Archive for the ‘sewing’ Category
Saturday, March 7th, 2009
It seems like I can’t stop making felted wool coffee sleeves, so I’ve decided to start a feature cozy of the month!
March is all about St. Patrick’s Day and basketball. I don’t know much about hoops, but I used to be quite the little Irish Dancer. My Girl Scout troop had to learn an ethnic dance and we picked The Walls of Limerick. I remember that we performed on the stage at Golden Ring Mall.* A few of my friends and I stuck with it until high school. We competed, performed at Irish festivals and even walked in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. So in honor of my “Irish” background, this month is all about green!
Two sleeves are available in my etsy store.
*Sadly, Golding Ring Mall has since been leveled and replaced with big box stores.
Tags: clover, coffee, cozy, crochet, eco-friendly, felted, lucky, recycled, sleeve, st patrick's day, sweater, upcycled, wool
Posted in knitting, life in lincoln, sewing | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 4th, 2009
I’ve been wanting to make a bag like this for awhile, but just couldn’t figure out the pattern. I fiddled around with a prototype that didn’t work out too well and then abandoned it for a few months. (OK, a year!)
Then my friend Christina asked me to do something with her Fairy Jeans. I did a lot of sketching and research and actually got a lot of inspiration from diy skirt and maternity jean tutorials.
When we went shopping for her wedding gown, she mentioned that she liked the color combination of dark blue and champagne. She also asked me to incorporate one of her finance’s blue silk ties. I used it for the lining of the flap and lined the rest of the bag with tan cotton.
I’m going to make one more of these bags to make sure I’ve got my pattern down and then I’m going to offer it as a custom bag listing in my etsy shop. More pics of the bag in my sewing gallery.
Tags: Add new tag, bag, denim, eco, friendly, jeans, messenger, purse, recycled, tote, upcycled
Posted in life in lincoln, sewing | 5 Comments »
Monday, March 2nd, 2009
Last year my brother-in-law gave me two sweaters for felting and bag making. He said he hated to give them up. They were in great condition, but their style was too outdated — over-sized and ’80s. I felt bad taking them from him so I suggested altering them instead. It was a simple project; one that might make a knitter cringe and a sewer tremble. (I’m writing up a tutorial so everyone can see how easy it is to update those baggy Benetton sweaters in the back of their closets.)
When I was finished with the alterations, I was left with four long sweater scraps. They were scrappy-looking scraps, especially the Benetton ones, which had serged (!) seams. I decided to turn them into a scarf.
I wanted to do something a little unconventional. I sewed around the edges with a 1/4 inch seam allowance to keep the yarn from unraveling. I’m hoping that with use, the edges will fray and give it even more of a scrappy style.
I hope Tanuj likes it. It’s a little offbeat, but if there is anyone in my family who would appreciate an offbeat scrappy scarf, it is him. Hopefully he’ll take a follow-up picture for me next season so I can see if the edges turn out as expected.
Posted in sewing | 1 Comment »
Sunday, February 22nd, 2009
I must have it. I updated my etsy shop today and there are flowers blooming everywhere!
purple and pink pincushion
red tote bag
toddler hat
Posted in knitting, life in lincoln, sewing | 1 Comment »
Friday, February 20th, 2009
Who knew it would be so hard to find a plain gray wool sweater in the winter? When I got the request for this custom order, I had to visit a lot of stores to find the perfect sweater for the job.
I’ve developed a new style strap that I really like, and I’d like to find a way to put a zipper in without hand stitching. I don’t want to compromise the beauty of the ribbing with a seam, though, so I’m not sure there is another way. Suggestions?
While I was looking for this sweater, I picked up some new, spring colors and I’m looking forward to making some more felted bags. It’s time to experiment with some new styles and I can’t wait to get started! More pics of the gray bag are posted in my etsy shop.
Tags: Add new tag, bag, felted, messenger, recycled, sweater, tote, upcycled, wool
Posted in sewing | 1 Comment »
Sunday, February 15th, 2009
After looking over this post, it seems like I was in full Valentine’s Day mode for the past week, but I really wasn’t. All of these were really fast and easy to put together. I had a pretty busy week, so fast and easy was just what I needed!
Last year we colored and put stickers on blank cards. This year we made cards out of M’s existing artwork. She’s been drawing with her magic markers on a stack of make ready sheets T brought home from work and one looked particularly valentine-y.
