Embroidery: Topping

I mentioned in my last post that I've been doing piles-o-towels lately. They're the loopy microfiber kind, and I found that the Aqua Film as a topper was making a mess--it kept getting sticky and then my presser foot would drag it all over the place. So I tried something new--using Sulky Ultra Solvy as a topper. Worked wonders--you would swear that it was a completely different stitch count, the results were so much better. So if you're working on something really loopy or with a deep pile, use some Ultra Solvy as your topping--it will make your stitch-out so much better! I'll post a photo of both side by side so you can see the difference.

Gearing Up for the Halloween Season

It's been a while since I've posted, and that's mostly because I've been so busy! I've been giving my Aurora a workout (I've embroidered nearly 100 golf towels) and I'm in the middle of finishing some costume tops for our Middle Eastern dance troupe. One word for any of you who do dance costumes--sergers! Can't live without one now. In the meantime, I've been experimenting with tie-dye and posted a batch of dance veils on eBay a few months back and got some really good reviews of them, so I just did another batch and will post those shortly. These have matching skirt toppers and head scarfs--I just hate when you get a new veil and then can't find a thing to wear to match. (Yes, I'm a little picky.)

On the Halloween front (for those of who who don't think about what you're wearing until the night before--for shame!) I'm making myself Phoenix's outfit from the newest X-Men movie (the red/black shot silk corset-y number). I also have to quilt my colonial skirt that I made last year (another test for my Aurora--the BSR). For eBay, I'm making the following:

• Elizabeth Swann's gold dress from Pirates of the Caribbean (the first one)
• Leia's Ewok dress from Return of the Jedi
• A Jane Austen style dress--possibly generic, although I have some yummy silk and may make Elizabeth's white ball gown from the new Pride and Prejudice. Shameless plug here--if you haven't checked out the new Simplicity patterns for Halloween, you must buy the two Regency ones that just came out. They were done by Jennie Chancey, who runs Sense & Sensibility Patterns (www.sensibility.com). She does amazing work and is one of the nicest people on the planet. =)
• Arwen's lavender farewell dress from LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring

Well, okay--those are the ones I have the fabric for. Whether I get them done or not is another story. =) But this is why I'm posting my plans here, for all the world to see--I work best under pressure. =)The gold POTC dress is halfway done--pictures will be posted soon!