Making something

Wonky squares a plenty

2009-07-22T06:36:00.002-04:00

I have completed 20 wonky log cabin squares. Here they are all laid out together, on a queen size bed,(not sewn yet) to see how they might look without borders. I am planning to outline them with borders using one of the light fabrics. The squares are 13 1/2 inches, so this will be a nice large quilt.

This has really been fun, making it up as I go. True improvisation.

More wonkiness

2009-07-06T19:30:00.004-04:00

I am having a blast with this. Each block is it's own composition, I am experimenting with contrast and bringing in variation of green to blend with the purple domination. I am even piecing some of the strips, to add yet another dimension. Do you see some of the Zambia dress fabric included? (you can click on the picture to get a closer look)

I am beginning to wonder if this quilt will keep one awake, it seems kinda jiggly, with these blocks just laid out like this. Hmmmm

Going wonky

2009-07-02T18:09:00.002-04:00

Aprons for the Bookstore Women

2009-06-29T07:03:00.006-04:00

A friend at my congregation asked if I would make aprons for the women that sell books at our bookstore. I used their bookmark as the inspiration for the colors. I also thought that by making 4 different colors then the women would have some variety to choose from, depending on what they were wearing on a given day.
Each apron has 2 D rings at the neck strap, so that it can be adjusted for fit.
I stenciled the words on the apron bib, thanks to coaching from my friend Betsy. One of the aprons has a patch with the word stencil. I stenciled the blue one with Betsty's help and it turned out fine. When I did the second one on my own I used way too much paint, making the letters very blurry. So I redid it on a piece of fabric and covered the first version.

I delivered the aprons yesterday, they were thrilled with the results. It will be fun to be able to visit the aprons while I shop for books.

Dress for a woman in Zambia

2009-06-25T07:24:00.006-04:00

I made a dress to contribute to an AIDS hospital in Zambia. I met a woman at a convention who's church is supporting the Ranchod Hospital. One of the ways of supporting the hospital is to make dresses for the women at the hospital. Here's the link to explain the nightgown work. The project uses Simplicity pattern 4048, view C. They recommend that you make the nightgown about 4 inches shorter than the pattern and that you add pockets for the women to use. I added two pockets, and made them a pretty good size.
I loved doing this and thinking about the woman that will be wearing this. What she and I may have in common, what her life is like, hoping that she will get comfort and rest while she wears this. I plan to write a note to her and put it in the pocket of the dress.

A little bit of sewing

2009-05-27T21:10:00.002-04:00

It's been a long time since posting, I have almost given up on this, but couldn't resist sharing this. I purchased the book Pretty Little Pincushions with a gift certificate that my son Nathan gave me for Mother's Day. (Yes, he is very sweet)

Last weekend, while traveling on a long car ride, I made this little bottle cap pin cushion. Isn't it just too cute?

Not much time to sew, but this has been on my mind

2009-03-23T18:31:00.002-04:00

I have not had much time to sew lately, due to other time commitments. In between and around the edges of other things that demand my time, I have had quilting on my mind. Specifically improvisational. I did have a few minutes to spend in the studio and produced this purple one. Pretty symmetrical, I want to make another with the same fabrics off center and askew.

Not sure when I will get the time, but here's the symmetrical one for now.

Peace Dove bags

2009-03-15T08:16:00.006-04:00

Here are the three peace dove grocery / tote bags all done and ready to go to the fund raiser at my church. The auction was last evening. They are now in the hands of their new owners, hopefully to provide helpful service and a gentle reminder of peace.

My first online fabric purchase

2009-03-14T14:45:00.002-04:00

I saw some fabric with numbers on it while up north in February at the Ice House quilt shop. Despite encouragement to do so by my husband, I did not purchase any. The more I thought about it the more I realized that I should have. After all, my daughter in law is a math professor. What was I thinking? I did not have any luck locating this fabric at my local quilt shops or at the ones in Columbus, while we were visiting. So, I ordered 3 yards from fabric.com. I am not sure exactly what I will do with this, but it certainly has potential. Sarah suggested perhaps place mats, that's a start...

In order to get free shipping I found a couple of cute clown prints, and added a yard of each of those.

Included in the package was a sucker, with the words, "Go Sew" on it. A cute surprise, and very good advice. I really prefer to buy locally, but in a pinch this is a nice alternative.

The quilt and blanket chest are delivered

2009-03-11T07:37:00.005-04:00

They loved the quilt! Here they are posing under it with their dog Sirius. The dog kinda blends in with the black and white. Perfect.

The reason I made this quilt was so they would have a special blanket to put in the blanket chest that my husband made for them. Here it is, isn't is gorgeous? His original design and wonderful craftsmanship.

I know this piece of furniture will be a cherished part of their home.

I did manage to get in some basic sewing during our visit. I mended 6 shirts for Andrew. A la this work.

We had a great weekend in Columbus, a wonderful visit with my son and his wife. It was warm and spring-like. I saw crocus blooming in their yard. yea!

Peace Doves

2009-02-24T07:21:00.008-05:00

I am making three shopping bags to donate to an auction at my church. Last year I made three with peace symbols, so continuing the theme this year I am going with doves.

I used a template from Bella Dia's web site here.

I got to wondering how the dove became a symbol of peace and found this quote:

after world war II pablo picasso, was responsible for
the decisive use of the dove of peace : his lithograph
designed for the international peace congress in paris,
1949, features the white ancestor of a new family of
doves. since then, graphic artists have produced an
endless series of doves of peace in different shapes.

Here is his poster...

The trees with branches

2009-02-21T17:09:00.006-05:00

My winter sunrise wall hanging is coming along. The trees now have branches. A lot of free motion sewing here. I like the tree on the right better than the ones on the left. I did those first and I think they have a few too many branches. I did get a little hill distortion between the first two of the trees. But, I figure this gives it dimension.

Next up, I want to quilt the snow section. I have a nice metallic white thread, but it kept breaking in the machine. I am going to try an embroidery needle before going any further.

Here is another picture I want to share. We have a 20 year old cat, she has kidney disease but is hanging in there. She is very thin, so when she curls up to sleep, she really wraps herself tightly to keep warm. Here is how she looked this afternoon. Doesn't she look kinda like a Q or a question mark?

super quick gift

2009-02-19T18:56:00.002-05:00

Our two neighbor boys, Parker and Jamison, both had their adenoids removed this week. I thought a nice gift for them would be soft flannel pillow cases. Trucks for Parker and Pirate theme for Jamison. Both boys were pleased with gift, I hope cases gave some comfort as they recovered.

One yard of flannel, wash and dry to shrink and soften it up,
cut the edges to make it straight,
fold right sides together, one seam along the top, one along the side,
turn up the hem 1/2 inch on the edge and iron,
then turn up a 4 inch hem, sew that and you are done.

Contribution to the Bushfire Quilting project

2009-02-15T08:03:00.004-05:00

I made these two wonky star blocks to contribute to the Bushfire Quilting project. This is the flickr group of other contributed blocks and also has all the information needed if you want to contribute.

Here is the link to the tutorial on making these stars, called Wonky or Maverick. They are very improvisational and fun to make.

The woman who started this idea has had an overwhelming response and is now a quilting organizer, wonderful. I love the idea of the scores of homeless people receiving a hand made quilt to help them cope with getting their lives back together.

Red on Valentines Day

2009-02-14T09:03:00.008-05:00

Happy Valentines Day! It seems like red is the color of the day, so here are some illustrations from my life. Red cards ready and waiting.

My valentines gift from dear hubby. A red polka dot teapot, perfect!

My gift to him, a home made cherry pie.

More red on the dining room table. Flowers, candle, Japanese doll and plum candy - decorations from our Chinese New Year celebration last weekend.

Whatever you may be celebrating today, I hope it includes the passion and sweetness associated with red.

Trees added

2009-02-09T06:41:00.005-05:00

I have added the trees to my winter sunrise composition. They are fused on. I plan to add sewing lines to do the thinner branches.

I also have some shimmery white thread to add to the snow area. I think I will do that by hand.

We have actually had some milder temperatures here the past few days. Into the 40's and 50's. Makes one think of the little green buds that will be coming to these dark trees.

Winter sunrise

2009-02-03T07:21:00.005-05:00

I am working on trying to capture winter sunrise in a small fabric wall quilt. Here is a photo that I am using for inspiration. This is a scene that I pass on my way to work in the morning, as I drive east.

Here is my attempt, so far, to capture the sunrise.

I don't have the photography equipment to do the colors justice here, they look much more muted in this photo. There is a lot of gray here in the winter, appropriate I suppose.

Next I have to decide how to add the trees. A minister at my congregation referred to the trees against the winter sky as "brown lace". I like that comparison. I don't plan to use lace literally but do want to capture the wispy pattern of the sleeping winter trees.

A wristlet for Mary

2009-02-01T07:56:00.005-05:00

I tidied up the studio yesterday and found some quilting pins and a bobbin that I need to return to my friend Mary. I reflected that I couldn't just give them back to her in a plastic or paper bag. So..., of course, I made her a wristlet.

I know that Mary likes Fall colors. So I rummaged through my stash to find a nice combo. I added a little row of pieced fabric to the bottom of the purse. As I pull these little pieces of fabric together I reflect on their history. The fabric in the body of the bag is fabric that I used to accent a vest I made, in a class that Mary and I took together.