You can download my heart template here and if you print it at 100%, the cards will fit in standard invitation size envelopes. I also used the template to cut out some hearts for a garland. I always try to hang something in this window for holidays and birthdays. You can see it from both the living room and kitchen and it’s right behind our table. That little touch always makes our house feel festive.
I also made some quick gifts for T and M. After falling in love with the ball I made for Brady, I felt like M needed one of her own. I made it with leftover fabric from her bibs.
I also whipped up a quick sweater sleeve scarf for T, complete with a roundel. I’m not sure if he really likes it or was being polite. There is a fine line between cool and too crafty for T. I think the scarf is sitting on that line! (I really like it, though!)
We had a really nice day. M played in the snow, I did some sewing, and T cooked up some awesome Valentine’s chili for dinner. The best part of the day was watching M open her gifts and give her dad his Valentine.
Tags: ball, beach, bmw, card, fabric, garland, heart, roundel, scarf, sweater, valentine's day
Posted in life in lincoln, other creative stuff, patterns, sewing | 2 Comments »
Monday, February 9th, 2009
Last Friday was Brady’s birthday, and in keeping with my pledge, he received some handmade goodies from us. I had made him some Peanuts bibs for Christmas (which I forgot to take a picture of for the blog — you can see one in action here) and I decided to stay with that theme.
The ball is a pattern from the Purl Bee and was really fun to make. I used some leftover fabric from the bibs. I think I’m going to do the same for M with the leftovers from her bibs. She really liked it!
Snoopy is a pattern from Chibi Ami. I found it on ravelry. I think you can find a pattern for pretty much anything on ravelry!
It’s a great feeling to watch someone enjoy a present that you made by hand. Brady had a huge smile on his face when he pulled the ball out of the bag, and when we left, he was chewing on Snoopy’s ear. I’m pretty sure that’s a universal sign of toddler approval.
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Shop update: more felted heart coffee sleeves are up in my etsy store.
Tags: amigurumi, ball, crochet, fabric, purl bee, snoopy
Posted in knitting, life in lincoln, sewing | 3 Comments »
Friday, February 6th, 2009
I am overwhelmed at the response to my coffee sleeves on etsy. They are selling like hot cakes! I listed my last one yesterday. All of the others have sold out and I just finished up a custom order for three. I’ll be making more this weekend. I’m glad I went out and stocked up on sweaters last weekend. Thank you to everyone who has purchased one!
Tags: coffee, cozy, crochet, eco-friendly, felted, heart, recycled, sleeve, sweater, upcycled, valentine's day, wool
Posted in knitting, life in lincoln, sewing | 1 Comment »
Sunday, January 25th, 2009
I’ve been trying to write this post for awhile and figured I’d better get it up before Valentine’s Day! I took the Handmade Pledge last year and have to say that all of my birthday/baby/holiday gifts were handmade. I’ve been posting them throughout the year and here’s the final gifts of the holiday season.
Sweater Scarves from my own pattern.
Coasters from Joelle Hoverson’s sewing book. Bar towel from my own pattern.
Zipper pouches from 24 Hour Sewing Projects.
Mason Dixon Warshrags.
I also made lots of loaves of friendship bread (with mini chocolate chips and chopped craisins. YUM!) and tree ornaments.
Tiny stockings from Joelle Hoverson’s knitting book.
Tiny stars from Shh, I’m counting!
I plan on posting a tutorial for the sweater scarves. I also have fiddled with the friendship bread recipe (when do I not fiddle with a recipe?) trying to make it a bit healthier for every day snacking. I’ll try and post that, too. Right now I’m working on baby gifts. They’ll be revealed soon!
Posted in knitting, life in lincoln, sewing | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
I had hoped to sell a lot of items on etsy during the holidays, but I didn’t have a lot of time to make things to stock my store. Fortunately, it was because I had custom orders! One of my favorites was a matching messenger bag and scarf. The sweater was huge and superwash wool. It didn’t felt at all, so I had a lot of fabric, but I had to be careful it didn’t unravel while sewing.
Most of my bags are one of a kinds, depending on the shape and design of the sweater. I’m thinking of writing up a standard pattern, though. I really like how this one turned out.
I’m also loving my scarves. I made a bunch for Christmas presents this year. I hope to have a tutorial for these up on the blog soon. They are so warm!
Soon to follow, all of my handmade holiday gifts!
Tags: bag, custom, felted, messenger, scarf, wool
Posted in life in lincoln, sewing | 3 Comments »
