Tag Archives: sewing

March 29, 2026 · 5:21 pm

Faerie Queen in Spring )O(

Early spring blossoms

Merry meet all,

Snow coats the streets and sidewalks, determined to resist spring. The Pagan Association of Nova Scotia is hosting a Beltane Ball in May. I bought a ticket and I was completely inspired to work on my costume. I want to be a Faerie Queen! 

Although the event is in May, I”m busy preparing for it now. Faerie Queens are busy. I’m seized with inspiration. I pored over pinterest fae photos to get inspiration, including the faerie art by Brian Froud.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have a beautiful purple/ pink faerie dress. I examined the dress more closely and I noticed it’s in need of repair. The elastic in the casing in the sleeves was expired. I whipped out my sewing tools and patiently seam ripped the sleeves. I decided that clear elastic was too frail, even for a Faerie Queen. The sleeves are fixed. I want to add longer lower sleeves to the dress and make a shoulder ruffle. The faerie dress is fragile. The sleeve ruffle might stabilize the fabric. I lightly touched up the edges of the sleeves and bodice using clear nail polish to prevent fraying. I sewed  beautiful lavender colored embroidered flowers to the front of the faerie dress. That made the dress look even more beautiful. I want to sew a zigzag stitch to the dress hem. I sewed a shimmery trim to the dress hem. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also made a lovely hobo bag. I didn’t want to carry around a backpack all night, especially since I may be wearing faerie wings. I sewed myself a lovely magical hobo bag. I just love it. The faerie dress and the slip need more mending. 

I sewed a short overskirt to the faerie skirt and trimmed the overskirt with ribbon. The overskirt isn’t visible with the faerie dress, but I am sure if I dance or something, it will be visible then. The deep purple overskirt sprinkles faerie glitter everywhere. 

I am so proud of my faerie leaf mask. It turned out better than I expected. I don’t have the skills to work with leather (yet), so I used the cardboard from a cereal box. I painted the mask green using three coats and let the paint dry between coats. I used a scissors and an exacto knife to cut it out. I found a pattern and etched in the fine arched lines of the mask. I cut out the eyes. I used a hole punch on the far sides of the mask to be able to secure ribbon when I want to wear it. I plan to add moss, leaves (lots!), and feathers. I’ve decided to use artificial oak and maple leaves and glue them on with a hot glue gun. I promise to add photos when I am done. I also have to get my mitts on a pair of faerie ears. I found my faerie wand and wings. The fae gifted me a twig and I want to add it to the crown. I can’t wait till I get to Michaels arts and crafts. I glued green felt oak leaves, artificial leaves and flowers to the mask. I love how it looks. I have to make the large green felt oak leaf more stable and created a green butterfly from clay. I adhered a clay loop to the butterfly so I could hang it from a chain. The butterfly had to be secured with hot glue. I secured two long green velvet ribbons to the mask. I glued two green felt maple leaves to the back of the mask. I want the front and the back of the mask to look great. I repainted the back of the mask. I touched up the black paint on the mask with gold acrylic paint.  I painted a clear sealant to the mask. That makes it permanent and it also added a nice shine to the mask. The mask looks even more amazing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The corset – I seam ripped the fasteners on the corset. I’m installing eyelets to use as fasteners. Yup this sure is turning out to be a faerie queen costume. Today I installed the eyelets and laced up the bodice. I love how it’s all coming together. 

 I want to add herbs, gemstone chips and a tiny scroll to a small vial with a cork top, and coat green and purple candle wax on the cork, then insert a jump ring to attach to a chain, add another jump ring at the bottom of the vial, then add another fairyish charm such as a butterfly/ fairy feather or a gemstone. One vial is a gift for my friend and the second one will be for me. 

Today I attempted to sew the crinoline sleeve to the dress.  I could not sew the long sleeves to the shorter sleeves because both sleeves needed an elastic casing. I will use a safety pin to adhere the lower sleeves to the upper sleeves. The lower sleeves are beautiful. I did finally finish mending the slip, sewed in the zigzag stitch at the hem of the faerie dress, and sewed the shoulder ruffles but I still have to sew them onto the sleeves. I may have to sew by hand because my sewing machine does not like crinoline. I glued a few flowers to the dress. The faerie dress was a lot of work to repair, but I learned a lot in the process, so that made it worth it.

My crown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I bought these beautiful butterfly clips which I will adhere to the dress. I have the faerie wand, mask, ears, wings and gown. The last detail I have to work out is a crown. I have a few options: the gold Arwen crown, a circlet, the circlet that came with the wings. I’ll figure it out. I have a few options for how to style my hair and makeup. I still have lots of time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I want to coat the frayed parts of the faerie dress with clear nail polish. The fabric is fragile and tends to fray, so that should take care of it. I glued the fairy wings back onto the poor fairy. She can now fly and flit over tops of flowers or sip honey nectar tea. I touched up the faerie house a little bit. I painted a white crown of thorns with a spellbinding mixture of brown, green and gold. I love how it turned out. It looks regal, and earthy. The gold enhances the earthy brown color nicely. 

I sewed a second corset today. The corset is black with embroidered butterflies. I had to sew the black mesh fabric to natural black cotton because I didn’t want the interfacing to show. I sewed the lining separately then sewed them together. I had to make a slight adjustment to the corset size. Once I figured out how much extra fabric I needed, I stitched that to the corset. I have to install the eyelets. Then it will be complete. It looks great with the faerie dress and skirt! I used a pdf underbust corset pattern from Etsy. 

 

 

 

 

 

I finally installed the eyelets into the corset. The corset is complete. It was a lot of work to do that, but well worth it. I love how it looks now. Sweet and edgy. I set up my work area at the table, and hammered the grommets into the fabric. I hammered on a cloth covered board. I could see the indents from the hammering. I am happy the corset is done now. I chose deep blue velvet ribbon for lacing the corset. The corset looks beautiful. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made a jar of faerie dust for a friend and I’m soon making one for another friend. I bought miniature bottles with chains from Michaels. I love that store! I ground chamomile, calendula, elderflower, lavender and rose petals to a fine powder then added the ground herbs to the jar. I sealed the jar with beeswax. It really looks like faerie dust. Well, it is!

