orange velour couch below the window!

On the left, I really like the shape of the camisole straps. I think that, in a more casual fabric, this could make a cute summer top. On the right, skirts!

I am curious about the beach cover-up patterns on the left, and while the pattern on the right is illustrated as lounge wear, I think the hooded version at knee-length could be perfect for warm beach days that become cool and windy in the afternoon.

As you can see, I appear to be a sucker for skirt patterns. I also really like the dress all the way to the right on the McCall's 2050 (below).

I purchased all of this for $8.55. Can you believe it? I heard rumors while at the sale that this would be the last year. I very much hope that is not true. I will have to look into that rumor and see if anything can be done to keep the event going. I hope to be writing a similar post next year!

Note: Both of my Anda dresses (first Anda, second Anda) are made from fabric obtained at this sale in previous years.

My Wedding Present from Mr. Hip Dropped Stitches

2011-05-09T19:17:00.005-04:00

When we returned home from our trip to Jamaica, after unpacking a bit, I walked into the living room to find a large wrapped gift. Mr. Hip Dropped Stitches explained that it was my wedding present, and encouraged me to open it. I sat down next to it and carefully peeled away the wrapping paper. I could not believe what I saw...

This photo was taken after my first lesson which is why it is threaded.

a brand new serger!!! I nearly instantly burst into tears. My mind began swirling with ideas of all the things this serger will make for me, for our home, and for our family... a most wonderful gift from the most wonderful man.

Of course, I have never owned nor used a serger before, so I made an appointment for instruction at the South Portland Sewing Centre where Mr. Hip Dropped Stitches purchased it. Three generations were at the family business when I arrived at the shop on Saturday morning, son, mother, and grandfather, and I felt as if I had been welcomed into their home for the hour I was there. The mother sat with me and taught me how to thread the machine, how to serge a seam, and how to look at the seam to determine what tension adjustments may need to be made. I am so grateful for the lesson... and so eager to learn more!

Thank you, Mr. Hip Dropped Stitches!

Now... which project shall I tackle first?

Introducing Mr. Hip Dropped Stitches

2011-05-08T15:27:00.000-04:00

My Honey and I were married on April 20th in a private ceremony (just the two of us!) in Negril, Jamaica. Our wedding day was more beautiful, wonderful, special, amazing than we could have even imagined or hoped for.

Photo by Misha Earle Photography.

This photo was taken in the garden at the resort after the ceremony. I look forward to sharing more photos with you as soon as we receive them from our photographer. She was kind enough to share this one with us while we wait.

I am honored to be taking My Honey's last name in the real world. In the blog world, however, I will now refer to him as Mr. Hip Dropped Stitches. I am the luckiest woman in the world to be loved by him.

Our home is finally getting back into order after our trip and the business leading up to it. I have so many projects on my mind, and I cannot wait to get started on them and share them with you! Be sure to check back tomorrow to see my wedding present from my amazing husband...

The Infinity Dress Experiment: Part IV

2011-04-10T18:48:00.000-04:00

I completed my second infinity dress today. As I planned after finishing my first infinity dress, I made the waistband smaller, the straps wider, and made the straps out of one continuous piece of fabric. The result is a lovely infinity dress...

... but... I do not love it. I have come to accept that this style of dress simply does not flatter my petite frame. It minimizes my bust and adds bulk to my waist. These are not characteristics I am looking for in a dress. I think I am most disappointed that I did not realize this sooner. I, for the most part, have become wise to which shapes work well for me, and which ones do not. I fear the novelty of the infinity dress caused me to lose sight of this wisdom. I think I could wear bra cups and make it work, but it will not be the easy-to-throw-on-dress I was hoping for. I will model it for you another day, but not today.

On the bright side, I had enough remaining fabric to make another fold-over waist half circle skirt. The skirt, I love. I will model the skirt for you another day as well.

Wedding Projects I Cannot Tell You About... Yet...

2011-04-06T22:04:00.000-04:00

Finally... a little time for creativity! Unfortunately, I am working on a couple of wedding projects, and I cannot publish them until after the wedding. Phooey.

In the meantime, would you like to see another photo of Samson? Why wouldn't you? This is his serious look.

Bridal Shower Gifts Contain Fiber

2011-04-03T09:34:00.003-04:00

Nearly a month ago, my mom surprised me with the loveliest surprise bridal shower. I would have thought it impossible to surprise me, but she, along with my soon-to-be-mother-in-law and soon-to-be-sister-in-law, did it (with a little help from my fiancée as well). I thought I was picking something up at my soon-to-be-sister-in-law's house on my way home from a dance workshop, and arrived to find a room filled with my family and friends. I was surprised, overwhelmed, and above all, feeling loved.

I received so many wonderful and generous gifts; I thought you might like to see some of the fiber-related ones!

One of my friends knit this photo frame. It has a button closure in the back along with crocheted loops for hanging. I look forward to choosing the perfect photo for it!

Another friend gave me this amazing handspun yarn.

She wrote this blog post about it in January, explaining that it would be a gift. I fell in love with it then and thought (and commented) that the recipient was very lucky. I could hardly believe that I was the intended recipient! This may just be the most beautiful yarn, ever. Be sure to check out her Etsy shop!

My aunt crocheted this stunning clutch.

An earring that belonged to my grandmother adorns the front. So special!

The same aunt also knit this beautiful blanket.

It is incredibly soft and warm!

Thank you to all of the amazing women to traveled from near and far to help celebrate this special time in my life. I love you all!

A Compliment From One Of My Favorites

2011-04-01T16:54:00.001-04:00

I traveled twice on business in the past two weeks. Returning home to an overflowing Google Reader brought to light to how many blogs I subscribe. Furthermore, my favorites became clear as I navigated directly to them before sifting through the rest. One of my favorites is Tanit-Isis Sews. I love her style, she is incredibly talented, and she is thorough in explaining her projects from conception through completion. I have learned much from her!

Imagine my delight when I returned from the first of my two recent trips to find that Tanit-Isis Sews linked to my blog! She liked my fold-over waist half circle skirt... an amazing compliment! You can find her post here. Please, check out her blog and her projects on BurdaStyle.

Thank you, Tanit-Isis Sews!

I am grateful to not have any more business trips scheduled for a little while. I am craving time for knitting, sewing, and dancing, and want to share more of these things with you!

In order to not leave you with a photo-less post, I will share this picture of Samson basking in the sun a couple of weekends ago. This photo warms me up on this snowy, snowy day.

The Infinity Dress Experiment: Part III

2011-03-20T19:33:00.000-04:00

This morning, I unpicked the waistband seam of my first infinity dress. The unpicking was not fun, but honestly, it was not as difficult as I imagined. Once the waistband was unattached, I took it in about three inches...

... and reattached it.

It is definitely wearable now (it looks the same as the photos from the last post, so it is not worth another photo shoot), but I still cannot wear it in more than a couple of ways. I was having second thoughts about making another, but I am just too curious to find out if a few modifications will make a difference. I hope to have time next weekend to give it a try. Stay tuned!

Not Pretty, But Necessary

2011-03-13T20:29:00.001-04:00

I would like to think that I will always find a few moments for sewing each weekend, but sometimes, other tasks take precedence. This weekend, those tasks included...

sump pump modification...

and sump pump installation.

The melting snow and large amounts of rain are causing the water table to rise. Our basement floors are still dry, but the water level in the sump pump pits reached levels that urged us to take action. We took steps to make the existing sump pump more efficient and installed a second on the other side of the basement. Our fingers are crossed that this will be sufficient.

Keeping the basement dry is important for a number of reasons, but I thought this one in particular might best express the urgency.

We must keep the fabric and yarn stash safe and dry!

I hope to have time in the coming week to make modifications to my first infinity dress and begin the second. Then, I will have much prettier pictures to share.

A Hat For My Honey In Progress (Still)

2011-03-05T09:29:00.001-05:00

I wanted to knit another hat for My Honey this winter. He picked out a beautiful Harrisville Designs Heathered Bulky at Madison Wool during one of our trips to Connecticut.

I do not know why I can easily knit a hat for myself, but getting the sizing right for My Honey always gives me trouble. My first attempt at this one ended up being much too big. My second attempt ended up being much too small. I am hoping this third attempt ends up just right. At this rate, he may have it just in time for spring! (And next winter.)

