Sew Geeky Teaser! Getting in to the Spirit of 8 bit babies!

Oh heck YEAH, guys!!!  

Geek Awareness Day is less than two weeks and you know what that means!!! SEW GEEKY is almost here!!!!

I figured that we should get you all in the mood.

First theme is gonna be a throw back. Awww YEAH!

8-bit babies!

 BAM!  I know you know what these are!!!

From old school cartridges to the newest apps, everyone can appreciate a little retro gaming!  So let's whet your appetites by sending you through some throw back graphics at their best! 

Go ahead.

Put on your geeky gamer pants.

Grab a snack and a drink.

Then...

[PRESS START] 

 

• Land of Illusion   

  Oh Em Gee.  I loved this game with such a passion as a kiddo.  Just all the little hidden treasures and secrets... Oh, man.  I have such vivid memories of each of the levels and just watching them over again makes me want to buy a game gear again.   
  True story. 
  So. Good.
  

 

• Nyan Cat

    Seriously, guys?  Have you downloaded this app on your smartphone yet?
   Go on. It's free.  Go do it right now. 
  I'll totally wait. 
   The music is so adorable and, comeon, it doesn't get much better than a happy poptart kitty and a crazy waffle cat floating around catching tasty sweets!  Oh wait- there's a never-ending rainbow? Need I say more?
  
  

• Donkey Kong

   
  

   

   Final Fantasy VII 

  Final Fantasy is so truly dear to me. Heck, Sephira's name derived from a character from Final Fantasy.  Final Fantasy hosts hundreds of interesting characters and almost endless games which are still coming out!  Hands down, one of my top favorite games of all time.  Much love.

 

• Sonic the Hedgehog

   Just listening to the intro makes me all giddy again.  Who doesn't get all nostalgic over Sonic?  It's such a fun game.  All the characters, the super fast gameplay. Sigh. Good times.

   

  

• Megaman

   

• Mario

Um, I know the the only people who don't know what Mario is are people who have been under a rock for the last 30 years. I can't even begin to go into the awesomeness that is Super Mario Bros.
 Perfectly, Classic.

• Zelda

   

   

• Revenge of Drancon

    If I could count all the hours of my adolescence playing this game, I'd feel a little bit shameful at the number.  This game is sooooo cute but it was so hard, for some odd reason, that I never ended up finishing it!  But seeing the video above puts me in a total happy place.

   

   Castlevania

    I personally didn't play the original.  I started with Symphony of Darkness and I was hooked.  Who doesn't love vampires, and goblins, and weird underworld creatures?! 

 

• Ecco the Dolphin

    Oh, Ecco, you helped me learned how to work out puzzles and riddles better than any game at my early age.  It was and still is such beautiful imagery for its time.  It really takes me back. 
  

• Contra

   

 

• Metroid

   

• Ninja Gaiden

   

  

• Bitboxland

    Another smartphone app!  It's like a kawaii fabric brought to life!!!  So many ridiculously cute elements, what is not to love!!!!

  

• Bubble Pets 

    Wanna get your kids into the 8 bit zone?  Well, here's yet another smartphone app that is perfect for them!  It's everything from dinosaurs on the moon to cute little fluffy pink bunnies!!!
  

  

• Strider

    So a lot of these other games I haven't spoken about are ones that my hubby is super fond of.  Since they were clearly more "boy-ish", I was not drawn to them as a child. But suffice it to say, when we were sifting through YouTube videos, his face lit up and I caught a hilarious video of him reenacting out the game.  And it totally made me fall in love with him all over again.
  

   

• Kid Icarus

Once again, not one I played but, sigh, I am really sad I didn't!!!!  It has some very inspiring characters!!! Watching this, it looks like something I would have loved playing!!!  Actually I know I would still love to play it... hmmm, maybe it'll come out on Wii...
What? A girl can dream, can't she!?

So there you go.
Nostalgia Overload.
Did I miss one of your favorite 8 bit games?
It's very possible.
I only picked ones that I or my husband had an intimate relationship with, HA!
Do you think you can guess which ones Ari and I picked???
Not that I'm letting you know if you guessed correctly that is ;-)

• Don't forget to add your geeky handmades to our flickr pool!!!

 
Alrighty!!!
See you soon!!!

Snuggle Punk! A Hosh Pants refashion!

Hosh Pants.  

An adorable pattern by one of my truly dearest friends, Sarah of Emmy LouBee Clothing. 

What I absolutely heart about her patterns is that they are modern, simple, thoughtful, ADORABLE, and very customizable.

  Oh geez, I am hooked on her patterns anymore... I think I made about a half dozen Doli tanks, two pairs of Hosh pants, and this Bimaa sweater which I am so smitten with I am at a loss for words.

She recently came up with a great idea to do a mini blog tour focusing on refashioning her Hosh pattern.  Challenge accepted!  I had a lot of ideas, but it wasn't until i found a sizable remnant of this sort of Black Milk-like Spandex and an ultra mega cozy light-weight, baby pink sweater knit did my vision truly come together.  

 I'm not going to deny that the material looks a little racy.  That was the main reason I didn't sew these Hosh pants for Azriella.  But I was so mesmerized by that black fabric there was no question I had to use it for Hosh.

