Columbia Lily Designs

Still Alive

2010-10-13T20:27:00.000-07:00

Just busy.

T-shirt blanket for a client.

Yes, those are real ballet shoes.

Market Sewing

2010-09-11T14:20:00.000-07:00

I love Seattle for many, many reasons, but one of the reasons close to the top of the list is the sheer volume of farmers markets. While some of them are seasonal, you can find a farmers market in this area 365 days a year. During the summer, I try to go to the Kent farmers market every Saturday, and today I saw something new.

This is Dominic Muren. He founded a project called the Humble Factory, and as part of that has created the Production Cycle, a bicycle that has a sewing machine attached that he rides to local farmer's markets. While at the farmer's market, he makes a bag from scrap fiber materials from the Seattle area - like coffee bags - and trades that bag for information on other scrap fiber sources in the area.

He is in the process of building a website that will make this information public so that other artists in the Seattle area have access to these same fiber sources that would otherwise be discarded.

He's personable and easy to talk to, and that machine is freaking awesome. It's a Singer Featherweight machine that has been modified into a treadle sewing machine. He built the housing and did the modifications himself and I love that the housing and machine can be transported on a bike.

I think these ideas are pretty cool and I love the idea of using castoff materials to make something valuable. It's the reason I joined freecycle, after all, and I know in a place like Seattle, there are fiber sources available and a community of people who want them, I just don't know where they are or how to get them.

If you are interested in hearing more about this project, or want to give him some information about fiber castoffs availability in the Seattle area, check out his website, http://www.humblefactory.com/, or the blog, http://www.humblefacture.com/

pardon the jittery camera.....

Cookery

2010-09-07T18:03:00.000-07:00

I have debated putting recipes on this blog for a while, but decided I wanted to keep this just for sewing and the like. So I started a new blog just for cooking....come on over if you want.

The Diffident Chef

Once and Done

2010-09-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

You know that red skirt from the last post? I wore it on the first day of school, it looked great, fit perfectly, got lots of compliments, and then I washed it yesterday and it shrunk 2 inches in each direction. It's shorter and no longer fits in the waist even remotely.

What really sucks is that I was almost sure that the fabric was 100% cotton and I preshrunk it before sewing it. ARGH. Oh well, you win some, you lose some, and at least I know exactly how to usee this pattern the next time.

Clothing For Me

2010-08-21T20:30:00.001-07:00

I don't really like to sew clothes for myself, I have a really hard time making patterns fit me and it takes a truly inordinate amount of fabric to swathe myself modestly, so I don't really do it that often. Additionally, I don't really care for skirts for several reasons, one being my shape, which makes me look like an apple on sticks when I wear even a-line skirts. However, every now and then I take the plunge, and this time I might actually wear what I sewed. This green shirt is made from a Simplicity 2891 pattern that I have made a couple of times before. This is not the original sleeve design, however, as you will see if you click the link. I have made this pattern three times and changed the sleeve design each time. This version is the result of me not wanting to regather the top of the sleeve after making a mistake and having to attempt the sleeve for the third time. I didn't make the white pants, but they are scary for me, I have never owned a pair before as I am notoriously messy. I made both the top and the skirt in this picture. The top is from Simplicity 2841 and is the second version. I made version 1 out of a random piece of fabric I had sitting around, and while I really liked it, the fabric was white satiny stuff and it was Very White. Like, I'm-going-to-a-wedding-white, and it was just too much, so I decided to try and dye it, which I have never done before. The problem was that I didn't know what the fiber content of the material was, so I guessed, and was only half right. Only half the threads in the blouse turned purple, and it shrunk about 6 sizes in the process, so I can't show you how ridiculous it looks. I did make this version out of blue cotton and I am almost happy with it, although I think the armholes are too large. It's hard to see details on it, but I made full-length pintucks down the entire front, which was not part of the original pattern. By the way, thanks, Antoinette, for your advice on this top. I played around with the two skirts I owned until I discovered that I actually kind of liked the pencil skirt look, so I found a pattern that I liked and played around with it. The tan skirt in the second picture is version 2, I couldn't even zip up version 1. I used Vogue 8672 for the pattern, and really liked it, despite the fact that the skirt fabric in version 2 is pretty much the same color as my legs, but it was still not as form-fitting as I wanted, so I made version three and modified it to be more curvy. I love the color and the way it fits, but I am not sure I have much to wear with it.

In addition, because I have had issues in the past with seams unraveling after washing with clothing I made myself, I french seamed every single seam on all four garments, which took a little more time than usual, but I know it will pay off in the end and the insides of my garments look really professional.

So there you go, headless pictures of me. School starts soon and I am working on a time-consuming certification process this year, so I am not sure how much I will be able to sew, but will do what I can.

Tiny Aprons

2010-08-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

3 days after my last post, I went to Oregon to work for my dad for three weeks. My dad is a farmer, and during harvest my uncle, aunt and dad work together to harvest their fields. It really works best to have four though, and my sister couldn't come down this summer so I went to help. My cousin helps out sometimes as well, and my cousin's wife makes dinner for those of us working in the field. This brings me to the point.

My cousin has three daughters, who really like my dad, and they were helping their mom cook dinner. They told their mom that they needed aprons to cook with, and so I ran in to JoAnns one morning before heading to the field and grabbed lots of pink, and made these.

I had to completely guess on the measurements, but they turned out pretty well and I do like them quite a lot. They are super simple shapes, reversible, and I did kidn of cheat by using premade bias tape instead of making my own. Start to finish I took about 1.5 hours, and that was only because the last one gave me some problems.

And thus summarizes my summer sewing. =)

Tie One On

2010-07-01T14:22:00.000-07:00

I love men's ties. My dad is a farmer and I do not remember him wearing a tie ever, but I do like ties. Although ties themselves are a little odd...I mean think about it. It is essentially a noose that a guy voluntarily ties around his neck. But on the other hand, they are pretty cool accessories. They are usually beautiful silk, and to me they have so many possibilities.

A lot of people make belts or purses out of ties, and while I do like those ideas, I have no waist and prefer to make purses out of solid colors. On the other hand, I do love bracelets. I have long monkey arms, so I am lucky enough to be able to wear cuff-style bracelets fairly easily.The easiest way for me to get my hands on ties is to get them at the thrift store, so sometimes they have odd smells. The blue one above was apparently worn by a man who wore a LOT of cologne, because even several years later it smells like cologne.
I have basically cut the tie into three pieces. I use the bottom triangular piece to make a simple overlapping cuff with a button and buttonhole, like the first picture and the one below. The finished width of course depends on how wide the tie was initially. The three different ties here vary between 2.5" and 4" wide.I also use the opposite end more or less as is. I cut a piece that is quite a bit longer, and wrap it around 3 times, with either a button or a snap on the end. The one below had a name on the tie, and I debated doing something to cover it up, but in the end, I kind of liked the way it looked, so I left it. Here's another example, wrapped around, and this one has a snap on the end instead of a button. I used heavy duty anorak snaps. Pardon the mess behind me, I was playing with the self timer very late at night and didn't bother editing these before posting them. The center section is a little flexible. I ended up doing something similar with the wrap look, but the number of times it wraps around varies depending on the length of the tie. I just really like the look of the layers. Here it is on my arm.

The last one on here is one of my favorites, but I did struggle quite a lot with how to finish it. I ended up putting medium sized grommets about an inch apart all the way around, but then couldn't figure out how to connect it. I tried several options and wasn't happy with anything, so I finally ended up in the jewelry section of JoAnns and got a chain that I hooked through two of the grommets. Every other bracelet opens up to make it easy to put on (although most of them can be slipped on without opening it up), but this one is sewed down.
I do like the juxtaposition of the chain and grommets against the colors and moderately feminine design, but I struggled with that chain. It took me probably 2 hours to figure out how I wanted to thread it and how to get it to look right when it was on and my hand was moving around. But I'm happy with it.

Thoughts?

Short and Pink

2010-06-30T19:11:00.001-07:00

I'm finally out of school and I've been cooking some more! Working on a (late) father's day present for my dad....tiny pies! They are made in muffin tins and since I only have one muffin tin, it is taking a while. That is actually ok with me, because it has also allowed me to sew in between sets. I'll post on that later.

Peach.......

Apple.....

And I'm working on strawberry and blueberry.

In addition, I threw this little pouch together for my niece. My mom is going back to my sister's for the month of July, and taking a bunch of stuff, including all the gifts I slacked off and didn't send on their birthdays. Bad Aunt!My niece LOVES pink and loves having her nails painted, while her older sister is the official nail painter of the family, so I sent these for her.

I've been working on some bracelets made from ties, I'll post about those soon!

Where I've Been

2010-05-16T21:23:00.000-07:00

I have never, since I started this blog, even when I had a broken arm, gone this long without posting. And part of the reason is that I haven't sewed One Single Thing since the beginning of April.

I miss sewing, I really do, but as a teacher, this is the craziest time of the year, and I honestly haven't had time. In addition, my New Year's Resolution this year was to eat healthy for real, and I have been participating in a Biggest Loser competition at my school, which means I have been doing things like cooking and working out, which is great, but time-consuming. =) I've lost about 25 pounds since January though, which makes me quietly happy - and I feel better inside, and I feel better about myself. I am NOT to the point of posting pictures of myself yet, but there's less self-hatred when I catch a glimpse of myself in a window.

The cooking thing is going well, though. My mom gave me a subscription to a fantastic magazine called Clean Eating last year, and I am a HUGE fan. I love that the recipes are super simple and I love the entire premise of eating un-processed food (well, I may process it by cooking, but I do it myself) and learning HOW to read labels and HOW to cook healthier. This is different than a diet, which is why I think it has been working for me.

Anyway, I can't recommend this magazine enough, I have liked everything I have made from it and I love that all the ingredients are regular things you can find in any grocery store or farmer's market. I have never really liked cooking, and for the first time I actually do like it, thanks to this magazine. Here's the link, if you want to check it out, or you can get it at larger supermarkets or Costco.

PS - I was not paid for this, I just really like this magazine. =)

PPS - I realize that I sound slightly crazy in this post. =)

Jamie Oliver

2010-03-26T21:43:00.000-07:00

This is a fantastic show. I hate most reality shows, but this is pretty amazing. If you haven't had the chance to see it, I highly recommend it.

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

There are full episodes online if you missed it.

Where I've Been

2010-03-22T16:39:00.001-07:00

I haven't had so much of a creative block as I have too many irons in the fire at this point. I currently have 4 or 5 partially finished projects sitting on my table and it's at the point that I kind of don't know where to start. In addition, when I turned 31 in December, I decided I was old enough to wear what I wanted and that it was time to stop worrying about what other people thought. This is why I wore black nail polish and sequined All-Stars to school today.They make me happy.

And, most importantly I decided it was time to actually get healthy for a change. I have tried to lose weight before, but this time I am doing things a little differently, and while things are slow, they are progressing in the right direction. And then I decided that I needed to expand my horizons a bit, so I have been volunteer tutoring with a Somali Refugee organization once a week. All of this means that I have been spending less time sewing and more time cooking, working out, and just being away from home. I leave my house at 6 am and don't get home until 4 or later, then in bed by 10 and the time just sort of drips away. But the thing is, I am happy. Really happy, so I am ok with things for the most part. I have been sort of turning things over in my mind and am trying to decide what to do with my etsy shop and I still haven't decided what to do yet.

Meanwhile, I have been playing around with the "math is sweet" thing. I know it's dorky, but I like puns, and being a teacher (and 31) means that I can indulge my dorkiness if I want to. I have also been playing around with freezer paper stencils because I love the simplicity of the designs. I have some ideas, which I am somewhat reluctant to share yet, but one of them involves the words "history rocks" with one of the easter island heads (because, you know, they are historical rocks, and history rocks - ba dum dum -) and that made me think of Easter, which made me think of rabbits, and well, one thing led to another and I ended the weekend with this: Here's the thing....I am getting lost in this design...and it is to the point that I can't decide if it's funny or stupid. So please tell me, do I have something that makes sense and is very mildly funny in a dorky kind of way or if it is something that is just kind of "nod-your-head-and-smile" but not at all funny and so on. Does it actually look like something you would recognize? When you look at it, do you think, "oh yeah, that's one of those easter island heads" or do you think, "hmmm....it's a squished grey rabbit wearing sunglasses."