You can see this project on Ravelry here.

The Infinity Dress Muslin That Became A Skirt

2011-03-02T23:19:00.000-05:00

Perhaps I should have shared this with you before the infinity dress, but here is the infinity dress muslin that became a skirt:

You can read more about it in this post.

I will definitely make a couple more skirts like this for casual summer wear. I love the comfortable fold-over waist, the half circle skirt, and the just-below-the-knee length.

You can see this project on BurdaStyle here.

The Infinity Dress Experiment: Part II

2011-03-01T17:48:00.001-05:00

Today, I finished my first infinity dress. I think the word "experiment" was a good choice when titling this series.

For this dress, I used two yards of a pink modal spandex jersey knit that I purchased on ebay this past summer. It is very similar to the fabric I used for my lounge pants, the remnants of which I used for the "muslin" of the skirt for this dress. I began with this tutorial in mind, but I did not follow it exactly. As I stated in my previous post, I wanted a half circle skirt as opposed to a full circle skirt. I also wanted a more finished and wider waist band, and two layers of fabric for the straps.

This dress is almost awesome. I think the name "As Dress Approaches Infinity" might be appropriate. My thoughts:

I love the half circle skirt. I think it drapes beautifully and has just the right amount of volume.
I like the waistband, but it is too big. The waistband is completely finished (no opening behind the straps as in the tutorial) with a back seam lining up with the back seam of the skirt. It is 3.5" wide and almost exactly the circumference of my waist. I like the width of the band, but this fabric has a lot of stretch and I should have taken ease into consideration. I will have to pick out that seam, make the waistband smaller (in length, not width), and reattach it. I am not looking forward to that modification, but I know will feel much more comfortable in the dress afterwards.
The straps should be wider. I cannot create all of the looks of the infinity dress without using fashion tape for modesty. I think if each strap was about an inch wider, more looks would be possible.
The straps should be longer. I will admit, I was trying to squeeze this dress out of too little fabric. The straps are 60" long, but should be more like 90" long. In addition, I had to piece fabric together to reach the 60" length, so each strap has a horizontal seam in the middle. I can style the dress in a handful of ways while concealing the seams, but there are styles I cannot wear without the seams being too noticeable.
Should the straps be one layer of fabric or two? These straps are made of two layers of fabric with a seam running down the middle, lengthwise. I think, ideally, one layer would be better, but I have a hard time imagining a fabric that would be stretchy enough, two sided, and concealing enough.

I like this dress and will definitely wear it, but I am looking forward to using the first round of results to make an even better one. The infinity dress experiment will continue!

You can see this project on BurdaStyle here.

(I know, I should have included photos of the dress worn in different ways, but do you see that freshly fallen snow all around me in the photo? It was cold out there! I spent the rest of the afternoon in fleece socks, fleece pants, and a fleece hoodie, curled up under my down throw, with two cats on my lap for warmth.)

The Infinity Dress Experiment: Part I

2011-02-24T23:52:00.000-05:00

I mentioned that My Honey and I are getting married this spring, but did I mention that our private ceremony will be on a beach in the Caribbean? I can hardly wait!

Since I will be toting a wedding gown and other wedding related items, I would like to pack rather lightly for the rest of the week. But, how does one pack lightly and still have a pretty dress for each night? Infinity dresses!

If you are not familiar with the marvel that is the infinity dress, check out these two sites that sell them:

Dessy.com

NuovaVitaOnline.com

Brilliant, right? If I pack a couple of these, I can wear them different ways and not look or feel like I am wearing the same thing every night. And surely, I can make this, right?

To start, I found a great tutorial here. For my dresses, I would like to do the waistband a little differently, and I would also like the skirt to be a half circle instead of a full circle. Before cutting into the intended material, I thought it would be best to create a muslin of the skirt and waist band. I began by measuring and calculating the half circle skirt. This is what I came up with:

As you may notice, that is a picture of a quarter of a circle, so one of those edges is on a fold. The inner circle has a radius of 8.5" which will yield a circumference that is twice what I want the waist measurement to be (including seam allowances). Since I am only using half a circle, it should be perfect. The 20" is the length from my waist to just above my knee. That makes the outer circle radius 28.5". If any of that is unclear, please feel free to leave a comment!

Fortunately, I had just enough fabric left from my lounge pants for a test run of the skirt. I began by cutting out the circle and the waist band. (The waist band is simply my waist measurement wide and 8" tall. Folding in half lengthwise and taking seam allowances into account, it ends up being a 3 1/2" tall waistband.) After a little pinning...

... and a little stitching... I found that my calculations were right on! Not only does the skirt fit perfectly for the dress, but by folding the waistband over, this muslin is wearable! And, oh, so comfortable. To finish it, I zig-zag stitched over the bottom edge.

Here's my artistic shot to hold you over until the weekend...

I am thrilled that not only do have I a template for the bottom of my infinity dresses, but I also have a template for quick, flattering, comfortable skirts!

Lounge Pants For My Honey

2011-02-20T20:49:00.001-05:00

I came across this Robert Kaufman fabric one day when browsing sales at Fabric.com, and thought it would be perfect for a pair of lounge pants for My Honey.

I began this morning by creating a pattern from a pair of RTW pants he already owns, and by early afternoon, they were finished.

Is he not the handsomest?

I cannot say too much more about the construction of these... a simple elastic waist in easy-to-work-with woven cotton. My Honey says he likes them (and I think he really does), and they fit very well. (The length is actually perfect, even though they look short while he is sitting in the photo.)

I enjoyed sewing these, and am grateful he was willing to pose for blog photos. Thanks, Honey!

You can see this project on BurdaStyle here.

I Did Not Knit This Sweater

2011-02-16T18:28:00.002-05:00

The facts:

Winter in Maine is cold.
I do not like to feel cold.
I do not like to wear bulky clothing.

The solution:

Knit a slim-fitting, long, warm, wool sweater.

More facts:

I am a slow knitter.
I need a slim-fitting, long, warm, wool sweater, now.

The new solution:

Find a large men's wool sweater at a thrift store, and refashion it.

This idea struck me while at work one day. I popped into the nearest Goodwill on my way home that evening and was delighted to find a men's L.L. Bean wool sweater (size: Large-Tall) for $4.99 (plus tax, but minus 10% because I have the "discount card") in fantastic condition. I love the color, and the knit is bulky enough to be very warm, but not too bulky.

I began by placing the sweater on my table, matching up the seams, and smoothing it out. I then centered a well-fitting t-shirt on top of the sweater.

I pinned around the t-shirt where I intended to stitch, extending to the full length of the sweater and the full length of the sleeves. It is very long, and I end up folding the sleeves nearly up to my elbow, but when I really need to warm up, it is nice to have all that extra length. After stitching, I cut about a half inch away from the seam. I know that might seem like a hefty seam allowance, but this is a knit sweater, and I think a half inch will prevent anything from unravelling. In truth, I could probably trim away more and it would still be fine.

The result? A slim-fitting, long, warm, wool sweater! I love it. I love how the original shoulder seems are now halfway down my upper arms so the knitting changes direction there. I love the wide and open neck. I love the extremely long sleeves. I love that I can wear it with jeans, leggings, or maybe even tights and a belt. I love that it's the only thing I want to put on when I get home from work. I love how warm I am when I wear it.

I love it so much that I do not feel too guilty about not knitting it.

Another Anda, Finished

2011-02-13T18:23:00.003-05:00

My second dress made from BurdaStyle's Anda pattern is finished!

You can see my project on BurdaStyle here.

Already having the pattern altered, this second Anda dress was a breeze. The fabric is a little heavier, a knit, with a velvet-like texture. I love the colors and the pattern, and it is very comfortable. Since this fabric was thrifted, along with the bias tape and elastic, this dress cost next to nothing to make.

This time, I took the hemline up to just above the knee. I typically prefer a just-below-the-knee hemline, especially if I plan to wear the dress to work, but this blog post caused me to reconsider this "rule" of mine. The idea is that in order to show that one's legs have any shape at all, one should either show her knees or her ankles. Since I will likely always wear tights and boots with this dress, I think a little knee is appropriate.

I believe I have achieved another sewing success! I even survived the outdoor photoshoot in the "feels like" 16 degree (Fahrenheit) temperatures. I just had to jump around a little in between shots.

