Check out this great feature on Sacred Heart items! That one of my Burning Heart Pillow Covers just happens to be in ;)

"We all know what it feels like to have a bleeding heart, so open your shirt and expose it!"

http://idreamedisaw.blogspot.com/2009/11/oh-my-bleeding-heart.html

As promised, a non-spooky, festive version of my felt Poinsettia pin!

All my felt items are completely hand cut & sewn, no die cuts here!
♦ apx 3" at it's widest

Please see my listing for more details:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33933812

Sharpen you claws on the hexmas tree
Lap milk from ladle and spoon
But for the love of all that's fuzzy
Heed my warning kitties,
Stay clear of the Poinsettia of Doom!

Please see my listing for more info:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33807798

A non-doomy version will be available shortly ;)

The Lolita outfit is done, the new owner is happy, all is well this evening.

There are actually 2 more pieces to this outfit, an under skirt which is similar to the over skirt but slightly longer with an elastic waist & a medium sized hair bow made of the lace. In my rush of excitement of completing the outfit I forgot to take pictures of those pieces :( But, that will be remedied when I get the promised "in action" pictures.

Now, I'm off to make Starlets & other holiday goodies! A seamstrix' work is never done.

Did you know I have a destash/supply shop? Well now you do! New goodies just listed...

Any of the lace or trim listed can be had in more yardage, just convo me. I have way too much and need to clear up the shelves a bit... and pay the rent :p.

Welcome to the Etsy Dark Side. We are the roaming fox fires in the darkness, the sparkling mist in the ever shifting shadows, faerie rings flow in our wake. Come join us!

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EtsyDarkTeam's theme for October was Eyes Are The Window Of The Soul! Here's a peek. Be sure to check out the current Exhibition for more great items!

Row 1: SWStitchery, WingsOfSin, ArtAkimbo
Row 2: SauvageRavenCreations, AgonysDecay, CustomZombie
Row 3: IdleHandsDesigns, MrsEvils, SenoraAlegreMuertos
Row 4: ChenilleMacabre, CauldronCraftMinis

Get your Halloween/Dia de los Muertos/dark side fix anytime of the year by searching for "EtsyDarkTeam" on Etsy! Check out the EtsyDarkTeam Halloween search here.

And, be sure to check out the team shop where we have some items that 100% of the proceeds go to Bat World! Help the bats, help our environment... one wing flap at a time!

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Not signed up with Etsy yet? For shame!

Signing up is free and easy. Just click here & begin enjoying all the hand made, unique wonders Etsy has to offer.

The Etsy Dark Team now has a public Fan forum where you can stay on top of the latest items & deals from EDT members, or peruse the Member Directory, view the latest additions to the monthly Exhibitions (items are added throughout the month) and more. Come play with us on dark side.

xx ~Static

So in answer to Yve's query of "Did you make this up out of your head or did you have a pattern?"

Short answer? No, yes and then some. Long answer...

I was shown a pic of a Gothic Lolita outfit and asked if I could make something similar. After  a bit of hemming and hawing I said yes. I mean I went to school for this sort of thing! Which my husband was so kind to point out "that was like 15 years ago". Shush. So anyway! I am a pattern & book fiend so anytime I need a refresher I can bust out any amount of reference from the overflowing tubs in my closet or pull something off my shelves.

I two-thirds to three-quarter drafted the pattern which you can seen in the left of this image hanging from the door.

Rather than start from absolute scratch (which I can do but why reinvent the wheel?) I made a copy of  a Butterick pattern's (4154) basic princess line bodice and graded it down a couple sizes since the gal this is for is pixie sized. I then added the double breasted extensions to the front, redrafted the collar, drafted the gathered tail for the bodice, added 10 loops to the the back for lacing.

And we can't forget that the bodice has 14 buttons (only 7 buttonholes though, 2 sneaky snaps underneath), has a massively gathered tail, full lining, tailored sleeves and gobs of lace.

*Deep breathe*  Oh, I'm not done yet.

The lace started life as 4" wide embroidered scallop eyelet lace that I split down the center for this project, minutely gathered and applied to every edge. The skirt is 3 yards wide and will be gathered down to fit a flat 25" waistband!

*Whew* so there you have it. The secrets of the Lolita Outfit ;) It's starting to look like something one of Yve's dollies would wear huh? More pics soon!

Drowning in gathers & lace... help m... *muffled whimpers from under piles of white cotton*

So close to done! I just need to attach the bodice lining, give the 3yds of skirt a waistband, zipper, and buttonholes & buttons to all.

And I've got a whole list of goodies to start on once I'm done with this!

Here is the most recent look of my muslin mockup festooned with Art Deco buttons & a bit of lovely embroidered scallop lace:

I was in a rush taking the pics and obviously (by the back pic) I missed that I didn't quite have the top situated correctly on the form. It DOES sit straight, I swear!

I've added the final piece's buttons and lace temporarily because it's easier for me to show my ideas than explain them :D. That, and I can try out any tweaks in trim, etc before I get to the good stuff.

Here are a couple in progress pics of a Lolita style outfit I've been commissioned to create. Dunno if I'll be doing this again but it's greasing creative wheels I haven't used in a long time!

This is a pic of the 1st draft which I actually wound up scrapping half of because of my anal retentiveness attention to detail (yeah, that's it). 

Muslin mock up - Front double breasted snazziness & Back lacing.
   
There's a tail/skirting that I added after the above pics and there will be a skirt to match. It looks worlds different now but I've got to wait for my batteries to charge for my digicam before I can take more pics.
The finished piece will be in white cotton that has a fine allover white pattern. It reminds me of the squiggles in frost on a window. It'll have lovely art deco buttons and embroidered eyelet, scallop lace trim.

Fitting scheduled for this weekend and then  I get to dive into the good fabric!