The bits in the pieced row are:
1. red oriental - from a jacket I made with all oriental fabrics
2. pink/red/orange from a piece of fabric that Nathan gave me
3. red with gold dots - from my friend Besty, see the sunshine pillow.
4. yellow - from a little fabric bundle from the island of St. John's where they recycle worn bed sheets by dying them in beautiful batiks- a gift from my friend Margaret.
5. a piece of batik that I purchased from the local quilt shop and have used in more than one project. Here is one example.

I again added 3 beads to the zipper pull, this makes opening and closing easier and looks pretty cute. I think the beads on the zipper pull will now be a standard addition.

So here's to a lot of enjoyment from a little creation. The pleasure of giving it to Mary will be the icing on the cake.

Polka dots for Betsy and Meg

2009-01-28T19:30:00.006-05:00

My friend Betsy gave me a wonderful piece of polka dot fabric based on Eric Carle's book The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I decided to make a larger wristlet bag, more of a large pencil case shape as a gift for Betsy. Big enough to hold scissors and other sewing accessories. I put a large round wood bead on the zipper pull.

I just love the bright colors of this print and how the polka dots are so plentiful and crowded joyfully together. Can you believe The Hungry Caterpillar was published in 1969? This must qualify as a classic now. It even has a wikipedia entry, where it says that it is one of the best-selling books of all time, with over 25 million copies in print.

I also made a smaller wristlet for Betsy's daughter Meg. Meg is a school teacher, so this seems to be a perfect print for her.

I just love making these wristlets, I am ever appreciative of the tutorial posted here for the instructions.

sewing for Makayla's bitty baby

2009-01-26T21:28:00.007-05:00

I spent a long weekend up north with friends and their 4 yr old daughter. Makayla brought along her bitty baby doll. I had a small variety of fabric on hand, just in case. We made her a quilt, a bib and a bonnet. She picked the colors (her favorite color is yellow) and helped me decide on size and placement of the large blocks and the bib shape and size. What fun. She was very pleased with the results, as you can see.

finished sunshine

2009-01-22T07:10:00.002-05:00

Here are some shots of the finished sunshine pillow. You will note that is got a little bigger.

Elizabeth Alexander's poem

2009-01-21T06:44:00.003-05:00

Praise song for the day.

Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others' eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair.

Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.

A woman and her son wait for the bus.

A farmer considers the changing sky; A teacher says, "Take out your pencils. Begin."

We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider.

We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and then others who said, "I need to see what's on the other side; I know there's something better down the road."

We need to find a place where we are safe; We walk into that which we cannot yet see.

Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.

Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign; The figuring it out at kitchen tables.

Some live by "Love thy neighbor as thy self."

Others by first do no harm, or take no more than you need.

What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.

In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.

On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp -- praise song for walking forward in that light.

Sunshine

2009-01-18T08:00:00.007-05:00

This week I have been dreaming about sunshine. We have had sunshine here in Michigan, but it has been accompanied by temperatures as low as -15 F. So, I gathered some pink, yellow, orange and red from the stash. I didn't have time to actually get to the cutting and sewing part till yesterday.

So, my sunshine grouping became this.

You may notice some fabrics in the block that were not in the inspiration gathering. These are courtesy of my friend Betsy, I joined her for sewing time and she generously found some sunshine in her stash to contribute.

Next step, quilt this and make it up as a pillow.

This is a type of sunshine that says summer and hot to me, what a nice break. For contrast here is what the sunrise looks like for me now. A different quality indeed, but beautiful in it's own way. I have been noticing a lot of these black/white gray skies backed with red and pink lately. Another theme, for another time.

The black and white quilt

2009-01-11T17:04:00.005-05:00

Spoiler alert - Sarah.

I just couldn't resist posting some photos of the finished quilt. I wanted to make a large lap quilt, it ended up 80 inches long and 60.5 inches wide. I think that is almost twin bed size, so it should be plenty large enough to snuggle under while lounging on the couch. It remains to be seen how it functions in the environment with their black dog (who sheds a lot), I hope it all blends in nicely. : )

Here is the quilt being held up by my husband. The next shot is the back. I did not have enough of the black fabric that I purchased, so made a wide strip from the fabrics used in the quilt top.

The label is shown here.

I also wanted to mention that I adapted the pattern for this quilt from one in Modern Art With Fabric by Debbie Maddy, published in 2007. I used her lap quilt pattern but made it about 1/3 larger. Here's a link to her web site, it's called Calico Carriage.

Little practical things and more quilting

2009-01-11T16:33:00.008-05:00

Some of my studio time this weekend was used for a couple of needed practical things. I made a padded bag for my new car navigation assistant. I made the standard writstlet that I have been making and added a center divider, so that cord would not scratch the screen. I also put a layer of quilt batting in the bag to provide cushion.

I also realized that I needed one more cloth grocery bag, so made one out of the leftover bedroom curtain material (that I have been getting a lot of mileage out of!). I used the basic Morse bag dimensions. This one does not a have a flat bottom like most of my other bags, but I think that's OK.

With those two projects done I then turned my attention to finishing the quilt for Andrew & Sarah. As you can see from this picture, the pins are out. I finished the machine quilting yesterday then added the binding and did the hand sewing last evening.

I added the label for the back this morning. Just the basic message, who it is made for, with love, my name and the date. Now I can't wait to give this to them. I think it will happen sometime in February, we may be making a visit then.

Free Motion extravaganza

2009-01-05T17:18:00.003-05:00

I spent time yesterday doing the free motion machine quilting on Andrew and Sarah's large lap quilt. I pulled my machine into the center of the room, put a table behind it and set up my ironing board to my left. Like so:

It was great fun and not nearly as cumbersome as I had thought it would be. I did a sort of large scale stipple. The black on black is almost invisible, here are some of the more white squares that show the quilting more obviously.

I ended the afternoon with a very numb right thumb. I guess I was a little too excited and clutched the fabric too much. Feeling is back in my thumb today, so no harm done.

In the spirit of Every Day Creative and inline with my goal this New Year I plan to post more often. I want to record what I am doing in my every day way to infuse creativity into my life this year.

If you are a lurking reader a comment of encouragement would be appreciated. What are you doing to keep your creative spirit alive in your life?

Creative Every Day

2009-01-04T09:17:00.007-05:00

I have joined the Creative Every Day 2009 challenge. A very low key group. I want to use this commitment to spur me to get to the sewing room/studio more often and with less expectation and judgment. The theme for January is Play. We hosted an open house recently and in preparation for the "play" I found it necessary do some sewing projects.

In the waning hours before the event, a couple of things suddenly became an eye sore (to me) when contemplating entertaining. Items of very minuscule import that most probably only enter my consciousness. I do feel better having made them and will enjoy them.

1. Made a new set of oven mitts. (This fabric is from old bedroom curtains, at least 20 years old, a classic and durable Waverly print)

2. Recovered a very tattered chair seat:

3. Make a table mat to cover an unattractive table top.

So here's to a year filled with projects large and small that meet the challenge of infusing my life with creativity.

Great quote on sewing

2009-01-03T09:40:00.002-05:00

I was just reading Marcy Tilton's newsletter and really like this quote:

"This I know: the act of getting my hands, heart and soul into making & inventing something brings great pleasure. Where there was once a neatly folded flat piece of cloth, suddenly there is a dimensional garment. In spite of setbacks (buttonholes gone bad, unintended puckers, 2 left sleeves.......), I return to the studio with passion and hope. Some days the act of stitching something together, smoothing out wrinkles, shaping an edge, tweaking a pattern, screening in a bit of color, all add together to make a feeling of joy that is almost beyond words. "

I often try to describe to someone what I get out of sewing, this sums it up so well. I am not at the designer level as Marcy is, but do very much identify with the intent and effect of the creative process that she describes.

Here's to "joy beyond words" in sewing adventures.

Christmas makings

2008-12-28T18:05:00.010-05:00

Now that Christmas is over and the gifts have been given I can share some of the hand made gifts I gave this year.

For my son and daughter in law I wanted to make a tree ornament that said something special about 2008. So what better than to remember the campaign and election of Barak Obama? I snagged a photo of the Obama symbol from the campaign web site and proceeded to copy the shape for a round ornament. It was fun to do and turned out pretty nice. Andrew and Sarah really enjoyed receiving it and agreed that it will be a good remembrance of 2008.

For my each of my two sons I wanted to make a boxy shaped bag with a zipper. I followed the tutorial here, well I tried to anyway. The first time I got the width and length of the body transposed and ended up with a rectangle instead of a box.
It was amazing to me that I got almost all the way done before I realized that this object was not short and wide but long and narrow. Oh well. Andrew liked it and does feel he has a use for it. It actually is a good size for tools.

For my musician son I wanted to make a boxy bag that would hold CD's. This time I carefully thought out what the dimensions needed to be and actually measured a CD case. (how clever) I used a piece of fabric that Nathan had given me quite awhile ago, something that spoke to him while visiting JoAnn's with a girlfriend. I did not get a sewing room photo, so here you can see Nathan with it on our sunny Christmas afternoon.