These are things I need to know....input? Anyone? Please?

PS - if you need a reminder, the Easter Island heads look like this

Comments

2010-03-10T19:55:00.001-08:00

I have had to turn the word verification back on for comments, as I have been pretty seriously spammed over the last few days. I will turn it back off in a while, sorry!!

National Pi Day

2010-03-06T17:01:00.000-08:00

March 14 is National Pi Day, or at least it is with math teachers. You see, pi is the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle. The ratio itself is 3.14159.... and continues out into infinity. So March 14, or 3.14, is National Pi Day and among math teachers, is celebrated with pie. Because our school day ends at 2:03 (which is a mere 4 minutes after 1:59, the next three numbers of pi after 3.14), in our school, it is celebrated at 1:59 on March 14. (3.14, 1:59).A few days ago, an image popped into my head on the way to school and I couldn't get it out. So this weekend, I sketched it out, made it into a wax paper transfer, and made it into a bag. I think it's pretty cool.....what do you think?

The shell is a really light canvas and the lining is cocoa brown nubby linen-looking material I got from freecycle.

Oh Julia!!

2010-03-03T19:47:00.001-08:00

Hi Julia....would you mind linking your email to your profile? It's in the settings section of your google account. I can't seem to find a way to connect with you! You asked which pattern I used for the diaper bag, it is Simplicity 2924, but I did modify the pattern a bit to include more pockets. Thanks!

Diaper Bag Take 2

2010-03-02T20:31:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, I made a diaper bag for a friend. After combing through my archives for about half an hour, I realized that I apparently had not posted about it.....(ARGH) but she did. Here it is...she picked out the material herself, from Amy Butler, and I lined it with my favorite plum-colored cotton since she has both a boy and a girl.

She emailed me about a month ago and asked me to make another one for her sister, who is pregnant with her first child, a girl. Her sister picked out this fabric from Amy Butler, called Martini Blush.It is a surprisingly difficult fabric to match. The background is not really olive, not really lime, but somewhere in between. In addition, the largest ball design is only about an inch wide, so this was an unexpectedly busy design (we ordered it online). I also wanted to make sure it was dirt-resistant, washable and not too girly, at least from the outside, and at least a little bit classy.

I ended up going with a khaki, almost-canvas-feeling, heavy cotton twill. I used the Amy Butler fabric as trim and I lined the bag with it. The pockets are lined with plain pink cotton and I lined the entire thing with iron-on fleece for heft and protection against leaks.I also added some extra pockets. The original design called for a regular flap, without a pocket, so I added one, and also added a second bottle pocket on the other end of the bag. It's not too shabby, if I do say so myself. I did use a commercial pattern because I have no kids, so I have no idea what size to make things that relate to babies. =)I do apologize for the photo quality, it has been gray and drizzly here for the past couple of days and I took these in my living room in a hurry when I got home from school today.

Gray Spring Purse

2010-02-24T20:13:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting to make a new purse for a while now, and I wanted to make another version of the brown wool purse from a few months back. This particular purse started life as a pair of gray cotton pants that developed an unfortunately placed hole.
I did make a few modifications. The chain handles are a bit pricey, so I replaced them with tapered fabric handles, and I put in smaller grommets on the sides, mostly because I didn't have the right size in silver. The sides are tied with some gray very narrow double-fold bias tape that I got from freecycle.

It is lined with some light slate gray/blue fabric and only two pockets because I messed up on the zippered one. =)

I do really love these pleats.

You may have noticed in the top picture that I added a button and loop as well, this purse seemed to gape open wider than the previous one and I forgot to add a magnet before sewing everything together. All I did when finished was slit the top stitching slightly, insert the loop, and topstitch it closed again. We'll see how it works when I use it.

Sorry for going dark for 2.5 weeks...I hate that.

More Blankets

2010-02-07T18:52:00.000-08:00

So there has been a Thing happening in our family which has made it somewhat difficult to focus and sew but I have been making this and that. I have several partly finished projects....maybe you'll see those later. =)

Over the last four years at the school I work at there have been 3 pregnant women on the staff each year (different ones each year, obviously...). But only three. No more, and more importantly, NO LESS. Always 3. Each of the last three years, one of the three is someone I happen to be pretty good friends with, which means I have made at least one baby blanket every year. This year, the baby mama is a very outgoing, bubbly freshman English teacher that I call Jessica Rabbit (in my head) because she is very......va-va-voom. =)

She and her husband have decided not to find out the sex of the baby, so that presents some challenges when choosing the color for the blanket. You have to make sure that whatever you make isn't too girly, but not too boyish either. They have painted the nursery green, so that gave me a little direction. First, I made this one:
But it just wasn't right. There is nothing wrong with it....it just.........wasn't right for THIS baby. So I went through my stash and pulled out this fantastic Heidi Grace fabric. Check out those birds and the teeny tiny ladybugs! Then I found some coordinating fabric and made the same around the world pattern, just brighter. It is backed with bright green flannel and tied with white embroidery floss in the center of each white square. I really like it, and I hope she does too!

Weekend Projects

2010-01-26T19:43:00.000-08:00

This weekend, I had many ideas tumbling around in my head, but was having trouble settling on one, so I did a bunch of little things.

I made cat collars for my two fuzzy roommates....I used the old clips from the store-bought collars I bought several years ago. If silent disdain equals approval, then I think they approve.

I also made a new ironing board cover, since as you can see, my old one was Really Disgusting. Things were sticking to it when I used the iron, so it was time to go. I used some freecycle fabric that looks like a vintage sheet but actually isn't. It is pretty decent weight and nice and crisp. I doubled it up and used some stash cotton batting, as well as some stash piping cord as a drawstring. It is pulling in the center because I added the velcro straps from the old ironing board cover.
I also made new pillowcases from the same material. I don't like the actual material itself as well as I thought I would, so I have been making things that won't really see the light of day.

On Monday morning, I made a 320 mile detour on my way to school, and drove to Portland to drop off some clothes and things for my mom to take back to my sister in Missouri. I would like to extend my thanks to the great state of Washington and the fabulous condition of the I-5 freeway, which rewarded me with this fantastic smashed windshield.

Chain Chain Chain

2010-01-18T17:59:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting to make a purse for myself, specifically a larger tote style of purse, which is a little unusual for me. I generally have gravitated towards smaller purses, but have been wanting something bigger. I also have been thinking a lot about chain handles, especially since making this purse a few months back.

So since I had a long weekend, I made this.....I really like it a lot. It has 3 pockets on the inside, including a zippered pocket that I broke the first time I opened it...oops. I knew that it might, since I was working with a new type of pocket construction and sewed it in wrong. The only issue I have had with it, other than the pocket, is that the chains slide off my shoulder really easily. I think that will change if I somehow add some fabric to the straps. I don't know exactly how I want to do that, but there are a couple of ideas rolling around in my head. This is actually the practice version, I have a cranberry colored light canvas/duckcloth that I will use for the actual one. It cost me less than $4 to make...the fabric was a remnant and the chain handles are actually dog choke chains from the dollar store. Sweet! =)

And finally, here is the (iphone) shot of my friend and her maid of honor at the wedding show this weekend. She didn't want adjujstable straps and told me her friend was the same height as her, but looking at the picture, I wish I would have made the straps a little longer. Next time I will remember that height similarities does not mean everything else is equal. They did get a lot of compliments though!

Bride and Maid of Honor Bags

2010-01-13T19:45:00.000-08:00

The girl across the hall from me is getting married this summer and asked me to make her two bags for her bridesmaids. She picked out the fabric for them, using her wedding colors, and when I got home, I got a text that said "I changed my mind...I want one for myself!"

So....I sewed them up this past weekend and added the iron-ons from the bridal section of JoAnns. I did have some trouble with the iron-ons - the little crystals were fine, but the little studs kept falling off.

Also, the color is more maroon, but my camera hates red with a passion.
The lining is silver shantung silk. Hope you are having a great week!

Adventures in Clothing

2010-01-12T18:54:00.000-08:00

Gah! It's been 12 days since I blogged!

I made some skirts for my 8-year-old, twig-like niece. It is difficult to fit them correctly, as my sister's measurements are somewhat haphazard and they live in Missouri. I hope they fit. the top (and underskirt base) is a fat quarter and the blue fabric is Debbie Mumm, who I don't normally like, but I love the pigs. =)This skirt is reversible, the fabric above was a remnant at a Hancock's closing and the fabric below is an old sheet, possibly?

Stupid blogger won't let me upload the full picture of this one, but it has a full skirt with a 2" satin ribbon as the trim at the bottom.

I also spent an entire day making hairbows for my 4-year-old uber-girly niece (it's what she wanted!)

Hope your week is going fantastically!!

Paging Julia...

2010-01-01T21:45:00.000-08:00

According to Random.org, the winning comment was number 2, made by Julia, of Julia's Sew Sweet and Special Occasion Clothing for Children. Thanks for all the birthday wishes. =) I didn't end up going to a museum or anything special, but it was a good day nonetheless.

Thanks again!

It's My Birthday - Again

2009-12-30T00:00:00.000-08:00

I blame my parents for this awkward, between-Christmas-and-New-Year's birthdate which I have never once celebrated with a birthday party with friends on the actual date. On the other hand, I have never once had to go to school or work on my birthday. =)

I am writing this post ahead of time, so I am not sure what I am going to be doing....a trip to the museum or taking myself to a movie are two possibilities, or maybe making a purse for myself.

I did buy myself a little gift.....I walked into a calendar store and it jumped into my hand, I swear. I may or may not have spent 2 hours flipping through it last night. There are 313 different bags, some by high-end designers and some by unknown artists, spanning a length of time between the early 1800s and 2008. Anyhoo.....I won't be doing the big birthday extravaganza giveaway from last year, despite the fact that I will be turning 30 for the second time. But I do want to give you, my awesome blog buddies, a small token of thanks for sticking with me, despite the sporadic blogging and more than the acceptable amount of whining lately.

So if you would like to win this Wicked Witch bag, leave me a comment with what you like to do on your birthday. I'll draw one on New Year's day (Friday) sometime.

Thanks again for reading and good luck!

A List of Weak Excuses

2009-12-27T14:05:00.000-08:00

I don't know if anyone actually reads this blog anymore...I have been quite neglectful lately. Here are my excuses:

I couldn't sew for so long that I had a hard time getting my mojo back
I spent quite some time making tshirt blankets, which is all well and good, but not that creative for me anymore
I was making Christmas presents, which could not be posted
I have no models for the above-mentioned Christmas presents and clothes look so blah when not on a model
I didn't make anything sewn for my parents this year
And.....I was going through a bit of a blog drought

You can choose whatever excuse you like...they're all true.

If anyone is still out there, thanks. You're my favorite reader, no matter what the others say. =)

I made calendars for my parents for Christmas, which took a tremendous amount of time (and ink!). The only sewn thing I made was a wallet for my dad, which didn't work quite right, so I have to remake it. It is very unexciting, so I have no pictures of it.

I made a bunch of skirts for my niece and am hoping to have a friend take pictures with her daughters as models tomorrow. If she does, I will show those as soon as I can. I am a little proud of the skirts, I think they're adorable and they're a good way to use up some of my stash fabrics.

I also made this little purse for one of my best friends. She wanted a foldover purse, and this was my first attempt. I have a couple more done that are slightly bigger, but this was take one. I do like it, but it is a little small....it's wallet sized, roughly, maybe a little bigger. I didn't buy anything, it is totally from the stash, even the button. The colors are a bit wonky, it was dark in my house when I was trying to take pictures. It is actually a very light butter yellow (real butter, not the fake stuff) creamy corduroy with a mossy green print on the inside.

By the way, has anyone else noticed that the energy-saving bulbs give out very yellow light? I like it for lighting because it is very warm, but it makes taking pictures indoors a beast. The colors are always really off for me.

I hope you had a fantastic Christmas....my new year's resolution? To be a better blogger.

Miss and Remiss

2009-12-24T21:03:00.000-08:00

Yes....I sort of fell off the planet there for a while. I'll be back, but Christmas present-making got a little crazy, and I got a little lazy.....I am at my parents house for a few days so I should have time to post some things, especially after tomorrow morning. =) Have a merry and most excellent Christmas!

Finally

2009-12-07T21:17:00.000-08:00

I finally had a few minutes to repost on etsy.

Thanks for your patience. =)

completely unrelated to sewing

2009-12-04T18:34:00.000-08:00

OK, I have to share this...I will have a regular sewing or crafty post tomorrow, I promise, it's been a completely insane, horrible, terrible, very bad week.....

BUT. I was putting together a powerpoint for Monday and was looking for a picture of Russian farmers. This is one of the first pictures that popped up and I cannot help but giggle hysterically every time I look at it.

Seriously.....between the expression on her face and the scythe-wielding villager next to her - PRICELESS

original pic here.

Blankets

2009-11-30T19:59:00.000-08:00

I haven't made many tshirt blankets lately, but I recently got 4 orders (well, I'm still waiting on confirmation on number 4, but still) all in a row. I finished two of them over the weekend. I also now have a giant pile of tshirt pieces, which I need to find something to do with. I have some ideas, but am still waiting for inspiration to coalesce. I am also excited about Urban Craft Uprising this weekend....I haven't gone to a craft fair for a year, not since last year's UCU. I love these shows....and since I am short on time, maybe I will find some gifts for my family. Fingers crossed! If you are in the Seattle area, I highly recommend it -December 5 and 6 at the Seattle Center.

It's been too long

2009-11-24T18:06:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I'm still here, but you see that empty space there on the right? There is NOTHING in the etsy shop. I am struggling to find models for some of the fingerless gloves and purses I have in stock, but am aiming for a December 1 shop reopening.

We shall see.

Meanwhile, I am frantically preparing for my parents visit tomorrow, and cooking, and three (soon to be four) tshirt blankets for clients, and trying to make things for the shop, all while spending 10 or more hours a day at school trying to be a good teacher. Sometimes my job gets in the way of what I really want to do.

I'll be back soon, but have a great Thanksgiving in the meantime!

Toasty Hands, Thankful Heart

2009-11-08T17:05:00.000-08:00

I have spent the weekend sewing. It was blissful, glorious, and so incredibly relaxing. I was able to catch up on 2 backlogged projects people had paid me to do back in September right before I broke my arm, and do a little sewing for myself. I was able to use some of that creative fog swirling around in my head - making things a little clearer. I am so thankful to regain both the time to sew and the physical ability to use my right arm again.

I finished this bag for a repeat client - the specifications were hers, and I think it turned out really crisp and awesome.

I made some placemats for another repeat client - and then was in a hurry to leave the house and forgot to take a picture. D'OH! Nothing too complicated there, just basic 2-sided placemats. She wanted Christmas fabric on one side and fall fabric on the other. I did feel that I was channeling Project Runway and Tim Gunn a little, since I had some trouble with my original idea and ended up having to rework it a couple of times. ("Make it Work!!"

The other thing I worked on was just for me. I work evenings at various sport events to earn some extra money, and I generally work the ticket booth for football and soccer games. I can be there for as long as 4 hours at a time, and the weather this week turned really cold and wet. I can't wear gloves to work the ticket booth because I can't make change, and in addition, the palms of my hands tend to run really warm and I can't wear gloves for long without ripping them off. But I did want something, since my wrists and arms get cold, so I have been contemplating fingerless gloves for some time. The problem was that all the online tutorials I could find were for knitted or crocheted gloves, and I can't do either of those things.

Last night while I was working the ticket booth, I just sort of rolled the idea around in my head (between drunk and smelly parents buying tickets for the game). The problem was that I wanted thumbs on the gloves. It would be easy to just sew a tube, or sew a tube and cut a slit for the thumbs, but I wanted actual thumbs in the gloves. I had a bunch of jersey knit I had gotten for free off of freecycle a few months back, so today I pulled it out and just started playing with it.

One of my biggest concerns was that I have had very little luck with knits. My mom's machine ate knits, so I never sewed with it growing up. In addition, I do not have a serger, which seems to be the accepted and easy way to sew knits. But the fabric was free, it wasn't like I was going to be out any money, so I just jumped in.

I ended up with these. I may have made 4 pairs already. I love them. Everyone is getting a pair for Christmas. Easiest Christmas Present Ever.

I like that they have long thumbs and long hands, so they can be folded down or up, depending on what you need, and the sleeve end can be folded or scrunched as well. I also like that they are t-shirt weight, which is light enough to wear easily and still stay warm. They could also be worn underneath a heavier pair of gloves without any trouble at all. I am a little proud of these. I may make a bunch and try to sell them. I looked on etsy, and as far as I can tell, there is nothing quite like these listed. If nothing else....I am both trendy AND warm. I can't decide whether or not to do a tutorial. I have the pictures for it, but am going to let the idea roll around for a while before I decide.

SSSSSsssssss.............

2009-11-03T19:04:00.000-08:00

I NEVER thought I would like a snakeskin bag. But I do. I really, really do.

The VBH Python Clutch with Crystal Detail. I'd link to the website....but they are so snooty they don't have one.

Buns in Ovens

2009-10-31T15:38:00.000-07:00

I am planning on "celebrating" Halloween by cleaning my house and hopefully sewing, but my friend Jessica had a CRAFTING EMERGENCY, so I went over to her house this morning to help her make her costume. Jessica is 4 months pregnant, and wanted to go as an oven with a bun in it. So.....

The oven is a box that we spraypainted white and cut out a door. We then cut out a window and put a piece of plastic wrap behind it. We drew knobs on the top of the box and put black bias tape "suspenders" on with hot glue. She found a picture of bread and we ironed it on to a white t-shirt...and done!! I think it's totally cute!

Hoochie Blockers

2009-10-26T18:24:00.000-07:00

At least, that's what I would call them. And I would like to market them to my teenaged female students. It's called the Paparazzi Protector Slip, and you can find it here at Sheltini. *********

In unrelated news, still no sewing (STUPID GRADING!!!! ARGH!!!!) but I am done with homecoming and hoping to sew this week sometime. I have to....or I will be giving IOUs as Christmas presents.

Mojo Dyin'

2009-10-18T21:40:00.001-07:00

I haven't been able to sew for a month.

A MONTH.

I broke my arm exactly one month ago tomorrow. My arm aches and I have actually lost movement in one direction (although I have gained quite a bit back in the other directions). I am cranky, weepy, and tired. I graded papers for 19 hours this weekend. I feel as if all my creative juices have been sucked out of my body. I have to do three lesson plans for this week and I haven't even started them. I can't do my hair yet and it is driving me nuts.

Right now I am feeling whiny and a bit sorry for myself. Hope to be back soon.

Frustrated but Reading

2009-10-12T18:56:00.000-07:00

My arm is still not strong enough to sew, or rather, it's not strong enough to use scissors or a rotary cutter. On the other hand, I have been in and out of my sling all day today and at least my wrist feels loose enough to type fairly easily on my laptop. It's a little harder on my school computer, but at least it no longer takes me an hour to type a paragraph. But I still can't sew and it's making me CRAZY. What sucks even more is that I can't even sketch ideas out, because while I have learned to do quite a few things left-handed in the last three weeks, I still can't draw left-handed. =(

I am hoping to be able to sew this weekend, we shall see. Meanwhile, while I've been out of commission, I've been reading a lot of blogs and doing a lot more poking around on the internet. So I wanted to post a couple of cool things I've seen hither and yon.

I am becoming a bigger and bigger fan of PurseBlog. I am learning all kinds of new designer names and have actually watched NUMEROUS slide shows from fashion week. (Alexander McQueen, anyone?? Those shoes are unbelievable, and digitally designed fabric is so awesome!) I have a lot of new ideas, whether or not they pan out remains to be seen.
Speaking of purseblog, I almost don't want to tell you this, but they are having a giveaway there, a Katherine Kwei purse. I am only telling you for informational purposes only, don't you dare enter, you'll reduce my chances of winning and as a teacher, when else will I have a chance to own a high-end bag? Seriously. This one is my favorite. I firmly maintain that GRAY IS UNDERRATED.

I am becoming a bigger and bigger fan of Daily Candy. One of their recent posts was on Malou bags. Seriously, how could you not love these? I'm not even a fan of big bags and I love them.

I love being able to vote on Project Runway designs on Craftstylish. And on purseblog. And on Lifetime. Which is also, incidentally, where I watch Project Runway, since it is on TOO LATE.

Check out these shoes that Tina over at glam.spoon made. Aren't they freakin' awesome? They make me actually want to wear pointy toes and heels. Er....I didn't ask her if I could use her picture. Sorry Tina....I owe you.

When I was teaching in Dallas, I was matched with a mentor teacher my first year. We became good friends and she had a lot of influence on my teaching style. Apparently, I had a little influence on her too.....look what she's doing! Way to go Sarah!!!! (She's self-taught!)

I participated in a bag swap a week ago or so, I wasn't able to take pictures but am planning to work on that later this week. Have a great one!

Fabulous News of Infinite Awesomeness

2009-10-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

Wait for it......

I TURNED MY OWN DOORKNOB TODAY!!!! AND WROTE MY NAME!!!!! WITH MY RIGHT HAND!!!!!

Big news indeed....Today I got my stitches out, got a new (MUCH lighter) splint, and can now take a shower without a complicated set of machinations involving two plastic bags and three rubber bands. I hope to get back to regular blogging soon, but typing is still a struggle. In fact, a lot of things are difficult.

This morning, while I was trying to get dressed, I got stuck half in and half out of my bra. Seriously. I had a few minutes of sheer panic as I contemplated having to call someone...or attempt to call someone....It took 20 minutes to get the stupid thing on. At least I don't have to wear the sling anymore. Now a SLING is a genuine torture device. I firmly believe it was invented by a man...since it was clearly designed for someone with massive upper body strength and no boobs to speak of. Not having to wear that anymore makes this a RED LETTER DAY.

I'll be back soon.....

Recovering

2009-10-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

I made it through surgery....yea!! The first couple of days were pretty rough but I made it, thanks to the miracles of painkillers and my mom taking care of me. The surgeon was able to go with the best option - putting the pieces back where they belong and screwing everything in place. My arm is currently wrapped up in what feels like 20 pounds of bandages, and to make sure everything heals right, my arm is actually twisted up inside the cast....my elbow is twisted slightly out and my wrist is twisted slightly in. That is uncomfortable. I am going slow, but hoping to make it back to school on Monday. Thanks for your prayers and well-wishes....

I shall hereafter be referred to as the Bionic Woman

2009-09-28T17:24:00.001-07:00

I went to the orthopedic surgeon today, and here's the latest on my arm:

I not only broke the tip, I broke it in two pieces and while one piece is in more or less the right spot, the other piece is very much in the wrong place. So the doctor will have to go in to fix it. Best case scenario, he goes in, puts the piece back, slaps a metal plate on it and wah-la, I'm done. Worst case scenario, he goes in, the piece that looks like it is broken off may actually be in many tiny pieces, and they would replace the bone tip with a metal tip. Either way, I'll be setting off metal detectors....yet another deterrent to flying.

Good news is that it doesn't look like this will be as traumatic as my last surgery, so while I will be taking Wednesday through Friday off this week, I should be back to work on Monday. Fortunately, the kids were already scheduled to take a test on the block day (Wed and Thur), so I just need to come up with something for Friday.

I would appreciate your prayers, the nurses generally have an extremely difficult time finding a vein for the IV and I always get a little freaked out when signing documents warning me that I may die in surgery AND IT'S NOT THE FAULT OF THE HOSPITAL. The surgery is scheduled for 9 am on Wednesday. Thanks.....more updates post-surgery.

walking wounded (edited)

2009-09-19T23:55:00.000-07:00

i typed this post entirely with my left hand as i fell whilst ice skating and can no longer move my right arm. since i am very extremely right-handed, this will be tons of fun. so no sewing for awhile until i regain mobility. sigh.....can someone come install me in a sling?

edited: according to emergency care doc, my arm is broken. =(

In Avoidance.....a Random Assortment

2009-09-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

I hereby declare my aversion to all things school related. Including, but not limited to, the enormous pile of grading I already have to do. Who assigned all this work, anyway??????? That person should be shot. =)

The other day I was making my bed and thought to myself, "I really need to replace these sheets, they are falling apart" (but Oh SOOOO Soft.....). The next thought in my head? "I could get some replacements at Goodwill." I blame....er....thank..... Tina, Antoinette, and Wardrobe Refashion for that one.

Project Runway is on TOO LATE for me to stay up and watch, so I never get to see it until Saturday. I watched it this morning, and think that they eliminated the correct contestant (who lies while they KNOW they are being taped 24-7??). That being said, I do NOT like the snarky attitudes currently being exhibited by some of the contestants. Those are the reasons I do NOT like reality tv. However, I did like some of those designs. I need to find some of the earlier seasons to watch. My current favorites are Epperson, Louise, Logan and Althea.

I am involved in a bagswap sponsored by Petchy and my partner and I decided to surprise each other. I checked out her blog, and it looks like she cooks a lot. Maybe she'll make me dinner.

I have to supervise an ice skating outing for the kids tonight....they didn't sell very many tickets, so it will be a piece of cake. It doesn't however, change the fact that I have to go hang out on Saturday night with high schoolers, instead of my usual exciting weekend plans of.......nothing.

Have a great weekend everyone... it doesn't look like the homework fairy will be coming along to take care of this pile, so I should get to work.

School has Sprung

2009-09-14T19:01:00.001-07:00

Too....Tired....To....Sew.....Must....Sleep.....

The Purse That Wouldn't Be

2009-09-07T18:19:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, as part of an auction for a friend, I contributed a custom purse. The winner of the auction, Lula, let me know her wants, which were:

an 11" drop from shoulder to top of bag
a brown or grey purse, not anything black

It seemed easy enough, but then I asked a couple of clarifying questions and that's where things got confusing. In her first email, she said she wanted a large purse. In her second email, she said a small purse. In her first email, she said she wanted something more tailored, in her second email, something not tailored.

So I dithered and sweated and stressed, drew up a sketch, made a practice purse (which didn't work), let it sit, drew up another sketch, grumbled, whined, and finally just took the plunge. Here is the original sketch.....

...and here is the finished product. Not too shabby, eh?
I'm mostly happy with it. I wish that the bottom was a little bit wider, but other than that, I really like it. The shell is made from a very warm cocoa brown wool and the lining is orangey-pink cotton. I wanted the bag to be able to open wide when it was on her arm, as she is a mom, so therefore probably does quite a few things one-handed. So on the sides, I put in 4 grommets and an adjustable tie. The base of the purse is only 2 inches wide, but the top, when untied, is 5 inches wide. This, along with the U-shaped design of the opening, helps keep sticky fingers at bay. She also requested pockets, so I got the exact measurements of her cell phone and made a custom pocket (which is why mine doesn't fit so well). There is also a small flat open pocket on the same side and a zippered pocket on the other side. I wanted a little bit of color on the outside, so I put in a box pleat that has the lining fabric on the reverse, as well as tiny (1/4") "piping" between the two sections (I call it piping, but it doesn't have any cording in it). I also wove some brown wool into the chain to tone it down a little bit.

Anyway, it's done now...and ready for shipping. I hope she likes it. I don't know that I have ever stressed out so much about a purse, and I don't really know why. =)

Not Completely Idle

2009-08-31T16:07:00.000-07:00

I haven't been completely stuck (more on that later), I did do a couple of small artsy fartsy projects for school. Total cost? $1 from Goodwill.

Sometimes we need clipboards for various things...and I wanted mine to be pretty. So I used some of the ginormous stack of scrapbook paper I somehow ended up with (despite the fact that I do NOT, nor will I ever, scrapbook), a couple of awesome stickers from the dollar aisle at Target, and some modpodge, and came up with these: Mine is the one on the right....

Regarding the one on the left, we have to use these official bathroom passes at school, and last year the kids were constantly putting them in their pockets and forgetting them, and then I would have to track them down and get it back, if I could even remember who had the pass. So this year, I put it on a clipboard. And in order to try and thoroughly shame them, I added a little something to the back.

I kind of like them. =)

As far as the stuck part goes....I am supposed to be working on a custom purse for a client who won it in an auction, but in her first email she said she wanted something more tailored than slouchy. In her second email she said "I like the sage one the best (which was slouchy), but maybe not as tailored (it had two pleats). I'm more of a funky person. Well, I'm pretty traditional, too. So..."funky traditional." Does that makes sense? And I don't need it to be huge...just big enough to tote my wallet, digital camera, cell, and whatever my girls toss in on a regular basis."

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS. This has sent me into an unexpected tailspin. I am really stuck. None of my current patterns really fits this. I made a pattern, which I really really like, but it seems too structured for what she wants, so now I'm stuck again. I made another sketch during a meeting last week, and it may work, but I still keep going back and forth about this purse!!!!!! ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know the exact fabric I want to use and I just need to take the plunge I guess, and make a practice one.

The Whys and Wherefores

2009-08-29T18:35:00.000-07:00

I've been reading some blogs lately that have caused me to think about why I sew. What are the reasons that I do this thing that can drive me absolutely nuts? Why do I sew?

Here are the answers that make the most sense to me:

I sew because it relaxes me. I have a pretty high stress job (what? teaching 120 fifteen-year-olds isn't that bad, right?) and sewing is something that I can do that is completely unrelated to the job that I have. There is something about taking a piece of fabric that is essentially unusable as-is, and making it into something beautiful and useful that completely relaxes me (well, most of the time...been going through a bit of a block lately).
I sew because it's my creative outlet. I can't really draw (ask my students) and while I do not claim any expertise at this thing, I do recognize that I have a little bit of talent to see something flat and see it in my head as a three-dimensional object. I like to challenge myself to see if I can then take that idea and make it a reality. Lots of people have ideas, the true test comes in seeing it in real life in front of you the way it looked in your head.
I sew because I'm a tactile learner. I learn by touching, so I like to do things that allow me to feel what I'm doing. I love the way fabric feels - which is why I really struggle to use certain cloth (like suedecloth) that feels "wrong" to me. By the way, tactile learners are the kids (and adults!) who doodle, sketch, shred napkins, and touch everything on their way through a store.
I sew because I like to give gifts. As a teacher and a reforming money moron, I often don't have the money to give people things that cost a lot of money, but a hand-made gift is something that people appreciate (generally speaking). I started by making baby blankets for friends, and have graduated to making quite a wide range of items.
I sew to make money. It may not be the primary reason, but it is nice to make a little extra cash every now and then. Until word started getting around that I could do things like hem pants and sew buttons on, I never realized just how rare that talent truly is. In the world I grew up in, everyone could sew, and it wasn't until I got to college that I realized most people couldn't do something I regarded as being so simple.

I've gone through a lot of mutations in the sewing cycle....I first learned to sew clothing when I was in elementary school, I've sewed quilts, I actually stopped sewing for several years in high school and college, and now I sew bags. I can't say that I will never get tired of bags, but there is something about it that appeals to me and has kept my attention for longer than any previous addiction. Why? Well....that's a post for another day.

Tears today....

2009-08-26T09:24:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Kori, who I've posted about a few times before, lost her beloved husband Richard last night to cancer. Her facebook status was:

Kori M. At 12:26 AM my wonderful husband graced the gates of heaven. "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." 2 Corinthians 5:8

So true, and yet my heart breaks for her as I know that this was the love of her life and 30 is too young to say goodbye to him. I know prayers will be greatly appreciated at this time in her life, for both her and her two sons.

Ruffles and Flourishes

2009-08-21T22:08:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a post by WhiMSy love in which she described her workspace. I was immediately captivated by the pictures of her ribbon, which were in small plastic bags. I asked her where she got the bags (JoAnns) and condensed my stash as well. I started with this....and ended with this.Here is why I like this system:

I can see exactly how much of each item I actually have. Those spools are all different sizes and can totally mislead you on how much you have of a particular ribbon.
I can keep all the ribbons in a smaller container (although I don't)
it is so much easier to dig through my ribbon stash without everything getting all tangled up.

Thanks so much for the inspiration Nikki!!
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Other Random Thoughts.....

The other day in JoAnns, I found these spools of 1/4" satin ribbon (100 yards each, baby!!!!!!) for $2.50 apiece. I use this ribbon when packaging items sent to clients, so this is awesome.
Mom and I went to Pacific Fabrics today...I like that place, it's the only local place I can find hex purse frames. These were sitting by the door. By the way....I was accosted at Pacific Fabrics today by a saleswoman who walked over to where I was sitting, picked up my bag (one of the gathered clutches), asked if I made it, and then told me I should have used a different kind of magnet. I'm sure she had the best of intentions, but still. Grrrrr.....

Station Break

2009-08-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

I try to keep most of the posts here about sewing...but today.....I don't want to. And since I write this here blog, I'll do as I please.

My mom is here visiting, and we ended up in Pike Place Market before 9 AM. This is, in my opinion, the best time to visit the market. Normally, PPM is packed with people, wall to wall tourists, all waiting to see flying fish, stopping to take pictures right in front of you, and walking down the market is fraught with danger, what with flying elbows and careless tourists trodding all over misplaced feet.

But between 8:15 and 8:45, the market looks like this:

Lots of time to look around and appreciate the humor, with no writhing mass of humanity pushing you along as part of their mindless mosey...Peaceful and lovely....

Back to School....almost

2009-08-15T14:34:00.001-07:00

I have been working on a bunch of custom orders recently, and among them were these three kids backpacks for two different clients. One of them came out a bit off, which means I need to do some dreaded math to refigure how to make it work better (stinking directional fabric!!), but all in all I think they are pretty cute.

My client Heather sent me a bunch of fabric to make backpacks for her twin daughters. She also designed where she wanted each fabric to be used, so it was pretty easy for me!!

A friend I've had for 25 years (YIKES) wanted me to make a backpack for her son who is also entering kindergarten this year....he lives in the country and my dad gives him rides on the tractor when he's over near their house...Both he and my dad are big John Deere fans. =)

Hope they like them!!!

Success!

2009-08-13T14:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much to those of you who were able to participate in the auction for Kori! Shannon says we were able to raise over $1700!

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In between trips to school (I am SUCH a nerd!!) I have been working on some crafty stuff....

I made a purse for a friend of mine named Amanda.....she is into music and chose the lining herself. The shell is made out of polyester shantung, and I love the way it looks....very luxurious

In fact, I like it so much that I might make another one with the same kind of fabric shell.

I also made a messenger bag for my hairdresser Yvette. I was using the butter colored one the last time I got my hair cut and she ordered one on the spot. She wanted dark blue corduroy and it is SUCH a dark blue that it actually ended up being somewhat difficult to match. It is the same pattern as the previous messenger bag, and the same material as the custom laptop bag I made during my Selfish Sewing Week. The color is so dark blue that the most complimentary color is actually orange, but she hates orange, and her favorite colors are pink, blue, and brown. She also wanted something that was similar to the lining of the bag I had on me that day, which was kind of a stylized Hawaiian print. So I looked and looked and looked, and finally found the most beautiful fabric at Fabric Depot in Portland. I like it so much I got enough extra to make something for myself, even though I normally do NOT like pink and blue together and am not a huge fan of pink.I'm pretty happy with it, and can't wait to deliver it next week! There are only a few days left of summer before school starts on September 2, so I am working on sewing a few more things for myself before school starts.

Auction for Kori - slightly extended

2009-08-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

When I started this blog, I never thought I would make some of the connections I have made so far. One of the women I have become close to through this blog is named Kori.

Kori had had to set her blog to private for reasons I won't go into here, but she is dealing with a lot of stuff right now that no one should have to deal with. Kori's husband is named Richard and Richard has cystic fibrosis. He is also in the last stages of colon cancer, which is spreading through his body as we speak, attacking many of his organs and making his pain almost unbearable.

Kori's life right now is full of wills, funeral planning, and watching her best friend die in front of her eyes. She is also dealing with some crushing financial burdens due to hospice and hospital stays and an upcoming funeral as well as helping her two sons deal with the loss of their father. One of her other online friends, Shannon from the Nut House, is hosting an online auction on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 11 and 12, and I was blessed to be asked to contribute some items for this auction. 100% of the proceeds will go to Kori and her family to help defer some of the costs she is dealing with...and as a way that some of us that are far away and can't be there to physically support her in person can help her.

If this is something you can do, I would encourage you to go to Shannon's blog on Tuesday and participate in the auction. I will be contributing a messenger bag and a custom designed purse, but there will be many items available for sale. Thanks......Christy

Online Fabulousness

2009-08-08T23:59:00.000-07:00

I started blogging on a separate blog about 18 months ago as a way to keep in touch with friends after I moved back to the Northwest from Texas. I started this blog a few months later to keep track of what I was making and gradually started making connections with extremely talented artists and crafters online. Over the last year or so I have really connected with a few bloggers in particular.

One is Antoinette. Antoinette lives in Austin and has a huge amount of talent packed in a tiny frame. She has mad refashioning skills and is famous in the refashioning community for her creativity with men's shirts. Antoinette has bravely struck out on her own and launched a website called Vocabulary Clothing. It's freaking awesome, seriously. If I was tiny like the wraiths I teach every day, I would buy everything in her shop.

Tina is another awesome artist, who actually lives here in the Seattle area. I've met her at the spring Urban Craft Uprising show. She also refashions clothing into beautiful works of art for her company (called glam.spoon )and I love how she recombines sad bits and pieces into delightfully whimsical happy clothes. She sells her clothing through several area boutiques and has an awesomely informative blog about thrift stores through the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

These bloggers (and others) are so supportive of me and I am proud to count them as my friends. So thanks everyone!!

Purse Lovin'

2009-08-07T22:19:00.000-07:00

Despite the fact that I love making purses, I am not actually that familiar with big-name purse designers. There are lots of reasons for this, but I have recently discovered a couple of blogs that I am sure EVERYONE else knows about and have begun my education.

Purseblog.com and the bagcraze blog are both great, and have given me some insight into more of the big designers. I tend not to like really, ridiculously expensive purses and don't EVEN get me started on Coach purses (whatever genius was able to convince millions of American women to pay Coach thousands of dollars to advertise for them is BRILLIANT - but I HATE those purses).

However, I L.O.V.E. these. If I had millions of extra dollars, I would spend some of them on these. The first one is by Jimmy Choo and retails for a cool $1500. This bag makes me shivery and happy all over

This one is by Louis Vuitton and it can be yours for merely $900. I love, LOVE this shade of blue in almost everything, and while I don't normally like enormous gold baubles on my purses, I really like this so very, very much that I want to keep a picture in my candy jar and just look at it instead of eating candy. Which might be the Best Diet Ever.

I have a thing for clutches...which is weird, since I normally don't carry them. Or go out.

Meanwhile, I have been working on a few things for other people...a John Deere bag for a friend's son, a messenger bag for my hairdresser, a black gathered clutch for a recently engaged friend, and of course, school is starting soon and I will need my own school bag. August looks like it's going to be fun!!

Fabric Heaven

2009-08-06T10:35:00.000-07:00

For as artsy as Seattle is, there is a surprising lack of fabric and craft stores. So when I go to Portland, I try to go to Fabric Depot if I can. I could spend hours and hours there, and hundreds of THOUSANDS of dollars. Seriously, it's like heaven. This is only about one quarter of the store.

Fingers are Important Appendages - Part 2

2009-08-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

Want part 1? click here.

I haven't mentioned much about the surgeon. Dr. Hands was apparently the best in the business, but had little to NO bedside manner. Remember the migraine? And the 3 needles they stabbed in my hand trying to get the IV in? And the nearly 24 hours I'd gone without eating? I'm in tears as the nurse (who felt like she had the experience of a janitor as she stabbed my hand over and over) tried to get the needle in my hand and my mom wasn't there and I was totally alone, and Dr. Hands walked in and said "What's the problem? Why are you crying?"

I refused to talk to him. And by the way....signing papers that say that there is a possibility you might die in surgery is completely frightening.

I obviously don't remember the surgery, and I'm pretty sure that's a good thing, but when I came out I had a giant cast on my arm up to my elbow. Basically my left hand was in a fist, with my finger sewn into the soft part of my hand at the base of my thumb. You read that right, it was SEWN INTO MY HAND. They cut a slit open and tucked my finger inside to get the blood vessels to regrow in the fingertip.

A friend came to pick me up and after picking up a prescription for Vicodin, I made it home, where my mom was waiting for me and my giant cast. I spent the next three weeks sleeping on the couch, with my arm propped up on two pillows. The first few days I was completely out of it, barely getting up for the bathroom, and watching a LOT of reruns. My arm started to itch pretty soon...especially my palm, and there was some swelling all up and down my arm. It was almost impossible to take a shower, and sewing was out of the question.

Meanwhile, remember, I was out of a job and was using valuable summer job-hunting time on the couch, but I had fortunately gotten most of the general stuff out of the way. I had a lot of recommendation letters photocopied, and spent a lot of time filling out job applications, stuffing envelopes and sending application packets off. After 2.5 weeks on the couch, I went back in for a second surgery where the surgeon disconnected my hand and my finger and put me in a finger cast. My fingers were so stiff after 3 weeks without moving that I couldn't open my hand all the way and all the creases of my hand were dark red and cracked almost through all the layers of skin. I put lotion on about 48 times a day for the next two weeks.

My stitches were removed about a week after the second surgery but the scabs stayed on for several more weeks. I had to go to physical therapy, although I only went three times and then decided I could rub lotion in and move my fingers by myself without help.

It took about 6 months to get all the movement back in my fingers and over a year for most of the scars to be pain free. My finger looks totally normal to most people, although I can definitely tell the difference. My left index fingernail is quite a bit smaller than the right hand one and the tip is still kind of slanted. I have feeling in most of the finger, except for just a small area at the side of my fingertip.

What is the moral of this story? Be careful, even when doing something that's not dangerous. Sewers and crafters use sharp implements and it only takes a second to totally change your life. I was lucky. I cut as much of my finger off as I could without hitting bone. If I had hit bone, I would have been in serious trouble. So...be careful, pay attention to what you are doing, and always, ALWAYS check where your fingers are.

I'm at the coast with my family, so I will be going into computer withdrawal until Thursday....I'll see you then!

Fingers are Important Appendages - Part 1

2009-07-31T21:17:00.001-07:00

This is a shoutout for my new friend Joan....who found me after searching the internet looking for other people who don't pay attention while sewing. =) Also, this started getting really long, so I broke it up into multiple posts.

Everyone thinks that sewing is a pretty safe hobby...something that your grandmother does. But I can't think of very many hobbies, short of sword swallowing, that involve quite so many sharp objects. Think about it: pins, needles, scissors, a machine that jabs needles through whatever is in the way without stopping, and my main topic today...rotary cutters.

Do a search on google for "I cut off the tip of my finger with a rotary cutter" and you will quickly see I am not alone...but maybe I can prevent you from doing something like this too.

A little over two years ago, I was making some major changes in my life. I am a teacher by trade, and at the time was living in Dallas, Texas, teaching at a very large high school. I had been teaching there for 5 years, and had been in Texas for ten years total including college and knew that it was time to leave. I wanted to move back to the Northwest, where I grew up. So I turned in my resignation and started looking for jobs in Oregon and Washington. School ended in Texas the Friday of Memorial Day weekend and I was facing the completely unknown. That Friday night, I was working on a baby blanket for a friend while watching the Cavaliers play, and not paying attention to what I was doing.

That's when I sliced the tip of my left index finger off. There it was...laying there on the table. It didn't hurt at first, so I walked over to get a paper towel, and then I realized that I'd cut off a LOT more than I had originally thought. In fact, I had cut from the bottom right corner of my fingernail to the top center of my fingertip, and in fact had nicked my middle finger as well, although I didn't realize that at the time. I live alone, so I had no choice: I picked up the fingertip, my keys, and my purse, and drove to the PrimaCare place less than a block from my apartment complex.

It was about 8:03 when I pulled up, blood dripping down my arm and off my elbow and I'm sure I was completely white by that point, I was feeling a bit sick. The place was closed, but they had just closed at 8, so one of the people in the waiting room opened the door - I'm sure the 5 or 6 kids sitting there had some serious nightmares that night.

The doctor stitched the tip back on, but told me that I would need to go see a hand surgeon as soon as I could. He also gave me a prescription for painkillers and told me to keep my hand elevated. By the time I left it was about 9:30 pm and I went to try and find an all-night Walgreens that also had an all-night pharmacy. Guess what. Those aren't so easy to find. I ended up about 25 miles away, and to make a long story short, my best friend, who was in the midst of moving across Texas, ended up driving me home as I was getting a bit loopy and very teary-eyed from the shock, the stress and the painkillers.

Tuesday I went to the hand surgeon, and he told me that my finger was dead and that there was no way he could save it as it was....I was scheduled for surgery the next day. I called my mom and hysterically poured out the whole thing and asked if she could come down the next day to take care of me. While she worked on that, I psyched myself up for surgery. Another friend drove me to the hospital and I spent 6 hours waiting for surgery alone with a migraine and no pillow (stolen by the family members of the other person in the room), curled into the fetal position on my bed while nurses checked the patient next to me and never checked on me once. I finally asked for a pillow after 3 hours, which I got, and migraine medication, which I didn't.

Because I was the last surgery of the day, I didn't end up having surgery until around 6:30 or later that night (I don't really remember). I have small veins in my hands(or they are deeply buried, or something) so the nurse stabbed me 3 times before they finally called an ER nurse up to get the IV in. I was in tears by this time because I was so freaked out and still totally by myself. Oh, and remember that migraine? Yeah...still there, and I hadn't eaten since about 10 pm the night before.

Part 2 tomorrow. =)

On the Freezer Paper Bandwagon

2009-07-29T21:14:00.000-07:00

Just FYI, it's still H.O.T.

I did finish these little shirts last night, while sitting in my 95 degree living room with two fans aimed at me. They are for my nephew. I tried freezer paper stenciling, which was fairly easy, but of course, I had to make an incredibly complicated design, with lots of words, which made it harder. I do like the way both of them turned out. And...it was hot enough they dried completely in about half an hour. Now...if only my house would cool down. I foresee a sleepless night in my future.

Heat Wave

2009-07-28T18:59:00.000-07:00

Let me state, for the record, that the average summer temperature here in Seattle is about 80 degrees. I will also state that the highest temperature E.V.E.R. recorded in Seattle is 100 degrees.

It is supposed to be over 100 tomorrow. Now, lest you Southerners begin to snicker....remember....year-round moderate temperatures mean that there is NO AIR CONDITIONING - and I don't just mean in houses. A lot of restaurants, stores, and even libraries don't have A/C. In the South, when it's hot, you go inside, turn on the A/C and watch movies or whatever you want to do. Here, when it's hot, you can go play in a public fountain, or maybe go to a mall, which more than likely DOES have air conditioning, but because this is very common knowledge, every place with air will be PACKED. Add to that the fact that there are an extra 10,000 people or so (yes, literally) in town for SeaFair this week and there is nowhere to go to escape the heat. The best you can do is hunker down and sweat it out. I have three fans in my tiny apartment and the cats and I have been sitting in front of them all day with the lights out to give the illusion that it's actually cool. I have some sewing to do, but the thought of turning on an iron vetoes that idea quickly. It is also the reason I haven't done dishes, laundry, or anything else today. Top story on the news tonight? How to make a swamp cooler. And it's supposed to be this hot through Friday. It is going to be a long week.

To get out of the heat for a while, I did go to Goodwill today (my car has A/C, thanks to the fact that I bought it in Texas, so I drove quite slowly and relished every minute) and because clothes shopping depresses me to no end I wandered around the rest of Goodwill and found this pen set....

There is only one pen missing and they all work. 56 glorious colors...

Now if I could only distract myself from the heat.

DiaperGate

2009-07-24T19:45:00.000-07:00

Being a high school teacher is a fairly effective method of birth control, but there have been quite a few babies born to people in my life over the last few years.

One of my friends, who lives in Mexico, uses cloth diapers and a simple inquiry led me down the dark path of cloth diapering. I have learned terms like "PUL" - polyurethane laminate - which is a cloth that has plastic on one side of it to make it waterproof, and "pocket diapers" - which have an opening in the back that allows you to insert "soakers" made of microfiber, terrycloth, or something else absorbent.

Other things I learned -

PUL is not sold in stores, it has to be bought online
the snaps used on a washable diaper have to be made of plastic or they will rust
snaps come in different sizes that make no sense and even an extremely minor mis-measurement will result in the wrong size

But...it's a new skill, and since reusable diapers sell for between $15 and $40 APIECE, it is something that I could theoretically use to make a little extra cash sometime. If I become crazy.

B loaned me a diaper that she really liked and it was actually fairly simple to recreate, aside from the need for a third hand to stretch the elastic WHILE tracing the pattern. But problems soon started to come up. The snaps that I ordered were slightly smaller than I needed, and as soon as I got them I realized that they were going to require something more than my snap pliers to install them. Since I didn't have $65 to drop on a snap press, I did the next best thing and called my mom in a panic to see if someone we knew happened to have one. Meanwhile, B is leaving this week, and these diapers have to be done by Monday evening. So I fiddled around for a couple of hours and finally was able to rig up a bolt and a hammer to make it work.

After probably 3-4 hours of work total, and numerous searches on the internet for things like "what is the best way to sew PUL?" (plastic side down) and "alternative to snap press" (none), I finally finished one diaper.

11 more to go.

Cotton Addiction

2009-07-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

I have about 10,000 things to do before next Friday, so of course, I spent all of yesterday afternoon and most of today sorting and folding fabric - which was NOT on the list of things that I needed to do. I have reached an important conclusion:

I have a problem

Other important conclusions reached over the last couple of days:

I love the way folded fabric looks, especially when it is all folded the same size
I wish I had a sewing room and shelves instead of an armoire and a table
I have far too many scraps that I will never do anything with because I hate doing fiddly things with tiny amouts of fabric

I used a tutorial (that I cannot find at this moment) for folding fabric using my ruler and it worked beautifully. I tend to mix cotton and some other fabric for making bags about 75% of the time, so I do have a pretty good mix of types of fabric in each color. I apparently love blue, because I have twice as much of that color as any other color. =)

In this picture above, you can see how I stacked my drawers. Plain/quilter's cotton is in the front and other fabrics are in the back. Each stack is 6" x 10". There are 9 drawers like this, 3 of them are more than half full and the other 6 are completely full. In addition, I have 1.5 file boxes full of fabric that I am keeping, plus 3 large boxes of fabric that I purged to give to my sister if she wants them.

YIKES.

Blanket Timeout

2009-07-11T23:13:00.000-07:00

Made for a friend who is giving it to someone else.

Michael Mille 'Lil Cowpokes pattern, blue handkerchief pattern and red/cream homespun from JoAnns, brown and light yellow cotton sashing, cream satin binding, brown minky fabric on the reverse. This is the first time I have sewn minky fabric and it was a little tricky, but not as bad as I was expecting. I had the most trouble with the satin binding, which is why it ended up a little weird.

No Couch, No Pillows, Yes Purse

2009-07-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

I went to Ikea the other day - they are having their semiannual sale you know - and wandered around in there for an hour or so. I haven't been there for quite a while, it is just not as much fun without an Ikea buddy. I went in for some rugs...which is about the only thing I DIDN'T get. I DID get:

a 12"x10" butcher block shelf to use as a platform for hammering grommets and snaps - $2
4 yards of fabric $4
2 pillowcases $2

The fabric sale was a big part of the reason I went to Ikea in the first place. I love the Ikea fabrics. They are mostly heavy decorator weight, but are flexible and soft (for the most part). I love the big, oversized dramatic designs, and I love that they let you cut it yourself. =) Of course, the fabric I liked the best was not on sale, but I may go back and get some anyway, because it is just, well, AWESOME. I think I must have a fixation on trees, because these were my favorites. Left to right, Gunilla, Fredrika, Saralisa, and Majken.

I don't actually have a couch, or a place to put throw pillows, so I tore apart the pillowcases and ended up with a nice piece of fabric with a nifty design.

I can't find the original pillowcase on the Ikea website, and of course, I forgot to take any "before" pictures, but it was just a square pillowcase with a zipper on one end. This is what I ended up with. I would like to switch the links between the handles and the bag itself, in fact, I went to JoAnns this morning partly to get rectangular links, but when I tried to pry them open far enough to slide them on, one of them broke. So...I used these instead. I am not totally happy with the links, but other than that I like the bag. I wasn't sure if I would, it is really bright, but I do.

I also managed to smash my thumb pretty seriously with the hammer...fun times.

Selfish Sewing - Part 2

2009-07-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

I have been using a t-shirt bag this year for school, but have been wanting some variety, so I needed to upgrade my old messenger bag.I am head over heels in love with the Heidi Grace designs currently at JoAnns....I've used a white fabric pattern in the same collection before, but really like this red one as well. It's a fairly small messenger bag, finished size is about 14x12 with an adjustable, well-cushioned strap.
Pockets inside, of course.....I love this bag and can't wait to use it! In fact, I loved it so much, I made another one, exactly the same, except I added a pocket on the back of the bag. It is hard to see in the pictures below, but it is made of very soft, narrow-wale, butter colored corduroy (actual butter, not bright creepy butter) with a teal blue cotton print for lining. I may sell this one, but I don't have a model, so I can't put it in the shop yet.

Selfish Sewing 1

2009-07-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

It figures that when I have a post I need to leave up for a while, I end up with like 6 projects backlogged that I want to post about.

I have been having some trouble this summer trying to relax. For whatever reason, I just can't seem to let my brain sign out of school. I certainly WANT to let this year go. BELIEVE ME. As a result, I have been going through a bit of a funk sewing-wise. So, I started to think about it, and realized that deep down, I really wanted to sew just for me. The things I make are almost always given away or sold (although less of the selling right now...sigh...), and I really just want to make some things for me. So...I did. My laptop is oversized (accidental...I'll probably never do that again) so it is impossible to find a laptop bag to carry it around in. I pulled out a dark navy blue narrow-wale corduroy and some awesome orange and gold quilter's cotton and went to work. I really should have made this a tutorial it was so easy, but oh well...maybe I'll make another one.
I didn't make the flap quite long enough, but the closure is completely intentional. I didn't want to use velcro and I have been longing to use more grommets, so this is what I came up with.
I really really like this bag, and like I said, SUPER easy. I plan on using it in a couple of weeks for a class I'm taking....along with the great messenger bag I made myself today. I'll post about that tomorrow.

Hope your summer has been relaxing so far!

Comment Responses - reposted - and a Winner!

2009-07-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

According to Random.org....comment number 12 was it, and it happens to be one of my favorite (and local!) artists - Tina, of glam.spoon! Congrats! Email me with your choice....
***************************************
I love to respond to comments, but I know that I never go back and check the blog comments again after leaving one, so I thought I would answer some of them here. I linked back to your blogs when I could.

Heather - thanks! I like how lightweight the kids backpacks are, although I don't have kids, I know some whiny ones, and I know that mom and dad usually end up carrying the backpacks for their kids if they are too bulky. I reshot all of my etsy pictures over the course of a few days and was going for the clean and simple look, but I can definitely see how the colored backgrounds could work as well. Thanks for the advice!

Carla - you are so sweet! You have excellent taste and thanks for the shoutout!

Darling Petunia - I agree about the Coke bottle...I was trying to find something to show scale and seem to have a decided lack of things that are common knowledge for scale. I may reshoot those pictures. And as for the lining, that is a good point. I went back and changed the listing. It is a little hard on etsy, sometimes I wish the description changed with the picture. Thanks!

Antoinette - I DO need more models...you're about the right size, want to come visit? =) For some reason, I don't really know anyone with kids here. I am hoping to use my nieces and nephews as models this summer when they come visit.

Natalija - I am not sure if I can order the things in the shop or not, but I will play around and see. That is a good idea. The John Deere bag is the same shape and size of bag and I use that picture to show the way the bag will hang on you. I will go back and make that clearer in the description. Thanks!!

Write Me Beautiful - I really do need another option for the clothing, I really need to make some friends that have kids!! Different angles are a good idea.

Janell - The last time I saw you, you were so little!! =) I do need to find something to use as perspective. I need models, clearly....I have a surprising lack of objects that are common knowledge as being a certain height. Thanks!!! I am so glad you like your bag!

Sara - thanks!!!! I like the t-shirt bags a lot too, I carry one to work each day. I love your blog, by the way, you are a very talented artist.

Chrissy - what a great idea about the photo gallery! I will have to see if I can figure out how to do that on Blogger. It seems lots of people like the Wicked Witch bag...

Writer Lady - there is actually only one page of items at this time. I am not sure how many fit on a page, but I have never had enough things in the shop at one time to bump it to two pages. As far as the pictures go, I have them sized as large as etsy will allow, but I believe if you click on them they will get larger. I will be sure to get them as clear as I can. What kind of information would you like me to include in the shop? I tend to keep the informational section small since I personally do not like to go to shops that have so much info at the top that I can't immediately see what is in their shop. Thanks for stopping by!!!

Tina - I like the "teaser" idea too...but I struggle with what the balance should be between photos as art and photos as information. When taking pictures for personal pleasure, I tend to do a lot of macro shots, I love the look of a blurry background with the focus on just one thing in the foreground.

Steph - I love the name of your blog!! I too am a big fan of the pinstripe clutch, if I went out I would use it. I love the wool and the lining on that particular bag a lot, but I only had a little narrow remnant and I don't think I have enough to make another one. As far as the backgrounds go, I do really like the clean look of the white, but I can see that if I am photographing a solid-colored purse that a nifty patterned background could work if done right.

The Shop is Open

2009-07-01T12:40:00.000-07:00

After a marathon photo editing session last night and this morning...like 8 hours total....I have updated the shop. To celebrate that, and because I am far, FAR behind on giveaways, I will be giving away something to you, one of my 8 blog readers.

What would you like? I'll give you a choice:

a. a mini pouch, your choice of color and/or applique
b. a wristlet (Lisa Lam pattern), your choice of color
c. a t-shirt bag from the shop or one of your own shirts

I'll leave this open for a few days....let's say from now to 6 pm (West Coast time) Monday, July 6.

RULES OF THE GAME:
Go to the shop please, and in the comments on this post tell me

something you like and
any advice you have for set-up, pricing, photos, or anything else.

I welcome constructive criticism!! Good luck!

Tomorrow

2009-06-30T18:45:00.000-07:00

I have some M.A.S.S.I.V.E. photo editing to do tonight, but I will be updating the etsy shop tomorrow. Here is one of the things to be included.

Muppet Fur

2009-06-29T19:01:00.000-07:00

I had friends visiting this past long weekend and one of the things we did was go to the Experience Music Project in Seattle. One of their exhibits is on Jim Henson and they had several walls made of ACTUAL MUPPET FUR.

So....I did a little self-aggrandizement.

Random Projects

2009-06-23T21:53:00.001-07:00

After posting the last post, I realized I actually have been making things....some I have pictures of and some I don't.

I made purses for the class officers I work with at school. They were impressed. =)

I've been making a lot of these....

and some more of these........and this design has been living in my head...it's not perfect yet, but this version is closer. There are about 4 designs that I am going to work on making better this summer and this is one of them. Pardon the wet spots, I was attempting some steam action.

Still here, I promise!

2009-06-23T18:08:00.001-07:00

I have been working frantically on getting things done for the etsy shop update, but seem to be getting nothing accomplished. Sigh. Two friends are coming in to town tomorrow and have requested a craft day, so I hope to have things to share soon.

Appletinis

2009-06-13T20:38:00.001-07:00

Today's project....preparing for the etsy update.

Babies Galore

2009-06-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

There were four pregnant women (and one pregnant wife of a teacher) at school this year, so I was busy making stuff! The last shower was earlier this week. The skirt is lined.

This flower is rapidly becoming a favorite of mine...I love that it is 3-d.

School is almost out....only 6 more days! Then glorious summer....where I can sew, and sew and sew!!!!!

Reasons Why I Love Freecycle

2009-06-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

Free stuff on the internet has it's ups and downs...sometimes you get really lucky and sometimes you get stuff that smells like someone wrapped a dead body in it and stored it in a wall. But for the most part, if you keep an eye on Freecycle, you can occasionally find some cool stuff. Here is some of the fabric (I am keeping some of it and giving some of it to my sister) - cotton, polyester, and t-shirt type knits are the most common fabrics.
It does amuse (and frustrate) me to see how often people cut things out of the center of the fabric instead of planning how to get as much as they can out of a smaller piece. A lot of the stuff I pick up is left over from someone's one and only craft activity, but sometimes you get more than that. Last week I picked up a box of patterns and magazines from an older woman who was moving out of her house after 40 years.
Some of these craft magazines are from the 70s. I may do a post later using some of the illustrations inside. Some are good and some.....well, there are some things that should stay in the past and NEVER be reborn.
Case in point - I didn't even know there WAS a pattern for fake fur boots. I did score some lingerie patterns, although I don't know if I'll ever use them, and some things that may become gifts for the nieces and nephews. If you don't use freecycle, I do recommend at least checking it out.

I've been sick as a dog all week, so haven't done much posting or too much sewing, but I hope to have some things to show you soon. Have a good week!

Weekend Projects

2009-06-01T18:54:00.000-07:00

I have been feeling a surge of creativity recently, and have been tackling some of the backlog of projects, UFOs, and preparing to restock the etsy shop at the beginning of July (er...notice how empty that space to the right there looks?). This weekend I worked a track meet all day on Saturday, so the majority of this was done on Sunday.

I modified the pattern I've been working on, it's closer.....it's harder to make this pattern with upholstery fabric, but I do like the way it drapes. It's lined with dark goldish cotton. I actually had these cut out for quite a while...they may be a birthday present for my sister. Or not. I am pretty proud of this...it is my own pattern (super SIMPLE pattern, but still). It is for my niece. You can tell those are birds, right? They are also my own pattern. I need to refine the top bird's body a little bit, but I do really really like it. And of course, for the etsy shop....more t-shirt bags. Gotta love Goodwill. Ok, back to the birds...can you tell what they are or do they look too "artsy?" And do they look too close to anything else you've seen? I drew them myself, but I stalk so many craft blogs that I am really afraid that I copied them from someone unknowingly. Has anyone seen them somewhere else?

Apples and Cantaloupes

2009-05-27T16:23:00.000-07:00

I recently got some free fabric, and wrapped up in the midst of some not so great stuff, was this amazingly perfect scraps of cantaloupe colored twill and coordinating apple print. I fell head over heels in love and have been salivating over it for a few weeks now, waiting for the perfect project.

I think this might be it.

I used one of my favorite tutorials from Lisa Lam.

And I still have some more fabric - I'm thinking minilicious pouch for the summer etsy update.

Button, Button, Who's Got the Button?

2009-05-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

I went to Goodwill yesterday morning and found a jar full of buttons. I did successfully resist the sample case full of 1.5" tile samples....which brought out every crafting instinct I had.

I got home and started to go through them and realized that there were quite a few very old buttons and quite a few vintage 1950s (I'm guessing) buttons as well. It didn't take much to start channeling my inner geek and I spent the day on the balcony sorting buttons. There are quite a few black glass buttons, some have shanks on the back and some do not. In the picture below, the one on the right and the left are glass. There are other black glass buttons that aren't pictured. The four in the center are not glass, but I really like the intricacy of the design on them.

These are all metal (except the white one) and appear to be very old. I think the white one may be ivory. The metal ones are hard to take pictures of. The lower left one has a piece of velvet, I think, in the middle of it. I looked online, but can't figure out how to look up buttons to figure out more about them.

I just liked the way these looked....

Gathered Purse Take 2

2009-05-24T15:26:00.000-07:00

First of all, I must state that it is absolutely glorious here this weekend, it is a perfect 72 degrees all weekend and completely clear skies, very light breeze....aaaahhhhh. These are the days that make me remember why I love this place so much.

I made some sun tea, the first of the season. I normally put some chocolate mint leaves in there, but I just planted the chocolate mint plant yesterday and want to give it a chance to put roots in.
I also finished this purse last night and carried it to the store today. This is a modification of the pattern I made last week and I must say that I like this one better. It is larger, for one, and I like the top part a lot better. I made it about half as wide and made the slot for the handle much smaller - only an inch wide.

The fabric is from Ikea and the lining is linen. The closure is a magnetic snap...love those things. I did realize that since this is decorator weight fabric, the gathers don't hang as smoothly as the last one, which was made of a very light linen/polyester blend. I also put in a gusset on the bottom of this purse, which the last one did not have. I like the rounded corners on the smaller one but I like the shape that the gusset gives to this one.

I still am going to change one more thing before making it again, and that is that I think if I slant the top of the bag slightly down, I won't have trouble with it sticking out oddly at the sides, right under the handle. It looks fine until I gather it and then it gets a bit wonky.

Anyway, I'm not sure if I am going to keep this, gift it, or give it away, but I do like it. This still isn't the fabric I intend to use when I do get it right though. Does anyone know of a good tutorial for doing a rounded gusset?

Paging Heather

2009-05-20T21:29:00.000-07:00

only 3 comments...so according to random.org number 2 is it.

Heather from Utah....I will try and get this in the mail on Friday. =)

Giveaway with Disclaimers - Edited

2009-05-18T17:27:00.001-07:00

**Edited to add - I carried this today and now I l.o.v.e. it and got several compliments on it**
I saw a purse on tv a while back that I really liked the design of, so I quickly sketched it and then let it sit for a while. Last night, all my papers were graded and my house was relatively clean, so I decided to make a purse. I flipped through the sketchbook and decided to work on this one. I like it, but it isn't quite what's in my head yetHowever. If you would like it, it's all yours.....leave me a comment, I'll draw a name on Wednesday night.

Disclaimers - this purse is not perfect. There are some bugs I need to work out, but it is cute and functional. Just not perfect. Just so you know.

Quick Question

2009-05-17T19:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'll be back soon, I promise. I worked three track meets last week, but there are only 25 school days left, so I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I do have a quick question for anyone who's out there and still reading this (I lost some followers...sigh). I received some free fabric recently and included in the large stack is quite a bit of (I'm guessing) 70s era polyester. It is all different colors and pretty heavy. Does anyone have a suggestion for what to use it for? I have quite a lot of it.

Yes. Everything in this pile is POLYESTER. Some pieces are 3-4 yards long.

Hot Pad Tutorial

2009-05-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

These are simple and easy to make. I would expect that a novice sewer would be able to do these without too much trouble. If you want the original version from the Long Thread, click here.

Supply List:
cotton fabric
sweatshirt material (you could also use terrycloth)
polyester batting
contrasting thread
fabric chalk or fabric marker

Directions:
1. cut the cotton into 7" squares, two per hot pad. I like to make sets of three, so I cut 6 squares.
2. cut the sweatshirt/terrycloth material into 6.25" squares, one per hot pad. I had some old sweatshirts from freecycle that I used.
3. cut the batting into 6" squares, one per hot pad.3. Put two of your cotton squares right sides together and sew a 1/4" seam all the way around, leaving most of one side open. You can see on the picture below how much of the right hand seam I left open. Then trim the corners.Here's a closer picture, just in case. Pardon the weird stain on the cutting mat.4. Turn the hot pad right side out and gently poke the corners right side out. Then iron it flat. Admire.....so pretty. 5. Fold your sweatshirt material into thirds and gently insert it into the hot pad. Manipulate it into each corner until it lays flat. 6. Then do the same thing with the batting. If you are using sweatshirt material, put the inner fuzzy side towards the batting. You can see my layers in the picture below. 7. Press the whole "sandwich" for a few seconds. Remember that pressing means that you do not move the iron...pick it up and set it down.
8. pin the opening shut carefully. Then sew a 1/2" seam all the way around all four sides.
9. Then repeat that by sewing a seam as close to the edge as you can, making sure to catch both sides of the cotton where the hole is.
10. Sew a third seam down the center between the two previous seams...see the picture below.
11. It should look like this. You can leave it as is, or you can add a little something. 12. Draw a design on one side of your hot pad using the chalk. Make your design simple with not too many curves.
13. Sew along the lines. You can sew once or more than that...I like the random look myself. 14. Repeat for each hot pad...then use and enjoy!

Mom (edited with a winner!)

2009-05-09T15:00:00.000-07:00

Edited - Giveaway is now complete....Random.org says the winner is number 3....Bonnie from Born in a Zoo! Email me with your address Bonnie, and stay tuned for more giveaways...soccer is over, so I will actually have time to sew. And there are only 30 school days left. Not that I'm counting or anything.
**************************************
I haven't been able to post this because I was trying to surprise my mom, but by the time this posts it won't matter, so here it is. My mom's birthday was last Monday, and of course, Mother's Day is tomorrow, so I made a couple of little things for her. She loves tea, so I had saved a tutorial for a tea wallet. I ended up not using the tutorial and designing my own. I really like it.
I had some issues with the snap...more specifically the snap installer....but I still really like the way it turned out.
It is about 5" high and 6" wide when open. I also made her some hot pads/trivets.
One side.....
....and the other side. Anyway, happy birthday mom (a little late) and happy mother's day to everyone!

Hot Mamas

2009-05-07T14:06:00.000-07:00

I am not only behind on posting, I am behind on both tutorials and giveaways. So.....in honor of Mother's Day, I am doing both.

A little backstory....It has been a rough year in my real job (teaching high school), so after a particularly bad day on Tuesday, I decided to take Wednesday and Thursday off this week. I slept a lot, cleaned a bit, and finally got to sew. It's been great. I actually feel kind of prepared to face the last 6 weeks of school. (Although nothing will make me happier than seeing the last of some of my kids this year...)

But back to business. I am sure you've probably seen this tutorial floating around the internet, and it's awesome. But...I don't have all those spiffy feet for my machine, and as always, I am constantly trying to use fabric I already have, so I put my own twist on it. It is super easy, I would say even a novice sewer could do this. The giveaway is here today, and I will post the tutorial on Sunday.

So. Do you want these three pot holders? Leave me a comment telling me what you would do if you could play hooky. I'll draw a name on Saturday evening!

They are 100% cotton, lined with sweatshirt material and batting

Hats and Babies

2009-04-26T13:03:00.000-07:00

This poor little blog has been neglected lately. I used to post every couple of days, but I have noticed a pattern of posting only about once a week or so and it seems like every other post is a cop-out post where I say that I'm busy, haven't sewed and have nothing to post.

Which is sort of what this is.

The past two weeks of school, I have not gotten home from school before 7:00 any night (I leave my house at 6:15 in the morning). Yesterday we had a full day of staff development...and yes, you read that right, it was on a Saturday. Granted, it was useful and I didn't feel that it was a waste of time at all, but it was, nonetheless, a Saturday. And it was a Saturday meeting that began at 8 AM. Also, this weekend was Compassion weekend at my church. About twice a year, instead of having services, everyone signs up for a weekend community service project, and the part I went to was from 8:30 to noon today. So I am tired, tired, tired.

All will be improving soon, soccer and track will be over in two weeks and the Multicultural show I am on the backstage manager for will be over this Friday, so everything will settle back down to a normal rhythm soon. I hope.

And I did actually get to sew quite a bit today. The community service project I signed up for involved sewing, so I brought my machine to church and hung out with about 15 other women of varying ages sewing blankets and hats for a program that provides Christmas stockings to kids in the greater Seattle area. Here are the oldest and youngest members of our little group....possibly the cutest baby E.V.E.R. I don't know what the program is called, or I would link to it. I sewed the top and bottom seam on about 70 fleece hats. The ladies also made a lot of fleece scarves and some knitted hats as well. It was nice to use my machine for a while, and get back into the rhythm, even if only for a few hours. In the pictures above, the pile of hats does NOT include the ones I made or the other ones that were worked on today. In the picture directly above this, you can see the giant stack of rolled scarves and the baby blankets that were made yesterday next to them.

Meanwhile, I am supposed to go to a birthday party this afternoon and my laundry pile is almost to the ceiling, but all I want to do is sleep. Hope you had a great weekend and may your week be more crafty than mine will.

Rusty Plum Buckle Purse

2009-04-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

This was a commission from my best friend K. She has amazing taste, so it made me a little nervous to get carte blanche to do what I wanted. I have posted about this purse before, so I am not going to go into too much detail, but here are the basics:

plum and rust colored linen

interfaced with fusible fleece

lined with retro styled flames in quilter's cotton

4 pockets (cell phone, ipod, camera, and etc pocket)

brass colored accents

It did take me about 2 months to do this and about 3 weeks to do the last part, which was adding the buckle. I still am not completely satisfied, but it is close to what I wanted. I like the wraparound look a lot, but it's not quite right. I like the idea of putting a flower on this, but knowing K the way I do it wouldn't have been right for her. The next time I made this pattern I will do the flower...maybe something like what I made for this project. I also need to flatten the top out just a bit to see if I can cut down on the warping for the flap.

Holding Pattern

2009-04-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't really been posting on here lately. In order to earn extra money, I work several nights a week at soccer games and track meets, meaning that 3-4 days a week I leave my house at 6:15 am and don't get back until 7:30 or 8 pm. By the time I get home I am exhausted and I just don't have the energy to sew. In addition, until the last couple of days, it has been cold and rainy here and it is starting to weigh on me a little bit.

I have several projects in various stages of completion and hope to post some things soon. Thanks for reading and commenting....it really does help a lot to get me motivated.

I'm off to do dishes and laundry....see how pretty it is outside???

I have no idea what kind of tree this is, but it is GORGEOUS.

Flowers...or no flowers?

2009-04-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

I went home last weekend so my dad could change my brakes (thanks dad!). Everything is blooming and we had beautiful weather. I mowed part of the yard and planted some violets for mom and now I'm all itchy....but oh well. =) And then I worked on a purse when I got home yesterday. It is just......not right. Yet. I'm still working on it. I am making it for my best friend, who likes things original, yet also simple and classic-looking and I am afraid of putting too much stuff on it. But it needs SOMETHING. I am posting a picture here, feel free to make suggestions. I thought about a fabric flower out of the rust colored fabric (it looks pink, but it's rust), but am not sure. I would put it on the lower right hand corner of the flap. I also thought about sticking to the original plan, which called for a wrap around thingy. See above for the original plan. The purse is made out of plum and rust colored linen with some powerful interfacing on the inside. This is my own pattern and I had some issues with my practice version, so I upped the stiffness on the interfacing and now I am afraid I went too far. Oh..and it isn't pressed yet, so hopefully some of those puckers will go away and the sides will look a little smoother.

So....flower or no flower?

Diapers and Delicacy with a Request at the End

2009-04-06T18:17:00.000-07:00

I am FINALLY on spring break, so I am hoping to have a chance to sew later this week. My friend B would like some cloth diapers, so I am expanding my repertoire slightly...we'll see how it goes. I'll keep you updated.

HOWEVER, if you are a cloth diaper person, I did find this site, with a bunch of free cloth diaper patterns on it. I plan on making good use of it. And, if you are a mom who uses or used cloth diapers, let me know what you liked or disliked about them. I have learned a few things....apparently, pins are O.U.T. and velcro or snaps are IN. =) I love me some snaps, so am looking forward to installing some! Also, apparently fleece diapers are the coolest, because fleece is NOT absorbent. So....when you have to clean a dirty diaper, the "deposits" therein just roll right off! I did not know that! Again, let me know if you have some input on things you liked or disliked. She likes pocket diapers (see here or here or here for examples) so I am going to work on those.

And a few weeks back, I made these for a friend going through a rough time....well, actually, they were for her two sons.

They were designed so that her husband would be able to write messages to their two sons on the blank squares using permanent markers.

I used some more printable iron-on transfer paper (I love that stuff! Wish I could find it cheaper...) to do the photos and I really like how they came out. In fact, I like the blankets a lot overall. The background and the blank squares are made out of unbleached muslin and I used some fleece I had on hand for the backing. In fact, the only thing I bought was the black fabric for the picture outlines. I had everything else on hand.

Which I choose to see as a BONUS, not an ADDICTION.

I've heard she liked them a lot too, and that's all it takes to make me happy.

I also suddenly realized that it is April, and I didn't do a tutorial. Any requests? I need to do two, one for this month and one for last month. I was considering doing a sashing tutorial (the strips between the squares in the blankets) but wasn't sure if anyone would be interested. So, any requests?

Commentatorismality

2009-03-31T18:48:00.001-07:00

So I have noticed a trend among the blogs I regularly read, and have definitely noticed it on my own blogs.

My comment levels are WAAAAAAAAY down.

Has anyone else noticed this? Is anyone out there?

Happier Times

2009-03-29T21:07:00.000-07:00

My house is clean

It's sunny outside

Everything is graded

Spring Break is in 5 days

And.....I sewed this weekend. So all is right with the world.

There are four pregnant women at my school this year, due about a month apart from each other, in April, May, June and July. One of them is having a baby shower on Tuesday, so I made these for her. She is the only one having a girl. This one is my favorite...

I ironed the leaves onto the shirt and ironed the flowers together to make them double-sided. I then straight-stitched around the leaves and zigzagged the edges of the flowers using contrasting thread. I just barely sewed the edges of the petals together on the top flower (1-2 stitches only) to make the petals a little more dimensional, and then layered them together with a vintage button. I ended up having to tack the petals down so they weren't so floppy.

For this one, I ironed on the heart, then zig-zagged around the edge in a contrasting thread. I then made the little skirt out of a 4" strip of pink cotton, and made my own bias tape out of some yellow quilting cotton to hem it. I ironed on two more hearts onto the skirt and satin stitched one and straight stitched the other. I hope she likes them! I will not be making these to sell as I have seen these numerous times around on the web made by far more talented artists than I and feel like it would be a definite artistic infringement.

Things I should Probably Take Care of

2009-03-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

My students are being annoying and irritating

It is raining and cold outside

I'm ready for Spring Break to be here

When it is.....I'll be crafty.

Back soon.

Someday I Might Get This Right

2009-03-16T18:25:00.001-07:00

I made a few other things this weekend, including this purse:

This is actually a design I am working on for one of my best friends, who custom ordered a purse from me with some very specific pocket requests.

Things I like:

the color

the lining

the wrap around design

the length of the strap

Things I don't like:

it is too wide and the handle pulls the ends up oddly

I think I miscalculated the pocket sizes

the buckle is giving me issues - it needs to be the other direction, for one thing

I puckered the top of the flap where the wrap design crosses over

one side of the flap flips upwards

it's not stiff enough

Really? A White Purse?

2009-03-15T21:50:00.000-07:00

Normally I wouldn't make a purse like this, because a white purse is ASKING for a grape juice stain, but this is a birthday present for a friend who is going through a hard time and will be going through harder times in the months ahead. She needs a cheery purse, so.....here's what I made.

The fabric is stuff I've had in my stash forever, it was originally intended to be curtains, but it never happened.

The pattern is a standby pattern I have used several times. It's a pattern from tiny happy, one of my favorite bloggers. The inside is super bright, again because the friend needs some cheerfulness in her life. She likes pink, so I made the pockets bright pink with appliqued hearts. It is really hard to sew pockets on this purse because of how you sew it together, but I did manage to put pockets on both sides. You can never have too many pockets.

I also sorted out some fabric and am considering making some baby blankets. Hopefully I can post pictures of those soon. Have a good week!

Random Number Deliciousness

2009-03-13T18:58:00.001-07:00

Somebody wanted to win a bag or something, right?

Well, fine then. Random.org kicked back the number 40, which according to my mad math skillz is.......

Mimi at Screaming Mimi!

Now run over there and congratulate the heck out of her!!

Giveaway

2009-03-10T03:00:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone! And hello to all my SITStas!

Newbies....I am a teacher who makes stuff from fabric in my spare time (which is why I don't make stuff very often this time of year). Want to win this t-shirt bag? Leave me a comment...I'll randomly pick a winner sometime on Friday! Details....it's made from an awesome t-shirt I never wore (too small, I'm a bit of a chesty lass...) and lined with black twill for strength. I carry a bag of this design back and forth to school every day and since I teach high school history you KNOW those corners take some WEIGHT. I love this style and I hope you do too! The model below (not me!) is about 5'7" tall and the bag she is modeling is the same size as the one you'll win. Oh, and one last thing....PLEASE leave me a way to contact you! Connect your screen name to your email or leave your email on your blog, or something! PLEASE! Thanks.....

That'll Teach Me

2009-03-09T19:48:00.000-07:00

I taunted you with my last post and in retaliation, it snowed yesterday and today. IT IS MARCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm just saying.

Neener Neener

2009-03-06T18:57:00.000-08:00

I have heard rumors that it is 90 degrees in Texas already (I DON'T MISS THAT AT ALL) and wanted to taunt you with this picture. I took this picture early this morning while waiting for my window to defrost. This doesn't do ANY justice to how amazing it looked, even after working on the picture with photoshop. It was cold and absolutely, ubelievably clear. Mt. Rainier just jumped out at me. It's been cloudy for a while, so I haven't see The Mountain for a while. I miss it when it's gone....

It's Supposed to Look Like Water....

2009-03-05T19:56:00.000-08:00

About 3 or 4 years ago (maybe longer than that?) I started buying fabric with the idea of making a quilt that looked kind of watery. All of the fabrics were teal green or blue and none of them had a distinct pattern. Most of them were batiks or something similar and when I finally decided to make the quilt, I realized that I had enough material to make SEVERAL quilts. I made two large ones of the same pattern, and gave one away as a wedding present a few years ago. I have another top of the same pattern that I will someday finish and keep (probably) and I have made a few other things from the same fabric.

My friend Shannon is having a baby in about 6 weeks and she is having a boy. Since I live in Seattle and am friends with eclectic souls, she didn't really want to have one of the three options available for boy babies - trucks, dinosaurs or zoo animals - so I tried to think outside the box. I opened up the scrap box and these colors just jumped out at me. It's a baby blanket, so it doesn't have to be super manly and these colors will work for a boy and they're still kind of artsy.

I think. I did run into trouble when I tried to quilt it. GAH. I didn't have time to handquilt it so I tried to quilt it on the machine. It puckered a tiny bit on the back and it didn't turn out quite like I wanted it to. =( Boo. So I washed it, which helped a little....now it looks a little more wrinkly. Can you tell I don't quilt very often? I love making the tops, but that's as far as it ever gets. Sigh. Ah well. I still think it's pretty (er...manly). I like the way the back looks...the grey looks like stone and I love it next to the blue.

Slowly Returning Mojo

2009-03-04T17:35:00.000-08:00

I'm still sort of stuck in Rut-Land, but I am slowly crawling out. It's been a rough couple of weeks, financially and otherwise, but I am kind of getting there. I spent last weekend shoveling out my house and doing dishes and grading, so I didn't actually make much, but I did stumble across this tutorial and decided to whip a few up for some upcoming birthdays.

fronts above, backs below....

And then I put my own twist on it a little bit...I am probably going to keep this one because the buttonholes are messed up and it's just a bit short. Pardon the purple stamp on my hand....

I still want to refine it a little bit to make it more French cuff-like. And can I just say that tiny buttonholes are FROM THE DEVIL. I am also working on a baby blanket for a friend. I am pretty excited about it and all I have to do is finish the binding tonight and wash it. It's a bit unusual and I hope to post soon....

Mojo (Not) Risin'

2009-02-24T22:02:00.001-08:00

Mojo Gone

Back soon, I hope.....

Did NOT

2009-02-21T21:20:00.000-08:00

I absolutely did NOT make one purse three times over the last three days. No, I most certainly did not sew the thing together upside down and then get all frustrated at why it wasn't working. Uh-uh, not I. And I did not wake up from a dream last night suddenly clear as a bell as to why it was not working (the upside down thing). And I most DEFINITELY did not sew it together completely and correctly - forgetting only the handles.

Definitely not. Pictures later.