 

 

This faerie queen will celebrate Beltane in style with my beautiful Beltane gown. Till then,,…

 

Blessings, Spiderwitch )O(

 

 

 

 

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January 24, 2026 · 5:21 pm

Creative in Crime

Merry meet all,

I know it seems the world has gone crazy right now. I just try my best to focus on the positive, or, should I say – paws-itive? Yes, I am referring to my adorable cat with a unrivaled penchant for mischief. She is so cute. She fills me with love. That is something that the world needs way more of right now, peace and love. It is out there. 

Today’s post will be on a very different topic than my other previous posts. Make yourself a coffee and keep reading! 

I changed my mind about writing the Ed gein book. I am at the very least postponing it. Instead, I’m focusing on other projects. I need to know there is a big advantage for me to go to all that trouble, in other words, I want to know for sure I would make enough profit to have justified going to all that work. I have to finish editing Born of Venom, continue with my herbalism studies, perhaps write another horror novel. When I am more established as a writer, then I will consider writing the Gein book. But for now. I am focusing on other projects. 

I enjoy writing nonfiction. It is in many ways much easier than writing fiction. Believe me, it’s true. Or at least, that is true for me. Bring the nightmares on! 

In other news, I am waiting for the renaissance sewing pattern to arrive via owl mail. I have a pattern, but it is the wrong size. I can’t wait to start sewing! I have the fabric for the peasant blouse and skirt, new cream-colored and brown bias tape, interfacing, ribbons for the bodice, lining material for the vest, threads and all my sewing tools. All I need is the pattern. I also want to get d-rings instead of setting in the eyelets the traditional way. I prefer using the d-rings because they are much easier. I have all that lace. I am sure I can make the outfit look beautiful. I can’t wait to sew it! I also want to wear the vest and the blouse with other outfits. I plan to sew the overskirt and add the lace to the whole overskirt. That will look amazing!

My first pattern I made from the Renaissance pattern

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I found a bodice that I sewed from the original sewing pattern. It is worn out and old. I will toss it soon. It’s shown me how much I have improved in my sewing since sewing that bodice. I may or may not add boning to the bodice. I really could do without it. The bodices that I checked online at Holyclothing do not have boning. I want to feel comfortable in it, not gasping for air. Lol. The boning does give the bodice a shape and a structure. I will know how it wil go later. 

Sewing carefuly and slowly, and paying attention to all the details pays off, resulting in a beautiful garment. I also feel the same way about writing and revising. With hard work and attention, everything falls into place. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

 

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January 22, 2026 · 2:16 pm

Sewing Patterns Mayhem )O(

Merry meet all,

Imbolc is almost here! I have had a huge creativity streak lately. I usually feel exceptionally creative when Imbolc rolls around. Imbolc is the first of the three spring Sabbats. I am very relieved. That brings us all closer to spring, for those who live in the Northern hemipshere. 

I sewed myself a blue skirt the other day. The project took two days to complete. The challenge was sewing the yoke to the skirt.

 

My new homemade blue skirt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have a new sewing project in mind. I bought a few meters of beige cotton knit fabric that I originally intended to use for the nightgown. It was too heavy for a nightgown. I still have the fabric. Then inspiration struck! I now intend to sew myself a Renaissance outfit. I have a sewing pattern for it, but the pattern is not in the right size. I’m ordering the pattern in the right size. Once I have the pattern, then I can sew the garment. The pattern is shown in the photo below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I decided against sewing a dress from the beige knit fabric. They require such precision and a million fittings. A peasant blouse is so easy to sew. For once, I think I will choose sewing something easy instead of complex. 

The garment will consist of a beige cotton knit peasant blouse and a skirt, a bodice and an overskirt. I have a long brown cotton skirt that I made from the original pattern. That would look good with the pattern. I already have fabric and brown thread for the bodice. I found the brown velveteen fabric in my fabric stash. I bought a meter of brown cotton for the lining and I found interfacing in my stash. I just need several d-rings ( my skills at inserting eyelets leaves much to be desired). I want to add the peplum to the bodice as well as embroidered trim. I bought plenty of brown ribbon to lace up the bodice. I am glad that this project is not costing me a lot of money. I already own most of the supplies I need. I do have to buy dark blue bias tape for the bodice. I love Fabricville, but I love the trims and ribbons on Etsy. I noticed that in the largest photo on the front of the sewing pattern shows the model wearing a bias tape that is a darker color, so I want to do the same. The dark blue color brings out the pink color of the bodice. The variety and quality is much better on Etsy. 

I bought a few meters of beautiful cream white organdy lace on Etsy. I have yet to decide how I will use it with the blouse and skirt. I am sure I can figure it out. I do believe that the outit will look amazing! I’m relieved that I thought of ways to use up the fabric that just sat in my stash. I have so much beige fabric that I could sew the overskirt and skirt from the same fabric. Or I could make the overskirt brown too. It could go either way. I’m happy to get the pattern in my size because figuring out how to grade the original pattern would have been such a headache. I am not that skilled! The pattern was hard to find in the sizes I wanted. I may sew the lace to the overskirt and to the sleeve hems! That would look romantic and a great way to use up the lace. 

The lace organdy fabric

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The beige and browns are earthy colors. I have all of the remaining winter and spring to work on it. Maybe I will try learning a new skill such as machine embroidery! I have to practice before I would consider doing machine embroidery on the brown velvet. Sewing a trim to fabric is easier. That would look great though. Winter is a season to turn inward and be reflective and spring is the wild, untamed transition of new life and birth. I still see earthy browns and beiges as pertaining to spring. The mud is softer and tiny buds emerge from the soil. I ordered a nice brown embroidered trim from Etsy. I can’t wait for it to arrive. 