Last but not least, the big ta da. I decided about 2 weeks before Christmas to make a quilt for Andrew and Sarah. My husband is making them a very nice blanket chest/coffee table and it occurred to me that a lap size quilt for the inside would be very useful. I selected a pattern with very large pieces and enlarged the lap size so that it is basically almost twin size. I went with a black and white colorway so that it will not show the dog hair of their black dog too badly. Needless to say I did not finish this before Christmas. It is pieced and pinned together, and that's how it was wrapped and given to them. They really liked it, here they are holding it up for a work in process photo. Since I knew they would not be going home with the quilt, I did whip up a set of 6 cloth coasters out of the black and white fabrics. No photo of those, sorry.

One more item to share. While Andrew and Sarah were visiting Sarah mentioned that she wanted to make a dog bed for their dog out of an old egg shell mattress pad, folded to a 36 x 46ish size. So, we went to Joann and found a really nice piece of purplish fur on sale. Sarah also wanted to line the bed with mylar insulated batting so that it would feel nice and warm to the dog. Sarah and I worked on this yesterday. We had to add a strip of black duck so that the piece was wide enough, since the edge of the fur had a very loosely woven selvedge. Here you can see Sirius quite contented with the results.

Getting ready

2008-12-14T22:04:00.003-05:00

Just a quick post to show one more wristlet, on its way now to a certain little girl who likes pink.

Also, some gifts for David under the tree, wrapped in fabric gift bags.

That's all I can share now. A surprise is in the making...

Early Solstice gifts

2008-12-10T21:21:00.007-05:00

I made up this bag to share at the gift exchange of my circle sisters. I "stole" the design inspiration from the Pink Lemonade Boutique web site. She has made some really nice bags with colorful fabric combos. What inspired me were the circles connected by lines and the use of rick rack. I made a basic fabric bag to wrap the gift in.
After making the bag I decided to make a wristlet to match it and then to make a wristlet for each of the other women in the circle.

Actually the bottom one, the spider fabric, is for me. Aren't they sweet? I loved making these and imagining who would get each one. Here's how it came down. Barbara got the circle rick rack bag with it's matching wristlet. (note the witch accessory fabric used for the lining and the and wristelt) Margaret and Merrill each got a dragonfly one. Molly got the greenish one with peace doves. Cathy got the one made out of the Japanese fabric that I made a blouse out of. Judi got the one made out of the Chinese girl fabric. Emily will be getting the blue fern one via the mail. Very fun work, and I am proud to say that every zipper was a thrifted or hand me down one. Some of these old zippers have waited a long time to be put to use.

Here's to making something to give away, I hope you find time to share your creativity with those you love.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T08:07:00.003-05:00

I'm off to my sister's house for a family Thanksgiving. My contribution is seen here. Pies: apple, pecan and cherry. The apple is very large, deep dish and made with Granny Smith apples. The cherry pie was made with Splenda, for those who much watch sugar. This is my first sugar free pie, hope is tastes good.

The red dish is the classic fresh cranberry-orange relish.

I always make pumpkin pies, and will make those on Sunday when we will have company here at our home. It seems odd not to have pumpkin today.

Thanksgiving

The year has turned its circle,
The seasons come and go.'
The harvest all is gathered in
And chilly north winds blow.
Orchards have shared their treasures,
The fields, their yellow grain,
So open wide the doorway~
Thanksgiving comes again!

—Unknown

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T07:24:00.008-04:00

If it's Halloween then it must be time to celebrate spiders! I love spiders and have been known to look for spider motifs in home decoration and fabric. I found this fabric when our local Hancock went out of business a couple of years ago. It's a Michael Miller print called "Webmaster". Perfect.

I thought that the Butterick 5223 jacket pattern would suit this fabric well. The hanging ties on the sleeves and back seem very spider web like.

And then, I found a perfect button at Joann's. These big black buttons look very web like.

So, I go off into the world today feeling very festive and ready to celebrate everything spidery! Hope you have a Happy Halloween too.

More on spiders...

Native American Spider Woman mythology here and here. Spiders, good for the garden here. And spiders in the home here. As the last site says: "Next time you see a spider just repeat this sentence: Spiders are good guys. Spiders are good guys."

Sewing with Bamboo

2008-10-09T18:41:00.005-04:00

I purchased some textured bamboo fabric at the sewing expo. This is the print. I washed it in cool water and dried it on a low setting. It came out very soft and with a very nice drape. I wanted a shell with sleeves that I could were tucked in or out. I am pleased to say I found that New Look 6483 is perfect. I did make one change to the pattern, I wanted a more open neckline, so I make View A top with the neckline of view E. The pattern has a short slit at the center back and a button closure. With the wider neckline I can get the top on without opening the button, but I do like the detail of the button closure.

Sewing with the bamboo was a pleasure. It had such a soft hand, but still has nice body. The edges did fray quite easily, so I serged every single seam.

I am sure I will use this pattern again, it has a good fit for me. I like the versatility of this top.

Alternative to plastic produce bags

2008-09-16T07:41:00.002-04:00

Just a quick post to share what I have come up with as an alternative to using plastic when purchasing produce. I purchased a square of green netting from the Joann's 70% off bin and made up several rectangle shaped bags. I sewed all seams with a zig zag stitch. I turned over the top to make a casing and then threaded some kite string through for the top closure. They are super light weight and durable. I went to the Farmer's market last Saturday and came home without any plastic bags!

Yoga mat

2008-09-15T19:05:00.005-04:00

I have resumed Yoga classes after a break of a couple of years. So, I now need a yoga mat bag. Now here is a bag that I have not yet made. Yea! I found these instructions on line and followed them, pretty much. My goal was not to purchase anything to make this bag. So I used some upholstery material that I purchased at a discount decorator store in Columbus, Ohio, a shoe string in my stash, and a chincher (? I am not sure what these are called) that I also had in my stash.

Since the fabric is an upholstery weight I figure it will be somewhat rain resistant, if I have to dash from my car to class in the rain.

As they say in Sanskrit, Namaste.

Sewing with Katy & Maggie

2008-09-07T17:17:00.006-04:00

My friends Katy and Maggie visited up north (with their folks) and we took some time to do some sewing. I forgot to get pictures while we sewed, but in the photo you can see the bag that Katy made. Katy's bag is red on one side and purple on the other, with one red and one purple handle. These were fabrics that she choose, she did add a polka dot pocket, which I highly approved of. : ) Don't you love the gold fringe? Katy did most of the sewing herself, she is a natural at the sewing machine, which I love to see. Gives me hope for the next generation. Maggie made a curtain/drape kind of thing to put over a house that she has made for her cat. I did not get a picture of it, but was told that it fit very nicely over the cat's abode.

For each of them I made a change purse/wristlet. They both chose to add a little fringe trim to the wristlet bag, very cute indeed. Here is a photo of the 2 writstlets with one more that I made that will go to a friend who really likes snakes. I love making these, they are super simple and a great use for scrap fabric.

Polka Dots for Mikayla

2008-09-06T16:42:00.009-04:00

We had another beautiful week up north, the week before Labor Day. At the beginning of our vacation we were visited by Mikayla and her folks. Since Mikayla is too young to sew for herself I had her pick some buttons and polka dot fabric for a bag. I love her pink and green color combo.

She choose a blue polka dot for the inside pocket, she is showing it in this picture.

She was very pleased with the bag, and proceeded to fill it up with her books and toys.

I made her a little change purse / wristlet to match the purse. I used the tutorial here to make the pouch with a zipper top. Adding the little strap makes it a "wristlet".

Tablecloth and the American Lotus

2008-08-18T07:35:00.007-04:00

I didn't get very much sewing done this weekend. I did manage to whip up this table cloth. The fabric is from curtains that hung in our bedroom for about 20 years. It is a Waverly cotton, I washed the curtains after taking them down and the fabric is still in very good shape. I used my serger to add a narrow rolled hem, using red thread. I think it took more time to thread the machine than to do the sewing. I still have a lot of this fabric, perhaps I should make some table napkins?

My sewing plans for Sunday were sacrificed for a trip to see the American Lotus in bloom at Lake Erie state park. What a beautiful plant, large leaves and a gorgeous bloom. A native lotus, very special. Check out the size of those leaves.

Table runner and insomnia pot holder

2008-08-11T21:25:00.006-04:00

We had a neighborhood party this weekend and I decided I needed a table runner that matched our decor a little better. I had a little bit of the fabric left from my apron and kitchen curtains and had fun deciding which colors to add. Of course I incorporated a polka dot from the stash. The greenish strip is a scrap from my mother's stash. Any reminder of Mom is always good for me. It feels like it really belongs in my home.

The evening after I made the runner I had insomnia and decided to stop fighting it and got up to do so simple sewing. I made the pot holder with the scraps that were still laying about in the studio.

Now I have curtains, an apron, a table runner and a pot holder that all coordinate. Martha Stewart has nothing on me!

