geek in training

It's no secret that I like my geeky sewing projects, right? I mean, look what I spent half the year sewing for. So I was pretty excited when The Monthly Stitch announced that this month's theme was going to be sewing all things fandom-related...

Except, you know, that whole pregnancy thing I've got going on means that my usual tactic of secret costumes is currently out. Plus I just did Disney, and I don't really have anything else in my stash right now that would make good geeky maternity clothes. Unless I wanted to do a Starship Enterprise-esque maternity top, and I've just never really been that into Star Trek.

Ok, I'll admit that copying this shirt was really tempting. But I didn't.

So I made stuff for Hobbit instead. I'm not messing with clothes yet since we don't know if we're having a boy or a girl, but you always need bibs, right? This is the same pattern as every other bib I've ever posted on here. And these first four aren't even all that original, since I made a set for a friend years ago. But I did do a few things differently this time.


Since Lord of the Rings is my all-time top geeky love, of course I had to start with that. So I did a White Tree for Gondor and a horse for Rohan. Instead of the DIY screenprinting I did last time, I tried out the freezer paper stencil method. (Mostly because my screenprints kind of cracked in storage and are now useless.) And ohmygosh, even though cutting out all those little bits was kind of tedious, this worked SO much better than the screenprint! I think the lines came out much cleaner, too.


I also re-made the two hobbit-themed bibs I did last time, except I also did the stencil for this instead of what I had to resort to with the previous set, which was re-painting the letters with a tiny paintbrush because the stamps didn't work. Since I'm calling the kiddo "Hobbit" anyway, it fits, right?



I also did a couple sci-fi type ones, though these were much easier thanks to the fabric. The TARDIS one is leftover fabric from my Cooper bag lining, and the Star Wars one is pieced together from the leftovers of the bibs I made for my friend Julie a couple of years ago. Yay, scrapbusting! Though I had to steal some fabric from my mom's quilt stash to finish this one off.

I will admit that I also printed a Firefly-related stencil, but then opted not to actually cut and paint that one yet. Because since it said "I aim to misbehave", I figured that would be better for a t-shirt when Hobbit is mobile. Or a toddler. Probably the latter. I know these probably read as "boy" colors for the most part, but I figure girls can like blue and Star Wars and Doctor Who too! I do!

Aside from the Star Wars bib, which has more of the darker blue print fabric on the back, the rest are backed with flannel like I usually do. I also inserted another layer this time, because my mom suggested that it might help keep stuff from soaking through the two layers of cotton too quickly. So I have a layer of polyurethane laminate inside each of these. 

Going a little different for the canine photobomb today. I've been trying not to go crazy buying toys and stuff--ok, I've also been having to talk Doug out of a lot of these--but we couldn't resist this stuffed Pluto that we found on Friday because it was on sale and it's soooo soft. I finished the Star Wars bib first, and Doug put it on Pluto and has left it on ever since. I told him I needed it back for these photos, and he said that was fine as long as I left the bib on Pluto. So I'm doing this one for you, Doug!


I will be making a few more bibs, because I promised Doug I'd also do some hockey-related ones. My mom's also made a bunch already, too, so I should be very well-stocked on these!

First finished project of 2014

One of the gifts that my husband spoiled me with for Christmas was a new Kindle Fire! I'd already had an original black-and-white Kindle, and plan to keep using it for things like taking to the beach, since the non-LCD screen will be better for reading in bright daylight. But I'm having a lot of fun with my new toy so far, and needed to come up with something to protect it, quickly!

This was pretty simple to put together. I used this tutorial, and it worked like a charm. I already had all of the materials on hand--the cardboard was from an old, unused binder, the elastic was just lying around, and the fabric is leftover from the apron I made for a friend last year. I could have done a more involved case with padding and zippers and whatnot, but what really drew me to this one is that I can stand it up. Since some of the books I have on there are cookbooks that I downloaded for free from Amazon (I have a habit of hoarding whatever looks interesting on the top 100 free books of the day), I like the idea of being able to stand this on the counter while I cook (and make it less likely that I'll splatter food on it.) I've also since learned that this works pretty well for reading while knitting, which is what I tend to do when Doug is watching hockey or something.





For Stash Diet purposes, I can't really count this. All of the fabric was in my scrap bin, I didn't use either scrap up, and even though I am insane enough to measure out yardage, I'm not insane enough to measure my scraps! But this was a great little scrap project, and came together really quickly. I cut the cardboard out one night, cut the fabric another, and sewed this up super-quick on Friday afternoon. Altogether, it maybe took an hour and a half from start to finish. (Today is just the first day I've had decent light while I've been home to take pictures.)











And look! I basically matched the pattern without even trying! I love when that happens.

It was nice to start the year with a quick project. I have my next two projects cut out, and have already started on one--I'm making my next pair of Thurlows, and cut out a little something else to use up the leftover fabric. So hopefully they won't take too terribly long, now that I have the fitting for both things down.

So what are you working on for your first project of the new year?

Red Velvet, Green Velvet

I'm still plugging away at my first project for the Doctor Who Sewalong, and am hoping to have it finished and ready to show by this weekend. But I took a break on Tuesday to whip this little bag up.

It only seems to want to go sideways. Probably what I get for doing a phone photo. But this is the Red Velvet mini-clutch by Cake Patterns, in green velvet! Which kind of makes me laugh.











This one's sitting a little better, at least. It's hard to see in there, but the inside is a white brocade. I was able to make this entirely from scraps that I had on hand, aside from needing to purchase a zipper. And aside from the hour or so it took me to figure out how on earth those scissor pleats were supposed to work (I could only mark the dots with thread, because I didn't want to mess up the velvet), it came together very quickly-- I had this cut out and stitched up in one evening.

I'm not keeping this bag. A friend from church is fundraising to adopt a little girl from China with a heart condition, and she put a shoutout on her Instagram recently to ask for donations, so I told her I'd make a little something for her. So this is part of the Christmas-themed bundle she's doing, out of three bundles total. Hopefully the winner will like it! Thanks in particular to Steph, who graciously granted permission for me to make this bag for the giveaway when I asked her about it on Twitter. Now that I know how it works, this won't be the last one I make. I'm already plotting at least one for a Christmas gift!

Speaking of giveaways, there's still plenty of time to enter to win a recent issue of KnitScene. There's already been several entries, so thanks to everyone who's commented so far! It's been fun to see what's caught your eye.

Me vs. the flowery explosion, part 3: I win!

That's right, I didn't let the top defeat me. I'm stubborn like that. And even though this is kind of a departure for me (especially the color scheme), I think it turned out pretty good. Good thing I'm so pale.


And no, Shelly, I hadn't specified which pattern I used yet, but here's a review for you!

Pattern: Simplicity 3750

Pattern Rating: Recommend, with modifications

Pattern Description: A tie-back tunic top with sleeve variations.

Pattern Sizing: 8-16. I cut a 14.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Pretty much, yes. I started out intending to make view C (with the cap sleeves), but it ended up looking too Regency-era so I took them off to end up with view E (the sleeveless one) instead.

Were the instructions easy to follow? The instructions were fine-- I just made things way more complicated for myself by adding a lining.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I like the look of the finished product, though there are things I'd change if I make it again (mainly making it cut a little higher.) I also like that it has the wide tieback sash, because I like my empire-waist tops with an option to make my waist look more fitted whenever possible. I didn't really care for the instructions to finish the armholes and back neck with bias binding, or that the elastic in the neckline is just a fold-over casing--I think that could have the potential to flip to the wrong side. But for the most part I didn't follow that part.
 
Fabric Used: A silky print polyester, with a satiny polyester for the sash and lining (I used the wrong side of the fabric for the sash--as you can see here in the lining, it would have been WAY too shiny in contrast otherwise!).

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: As stated before, I ended up fully lining this top. With the light background of the print, it was just a little too see-through to go without. I also ended up adding about 3/4" in the bustline (and adjusting the lower front, back and front strap accordingly) so it would fit my chest better, and then taking out an additional 1/2" from the seam allowance just below the armholes on each side because it was gapping.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I might sew it again-- I really like the look of the sleeves on view B. But if I do, I'm going to raise the neckline more, and use a little less elastic so it doesn't gap at the neckline. If I'd strictly followed the directions and not had to figure out the lining, I think it would have been a pretty easy top to sew, so in that I would recommend it. But I would also caution to beware of the fabric you use if you go for a print, because it's really easy to make it look too 18th-19th century with a smaller floral!

