Crafts

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Last-minute Mother’s Day gifts

May 7, 2010 in Crafts | 5 comments

I don’t have a great track record on Mother’s Day. I have a tendency to not think of a great gift, get some flowers at the last minute, and generally feel like an ass for under-celebrating my mom.

But hey, when you set the bar this low, it doesn’t take too much to exceed previous expectations.  And so, headed off in the mail today to my mom in Chicago is this:

Last-minute Mother's Day

It’s a rice heat therapy bag, pattern at Sew, Mama, Sew! I made one for my husband, and one as a grab-bag gift for my aunt for Christmas, and my mom thought it was great and said she’d love to have one, too.  If you’re still scrambling, I highly recommend making it.  It was done in under an hour, and I had all of the supplies already in the house (minus the essential oil, which I simply omitted).  In fact, I made this one first because I have to ship it. It’ll arrive Monday, but it’s OK because my mom is out of town for the weekend. And, in case you’re wondering, it fits in a flat-rate Priority Mail envelope just fine.

I’m making a second one later today for my mother-in-law, who actually happens to be coming to my house over the weekend, so I can deliver it in person.

Whew.

Edited to add the second one, completed just in the nick of time…

Last-minute Mother's Day Gift, 2

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Yarn, in need of a good home

March 29, 2010 in Crafts | 7 comments

I am in the middle of re-organizing and cleaning my sewing space (aka guest bedroom), and have come to terms with the fact that I am simply not going to be doing any knitting or crocheting anytime soon.  And the yarn is taking up valuable real estate for fabric, so it must go.

Do you want it?

Yarn Stash, ready for a new home

It’s a mixed bag, for sure.  Some soft wool, some squeaky acrylic. Some bulky, some fingering-weight. 3/4 skein of one, five skeins of another. Heck, I’ll even throw in the half-completed sweaters for you to frog and get more yarn out of.  There’s a darn good amount of yarn, there.

Yarn Stash, ready for a new home

So, here’s the deal: I want it out of my house. I would love to trade it for some hard-to-find fabric, so if you’ve got some to offer, let me know.  Flea Market Fancy, out of print Heather Ross, a charm pack of Wee Play, whatever.  I’m not asking for a lot, but I’d feel a little better if I got something in return for all of this wool and cotton.

Yarn Stash, ready for a new home

(Oh, and you know how I feel about people who flake on this sort of thing… don’t make me publicly call you out. That’s all I’m going to say about that.)

Yarn Stash, ready for a new home

If you don’t have anything to offer but still want the yarn, let me know anyways and maybe I’ll pull a random commenter to share the wealth. You never know, people may only offer me creepy clown novelty prints, in which case I’d rather just ship the yarn and not get anything in return.

Yarn Stash, ready for a new home

Since this is going to require a rather large box to ship, I have to keep it to U.S. people, only.

Anyways, leave a comment by this Friday, April 2, if you want in!

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Fabric ‘Jamas

February 15, 2010 in Crafts, Finished Objects | 19 comments

Oh, there are so many things I should be working on. Bee blocks, my swap quilt for DQS8, and any number of other projects.  But, this weekend, I put them all on hold.  I couldn’t resist.

Bedtime Story Pajamas

I mentioned that one of my goals for this year was to branch out from quilting and sew some clothing.  Lots of people recommended Oliver + S, so a few weeks ago I ordered some patterns, including the Bedtime Story Pajamas. On a trip to Joann’s, I let the kids pick out their own fabric from the quilting cottons for their new pajamas.  Every time my daughter saw her choice folded up on my fabric shelves, she pointed to it and said “Mommy, there’s my new ‘jamas!”  Clearly, I had to get going on that.

Bedtime Story Pajamas

I traced the pattern pieces onto some freezer paper, and started with my son’s fabric.  I managed to finish the top while the kids were napping, and when my daughter saw it, she was highly distressed that they weren’t hers. In fact, the only way I convinced her to go to bed that night was with the promise that, tomorrow, she could wear her new “fabric ‘jamas.”  I stayed true to my word and whipped hers up in time for the next bedtime.

Bedtime Story Pajamas

This was a great first foray into the world of clothing patterns.  Simple and straightforward, no elaborate shaping, incredibly clear directions.  I had read them through a whole bunch of times before I got started, and then just took it one step at a time.  They aren’t perfect, but they fit the kids pretty darn well. And they came together very quickly.  I suspect there are a few more in my future…

Bedtime Story Pajamas

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Just One More

December 30, 2009 in Crafts, Finished Objects | 7 comments

One last finished item for 2009.  A little birdie told my dad I wanted a Kindle for Christmas, and my dad is not someone who can resist a gift idea.  Of course, I was totally paranoid I was going to ruin it on the way home, with no case to protect it.  Obviously, that had to be remedied immediately.