Second Anda Dress Still In Progress

2011-02-10T21:17:00.000-05:00

Tonight I finished the armhole bindings of my second Anda dress. (First Anda dress here.)

(This is the "wrong" side of the fabric.)

I squeaked in another quick project this week, but we have so few daylight hours in Maine during the winter that quality full-length photos can be taken only on the weekends. I hope to have photos of my quick project and a second completed Anda dress for you this weekend!

A Second Anda Dress In Progress

2011-02-06T15:16:00.000-05:00

No time for sewing this weekend, but I thought I would show you my second Anda dress in progress. Unfortunately, Samson had different ideas about what to do when I brought out the camera.

You can get a glimpse of the brown floral fabric in the background... look for the finished dress next weekend!

Please Do Not Knit And Drive

2011-02-05T08:31:00.001-05:00

One of the great things about knitting is that I can always have a small project with me for times like these...

We have gotten a lot of snow this year, and with a lot of snow comes a lot of salt and sand build up on my car. I thought it would be nice to fill up my gas tank and zip through the car wash on my lunch break (when temperatures are mildest), but apparently, I was not the only one with that idea. I took a longer lunch than planned, but at least I was able to knit a few round of my Butterfly Capelet!

And just for fun (I love the car wash)...

Whoosh!

The Art of Fashion Draping

2011-02-03T19:12:00.000-05:00

My Honey is always thinking of me! Recently, he found this while on one if his thrifting adventures...

Eventually, I want to get to the point where I can drape on a dressform to create my own designs. This book is going to help me get there! It contains fantastic drawings, and great instructions. I think I need to work from patterns for a little while longer, but I cannot wait to dig into this book!

1902 Singer Treadle Sewing Machine (#27)

2011-02-01T23:12:00.001-05:00

Because My Honey and I are having a very private wedding ceremony this spring (just the two of us), I am always caught off guard when someone mentions wedding gifts. Imagine my surprise when my dad and step-mom arrived at our home on Sunday afternoon with this wedding gift for us...

This is a 1902 Singer Treadle Sewing Machine (#27)... in amazing, beautiful, and working condition. Our love of antiques combined with my love of sewing (and My Honey's appreciation of it) makes this a wonderfully thoughtful and generous and amazing gift.

To my delight, the drawers are filled with vintage thread, buttons, and closures. I even found the key to lock and unlock the drawers. In one, I found this...

This tray full of accessories folds up into a beautiful wooden box. The manual for the attachments is even still in tact.

I can hardly believe that this beauty is now ours! I cannot wait to learn how to use it.

Anda

2011-01-30T17:41:00.000-05:00

This weekend, I finished my first dress made from BurdaStyle's Anda pattern.

You can see my project on BurdaStyle here. I started by cutting the size 38 (the smallest available) and making a muslin. It was much too big, so I took 1.5 inches off of each side of the front and back pieces, brought the shoulders in 1 inch each, and took the hem up 1.5 inches. The pattern calls for the waist band casing to be on the outside, and to use a drawstring. I placed the casing on the inside and used elastic.

In the past, I have not worried too much about what the "wrong side" of my projects look like. As I move towards creating pieces to work into my every day wardrobe, I want to be sure that edges and seams are finished nicely, both for aesthetics and for quality construction. For this dress, I trimmed each seam and zig-zagged the edges. I also stitched the hem by hand to avoid the line of stitches across the bottom that the machine would leave. (There is a blind hem stitch on my machine, but hand stitching seemed like the better option with this fabric.)

This fabric is one I found at one of the annual Salvation Army Fabric sales, for which I likely paid less than 25 cents. It is a very lightweight knit, and smooth to the touch.

I love how easy this dress is to wear and that it is comfortable, yet still shows my shape. I think this dress can easily go from day to night (and is appropriate for the office), and looks nice with boots, dress shoes, and sandals. I think one of my favorite things about this dress is that the waistline is in exactly the right place. This is not often the case for me with ready-to-wear dresses, and a huge benefit of sewing my own clothes! Now that I have the pattern fitted properly, it will be easy to make a couple more of these in different fabrics, and perhaps with different neckline variations. I cannot wait to get started!

2011-01-27T23:38:00.001-05:00

Have you heard of Pinterest, yet? It is an amazing new site that is, most simply put, an online inspiration board. Members can "pin" images from any website, and re-pin items that others have pinned. I started a few boards for sewing inspiration, culinary inspiration, photography, etc. Looking at my "Sewing Inspiration - Dresses" board gives one a very clear idea of my style!

Not only is it fun to build my own inspiration boards, but it is easy to get lost in the beautiful images other members have pinned. The site is currently in beta, but I did not have to wait long (a week, maybe?) for my invitation after requesting it. If you would like, you can find me here!

A Sock Monkey Named Olof

2011-01-26T22:21:00.000-05:00

Remember this little sock monkey? He finally has a name... Olof!

I decided he needed a Swedish name because according to Wikipedia, "John Nelson, a Swedish immigrant to the United States, patented the sock-knitting machine in 1869, and began manufacturing work socks in Rockford, Illinois in 1890. The iconic sock monkeys made from red-heeled socks emerged at the earliest in 1932, the year the Nelson Knitting Company added the trademarked red heel to its product."

There you have it... the name of my sock monkey and a little bit of history.

Refashion: My Favorite Turtleneck and My Least Favorite Yoga Pants

2011-01-25T20:01:00.000-05:00

My Favorite Turtleneck: I was wearing my favorite fuchsia turtleneck when one of our cats, Santino, snuck downstairs into the basement. I caught him and began back up the stairs when our other cat, Samson, started down. I yelled "Samson!" which startled Santino. He kicked hard with his back feet, claws out, and tore a large hole in my favorite turtleneck. (I sulked for a solid hour or so, occasionally glaring at Santino, but eventually forgave him.) I could not bring myself to throw it away, so I washed it, and added it to my fabric stash.

My Least Favorite Yoga Pants: I recently started attending a Bikram Yoga class. Bikram Yoga is practiced in a room that is 105 degrees (Fahrenheit). It is intense, amazing, and I love it. Finding the proper attire, however, has been a process of experimentation. I could go on about the pros and cons of pants versus shorts, but will be succinct in stating that capris seem to be the best option for me right now. Of course, due to my petite-ness, any off-the-rack capris look more like pants that are a little too short. I began thinking about my least favorite pair of yoga pants. I have had them for over ten years, but I never wear them because the elastic waist is just a little too squeezy.

The Refashion: With a few strategic snips of the scissors, I turned my favorite turtleneck into a new wrap top for dance class. I then removed the elastic waist band from the yoga pants, and cut them to just below knee length. I used the remaining turtleneck fabric to create a fold-over waist band and coordinating cuffs.

I will likely never wear these together since one is better suited for dance and the other for yoga, but they stand fine on their own. The wrap top is perfect for dance class in these cooler (freezing!) months, and the capris now have a comfortable waist and perfect length.

Fold-Over Waist Lounge Pants

2011-01-23T16:43:00.001-05:00

After completing my comfy culottes, I began wishing I had a full length pair since it will not be culotte weather here for a few more months. I originally planned to simply lengthen the culotte pattern, but I was not entirely sure how to handle the width of the pant leg when lengthening. Instead, I used the pant leg portion of this pattern (I'll blog more about this pattern and the plans I have for it soon).

Of course, I had to shorten the length of this pattern, but that is easy to do. I decided about how high I wanted the rise to be, and used the fold-over waist portion of the culotte pattern.

These are made of a modal jersey fabric that is so incredibly soft and drapey. Another comfy lounge pant success!

Happy Third Birthday, HipDroppedStitches! On to Year Four!

2011-01-21T13:07:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was this blog's third birthday. Happy Birthday, HipDroppedStitches! I decided against another photo mosaic since I just posted one for 2010. Instead, I will share with you my hopes for this blog in its fourth year.

I plan to continue knitting and dancing, and I will definitely continue sharing those experiences with you. The changes will come in that I hope to do a lot more sewing this year. I have been greatly inspired by the sewing blogs I subscribe to (a couple of my current favorites are: http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/ and http://sewaholic.net/). If I can construct a bedlah from scratch, and work with materials like stretch velvet and silk chiffon, I must not be too far away from being able to create clothing I can easily work into my regular wardrobe, right? Being petite, I have always struggled with finding clothing that fits properly off the rack, and to complicate matters, the area in which I live is not known for its high fashion shopping. I would love to fill my closet with comfortable, fashionable, and well-fitting skirts and dresses, and making them myself seems like the only way to go. I would also like to work in a few bathing suits and party dresses. Oh, so many ideas swirling around in my head!

