In order to get somewhere you must go towards it!

In otherwords, if you have a goal, a dream, you need to be working towards it EVERY DAY.
My goal is to produce a small pattern line. I have talked about this in the past. I have not however made much headway in the past months, some of this was out of my control, but a lot of it was not.
So I sat down the other day and wrote out things that I CAN do, right now to reach my goal, and this is a small list of some of the things I will be endeavoring to do.

1. Blog once a week, at least. This is essentially publicity, but also it means I have to be thinking about what to blog about!
2. Add a new item to the old etsy store at least once a month. Not renew a listing, but a NEW listing. This could be something I (or my husband) have created, or something I am culling from the stash.
3. Have a featured etsy item once a week that for that week ONLY will be reduced in price, free shipping, special offer or something! I will start this feature on Monday.

There are many more things I need to do on my list (like organize the crafting space) but those are not to be shared here.

At the end of the day, what have you done to achieve YOUR goal?

Source: imprinttrainingcenter.blogspot.com via Corsetra on Pinterest

Beware the Pretty Pins

Like many other Crafters and Costumer, I can be found wasting time on Pinterest. It is a time suck to some and an inspiration to others. Depending on who and which boards you choose to follow you may find it a lot like an average "woman's magazine." With weight-loss tips, cake and cookie recipes, household cleaning tips and crafts for children. But unlike a magazine, you can choose which boards to follow so you can choose not to see those things if you want.

Just the other day I found something I didn't even know I was looking for.

I thought it was so interesting, that I have decided to share.
I have been going through online collections of Victorian magazines and came across this Der Bazar cover

Source: Uploaded by user via Corsetra on Pinterest

Pretty funny looking huh? Well yesterday I found on Pinterest a surviving example that shows that yes somebody actually did make these!

Source: carmeldollshop.com via Corsetra on Pinterest

even more hideous in real life! If only they had Regretsy in Victorian times!

Anyways you can take a look at my Pinterest boards, maybe you will find something you didn't know you were looking for!

A pony for my daughter

My last post was about finishing the Merida doll. I am happy to report that she has safely made her trip!
In that post I also referenced the post I made about Embroidering eyes. Well the project the second set of eyes belong to is now finished!

The Pony Pattern  is by VooDoo Tiki on Deviant Art
Read more about the making of behind the cut

The Cutie Mark is just something I made up, I couldn't come up with anything that symbolized my daughter, and she is too young to draw her own.

Brave are the Artists

Today I finished off the last of Merida's clothes and carefully packed her in a box. The children said their goodbyes, especially my daughter.
I had blogged about her hand embroidered face a while back
Her hair is quite red and full, the yarn I used is Homespun and I have used it in other colorways in the past. This time I didn't cut it in to strands but left it looped at the bottom, this means it will hopefully not all ravel off her head!
Her arms are jointed at the shoulder, her legs at the hip.

In the end she has a nicely rounded wardrobe of 4 dresses, a cloak, undergarments and a blanket.

Click the cut to see more on ALL the clothes this little girl has.

Mock-ups are always a good thing.

Remember that Doll house I was designing?
Well I finally dot around to making a cardboard mock up. After all, having recently moved, we had cardboard to use!
I didn't do all the pieces, just the 3 different roof sections and 1 stair/hallway section.
I have even allowed the children to play with it, even though I keep telling them it is MY doll house.

More pictures and further plans after the cut
EDITED with new roof shapes!

In support of Research

I enjoy good costume research, even good non-costume research.
So I want to share with you Sarah Lorraine of Mode Historique research into the "chemise a la reine" whic you can read about here on her newest blog called Scandalous Liberty dedicated to this project.

Source: manchestergalleries.org via Corsetra on Pinterest

She will be taking a reserach trip to study one of only 2 known surviving examples in the Fall of 2012, so she is raising money to cover her expenses and hopefully publish her findings in 2013!
Since I am currently without income, I can not contribute as I would like, so I am going to dontae the procedes of my etsy sales, minus shipping costs, towards her undil November 2012.
I have enven created a coupon code for the supporters.
CHEMISEALAREINE will get you 20% off! I don't have any items in my shop over $35, mostly vintage including several uncut larger vintage size patterns.
So head on over to my shop and take a look.