Up north sewing extravanganza

2008-08-10T08:37:00.009-04:00

While up north at our cottage I had 4 teen or pre-teen girls visiting who all wanted to "sew something". My two sisters were also there, so we had plenty of coaches. I used my standard grocery bag pattern, made it a bit narrower and and instructed them in making a lined bag. They were all quick learners and very handy. I also had this tutorial printed out and a selection of zippers. I had my polka dot stash on hand and my sister brought a collection of cottons as well. Between the four girls they made 10 bags. At one point I noticed a lot of pins flying around, so I showed them how to make simple pin cushions. What fun we had! The girls really enjoyed making the tote bags, they made ones for themselves, for other family members and for friends.
I have heard that there was a trip to Joann fabric after getting home, more fabric purchased and more bags made!

Sewing with Mackenzie

2008-08-09T13:29:00.005-04:00

I made a top from Simplicity 2962 with my grand niece Mackenzie. She did the cutting out and got the garment done through the pockets. I added the yoke, as that was pretty advanced for her. I love her choice of fabric and colors. Isn't she darling?

I posted a pattern review for this top on Pattern Review.

Mackenzie also made two tote bags entirely on her own. Here she is at the machine. It is such a pleasure to share my love of sewing with the younger generation. More on the tote bag making extravaganza in the next post.

Rally co-driver accessory

2008-08-09T07:59:00.007-04:00

I made a paper and pencil holder for my son's co-driver awhile ago. See post here. My son's previous co-driver didn't actually strap it to his leg, but Ryan, the new co-driver, found it very useful. It is made of denim and has Velcro on the straps that go around the back of the leg. I attended the Rally West Virginia race on Aug 1-2 and got to see the item in use. This allows the co-driver to get to his pencil or pen easily during the race, and the pocket holds a small notebook or papers as needed.
Ryan was very pleased with this item and said that several other co-drivers would be interested in getting one. I am not sure if I will make more, I did not save any notes on the dimensions or the design. I will see if any requests come my way.

Here's a shot of my son Andrew and Ryan just before heading out for the start of a rally stage.

Smaller groocery bag

2008-07-18T07:24:00.008-04:00

I have noticed that the baggers at the grocery store will fill up my cloth bags to the max. This makes the bags quite heavy to lug in and out of the car and then into the house. I have made a bag pattern that is wider and shorter than the ones I have been making, see my tutorial. You can see the size comparison in these two pictures.
The pattern is 18 1/4 inches wide and 16 1/4 tall. I cut out a 2 1/4 inch square at each side for the bottom. The handles were cut 4 inches wide and 26 inches long. Since the bag is wider I spaced the handles 6 1/2 inches apart. The assembly of the bag is the same as in the tutorial. For the one in this picture I added a 6 inch band at the bottom to give it more strength.

The Blue's for Margaret and Cathy

2008-07-13T18:43:00.010-04:00

I made a small bag for Margaret as a birthday gift, I forget to take a photo of it. Here she is today modeling it. The theme is blue / water. Can you see the fish?

I also made a special bag for Cathy, who had a milestone birthday today. This bag is also along the blue/water theme. It is a lot larger than the bag I made for Margaret, note the tape measure for scale. I added some fabric that I have with musical notes as Cathy can sign beautifully. It is embellished with buttons and blue/green yarn in swirls. Some of the pieces Cathy will recognize: one from an apron that I made for her; one from a scrap that she gave me after mending a dress for her mother; one from Margaret's stash; and one from Barbara's daughters dress from long ago. The dark blue polka dot at the base of the bag is material Cathy brought to me from Transylvania. I added a few of my favorites too.

It is really fun to pull these bits together, blending color and memories. Piecing on many levels.

When you are ready to give a gift like this to someone, how do you wrap it up? Paper? No way!
Here I took a rectangle of the scrap from Cathy, pinked the edges and sewed along the edge with a serpentine stitch. Yarn and ribbon scraps make a beautiful bow.

Burda Top / Jacket

2008-07-12T08:22:00.008-04:00

I have had this Burda 8478 pattern for quite awhile and finally made this up in May. I believe the Burda 8478 is out of print but the same pattern is also available as Vogue 8090. I was attracted to the asymmetrical bottom on the front and the overlap on the back.

I purchased a very nice cotton but was not sure it would have enough body for this garment, so I underlined the whole garment with a lightweight lining material.

I am wearing the top here over shorts and a T shirt, not how I have been wearing this, but I had a photographer available and did this quickly.

The pattern calls for one large button for closure, I found this beautiful shell button.The fabric is pretty dark in value so even though I made it for summer wear I find that I am feeling I may wear it more in the fall.

Apron

2008-07-08T18:30:00.003-04:00

I had just enough fabric left from my kitchen curtains to use as the accent fabric on a Butterick 4945 apron. I made view C. The bottom panel is fully faced, so it hangs nicely and gives the apron good body. I put a review of the pattern on pattern review, see the box at the right to go there.
The retro style of this apron just makes me feel all Suzie Homemaker like when I put it on. I will see if it inspires any creativity in the kitchen.

Blouse made with Japenese cotton

2008-07-01T19:17:00.005-04:00

I am going to try to start blogging again. I took a break because I had decided that my blog was boring. (It is) But I have received a few comments lately so am thinking maybe I will give it another go. I also do like doing this to have a record of my sewing projects. So, it's time to do some catching up.

I made this blouse in April from New Look 6598. The fabric is a Japanese cotton that I purchased at the Fabric Gallery, a beautiful fabric store in Williamston, Michigan. If you are anywhere nearby, it is worth the trip.

I was looking for a pattern for a basic blouse, I had just about given up when I saw the New Look patterns and thought I would give one a try. The pattern turned out very nice. It has a cute cut out V at the cuff edge that gives the sleeve a little interest. The back was designed with ties which I replaced with encased elastic. It is very comfortable to wear and I do love the fabric.

Skirt with pockets

2008-06-11T20:48:00.002-04:00

I made this skirt from McCalls 5591. I posted a pattern review at Pattern Review.com. I was not able to post a very large picture there so I have put this one here.

The skirt is very comfortable and has great pockets. The pattern calls for a band of fabric that is top stitched to the pocket edge, which makes a nice finish and gives the pocket edge body. I small detail, but I really like it.

Happy Easter and Thank you Mom.

2008-03-23T19:22:00.005-04:00

I made a blouse for Easter out of some fabric that I inherited from my mother. The pattern is McCalls 4384, which is now out of print. Mom has been gone for 10 years now, so making something with her fabric is a nice way to honor memories of her. She loved polka dots, and I do too. I don't know what her plans for this fabric were, but I am sure she would have been pleased with my creation.

Greeting Cards

2008-03-09T21:19:00.008-04:00

I made three cards, using my very basic sewing on cards method. I keep a plastic zip top blanket bag in my sewing room that I use to collect very small fabric scraps. I have put enough bits in there over the last year to have just about every color one could want.

Here's my very simple method:
1. Select the colors that appeal to you for the card. I like to let the scraps speak to me if possible, sometimes letting a found shape lead the way in the design.
2. Iron the scraps flat.
3. Assemble on the card front as you find pleasing.
4. Glue them down with a glue stick, just enough to hold them in place.
5. Sew the scraps down with lines, wavy or straight.
6. Pull all threads to the back of the card.

7. Cut another card in half and glue that over the threads on the inside cover of the card.

8. You are done.!

Here are all three cards, sorry that my pictures are a bit blurry. I took them with no flash.

Upholstery Fabric Vest

2008-03-09T20:55:00.006-04:00

I finally made a garment! It seems like I have been stuck in a bag making mode, so it was very refreshing to do something different. A friend of mine made a vest from Kwik Sew 2843 which I had admired. She was kind enough to trace off a copy of the pattern for me. The pattern is intended to be a zip front sporty type vest. Betsy cleverly left the zipper off and used a nice loosely woven fabric, which made the vest more formal and nice enough to wear in a work or other social setting.

I had a 1 yard piece of upholstery fabric that I had thought I might make into a bag, but decided to go with a vest instead. The great thing about this pattern is that the vest has nice deep pockets. I pre-washed the fabric, so this will be a garment that I can put through the washer and dryer as needed.

The fabric raveled very quickly, so I used the serger to finish all seams even though they are all hidden by the lining.

I wore it today with jeans and a long sleeved T shirt, just the right combo of layers for a woman with "personal summers" that come when you least expect them.

3 Peace Grocery bags

2008-03-02T15:30:00.009-05:00

I have made 3 peace grocery bags that I will donate to a fund raiser auction at my church. The bags are all made from denim. The peace symbols are a collage of small squares of fabric tacked down with stitch witchery and then sewn down. I got the peace symbol pattern that I used for the two with the wider symbol from here. I like the frayed edge look of this for a peace symbol, it seems appropriate for something as scrappy to attain as peace.

Here are the 3 of them modeling in the back of my car. They are so cute I have named them, from left to right: Green peas pieced peace, Purple polka dot pieced peace, and Flower power pieced peace.

Each bag has a pocket on the back side, as seen on the back of the Green Peas bag.

So here's to peace and saving our planet in ways little and large.

Cloth shopping bag that folds into a pocket

2008-02-26T21:15:00.003-05:00

I have been wanting to make a smaller cloth bag that folds into it's own pocket and would be small enough to carry in my purse. I made a cloth bag in the dimensions of a morsbag (18 by 20 inches), see the directions here.

I then added a 7 inch fully lined square for the pocket. Place the pocket at the center bottom of the bag.

When you want to fold it up: fold the bag in thirds lengthwise, then tuck the handles down and fold the bag into thirds again, and then turn it inside it's own little pocket.

