Perfect Fit Sarong Dress

I had a BLAST making this dress. It's kind of strange when I think about it though. I'm usually not one for all the hand sewing since I'm super impatient. I think having a great instructor, and having fantastic fabric to work with are great motivators. :)

It looks so simple, but a lot of internal work is put into it, just to make it flawlessly formed and fit to the body. Bust padding, self facings, easing and stabilizing the neckline, waist stay, lapped zipper, hem vent, and hem tape.... oh! and boning, how could I forget, haha :)

If you want to know more about it, you can watch the intro video, and if you want, sign up for the class. The best money I've ever spent on an online class, ever ;)

 This dress is made with: 100% linen outer, and cotton lining. Spiral steel boning, grosgrain ribbon (zipper guard/waist stay), regular zipper, satin ribbon (for boning channels), and lace hem tape for the hem.



















Here's a peek of the inside to see what I'm talking about:

On these pictures you can see the insides of the bodice before I sewed it to the skirt and inserted the lining, etc. On the right, a picture of the completed inside of the dress. You can see the zipper guard (pink ribbon), the waist stay (yellow ribbon) and if you look close enough you can see the boning in there.
What do you think? Will you give this dress a try? It's pretty much a fabulous dress to work on

:)

Hello all!
So a lot has happened recently. I started to draw and paint again. Just a little, not much. I joined 2 online crafting classes, and got a brand new camera. (super excited about that last part ;) )


Also I made these:

These are the Ruby shorts off BurdaStyle. I've had the pattern in my stash for a while, and I haven't had a good pair of shorts for a few years, so I gave em a shot. I'm really happy with how they turned out. I spent a little extra time with the embroidered stitching detail, and I'm glad I did. Usually when I make something, I want it to be done as fast as possible, but I'm starting to train myself to take it slow and really concentrate on producing something durable, and something that actually fits :)














Also I finally finished Cathy's dress. I made my own pattern for her dress by draping a basic toile on a dress form then fitting her a few times while making the dress. It took a while since we live in different states, but in the end I think it turned out well. She has a hard time finding dresses that fit her perfectly due to her height (6 ft) and long torso. I had a lot of fun making something for someone other than myself, and it was a good challenge for me. I still have a lot to learn about some dress construction techniques, but I'm glad to know that I can make something like this based on what I do know how to do. :)

The two classes I've enrolled in are The Embroidery Project: All in the Details
And Gertie's new class (I enrolled today, super exciting) Sew Retro: The Perfect Fit Bombshell Dress

So far the embroidery class has been interesting, but not really up to par as to what I had expected. There are some cute projects tho, and she's donating all her proceeds to send care packages to those in need.

I did only just enroll today, but I've been looking through some of the videos on Gerties dress class, and it's absolutely fantastic! It's an especially good deal for her readers, and the Craftsy.com deal for members going on for a week or so ($25 for any online class). The class is super high tech, and you can ask questions that leave a time stamp on the video, or take notes that will bookmark the video so you know what's going on. The best part is you can watch the videos at your own pace, and refer back as often as you like indefinitely. I'm looking forward to making the dress and implementing Gertie's techniques. She's a great writer too, so her blog is a great read (if you don't already follow her) ;)

I finally got a DSLR! I'm really happy that I can take some high quality photos now. I've always been interested in photography, and in some instances I think a photo is more appropriate than a painting.

I've also been posting a lot on my new Tumblr blog, The Lady In Yellow. I only post things/photos that I've done personally rather than re-blogging other people's work. However I do <3 a lot of things, and you can see those things here. Anyway, this is were I'll be posting most of my photos if you're at all interested in such things :)

Thanks for visiting!
Kate

Recently, a friend of mine posted on her blog, 101 things that she has done. Her blog exists to track her 101 things in 1001 days challenge. It's a pretty interesting challenge that may actually get you to get off your butt and try some new things for a change ;) I decided to give the 'ol list thing a shot because I thought I could use a good pat on my back and remind myself of the neat things I've already got to do, and at the same time set the bar for whatever comes next. So without further ado:

101 things that Kate Bernhard has done in her life:

1.     Been to at least 21 U. States.

2.     3 Canadian Provinces.

3.     2 Great Lakes.

4.     5 Theme/Rollercoaster Parks in 3 different states.

5.     3 National Parks: Niagra Falls, Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone.

6.     Been to House on the Rock, The Rockies, and Sand dunes.

7.     Been to Washington D.C. twice.

8.     Went to the Mall of America.

9.     Carried a 75lb. canoe on my back by myself over rough terrain for stretches of a mile or less over an 8 day canoe/camping experience, on two occasions.