I sewed a mock up of the bodice pattern. I am glad I did as I could determine how much fabric I really needed to make the bodice. The brown velveteen fabric is lovely. I cut out the material last night very carefully. Now sewing the bodice will be much easier. I sewed the overskirt too. I wore the long brown skirt, the overskirt and the beige peasant blouse to the Imbolc Ritual. I had no time to sew the bodice. But now I have lots of time.

I was fortunate to have lots of elastic for the sewing project. I made an elastic casing at the neckline, sleeves and the bodice hem. I sewed an elastic casing for the overskirt. I chose it that way because the ribbon was lost in the casing. I find elastic easier to work with. The fabric for the overskirt was very slippery. I sewed in a zigzag stitch for the hem of the overskirt. I also changed the length of the hem for the brown skirt. I still tripped in it. I felt so feminine when I wore it and I recieved lots of compliments. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sewing the bodice was more work than I anticipated. I am glad I made the mockup. I knew how much material to add to the pattern. I cut out the brown bodice fabric, first checking that I was cutting on the grain. The outer material of the bodice is brown velveteen. The lining is a brown broadcloth cotton. I set them aside. When I was ready to work on it, I moved on to the next step – adding the interfacing. That was a royal headache. I even cut out a second front bodice section. I had trouble deciding if I wanted the main bodice section to have the dart sewn in, or if I would add that to the extra material in the bodice. I decided to go with sewing the darts in the main bodice front section. The interfacing was a royal headache. Once I had the right sections interfaced – and that was a headache in itself, I set it all aside again. When I was again ready to sew again, I pulled it out. I set up my sewing machine  and all my tools. I had to stitch carefully. I did not want to mess up the bodice. It is harder to correct when working with velveteen. I stitched the front and back corset sections together. I trimmed the interfacing to help conceal it. I sewed the lining to the bodice. I sewed it all carefully and slowly. I feel I have more control over it all that way. 

Sewing the bias tape to conceal the raw edges was also a headache. The bias tape wanted to roll out. I also had to seam rip the bias tape and bodice fabric to reduce the bulk. It looked better when that was done. I snipped all the stray threads. There were many times during the course of sewing the bodice that I wanted to scream from the hilltops. I matched the seams of the front center bodice sections together. The front center sections of the bodice met evenly once the bulky seams were trimmed. I am very handy with a seam ripper. Then the next step that I dreaded was installing the grommets. That almost gave me a stomach ache. Okay I had originally purchased d rings to use for the lacing, but I decided to master a new skill and try my hand at setting in the grommets. I had survived interfacing, sewing the bodice sections together, and endured sewing on the bias tape – I could survive this. 

I bought black grommets in a little kit. I practiced hammering in the grommets on spare fabric. When I was confident I could do it on the bodice, I gathered an awl, a screwdriver, a seam ripper, scissors and the kit. I marked where I wanted the grommets to be set in. This is why it is good to not skip the step of adding the interfacing. The fabric is strengthened by the interfacing. It also means it is harder to poke an awl through the fabric. I poked twice with the awl, then the screwdriver to enlarge the hole I created. I twisted the screwdriver in the hole a few times. I used a seam ripper to help tear the hole a little larger – but not too much. I want the grommets to crimp or ‘eat’ the fabric, but not make too big of a hole. Then I set in the larger grommet piece. I had to set ten pieces in. Okay once the grommet piece was snug in the hole- pushed in from the right side of the fabric, then I set the other piece from the wrong side. I pushed them together (not hard), to make them meet. I set the fabric down on the cutting board, face down and I positioned the tiny hammer tool on the grommet, and hammered the grommet into the fabric. I was amazed that I did it right. I did it right nine more times. I also had to make sure the grommets were truly across from each other on the bodice sections. I hammered in the grommets so hard that the impressions of the grommets are left in the wood. The grommets stuck to the wood. I tugged firmly and gently and they released from the wood. The grommets were done right. I wanted to add a lovely brown and gold trim to the bodice. I pinned the trim onto the bodice and sewed slowly and carefully. I used that for the casing for the boning. I set in the grommets where the boning was supposed to go. I am not changing that. It is fine. It was so much work. It was all so much work. 

The reason why I have written so much here about the colors and textures of the fabric is because there are no guarantees at first when sewing. I want the fabrics, colors and textures to harmonize, synergize. It all has to blend and look great, not just hand sewn. I want it all to look store bought. That is how the pattern should look in the end. That means it depends on me to do my very best sewing. There is no room for error. The result is something I can be proud of. So I like to work out the details as I am sewing or before I even start sewing. I put a lot of thought into my sewing projects. Okay, okay, I am obsessive with my sewing projects. I have no idea what comes over me. I should get just as obsessive about my other creative projects, but that’s just me. Imagine what I could accomplish! ha ha. Perhaps I can wear the brown corset with my new blue skirt! 

In other news, I have renewed the contract with Baynam Books Press for The Cult of the Spider People. The edits are done and now I look forward to seeing the new version! The editor/ publisher Crystal Baynam is changing the front cover of my book. The Bone Chillers #1 will be removed. Ah well. The new version is much better edited. 

I ordered a sample of an aesthetic scrapbook sample in the mail. It is not what I thought. The blue book is so tiny. The stickers look great. I will use it in my brown hand bound poetry journal. 

I look foward to receiving the sewing pattern in the mail. Once I do, I shall post all about it here and I will post more about Imbolc too! Let me know more about your own creative endeavours in the comments! I look forward to it.

The Grand Reveal

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

 

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January 9, 2026 · 11:29 pm

A Victorian Nightgown

Merry meet all,

Today I want to share with you how I sewed a Victorian nightgown. 