Pop it in your purse and you are ready for avoiding plastic bags in almost any setting!

Bed pillows

2008-02-19T07:36:00.004-05:00

Just a quick post to show the two large bed pillows that I made for my bedroom on the weekend. I used a coordinating fabric to the Waverly Garden Images Magnolia print on the windows.

Here's a shot with one of the windows included.

More grocery bags for Andrew and Sarah

2008-02-14T06:45:00.004-05:00

My son and his wife requested 2 more grocery bags, so they could use them for all of their groceries. Good for them. I had a little bit left of the olive and lettuce fabric, so stretched it as best I could. Now they have 4 coordinating bags, see the others here and here.

I wonder what it would take for the US to pass a ban or tax on plastic bags as has been done in Ireland?
see story here

Kaffe Fassett bag in the Carribean

2008-02-12T07:01:00.001-05:00

Just to let you know that the bag that I made especially for my trip to the Bahamas did get used. The weather was not a as nice as we had hoped for, as you can see by the force of the wind blowing my hair back, but it was lovely none the less. I enjoyed the colors of the water and seeing green and blooming things in January is always a treat for a Michigan girl.

A bag for my cruise trip

2008-01-18T21:52:00.001-05:00

I am off to Florida and then on to the Bahamas on a BIG ship. I made a carry bag for this vacation from some beautiful Kaffe Fassett fabric. The bag has an inside zippered pocket which I am sure I will find useful to prevent losing little items.

Off I go, I wonder if there will be an fabric purchasing opportunities?

Litte bags and luggage tags for traveling

2008-01-13T18:18:00.000-05:00

I am preparing for a vacation in a very sunny climate, yipee! I have made a few things from the patterns in Made for Travel by Mary Mulari.
The one at the left is made out of a cherished piece of my favorite fabric. I have had it for many years. I sure wish I knew where to get more.

The one below, with the bobby pins, is for my sister who is a hairdresser.

I have also made a couple of bright luggage tags, hopefully to help us find our luggage at the airport baggage claim area.

Cream puffs

2008-01-02T07:07:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!
I had a hankering for a Sanders hot fudge cream puff sundae, so this became our special New Years day dessert. Made here with peppermint ice cream. Yum!

Fabric gift bags and wabi sabi

2007-12-29T08:14:00.000-05:00

I like the idea of using fabric to create gift bags, I only managed to do a couple this year. My son's girlfriend is a beginning sewer so I got a copy of Bend-the-Rules Sewing by Amy Karol for her. This gift seemed to really call out for a cloth wrapper. So, I made a crazy quilted bag for her gift. I wasn't sure how to close off the top, I didn't want to cinch it as you would lose the view of the quilt and a flap over would also cover the quilt. So I placed 3 sets of ribbons on either side of the top edge. Tie off the ribbons and you have a nicely decorated top edge.

I also made a gift bag for a gift exchange with my circle sisters. The gift was to be a wabi sabi one. Wabi sabi is from the Japanese aesthetic that emphasizes the value and beauty of simple things. A wabi sabi gift is one that would have a humble grace, not necessarily new, but loved. I found my wabi sabi gift at a local thrift store, it is a brass item which probably had candles in it (it had a lot of wax on it). I made a little circle of cloth for the bottom and put in this gift bag.

I was casting about for a good link to help explain wabi sabi and found this site. It is a non profit organization in Moab, Utah that helps people in the community by running a thrift shop, recycling building materials, and other activities that truly exemplify application of wabi sabi. Their definition of wabi sabi: "beauty lies in the imperfection that surrounds us, that new is not necessarily nicer, and that our discards could very well be our salvation."

Elvis Christmas stocking

2007-12-26T19:19:00.000-05:00

Last year when my local Hancocks Fabric was going out of business I purchased some Elvis Christmas fabric. The print was set up to make a very large Christmas stocking. One side has Elvis with his guitar and a red background, the other side has Elvis just looking cool with a green background. Who better to make this for than my DJ musician son? What fun this was. I layered it with white cotton quilt batting and lined it with a solid white. I did some free motion sewing around the poinsettias and Elvis' profile and the topped it off with red and white polka dot bias. There was a small print of a stocking shape on the fabric, about 6 inches long, so I made that up to match the uber stocking.
Nathan loved it, we all shared quite a laugh. As you can see it even can be "worn" on both feet for a warmer.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T13:00:00.001-05:00

Wishing you a Merry Christmas, In what ever way you celebrate this time of year, may it be joyful.

We had a visit with my son and daughter in law last weekend. Here is a photo of the table napkins, bread basket cloth and dog Christmas tree ornament that I made for them. 2007 is the year they adopted Sirius, so the commemorative ornament honors her this year.

Pieced Peace

2007-12-19T20:24:00.001-05:00

I made another peace grocery bag a couple of weeks a ago. Here's the first one I made awhile ago. I donate these to my congregation and they are sold at the grocery store coupons table. I was told that someone requested a bag for a man with a peace symbol. I forgot to take the finished shot of this bag. So this is the most complete I can share.

Here are some along the way shots of how I put the peace symbol together. First I draw a circle and put in the center bones, I used seam binding tape for this one. Then I cut several little squares of a variety of fabric colors and patterns. I iron the pieces in place with a little bit of stitch witchery tape. I sew the pieces down by going around the inner and outer circle and then putting a serpentine stitch down the middle. The pieces of peace are left with unfinished edges on purpose, after all peace is not easy to attain.
Once again, my wish for you... May you find peace.

Odd things for men

2007-12-08T09:52:00.001-05:00

I have made some odd things lately, all connected to the needs of some of the the men in my life.

# 1
Flannel case for prescription safety glasses.

# 2 Fabric hat for Blacksmith work, keeps hot projectiles from burning your scalp or setting your hair on fire. It also keeps the dirt off of you head. I drafted the pattern by copying a paper disposable surgery cap, used in a hospital setting.

# 3
Pencil and paper holder for the co-driver of my son's race car. This has Velcro on the straps so that it could be strapped to his lower leg, making it easy for him to reach down for the pencil or paper. It turned out that he didn't like it on his leg, but did find it useful strapped to the roll cage bar.

#4 Another item for race car support. This is a large bag made to cover the head light set that goes on the car for night driving. I used a moving blanket, serged it into a big pocket and added a tie strap. Easy sewing, but will be very good for keeping the lights from getting scratched up in transit.

Gumdrop Footstool

2007-12-08T09:26:00.001-05:00

I haven't posted in awhile, I have been pretty busy, but I have found some time for sewing in between and around other aspects of my life. I will try to catch up on some posting in the next few days.

At serger club we made the Gumdrop Pillow from a Amy Butler pattern. I didn't think that I really needed such a pillow or that I would get much use out of it, but it has turned out to be very useful and was fun to make. This is the 18 inch size, which required the entire contents of a 5 lb. box of poly-fill. Here you see Sarah enjoying it during a recent visit and our cat Trooper perched on top. I purchased enough of this fabric to make a 24 inch gumdrop also, that will probably be a 2008 project.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-21T21:15:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite things to do in the kitchen is make pie! In this photo: apple, pecan and pumpkin. I hope you have some good eatin' tomorrow and remember to count your blessings.

This is a blog mostly about sewing, so I will share my new kitchen curtains here too. The fabric was selected to be able to coordinate with my Autumn Leaf dishes and pale blue kitchen walls. The walls need to be painted, but this won't be happening soon. So this batik seemed to fit the bill.

Bathroom Curtains

2007-11-15T06:59:00.000-05:00

Now that our bathroom remodel is done I get to put the finishing touches on by making a shower curtain and window curtain. I just love this Waverly fabric, it is called "Grand Central". I love the circles and the fun pattern and think it goes nicely with the black and white tile. Here's what the Waverly web site says about the fabric:
"The large colorful circles and squares of Grand Central are overlaid with still more circles and diverging linear paths in an abstract salute to this world famous railroad terminal."
Who knew the fabric was a salute to a railroad terminal?, I just thought it was really fun and fresh and a little retro looking.

At the top of the curtain I did not want the button holes to show, so I made another fold of fabric in front of the button holes and sewed it down an inch on either side. It gives the curtain a very nice finished look.

For the window I have made about a 9 inch valence and will cover the lower half of the window with a sheer.

Sewing a clothing item

2007-11-09T21:44:00.000-05:00

It feels like it has been ages, so I am happy to say that I made a clothing item. I made a top from a nice piece of rayon that I purchased at the Sewing expo. The colors in this fabric are to celebrate and embrace my natural hair color, : ).

I searched longer than I thought I would have to for a basic pattern and settled on Butterick 5053. The top is a pull over with a very nice round neckline.
It is very comfortable, having a lot of ease in the pattern. I have worn it twice already, a great work top for under a jacket.

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T07:01:00.001-04:00

I' m ready to celebrate. I will wear my spider scarf and earrings today. The spider fabric was in Joann's 75% off bin, the piece cost $1. It had a rip that I sewed closed and then I just made a tube of the fabric. I left the ends unfinished, it is a spider web scarf after all.

I hope your Halloween is fun and sweet!

