"Stained Glass" Jar Mug

The other day, I found a web page showing how to draw on glass with sharpies and seal it with nail polish. I had been wanting to make a mug with a coat of arms on it, and I contrived to make it out of a Ukrainian canning jar. I still haven't figured out how to do the handle, but I've done the painting. Here's how I did it. First, I designed a coat of arms to put on the mug. Then, I photographed the coat of arms I had made and sized the picture so the design would be the right size. Here is the mug with the pattern inside the glass, ready to be drawn upon.

I first traced the outline of the design in black sharpie. Then, after letting it dry for a time, I filled in the colors. Last, I went out and bought some gold nail polish. I used this to paint the lions and the crown. I think it has turned out pretty well. When everything has had time to dry, I will paint over it with clear nail polish. 

Raglan Sleeve Blouse

I've been making a raglan sleeve blouse. Unlike other attempts, I have finally succeeded in creating decent raglan sleeves and a drawstring neckline.

Here's how I did it.

I made the bodice of the blouse as wide around as the width of my shoulders. I sewed up one edge of the blouse leaving a slit wide enough to accommodate my shoulder where it meets my torso. I cut a slit of similar width on the other side, since the other side of the blouse was a fold, not a seam. I added the sleeves on the sides, as per this photo. Note that the ends of the sleeves point downward, not sideways. Gathering the top produces the look in the first photo. 

Finally, I sewed a casing for the whole top of the blouse, including the tops of the sleeves. I threaded white yarn through it to gather the top. 

What's next? Now I need to hem the bottom and sew casings in the sleeves. I intend to replace the white string in the top casing with elastic and add elastic to the sleeves. Before adding the elastic, I hope to sew on some lace to create a frilly look.