I bought a pdf pattern from Stella Pattern on Etsy. I usually use a regular tissue pattern, but this time I bought a pdf pattern. I knew I could never get the pattern I wanted from McCalls or Vogue patterns, certainly not a Victorian nightgown pattern. I downloaded the files and read them carefully. I wish the seller told me how much fabric I required for the pattern. That would have been helpful. Here is the link for the pattern I bought on Etsy – 

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/1831703923/victorian-nightgown-sewing-pattern?ref=yr_purchases

The construction of the Victorian nightgown had some unforeseen challenges.  I bought 4.5 meters of yellow eyelet cotton, 100% cotton, on sale. 

I downloaded a pattern size, which turned out to be the wrong size. I used size 14, when I should have used a 16 or 18. Our bodies change as we age. I needed to make adjustments to the pattern. The pattern consisted of two long front and back pieces, the neckline facing, sleeves and sleeve flounce and hem flounce. I cut out the pattern at the library and that was not a good thing. It was not till I did a fitting that I realized the body of the nightgown would be too tight on me. Okay I altered the armholes after checking that out in a vogue sewing book. I cut into the armhole seam, basted the sleeve in and then basted the sleeve in twice, and then decided how much more I needed to cut into the armholes. I did not trim the seam, but I did cut into the seam and clipped the seam to make the armhole have more room to fit my arm. That would make the whole nightgown more roomy and comfortable for me, which a nightgown should be. I may need to alter the neckline facing. 

I cut out the flounce for the sleeves twice. The second time I cut out the sleeve flounce correctly. The pattern says to cut out on a fold. I am so happy that I cut it out again -which is why it is a good idea to always have more fabric. It is easier to make something larger, rather than smaller. The sleeve flounce needs to have that fullness. 

So once that was done, and I was happy with how the nightgown felt on me, I permanently set in the sleeves. When you are constructing the nightgown or any other sewing project, that is the best time to make the alterations. Not when you are done sewing, because you are not truly done. I got distracted when I cut out the front and back pattern pieces, and ended up having to sew the front piece center section together, which was supposed to open on a fold. Oops! I made a very slim seam allowance and with the arms not fitting earlier, I was glad I did. That meant more room for me. 

The fabric is very delicate. I stitched slowly and carefully. I know sewing machines can sew fast, but I chose sewing carefully. The end result is the nightgown looks great. 

I decided that the best way for me to know the front from the back was the slim seam allowance in the center front pattern piece. The back center section has a slightly wider seam allowance. 

I sewed the neckline facing, and I set in the sleeves and I sewed the flounce. The flounce intimidated me. I had to figure out how to sew the two big sections together. There was a front and a back, but by the time I figured out how to sew the front and back together, and stay stitch and hem the flounce,  I could no longer figure out back from front. I pinned the flounce right sides together. I stitched the flounce to the nightgown hem and pressed it. I clipped the seam allowance, pressed the seam allowance and checked the flounce and the hem. There were two spots where the fabric was caught in the flounce or a hole in the seam, but I quickly fixed those issues. 

The eyelet cotton was very easy to work with. I stitched a zigzag stitch into the center back seam allowances and the arm and arm flounce pieces. The eyelet cotton  material is very light and delicate. I did not want it to fray or unravel. I did my best to whip stitch the seam allowance for the arms. The zig zag stitch was a huge challenge, because the seam allowances are narrow and the fabric is fragile, but I managed. I snipped the stray threads.

Next, I want to line the nightgown. I have to mimic the nightgown pattern, but I will manage. I always wash the fabric first to eliminate the formaldehyde preservatives the stores use on the fabric to extend the fabric shelf life in the store. I will then cut out the pattern, except I am not making another flounce, neckline stitch or sleeves. I just don’t want the nightgown to be so see through. 

I bought white thread to correspond with the white lining material, which I also bought on sale at Fabricville. The eyelet cotton was 66.67% off, so instead of paying $90 for the fabric (unreal!), I paid $40. That and the threads and the lining material, this took 3 days to sew and cost me $50! It is sewn correctly and neatly and will always just fit me. The zig zag stitch ensures it won’t unravel or fray too much. I set in the sleeves three times before I was happy with the fit. 

I washed and dried the fabric. They put formaldehyde in the fabric to give it a longer shelf life in the fabric store. Now I just have to make sure the fabric is on the grain and start cutting! 

Once I am done sewing the lining together, I have to sew it to the nightgown. The pattern is always sewn right sides together. I have two meters of fabric, so the lining will be easy to do. I just have to keep in mind the alteration I did to the nightgown and do that to the lining or just add an extra inch to the whole pattern. I am sure it will be lovely. 

Today I tried – tried being the key word there, to make a lining. I seam ripped the neckline facing. I sewed the neckline again and this time I did it correctly. The nightgown is now done. I will check tomorrow for any small touch ups that need to be done, but it is complete and correct. I think the victorian nightgown looks great. It fits true to me. It is just beautiful.  

Does this inspire you to sew your own nightgown? I hope so.

Blessings, Spiderwitch )O(

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October 5, 2025 · 10:16 pm

Halloween Blanket Project )O(

Merry meet all,

Samhain is almost here!! Are you as excited as I am? Join me, dear readers, for a post on how I will make a Halloween blanket! Grab a coffee or pumpkin spice latte and settle in. 

I began this halloween project by visiting the fabric store. I was enchanted by the array of halloween print fabrics. The fabrics were on sale so I got everything I needed. I bought threads, a zipper, and black, grey, orange and black fabric with red streaks. I was grateful that the staff was so helpful in determining the amount of fabric that I would need. I do believe I bought too much, but it is better to have more than less. The black fabric with red streaks is for a frame over the patchwork squares.

I washed the fabric by hand with vinegar and laundry detergent, then I dried them on the line or in the dryer. I do not want to go to all this work only to have my fabric warp or go wonky. The fabrics have formaldehyde in them for shelf life, so I had to wash them It makes them much easier to deal with. It is a good idea to always wash your fabric, but then it does all need to be ironed again afterwards. 