As I have used Ravelry to catalog my knitting projects, I will be using BurdaStyle to catalog my sewing projects. I will begin by sharing with you my first sewing project from a pattern... knit culottes!

I know, the word "culottes" makes me cringe a little as well, but these are comfy, fold-over waist, yoga style culottes that are certain to be a go-to item for warm-weather lounge wear. This is a free pattern by JJ1 and the details of my project can be found here. I used a knit fabric that I obtained at one of the fabric thrift sales I have attended, so I cannot tell you the exact fiber content. It is very soft and breathable. I think these culottes are super cute and super comfy. I will label this project a success!

Looking back at 2010, and forward to 2011

2011-01-02T20:30:00.000-05:00

A quick look back at 2010...

1. Butterfly Hat and Mittens 2. Our First Home 3. House Projects 4. Bayside World Market & Fair 5. Spring Studio Show 6. Spring Studio Show 7. Our Engagement 8. Live and Dance Strong 9. Dancing with Okbari Middle Eastern Ensemble 10. Halloween 11. Raking Leaves 12. Duvet 13. Capelet 14. Rocky Mountain High Socks 15. Corona 16. Origami Butterfly Belt 17. Wedding Reception Performance 18. Lavender Heat/Cool Packs 19. Tissue Holders 10. Christmas

The year 2010 included purchasing our first home, our engagement, and lots of dancing, knitting and sewing. In 2011, we have our wedding and honeymoon to look forward to! And of course, more dancing, knitting, and sewing. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy new year!

Christmas Sewing 2010

2010-12-29T20:28:00.003-05:00

I did a lot of Christmas sewing this year. Unfortunately, I was finishing things late at night and gifting them the next day, so I only have photos of the first finished projects.

Several people on my Christmas list received these lavender heat / cold packs. The interior pouch is made of white cotton muslin. The pouch is divided into four segments so the rice and dried lavender buds stay relatively evenly distributed. It can be microwaved for 1 to 3 minutes and used as a heat pack, or put in the freezer and used as a cool pack. The exterior "pillow case" is also made of cotton and is machine washable and dry-able. In fact, I washed and dried all of the fabric before getting started so they should not shrink or become misshapen. I purchased four different pairs of coordinating fabrics, but only have photos of these two.

Some of the ladies on my Christmas list received these little tissue pouches. I cannot claim this idea as my own; you can find instructions here. I used the same four pairs of coordinating fabrics, but again, only have photos of these two.

I also made little stuffed bears for my littlest cousins. I intended for them to have character, and character they indeed have. I wish I captured a photo of them for you!

All in all, I would classify my Christmas sewing as a success, but next year, I must start earlier. I was up far too late for far too many nights in a row. Of course, it is all worth it to see my friends and family members smiling with their gifts!

Happy Holidays 2010

2010-12-28T16:38:00.008-05:00

My Honey and I had the loveliest Christmas morning together this year. It was our first Christmas in our new home and will be our only Christmas as an engaged couple. We slept in... watched our cats, Samson and Santino, discover their new toys... exchanged gifts... made breakfast... and relaxed. I tried to remain completely in the peacefulness of the moment, but I must admit to occasionally daydreaming about what future Christmases in our home may be like...

I hope your holiday season has been (and continues to be) lovely, joyous, and peaceful. Wishing you blessings abound in 2011.

Our Christmas Gift To Each Other - A Piano!

Mischevious Monkey

2010-12-22T12:18:00.002-05:00

The holiday season is underway, and I have already received a very special gift... a Sock Monkey!

My step-father's mother made him for me. Is he not darling? He was rather agreeable to a photo shoot...

...but I should have known better than to pose him next to the bean pot!

Honestly, I do not know if this is a bean pot. My maternal grandmother, Nana, had a bean pot that looked nothing like this in which she always kept candy. When I found this little pot at a flea market, I fell in love with its shape, color, and weight... it is heavy! I like to keep chocolates in it and I think of Nana and her bean pot every time I reach in.

Apparently, this Sock Monkey likes chocolate.

He still needs a name... Cocoa, perhaps?

My Journey in Dance in 2010

2010-12-21T07:12:00.007-05:00

I danced more in 2010 than ever before, but I blogged about dance less often in 2010 than ever before. How did this happen?

The truth is, that 2010 has been a year of significant growth for me in dance. So much so, that it is overwhelming to write about. I attend weekly classes with an inspiring teacher, Jamileh, and I do not think I have left a single class this year without experiencing at least a small (but often big) personal discovery. I also teach a weekly class and in each one I notice something new about myself as a dancer, a teacher, a woman, or simply a human being. I attended an amazing workshop weekend with Ranye Renee, and my private lesson with her was a tremendous turning point for me and my relationship with dance. And performing... I have had a performance nearly every month from a small restaurant setting, to studio shows, to professionally produced fundraisers, to festivals, to private parties and weddings!

Looking back, I am filled with gratitude. I am grateful for my teachers, my sisters in dance, the unending support from My Honey, the opportunity to continue learning, the opportunity to continue teaching, and the opportunity to share the incredible tradition of belly dance.

Bayside World Market & Fair - June 12, 2010

Studio Show - June 16, 2010

Live and Dance Strong - July 20, 2010

Okbari Middle Eastern Music Ensemble - August 14, 2010

Wedding Reception - December 12, 2010

Knitting Projects, Three

2010-12-08T12:01:00.000-05:00

I often feel like there is not enough time in the day for everything I want to do. When this happens I remind myself that there is precisely the right amount of time, and that I have the power to decide how to fill it. I realize that I have been "choosing" things other than knitting more often than not lately, but I have been picking up my needles occasionally and have made some progress on these three projects.

Rocky Mountain High Socks

Butterfly Capelet

Corona

It is nice to have projects with no deadline. I will continue to work away on these here and there and they will be finished when they are finished.

Origami Butterfly Holiday Belt

2010-12-07T22:01:00.001-05:00

In previous years, receiving invitations to several holiday parties has always seemed like a perfect reason to purchase a new dress. I always look for something that is versatile and re-wearable, but once a dress has been been recorded in holiday-party-photo-history, it is difficult to find the right venue to wear it again. This idea encouraged me to find a way to spruce up a dress that I already own for this year's festivities.

My original idea was a simple red velvet bow belt, but then I stumbled upon an inspiring Etsy shop, Sew Smashing. Silk origami butterfly accessories? Yes, please! But, while the prices are extraordinarily reasonable, I thought for sure this was something I could do myself... maybe even in red velvet... to adorn a holiday belt...

A couple of days to puzzle through the folding required to create the butterfly shape, a little red velvet and black satin from my stash, a skirt hook which I happened to have on hand, and a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon later...

I absolutely love it. Paired with my favorite little black (wool, boat-neck, sleeveless, knee-length, a-line) dress, I have a brand new holiday outfit! Actually, I have several dresses that this belt will work with... which means... I have several new holiday outfits!

Black Friday 2010

2010-12-06T12:28:00.000-05:00

I had no intention of doing any real "Black Friday Shopping" this year. There were no big ticket items on my Christmas gift list, and My Honey and I were out of state with his family for the holiday. On a whim, however, we decided to pop into the local Goodwill. No more than five minutes after arriving, My Honey presented me with this...

a whole bag full of vintage sewing notions!

Zippers...

and rick rack...

and bias tape...

and seam binding...

and more! This entire lot was marked at $9.99, but everything in the store was 50% off. I payed less than five dollars! A great find!

I immediately darted over to where My Honey found this treasure and also found some fun trims...

and some ribbon yarns that have dance-accessory-potential.

And finally, I found this...

vintage knitting pattern booklet.

I love this asymmetrical top...

and this shell and cardigan...

and this shaped tunic.

I am so grateful we decided to pop in (and that My Honey always has his eyes peeled for things I might like)!

