You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'Sewing' category.
for one of my mommas-to-be, i thought a set of burp cloths was in order…that and some diapers! once the little alien pops out and they are a bit settled into a routine i will see what else momma and baby could really use (maybe a blanket or bag or even more fashionable rags). once the little tyke gets a bit bigger she might need some of these.
So I’m in the Lone Star state again. This time I’m here to visit family, eat a hell of a lot of good food, and party with my dad as he closes out a 37 year career in law enforcement in this area. But he’s not quite ready to take up the rocking chair just yet. He has one more big adventure planned before he decides to retire his sidearm (if any true Texas law man ever can!)
He decided that he wanted to serve his country and at 57 he joined the Army. Ok, he didn’t exactly join the army, but that’s what he likes to say. He’s signed on to work for a private contractor that sends civilians with unique skills to Iraq and Afghanistan to aid the military in a variety of ways. He will be going as an investigative expert and basically continue to solve crimes. And he’ll do this for the next 12 months. There’s obviously quite a few more details, but I’m still uncertain about how this new chapter will play out here in my little nook of cyberspace.
But before he ships out we are having a big ol’ texas size retirement party complete with bar-b-que and good beer. And I couldn’t show up down here empty handed. Because my Pop is a music man (his own band is playing at his retirement party) I thought I would make him something he could use, especially with the gift my mom got him: The Martin Backpacker Guitar. I couldn’t think of a better gift than that guitar. I think the emotional value that a little music, entertainment and taste of home will bring to the battalion of soldiers he’s stationed with will far outweigh any monetary price or physical weight. B & I have the backpacker guitar and we really like how light and portable the thing is. That said, I decided to make a custom strap for the thing, and since Camo is the chic color palate this season in combat zones, I figured I would give in and go with the trend!
Looking at it now, I wish I had embroidered something special on it, but I guess I can always make a new one and send it to him at Christmas.
It’s going to be a whole week of gifts. I’m also working on a mini family look-book (to remind him just how crazy we all are and that he may want to reconsider coming home! ) I’m also celebrated two very good family friends who are going to be mommas and one of them real soon! We’ve also got a formal ceremony to attend today at the court house and an informal office party on Friday and then the big kahuna on Sunday.
Needless to say I’ll be busy and trying to get in as much quality time as possible. He deploys on the 22nd of this month…just over a week now.
while my friend was here she broke her hand. actually she broke it a few days before she arrived but with much encouragement from brad and myself we went to the local minor emergency care center the day she arrived. as soon as the man in the white coat showed us the x-rays, i started mentally inventorying my fabric stash. as soon as we got home, i got to work. who says a broken pinkie can’t be turned into a fabulous fashion accessory?!
{yes it’s reversible}
That’s really what blogging is all about, right? I remember those few days when I picked a special object in my life: a photo, birthday present, my favorite shoes… and then would stand up in front of the class and monologue. Each day in blog-land is a show & tell of found objects, snagged snapshots, color combos discovered, creative endeavors accomplished, pretty things purchased. My show and tell today is really more of a math problem:
3 fat quarters + 5 colors of embroidery floss = 1 mother’s day tote bag
This was my first venture into hand embroidery and I must say that I loved it. I enjoyed the process because there is very little prep needed (time or materials) and then you get immediate gratification. I think I see a new habit forming.
Another apron made and delivered. She loved it.
I also made some potholders & appliqued some dishtowels to match.
I spent the better part of last week quilting in my free time. I had about 30 t-shirts to choose from. They were my brother-in-law’s track shirts. I feel like I took the easy way out by not doing a traditional binding around the edge and just hand-tying it at the seams…but over all I’m pleased with the way it turned out.
I have been crafting away on a birthday project that was due yesterday. But between helping Brad at the attic and both of us getting sick, I will have to put the finishing touches on it today. I will post pictures when it’s done!
Aprons are so easy, especially when you use a cutie dishtowel. (God bless Martha Stewart for that.) I’ve gotten to the point now where I can knock out one of these in an hour. I just hope that the receivers enjoy getting them as much as I enjoy making them.