I measured three inches wide and measured the necessary length for each of the three inch wide strips- forty-two inches in total. I have to sew that together, then once all the patches are done, sew the strips to the squares. (Argh stop the madness!)  The quilt will be bound (like bias tape) in solid black fabric.  I have two strips of orange fabric with a skull print. One will be sewn onto the top of the quilt on the top side showing and the other will be sewn onto the bottom of the patchwork squares on the top side showing. It will all look amazing. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had to measure and calculate a lot. I hope I have enough brown fabric, that is the bottom side of the blanket. It has to match to the top side of the blanket. Originally, I planned to have six patchwork squares in a row. Now I have extended that to eight. There are nine rows of squares in a grey, orange, black, bright orange, grey or beige square pattern. I cut out about slightly over seventy-two squares. I did not intend to cut out that many, but when I arranged all the patchwork squares in rows and saw how it could all come together, I changed my mind several times. I had to cut out specific patchwork squares- mostly the black and orange. I have a black fabric with a spider and spiderweb print. I had two orange spider and spiderweb prints, but one was more matte and the other bright. I rearranged and rearranged until I thought I had it all planned. My cat laid down on the squares and messed them up. Argh!

I kept changing my mind. Once it is all sewn together, it is permanent. I wanted to be certain. The layout in the photo is not the layout that I decided on. I wanted to share the photo so you would all know what I was talking about. It is a good idea to keep the cat out of the room (not to be cruel, but Penny messed up my squares, sweep and mop the floor to get to layout the squares). Once you sew, it is done. 

I sew the first row together, then I sew the second row and so on and so on till I get to the last row. Then I sew them all together. I plan to sew with a quarter inch stitch- the skinny stitch. (I can’t recall right now, my brain is addled.) There is more orange and black in the layout. To save my sanity, I used a black marker and painter’s tape to keep the rows organized.  You can see the small pieces of the painter’s tape in the photo above, I wrote row 1 on the tape and stuck that to the squares. I did the same with the rest of them till I got to the ninth row. They are all organized that way. I have to mind that the squares have a decorative print and that all the squares prints face up the right way. They all have to be the same size. 

I bought a meter of this cool black print Halloween fabric. The squares were all about nine inch by nine inches. I cut them out very carefully and I arranged them over my patch squares. I kept moving them over the squares till I decided I was happy with the layout. The blanket will be amazing! I want to get filler from the fabric store. Then once the patches are all sewn together and the bottom of the blanket (the brown fabric) is sewn to the top of the blanket, I add the filler. Hopefully it will not be too expensive. 

I saved the black strips between the nine inch larger black crow or skull squares. I might sew on the strips of the black fabric over (between) the patchwork squares. I don’t have enough for the whole patchwork top, so we will see how it goes. Or maybe I will be brave and sew the strips on diagonally! We will see. 

I chose somber colors for this blanket. To me, Samhain is a time of festive joy and is somber at the same time. The colours are an earthy, muted brown, a cool matte black spiderweb print, a matte orange spiderweb print, a brighter orange spiderweb print, a grey + beige print material covered with crows and punpkins, and a grey +beige snowflake and pentagram fabric. The last fabric was so witchy I just had to buy it. I am happy with the layout and the arrangement of the patchwork squares and the colours. It all just blends together so well. 

I will alter my dress from Killstar and my green dress from HolyClothing. The hems are too long. I live in Nova Scotia, which means that anything with a long hem will sweep leaves off the sidewalks or collect dirt, mud or leaves. Then I have to hem them again. Best to do it now. I am not totally happy with it, but it pays off to alter a hem as it guarantees the fabric will last much longer. 

I will save the fabric that I trim off for the hemming. The patchwork blanket will be a ton of work, but it will be worth it. I sewed all the squares together. There were eight patchwork squares in rows and a total of nine rows of patchwork squares = 79 squares in total.  The squares are sewn together and shown in the photo below. I can’t change my mind now on the order of the squares, but I can change my mind on the rows and which order they should be in. 

The rows of patchwork squares sewn together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last two days I worked hard on the patchwork quilt. I had to see the forest for the trees. In other words, no matter how many times I laid the whole quilt in rows on the floor. I could not see then that some patches were repeated. I had to make new patches and sew them in several times. It is always right sides together when you are  sewing and that is easier said than done. Now all the squares are different save for two, but it does not matter. All the patches squares are sewn and all the rows are sewn together. Then once that was finally completed, I started on the frame with the black and red streak quilting fabric. I measured how much I would need by lining the strips of the fabric along the width and length of the material. I cut the strips to the width and length I wanted. The quilt is about 58′ x 64′. Then I pressed and turned over a long edge about a quarter inch to avoid fraying. I stitched that down and then pinned the strips with the turned under edge on the outside. When I sew the top of the quilt to the bottom side, the rough edge will be caught in the fabric and won’t show a raw edge. That also helps me avoid fraying. So I have to sew down both sides of the material. I am nitpicky about the fabric ends meeting evenly and avoiding raw edges showing. 

Once that is completed, I can finally sew the brown fabric together and then sew the quilt top to the brown fabric. Then I will insert the nice cotton filler and then line it all up and to make sure it does not bunch up, I will sew the quit filler in. Then I plan to add a black edge binding. It will look amazing! The more effort you put in and caring about all the tiny details, the better your work looks. I added two strips of the orange fabric with a white skul print to the top of the (top of quilt) and a strip on the bottom. If you look closely at the above photo, you can see them. I have to make sure the seams are finished. I always pin and press and line up my edges. The tiniest things, no matter how mundane or boring they seem.,matter and the more care you take, the more beautiful the final effort will be. Sewing has tons of repetition, pin and press and sew over and over again, but that is the way it is. I want my quilt to last a long time and keep me warm on cold nights. Paying attention to the details now guarantees that will happen. 

Next, I can sew the brown fabric and once I sew in the spider, check all my seams, sew on the black frame fabric, and sew the brown bottom fabric to the top quilt fabric, then I can finally insert the filler. I have to leave a hole large enough for the filler to go in between the two fabrics then sew the hole closed. Then I am done! I just want to take all the care I can now so that I am truly happy with it. 