My Favorite Blanket, A New Look

2010-11-22T07:25:00.002-05:00

On our first Christmas together, My Honey gave me the most comfortable down throw. It is my favorite blanket, and you can find me curled up in it almost every evening from September through June. One side is a lovely shade of pink, and the other is a delicate pink and white organic print. It is beautiful, but we do not have much pink in our home so it always looked a bit out of place when I left it on the couch or a chair. Creating a duvet cover was the perfect solution...

My Honey's sister actually sent me a link to another one of Valori Wells fabrics last spring. I followed the link and began browsing her collections. When I came upon the Del Hi collection in the ruby color palette, I knew it would be perfect for this project. (I then waited for it to go on sale at one of my favorite online retailers and purchased it at an amazingly low price.) (And because it was such an amazing low price, I bought a few yards in one of the blue-ish color palettes as well.) As you can see, it still has a touch of pink, but the additional shades of red and orange give the pink a little punch. I love the coordinating prints.

The fabric was not as wide as the duvet would need to be, so I ordered extra to be sure I would be able to match the prints. I did not want a seam down the middle, so I used a larger panel in the center and two smaller side panels. Matching up the prints was fun, and I am thrilled with the result. (You can see the seams in the above photo.) I purchased the red cording from Jo-Ann's and I think it gives the duvet a nicely finished look.

This is now a throw I am proud to have in my living room!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

2010-11-14T00:01:00.000-05:00

Samson...

my Singer...

and Saturdays.

Jesus and Mary

2010-11-01T12:34:00.003-04:00

My Honey and I have fun dressing up for Halloween, and this year's costumes were especially fun for me to make.

Jesus (Quintana, The Big Lebowski) and Mary (Had A Little Lamb)

Our idea was officially confirmed as soon as My Honey found the little lamb purse at a local GW. He also found a full length petticoat that I was able to modify. The blue gingham fabric is from Denver Fabrics with which I made the top and circle skirt. I have made circle skirts in the past for dance costumes, so I can now do this easily with a few quick calculations. In fact, after making full length circle skirts out of fabrics like silk chiffon, this knee-length skirt in a woven cotton fabric was a breeze! The top is modeled after a Banana Republic summer top that I own. I made the apron and pantaloons out of a white woven fabric from my stash, both of which were improvised. The skirt, apron, and pantaloons are all trimmed with a white eyelet ruffle that I found at Jo-Ann's.

I know it is silly, but the pantaloons are my favorite part!

My Honey also found a his purple shirt and pants at GW. The pants were a women's size 4, so it took a little work to alter them to fit his rugged-over-six-foot-tall frame. I added the red stripes to the pants and the shirt, and embroidered "Jesus" on the chest. He found the wrist brace at GW, and the hairnet at Sally's. I found the "bowling ball" in the fake-flower-section at Marden's. I guess it is some sort of decorative item, but I think it played the part of a bowling ball quite well.

Our idea may have been a little too obscure to win any costume contests this year, but we had fun, and made a lot of people laugh. What is better than inspiring smiles and laughter?

Do You Remember

2010-10-05T20:46:00.000-04:00

Do you remember when I used to knit, and sew, and dance, and tell you all about it? I actually have been dancing a lot, and sewing a little, but knitting has been almost completely pushed aside by "house projects" until very recently. I am excited to get back to it, and to update you on what I have been up to, but first, this news has yet to appear here...

This photo was taken moments before My Honey proposed to me...

We were driving into town for dinner (coincidentally, to the same place we went on our first "real date"), and we were talking about how we had met five years earlier (nearly to the minute) and reminiscing about that moment. He suggested we go to the apartment at which we met and take our picture. I loved that very sweet and romantic idea. We arrived, and giggled as we attempted to take self portraits with his cell phone, finally capturing one that included the building number. There was a pause... and then... he looked into my eyes, said the most wonderful words, and asked me if I would marry him. My mind, body, heart, and soul were screaming "yes" but I think it took me a few moments to catch my breath and say it out loud. When I did, he gave me the most beautiful ring I have ever seen. It is present, but blurry, in this photo which was taken moments after the proposal...

... but a photo would not do it justice anyway. It is an estate piece... 1920's... art deco... intricate and delicate platinum setting... and the diamond sparkles more than I ever knew possible. Given the task, I could not have chosen one more perfect. I like to think about how my hands will change over time, and how this ring will always be on this finger... and how I will always be grateful for this amazing man, with whom I am so fortunate to share my life.

My Biggest Project To Date

2010-06-20T21:21:00.001-04:00

I have so many things I want to tell you... and so many things I want to show you... but there is so little time for writing due to my biggest project to date which is currently in progress...

My Honey and I purchased our first home on April 20, 2010. Since this picture was taken, the leaves on the trees have filled in and the lawn and driveway have been cleaned up quite a bit. The inside, however, has seen even more significant changes. I cannot wait to share all of our work with you! All in good time...

A few significant performances (and related costuming) have all occurred since the big day as well... stay tuned for those updates, too! There has not been much time for knitting, but I look forward to having time for that soon enough.

We are thrilled, and keep finding ourself saying "This is OUR home!" Every penny and minute of labor is rewarded tenfold every day. This "biggest project" is the best ever.

My Ball Winder

2010-04-21T17:02:00.001-04:00

While I am not even half way through my first pair of socks, I cannot help but think of about the Sereknitty Sock Options Shimmer in colorway Cupcake that I bought at NETA's SPA last year...

... and when I think about it, I not only think about the socks I want to knit, but also that I do not want to wind that skein by hand. And now, I will not have to.

This is my new ball winder. Knit Wit, one of my favorite local yarn shops, did not have any in stock when I first decided to purchase one. However, the lovely Anna promised to call when she received a new shipment, and call she did!

I could hardly wait to test it out. As soon as I returned home, I pulled my previous yarn experiment (my strawberry wool) out of my stash and gave it a whirl. It works like a dream! Someday I will invest in a swift, but for now, my knees work just fine. Sit tight, Sereknitty Sock Options Shimmer in colorway Cupcake, I will be with you shortly (relatively speaking)!

Rocky Mountain High Socks

2010-04-11T18:01:00.002-04:00

At the end of March, my mother and I flew to Colorado to visit my brother. My brother and I speak on the phone quite often, but it had been far too long since I had seen him! I began missing him before he even dropped us off at the airport, and I cannot wait until our next visit.

For my mother, this was her first cab ride, her first time on an airplane, and her first time in Colorado. For me, it was my first time knitting socks. Her accomplishments were far more significant, but still... check these out...

I'm using Liat Gat's Beginner Socks, Magic Loop Variation pattern, and doing two at a time. I have a feeling I would likely suffer from the dreaded "second sock syndrome" I have read so much about, so I decided two-at-a-time was the right choice for me. I loved knitting these socks on the plane, and I cannot wait to see how they turn out. I already have visions of my next pair dancing in my head.

Here are some additional photos from our trip...

A Hooded Pullover and a Capelet In Progress

2010-02-07T21:49:00.002-05:00

I learned what a "capelet" is when I first started browsing knitting patterns a few years ago... and I just now learned how to pronounce it when I looked up the definition for this post. Now I know!

When I first started knitting my mittens, I had visions of a matching hat and capelet. My hat is complete, and now I am working on the capelet! Here you can see the beginnings. You will notice a raglan type increase and the beginning of a butterfly. I plan to have a vertical strip of butterflies down the front to tie in the butterflies on my hat.

I am using the Incredible Custom-Fit Raglan pattern by Pamela Costello to get the general size and shape, and the butterflies from the Butterfly Hat by Sofiya Cremin.

I am also chugging along on Corona (pattern by CanarySanctuary). The ribbing seemed to take forever, but I am finally into the stockinette portion. I expect it to go a little more quickly now.

I am looking forward to seeing both of these projects shape up!

Butterfly Hat

2010-01-31T15:22:00.002-05:00

My butterfly hat is complete, and I love it! The pattern is brilliant (in my opinion) and I love the texture that the butterflies create. It fits perfect, is cozy and warm, and matches my mittens!

Pattern: Butterfly Hat by Sofiya Cremin
Yarn: Wool from Finland passed on to me by My Honey's sister

HipDroppedStitches is Two Years Old

2010-01-20T17:32:00.001-05:00

I can hardly believe it, but the proof is in the photos! Two years ago I was blogging about my very first knitting projects, my first public performances and solo performances, and sewing my first circle skirt... Last year I was blogging about more knitting projects, sewing my first bedlah, and being excited about performing more and more... This year I am still knitting, sewing, dancing, performing, and now teaching!