10. Carried 50lb. camping pack on my back for the same as above.

11. Lived in the woods with no plumbing/running water/trash cans for 8 days.

12. Camped out at Devils Lake, Mirror Lake, Starved Rock, and various Girl Scout campgrounds.

13. I was a Girl Scout for 9 years.

14. My family hosted a French foreign exchange student. And he liked to tease me.

15. I’ve been fishing.

16. I planned a wedding, and got married.

17. I earned a Bachelors degree in Fine Art.

18. I learned to navigate the public train system in two major cities.

19. I briefly had a table at an art fair.

20. My painting was hung in a group show in D.C.

21. I sold a painting to a friend of a friend through the Internet.

22. I’ve dealt with ridiculously difficult bosses and insanely difficult co-workers.

23. I’ve made lifelong friends

24. I’ve lived in two states.

25. I went to 2 different colleges and contemplating going to a third.

26. I’ve been baptized, received first communion, and been confirmed.

27. Been on 3 road trips that I could contribute driving to.

28. I’ve been to countless weddings of my family and friends in 2 countries and at least 3 states.

29. I’ve stood up in 2 weddings.

30. I’m a godmother to someone.

31. I’ve flown on a plane at least 15 times.

32. I’ve been to the top of the Empire State Building, the Sears Tower, and the CN Tower in Toronto and I've been inside the Statue of Liberty.

33. I ate an ice cream baked potato.

34. I’ve had BBQ in the south.

35. I had a Ski at the Dairy King.

36. I’ve sat on top of a mesa.

37. I’ve been harassed by a bum in Chicago.

38. I’ve been to 3 botanical gardens. My favorite is Chicago Botanical Garden.

39. I’ve been influenced in a meaningful way by one of the greatest watercolor artists I know (personally).

40. I’m an original member of a traveling group of artists (Sons of Turner).

41. I’ve won a handful of Softball championships in my youth.

42. I’ve gotten holes in one in Mini Golf.

43. I’ve played 9 holes of golf a dozen times.

44. I’ve made my own books, clothes, jewelry, dolls and bags since I was 10.

45. I’ve sat in the dirt and painted pictures in one sitting.

46. I learned to play piano and guitar.

47. I’ve been to science camp where I had the best idea to make a robot walk, won a rocket by building the strongest bridge with toothpicks, and built my own rocket and shot it off in a field.

48. I’ve been to horse camp, art camp and girl scout camp.

49. I’ve attempted to teach someone else how to oil paint.

50. I’ve avoided getting into at least 2 car accidents.

51. Took tap lessons.

52. Been blogging since 2005.

53. Learned to type by instant message.

54. Saw a bald eagle swoop and snatch something while canoeing.

55. Been to see a symphony play live in 2 parks in 2 cities.

56. Been Alto in a church choir.

57. Played Soccer, Volleyball, Softball, and Basketball and ran one Cross Country meet.

58. I’ve climbed countless trees.

59. I’ve read Harry Potter all the way through at least a dozen times.

60. I’ve had a shop and made a sale to a complete stranger on Etsy.

61. I’ve been in the background on a Good Morning America show.

62. I’ve been to Central Park, Battery Park, Millennium Park, Grant Park, Navy Pier, Fabyan park, Blackberry Farm, Garfield Farm, Phillips Park Zoo, Lincoln Park Zoo, Brookfield Zoo, The National Zoo in D.C., Lincoln Memorial, Washington Memorial, Korean war Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, WWI&II Memorials,  and Arlington Cemetery.

63. I’ve seen Fourth of July fireworks on a boat in Chicago, and in D.C.

64. I’ve ridden the Shock Wave and the Back to the Future ride before they got torn down/turned into something else. And I have a mini Delorian/Time Machine.

65. Designed and sewn my own wedding dress (with mom’s help, of course).

66. Designed and fit and made a dress from scratch for my lil sis.

67. Made a cohesive collection of paintings and presented it to a roomful of people.

68. Got drunk at a gay bar.

69. Survived salmonella poisoning.

70. Broke my nose, and had cosmetic surgery to straighten it.

71. Sat and watched the LOTR trilogy extended versions back to back.

72. Saw the Loretto Staircase.

73. Been to at least 6 art museums in 4 states

74. I’ve seen a Vermeer, Monet, David, Sargent, Picasso, Seurat, Ingres, and O’Keefe up close, among others.

75. I’ve ridden on a 4 wheeler.

76. Been to a Cubs, Brewers, and Cougars game and a Chicago Fire game.

77. Seen the Blue Man Group in Chicago.

78. Gone on bike rides that went through 3 towns and usually ended up in eating lunch or ice cream, and then riding back home.

79. Been to a roller derby practice.

80. Been to estate sales, and flea markets.

81. Been to county and state fairs

82. Did karaoke in a bar in Savannah at 2a.m. while sick w/ no voice.

83. Won $200 off one slot machine.

84. Co-hosted a baby shower.

85. Eaten a blueberry pie from a roadside stand in MI, eaten fajitas from a cart in NM, and eaten a hot dog from a stand in NYC.