…because who needs it when you’ve got this stuff! So who knew making a roman shade could be so easy? Well, easy when you have an old Ikea Roman Shade as a template and and extra set of hands. I thought we were going to have to pull the whole thing apart, battens, strings, hooks, etc. But my friend had the brilliant idea to just attach the fabric to the existing shade. I had the idea that I would use some fabric glue to help hold it before I stitched it. Who knew that I wasn’t going to need a machine at all!
We started by measuring the existing shade. I then cut the new fabric with an extra inch on each side and and extra 4 inches for the top and bottom. We laid the new fabric right side down and then put the old shade on top. We then measured to make sure it was even on each side and then we folded the top to mark the holes for the hardware to punch through. I can’t believe everything lined up. Once we then folded the raw edge towards the middle and then folded again to create a smooth edge, we started to glue it into place. It was then that I realized that we could glue the entire thing; so we did! And to make sure it would pull just like a real shade, we glued the battens down as well.
So, glue along the perimeter of the shade and then on each batten and voila, a roman shade sans sewing!
A very dear friend is coming over tonight and I’m so excited to give her the gift I made her. It’s just another Amy Butler apron, but I know that she will love it. She is the best person to give gifts to because she is always crazy excited and appreciative. We have a little project for the night and it’s a bit ambitious. We are making her a Roman Shade for her bathroom. She picked out the cutest fabric. I don’t know why she thinks I will be able to help her; I just know I will ruin her fabric. We’ll see what sort of hail-mary will hit the fence…
A zebra can’t change her stripes.
I spent a good chunk of my day deep cleaning my house. I hadn’t done much cleaning since my sister left and the dust bunnies got as big as my kitty. Speaking of kitty, he tried to help me with my chores today. Later, on my way to the grocery store I decided to stop off at the antique mall and I found a nice little napkin/towel/textile or something that will be turned into something else. I think it will be an apron, pillow or change purse in it’s next life. It was only 50 cents! It was a good little find. Now off for a nice long walk.
I’ve spent the last few days making the cutest little baby gift. It’s only thanks to this book. I have a baby shower tonight and the couple is adopting a little boy from Ethiopia. I was a little unsure about using an african print because…well….I just wasn’t sure. But I like the way it turned out and plan to make more. So….if you’re having a baby soon, you’ll probably get a “Peanut, the Wee Elephant”.
When sewing I need either extremely detailed instructions or just let me completely wing it. This was a combination effort. My only complaint was that the first step seemed to be a bit confusing. It says to “sew belly pieces together leaving an opening where marked.” You can see that piece here. However, what it doesn’t make clear is where to sew the pieces together. I guess it was supposed to be intuitive, but I felt like the pattern was a little misleading. Anyway, I finally figured it all out (with the help of the spacial reasoning skills of my husband) and popped out a cute little elephant using the fabric that my friend Amy brought back for me from Tanzania. I decided to make a little matching blanket using the same black minky fabric I used on the ears as the backing for the very “a la denise schmidt” lined quilt. (no structured lines!)
I’m just excited that after all this I get rewarded with cake tonight!
I think this is definitely a need. I’ve had my eye on it for a while…but this darn moratorium on non-essential spending is still in place. I’ve splurged 3 times in one month and five days, but I feel like they were for good causes. I thought for sure we would notice the extra cash in our bank account, but with gas prices as high as they are I guess it was a good thing that we had cut back because all that “extra” money went to gas. I could just pull my hair out it’s so frustrating! Well for the time being I’ll just have to pine after it. Maybe if some other things fall into place I can get it as a celebratory gift to myself…
I finally used my Martha Stewart dish towels I picked up I think 2 years ago!! These little dish towels turned themselves into two cute little aprons. I also tried a new packaging technique; if I had had more time and more sleep, I think I would have added a little more panache. But I’m glad I finally made something. I’ve been on a bit of a dry spell.