This coming weekend (16th-18th October), Etsy’s Dark Side Street Team is participating in Etsy’s Halloween Weekend Deals, and offering fantastic discounts off everything in store- up to 25% off!!
To take advantage of these great deals, browse the shops linked below for details of the discounts available in each participating store, then use the discount code “WEEKEND DEALS” in the message to seller box during checkout. Further information is available in each store. Welcome to Etys’s Dark Side, and happy shopping!

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Check out the great review from SyntheticSeduction about our team swap last month!

http://synthetic-seduction.blogspot.com/2009/10/trade-with-swstitchery.html

Thanks again, Synth! xx

So awhile ago I participated in an Etsy Dark Team Swap. I was paired up with the lovely SyntheticSeduction!

I have an annoying sensitivity to non-precious metals and Synth was so helpful & willing to make sure that the necklace I wanted wouldn't make my skin cranky (my skin thanks you!). Not only did it arrive quickly but she sent me a couple extra goodies too:

My super cute bat necklace, 2 bat magnets (that are now chilling on my fridge) and a Cotton Candy scented votive candle from WorthySoyCandles (yum).

Thanks so much, Synth♥! ~Static

My offering for the 1st Annual EDT Halloween Scavenger Hunt! This is just one of the 13 random prizes offered up by Etsy Dark Team members that you might win.

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Come join the Etsy Dark Side in the 1st Annual EtsyDarkTeam Halloween Scavenger Hunt. One item, from our hundreds of dollars worth of prizes, will go randomly to each of the first 13 people who complete the Hunt!

I just listed a new Zombie Pin, Chuck...

Chuck is so not happy about his current state. But, that's what happens when your the slowest one when the zombies arrive which Chuck apparently learned the hard way. Just because your former friends are only a *little* green around the edges doesn't mean they're any less of a Zombie.

See listing for more details: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=31831620

& a Purple Flying Monkey Ornament

This was inspired by the Dresden Files series (the books, specifically) mixed with The Wizard of Oz.
This ebil yet kewt ornament is cut, pieced together and sewn completely by hand, making each one unique and OOAK!

See listing for more details: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=31830683

Fly, little piggy, fly!

I've been featured over on the Australian Etsy Blog along with the mention of the Etsy Dark Team, that is participating in the Etsy Weekend Deals (October 2nd - 4th)!

Check it out and mark your calendars to get some sweet deals:

http://australianetsy.blogspot.com/2009/09/i-really-want-this-pig.html

Welcome to the Etsy Dark Side. We are the roaming fox fires in the darkness, the sparkling mist in the ever shifting shadows, faerie rings flow in our wake. Come join us!

♦♦♦♦    ♦♦♦♦    ♦♦♦♦    ♦♦♦♦

EtsyDarkTeam's theme for September was I Want Your Skulls! Here's a peek. Be sure to check out the current Exhibition for more great items!

Row 1: MonstrousIndustry, FabulouslyFierce, SlightlyCurious, SauvageRavenCreation, JammerDesignz
Row 2: GroovyMoonCreations, SenoraAlegreMuertos, SistersOfTheMoon, ArtAkimbo, NatashaBlue
Row 3: SweetButNotSour, RockerByeBaby, MagicalAlchemy, BatsAndPugs, NiteByrd
Row 4: AgonysDecay, IllustratedInk, LeftHandedGoth

Be sure to check out the team shop where we have some items that 100% of the proceeds go to Bat World! Help the bats, help our environment... one wing flap at a time!

  ♦♦♦♦    ♦♦♦♦    ♦♦♦♦

Not signed up with Etsy yet? For shame!

Signing up is free and easy. Just click here & begin enjoying all the hand made, unique wonders Etsy has to offer.

Don't forget to search the keyword "EtsyDarkTeam".

The Etsy Dark Team now has a public forum where you can stay on top of the latest items & deals from EDT members, or peruse the Member Directory, view the latest additions to the monthly Exhibitions (items are added throughout the month) and more. Come play on dark side.

xx ~Static

My August giveaway was a blast with over 100 entries (thank you!), awesome poems/stories (which I still want to post for all to enjoy :D) & comments plus 2 winners! Two lucky ladies received: A Tiger Batling Brooch, Skull Charm Clip, Scrap Bat Pin & coupon from SWStitchery. A bar of Gassy Uranus/Wild Blue Beer soap & Sticker from DarkSideSoap. Clove/Absinthe Lipgloss from HandmadeHorrors. Art Card & coupon from Somnambulant. Pin from StarrlightJewelry. Magnetic Calendar & Pin from MrsEvils. A scented Dream Pillow from LeftHandedGoth. Coffin Bat Gift Tag/Bookmark from AgonysDecay.

ZombieEdward has kindly posted a review of her goodies here:

http://mas69teredward.blogspot.com/2009/09/w00t.html

And, MrsB has also posted a lovely review of her giveaway goodies here:

http://silvermoonwitch.blogspot.com/2009/09/look-what-i-got.html

♥♥♥I'm so happy everyone is enjoying their dark side goodies♥♥♥

And big thanks to my team mates for swapping their awesome promo with me! xx ~Static

Find some goodies to get your Halloween started over at the Australian Etsy Blog! There are just too many EDT members to list (though yours truly is in there!), you'll just have to go check it out for yourself:

Morphologica (fka notrocketsurgery) will be posting more so keep your eyes on that blog!

http://australianetsy.blogspot.com/2009/09/halloween-preparations.html

The lovely NotRocketSurgery (aka Morphologica) has a pre-Halloween feature up which includes items from SWStitchery & MrsEvils (MyPrettyZombie)!

Check out the full feature here: http://notexactlyrocketsurgery.blogspot.com/2009/09/bats-and-zombies.html