Conclusion: It's a cute summer top--just maybe not quite as easy as the pattern thought if you want to make it look nice and finished.

I'm glad to have gotten this one knocked out of the queue...now if I could just figure out what to do with the leftovers! Angelia suggested maybe a quilted bag, so I'll consider that. I've been really bad about my fabric estimations this summer, it seems-- I've ended up with significant leftovers for every single project I've made lately!

I don't have much in the way of work today--Tuesdays is my day off from the garden center this summer so I can do a lot of teaching, but every student I would normally have this morning and afternoon is away at a camp that my church throws every summer! So I just have a few later this afternoon and that's it. I'm hoping to get some more work done on tweaking my jeans muslin (which I have to out-stubborn even more than this shirt, because it just refuses to fit me properly), and then I have a dress that I cut out over the weekend that I'm really excited to make. I'd much rather work on that than the muslin, actually, but I feel like I need to work on it while I can still get the instructor's help! It looks like the dress is going to be a more or less straight from the pattern project, so theoretically, this should come together fast. "Theoretically" being the key word here...

I almost forgot....last project of 2009!

Since she sometimes stalks this blog, I couldn't show what I made for my best friend for Christmas until after I gave it to her. Back around her birthday, she asked if I could make some beaded earrings for her--of course, at that point I didn't have time because of work, and I'd already ordered her a gift off of Etsy. So I decided to do that for Christmas instead.

There's six pairs altogether. I think my favorite ones are the second from the left-- I had a couple of beads left over from the tan necklace I made for my mom a couple of Christmases ago, and she's an avid crocheter, so I couldn't resist the opportunity to give her crocheted earrings!

I was also pretty proud of my packaging. Earlier in December I had a mad rush to get everything possible out of my old room and into the new, because we had to get it ready for some relatives to stay in there. While I was in the process of doing that, I found my iPod box. Figured I don't need that anymore, because the only reason I'm going to get rid of this iPod is because I'm either going to wear it out, or completely run out of room. (It gets a LOT of use, and does occasionally glitch on me. Surprisingly, I haven't managed to fill all 80 gigs yet. But given my addiction to finding new music, I'm sure the day will come.) Anyway, I cut a piece of cardboard, covered it with scrap wrapping paper, stuck that in the box, punched some holes in it with a bigger needle, and stuck the earrings in. Makes for a nice presentation, I think!

Aside from that, I've been hemming a bridesmaid dress for the same friend (we have a mutual friend who's getting married next weekend, and C's in the wedding), and altering my own dress for it, which was a little too big at the waist. I'm also hoping to get some good time in this weekend to do some prepwork for a baby gift I need to make, and then after that, it's back on the room decorating.

I'm also in kind of a scrapbookish mood- new year, renewed feeling that I'm WAY behind on my albums and need to do some work on them! I actually got out my supplies the other night to make some embellishments that I could just have on hand to use for pages...and discovered that in order to feel inspired to actually make page decorations, I need to have a page to make them for. So then it switched to more of an organizational thing--sorting through some paper scraps to get rid of the unusably tiny ones (ok, so "getting rid of" means "putting them in a box so I can make some paper out of them later") and going through my stack of photos that I've pulled papers out for in order to figure out layouts and what I might want to do to decorate them. I think that'll help some. So you may actually see some progress on those in the quasi-near future.

the jewelry organizer, in progress

I'm glad I was finally able to get this started, since I'd been saying for years that I needed to do this! And it's pretty obvious why...

Yes, this is what my jewelry collection currently looks like. Scary, isn't it? It's frustrating-- not only does it make it impossibly difficult to get the necklaces out that I want, or to find a matching pair of earrings, but I've also had a lot of jewelry that I've broken from having to store them in the two boxes like this and then trying to get them out. And conventional jewelry boxes just don't cut it for me--not enough slots or pegs!.