Today I made the small repairs, sewed the spider onto the front of the quilt and added the filler. I trimmed the excess and sewed the front, filler and the back of the quilt together. I bought bias tape from the fabric store but it was the wrong color. I am so excited to sew the bias tape onto the blanket but I have to be patient. It has been a lot of work so far. 

In other news, I sent my BFF Onyx a herbal tea blend. I hope it arrives soon. I bought a cool black blouse online from Killstar, a few candles from Horrified Candles and a wand. However, Canada Post is on strike again. It may be a while before I receive my parcels. I received my Horrified Candles! Very happy about that. 

I bought a new witch hat. My black wool witch hat paired with a black top or cardigan (to keep me warm), and my purple astrology boots should keep me stylin’. Yeah We all love October. The most magickal time of the year. 

 I would love to hear what projects, crafts or rituals you all are conjuring this month, Please leave a comment and tell me all about it.

I want to add that this is my 999th post. The next blog post will be the thousandth post!!!!!! I have learned a lot about maintaining a blog, made mistakes, survived the disaster of my old blog site being hacked. I am still here and typing- and kicking! It makes me so happy to have achieved this milestone. I could not have done this without all the wonderful support from my awesome friends and readers. I love you all. I am very happy to have come this far. I have to party when I write the thousandth post! I have a lot of reasons to party this October. !!! )O(

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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September 1, 2025 · 5:43 pm

Autumn Crafting )O(

 

Merry meet all,

Fall is here! The leaves are turning. My favourite time of year has arrived! 

I finished the green nordic dress. The zipper is sewn in, the belt loops are done and the dress is hemmed. I did a zigzag stitch on the hem to keep the fabric from unraveling. I hung it on the dress form and added my belt. I draped the blue apron over the green dress. It looks great. 

Dress with apron

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nordic Dress

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also sewed myself an adult Halloween trick or treat bag. I watched a video on youtube. The bag is reversible too. I am quite pleased with it. I plan to finish sewing the orange halloween skirt soon too.  I sewed a pouch to go wtih the green dress. I love how it turned out. See photo below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I harvested the mugwort this morning. The stalk is so leafy and beautiful. The mugwort will air dry and then I can store the mugwort for teas. Mugwort aids in enhancing psychic abilities. I want to go to the Five Fishermen Restaurant for the birthday of my book in October. I might enjoy mugwort tea beforehand. 

Now is the time to reflect on the harvest. It’s time to harvest from the garden and to reflect on what we want to harvest in our lives. Fall is a time of abundance and the results of our hard work. I will harvest tomatoes and herbs from my garden. I have friends, a place to live and security.  I’ve made mistakes and learned from them. This time, I was not rejected in cold blood for being human. That made the lessons that I have learned about myself more valuable. It’s not perfect or ideal and I am very happy. I will be even happier when I get my own place. I hope that is sooner rather than later. 

Writing News: I’m rewriting my spider sequel novella, Born of Venom. Wicked Shadow Press published my eighth short story, Cries of Dead Children, in their anthology, Children of the Dead. I love to write for them and will continue to write stories for them. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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March 2, 2025 · 9:44 pm

Midnight Manuscripts Podcast of my short horror story Skin Audio Recording )O(

Merry meet all,

Today’s post is about the audio recording of my short fiction horror story, Skin. The company that published my debut horror novel The Cult of the Spider People: Bone Chillers #1 began a podcast. They call the podcast The Midnight Manuscripts! Onyx Brightwing narrated it and she has done a lovely and spooky job of bringing a scary life to my story. They have narrated other stories too. 

I’m posting the link here for you to listen to it: https://youtu.be/fAlVStrfcIs?si=gPXd4LuYl8wCa-J0

I hope you will all listen to the podcast! 

I sewed myself another simple dress. I wanted a dress that I could wear anytime, a casual dress. It was the simplest pattern I have ever sewn in my life. I might make more dresses from this pattern. I used the New Look pattern #6775. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

Here is a photo of my dress:

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February 17, 2025 · 5:05 pm

Grey gowns and grey skies

Merry meet all,

Recently I sewed myself a lovely grey dress. I intended the dress to be worn with the black overdress from Holy Clothing. Today’s post will focus on the sewing of the dress. I love how my dress looks! Tres beau I wanted a dress that was similar in style to the chemises from Holy Clothing but I knew I could make it much cheaper myself. Shown below is a photo of the chemises from Holy Clothing:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made one big mistake- well, okay a few mistakes but that happens with sewing. I didn’t initially have enough fabric to cut out the pattern pieces. I wanted this dress to be ankle-length. As a result, I had to make new calculations. I had to add more fabric onto the hem of the dress to extend the length of the dress. But more on that later. 

The dress – a work in progress

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pattern of the chemise in the photo above is very different but I think I achieved it with my grey dress. 

The grey dress shown with the black overdress

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I finally had enough fabric and had all the cotton pieces cut out and marked, I proceeded with the sewing. I used the pattern Simplicity pattern 5189. The pattern is simple and uncomplicated. I wanted an easy pattern. I am still suffering burnout from sewing the Arwen dress. However, I did make a few changes from how the pattern is meant to be completed. I made some modifications. I added the short sleeves and added elastic to the hems of the sleeves. I didn’t have a wide enough neckline to add in elastic. Next time, the dress will have a wider neckline so it can be worn off the shoulder. I added a ribbon and grey lace trim to the neckline and the cap sleeves.

I could not believe how easy the sleeves were to set in. I added the grey embroidered fabric lace to the front of the dress. I love it. It is a dark silver romantic 3D floral lace with beads. The trim is just beautiful. I also added a grey drawstring ribbon in the neckline and sleeves. 

