Where I've Been

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

It's My Birthday - Again

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!

Mom (edited with a winner!)

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.
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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!

Birthday Week Day Seven

Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by this week! I had so much fun doing these giveaways that I have decided to add 2 things to my New Year's Resolution List:

1. Do at least one giveaway a month
2. Do at least one tutorial a month

That being said, I do not have one for today....but keep checking back

And.......congratulations to Antoinette (aka Clever Girl) who won the gold shantung clutch!

Birthday Week Day Six

Congratulations to Bethany at Bethany Haile Photography, who won the elephant! Email me with your address!! And if Jessica is still out there, email me your address soon or I will have to draw another name for the magnets!

Whew!! Hope everyone is fully recovered from New Year's Eve and is ready for the weekend! Weekends are for parties and going out, so to get you going out in style, here is a clutch made of gold shantung with copper colored swivel hooks. It can be a clutch, a handled purse, or a wristlet, depending on what you do with the handle. It is lined with cream cotton and is my own design. To win, leave me a comment!! This will be my last giveaway of the week. It has been fun, but wow, this is a lot of work! Of course, this is just in time for almost my one hundredth post (this is number 94). Hm....we'll see what happens. It has been fun though, I have jumped from 6 to 19 followers, which is cool, and it has been a lot of fun giving things away! The few blogs I have had a chance to stop by I have really enjoyed looking at. I have discovered that it is hard to write tutorials though, which gives me even MORE respect than I had for those who regularly publish theirs! If I can get things together, I may post a tutorial tomorrow. Thanks again for all your kind comments this week, I will be sure to come by your blogs as soon as I can!

Incidentally, this is the fifth time I have written this post, my computer keeps freezing...ARGH!

Birthday Week Day Five

First of all, congratulations to Jessica and Vickie, who won yesterday's giveaway! Email me with your top choice and your address!

Today's giveaway.......has a bit of a backstory...but first the essentials! This is a coin purse in the shape of an elephant (hopefully that's obvious...). It is about 4 inches high and 5 inches wide. To win, leave me a comment! The backstory....As a teacher, I have learned a bit about various learning styles and have discovered that I am primarily a tactile learner - meaning that I learn best by touch. This is why I touch things in stores. I can identify fabric by touch better than by sight, and I touch even things in grocery stores, which is why my friends hate shopping with me sometimes. After dinner I shred my napkin if I am sitting around talking, and I regularly tear labels off of bottles...again, usually while talking. That being said, I doodle a LOT, especially during church. I have a very hard time sitting and listening without my hands being active and if that is the case, it is almost a certainty that I am NOT LISTENING. So in church on Sunday, an idea that had been vaguely floating around made it onto the back of the bulletin and this elephant is what came out. It is not exactly what I want, but it is still cute. I will confess that I made the trunk too long and it took me three hours to turn the trunk right side out (it's only half an inch wide). Hope you like it!!

Birthday Week Day Four

Congratulations to Rachel at One Pretty Thing (one of my favorite blogs) who won the scarf!

Today's giveaway....magnets! It's almost the new year, you have things to remember! So use these magnets to keep yourself organized and dress up your kitchen, front door (I leave myself notes on the door....) office, or wherever you need! These are made from unused upholstery buttons and are 2" wide. I will be choosing TWO lucky blogstalkers to split these between...each of you will get four of these babies! To win, leave me a comment sometime today and tell me which one you like the best! I will draw two random winners tomorrow and let you know.....Happy New Year's Eve!

Birthday Week Day Three

Today is my birthday! I am turning 30 today....I've heard good and bad things about this age...we'll see. This is a two part post, giveaway AND tutorial, so just keep scrolling down!

First, the giveaway: Up for grabs today is a scarf (scarflette) upcycled from a vintage men's tie (circa 1970s...). The tie is gold with very narrow brown stripes in different shades. It is backed with gold silk and lined with thin batting. It is warm, but feels very cool and silky against your skin. It is designed to be buttoned closed across your upper chest, but can also just be hung around your neck. I seriously will probably not ever wear a regular scarf again, this is so comfortable. To win, just leave me a comment sometime today.....

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And in case you don't win, here are the directions to make your own. I would guess this is a beginner to intermediate level pattern. Please make this only for your personal use, not for sale. Thanks!

Step 1 - find a tie, and take out the stitches in the back (it's usually one handsewn piece of thread that can be pulled out all at once if you're careful). Also carefully remove the stitches from the lining on the ends ONLY DOWN TO THE CORNER (the stitches on the triangular piece at the bottom should be left intact). Do NOT remove the original silky lining that is attached at both ends.

Step 2 - remove the inner stiffener and iron the tie flat. Make sure your iron is set to the correct temperature. Step 3 - lay the tie on your fabric backing with right sides together and pin well, then cut it out. If you would like, cut the triangular piece at either end 1/4" longer than your tie.

Step 4 - lay the tie and backing down on batting, pin, and cut it out. You should have three identically shaped layers pinned together at this point.

Step 5 - unpin just the ends of the tie and do a rolled hem on the lining piece on both ends. Sew this neatly.

Step 6 - move your pins to the other side one at a time so that the batting is now the top layer. It is MUCH easier to sew this way.

Step 7 - sew two seams, one up each long side of the batting/lining/tie sandwich. Leave both ends open. Go slowly and keep your stitch lines smooth.