 The main feature of the Host pants pattern that sets it apart from other pants patterns is that there aren't any side seams.  This opens up a plethora of options from customizing to busting out that special fabric with the awesome print that you just want to showcase.

I soon thought of something I hadn't done in a while that makes a biiiig impression: diamond tucks. I love the look of diamond tucks! 

 In the making of the diamond tucks, I had a dilemma:  should I use black thread or neon thread?  Max to the rescue!  Neon!  I thought it would be a nice twist to do two toned look with a magenta thread in the bobbin and neon orange in the needle thread.

In keeping the look tidy and svelte, I took the inseam in quite a bit and added a deep cuff for the leg bottoms.

 

 

 

 Oh man.  How much does that sweater make you weak in the knees.  I needed a super comfy snuggly slouchy shirt to contrast the punky pants.  The Bimaa pattern of Sarah's... oh man.  I just can't even form the words to express how much I love this pattern.  Check out that cowl!  And Oh! The slouchy Skinny sleeves... be still my heart.  Sephira never wanted to take this outfit off!  That is totally a win in the sewing for toddlers handbook if I ever saw one.  She's worn that shirt for the last few days.  So addicting.  Come fall I am making at least a dozen of those for each of my girls!

 

 What wasn't a win?  That softy stretchy cute headband!  Would you believe I had such an ordeal trying to get her to wear that things?!

 Lost in her cowl!

And I leave you with a pic of Sephira snuggle her baby pinkie pie.  So cute!

Now here's a super cool part:

• To celebrate, all week long you can enjoy 15% off anything in Sarah's Pattern Shop by entering code FANCY15 at checkout - now through next Sunday! 
  
  

  How sweet is that!

  So what are you waiting for!?  GO buy up her patterns!!!!

  
  

  

  
  P.S.)  I couldn't resist posting this Sarah:
  

  

  
  

The Fourth Be With You It May!

Where are all my Star Wars geeks?  [insert breathy whisper] There is another post...

My girly, Max and I have a stellar Star Wars round up on GMS today!  It's pretty epic... and it's not A TRAP!  

If you are looking for even more mind tricks, go and check out That Moxie Girl's post too.  Or you will be Bantha fodder!!

I can't find the link to give the artist credit, but this is just to perfect not to post.

That is all.

translucent neon wands meets sew chibi. a father daughter tale.

Once upon a morning, as we sat eating our breakfast, my little Azriella started reading an art magazine.

I moved her to my lap and explained the photos.  As we neared the end, we flipped the page and gazed upon a beautiful picture

She gasped.  

I explained that that was one of my favorite paintings... and that her grandfather painted it.  It was a little hard of a concept for her to process, but she was nonetheless moved.  I had fun trying to explain that her grandfather is an artist.  My favorite one, too.

When we finished that magazine we went on to another, and then another.  And then I thought "Wait.  I know what will really knock her socks off!!" 

I ran and got my copy of Len Chmiel and Authentic Nature, which is a biiiiiiig book of a lot of my daddy's paintings which came out last year. 

I wish I would have photographed the sparkle in her eyes as she sat gazing at page after page of artwork.  

It was  pretty incredible morning.

Shortly after that, I saw and Instagram post that Katy wrote about who's your favorite artist.  I got all kinds of smug and posted about my daddy!  And I had planned on doing a dress as an homage to him.  

Well, holiday after holiday went by and with them the appropriate amount of rigorous sewing.  

One day I bit the bullet, went on to spoonflower and put in an order for a yard of Kona cotton, printed with one of my favorites of my daddy's paintings, Translucent Neon Wands.  

check out his tiny signature in the bottom left corner.  he just etches it in with the back of his brush.  i love it.  it doesn't distract from the painting.  guess that's why i chose a font that can easily be disguised when I want it to be.

Not as brilliant as I might have hoped, but it still produced a pretty chuffed Kat.

Look at how tiny Azriella looks curled up in that book!  

I'm not gonna lie:  I felt incredibly paranoid about doing this project!  This is probably why I took my time getting to it!  I agonized over different ideas, making and scrapping ideas and muslins. And to be perfectly honest, I'm not only nervous to reveal my creation but have had legit thoughts that it is absurdly not good enough.  But with the coaxing of some dear friends of mine, I felt reassured in my dress.

This is Sew Chibi doing a Len Chmiel painting.  Gasp!

 

I can tell you, it was pretty weird, exciting, nerve wracking... {insert a plethora of other emotions} sewing a fabric with my daddy's painting all over it!  I'm getting a little teary eyed typing about it!  

I know I am infinite amounts away from capturing the same image from the skirt in my rendition on the bodice, but I did my best!

 

 I used a pretty blue ombre' thread for the hem and made an unfinished pleated sash.  Oh!  And my most prideful part:  the buttons!!!  EEK!  They came out exactly the way I wanted!

Let it be known:  I am not a painter... not even remotely. 

 But if you are wondering where I get my wild ideas, it probably is because I come from people who love color.  It would be a miserable life to me if everything were just plain beige.  

 

I only wish I could see my dad more often.  He is such an inspiration to me. He influences me more than he could ever know and I love him so very much.  Thank you daddy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The End.

 P.S.)  My favorite part of the book:  His artist Timeline... this page: