simple Analogy

Miles and Miles of Bias Tape

Well it may as well have been miles.  I've never made that much bias tape before in my life.  In actuality, it was only 23 yards.  ONLY 23 yards of handmade bias tape!  Lest you think I'm superwoman and did this while I was sick, let me set the record straight.  I am NOT superwoman!  I made the tape before I got sick.  And yes, I'm feeling much better!

It went together so much faster than usual, thanks to this lovely continuous bias tape video tutorial.  Great minds think alike, and Megan was on the same bias wavelength.  Only she was a bit ahead of me.  She found the tutorial and posted about it the day that I was going to search about how to do this.  Perfect timing!

Anyway, you just have to watch the tutorial!  It makes so much more sense than if you read directions on how to do this!  Also, if you're going to make loads of bias tape (or even just a bit) I recommend one of these!  (Or one of these if you've got $100 lying around and extra storage space in your craft closet...)  Makes the folding/pressing so ever so much faster. 

If you try your hand at this, let me give you a tip for cutting it... I dressed the circle of fabric onto my ironing board and cut it around and around in circles, pulling it as I went, so that I wouldn't cut through the other side of the fabric.  I know myself!  If this doesn't make sense to you, you'll understand what I mean when you view the video.  So go watch it already!

I'll share what I used all that tape for next week, but from my pictures can you guess?

A New Kind of Fruit Basket

Isn't it exciting to come across a tutorial that you feel you MUST make immediately?  Isn't it even better when you don't have to run to JoAnn's to get the supplies but are able to use your scrap stash?  In other words, you can make it for absolutely free! Then isn't it even better if it's something you actually need at the moment?   All of these were the case with Freshly Pickled's Baby Hats!

 I saw them on Thursday at noon.

In about 45 minutes I had an apple.

About an hour later I had a strawberry.  Could have been shorter if I would have had pinking sheers.  I had to snip my leaves by hand.  Ugh!  Can I borrow yours next time, Mom?

The next morning I had a pineapple.

To tell you the truth, the pineapple is my favorite.  I L-O-V-E the texture.  The only thing I'm not happy about with mine, is that the green at the top is a little too short and skinny.  Next time I'll use a longer strip of fabric and cut chunkier leaves.

With such a cute hat on their noggin', a mom might not even mind if someone calls her baby a "pineapple head"!  Well, maybe...

***Disclaimer:  No, I didn't make these because I have NEWS to share.  Actually the ladies at church have been sharing a lot of NEWS lately, and I'm trying to get my stash up.  Also, I think they'd be great for the littlest of warrior heads over on Craft Hope. 

Giveaway Day 2011

***This giveaway is closed***

It's Christmas time, and it's also Giveaway Day with Sew Mama Sew!  The two go together so well.  If this is your first time to stop by, welcome!  I hope you'll take a little time to look around.  We just finished up a month long Gift Wrap Party, so if you need some inspiration, there's plenty!  If you're a regular, you're probably wondering why I'm posting this on Tuesday instead of Monday.  Let's just say that this weekend was CRAZY busy and Monday got away from me.  Anyway, let's get on with this giveaway!

My offering this year is a yummy teal infinity scarf.  Using a lightweight cotton blend knit, this scarf is oh so soft and warm without being too hot. The seams are hand stitched with gray embroidery thread for added visual interest.  The teal color will brighten up even the coldest of winters. Wear it looped twice around your neck for a relaxed look, or three times for a more chunky tailored look and a bit more warmth.  

Here are the giveaway details:

• Open to international entries.
• Leave a comment telling me your favorite Christmas song.  (Mine at the moment is "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" by The Drifters - oh and the Michael Buble version.)
• Only one entry per person please.
• Make sure to leave your email address so that I can contact you if you win.
• A random winner will be chosen on Saturday, Dec 17th.
• The winner will be notified on the 17th and will have until Monday, December 19th to reply.
• If no reply is received, I'll choose another winner.

Ok, that's that!  And good luck to you all!

This year's Giveaway Day is much easier to navigate.  The giveaways are organized into the following categories:

Handmade for the Home

Handmade Baby + Kid Items

Handmade Bags

Handmade Accessories

Sewing Supplies

Other Non-Sewing Craft Supplies

Each category has pictures and links to all the giveaway offerings.  Love this!  Now you can click over to the ones you're interested in!  So go take a peek at the other goodies.