Kindle cover 2

I grabbed every bit of Amy Butler’s Lotus line that I had in my stash and put them together into this little case.  Speaking of Lotus, did you know that Fabric.com has a bunch in stock right now?! Including the Full Moon dots in Cherry and a few other colors? I may have placed an order and stocked up…

Kindle cover 2

My only beef is that the little adhesive dot of velcro isn’t sticking to the fabric as well as I might like.  Of course, I may have gotten impatient and played with it prior to the recommended 24 hours to let the sticky stuff set up…

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Scrappy gifts, Part 2

December 26, 2009 in Crafts, Finished Objects | 2 comments

Oh. Um. Hi there!

Holidays, travel, craziness. You know how it goes.

Anyways, I realized I never showed the other scrappy gift I made.  This one was a birthday gift for my husband, who tends to get tension headaches and loves heat packs on the back of his neck.

ricebag1

It’s a rice heat therapy bag with washable cover, and I found the tutorial at Sew, Mama, Sew.  Super easy, and I added an extra round of topstitching around the edges of the rice bag for a little more security.

ricebag2

Of course, when I made the second one, I realized that topstitching was a lot easier if I did the first three sides before I put the rice in the bag. Genius, here. And, speaking of being an idiot, I didn’t take a picture of the second one before I gave it to my aunt. But it was cream with green and purple scraps and really matched her decor. I swear.

Anyways, throw together a few today! It takes no time at all. Chuck that bag in the microwave for two minutes and you’ve got nice, toasty weight to put on that knot in your shoulder or tuck under the covers to keep your toes warm.

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Pay it Forward

October 20, 2009 in Blogging, Crafts | 6 comments

I’m one of the winners in my DQS7 partner Erin’s Pay it Forward project.  And that means it’s now on me to turn around and send some goodies into the world!

payitforward4

It works like this: the first three people to comment on this post and say they want to play along will get something handmade by me.  Rules say I have 365 days to make good, and while I promise not to take all 365 of them, know that it probably won’t be until after the holidays (see last post!).  In turn, you must post this on your blog and pay forward to three more people!

My non-quilty blog friends are welcome to play. You don’t have to pay forward with a quilt, just something nice for the next person. Overseas folks are welcome, too. I don’t mind the postage. I will, however, restrict it to people who have their own blog, so that they can continue this chain in the way it was intended.

So, let me know if you’re interested and can commit to sending something when it’s your turn, and I look forward to making something for you!

Because I didn’t make their costumes

October 9, 2009 in Crafts, Finished Objects | 10 comments

I won’t lie, a part of me feels like I have to turn in my crafty mom badge because I didn’t even consider making my kids’ Halloween costumes.  Maybe next year, but for now, I’ve never sewn any kind of clothing. Plus, I have a lot of quilt-y stuff on my plate.  But I did feel a little bad about it…

I’m really not into seasonal or novelty prints, as a general rule. There are exceptions, sure. And there’s some cute stuff out there.  But I really am not one to swap out decor on a seasonal/holiday basis, so I don’t tend to have much use for the holiday collections.

Toddler Trick or Treat Bags

Then, I saw the Spooktacular line by Sanae for Moda.  And I had a solution for my crafty-mama guilt: Trick or Treat bags for my two-year-old first-time trick-or-treaters.

Toddler Trick or Treat Bags

I used Rachel’s tutorial on P.S. I Quilt for her Friendship Bag [fair warning: auto-play music, scroll all the way to the bottom to turn it off].  Cute, easy, great for a charm pack plus a little yardage, and a nice, small size for little hands who don’t need much candy, anyways.

As a twin mom, I’m used to getting/making two of everything, either exactly the same or very similar.  Plus, I had enough extra that I made a second set to give to another pair of boy/girl twins with whom we spend a lot of time.  Aside from some initial trouble with the size of the lining (the instructions say 8.25″ wide, I found I needed 8.5″), these came together very quickly.

And I love how an otherwise cute little decorative stitch, when done in black thread on holiday fabric, can turn into some Frankenstein stitches. :-)

Toddler Trick or Treat Bags

Anyways, I was very happy with these.  A perfect little size for my kids, and a great excuse to use seasonal fabric in something other than a quilt that I’d never use.

Hmm…. I may have just figured out what to give my mom’s sisters for Christmas this year… time to find a Figgy Pudding Honey Bun!

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Broadening my horizons

October 3, 2009 in Crafts | 2 comments

People sure do love a personalized quilt, don’t they? Well, how can you blame them. Especially when it’s a baby gift, there’s something very sweet about having the name/initials and birth date on their special first quilt.  And embroidery is probably the nicest way to do it.

Sadly, I know next to nothing about embroidery.  I’ve been kind of hacking it with the times that I’ve done it.  More than a year ago, I saw Mamie do some adorable french knots on shirts for her boys, and immediately looked up a tutorial. But it was literally the only embroidery stitch I knew, and while cute and textural, not necessarily the greatest fit for lettering.