3 for David

2007-10-29T21:43:00.000-04:00

My husband David mentioned that he needs grocery bags to keep in his truck, to use when he shops. So, I have continued my bags for men work and made him 3 cloth shopping bags. He looks ready to shop to me!

Ol MacDonald had a farm, e i e i o...

2007-10-25T20:29:00.000-04:00

My friend Emily asked me to donate a grocery bag to her church fund raiser. I had some vintage craft panel fabric that came with the fabric that my friend Margaret gave to me. It looks like this:
I thought that lovely farm scene would be perfect for a grocery bag pocket. I put a thin layer of cotton batting between the cow and the lining and then did a little free motion sewing around the cow's face, to help her stand out a bit. As you can see there is a little pig on this print too, so I thought that making a little piggy purse would be cute to include with the shopping bag. I used the tutorial here to remind me how to make a zip top lined bag.

I put a 16 inch strap on the piggy purse, which allows it to be looped around the handle of the grocery bag. Now the piggy purse is easily reached to pinch those pennies.

Seven bags for seven sisters

2007-10-16T21:04:00.001-04:00

I couldn't resist making a bag for each of my circle sisters. We gathered last weekend near Lake Michigan. Yes, there are only 6 sisters in the photo. The little butterfly bag is for Molly, who has been hard to capture due to her frequent travels. The butterfly bag is filled with notes to her and a butterfly shaped rock.
We love to collect rocks...

More bags for men, from small to large

2007-10-07T19:01:00.000-04:00

My son purchased a new sub-compact camera. He thought that the pouches they sold at the store were just not quite what he wanted. He asked me to make him a case, just to protect it from getting scratched while in his pocket. I used some really soft hand me down denim (thanks Cathy) and lined it with a lining material. The button loop is a pony tail band (a tip I picked up at the Sewing Expo). I purchased a package at the drug store, they come in several colors. ; )

Nathan was very pleased with it. He is off now on a two week vacation, so should have plenty of opportunities to slip that camera in and out of the new case.

On the grocery bags for men front, I found some good base fabric at a thrift shop this weekend. For $5 I purchased 4 pieces of denim or denim weight material. I was able to make up two bags on Saturday, which I delivered to our congregation this morning.

I finished one more today, the body of the bag is a light green denim from the thrift shop, very nice weight for a shopping bag. I just couldn't resist the little line of rick rack on the pocket. Does adding rick rack make it less "manly". It is brown rick rack. Does a little bit of green check gingham make is less manly? I don't think so. Anyway, I am sure someone will find it of use. All $ collected for the bags is a contribution to our congregation fund. This is a great way for me to make a contribution while re-using fabric, promoting cloth grocery bags and getting more creative time sewing. Many wins. What a joy.

Bags for men

2007-09-28T20:41:00.000-04:00

I was asked to make some more masculine grocery bags to sell at my congregation fund raising table. So I composed one with green corduroy and a GM old truck scrap of fabric for the pocket. The bottom I reinforced with black and white race fabric. So, it is definitely masculine, but it doesn't really go with the "save the environment by using cloth bag grocery bags" theme. Ah, we must live with irony I guess. This one just may have to go to my brother, the GM truck scrap is from a pillow that I made for him. I know he will find a use for it and won't mind the irony. So, I guess I still need to make those masculine grocery bags, it may be awhile till I make any more. I am going to the American Sewing expo for the next two days. I am looking forward to getting inspired about sewing!

My son Nathan's birthday is Oct 7, between his schedule and ours last Sunday was the day to celebrate. He is a record collector, so I made him a record bag. It's just the right size for an LP, I made it narrow in width, thinking he could use this for special records or light shopping. Although I am not sure if Nathan does "light" record shopping.

I had covered a canvas conference bag with black and white polka dot and domino fabric, Nathan's girlfriend admired it, and so it went home with her. It's nice to be able to give a useful gift!

I realized that my grocery bag tutorial does not include how I put the handles on my bags. So I took some pictures of the process and added them to the tutorial.

Art U Wear vest and jacket

2007-09-21T07:28:00.000-04:00

I made a wool vest at a class led by Debra Youngs last week. Her web site is here. Debra is a great teacher for inspiring creativity. This vest is based on her right sided jacket pattern 101. I love the asymmetry of this garment. The pocket on the front will be very handy. I put one polished rock bead at the end of the button hole cord, you can see it if you click on the photo. I want to add more beads there. The polished rock is one that my father made, one of his many hobbies was rock polishing and jewelry making. I have several of these polished rocks and am always looking for a place to use them.

At the class Debra mentioned that she has a book coming out soon that will include this patter adaption. I don't see it mentioned on her web site yet.

I took her quilted jacket class last year. The uncut, unwashed fabric and muslin are quilted and then washed in hot water and dried, this makes it pucker up nicely. Her instructions for the quilting are to sew so that there was no more than 2 fingers width between any stitching. This makes a quilted jacket that is not too heavy or hot to wear. It is lined with regular garment lining.
Here is a photo of it, I made it to wear on my anniversary trip to Stratford, Ontario. Here I am with Will Shakesphere.

Jeans to grocery bag

2007-09-20T07:52:00.001-04:00

My friend Cathy gave me several jean scraps and worn out jeans to play around with. Here is what I had left of this pair.

And here is the bag that they became. I transferred one of the hip pockets to the outside of the bag and used some other blue denim to finish the top. All of the inside seams were done on the serger.

So, off I go. (Sorry for the over exposed photo.)

Diaper bag gift

2007-09-16T07:19:00.000-04:00

Here are a couple of pictures of Jessica receiving the diaper bag. She was very happy with it. The second picture is of Jessica and Merrill. Granddaughter Alexis Mary is due to arrive on October 1st.
You can see more of the making of the bag here and here. This is a really nice design, lots of pockets: open, zippered and with elastic tops. In all, this bag has 10 pockets! The pattern is from Bar-Bee Designs.

Blue jeans grocrery bag

2007-09-13T07:24:00.001-04:00

Here is one very quick and easy way to make a recycled grocery bag. I got these boys size 10 jean shorts at a garage sale for 50 cents. I used the serger to connect the front and back legs into a center seam and then sewed across the bottom. The straps are two pieces of corduroy. This one has a pretty narrow top since the pants were a boys size, if you used adult pants it would be roomier at the top. I have noticed that small to medium grocery bags work best, as the large ones can get pretty heavy when loaded up.

Favorite Fall Flower

2007-09-05T20:54:00.000-04:00

Japanese Anemone - I couldn't resist sharing this photo of a bloom in my garden. I just love this plant, the colors are wonderful and the structure of the plant looks kind of odd to me, reminds me of something from outer space. But the face of this little bloom, isn't it so sweet?

The diaper bag comes to life!

2007-09-03T18:55:00.001-04:00

I have finished the diaper bag, what a fun project. This bag has 4 outer pockets, 4 inner pockets, and 2 zipper pockets - one underneath the fancy outer pocket and one in the lining. That should cover all the needed spots for mom and baby stuff.

Here are some more shots along the way. Here is the lining with all the pockets attached, ready to sew up the sides and bottom.

This is the outer bag, all done and waiting for the lining to be finished.

This is the birthing of the bag! (sorry I could not resist including this) The lining is sewn to the outer bag at the top and then the whole thing gets turned inside out through a 6 inch hole in the side of the lining. This is the funnest part of making a lined bag. : )

Anyway, here she is all done, hanging out in the garden with the dahlias.

The back view and inside views follow...

Sewing tool made by a blacksmith

2007-08-27T07:13:00.000-04:00

We had a weekend up north and attended a blacksmith event at Hartwick Pines State Park. Among the items for sale, to my surprise, I found this corner turner made by Owen Creteau from CJ Forge . The blacksmith's wife is sewer and she asked him to make one of these for her. He also made a awl, but it looked a bit too lethal for me.

My husband is an amateur artist blacksmith, his copy of the design is on the right. What a step up from the plastic corner turners that I am used to.

While up north I did make some progress on the diaper bag for Jessica. She will be having a baby girl on October 1st. The raw edges of the pockets will be covered by the handles.

More sewing on cards

2007-08-23T07:30:00.000-04:00

A co-worker took a new job and a group of us bought her a gift card. I made this card for her to hold the gift. She is a diver, so I went for the greens and blues to create a sort of underwater scene. It looks like a place a fish may be hiding in. I lined the inside of the card with another piece of card stock, which allowed people to write messages on both the upper and lower insides. The little bit on the envelope is sewn together and then glued on. I also glued a row of the green rick rack on the outside envelope flap.

This is a very enjoyable process, using just little bits from your stash, pulling from it for color and pattern. I keep a plastic bag in my sewing studio and add little scraps to it as I sew, my mini scrap stash. This allows me to sort of paint with fabric. I love how the frayed ends add to the design.

Another nice part of this process is how it allows you time to think of the recipient and what they may like, the purpose of the card, and what you wish for them.

Diaper Bag and Remodeling Sewing Plans

2007-08-20T07:03:00.000-04:00

I am making this diaper bag pattern with the fabrics in the photo for a friends daughter. The pattern is from a company called Bar-Bee Designs in Wisconsin. I couldn't find any web address for them. I got the pattern at my local quilt shop.