Who You Gonna Call? Stash Busters!

A variation on a theme...

Initially I made Edmund's blanket with a gray and white printed ruffle stripe.  I thought that using more masculine colors for the ruffle stripe would work for a baby boy, but it just didn't look right to me.  Too... well, ruffly.  So that one is in the ready to go pile for the next baby down the line.

I found some fun boy-ish stripes in my bin already sewn together from way back when.  (finished product)  Wow that was a long time ago!  I used a small chunk of it pieced with yellow Metro Living and added the name.  Now that works for a boy.

Using up the stash feels so good!

*******************

I didn't enter this year, but purse week voting ends today.  There are some A-MAZ-ING bags.  Stop by and VOTE for your favorite!

Origami {Not the Paper Kind}

Several months ago while the boys were perusing the sports shelves of the library, I took some time to look through the crafting shelves.  Usually it's filled with "older" craft books.  Don't get me wrong, the older books have some great stuff, but sometimes I just want to look at modern photography and new ideas.  Well, this time I found a gem - Amy Butler's Style Stitches:  12 Easy Ways to 26 Wonderful Bags.  Love Amy Butler.  Love bags.  Love modern craft books.  So what a bummer when I took it to the checkout station and discovered the shelving person had messed up.  It was being help for someone else, and I couldn't check it out.  Well!

I went directly home and requested from the library.  I was pretty far down the list and had to wait all summer, but I finally got my hands on it.  Truth be told, there are only a few of the bags that I would make.  A lot of them are gargantuan huge, and that's just not me.  However I did find one bag that I totally embraced...

The origami bag.

No, it's not a purse type bag, but rather a storage type bag.  The directions included several size variations.   You could store anything in these:  cosmetics, toys, craft stuff, school supplies, hair bows (if only any of my nieces wore them), etc.  That gave me the idea to use this as a springboard for Christmas presents for the nieces/nephews. 

I made size small which are about 12 x 4 x 3 inches.  These only take a small amount of fabric, so I didn't have to buy anything except the zippers.  Very cost effective!   The directions were easy to follow including the zipper installation which went without a hitch.

I now have six origami bags ready and waiting to be filled with goodies for the kids.  I guess you could say that the Christmas crafting is well under way seeing as half of it is done already, and it's just barely September!!! 

*****

Just a quick shout out to those of you popping in from Kojodesigns and Craft Gossip.  Glad you stopped by! 

The Babies Are Coming

This week was spent doing a little baby blanket stash building.  Our church is about to explode with babies - as in 8 babies (as far as I know) within four months of each other.  The ingredients for this batch of blankets?

1 full size super soft Target flat sheet (makes 4 blankets)

Metro Living circles

solid scraps

permanent ink pad and letter stamps

I sewed up the blankets so that the finished size is 36" x 36". I added a 3" ruffle stripe five inches from the bottom of one edge. 

For this batch, I thought it'd be fun to added a little personalization to each blanket.  I used a permanent ink pad and letter stamps to stamp the baby's name onto a complementary color then heat set it with a hot iron.  Since I hadn't ever done this before, I washed the stamped fabric with dish soap to check for colorfastness BEFORE I sewed the name on.  Yep, didn't smear the slightest.  I ironed the name again and sewed it to the middle of the ruffle stripe.  I didn't do finished edges on the stripe and name.  I'm going for that shabby chic look.

I have three more blankets that are ready for a stamped name.  Just have to wrangle the names out of the mommies. 

Days of the Week Towel Set

I made a set of these for my mother-in-law a few years ago and hers are still going strong.  I recently made another set, so I thought we'd do a simple how-to.  It's not really a detailed tutorial, because I didn't take pictures all along the way, but you'll get the idea.

Supplies:

seven flour sack towels - got mine 4 for $4 at Target

at least 1/4 a yard of fabric for each towel - I used up some scrappy chunks

inkjet printable fabric sheets (source - Hobby Lobby)

matching thread for each fabric

Directions:

WASH AND DRY TOWELS!!!  This is very important because these things shrink, and you want them to shrink up BEFORE you sew them.