Blue & Brown Stacked Coin

A few weeks ago, I figured I should work on expanding my repertoire a little bit, and found the most-awesome Sublime Stitching. I was inspired by the coolness, plus they have a few basic stitch tutorials posted. Now, I don’t suspect I’m going to turn into an embroidery nut.  I think it’s cool, and I think it could add some neat things to some quilts, but I don’t anticipate suddenly having a boatload of embroidered aprons around my house.  Seriously, there are only so many hours in the day.

But it sure can make for a cute label.

Embroidered Label

I borrowed a few techniques for this one.  First, I found a font that I liked, and printed out the name and birth date on my computer.  Taped it to a window in the sunlight, taped the fabric over the paper, and traced in washable pen. I love that I am no longer limited by my own handwriting and total lack of drawing ability!  I then made the label in my new favorite style.  And yes, I know it’s a touch off-center, but oh well.

Oh, and it’s done in split-stitch, which I suddenly have memory of learning (poorly) in middle school sewing class. Middle school sewing class? Do they even do that anymore? I remember cooking and woodworking, too. Wonder if they’re all long gone…

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One-track mind

May 9, 2009 in Crafts | 1 comment

My husband got me the most gorgeous flowers for Mother’s Day.  I love the texture, the scent, the density and weight of two dozen roses.

Mother's Day Flowers

When I was done fawning over them and took them out of their delivery box, I was struck….

Mother's Day Flowers

Say……  that’s an awfully nice box, there.  Wonder what I could make with it!

Oh my lord. Really? That’s what you think when you see a cardboard box?  The one that brought you the loveliest flower arrangement you’ve seen in a very long time?  Really? You go straight to crafting?

Yes, really.

Anyone have any suggestions for how I can put that handy box to good use?  It’s roughly 6″ square (not quite large enough to store my 9-patch blocks, sadly), maybe 4-5″ deep.  What would you do with it?

- – - – - -

And for anyone in the Boston area, they’re from the much-lauded Winston Flowers, through the WBUR fundraiser (yes, we’re both NPR geeks).  Not only are they gorgeous flowers in a very pretty arrangement and vase, but the Winston people really look out for you. They were delivered while I was out and about with the kids on Friday morning.  By the time I got back into the house, maybe an hour or so after they were delivered, there was already a message on my answering machine letting me know they’d been dropped off and making sure I knew where to find them.  That evening, I got a second phone call. They wanted to make sure I had gotten my flowers, and wanted to remind me that they soak up a lot of water, so I should check the levels the next day. Seriously? Somehow I don’t seem to get that same kind of service from the big-box flower services, huh?

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No, really, I NEEDED it.

April 30, 2009 in Crafts | 8 comments

Clearly, I’m in a bit of an obsessive phase with my sewing right now.  I’m constantly doing it, thinking about it, reading about it, and dreaming up new projects before I finish any of the old ones.  I’m hoping I can mellow it out into just a steady habit, instead of burning out and not touching my sewing machine for months on end (it has happened before).  In the meantime, I guess I’ll just try to be as productive as I can!

Take last night, for instance.  When I should have been in bed, I was having a little too much fun with an empty oatmeal can, some glue, and leftover fabric.

Pincushion and pin cup

Inspired by crazy mom quilts‘ tutorial involving an empty tuna can, I decided I wanted to make a pincushion. I was annoyed at my magnetic one, which didn’t keep a hold on the pins the way I would have hoped.  I didn’t make it exactly as the tutorial suggests, but I mostly just remembered the rough idea and improvised.

I used a rubber band to guide where I wanted to cut the box, so it was about 2″ deep.  I cut some fabric about 5″ wide and 13.5″ long, a bit more than the circumference of the box.  Sewed it lengthwise with right sides together, turned it right side out and pressed it so it was around 2.5″ wide and two layers of fabric (so the Quaker logo wouldn’t show through.  I sewed the ends together, put a little glue on the box to help hold things in place, and slipped my little fabric ring over the outside.  I then took a 9″ square of fabric for the actual cushion part, but a big handful of polyfil in the middle, and pulled the corners around to the bottom.  I sewed a button in the middle, which had the added benefit of securing the corners on the bottom.  A little more glue, stuffed it into the box, and voila!

Pincushion and pin cup

Oh. Ahem.  That second thing next to the pincushion… well… obviously I needed somewhere to put my safety pins, too. Right? That’s normal…

Cut out the other end of the box, took another scrap of the red fabric, sewed a button in the middle to secure it to the bottom of the cut-out box. [With the pins in the box, of course, you can't see the button. But it's cute, trust me.]  Glued down the inside corners, the sides, and folded it over the top of the cut box.  Then same deal with the outside sleeve to cover it.

Pincushion and pin cup

Obsessive, much?  Yeah, probably.  Do I wish I had gone to bed earlier last night?  Definitely.  But they’re super cute, and now I have a better containment solution for my pins.

Sigh. I’m going over the deep end, aren’t I?

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