I've never really been a fancy jewelry girl. I'll gladly take a funky beaded piece of jewelry over an expensive precious gemstone any day. (Ok, I'll make an exception for semiprecious--they often come in the form of funky beads! And two of my favorite necklaces in my collection are moonstone and green amber, respectively.) Honestly, if I ever manage to get engaged, I don't even want a diamond ring. It's just not me--everybody does it, and I like color. (That, and watching Blood Diamond pretty much killed any desire I'd have to own one.) I guess it also helps that I can make the funky beaded jewelry myself! But of course that means I ended up with a lot of it.

Anyway, I finally finished the first "page" of my new jewelry organizer, and here's the pics.
Nothing fancy-- just two rectangles of pieced-together muslin with pockets sewn on, and another strip of muslin sewn on the side with buttonholes to put the rings through. The rings themselves are just cheap binder rings from Staples. I'm going to make a book "cover" at some point with something I can fold over the top to keep those first couple of rows of jewelry in.
And here's the close-up. I'm sorting the necklaces and their matching earrings in the same pocket. I'm going to have a lot of earrings that don't have matching necklaces, and I'm still trying to figure out what exactly to do with them-- I've had an idea in my mind for some time now for an earring tree, but I'll have to see if I can make it work. (Meaning I need to find some wire sturdy enough to build it from, but pliable enough that I can actually bend it.) But I think this is a pretty good start-- I was able to fit nine necklaces on each side! I won't get that many with all the pages, since I'll need to make some with larger pockets for larger pendants or beads. It looks very homemade, but I'm ok with that-- it's kind of charming, I think, and I like the idea that I'm able to use up muslin scraps and mostly used-up spools of thread and bobbins that I'd otherwise be throwing out. (The thread on the bobbins, anyway.) Plus that will make it really easy to keep adding to it-- I'm sure I'm going to have to keep making muslins for garments!

Friday Favorites, Episode 40

Ah, the big 4-0! Does this mean the series is getting old, I wonder?

Favorite Tutorials of the Week:
The Crafty Chica had a fun how-to for making a stitched paper dot lantern. I also really liked that she posted some alternate ideas for how to use the stitched paper dot technique! Craft: had a link to a tutorial for some lovely beaded flowers. The Long Thread featured a tutorial for some cute, simple fabric "crooked coasters"-- they just look fun to make, since sewing in crooked lines is the entire point! And Dollar Store Crafts had a tutorial for a handbag made from a miniature rag rug! Crafting a Green World had two that I liked-- one for a t-shirt covered corkboard, and one for upcycling boring greeting cards with fabric scraps. (It always makes me happy to find tutorials for fabric scrap projects that aren't cutsey or kid-oriented, since I'm neither at this point in my life!) And last but certainly not least, Sharon over at Adventures from the Sewing Studio had a great tutorial for attaching collars to button-down shirts without getting a bump between the collar band and the main part of the shirt.

Favorite Projects:
I'm thinking I need to stop being so tutorial-oriented with this, and bring in a few more projects I see around the blogs that just deserve to be seen by more people! So with that in mind, I have two this week. The first is my favorite from Wardrobe Refashion for this week. Despite having been born in them, I hate the 80s and think it was one of the worst decades for music and (especially) fashion, ever. So I love it when people can take 80s ugliness like this stripey maternity muumuu thing, and turn it into something fun in a much better vintage sort of way (in this case, using a bodice pattern from the 60s, which was an exponentially better decade in both aforementioned categories.) Speaking of 60s music (maybe, anyway), I really loved Eileen's concert journal--she took a thrifted vinyl 45 and an old music book and turned it into a scrapbook to fill with concert memorabilia and such.

Favorite Miscellaney:
This doesn't really fit under tutorials. And this isn't really something I've ever tried, beyond purposely saving stuff to throw in a scrapbook and writing out stuff for journaling while on vacation. But over at ScrapHappy, she's started a mini-series about scrapbooking while traveling. Only one post so far, but I'm enjoying it. And who knows, at some point I might want to try the whole assembly-as-I-go thing!

Ok, that's it for today. May end up with another post depending on how things go today, since the weekends seem to be my blog catch-up time!

Scrapbusting!

It's not the prettiest thing I've put up here. But right now, I am all about using stuff up. And this has the dual function of using up scraps cut from muslin pattern tests (and eventually the test runs themselves) and spools of almost-empty thread. I used up two tonight on just this little piece.