Nothing there you like, try looking at Sarah's shop CocoRocaille

Embroidering eyes

I recently started a couple of soft projects for my children.
One is going to be a doll based on Merida from Pixar's Brave. I hope to actually make more than one doll, and even hopefull a set of Triplets. The pattern is my own that I have designed and if it works out well, you may find it in my etsy shop soon.
The other is a Pony Pattern by VooDoo Tiki on Deviant Art
I decided to try my hand at embroidering these faces. The doll is finished and now ready to be assembled into a head. The pony will need it's mouth stitched after the face is seamed together.

The doll's nose is stuffed and has a scarp on the back to hold that stuffing in place. I hope it is still dimensional when the whole head is stuffed!

I am pleased with my attempts, having never embroidered eyes like this before, and I didn't take a look at tutorials until after I had stated. I will be trying different techniques on the next dolls and ponies.(yes I will be making 3 ponies) I used plain cotton for all of these projects.

The Merida Doll you see here can be seen finished here
The Pony is Finished Here

Designing a Doll House

Corsetra Designs, not just historical clothes, but other Crafts as well, and today I am showing you a new project I hope to start on soon.

A Wooden Doll house for my children!
Recently we took them to the toy store to celebrate their birthday (my children are 2, 4 & 6, and their birthdays are 3 months in a row.) The two eldest boys were very interested in playing with the Calico Critters tree house, but that was too large with too many small pieces.
So I went online looking at dollhouses later and found what I like about different doll houses. I definitely wanted wood, and NOT pink! I want one that my boys would play with (along with the play castle and Stable)
I liked how open some modern designs are like Hape All Seasons House, Plan Toys Terrace Doll House and My First Dollhouse. I really like the way the fabric wall of Plan Toys Play House can be on or off, allowing for acces, or walls. But The best Ideas I found were the Maxim Designed by You Dollhouse and the Toideloi Stackhouse. I LOVE the fact that those two could be turned into more than one small house which is good when you have more than one child playing with it.

Source: toideloi.com via Corsetra on Pinterest

But none of these were quite right, some were too girly, some too big/small, some to expensive. But Honestly none of them had all the quality and features I would want. So I went to the drawing board, or in this case the graph paper. After I hade an idea of the dimensions I took it into CAd and made a 3D model.
I will now proudly tell you this is my 3rd 3D model, and first house (previous were and eyelet and a tent.)

Each color block is a different room, they are all less than 9" tall The blue has a foot print of 9X12", the orange and red are 18X12" and the purple and green are 6X12". so that when I put the rooms up they will fit on my bookshelves. I also think I will build some tops that look like a castle. I do not think we will start out with this many pieces, but it is fun to reconfigure the house.
There will not be many, if any, walls built in except for the ones beside the stairs. Instead I will make fabric walls with hook and loop tape for more versatility. Also the fabric walls will help to keep the furniture and dolls inside when in storage.
Next comes cardboard mock ups and then lumbar shopping!

Getting ahead of yourself.

Sometimes we jump in with both feet, barely knowing how to swim and almost drown.

That was me the other day.

My friend had shared the "Persian" Coat currently displayed at the Metropolitan museum, thinking of recreating it, and I spent just 2 or 3 hours looking for more info, finding the Tilke illustration and supposed back views.
I then spent the entire next day making up the pattern and posting it. Mainly to get myself back in the habit of making and sharing patterns.
Yesterday I went back to research, and discovered some errors I had made.
Don't worry, it doesn't affect my pattern (much) and I am updating that post with the most pertinate info. Mainly that the back view IS NOT the same one currently at display at the Met. (as I had guessed)

A quick pattern for a Dear Friend

After my move and not having my computer for 2 weeks, it took me a while to get back into the pattern making groove. (Not to mention the fact that I hadn't done any patterning the month we were packing to move.)

I was working on my Corset en X pattern, since that is the pattern I want to get to testers first, but yesterday my dear friend posted something that looked easy to pattern, so there was my quick challenge.

I present to you the Persian Riding Coat pattern.

Source: metmuseum.org via Corsetra on Pinterest

It is based off this one that is curently on display at the Metropolitan Museum for the exhibit Byzantium and Islam: Age of Transition
 on loan from Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst, Berlin