I am free to show all these projects because they are safely in the hands of their new owners!
One of the shops I got some fabrics from has an absolutely astounding blog. It's full of contests, tutorials, and ideas. That would be Sew, Mama, Sew. Every craft store tries to get us started on Christmas projects in July, so we don't have that December insanity. Sew, Mama, Sew's blog did too! Among the Christmas project tutorials was this gem. Though I do like that Robert Kaufman fabric used in the tutorial, I didn't fancy buying more of it than I needed. So I took a look at the measurements, and I took a look at a Christmas "layer cake" I bought the previous November. (A "layer cake" is a Moda product containing 40 precut 10 inch squares all from the same line.) With some changes to the cutting, I could make TWO advent calendars from just one layer cake! And have barely anything leftover! YES! So that is what I did.
One for my sister and her kid:
One for DH's brother, his wife, and their kid:
Impulse buy makes good!
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I've been busy with school, but that doesn't mean I haven't been making stuff. It's just all Christmas-related. So I can't show it off just yet. I don't want to ruin any surprises. Normal posting will resume pretty soon, as I am making very good progress. There will be a flurry of posts after December 25th, that I can promise. In fact, I already have some posts made which are set to post later this year!
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A little background...
I learned how to knit last November. To keep things simple, we could choose a hat or a scarf as a first project. Now, scarves I do not need. I have plenty and I live in California. I wouldn't give anyone else a scarf either, because everyone has enough scarves. Hats, however, are useful. I decided I would make A Hat.
As it turns out, knitting can be somewhat subtle. I have started over on The Hat no less than 6 times, possibly more. In multiple colors. I think I have it now. We shall see. I have tried regular needles (don't want to deal with that join when the time comes), circular needles (too long), and arrived at five (not 4, tried that) double-ended needles (sometimes annoying, but they get it done).
And here is my "progress" along with my failed attempts, and my needle collection:
Enough background, what is this major accomplishment? Well, I set aside the human sized Hat a few days ago, and made this:
I used a free pattern for an American Girl hat, and changed it a little. Now, it ain't perfect, but it's done! Also, I didn't go buy yarn for it! When I tie quilts, I don't use all that much yarn, so I always have nearly a whole ball left over. Now, this yarn isn't good for tying, but for knitting, it does ok!
So there you have it, I have knitted something, world!
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I couldn't get back to sleep the other night, so I got up and started on my way-passed-critical-mass Mending Pile. When I finished, I slept really well! Here is the new Repaired Pile:
We've got some patches, some reattached buttons, new waistband elastic, and new hems - all sorts of little challenges.
Part of my motivation may have been to bore myself to sleep, but another is that the mending pile lived on the bed. The guest bed that my sister will be sleeping on in a few weeks. Take a look:
Yeah, I've got some more work to do...
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Hoops and Yoyo are characters from Hallmark cards, of all places. They also have a podcast and blog. I had the idea a long time ago to turn them into applique, but not the time or inclination to make it happen. However, in the course of teaching Sy to sew, I decided it would be a good, simple project for her to practice on.
The big advantages to having fleece as an applique material are that you don't have to finish the edges (it won't fray) and it doesn't show your stitches (if you match the thread). This makes is ideal for a beginner.
In fact, Sy did the template making (from coloring pages on the Hoops and Yoyo page), cutting, and most of the sewing on this one. She also did most of the piecing of the borders. Speaking of which, how perfect is that striped fabric border?
Instead of batting, we put a layer of white fleece in the middle so that it could be fringed and wouldn't require quilting in the middle.
It turned out really well, and it now belongs to the biggest Hoops and Yoyo fan we know.
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Before: One favorite wool sweater with a giant hole in it plus one pair of pants with a disastrously and completely failed inseam
After: A throw pillow of marginal usefulness (but at least more useful than before :-)
Completely useless: Napping cat
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Being laid off, while also waiting for parts for my apparatus at school, has its advantages - I have been working on a ton of projects I had been meaning to get to. Not just sewing: I cleaned out the file cabinet and digitized the CD collection! I have also been teaching my friend Sy to sew and waging War on Flannel. I've got so many projects running in parallel right now! Look for some finishes to start rolling out before the weekend!