 
Cut your fabric (on the grain) into 2 inch strips and sew short ends together with a 1/4 inch seam.  To calculate how long of a strip you'll need, measure and add all four sides of your towel and add 6 to 8 inches for good measure.  Press all seams open.

Fold your long strip in half lengthwise and press. 

Open the strip and fold both edges to meet together at the middle fold.  Press.

Now you're ready to attach the binding.  Starting in the middle of one edge of your towel, fold the binding around the edge of the towel and pin in place.  Do this all the way to the corner.  When you come to the corner, shape it into a mitered edge and pin in place, then continue attaching binding all the way around the towel. 

When you come back to where you started, overlap your fabric about 1 1/2 inches.  Cut the loose edge of the binding and fold under 1/4 inch.  Fold the overlapped piece around your towel and pin in place.

Sew 1/8 inch away from the inside edge of your binding all the way around your towel, making sure to catch BOTH the front and back of the binding and backstitching at start and stop points.  This is the cheater's way of attaching a stright grain binding.

Now it's time to make your labels.  Using your word processor, choose the size, font, and color that you want your labels to be.  Following the directions on the packaging, print the days of the week onto your inkjet fabric sheets.  Follow the directions for colorfastness.

Cut your labels out and pin in place on your towels.  Sew 1/8 inch from the edge of your label using thread that matches your binding fabric for the topstitching and white thread in the bobbin.  I usually sew around it at least twice.

There - a kitchen towel for every day of the week.

Questions?  Leave them in the comments, and I'll answer them there.

School Supplies {THRILL} Giveaway

***This giveaway is closed***

black floral

Does it seem crazy to anyone but me that August - and therefore school - is knocking at the door?  This summer has really flown!  I'm sounding ancient. 

 brown/aqua dot

Let's talk school supplies.  Just saying the word brings a twinkle to my eye.  "Hi, my name is Heather and I love school supplies."  Seeing the back to school section at Target is such a treat.  New notebooks, markers, papers, pens-Pens-PENS!  Ah, it's just too lovely. 

lime bubbles

I've made up a batch of notebook covers for younger students.  So, I thought we'd do a little giveaway in honor of school supplies and the students who will be using them. 

brown/pink ruffle stripe

I will be giving away one refillable composition notebook cover (notebook included) on Monday morning, August 1st.  One entry per person only.  To enter the giveaway leave a comment telling me:

1.  Which notebook cover pictured IN THIS POST is your favorite.

2.  What your favorite school supply addiction is.  Mine are PENS and NOTEBOOKS!

 gray/pink damask

I have notebook covers listed in the shop already and will be doing a shop update on Monday after the giveaway.  Be sure to stop by!

Viva la school supplies!

Metro Living

 
Last week the boys were at camp.  It was VERY quiet around my house.  I did some cleaning, some sewing, some reading.  I got the computer tuned up for the upcoming school year, which is right around the corner.  We ate out a lot.

I made another fox/blankie set using some leftover Metro Living circles.  This one looks like an arctic fox.  He was a little too plain with just the grey and white, so I added the heart on his tummy to jazz him up a bit. 

The blanket needed a little pop too, so ditto with the one blue patch. 

You know how much I love those Metro Living circles.  I've been saying that I'd like one of every color.  Well, I finally purchased a small variety (fuchsia, marigold, grey, carrot) on sale.  I would have gotten a few other colors, but they were out of stock.  I don't have immediate plans for them, but I'll have them in my stash when I need them.  Some fabrics you just can't do without!

My Week of Skirts

 
Seven skirts in one week!  These were all made for a friend's daughter.  I sent them a few patterns to choose from and a list of fabric yardage for each, and they went shopping.  She has good taste, yes?  I measured her and made a few samples, did one long fitting, and sewed them all up. 

We made good use of the Straight A Skirt pattern from Happy Together:

It took longer to thread the serger than it did to sew one of these solid skirts.

These are made from the same pattern, just pieced together.  Too cute!!!  I sewed the seams on the outside of the gray/black/pink one to make it look a little edgy.

Jean skirts.

A reversible knit pencil skirt.  I used this tutorial to draft the pattern, and then did a fitting to ensure that it would work.  We had to take in the waist quite a bit, most likely because we were working with knit.  I used fold over elastic and one of the Alabama Stitch Book stretch stitches to finish the top.

She now has a whole new skirt wardrobe!