A Busy Crafting Week

So, I've done quite a few things this week (although there's still plenty more to do)!

Black and White Yarn Belt Trim
First things first, I finally added the trim to the black and white yarn belt.  I need to add the trim to the reverse side as well--virtually everyone has said they prefer the matte sides of the belts, so I'd like to have the trim available on both for that one at least.

Blue and White Yarn Belt
I also started the blue and white yarn belt.  It's actually farther along than the purple and orange one simply because I started sewing up the blue one first.

Here you can see the general process in a little more detail:

How I lay out the yarn after cutting it to the proper length.
There's two skeins of the blue, even if it doesn't look that way.

Start in the middle with the main color, then do the pattern on each side.

I don't know why this is upside down, but here it is, completed.

Cut the belt fabric, then pin along the suede cord.

This time, I'm hand stitching the top. It takes longer, but it's cleaner
and less prone to screw-up from the machine disagreeing with the pleather.

I'm almost done with the top stitching, at which point this will be done.  Woohoo!

Gala Costume
I've also been working on my Gala costume. I've put trim and the side straps on the bra, and I'm very grateful to the design help of my shimmy sister Jennifer for the former!

Blogger seems to want to upload all of my pictures wonky today....

I'll be putting in some jewelly bits in the middle, because something needs to go there. I've started on the top straps, but they need to be roll-hemmed against fraying.  Here you can see the strap fabric loosely laid out on the bra though.

And here are some of the rejected trim ideas...

I did get the side straps done today, though.  They need to be pressed, but I went ahead and sewed them on anyway.

As for the belt, it's still in progress, but here's how the planning has gone.  At first, I tried to mimic the bra design, but it just seemed kind of "blah."

Trying to mimic the bra...

 Then my shimmy sisters Jenny and Haley stepped in!  It's hard to see, but the smaller red, gold, and blue trims create smaller swirls.  I'm not sure yet if the thicker red trim will go along the top or stay where it is in the pictures, but I'll have to figure that out soon.

I think this design is much cooler, and I can still incorporate the swirls into the top, so that's probably what I'll do.

And that's it for this week!  Expect more updates soon!