86. Been to a Broadway show on Broadway.

87. Ushered at a handful of plays at the Paramount in Aurora.

88. Had a lemonade stand.

89. Worked as a nanny.

90. Been in a cave.

91. Climbed a mountain.

92. Been on a ski lift.

93. Went down a slide that is 2,050 ft. long.

94. Taught myself how to drape on a dress form.

95. Won 3^rd place in a national package design competition: ICMAD.

96. Got MVP my senior year playing softball.

97. Taught myself to knit, bind books, and sew.

98. Gone through an obstacle course set out by the USMC

99. Went on Kairos.

100. Commuted to Chicago on the Metra for 4 years.

101. I legally changed my last name.

Photojournal: May 2011

 I thought I'd share a few photos from the neat stuff I got to see this month.

This is one of the Peacocks at the Phillips Park Zoo in Aurora IL. My mom and I went on a lunch date to see the tulips in the Sunken Garden, and stopped by to see the peacock, and he obliged us with a show. Isn't he gorgeous?

These super fuzzy looking bears are what I got the pleasure to hold in the Craft Mall in Wisconsin Dells. We were on our way to Mirror Lake to camp out, and I saw Craft Mall on a giant sign, and well, it called to me ;) These bears sold by Silver Creek Farm are made with Alpaca wool, and they are SO soft and I wanted to buy one so bad. One for me, and one for all my friends! haha.

This is the lake. It was a lovely day to paddle, and there was hardly anyone else out with us. We called the people who rent boats and they came out special for us :) It was so quiet and peaceful, and on our outing we got the pleasure of spotting the following list of creatures: Bald Eagle (I saw him dive through the binoculars!), Turkey Vulture, Sandhill Cranes, Blue Herons, Geese, Ducks, Muskrats, a baby Fox, a Doe, a LOT of swallows, and little funny birds with long beaks. I don't remember what Andrew called them. Definitely the best paddling outing as far as wildlife goes. Of course Mirror Lake has nothing on Canada as far as how clear the water was. But it was SO calm, which was super nice and relaxing as far as paddling goes.

This is the best shot I got of any of the birds. There were a couple roaming together on land, and I had to hold my camera up and over the ledge of grass and hope for a good shot. It was pretty cool to see them up close, but they started yelling at us after a while :)



















On the way home we stopped off at the House on the Rock. I debated showing you one of the hundred creepy pictures I got from that place, but in the end, this is probably the prettiest picture of the whole day. It's in the girls bathroom on the 2nd tour. It's one of those hidden gems where if you didn't have to pee, you'd probably miss it.

 

May was pretty fun for me despite the fact that I missed Sons of Turner Tour 2011 this month. But if you want to see how that went visit any of the son's blogs, and you'll see adventures of lobster and ocean. :)  

Needle and Thread, Do you hand stitch?

Hey there! How's May treating you so far?
So this month usually marks a monumental trip to some corner of the country with the Sons of Turner, but this year, I can't go :( I'm really going to miss hanging with my favorite artists, and they leave on Monday. Have a good time in Maine guys.

In other news, I've been pretty busy getting caught up in a few ideas. On top of my ever growing project list (for sewing mostly) I've decided to take a detour with my painting and see about making some embroidery art pieces. It would look like a painting (maybe) but it'd be thread instead of paint. I'm not sure how this will play out, but I have a feeling I'll like it.

A few days ago Very Purple Person posted about her amazing backpack. The genius of this tote/backpack has got me mesmerized. I could probably easily (but more like, un-easily) figure out how to make it myself, but when I find a good pattern, I usually like to just use the pattern. :) Needless to say, I immediately went to the site to try and find the pattern, but it's out of print. This is where I scream in agony and my husband calls from the other room to ask what's the matter... (haha) But I don't let the 'unavailable' get me down just yet... It took me two days, but I found another place where they still sell the pattern: PurlSOHO. I love their blog, The Purl Bee, they always have a new cute pattern using one of their products, and usually have kits available in the shop if you want to recreate the project (plus tons of tutorials, how-tos, and projects you can create with your own materials as well). Well needless to say, I bought the pattern and I am seriously excited to get my hands on it. I'm thinking some embroidery will have to be involved...

Also, I've been hanging out on the Sublime Stitching website drooling over the awesome embroidery patterns. For some reason embroidery has been off my radar for (almost) my whole life. (When I was just learning to hand stitch when I was 6 maybe, my mom gave me a simple counted cross stitch to do, and that's all I ever did). But I was hit with the hand stitching bug after I tried some lattice smocking (or sometimes known as Canadian smocking). SO easy, you wont know why you never tried it before! :) Anyway, I tried making a dress with the waistband as smocking, but it turned out rather baggy and unflattering (the smocking was pretty awesome tho;) ). It was a huge disappointment all around, but I may try to do a thing or two to the dress to revive it.