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/766918166/dark-silver-romantic-lace-3d-flower?ref=yr_purchases

The hyperlink leads to Etsy and which exact seller I purchased the lace from, in case you are interested in buying it for yourself! I sewed the extension of the hem. That was a lot for me to figure out. Ugh it could have been better but I didn’t have all the fabric pieces together when I cut out the patterns. It still looks good though, thanks to careful sewing and pressing the seam allowance after. I had to sew sections together and I had to fix the sewing machine. Thankfully, the sewing machine was not hard to fix. I eased in the hem extension sections to the existing dress hem. I want to add ribbon to the seam to conceal the section where I had to ease it in. 

 

Almost Done!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had to remove a few puckers from the seams, and do a fitting to make sure the dress fit me. I am very happy with it. I believe in taking my time and sewing my best. I wish I had a larger table to work on instead of my ironing board. That would make a huge difference for me. Also I don’t have the best lighting to do sewing in either. I hope that changes soon. My other option is to sew at the library. Then I can have access to a large table and better bright lighting. That really improves the quality of sewing if I am not straining my eyes. I can’t wait for the warmer weather to return, because that means everything is brighter. I cannot wait for spring. 

I ordered a pattern for another long simple dress to sew. The pattern is Simplicity N6775. I want to sew a nightgown dress to lounge around in at home. Something I can relax in and feel comfortable in. I hope I have enough fabric for it – the blue knit tricot fabric I used to make the Arwen gown. The pattern is simple. I just want a pullover dress that is relaxing and casual. Fabricville did not carry the pattern to my dismay so I had to order it online. The link below connects to the website that has the pattern if anyone wants to get the same pattern. If not, I will buy more fabric. 

https://simplicity.com/new-look/n6775

The grey dress looks ultra feminine and a little sassy – which is the embodiment of feminine, right? Right I love the dress. It can be worn on its own or with the black overdress. Sewing the dress myself saved me a ton of money rather than paying for shipping and handling and ordering it from Holy Clothing. Now I plan to order about 3-5 meters of the organic cotton cambric fabric and making another simple dress with it. I want to dye the fabric green though. But I hope to have enough of the blue cotton knit for the dress I want to lounge around in. Sweatpants are not feminine. I am enjoying sewing my own clothing because I don’t like the clothing in the malls. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune though. I want to share an image of the finished grey dress with Holy Clothing. I hope they see what I did and see how they inspire me! The cotton cambric is the fabric that they use at Holy Clothing. 

My book launch for my published novel The Cult of the Spider People: Bone Chillers #1 is fast approaching. I am so nervous. I also hope the launch is successful. 

Don’t get me wrong. Sweatpants are great but I love my feminine witchy style. Bring it on! I hope this inspires you to sew your own clothing. 

Blessed Be Spiderwitch

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January 18, 2025 · 7:23 pm

Winter Crafts )O(

 

Merry meet all,

My heart goes out to those who are caught in the crosshairs of the Los Angeles inferno. I know a few people there and I hope they are safe. 

The Wheel of the year spins again. The next Sabbat is Imbolc, the first of the three spring Sabbats. I can’t wait for spring and I shall soon be poring over seed catalogues. I still turn my compost tumbler. I want to have compost to spread on my garden in the spring. I miss my garden. 

The skies here still darken early. Spring is not that far away. I am counting down the days till spring. I have rescheduled the book launch at Trident Cafe for my debut novel The Cult of the Spider People: Bone Chillers #1. I am excited. This time, I will order my own copies to have enough books for the launch. I am very happy to have a launch! I will bring a cloth for the table, and some props and of course, my copies. I have to market and promote the event and practice reading for it. I hate doing public readings. I am sure I can practice with Penny, my cat. 

I can’t wait to get my sweater I ordered in the mail. The sweatshirt has the cover art of my book on the front. I can’t wait to wear it. It is in transit right now. 

The sweatshirt showing the cover art of my book

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I want to sew a grey chemise type dress. The grey chemise I have is not ankle length. It will be a simple pattern. Besides, I am still worn out from sewing the blue Arwen dress. I love wearing the grey Tauriel dress. It feels so feminine. But it is not ankle length. The fabric is grey. I don’t want to go to the work of dyeing fabric again. I want to work in elastic at the neckline and a long ribbon that I will tie in a bow at the centre neckline. I think it will look nice. I had enough blue velvet remaining to make a shawl. I cut the shawl in a triangle pattern and hemmed the edges. I want to sew a triquetra patch on to the back of the shawl. 

I also plan to sew a lovely scary doll for my friend, Onyx. I have all the supplies. I love doing crafts. It keeps me sane and then I forget all about the craziness the world is going through. I love to create something beautiful. Tomorrow I am painting a block of wood. Im sanding it first, filling in the cracks and holes and then painting it green. I want to set hooks into it and use it as a herb dryer. The herbs will hang from the hooks. I just need to decide where to position it in my apartment. Idon’t have much wall space. I am sure I will find a spot. I was thinking of setting it beneath the window but above my altar. 

The big big BIG project I am inspired to do after all that is to paint my dresser. Yeah I have gone crazy lol. I do want to paint it after I was inspired by something I saw on Facebook. I thought, I have to try that! I hate the way the dresser looks right now. I plan to change that. I want to paint it green. I need the right green shade. I am sure the staff at the paint store will help me select the right shade. I have to clean the entire dresser, scrub it clean with Murphys oil, sand it, prime it and then paint it. Only if I can find the best shade. I ordered floral rub on transfers to adhere to the dresser once all the hard work is done. I want to buy new dresser pull knobs too. I swear by the witchy power vested in me, the dresser will be transformed! I will treat the thirsty wood of the dressers to a coating in hemp oil. That will make the dresser nice too. But oh my gosh the work and how to paint it with a cat around! I will have to get a few paint drop cloths and arrange them around the dresser. One under the dresser to protect the floor and a few covering and protecting everything else. It will be a lot of work but I hate seeing that orange dresser- makes me want to scream! This is what I have in mind for the end result: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It can and will be done. I have researched this and watched a few videos on YouTube of other people transforming furniture. This will call for a lot of elbow grease but I am up for the challenge. That is for the month of February. I will not make the mistake of painting the sides of the dresser drawers like I did with that desk. Oh no, I will make all new mistakes! lol. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

 

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November 17, 2024 · 7:19 pm

Witch Gown in Progress )O(

 

Greetings darklings:

The wind grows colder. Golden leaves are strewn over the streets and clog the gutters. Yes my darklings the dark half of the year is back. I love this time of year.