Looking at where I started versus where I am now inspires me to keep on learning and growing in each of these areas... what will next year's blog-birthday-mosaic look like?

Sewing a Skirt on a Saturday

2010-01-17T17:02:00.001-05:00

I almost always wear the same black skirt when performing in a more casual setting. I love the black skirt... it fits perfectly and is extremely comfortable... but I have been wishing I had more options. It seemed like a simple enough shape, so I decided to try to duplicate it.

I began by pulling out some muslin fabric to trace a pattern. Samson thought I was making a play space for him...

... I let him roll around for a minute (he was very cute), then ran the lint brush over the muslin, and really began. I folded the muslin in half length-wise, and did the same with my black skirt. I lined up the folded edges and placed the skirt on top of the muslin.

Using a fabric marker, I marked around the edges of the skirt.

I used rulers and curves to create clean lines...

... and then cut the shape out of the muslin.

Because this was my first attempt, I reached for the green stretch velvet that I purchased at a yard sale for 50 cents. I fold it in half length-wise twice, and placed the pattern on top (lining up the folded edges).

As you can see, I did not have quite enough fabric for the full width of the skirt at the bottom. I thought it would be just fine if it were a little less flared at the bottom, and folded the pattern accordingly. Next, I cut one half inch around the pattern.

I placed the right sides of the two cut pieces together, and pinned.

It took no time at all to sew the side seams and try on the skirt. Perfect fit! I reinforced the seems and trimmed the edges. Next, I measured some elastic and pinned it to the right side of the top of the skirt.

I used a zig-zag stitch to sew in the elastic, flipped it to the inside, used the zig-zag stitch again to tack it down, and...

I have a green velvet skirt! I love it... and especially love that it cost 50 cents, a couple of hours, and however much the elastic cost (which I already had).
Now that I have a pattern and know it works, I hope to make a nice selection of these skirts! I have some black velvet with fuchsia and gold flowers that I think will be beautiful.

On teaching...

2010-01-14T12:03:00.001-05:00

I finished my first session of belly dance classes as a teacher at the beginning of December. I could not be happier with my decision to pursue the opportunity. Belly dance has become an incredibly important part of every day of my life, and through it I have learned how to better find myself, be myself, and express myself... I have learned how to be more compassionate, and more encouraging of myself and others... I have a new appreciation for our connection to previous generations, and other cultures... I have found friendship and community in amazing and inspiring women... and this is all in addition to the simple joy of dancing! Whether I am dancing by myself, with my friends, classmates, or students, or for an audience, I am filled with a type of joy that I cannot find by other means. It is truly an honor to have the opportunity to share this with others!

I have another session beginning this Thursday, and in preparation, I held an introductory workshop on Saturday afternoon. I was thrilled to have 10 wonderful women in attendance, and grateful for the energy that filled the room. I dare say that they may have discovered the joy of belly dance! At the very least, they were smiling and holding their heads high... and that makes me smile, and hold my head high... Thank you to my teachers, my students, my friends, and all those who have encouraged me in this endeavor!

ETA: I intended to post this on Monday... pending a quick spelling and grammar check... and all of a sudden it is Thursday... my class begins tonight!

Blue - Friday, January 1, 2009

2010-01-01T16:42:00.000-05:00

Another night at Blue! Tonight! 10pm to Midnight!

Josephina and I will be joining Okbari... join us for a fun evening of music and dance!

Last Day of 2009

2009-12-31T06:56:00.001-05:00

Looking back on 2009...

... makes me excited for 2010!

Happy New Year!

My Mittens Need a Hat... with Butterflies...

2009-12-30T18:37:00.001-05:00

I have decided that the mittens I finished earlier this month desperately need a matching hat and found the perfect pattern, Butterfly Hat by Sofiya Cremin. I finished the first row of butterflies and I love the way they look...

I cannot wait to see more and more rows of butterflies appear!

Blue - Friday, December 4th, 2009

2009-12-04T06:03:00.000-05:00

Okbari is playing at Blue tonight, and Sahar and I are dancing! Oh, it has been too long since I have danced there. I cannot wait!

Mittens!

2009-12-03T06:48:00.002-05:00

I finished my first pair of mittens! I absolutely love them... perfect fit... nice tight knit for warmth... and I've already worn them this week. Cozy mittens make cold mornings much more bearable.

Pattern: "Classic Mittens" by Bernhard Ulmann
Yarn: A worsted weight wool from Finland given to me by My Honey's sister

I have great plans of making a hat and poncho-like-capelet (wait and see) out of the same wool to match.

Middle Eastern Dance Night at Holly's Restaurant - Photos!

2009-11-09T18:04:00.002-05:00

I had too much fun dancing with Anabee, Sahar, Loricia, and Holly at the Middle Eastern Dance Night at Holly's last month! Okbari filled the room with fantastic music and the audience was fabulous.

The first picture in the slide show is of Sahar and me. I love dancing (and otherwise spending time) with her!

Photos by Gary Amara Photography.

Calorimetry is Complete!

2009-11-08T17:51:00.000-05:00

At the time of my last post, I did not have much left to do to complete Calorimetry. Here it is!

This is the first project that I did not swatch for in a long time, and so the result is a little bigger than expected. I actually like the kerchief-like fit, though. It is nice and cozy on my ears!

Pattern: Calorimetry by Kathryn Schoendorf
Yarn: Crystal Palace Yarns Aran Marl

Since then, I have cast on for a pair of mittens. One is complete, and one is in progress.

I'm using the free pattern "Classic Mittens" by Bernhard Ulmann. The one that is complete fits perfectly, and using smaller needles than usual with worsted weight yarn resulted in a nice tight knit which is sure to keep my fingers warm this winter.

Cast On Calorimetry and Corona

2009-10-31T15:55:00.001-04:00

Two weeks ago, I cast on for Calorimetry and Corona.

Calorimetry is nearly complete. I just need to knit a few more rows, weave in the ends, and add a button. This is my first project with short rows, and I enjoyed seeing how they shaped the knitting. There have been a few days these past two weeks where I wished this was finished to keep my ears warm.

Corona is just barely started.

This will be a deep v-neck hooded sweater. I cannot say too much about it after only a few rows of ribbing, but I do love the yarn already (Cascade Yarns 220 Wool).

Of course, I cannot have a Saturday photo shoot without Samson demanding a turn in front of the lens...

A Baby Bolero and a Lace Capelet

2009-10-18T15:23:00.002-04:00

Amongst all of this dancing, I actually have been knitting a little bit, too!

First, I finished my Lace Capelet just in time to wear to a wedding we attended last weekend. I cannot believe I do not have a single picture from the wedding, but it is true! You can imagine what it might look like on my shoulders by this picture...

... but I promise to someday have a picture of me wearing it to share with you. I received many compliments on it at the wedding!

Pattern: Lace Capelet by Mary-Heather Cogar
Yarn: Rowan Kidsilk Haze

This was my first lace project, and while the pattern is very simple, it definitely took some getting used to. I am not sure I will embark on a more complicated lace pattern any time soon. I did love working with this yarn. The result is extremely soft and delicate, but strong as well.

And second, I finished this Baby Bolero!

Pattern: Baby Bolero by Leigh Radford
Yarn: Rowan Handknit Cotton

I liked this pattern, but I am not sure I would knit another baby sweater that requires seaming. The sweater is so tiny that even the smallest seams end up being a little bulky in comparison. I loved working with this yarn. It is so soft and lovely to touch.

I cannot wait to give this to the parents-to-be... I hope they like it!

Middle Eastern Dance Night at Holly's Restaurant

2009-10-17T15:49:00.002-04:00

My next performance is... tonight! If you're in the area, be sure to check it out!

Middle Eastern Dance Night at Holly's Restaurant
Saturday, October 17th, 6:30 - 9:30 pm
Come enjoy a night filled with great cuisine, live music and dancing! Okbari will be playing from 7:30 to 9:30, and will be joined by dancers Anabee, Sahar, Loricia, Holly, and Dorothea! Holly’s is a family style restaurant, children are welcome, and reservations are recommended (207-333-3041).

