Martini Time!

In need of the perfect skirt to match a Cabo Halter I made from this Michael Miller print, I decided to do some hand embroidery. I haven't actually done any embroidery or needlework of any kind since I was in junior high or so. I've bought a few Christmas kits in the past at New Year's sales, with the intent of making them for gifts the following year, but never really followed through. Maybe because cross stitch is level-of-hell dull to me. But embroidery is easy. And fun. And something I can do on the train without taking up any more space than I usually do.
















So, I whipped this up over the last two nights: I'm happy with how it turned out. If tomorrow wasn't "Continental Reunion Night," an occasion that requires more gothing out than I've been doing in the last year or two, I'd wear it to the club this weekend. As it is, I suspect I'll be wearing it out Saturday night. And I'm thrilled it's done in plenty of time for the Southern Culture on the Skids show in a couple weeks. Here's a closeup of the embroidery. No, it's not great, but for my first attempt at it in close to fifteen years I'm pretty pleased. As I said before, it's based on the Sublime Stitching Viva Las Vegas motif set. I doubled the glasses, added the spill and splash, and moved one of the olives to the base from inside the glass, though.
I used Saral transfer paper to get the design on the black fabric, but I think I have to suck it up and put aside my love of local and/or independent businesses next time. It was basically just chalk dusted paper, and a lot of it did rub off before I was done. The splash was inspired by a transfer-induced mistake, actually. I'd finished the liquid freehand since the transfer was long gone, just to realize it was uneven with the rim of the martini glass. So I decided to add the droplets and puddle rather than rip it all out and start over.

It worked out, and I'm happy, but the whole thing would have been a lot easier with my normal dressmakers transfer paper instead of the art store kind.


Oh, and the skirt is a basic a-line, no pattern used. Linen-rayon blend, Hong Kong seams on the inside, waistband is plain bias cut from the same fabric. And no, I don't have a pale green dress form. I have a vintage acme that was kindly given to me. It is, however, also about five sizes too small at it's largest settings, so it's padded to hell and back (and still not quite enough) with an old green stretch knit nightie pulled over the whole thing to smooth out the lumps and bumps of the padding.
The top is really a sight, too.