So what is this for, you may ask? This is me finally starting an organizer for my jewelry stash, because I'm tired of digging through a jumbled pile of earrings and untangling 15 different necklaces every time I put an outfit together. I've been neglecting my accessories out of sheer laziness/frustration with it as of late, and that's just not right because I have so many fun hand-crafted pieces of jewelry. So I'm taking advantage of my current organizing mood as of late. (Not to mention wanting to procrastinate on those bridesmaid shrugs.) And hoping that this ends up being one of those things that is so ugly that it's kind of cool. :D

I think I created a monster with that craft supply organization day. Since then, I finished cataloging my fabric stash on Saturday. (The grand total was something like 70 pieces of fabric that need to get used up! But I'm happy because I gave the two pieces I wasn't willing to even catalog to my fellow sewing bridesmaid on Sunday. She actually wears pinkish stuff, and I never do, so hopefully she'll find some good use for them.) And, since I still didn't really have the time or inclination to start on those shrugs, I've also started making myself a catalog of my pattern stash. I have 3 bins full of patterns. (I should have 4, possibly 5, because I also have a bunch that just sit on the shelf on top of one of said bins.) I made myself a little form in Word for stuff like pattern # and description, required yardage and notions, etc. And then I've been scanning in the technical drawings and bringing those into the doc and printing it out. (On the recycled paper that wasn't working so hot in large quantities for BurdaStyle patterns, so yay for that.) I'm writing in the info on the printed form because it's just easier than retyping and deleting everything every time. And then they're going in a binder with dividers for what type of pattern it is. It's kind of fun to see what all I have, and have already found a couple of patterns in my stash that just might work for using up some of the smaller yardages I have, so yay for that!

Otherwise, let's see... I've almost finished tearing apart 2 pairs of jeans for a reconstructed skirt, and pretty much busted a seam ripper in the process. I got some fabric in the mail today (some Amy Butler that I'm going to make a new spring/summer purse out of, as soon as I make up or find a pattern to adapt. I might have to raid my mom's stash, because she has a ton of funky purse patterns!) So let's see... that brings my total so far up to 2 stash pieces I have to use. I also stopped procrastinating, somewhat, and cut out the three shrugs and linings today. And started sewing the muslin scraps-- that was because I was between students and didn't have a whole lot of time.

Friday Favorites, Episode 34

It's baaaaaaaaack! 2009 may only be about a week old, but already finding some good ideas cropping up.

1. First on the list is a post from SewStylish about "dressing for her DNA". No, it has nothing to do with how tall you are, or hair color, or anything like that--more of a speculation of what she would wear if her wardrobe reflected her family background. So I wonder what would happen if my predominantly Anglo-Celtic mother's side (which I admittedly take after far more in my looks) took on my dad's Germanic, Pennsylvania Dutch side? (I think the Celts would win, given my fondness for things that look like they could come from a Renaissance Faire or a fantasy movie!) So I may give this a try at some point soon.

2. I've noticed a tendency in my sewing over the last year and a half or so-- I've been slowing down. Not so much that I'm not sewing as that I'm putting a lot of time into things to try and get them really finished-looking and well-fitting. And I'm mostly ok with that, but sometimes I just want a fast project. So I liked this quick, one-seam skirt at CraftStylish.com. (Bonus-- I need all the patterndrafting practice I can get, if I ever want to successfully make one!)

3. I'm not a coffee person at all, really--I'm thoroughly addicted to tea. (I blame that aforementioned predominant Anglo-Celtic side.) But I still liked this coffee cup cozy from Whip Up. (Us tea-drinkers probably actually need it more, as all we're usually given at the coffeeshops is a cup of boiling water with a tea bag dunked into it!) But it's cute, would be easy to just toss into your bag, and projects that use up scraps are always good.

4. Got two things from Dollar Store Crafts this week. The first would be a great project to do with kids--how to make a knitting loom from stuff like popsicle sticks and toilet paper rolls. The second is a planter made from a bread pan--the person who made it used succulents like aloe plants, but since it's made from a kitchen item anyway, I bet it would also make a really cute windowsill herb garden!

