Despite the long days I enjoyed Maker Faire again this year. Sunday morning I felt so sick I thought would die. A bit of food and a 45 minute nap in my car before the day started helped quite a bit as did getting to run around the fair looking at things.

If you would like to make your own pair of spats please download my free spats pdf pattern and have at it.

My Etsy shop is empty of spats for now but I am available for custom orders, please contact me through Etsy.

A big thanks to the Maker Faire organizers and all the organizers and vendors of Bazaar Bizarre! See you next year!

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None of that sounds horrible, in fact, I am living in a slackers paradise. I get some shit done occasionally and Jack and I pretend to be giants, or play train station. What’s not to love?

I FINALLY made a new pair of spats. It took me forever because in between sewing a seam I would have to field calls from our real estate agent and stress about this house which I am STRESSED about. why why why did someone else have to bid on it? it was on the market for a YEAR. All caps, take me away! Why did we bid 5000$ less? It makes NO SENSE.

Back to the spats. They are a new design. instead of buttoning up the side they zip up the back. I learned a few things while making this pair, mostly that I need to cut the spats taller.

In the above picture you can see my newly altered boots. I have lamented in the past that my calves are too big for standard boots. I bought these platform CECE Fluevog boots on ebay and I took them to my local cobbler and I asked him to make them fit me. I was thinking something like an elastic panel but he said no no we will put in a leather panel to match the rest of the boot. And he did! It worked beautifully and I am so happy! SO! If you have wide calves and are looking for boots to fit you should buy any old boot and then get them altered.

In other crafty news I have made a few bags and zippered pouches. Nothing exceptional. I also am in the process of making some cute cloth napkins with the on sale Moda fabric that I bought a few weeks ago. Now what to do with them? Christmas gifts?

Speaking of Christmas. I am doing Handmade Holidays this year for mostly everything except some toys for Jack that I can’t make. He needs a kitchen set, more toy tools, a dollhouse and a guitar.

Other Stuff
– Best plants to plant in fall if you live here in the western US from Sunset Mag.
– Also for if you live here in the Bay Area, Grant writing workshops and other workshops for artists! Check out the Foundation Center.
– And somewhat randomly… Vim and I have been watching the show Connections, which was filmed in around 1978, which is awesome for several reasons.
1. you can pretty much endlessly make fun of the outfit that James Burke is wearing.
2. It has that soothing quality that makes me fall asleep just like Carl Sagan’s Cosmos.
3. It’s very interesting to see all the amazing connections and how pretty much anything that happened in anytime leads up to an atomic bomb. Last nights episode had some great facts about pike warfare an the pike square that I really enjoyed. I always like nerdy battle formation info. We are getting the episodes from Netflix.

From Wikipedia:

It (Connections) took an interdisciplinary approach to the history of science and invention and demonstrates how various discoveries, scientific achievements, and historical world events built off one another in an interconnected way to bring about particular aspects of modern technology.

Here is Jack looking casual but dapper at the wedding this weekend:

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I went over to the county fair building on Saturday to help with general set up (btw, it’s great fun to volunteer at this sort of thing) and, because I am weird like that, had a satisfying time setting up a million tables.

I slacked a bit with my gigantic coffee and pondered setting up my table. I didn’t need much room and the stuff I bought fit on my table pretty well. I went with the taupe velvet curtain panel from Ikea and couple of cute pieces of luggage to use as display.

On Friday Vim took a special trip to work to make me a laser cut sign. and it’s his own design! It looks good no? I wonder if it would look good silk screened on to a t-shirt?

Sunday I picked up my friend G and she helped me arrange. I was very glad she could come with me in the morning as I needed her organizing, arranging mojo. With out her I would have been all dithery and annoying.

Sorry for the gross camera phone pics. I forgot the camera. Which I REALLY regret since I could have taken pictures for a good vendor round up post on the Bazaar Bizarre Blog. Darn it!

I had a moment of sudden realization that spats are pretty.. er… specialized. Mostly everyone wears jewelry but surely only a very few will be remotely interested in spats. But dammit, spats are so cheerful. I swear when I wear them it make my day. I like the casual split toes to wear everyday with jeans and at the fair I wore some fancier grey velvet with jet buttons ones with a skirt.

I sold about half of my spats (17 pairs about) and made enough money to feel pleased with myself. Enough money to feel like I DESERVE a present. hahahaha.

I am now moving on to Spats V3.0. These will be taller and the buttons will be more towards the front and in a curvier line. Also the under shoe elastic needs to be adjustable to accomodate platforms and heel-less boots. I need to create a whole new pattern and also, since I have lost the first one, make a new pattern for men’s spats. All of which, of course, will be posted here for free for NON COMMERCIAL use.

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The black and white spats have pink silk lining and velvet buttons. The other one is authentic Burberry raincoat fabric and has cheerful cloud lining (one cloud in there has a cute silver lining embroidered by me). I think I will use this neutral velvet curtain from Ikea as my tablecloth at the fair.