The front pocket is a 10 inch quilted square, pattern of your own choosing. I thought and thought and ended up with my favorite, a crazy quilted square. I brought in some other colors from my stash, and got to include a slice of polka dot (of course).
The pattern has lots of pockets of course and also has two zippered pockets that are within the the larger pockets. I will post more as I go along. The baby is coming via c-section on October 1st, so I have to keep at this.

That's all the sewing I got in this weekend. We are remodeling our bedroom, bathroom and hall. We have selected some Waverly fabrics for the bathroom and the bedroom. The bathroom shower and window curtain will be Waverly Grand Central in pewter. This print is really fun and will blend nicely with the black and white tile and gray counter top.

For the bedroom, I am planning to use this Waverly Garden Images Magnolia print in sage. I ordered a small amount of the complimentary print below for pillows.

purse refinements, rick rack then and now, mini collage

2007-08-16T22:07:00.000-04:00

I cannot post many of the projects that I am working on right now as they are gifts to be given out and the recipient(s) aren't even expecting gifts. So will post those items later.

I added a cell phone pocket to my polka dot clown purse. At first I put it up near the top, but that weighted down the purse side, pulling it in. So then moved it to the bottom. I also added a wide pocket with rick rack trim and a button.

The rick rack was from a flea market $1 bag. This rick rack is 100% cotton and sold for 15 cents for a 4 yard package. My most recent rick rack purchase sold at Wal Mart for about $1.08, is polyester and is only 2 1/2 yards. Here is an interesting then and now shot of the packages. I kinda prefer the package with Mr. Wright, he looks so serious, "get out that machine and make something girl, God gave you the time and the talent, get to it!". While the more modern Ms. Wright looks a little spacey to me, she doesn't look like she is at all sure what she will do with this rick rack or if she even likes to sew.

While sewing I noticed my glass of tea was sweating on my sewing table, so made up a quick sewing studio coaster. This is a mini fabric collage. Here it is in action. Oops, there is a fabric in the background that is being used for a gift. Just a tease, I wonder who that could be for?

race cars and dish cloths

2007-08-08T20:41:00.000-04:00

I went on a long weekend to Rally West Virginia to be part of my son's pit crew. That's Andrew on the left and his co-driver Michael on the right. My specialty was making sandwiches. In thinking of what I could take along to do in the down time hours I decided to take cotton yarn and some dish cloth patterns.

The patterns I found at the Dishcloth Boutique here. The green one is called Moss Diamonds. The pattern was worked out over a 10 row repeat, I had to pay attention to where I was. Some ripping out was needed on this one when I got off track. The other one, here on the hotel window sill, is a basic checkered dishcloth, it was fun to make and much easier to follow the basic perl 5 knit 5 pattern.

I gave the dish cloths to my daughter in law Sarah. She looks a little tired in this photo, being a rally pit crew member in 90+ degree heat is draining.

After our time in WVA we went to Western Maryland to visit my husband's step mom. I made a basic Grandmother's Favorite for Wilma. Wilma is 92 and was quite the sewist in her day. She had triplet daughters, 69 years ago. Wilma made most of their clothes, starting out with their infant nightgowns and on up to prom dresses. Imagine, 3 of everything! Wilma shared many great stories of the creations she made for her girls.

After finishing the basic one I started another more complicated design, this one is called Baby Fern Stitch. I have had to make a few recovery stitches in some places, so it is not exactly to the pattern. I just remind myself that this is a dishcloth. This little item will be a worker cloth, this puts it all in perspective.

Five Polka dot purses.....

2007-07-31T06:59:00.000-04:00

I am back from a week up north on vacation and had some wonderful sewing time. Anticipating one or two grand-nieces coming by, I took along my clown & polka dot fabric collection. I am pleased to say that my sisters and 2 grand nieces had a great time selecting fabrics and making purses.

I had made up three purses as prototypes, so that they could select the style they wanted to make.
The Bias Purse bag, shown in the previous post.
A shoulder bag based on Tiny Happy's tutorial, here.
And a quilted patchwork purse, the tutorial is here.

The quilted patchwork won out with most of us. For 9 year old Miranda this was her first sewing project. She was really excited about selecting the fabrics and as she put it together she just kept saying, "I love how this looks". This was a great pattern for a first project because it is all straight sewing. She was great to coach, she was even a good sport about having to rip out some of the seams that had wandered too far from straight.

What a wonderful look of pride on her face, she made this herself!

Miranda's grandma, my sister Bonnie, made this version of the patchwork purse. The two side stripes of denim give the bag a nice look. Note the one strip of bobby pin fabric, I selected this especially for Bonnie, as she is a hairdresser.

Here we are, what a trio!

Next came Makenzie and my sister Karen. Makenzie wanted to make the bias tape bag shape with the quilted stripes. Makenzie has experience sewing quilting squares together and has a note book of designs for doll clothes that she wants to sew.

A budding designer, what fun to work with her. We did make one doll outfit together but I forgot to get a picture.

I made this bag for my sister Karen, Makenzie's grandma.

The second batch of polka dot purses...
Sharing this creative time with my family was a highlight of my vacation. I can't help but think that my mother, the late Suzie the Love Clown, would be thrilled to see her offspring sewing and enjoying polka dots and clowns as we all did last week.

Am I tired of polka dots or this purse pattern? No. I have plans to make one for my sister in law. : )

Bias Tape bag

2007-07-19T17:59:00.000-04:00

I ran into this tutorial for a bias tape bag and wanted to make one up as an example bag. I will be on vacation next week and my grand niece is visiting. I was thinking this might be a good bag to make with her. It is a breeze to make, I made my own bias tape and lined both the bag and the handles with fusible fleece to give the whole thing more body.

I added a pocket to the inside and found a nice yellow vintage button for the pocket closure. The bag is probably a bit too large for a pre-teen. But this way I will have something to show her and she can decide if she wants to make one up and what size would work for her.

Another olive bag and a tea cozy for charity

2007-07-16T18:32:00.000-04:00

I had a little bit of the olive and cabbage fabric left so made one more shopping bag. I will offer it to Sarah, if she doesn't want it then I will use it for groceries.

I also made a tea cozy for a fund raiser at work. There will be a raffle of themed baskets for our United Way kickoff. Our department's theme is "tea time".

I offered to make a tea cozy to contribute. I had the tea pot and cups (TJ Maxx bargains) and so followed the colors and made a crazy quilted tea cozy.
Here are a few pictures of the process. I just love doing this kind of quilting, it starts with a gathering of likely fabrics,

and one random shape.

And then it flows from there, I decide as I go as to what fabric to use next. It's all done on a muslin backing, stitch, flip, and iron. It's very engaging and gets me to the total sewing meditation place that is so relaxing and restorative.

And in the end, it's a gift that will go to someone I don't even know. I like the mystery of that.

Dance purse

2007-07-08T20:46:00.000-04:00

Too busy to sew much this weekend as I had a family wedding on Saturday and then went to see Mikhail Baryshnikov perform with Hell's Kitchen Dance troupe this afternoon.

The performances were spectacular, such beauty of human form. The choreography was very unique, since they could not depend on over the top athleticism or jumps (Baryshnikov is 59 after all), they used many other body movements to great effect. The performances were mesmerizing for me, I am aware that I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to see someone who is probably the worlds greatest male dancer. Little factoid, if you read the wikipedia piece above you will learn that Baryshnikov's mother was a seamstress.

So, what did I manage to sew? Well, I planned to wear a tiered skirt (store bought) that was really too long. I cut off the lowest two stripes of fabric. Here is the skirt after I shortened it.

With the two strips of fabric I whipped up a small bag that I could use to take with me to the performance. I layered the two-row stripes on canvas, used one piece of fabric to cover cording for the handle and used some bias tape to turn over the top edge. I was running short of time so used stitch witch to seal down the top edge.

I added a magnetic snap, a bow made out of the last bit of fabric and stitched down the bias tape, after we returned home from the performance. This will be my dance purse from now on. What a wonderful association to connect to it.

Eyelet blouse and a bag that was left out of the gallery

2007-07-04T12:36:00.000-04:00

I finished the eyelet blouse that I cut out on vacation in May. It is Simplicity 3786, the front tucks are not as exactly precise as they could be, but the eyelet is forgiving, I don't think the asymmetry is too obvious. This will be a nice light weight top to wear over sleeveless tanks on hot summer days.

While looking in a closet for something else I noticed this bag that I made to have a venue to do some crazy quilted flowers on. I saw a demo of someone doing these flowers on sewing show and decided to try it out. The pattern is from McCall's 3136. I like the looks of the bag but must admit that I have not actually used it.
Hmmm, too pretty for me? I need to find it a home.

Note the snapdragon's in the background, one of my favorite flowers. Here are some parting shots of snapdragons and a 4th of July vignette.

Happy 4th of July!

A new bag and an attempt to capture the gallery

2007-06-30T12:56:00.000-04:00

I finished a new bag today, really a purse. It is from Butterick 3873, made with oval handles instead of round. These oval bamboo handles looked interesting to work with, and I had some of the dragon fly fabric from a bag I made awhile ago. This pattern is very easy, although sewing around the handles is a bit tricky.

I have enjoyed the Bag Gallery that Linda posted at Craft Apple and was inspired to try to photograph my own hand made collection. Not as easy as one would think. I gathered about 13 bags of various sizes and then just could not settle on a method of hanging and displaying them all together that I liked.