Step 8 - trim the batting on the ends down so it is the same size as the lining. Also trim the batting off the seam allowances so your seams aren't as bulky.

Step 9 - Turn your tie right side out carefully and iron flat.

Step 10 - pin and handstitch the lining to the tie, being careful to just catch the original lining and not go through to the front of the tie.

Step 11 - Choose three buttons and sew them onto the wide part of the tie and put a buttonhole in the narrow end.

Step 12 - make your husband or boyfriend take you out to show it off.....but don't tell them you stole their tie.

Birthday Week Day Two

If you didn't win the bag yesterday...don't worry, there are more giveaways coming!! But today, here is a repost which will allow you to make your own bag! There are a lot of pictures, but I tried to take pictures of every step. This is an easy bag to make, with all straight seams, so even beginner level sewers should be able to do this pretty easily! If you are still a little unsure, hop on over to my etsy shop, I have a few more....or I can make you a custom one!

Directions for making one from a t-shirt are listed at the end....

These book bags are quick and easy, and don't take much fabric. They are completely reversible and unexpectedly sturdy. It isn't a complicated or unique pattern, but it is my own design, so please make one only for your own use, not for sale. Thanks!!

Materials: 2/3 yard each of a shell fabric and a lining fabric, and some coordinating thread. For this project I used pink quilter's batik for the shell and "Bolero" by the Alexander Henry Fabric Collection, both from JoAnn's, and hot pink Dual Duty thread.

1. iron both materials, but keep the natural fold down the center so it is easier to cut.
2. choose one fabric (both will be cut the same size)
3. cut one piece 15"x31" (if on the fold, cut one on fold 15" wide by 15.5" tall)
4. cut two pieces 3"x29" (if on the fold, cut 2 - 3"x 14.5")
5. cut one 10.5"x10.5" (or whatever rectangular size you would like to make your pockets)
6. repeat steps 3-5 with the other fabric - if you only want one pocket, only do step 5 once
7. turn over edge of each pocket 1/2" for a hem, and iron in place. double fold (rolled hem) the top of the pocket to prevent fraying.

8. use a decorative top stitch to sew to sew all four sides, then sew just the top of the pocket with a straight stitch. 9. center the pocket on the shell and sew the other three sides to it. make sure to backstitch several times at the top of the pocket to keep it from tearing with use. if you are doing pockets on the inside as well, repeat steps 7-9 with the other pocket and the lining. 10. with right sides together, sew the shell down each side using a 1/4" seam, then iron the seam open. do the same with the lining fabric (you should have two "bags" when you're finished) 11. fold the bottom corner across and pin it. measure 2.5" across and mark a line. repeat this on both corners of each bag. 12. sew across the line on all corners.
13. cut the corner off, leaving about 1/4" 14. you should have 4 handle pieces. using one of each color, put the right sides together and sew down both long sides with a 1/4" seam allowance. leave the short ends open15. turn the handles right side out and press flat
16. top stitch with your decorative stitch the outer edges of the two long edges of each handle, right next to the seam, then repeat with the other set of handles. you should have two handles when you are finished. set them aside. 17. back to the bag...turn the lining right side out, but do not turn the shell! the shell should still be inside out
18. pin the handles to the lining 2" from the side seams on both sides and baste or pin in place. 19. put entire lining+handles combination inside shell 20. pin the tops together, matching side seams
21. sew the tops together with a 1/2" seam (this is different than other seam allowances!), leaving the space between one set of handles open
22. turn bag right side out CAREFULLY
23. push the lining inside the shell
24. iron the seam 25. use the decorative top stitch to sew completely around the top of the bag, closing the hole in the process.
To make one of these from a t-shirt, do the following: *NOTE* You MUST have a lining with a t-shirt bag or it will stretch.... and unless you are pretty familiar with knits, you will need about a yard of fusible interfacing.

1.cut up one side of the t-shirt and cut right next to the seam around the arm hole and across the shoulder seam, around the neck, back across the other shoulder and around the other arm hole. This should leave you with a piece consisting of sleeves, neckhole, and shoulder seams and a piece that is the rest of the shirt.

2. fold the shirt in half (so that the side you cut up is back together) and measure 6 inches from the bottom of the shirt and cut it off. You should now have a long strip made of the bottom 6 inches of shirt. Cut this in half lengthwise so that you have 2 strips that are 3" x 29". These will be your handles. To make them stable, use iron-on interfacing before cutting them in half.

3. then cut up the other side of the shirt piece so that the front of the shirt and the back of the shirt are separate.

4. Center your design and iron on a piece of interfacing that is 16x17 on both the front and back of the shirt. Then cut a piece that is 15" wide and 16" tall from the front and a piece the same size from the back.

5. Sew these pieces together at the base using a half inch seam. I like to reinforce the seam by sewing the two sides flat, but that is up to you. When you are done, continue on from step 10 above. If you are including a pocket make sure to do that before sewing the bag together...it is much easier. =)

Birthday Week Day One

It's my birthday, but you're getting presents! I am turning 30 and while I do not feel 30, I do feel the need to celebrate. So.....up first....I will be giving away this book bag that has been upcycled from a t-shirt. It is fully lined with cream canvas which gives it a little structure and means the t-shirt material will not stretch! I use one of these for myself in my job as a teacher and they are incredibly comfortable and totally unique! There are inner pockets for keys, id, or a cell phone. To win, just leave a comment sometime during the day today! I will draw the winner's name at the end of the day! Good luck!