I go set up tomorrow!

I love the argyle ones with the star and flower buttons. OMG> I crack myself up. I also have an amusing pair that has silver ric rac. heh.

While Jack was napping the other day I whipped up a bunch of these lingerie bags out of the silk tie fabric samples that I got at East Bay Depot for Reuse. They are cute but nothing special. I kind of thought I needed a lower priced item to have displayed… I’m not sure how to price them.

Oh! and I did actually get approved to accept CC at the fair even though I waited until the very last second to unprocrastinate my ass and call them. Now I have to figure out how to take them…
a crayon and paper? Wha? To unprofessional you say?

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I was in Peidmont Fabrics the other day when my hand reached out for this gorgeous Liberty of London cotton lawn print. I mean look at it?!!! Doesn’t your heart go out to it? However, my hand trembled and quaked as I check the price tag at 37.00 a yard. Instead of a dress then, I bought a tiny bit and made some handkerchiefs. Raise your hand if you think I am nuts.

Then i made a tiny one. Raise your hand if you have changed your mind.

The handkerchief goes really nicely with the pair of delicate rose colored with pearl trim spats I just made too.

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guess I have to bring him in a stroller lest I end up having to hold a squirming baby on my lap while getting my teeth cleaned. hahaha. Just letting him run wild all over the office kind of has it’s appeal though…

I made another cute-ass pair of spats. These and the ruffley ones and the green ones are for sale in my etsy shop. Finally! I am like the last person on earth to have an etsy shop.

Go check it out! minniekins.etsy.com

I think that having a good inner lining is essential. I mean, on the outisde you’re all cute and hearty but on the inside you are fucking ON FIRE. Anywho!

I want to see some people wearing spats out there darn it! Oh, I’ll be adding some baby loveys to the shop in a bit, I just haven’t gotten around to getting some good photos of them yet.

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Thse are from some nice green velvet with white and goldy buttons. The lining is pink fake wood grain from Joel Dewberry. LOVE IT! The backing buttons are from my grandmothers button tin.

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The second pair are black and white houndstooth (canvas duck) with red flannel lining, cute red and black vintage buttons (got ‘em at the oakland museum white elephant last year), and some eyelet lace ruffles (like ruffly underwears. hahaha) on the heels

Both of these are now up in my etsy shop!

minniekins.etsy.com

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I have made these spats for a friend. Attributes are: exposed brass separating zipper, rubber heel guards, red flannel lining.

Also, a huge glaring pattern mismatch. FUCK! As i was making them i just wasn’t thinking about because usually the spats i make are a solid color or a pattern that doesn’t really need to be matched. so… fuck.

I’m making another pair of cute ones that he can have instead if he wants. a nice tweedy plaid with thai silk lining, brass snaps and a cute button.

My next pair will be ladies green velvet with rounded toe and taller ankles, white pearl buttons and possibly pale pink lining but i havent decided that detail yet.

Also this fucking awesome pink tie material i found at silk road (going out of business sale 20-70% off!) will soon be some ladies spats as well.

oh yeah, I also just got my new labels in the mail! I do love them so!

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This is the pattern I use to make spats for my ankle boots. The split toe look is nice but if you are wearing long pants the spats can end up hidden so my next iteration will have a rounded toe.

The next version will also have the version to use to make spats for men’s shoes.

Oh crap, I just realized that I left off the elastic placement on this version.

Free Spats Pattern Download – old version

*** updated free spats pattern download! With directions for construction and variations!

page 1

page 2

Also, chck out my flickr set with all the spats I am making and check out my Etsy Store to which ones are for sale right now!

Where to buy spats – Etsy store for spats: http://minniekins.etsy.com

spats flickr set – http://www.flickr.com/photos/halfwaythere/sets/72157607011902778/

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However, I decided to do just that in order to make some steampunk inspired spats for Whump. I’ve never amde ones for mens shoes before and for this pair I am doing a rounded toe instead of a split toe like I usually do.

The final product will be made out of black and white houndstooth in a cotton duck fabric and I’ll work in some PVC from my old black vinyl ball gown.

I’m not sure about what to use for a closure. a zipper might actually be cool and would certainly be swankier than my usual quick fix snap closures.

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For now I am creating it in illustrator. I can save it as a pdf and give it to people, that way, they can print it out at whatever size they need it to be. Tthat seems better than making it like a normal printed pattern where you have like 3 or 4 sizing options.

So it will end up being a basic outline of the pattern pieces and then instructions… and variations. which i have to work out as well. For instance, I have never sewn a button hole (I can bake bread tho, so take that CAPTAIN SMARTY PANTS) so I use that awesome snap trim stuff. oh man, I LURVE that stuff. but other people probably can sew buttons and maybe even actually also have the patience to do it. so I want to have that variation in there. Also, different toe variations. I usually do the split toe thing, but a nice roundy option might be nice too depending on the sort of shoes you want to wear them with.

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