5. Last up for today-- not a tutorial, but I love this idea at Oh Happy Day. She made her husband a "Leisure Book", to give him one place to keep track of things like movies he wants to watch, bands to listen to, things like that. I'm definitely stealing this idea-- I'm constantly losing my lists of that sort of stuff. Especially my bands and my books. And I have the dayplanner from the last couple of years that would be perfect to recycle into this-- it has the binder rings, and the tab dividers. It's just falling apart in my purse, but recovering it and keeping it near my compy would work great! (Found this one via OnePrettyThing.com.)

And now, I must go do some cleaning so I can work on my pajamas some more. Hoping to finish the machine work on the top before Cassie comes over for the Stargate Atlantis finale *sniff*/Chuck marathon/crafty evening. So that way I'll have some handwork to do--that and some more embroidery, maybe. Of course, I'm more in the mood to deconstruct than sew...

A 2008 Retrospective, part 2: End-of-the-year projects!

Figured I'd better stick the last couple things I made last year up here before I get too far behind.
First up: the ill-fated Cleopatra costume. The dummy shot is the best I can do for now, until I have an opportunity to actually wear it. I made this using a lengthened version of the Minna from BurdaStyle, and the belt was completely winged. I'm glad I had the belt, because I think for this dress to be flattering on me without it, I'd have to eliminate the pleat closest to the hips. But for toga-esque costume purposes, it works well.


Besides adding the length, I also raised the neckline a couple inches, and replaced the trim with solid pieces of fabric. Which was a good thing, because this still would have been cut way too low for my comfort without it.

As I said, the belt was completely winged- basically, the waist part is one leg of those spandex pants, and the hanging down part is the other leg. The stripes are just scraps of fabric from previous projects-- the blue from my silver and blue elf-style Renaissance costume, the red from a second Ren costume that I made for Cassie, and the white is just a random scrap of some free fabric. Yay for scraps! And then it's held in the back with several hook-and-eyes.

Finally, the necklace. I finished this on Sunday. Mostly just cheap plastic beads from my and my mom's stashes.




I also spent some time on Monday making a cover for my planner for this year. Mainly for protection. Things in my bag tend to get rather beat up.

I also added a pen loop and a ribbon with velcro to keep it closed.










Finally, I also made some more of those felt ornaments for tomorrow's party. Technically I finished those today, since I had to add the paint details to the snowman/penguin/gingerbread man, but it was mostly a Monday deal as well.

I've spent a good bit of time today and Wednesday working with the knitting machine, and I do have pictures, but I'll save that for a separate post since this one's already loaded up. I'll just leave it at I think it'll be a positive thing. And I got the March 2007 issue of Burda World of Fashion in the mail today! Yay for eBay. I'd gotten it mainly for this jacket, but I also really like this blouse. And this knit shirt. And this top. And I'm rather in love with this skirt (which just also happens to be shown in a different fabric with the blouse, but you can see the silhouette better on this pic). Funny how I seem to be drawn to all the stuff shown made up in hippie style...

Anyway, I'm hoping I have some stuff in my stash that will work for some of these, because I'm rather excited about trying my first BWOF now! Whichever one that may be...

More reasons to love Goodwill (and other thoughts)

Warning: Very picture-heavy post coming.

I had to go to the thrift store today--going to a party with a white elephant gift exchange next weekend, and I needed a present. And while I was there, I realized that I should probably look for some stuff for the costume I'll be making soon-- Nicole is having the New Year's Eve costume party, and the theme is historical figures. So I'm going as Cleopatra. I know how I'm going to do the dress, and I have stash fabric that will cover it, but I need some accessories. So I was quite excited when I found these sandals for $2.50-- especially because they actually fit my ugly-stepsister feet!

The sewing part of the costume I've been having the most trouble figuring out is the belt. No lie-- I was literally walking around, thinking that this would be the perfect day to find horrific 80's shiny gold pants. And then I spotted these.


Yeah, that's right-- gold spandex pants. Oh, the humanity-- I can't believe these were ever in style! But I can't complain too much, because this will be much nicer to sew on than the gold lame I rejected at Joann's for this purpose the other day.

And yes, I did find my white elephant gift-- a light-up toy lightsaber for $2. Not sure if it actually lights up, haven't changed the batteries to check, but I'm thinking it might be good for a few laughs. And hopefully some steals.

Been working on crafts, too.

I finished these tea wallets today.

