Top Secret Project - Prototype revealed!!!
Here we see the little 8" x 8" test swatch which cost $5 to print. (That's why we must actually use it. Five bucks is not a lot, until you consider how much printing a yard would be and you realize it's proportionally quite pricey, but worth it not to pay for yards and yard of mistake fabric.)
Here we see the fine attention-to-detail the llama is putting into this prototype. This is quality craftmanship, y'all. ^_~
We want to fussy cut (i.e., carefully center the template before cutting) this fabric.
These are the fabrics I bought for backing the stocking. I really like them. Henry Glass - Hip Holidays line, if I recall correctly. I bought them on the internet, before I received the printed swatch, and while they look great next to MTYG on my monitor, in person--in certain lights--they just aren't right.
The llama is about to use fusible fleece in completely the wrong manner. Quality is Job 1!
(Don't do this at home, kids. Your iron won't like you.)
Here, under the best lighting in my apartment, it's really clear that the colors aren't right. But... the Henry Glass fabric will be on the back. Maybe things will work out...
Hmm...
No. I really like the fabrics, but no.
And the stocking needs more bling, but not the bling I have on hand. (Unless I go for bedazzling...)
Next several pictures are trying out some other fabrics I have on hand (though not anywhere near the needed quantities).
I quite like this fabric. There's one place that still has some in stock. (From Robert Kaufman's Glitzmas collection. I think it's an older line.) (ETA: I went ahead and ordered 3 yards of this fabric before it disappeared. I know I'll use it for something, even if it's not for this project.)
No...
Maybe. There's lots of places still selling this. It's a Riley Blake fabric.
It's not an exact match, but I do kinda like this. It's also fairly easy to acquire.
Hmm. Too bland?
So going to use this fabric in other projects. I really like it.
Noosh, want to model it for me?
Noosh: *ignores the llamamama and her tomfoolery*
Things I have learned:
(1) Noosh is not a spokesmodel (unless maybe if there were catnip bribes involved...).
(2) Mini-stockings should probably not have fleece on both sides.
(3) My sewing machine is still having tension issues.
(4) The printed fabric, though billed as "quilting weight," is lighter than the quilting fabric I normally use. I think I want to go ahead and order the design printed on their organic cotton sateen instead. It's a lot more pricey. More than I'd ever normally pay. But... it is 12 inches wider, and heavier, and I'd be more happy with it and who wants to spend a lot of time on a top secret project and then not be satisfied with the end result? If I order on 11/22, they're having a one-day free-shipping promo, too.
(5) Need more Ferengi bling.
So...
Viney fabric with the red berries? Or the polkas dots on blue? Or the polka dots on white? Or... make a trip out to Jo-Ann's and hope to find something suitable, though their selection leaves a lot to be desired sometimes?
ETA:
Just in case you're wondering, the "top secret" project will be full-sized stockings, not minis. And the reason I'm looking for a good backing is because the printed fabric is too expensive (for me) to do both sides. If I go with the lighter weight, it's $18/yard. The sateen is $27/yard. I will get a 10% discount, but still... O_O I usually look for quilting fabric to be no more than $8/yard. (Though when I'm buying amounts smaller than a yard, I tend to let myself buy $10/yard fabric.)
Have any thoughts on proper sparkle bling?
Originally posted at http://llamabitchyo.dreamwidth.org/8439.html. Comment where you wish, yo.