Does anyone do a lot of hand stitching? Embroidery, smocking, or even constructing garments? How do you like it? What's your favorite methods?

pincushion anyone?

Hi everyone! How's your Wednesday?
I've got a few things going on lately, namely workout pants. I found a very good legging pattern by Burda and decided to make myself some stretchy workout pants (because the one's I really wanted were 60 bucks from one of those fancy workout clothes websites). It turns out that swim fabric is PERFECTION when it comes to workout pants. (not to mention a boatload cheaper, I'll have at least 5 pairs for the price of the one pair I saw on that website) It breathes it keeps you cool, it moves with you. Fantastic I say.  I highly recommend making yourself a few. :)

Since I've posted last about sewing, I made a skirt and a dress. The dress was a quick and easy one because I had to make it last minute when I realized I had nothing appropriate to wear to my godsons baptism. Imagine the black rose print Robert Kauffman fabric I got for Valentine's day in a strapless sweetheart dress with a circle skirt (I promise once I get some good pics of the dress I'll post 'em). The skirt was an attempt at making something interesting without a pattern. It's kindof a paper bag skirt, and it was a semi-fail. And I have yet to find a top that goes with it well... again, a photo shoot is in order and I will post about this later.

In other news, the Sew Weekly is having a month long giveaway of pincushions. If you're in need of an adorable pin cushion to brighten up your sewing space you can win, OR go buy one with the lovely discount codes provided daily on the blog. Today there's also a cute tutorial on how to make your own!

I've also come across a competition from the ASG 2011 Creativity Contest. You have to use 7 Simplicity patterns to create something innovative, and you could win a Brother sewing machine. The patterns they have to choose from are pretty basic and very blah on their own (In my opinion), so creating something interesting with them would be as easy as painting a blank canvas. (possibly)


I was also invited to join in on an art project called the Hallow Project. It's going to be a collaboration of different art mediums and it will culminate at an art show. But it's a juried competition so I'll have to create something worthy first ;) The theme is self image and eating disorders. I feel it's something that we all know something about whether it affects us personally or someone we know. We all know that thin girl who thinks she is SO fat. Self esteem and self image is damaged by the media. I hope I can paint something that successfully reflects my feelings about it. I'm also hoping that the fire of competition will get me moving along on a few things.

That's all I have for today! I hope everyone's "hump" day is a good one! ;)

Pushing the boundaries of a still life

This past month has been a whirlwind of change for me. I've been exercising on purpose (and if you know me, you know that I usually don't go for that type of thing), finally getting into healthier eating habits (my mom can be happy now, lol) and overall getting my life organized and back on track. So blogging had become lower on the priority list while I got myself heading down a better path. I now proudly boast a fabulously clean studio and now that it's clean, I want to paint! I haven't picked up a brush since last May on the 2nd annual Sons of Turner Tour 2010, and that is far too long.

So today as I start thinking about what kind of art that I do (still life) I have to ask some questions. Such as: Why do people associate fruit with still life? (Not to mention jars, bowls, vases, cups, etc.) What is it about kitchen supplies that get people excited about painting? Now I know there's all kinds of symbolism involved with the old timey paintings and such, but do those ideas transfer fluidly to today's culture and understanding? I hate still lifes of just "stuff" and when I look at the jumble of things people associate with still life objects, it doesn't mean anything to me. Why should I care about how nicely you painted that glass bowl? or that orange? (Not saying that nicely painted bowls are bad, just that why was it painted at all?). A painting of just stuff, has less of an impact than a painting that has meaning, or a purpose (in my opinion anyway).

Painters all have different reasons for painting these days. Rewind to the beginning of painting history and you see that the only reason people painted was so the illiterate could enjoy the stories too. Or it was for documenting things. Now, art is all kinds of things. A banana peel nailed to the wall (is it art? must be, it's here in a gallery).

Not that I've never used kitchen supplies in my own paintings, I just want to make sure that the object in question has a reason to be included. I want to go back in time to where pictures told a story. In order for my paintings to really hold up to my own standards, there has to be a reason beyond painting a picture that looks nice. What I end up with (I hope) relates to other people on a more personal level than just a painting that adds color to a room. I love the challenge of painting a portrait of someone using only objects that describe them/represent them symbolically. Usually this involves a group of ordinary objects that only gain meaning when they are placed together a certain way. Sometimes the biggest job is figuring out the perfect objects and tracking them down. Once that is done, the rest comes together nicely. 

"Mom and Me" 10x10 oil on birchwood 2009.