I have been busy sewing the blue Arwen gown I posted about earlier. I am so close to finished and yet so far from finished. I have finished the sleeves. I sewed in a casing for the cords on both sleeves.  I worked in the cords through the casing on both sleeves. The cords average about thirty centimetres.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I seam ripped the grey sari trim from Etsy and I made a facing the second time. This time, I got it right. I sewed in the facing only instead of sewing the facing the way it says to in the instructions, I just sewed it in next to the collar seam. I had to seam rip the entire centre back seam because it was uneven. I have basted the centre back seam. I want to sew the zipper in tomorrow at the library. I love how the dress looks. It is very fairy like. I sewed a second collar with the navy blue knit fabric and the embroidered blue lace. I plan to sew that on or slip stitch it onto the first collar. I want to arrange the second collar over the first collar to look like there is 2 dresses like in the photo below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took a break from the dress and began working on the bodice. I cut out the pattern pieces and I had left them aside for some time. I ironed them all. I was on my own. That means no room for error. 

I’m using this beautiful midnight blue velvet/ velveteen. It is the most beautiful colour. I did a gathering stitch on the front of the bodice and the double darts in the back of the bodice- which I did perfectly for once in my life. It is doing the eyelets lacing strips on the front of the bodice that has taken the most time. The seam allowance on the bodice front was hard because it did not want to stay down.
I sewed three blue lace sections onto the front of the bodice, one on the right and the left and one in the centre. Then I added interfacing to the wrong side to stabilize the lace up section. I stitched down the eyelet strips by hand and then I realized I could not get the laces through the eyelet holes. So I seam ripped the eyelet strip and wove the ribbon through. Tip: I burnt the edges of the ribbons first with a lighter just a little to make it easier. A safety pin refused to go through the eyelets. I stitched the strips down again. Now it is done. Argh. Now I have to sew the shoulder seams and sides of the bodice and then sew on the bias tape and a zipper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I photocopied the pattern piece & printed it out. I adhered interfacing to the pattern piece and cut out the dart section I needed. I was using a dark coloured fabric so tailor tacks or chalk was not letting me be as precise as I had to be. I marked with pins where the dots were. I laid down the fabric under the whole pattern piece and lined it all up and marked with chalk where the darts had to be on the fabric. It was easy! It is probably why I made great darts because that step allowed me to easily see where it had to be. I am so proud to have sewn such perfect darts. The darts are shown in the photo above but they may be hard to see. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I sewed the shoulder seams and the side seams of the bodice together. I trimmed the hem of the bodice a little to make the edges of the fabric meet evenly.  I also sewed the bias tape to the hem of the bodice, the upper part of the bodice and the armholes. I am so tired and sore now. This project has been a lot of work and a bit more cost than I had planned. I had to order a pattern for the dress because it was initially missing or so I thought. I had to buy the fabric which cost more than I thought. I still have lots of fabric left over. I bought a dress form. It has cost a lot but I believe it is worth it. I stapled the receipts together. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is too dark and cold to wear the dress now. I put in a lot of hard work and time to make the dress. If I don’t do it now, it will eat at me all winter. I only have a little to do now. I have other projects to concentrate on so that is why I am glad I devoted the time I had to it now. I still have to sew in the zipper into the back of the bodice and a zipper into the back of the dress. I have decided that tomorrow I will sew the blue lace trim onto the hem of the dress. I’m sewing the trim onto the right part of the fabric- the top side. I trimmed the raw edges and excess of the hem earlier so there will be no issues with it later. I can’t wait to see how this all looks and to get to do the Grand Reveal!

The bodice is beautiful. I have to touch up 1 or 2 spots where the lace and the trim  is loose on the fabric but that is easy to fix with a slipstitch. I can’t decide what I should use for the braided trim to go on the bodice – the hem, the upper part of the bodice and the armhole seam.  I love how the bodice turned out and I am sure it will still fit despite the fabric taken in because of the darts, the gathering stitch and the seam allowance. 

Today I finished the bodice. I can’t believe how beautiful it all is. I learned how a zipper is set in. I learned a lot! I know now which presser foot – the zipper foot to use. I know how to line up the fabric with the zipper foot. I know how to sew a machine baste and how to hand baste the zipper in. I know which stitch width and stitch length to use for sewing a zipper in. I know how to sew it in, line up the presser zipper foot and seam rip a zipper out. I am so proud of myself. I did way better with that than I ever expected. I just need way more confidence in myself. I always relied on someone else and now I can do it on my own. I seam ripped the machine basting after I sewed. I am so much more confident in myself now. 

I am not lining the body of the dress, only the sleeves. I don’t need to fully line the dress which would be a total pain in the ass. Instead, I own a chemise from Holy Clothing. I can wear that with the dress. I still have to seam rip the zipper out of the dress that goes with the bodice and redo the sleeve upper cap area. I am doing all that at the library. That saves me a ton of frustration and tidying up. I need the extra help. I have taken so much care with the garments this far. I just can’t have the upper cap of the sleeve sewn in wrong and the zipper done wrong. I just can’t have it. Then I am done! I want to sew grey lace trim on the inside hem of both sleeves and sew a white trim in under the neckline. I want to check it all over for holes in the seams. I can’t believe I have gotten to this point. 

Update!: The sleeves and the zipper are done! I repaired and sewed the second collar to the bodice. I finished sewing the grey lace trim to the lining of the sleeves. Now all the hard work is done! I want to put the finishing touches on the dress and then it is time for the Grand Reveal! 

 I can’t wait to do the Grand Reveal. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I await what the dark half of the year has to offer. I will  finish the dress tomorrow night. I have many other projects to focus on. I can’t wait as it all sounds exciting! 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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