And this is what one looks like on the inside...
though I haven't added the tea yet.
I took the idea from this tea wallet tutorial by Krustallos, though I ended up changing it-- the first one I tried, I didn't like the way it looked with the many layers of fabric showing aroun dthe edges. Plus I kind of wrecked the tabs trying to get the snaps in. So then I made these two with velcro. The blue one is for my friend Tracey, and the brocade one is for my brother's girlfriend, since they both like tea. And I was quite happy that I was able to make both of these from things on hand!

From sew and so

Then I took this dress that I'd found ages ago at the thrift store, and turned it into this.

From sew and so

I'm thinking it needs work. The ribbon still isn't laying quite right, and the bottom seems just a little too full for a tunic. I probably should have taken some of that out before I hemmed it!

I did another sewing project today too, but I'm not showing it yet because it's that secret project I'd mentioned a post or two ago. Hopefully will have some pictures after next weekend.

Friday Favorites, Episode 32

This one's almost entirely Christmas-oriented, so I'll categorize like that. Funny how I can never seem to set this up the same way twice...

Ornaments!

It seems I'm perpetually on the lookout for things that can be made with fabric scraps, and so of course I thought these "scrappy tree" ornaments from Dollar Store Crafts were really cute! And I like that they can fit a lot of different decor styles, depending on how the edges are finished and what sort of fabric is used. Whip Up had a tutorial for a vintage-looking fabric-covered ball that would also be a great use of scraps. This one's not a tutorial, but I couldn't pass up a mention of these metal ornaments by Creative Kismet because they're so fun and colorful. And though technically not an ornament, Recycled Crafts featured an easy-to-make (though undoubtedly time-consuming) felt tree garland created by scrapbooking superstar Ali Edwards.

Other Decor!

Also on Recycled Crafts, they have a tree skirt made from a bridesmaid dress. If this past year is any indication, it seems I'm in process of becoming the next 27 Dresses girl, so this one might come in handy! Cheeky Magpie had a pattern for a paper cone that can be used either as a fillable decoration, or flipped over as a paper tree (which she put lights inside for a really neat effect!) ThreadBanger's weekly DIY roundup featured wreaths of all different styles, made of everything from recycled fabric to ice to computer parts. Speaking of wreaths, Thimble had a small feature of different Christmas tutorials, of which my favorite was this paper wreath at the red thread. And sew it begins... featured a tutorial for an easy-to-make but complicated paper snowflake that's a great large size for window or wall decorating. And going back to Creative Kismet, she had this great paper-cut winter wall art.

Miscellaneous goodies!

Over at Quality Time, there was a tutorial for a patchwork tissue holder that would make a great stocking stuffer (and use up more scraps!) I liked this cocktail dress at Fehr Trade-- simple, but a great color. And Angry Chicken had a simple but good sweater reconstrutcion with a vintage vibe that would be good for more casual holiday gatherings.

My stuff:

I had some unexpected time off work yesterday, so I had time to go to Joann's (where I got some fabric on sale because I'm weak.) And I also did some sewing-- need a few finishing touches, but then two of my Christmas presents will be done. Hopefully will get those up tomorrow. No time tonight, since one of my friends is having her annual Christmas party/ornament exchange. I think I'm going to bring one of the poinsettia ornaments, so we'll see what I come home with!

Friday Favorites, Episode 12

I've been doing some browsing through new blogs this week, thanks to Mom2fur's alphabet blog list and a little time to continue digging through the Big List of Sewing Blogs, so not everything I have on here is actually from this past week. But it was still on the front page.



I'll start with my Crafting a Green World picks of the week.



1. If you've been following this blog for any length of time, you'll know that clothing reconstruction is not a new thing for me-- though it's been at an increasing rate in the last few years, really, I started reconstructing back in high school when I turned a pair of my brother's unwanted pants into a messenger bag. But I did really enjoy this article, both for the reminder of the positive environmental impact of reconstruction, and for the inspiring clothing pictures.



2. I also liked their recycled paper bag seed packet buisness cards tutorial. Not that it would work for me in the music biz, but it could make a cute party favor or something.



3. I also have two picks from Fairy Threads this week. These flower pillows were just too cute to pass up, and I liked these insulated can wraps-- great scrap-user, plus it used batting instead of foam, so it has the potential to be much more eco-friendly.



