New look, new year!

Hello and welcome back to my blog! Notice anything new? It's the new and improved image and designs.

old logo

new logo

I felt since last year I wasn't up for writing much, I could resume it this year. I also plan on sharing more details about items for sale in my Etsy shop. I am expanding what is offered in my shop to include more upcycled clothing, customized orders and vintage finds. I have found beautiful vintage patterns over the past year and plan to sell several of them. I also happened upon some wonderful vintage clothing I'd like to sell. 

So while I get things set up and new listings available, be sure to visit what I currently offer in my shop. And if you enjoy social media come find me online with my Facebook page and Instagram pages!

May Day, new projects

Happy spring, May Day & Beltane! I know, they have come and passed already. But I am here to re-cap, update and share photos with you!

I again decorated my weeping cherry blossom tree with ribbons like a May pole! My tree has easily grown by 2"s already this year. I ended up with ribbon a tad too short then usual. But that's okay, I wrap and braid it around and tie it with a big bow.

I enjoyed my spring floral crown of faux pink roses and ribbons. I actually intend to make a (yet another) floral crown with some faux butterflies this year. I have some parts of it sitting in my craft room but I may need to match some new ribbon.

my decorated great-grandma's straw hat

my rose spring floral crown

I have also become busy with my resident seamstress work! About every 4 weeks or so I bring my sewing machine to my martial arts school. I sew what students bring for a good 2 1/2 hours but I also happily take home anything they drop off. I currently sew on patches, hemming and repairs. I enjoy helping them get their uniforms in tip top condition and personalized.

sewing on patches

my little online signage

I'm still busy on Instagram & Etsy. I recently opened a new Facebook page for my crafting, so do stop over. Visit the new page here: facebook CraftinessbyB

Altering a bought dress, Spring equinox

Hello everyone, I hope spring has found you! The weather is warming, birds are out daily and flowers are sprouting up everywhere. After a long harsh winter I think we could all use some sunshine. Thinking of sunny days ahead, I am going to share how I've been altering a bought dress.

I think like many women, you sometimes find a beautiful dress but it just doesn't fit quite right. It could be too big in one area but too tight in others. The straps could be too long or short. Maybe the hem line isn't what you hoped for but the rest is a perfect fit! So what do you do when this happens? You go about learning how to alter the dress.

I bought this lovely dress from a store and it had everything I wanted: a navy blue color, soft embossed print, cinch at the waist but... it was too large in the bust and the straps are far too long for me.

Yes, that says 'police box' on the waist band!

If you didn't know before you sure know now - I'm a nerdy kind of girl. I love Doctor Who and was beside myself upon finding this dress! It resembles the TARDIS and has this lovely tulle at the hem line. As you will see in my photos it has black piping on the bust and that is where I decided to pin the bust in some. 

I have a dress form, it's a way to size clothing to your exact measurements. It's very handy and they frequently go on sale at many craft supply stores. I placed my dress on the form and pinned it in areas that were too large or baggy. I then tried it on to make doubly sure it was just right. I am stitching this by hand with a curved needle, sometimes sold as an upholstery needle. But they do make small ones for working on clothing and they are about 1 1/2"s in length or more. Using a curved needle while your dress is on the dress form makes this project very easy. I am sewing it at the black piping and the new stitches are not visible.

You can apply this method for most any bought clothing that you need to fit your measurements correctly. If you do not have a dress form you can carefully pin the article of clothing while you wear it. And this can be easier if you have a helper to pin areas for you, so you can stand up straight while wearing it. To add width is a different post I'm afraid and I do plan to share how to someday. It's often not as difficult as it sounds. But to take in clothing, this can be done by a novice with just a bit of guidance and practice!

As spring has sprung so has my desire to decorate for the new season! I have a mantle above my fireplace and was so pleased to decorate for the spring equinox. I included two faux birds in their nest, tulips and other brightly colored flora to welcome the new season. 

I hope you have sunny days ahead and April showers soon ~ check back soon for some new posts. And be sure to pay my new photography page on Facebook a visit, it is: Bertha Bee Photography. Stop by to show your support for us small photographers & artisans. 

The big 4000 fans fanpage on Facebook!

It's big, it's huge, it's the largest thing I have ever seen! My friend Melissa tipped me off to this huge collection of sponsors on one little fanpge on Facebook. They are called 'Bless Others With Cards' and are trying to reach 4000 fans. They hope to have enough fans to do a huge giveaway with products from sponsors. I decided to become a sponsor by donating my lime green Kiko plushie from my craftiness by Bethanee line of handmade goods. Here is the cutie, I tried to show it has a fluffy rabbit tail and is fairly big and huggable.

* to enter the grand giveaway start at Bless Others With Cards photo albums, go to 'step 1' then my item is in album 2 here

With this amazing challenge going on I was able to gain over 190 fans within 4 days! I started with just friends and 7 fans on my page, now I have so many I will do a giveaway also. {here is my fanpage on Facebook} I want to give people a chance to see what I make and a giveaway is a blast anyways. But no myster grab bag from me, I will be sharing pictures of exactly what is up for grabs. I'm going to have 2 goodies set up for grabs which include: a felt made item like charm or coin purse, some hand stamped stickers, handmade bookmark from recycled goods, origami spring color ornament and a special discount to use in my Etsy shop. So I hope more people stop by and explore my line of handmade goods and join my fanpage. More details on the giveaway coming soon!