Here is a picture of all the projects, in their various stages of completion, at once to tease you:
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I went to a quilt shop with a list, thinking that would somehow keep me from spending alot of money... I was wrong. In spite of making no impulse buys, it was one of the largest purchases I've ever made at a fabric store. Let me show you what I got:
Not very impressive, is it? Most of it is white, or nearly white. It is what I need to finish 4 projects. Look for them in coming posts!
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I have been interested in bookmaking for a while. I have read many web pages on the subject. However, all the discussion on glue always put me off. I have had bad luck with some collages on using the right glue and it's very frustrating. So I have been looking for a completely glue-free binding method. Of course there is Coptic Binding, but I kind of want a spine on a book. Fortunately, I found Secret Belgian Binding. Then I happened to purchase some fusing web that mentioned on the package that it could be used to bond fabric to paper. Which would be useful to, say, cover illustrator board with fabric for a book cover. It all sort of came together then.
I had found some little envelopes at school that were pretty cool. They were the same height as the ATC variety pack I had gotten, though narrower. I ironed some fabric onto the illustration board ATCs and cut a spine from a third. I used paper strips to attach pairs of envelopes so they would be bindable. Then I sewed it all up!
Here is a close-up of the spine:
The inside cover:
One of the pages:
It was pretty easy with a very nice result.
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Whipped this baby up in about 2 weeks. Most of the time was spent on the binding. It proved to be super-hard to photograph! It is the same as Variegated Texture, but with different fabrics.
And here is the back! I bought this fabric for a project I never ended up doing, so I was glad to find a use for it.
My walking foot proved itself highly useful for this project. It could be the best $30 I've ever spent. Certainly a nominee...
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I have gotten a lot of new books in the past month, some I bought and some were gifts. All are cool. Among them:
Quilts, Baby! - This book is really cool, offering fresh ideas for baby blankies! I recognize a lot of the new modern style fabrics from my recent searches online...
Gee's Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt - A book about the quilts of a group of Southern black women. Their quilts have a very interesting style, and they definitely aren't rotary cutter users.
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Last night was First Friday in San Jose. It was better than usual, with more galleries delivering excellent art to view for free. One of the highlights was the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles. Their last exhibit was so-so (and I had to pay to get in), but their current one was awesome! Even the males in the group thought so. O.o
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Here is what I started with:
I thought that cutting the circles for a long-planned project might make them easier to store.
After:
As you can see, this is not the case. The volume was not reduced. I did, however, discover that I do not need to collect any more old pairs of jeans. I seem to have enough circles for what I want to do! More on that later, I have other things to finish before I really start in on this project.
In other news, I solved my "Katie Jump Rope" problem. What was that, you ask? Well, my MIL gave me a packet of nickles of that fabric line. The only problem was, I had nothing else like it. Also, I couldn't figure out anything cool to do with only 36 nickles. Then I had an idea, so I could justify buying more of the entire line. $130 later, I have more orange and brown prints than I ever thought I would! So much for saving money... In the process, I discovered two very cool online stores:
Cia's Palette and
Sew, Mama, Sew. Great modern prints which would be fantastic for kid's blankies!
Today I am pre-washing a lot of fabric for four future projects:
Phew, that's going to be a lot of ironing when it's done!
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DH had to take a pay cut, so my supply budget has similarly been cut. Therefore, I am trying to use up what I've already got, which is highly satisfying.
One of those projects was the baby gear I already posted about. Another was this pillow and pillow cover I whipped up in less than a week using leftovers from my friend's project.
That's right - I even made the pillow form! I became somewhat obsessed with finding a use for leftover batting scraps. The cover is envelope style, so that it can be removed when it is not February.
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A lady whose blog I read linked to this pattern and showed off a couple pair she had made herself. I managed to make a pair one weekend using stuff I had laying around (The only thing I had to buy was elastic!). They fit my doll pretty well, but I wanted to make sure the elastic was good for a real baby. Fortunately, I know one of those!
Yes, I know you are two seconds from kicking those off, Ella! Thanks for tolerating them long enough for the picture.
And here are the shoes with the
onesies I made up to match. Already given away as a shower present.
My next shoes will be bandana print with denim soles. Fun!
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Since I last posted I:
- Learned to knit.
- Bound a book.
- Made a baby quilt.
- Made baby shoes.
- Made a throw pillow cover.
- Made 3 pillow forms.
- Cut 300ish demin circles.
So, yup! if anyone is still out there reading, I have lots to show you!
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