4. In A Minute Ago posted a link for this nifty online "color schemer". I played around with it a bit, and it looks like a fun way to play around with color schemes for scrapbook layouts.



The last three are from Mom2fur's picks.



5. This doesn't really have anything to do with crafts, but the pictures make me laugh. Especially Iron Man.



6. This is really from last week, but I didn't find it till this week so I'm counting it. This little folding tray from Marmadaisy is another great scrap-user (fat quarter size), and I like the origami look of it.



7. I also liked Sew Nancy's branch decorations (made with real branches!)



Ok, seven seems like a good number. And now I'm off for Baltimore and bachelorette partying, so enjoy your weekend!

where's my crafting time?!

Seriously... I haven't done a thing this week, other than a few stitches on J's wedding gift. I was gone on the backpacking trip till Monday night, yesterday I got done work/dinner too late, today's been taken up with finishing getting my summer clothes out from under the bed and taking care of the toe I busted after I got back from the trip, tomorrow's going to be another later teaching night... I did, however, get my fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics in the mail today. No pictures yet, but I love it and can't wait to work with it. Which probably won't happen until after the wedding, since I have a couple other things that are taking higher priority.

I am, however, going to have a good bit of crafty time this weekend, since C and I are going down to T's place in Baltimore for another crafty hangout weekend thing. My plan is to finish J's gift since all I have left is handwork, cut out my purse for the wedding (which I am going to be making entirely out of scraps from other projects and a zipper that I have, which means that other than the pattern that I bought, this bag is FREE!), and if I still have time, cut out a new wallet for myself. My mom had a pattern that's pretty much exactly what I need, and I'm going to chop up an old skirt for the fabric. Not sure I'll have time to get to that one since the purse will be a bit involved-- I'm using the leftovers from a skirt I made a few years ago for the outside, but since it's lightweight fabric, I'm going to underline it with the cotton batiste left over from the Spring Fever blouse and will need to spend some time basting those pieces together (which I'll do by hand, since my plan also involves propping up my foot and sitting in a comfy chair and not hauling my machine up three flights of steps to T's condo! I have to get myself over the limping by the wedding!) I'm also going to be lining it with the leftovers from the Azalea tunic-- it matches and it'll add a fun touch to it, even if I'm the only one who knows about it. I'm making the black purse that's folded up like a fortune cookie, for those of you who are curious. I think. I may change my mind and go for the black and gold glittery-looking one... as long as I can fit my camera in the bag, that's the main thing. Any opinions?

fabric scraps and pangs of conscience

I'm having a bit of a storage dilemma here.

I've always been a bit of a pack rat, especially when it comes to craft supplies. As a result, I currently have quite an accumulation of fabric pieces left over from projects that are big enough that I could potentially make something out of them, but too small to make anything like another article of clothing. The most obvious solution would be to make bags out of them, but the thing is, I really don't need any more bags right now. And I think I've finally completely abandoned the Etsy idea--I'm trying to simplify my life, and further complicating my craft time by feeling the pressure of making things to sell is not really simplifying. Plus that's just one more source of income I'd have to keep track of my taxes for, and my taxes are complicated enough right now.

The other obvious solution is to just throw these pieces out. But I feel totally guilty about it--not just because they're large enough to make things from, but because all I can think is it would be contributing to the already huge landfill and just sitting there for years and years. Having become far more conscious about things like this over the past year or so, I don't want to do that. But I also don't want to leave them sitting around my house just for the sake of keeping them out of the landfill, either.

If my life situation were different, a solution might be easier. But I still live with my parents, and therefore lack the space to use these in home decor projects. I'm hoping that in a few years I'll finally be financially ready to look into getting my own place, but that would still require storing them for a few years. And I certainly don't have kids to use these to make projects for them (and don't really have close enough friends with kids to pawn it off on making stuff for their kids.) So the question is, what is the responsible thing to do with these scraps? I had the thought that I might be able to incorporate some of these scraps onto scrapbook pages, since I like to sew on my pages anyway, but that only solves a small portion of the dilemma. Do I keep them just in case I can use them someday? Or do I throw them out?

This was so much easier before I actually started thinking about social and environmental impacts of my choices. :P