So here are some vignettes. First of all, the smallest ones. One mini grocery bag from my tutorial, one small cosmetic bag, and a Humbug bag.
Now, my two small over the shoulder bags. The black and white crazy quilted one I have posted about before. The red one is fabric left over from a jacket I made, the pattern is from the Pacific Purse Collection, pattern # 201, view D. These two bags most often go with me to special outings or the theater, I try to get opportunities to use them as often as possible!

Now the big guys, the working bags. Used for lugging stuff back and forth, for bringing more stuff home and for keeping stuff in it's own space while here at home.

This one I call my ugly button bag and is used to go back and forth to work each day. I don't really think the buttons are ugly, just very odd.

One more close up, this bag is what I use for my knitting. I was inspired to do the button embroidery on the pocket by an article in Threads magazine, Aug/Sept 2006.
Phew, that's it for now. Now back to the sewing machine...

A little gift for a generous person

2007-06-26T20:26:00.000-04:00

There is a woman at my serger club that brings cookies to share for every class. She also often brings old sewing magazines to pass along. Last class she brought Threads magazine from 1997-98. I have subscribed to Threads on and off and did not subscribe for those years. What a wonderful treat for me. I love pouring over these magazines, they are timeless and packed with good information and inspiration. So here is a little cosmetic bag that I plan to give to Linda in thanks for her generosity.

This is made out of the brassiere fabric that I had seen on line somewhere and had no idea that I could purchase at my local quilting fabric store. I think it is just so fun. And as you can see it goes wonderfully with polka dot fabric, another of my personal favorites. The pattern for this little bag is from Made for Travel by Mary Mulari, a book full of great patterns for travel and special journeys. This little "Bedside Bag" can be made in 3 different sizes, this is the smallest one. I have a small one that I made for myself that I use to transport my pills when I travel.
I hope Linda will find a use for this little one.

Mending and what it led to

2007-06-24T16:59:00.001-04:00

My son Andrew works for a clothing company. One of the employee benefits is that they can get clothing samples that have been used for testing. Each garment usually has about a 3 inch hole punched out of the fabric which is on a card and attached to the garment with various instructions on how to revise the manufacturing process based on the test. Anyway, Andrew sent me 10 shirts that all had large holes or slashes. I mended them all, like so.
This may sound tedious but I actually love mending. Why is mending so enjoyable to me? Each project is like a little puzzle to solve, mending can be done fairly quickly (immediate gratification) and it appeals to the recycle/reuse spirit of not just throwing something away when it has just a little defect.

Then I figured that this would be a good time to make a couple of shopping bags for Andrew and Sarah, so that I could return the mended clothing in nice bags instead of the cardboard box that they came in.

So, on to bags. I made two out of a decorator remnant that I purchased at Hancock's closure.
The one with the rick rack went to Andrew and Sarah. I am not sure where the other one is going.

I have been saving another remnant that I purchased at Hancock just for Sarah. This fabric is basically ugly, but it has olives. Sarah loves olives. I snagged some green pea fabric that seemed like it would go with the cabbage and olive print. So, here is the next grocery bag for the young couple.
Sarah is out of town for a long summer school, I am hoping that when she has to return to the boring chore of grocery shopping these bags will make her trip a bit more enjoyable.

Here's Andrew taking off with his mended clothing and two new grocery bags. He looks kinda corny "modeling" the bags, but he did agree to be on my blog. (Thanks Andrew)

Serger club - scarf/belt

2007-06-24T16:41:00.000-04:00

We made scarves again at serger club. This one is cut on the bias, I started with 1 1/3 yards and cut a six inch width on the fold. The beads were on a ribbon, so really easy to insert. I was introduced to wash away Wonder Tape, it did do a wonderful job of holding the bead tape in place while I stitched it.

I wore the scarf as a belt and it worked out fine. I purchased more the the fabric thinking that I might want to make something to match this scarf/belt. No definite plans for that yet.

She loved the bag

2007-06-17T21:17:00.000-04:00

Today was the farewell service and party for our interim minister. The bag that I was commissioned to make as a going away gift was presented to her. She was really happy with it. People had placed several little gifts inside and the many cards of personal wishes were added to the bag. When she was given a gift from the local chocolate maker she reached out for it and tucked right in her new bag. What a pleasure it was for me to see her so happy with this special gift.

I got back to the sewing studio this afternoon and was about to get started on the eyelet top that I have cut out. As I was moving another top that I had cut out and thought about whether I was really ever going to get back to it I decided to finish it up. It is the top from the Vogue 2875 pattern which I made a jacket and skirt out of. I liked the jacket but did not like the cut of the skirt at all. Anyway, the top turned out very nice. The bias cut of the fabric made for a very nice drape. It was a 90 degree day today, so making this breezy top was just the thing to do. The top fit nicely, it's good to know that I can use this pattern again.

One last mini project that I did today was to make up another recycled shopping bag. This one has to be the simplest and fastest one yet. I had a blue bag from a thrift shop, I think I paid 50 cents for it, it had words on the front that I did not particularly want to carry around. I also had some jean shorts that I rescued from the trash when a friend of mine had throw them away while staying at our cottage with us. I snipped off the back pocket and used it to cover the words on the front of the blue bag, and now I have a very functional grocery bag.

Wool Hat finished in plenty of time for snow

2007-06-14T19:38:00.001-04:00

Snow, how can one even think of it when summer solstice is so close and the temperatures are close to 90 each day? The timing of my wool hat project obviously has no connection to the season. I did it to get experience with knitting on double pointed needles as prep for knitting socks. The hat turned out really nice, it's very stretchy and soft. Here it is near my hydrangea bush, we always called it the snowball bush. I transplanted this bush from my parents yard, they planted it many years ago in memory of my grandmother whose birthday was in June. My father always claimed that is bloomed on her birthday. Her name was Pearl Loraine, we share the same middle name. She died when I was only 1 year old so I don't know if she knitted or did hand work.

On another note, I drove by my local Hancock Fabrics and saw that it is indeed closed and empty. So sad. There is a Value World near by so I stopped in to see if they had any sewing supplies or fabric. I made a pretty good haul for $4.80. I don' t think I ever spent that little at Hancock. I can always find a use for zippers and the lace was just too wonderful to pass up.

Vacation results

2007-06-03T17:46:00.000-04:00

My vacation is almost over, I did have plenty of time to relax as well as kayak, and enjoy the company of family and friends. I am feeling great about now, refreshed and thankful for all I can do and participate in. Life is good.

Here's what I was able to accomplish in the sewing department.
1. Finished the commissioned bag. I love how it turned out. Since I tried to emphasize a water theme I took pictures of it by our lake up north. I gave it to the person who is planning the farewell party for the interim minister today. The bag has a spider and web(for good luck), the logo of our congregation, and a Sankofa bird. This minister used the image of a Sankofa bird, one who looks back as she flys forward, as an inspiration for our congregation during our time of transition.

While I was putting the left over fabric scraps away, I picked up the corner that I cut out of the bottom and thought that it would a good base for a cell phone holder. So here it is.

2. Made the tea cozy for Connie, she was very pleased with it.

3. Made a tea cozy and 2 pot holders for the cottage out of the "Tea" fabric.

4. Cut out the white eyelet top.
5. Made 8 coasters out of some domino's fabric that I found at at fabric store called the Button Hole in West Branch, Michigan that is closing this summer. The owner is retiring. Domino's is our game of choice at the cottage, so these will go back up north.

All in all a great week, I did all of my sewing on my little Singer featherweight. It makes such a cute old machine noise and sews wonderfully and with more power that you would expect from such a little old gal.

Vacation sewing

2007-05-24T21:30:00.001-04:00

Fun times ahead,
I am off tomorrow am for a week up north. There should be time to sew, so what to pack? I want to have enough to work on, if I have the time and inclination, but can't take the whole studio. Here's what I am taking:
1. Materials to finish the commissioned crazy quilt bag.
2. Assortment of pink/mauve fabrics to make a tea cozy for a woman I met at Margaret and Cathy's high tea.
3. Some cute fabric with tea pots and words like: Twist and Spout, Read my Leaves, Neferti-Tea, etc. This is to become a tea cozy for the cottage. And maybe a pot holder or two.
4. Simplicity 3786 and some nice white eyelet fabric. I would like to make the short sleeved top with the tucks on my vacation week.
5. McCall's 4384 and a poly print with beige, black and cream. I would like to just get this one cut out.
6. The hat that I am still knitting.
7. Two sewing machines, my Singer featherweight and my old standby Viking 400.
8. Thread, pins, interfacing, lace, batting, etc.

I think that should be enough, I do want to relax, kayak, garden, relax, visit people, relax, walk outdoors, etc.

Commisioned Bag in progress

2007-05-23T20:39:00.000-04:00

I have been asked to make a crazy quilt bag similar to this one, as a going away gift for our interim minister. The people who asked me to do this paid for the materials, I am doing the sewing as my contribution to the gift.
The fabric colors and trim that I started with can be seen to the right.

The pieces of the bag are below. From left to right, side pocket, front pocket, flap and handle, side pocket and back pocket. I plan to finish this next week while I am on vacation at the cottage.