My First Day

2009-10-16T07:09:00.008-04:00

My registration forms are printed, my playlists are created, my hip scarves are packed... today, I begin teaching belly dance!

I am excited, and a little anxious, but most importantly, I am full of joy and gratitude. I am truly delighted to have the opportunity to share this art form, which I love so dearly. I am grateful for my teachers who have given me the foundation to present belly dance in a manner that honors and celebrates its origin and true meaning. I am grateful for the women I have met through belly dance who have inspired and encouraged me. I am grateful for the support I have received from My Honey, and my friends and family. I am looking forward to all I will learn and experience through my students. I am ready.

If you're in the area, it's not too late to register!

Beginner Belly Dance
Friday Evenings, 10/16 - 11/20, 6 - 7 pm
Sun Salutations Yoga
A beginner level belly dance class for all ages; no previous dance experience necessary! Students will learn the basic movements of this proud and joyful art form, and combine them in improvisational exercises and choreography.

Visit dorotheadances.com for more details!

Discover the Joy of Belly Dance!

2009-09-20T08:12:00.003-04:00

Belly dance has changed my life, and I am thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to share it with others by performing... and now... by teaching!

I am gearing up to teach a beginner belly dance class at Sun Salutations Yoga in Buxton, Maine. In preparation, I am hosting an introductory workshop.

Discover the Joy of Belly Dance!
Saturday, October 24th
Sun Salutations Yoga
Belly dance is a celebration of women in all phases of life. All ages and shapes will be delighted to rediscover the beauty, power and gracefulness that exist in each of us. Let's celebrate!
At this introductory workshop, you will learn some of the basic movements of this ancient dance, experience music from the regions where it originated, and most importantly, have fun!

All of the details are on my new website, dorotheadances.com.

Join me! And spread the word!

Turkish Delight at Victoria Mansion 2009

2009-09-18T16:45:00.003-04:00

Dancing at Victoria Mansion's Turkish Delight was fabulous! The event was complete with authentic Turkish food and wine by the Mediterranean Grill, wonderful music by the Okbari Middle Eastern Music Quartet, and belly dance performances by Jamileh, Nasreen and myself. This was the first event of this kind for me, and I was delighted to see attendees enjoy the performance. My favorite part when approaching table after table was discovering women who wanted shimmied their shoulders right along with me. Too much fun! I am grateful to have these opportunities to perform with such lovely dancers and talented musicians, and for such appreciative audiences.

Photos by Gary Amara Photography.

Turkish Delight at Victoria Mansion

2009-09-11T12:02:00.000-04:00

My next performance!!!

Turkish Delight at Victoria Mansion
Join Jamileh, Nasreen, Dorothea & The Okbari Quartet for a lavish evening complete with authentic Turkish dinner by The Mediterranean Grill of Freeport, Raki, Turkish tobacco, wine, cocktails and Victoria Ale. Reservations are required. All proceeds benefit Victoria Mansion.

Saturday, September 12th, 6pm, $100/person.

FMI: http://www.victoriamansion.org/events.html

Strawberry Wool

2009-08-31T18:48:00.004-04:00

A few weeks back, I found some off-white wool yarn at our local thrift store for 99 cents per skein. As soon as I saw it I knew it was the perfect candidate to try dyeing wool with Kool Aid!

I began by reading this article on Knitty.com.

I bought both strawberry and pink lemonade Kool Aid, but decided to use strawberry for this experiment...

First, I washed the wool...

Next, I filled our pasta pot with water, and added four packets of strawberry Kool Aid mix (one packet per ounce of yarn, and notice that the mix does NOT contain sugar)...

Then, I added the yarn...

I thought it looked a little like thick spaghetti in our pasta pot. I brought the water to just before boiling, turned off the heat, covered it, and waited 30 minutes (stirring occasionally). To my surprise (did I not trust the instructions?) the water appeared clear, and the yarn was no longer off-white!

I removed the yarn from the hot water to let it cool for just a moment...

Then rinsed and hung to try.

Viola! Strawberry wool!

This was a fun experiment and a good first step into the world of dyeing. Oh dear, I have ideas swirling around in my head now!

Who? Who?

2009-08-23T08:08:00.002-04:00

I cannot wait to meet the little one for whom I knit this vest. A friend (and inspiring knitter) is due to have a baby boy in October, and since she has encouraged me in my knitting adventures, it seemed fitting that the very first baby item I knit would be for her baby boy.

Yarn: Jaeger Baby Merino DK
Pattern: Owl Baby Vest by Jodi Haraldson (Free Ravelry Download)

I fell in love with the little owls on this vest... they were fun to knit and see come to life. I discovered that I really enjoy knitting baby things... knitting while thinking of the little one and mom-to-be (and dad-to-be) was great fun.

Fortunately, I know of another baby coming soon and cast on the Baby Bolero by Leigh Radford (found in One Skein). This little one is believed to be a baby girl so I am knitting with pink!

Thinking of babies and hand knit items makes me smile.

Coachella Conclusion

2009-08-05T10:52:00.004-04:00

Coachella is complete! I finished it just in time to wear to the Blues Traveler show last Saturday night. It was the perfect top for an outdoor show on a warm summer evening. I absolutely love it... it fits great, looks great, and is very comfortable.

My only trouble was that, once again, I bound off far too tightly and had to re-do that part. From now on, I must remember to bind off with a larger needle.

Yarn: Berroco Suede
Pattern: Coachella by Fathom Harvill
Modifications:

Knit six (6) fewer rows before joining front and back
Knit six (6) more rows after joining front and back
Increased length

Edited to add: I forgot to mention that I love that the line of the racer-back perfectly follows the scar I have from having heart surgery when I was 12 years old. You can see it below my left shoulder blade in one of the pictures above. The time leading up to, during, and after that surgery built a lot of character in me, and I like the character it adds to my body.

The Details of My First Handmade Bedlah

2009-07-05T21:40:00.006-04:00

As promised... the details of my first handmade bedlah...

This project spanned over eight months, from sketching the design to completion. The finished product is worth every hour and every stitch.

I began this project after reading several books by the Costume Goddess. Almost everything is made from scratch. My aunt helped me with making the belt pattern which yielded a belt that fits perfectly. The bra cups were purchased, but all other pieces are constructed and assembled by me. Both are covered in blue stretch velvet... silver cording is hand stitched into place... Swarovski pearls and crystals are adhered, and a white beaded fringe attached. Every connection point is sewn twice to ensure no failure... the same is true for every hook and snap. The white underskirt was purchased from L. Rose Designs (for a previous costume), but I made the overskirt of light blue silk georgette. Inside the belt are loops which snap around the waistband of the skirts to hold everything in place. I also deconstructed my isis wings and made a new collar to coordinate with this costume (the wings snap into place so I can make a new collar for every costume).

The finished product in action...

Photo by Gary Amara Photography.

The 2009 Always Fantabulous Portland Area Studio Show II

2009-06-22T06:37:00.002-04:00

The 2009 Always Fantabulous Portland Area Studio Show took place last Wednesday, June 17th. The show is produced each year by my teacher, Jamileh. The entire evening was spectacular! I am continuously amazed by the loveliness of our local dance community. Not only is it filled with beautiful and talented dancers, but also the most wonderful women I know. I am so very grateful to be a part of it.

Photos by Gary Amara Photography.

The first photos are of my solo. I finished the costume I have been working on, and it turned out even better than I had hoped (more detailed photos in a future post). I wore it with my wings and danced to Akhadni Maaha by The Al-Ahram Orchestra. I am getting less and less nervous on stage, and having more and more fun. Thanks to my generous friend, Melissa, I have video I can share with you.

I think this piece is symbolic of my journey in dance over this past year. Since I was a little girl, I always felt like I was meant to have wings, and I am starting to feel like I do. I am grateful for my teachers, mentors, and fellow dancers, all I have learned from them, and all of their encouragement.

The last two photos in the slide show above are from our group piece which closed the show. We danced to a beautiful song, Uskadar, played by Okbari live on stage. It starts with an oud taqsim... builds into a slow and beautiful melody... and finishes with a frenzy! It is impossible to not be moved by this song... and dancing to it, live, was amazing. Thank you to Okbari and the lovely dancers who I was fortunate enough to share the stage with.

And of course, I cannot conclude this post with out thanking my friends and family who attended! Seeing you in the audience makes the experience so much sweeter. And, My Honey, you amaze me with your generousity, patience, and support. I am truly grateful.

The 2009 Always Fantabulous Portland Area Studio Show

2009-06-15T22:15:00.007-04:00

My costume is complete... my solo is rehearsed... I cannot even listen to the music for our group piece with out getting goosebumps...

The Always Fantabulous Portland Area Studio show is two days away!

FMI: www.mainebellydance.com

Feeling Blue?

2009-06-01T06:58:00.007-04:00

Melancholy seems to be in the air these days... and it is not just me, it seems to be everyone I encounter... and yesterday, I noticed that each of my current projects is blue: my costume belt (which is near completion, but I do not have updated photos for you yet), Coachella, and my Lace Capelet. Not much of a coincidence, really, since blue is my favorite color, but I may need to cast on something in bright fuchsia to change the mood.

Or perhaps, it will change on its own... today is a new day... the sun is shining... and maybe if I smile enough, someone will smile back at me.

The Right Tool For The Job

2009-05-18T07:11:00.002-04:00

I recently cast on my first project using lace-weight yarn, Lace Capelet by Mary-Heather Cogar. I struggled through the first few rows of stockinette, and came to a screeching halt at the first "slip slip knit." I have used this stitch in many projects, but my needle just seemed to be pushing the stitch around instead of getting in the loop. After struggling through half of one round, and consulting with a few of my knitting mentors, I decided I needed a pointier needle. I ran to Knit Wit on my lunch break on Friday to pick an Addi Lace needle. See the difference between the regular Addi Turbo and the Addi Lace?

I am trilled to report that this needle has made all the difference in the world. I ended up frogging what I had done and starting over, but in no time I was back to where I left off.

Sometimes you just need the right tool!

Franklin Habit and Sister Sue

2009-05-14T17:16:00.001-04:00

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that one of the women I dance with is the sister of Franklin Habit! You may be familiar with his fabulous blog, The Panopticon, his beautiful knitting, and his hilarious knitting cartoons.

Since this discovery, Sister Sue has been promising to bring some "Franklin Knits" to class. This past Tuesday, she did! (Actually, she did once before, but I missed class due to a terrible cold... drat!) I saw, touched, and gushed over the Sheep in the Meadow baby jacket, the Tulip baby jacket, the Littlest Democratic Sweater, and (among others)...

the Christening Shawl...

amazingly beautiful.

Thank you, Sister Sue! You should know that as wide-eyed and awe-struck as I got over your brother's knits, I am even more inspired by your kindness, your sense of humor, and your loveliness when you dance!

The... gloves... are... finally... done...

2009-05-05T22:36:00.004-04:00

Can you sense my relief? I did not expect, when beginning this project in September, that I would not finish until May. The truth is, I did not particularly enjoy this project, but I cannot say exactly why. It may have had something to do with the boring manly color... but it may not have... I am just happy they are done and excited to gift them.

Pattern: Men's Fingerless Gloves by J. Campbell
Yarn: Lion Brand Al-Pa-Ka in Colorway 249

Selamta Family Project Fundraiser

2009-05-03T18:59:00.004-04:00

My friend, Dorothy, is raising money for an internship with the Selamta Family Project. She asked me to donate a performance for her fund raising event last Saturday. I was surprisingly nervous for this one, but I think it went well. I loved my song (A Passage East by Brian Keane & Omar Faruk Tekbilek) and the audience (mostly dancers) was extremely generous with audible feedback during my performance... another testament to the amazingly supportive local bellydance community. The other performances were great, and I hope to perform at more events like this. Supporting a great cause... dancing with great women... all good things...

Photos by Gary Amara Photography.

iPods Wear Socks

2009-05-02T10:32:00.003-04:00

My Honey spoiled me this Christmas with my very first iPod. (It is pink!!) I love it and want to protect it, but cannot find a case that I like. When I saw the iPod socks in the Apple store, I thought "Hey, I can make one of those!"

This project presented the opportunity to practice magic looping before beginning my first pair of knit socks (which I plan to start after the completion of a few other projects). It was also my first attempt at the kitchener stitch which I obviously need to practice a little more. I learned both of these techniques by watching videos (linked above) on www.knittinghelp.com. Great website!!

Doesn't my iPod look happy?

Yarn: Louet Gems Sport Weight in Colorway 2153
Pattern: Improvised

Blue Performance - April 3, 2009

2009-04-10T12:03:00.002-04:00

Virginia and I joined Okbari at Blue this past Friday night. The rain kept the crowd small, but it was still great fun. Each time I dance there I am a little less nervous and therefore a little more aware of the musicians and the subtleties in the music. I am still very much a student of this dance, and each performance opportunity is not only great fun, but a great learning experience.

As soon as photos are available, I will tell you all about our performance with the Alhan Arabic Music Ensemble this past Saturday night. I cannot help but shimmy just thinking about it!

Upcoming Performances

2009-04-02T18:31:00.003-04:00

Wow, does that say "Performances," as in, more than one? Excellent!

Virginia and I are dancing at Blue tomorrow night! If you're in the area, be sure to stop by!

And do not miss this one-of-a-kind performance on Saturday. It is going to be a beautiful show!

ALHAN ARABIC MUSIC ENSEMBLE, JAMILEH AND FRIENDS IN CONCERT AT THE HISTORIC FIRST PARISH IN PORTLAND

ALHAN Middle Eastern Music Ensemble performs classical and popular Arabic and Ottoman music of the 17th to the 21st centuries. The group features musicians from Simon Shaheen’s Arabic Music Retreat and the Bardezbanian Middle Eastern Ensemble. They are Eric LaPerna; riqq and darbuka, Tom Kavocevic; oud, ney and vocals, Madeleine Hanna; lead vocals and frame drum, and Michael Gallant; violin. ALHAN’s repertoire is drawn from compositions of some of the preeminent composers of Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Turkey. They also perform Muwashshahat, a classical song form developed in 10th century Andalusia and performed throughout the modern Arab world. This evening will feature selections of classical Arabic song, popular compositions of the Rahbani Brothers for the great Lebanese singer, Fairuz, and several pieces written for Raqs Sharqi (Belly Dance) by the Egyptian composer Mohammed Abdel Wahab.

Jamileh is delighted to be joined by the wonderful Erin, Josephina, Kamileh, Virginia, Sahar, Kendra, Ananda, MaraNajla & Dorothea for this truly beautiful concert of Middle Eastern music and dance.

• Saturday, April 4th, 8pm, at the historic First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, 425 Congress Street, Portland, $12/person at the door. FMI http://www.mainebellydance.com

This Saturday! Alhan Arabic Music Ensemble with Jamileh and Friends

2009-03-30T12:03:00.002-04:00

Less than one week until my next (and biggest yet) performance!

I feel as though I have barely had time to breathe, never mind blog about my new costumes, my new props, the musicians, the music, the choreography, the... sigh... but perhaps it is best for those of you who are attending.

We had our dress rehearsal last night, which was the first time we have run the pieces with the musicians (we've been rehearsing to a recording of one of their rehearsals)... While there's still work to do this final week, I loved seeing the show come together last night. I am thrilled, proud, and grateful to be a part of it.

If you're in the area and not previously committed, please join us!

• Saturday, April 4th, 8pm, at the historic First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, 425 Congress Street, Portland, $12/person at the door. FMI http://www.mainebellydance.com

Blackberry is Complete!

2009-03-16T13:44:00.004-04:00

As the title of this blog post suggests... I finally finished blackberry!

Yarn: Rowan Chunky Print
Pattern: Blackberry by Jennifer Thurston

I started this back in November, but really, it should have been a quick knit. I just kept finding myself working on other things.

The bobbles were a little challenging at first... knitting into the front and back of a single stitch three times was tricky with such large needles... but I eventually got the hang of it. I also found knitting flat a little challenging at first. Again, I think the size of the needles added to the awkardness.

This is my first sweater knit in pieces and seamed together, and my first attempt at seaming was largely unsuccessful. Fortunately, a patient friend (of Keeping Myself in Stitches) showed me the ropes. It went smoothly after that.

All in all, I like it! I bound off a little too tightly, so when I try to close the front, the sides bunch up a bit. However, I like it open, and can always undo the bind off and try again. It is extremely warm, which is good for me!