A Little Cultural Flair
It’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything, I kind of went through a sewing lull and then had some set backs, but am now settled into a new apartment and feel ready to get comfortable sewing again! Today, I pulled out my fabric and hated all of it! Times have changed in the last 8 months, and I need new fabric. I did, however, find this scarf that we bought from India in Jan/Feb 2013 when we were last there that turned out to be poorly stitched and kinda wonky-looking… so it’s now fabric for my sewing pleasure!
I temporarily cannot find my DSLR camera, so my apologies- these iPhone photos will have to do for today.
I chose to work with just the green side, wanted to keep it kind of simple. Here’s the finished product. I’m not a huge fan of it as it’s just not my style, but I’m happy with the way it turned out, and it was a good start to get back into sewing mode. Except- I used a zipper foot for the first time ever, and I sewed right through my finger… ouch! That hurt.
Pillows
I have been meaning to make pillows for my couch for quite some time but never got around to it. Finally, I just decided to use the fabric I had and finally just make them because I didn’t have anything for the couch.
Both pillows are a bit different, each pic is the front of back of each pillow.
Final:
Burlap Clutch
I’ve been wanting to work with burlap for a LONG LONG time, but never got around to trying. I finally bought some recently and tonight decided to play.
I have to say, burlap is a tough material to work with. It’s not that hard physically, but mentally for a Virgo it is. I am a perfectionist, and it was extremely hard for me to just let this material be as it is. That is precisely what I love about it- now that it’s finished.. but the process is challenging.
The imperfections in my work are always very calculated. This time, I decided that for the strip across the top of the clutch, I wasn’t going to cut it to make it perfect, nor was I going to cut a perfectly imperfect diagonal piece. I just used what I had laying right next to me. And I like it… I think.
Edges are raw.
Velcro closure.
Simple. Easy.
Can’t wait to use it.
Pretty Summer Clutch
It’s been awhile since I sewed something that actually worked… I failed miserably at my last few projects which is why I haven’t posted anything in quite some time. But I finally bought some pretty fabrics from Spool when I was in Philly last, so it inspired me to make something simple and cute and not impossible.
Anna’s Purse
I made this bag for Anna back in December for her birthday- I just forgot to photograph it and post it! So recently when she visited, we took a quick pic so that I could post it.
The bag has an “A” on it for Anna, it’s a zipper closure, and the inside, which we forgot to photograph, is pink with white polka dots. She loves it and uses it all the time! The bag is cute, but I have to say, the model is a thousand times cuter! Love you, Banny!
Pocket Mirror Cases
For my sister’s wedding, she had 5 in her wedding party: 4 bridesmaids, and me, the maid of honor. She put A LOT of thought into her bridesmaids gifts and ended up deciding on many different things incorporated into one big gift. One of the little things inside the big bag of goodies was a personalized pocket mirror with our names engraved on them. She told me about this earlier and I offered to make little cases to protect them, since we ladies like to carry around large purses filled with so much random stuff that even our poor phones break and crack just from living in there.
So I made these little cases for them, personalized with each bridesmaid’s initial on the front. I loved making 5 of the same thing- It took a long time and a slew of screw ups, but in the end, I was really happy with the result, and so was my sister! I hope the bridesmaids loved them as much as we did!
The Overnight Bag
I’ve had an overnight bag on my mind for quite some time as I wanted to make myself one. So when I was thinking about what to make my sister for her birthday, I thought the overnight bag would be a great idea for her as something she could use on her honeymoon. This bag took me over 25 hours to make! There were a few new firsts me in making this, like the zipper, the folded corners, and padded straps.
The following pictures show both sides of the bag, with stripes lower on one side and higher on the other. The middle picture I just threw in there so you could see the size. I didn’t measure the final product, but I think it was somewhere around 17×18 inches.
Here you can see the details of my very first zipper and casual folded corner.
I made two pockets. They are pretty large, so I made one higher than the other so that if they are filled they dont make the rest of the bag nonfunctional.
And we all know how I feel about frayed edges… The stripes were sewed on top to allow for fraying, and the straps were made to have a white edge fray with yellow fray on top.
I loved the end result, and luckily my sister did too!
The Little Bag
I made this little bag for myself for no particular reason. I never use or even like, really, small purses, but I just thought I would play and create something different. I had an idea of removable straps to wrap around a folded over little bag to make a clutch so that it could be a day bag easily turned into a night clutch. Didn’t turn out as expected, but still kinda cute.
A Special Birthday Card
I made this recently for one of the most amazing people I have ever known. An incredibly genuine, kind, and compassionate person.. truly one of the most beautiful souls I have ever even just grazed the surface of.
Miss you, Froggy! :o)
Twinsy Love
These bibs were made with so much love for the sweetest, cutest, most laid back little chicken babies EVER. My niece and nephew twins! Bryce and Olivia were born to my cousin, Mita, on September 13, 2010. I finally got to meet them just a few weeks ago, and fell totally in love!! Twice over!
Another Bag
Sorry for all the same day updates, but this is the last one for today.. I promise! I have just been so busy sewing, that I haven’t even really thought about updating the blog.
This is just a bag I decided to make. I put batting in it, but wish I hadn’t. I will probably make one soon without batting so it can be more hobo-ish and less old lady-ish. In the second picture, you can see my new label sewn onto the edge of one of the HUGE inside pockets I made. Speaking of which… I did that for a reason. I wish all my bags had huge separate compartments.. so I made it that way for myself. But this purse may have to be sold instead.. because I don’t want to use it! That depends on mom as she said she may be willing to use it in the spring. So we’ll see. :)
Kindle Case
Since Nate (my sister’s fiance) decided to steal my Christmas gift idea for my sister (well, not so much stealing as we both just had the same idea..) he geniusly suggested I make her a kindle case instead.
I first made one that turned out too small:
Then I made this one…
This one was the one I gave to her for Christmas (we had our Christmas a bit early due to the fact that she and my mom left for India today). This case was actually a little big. I quickly got to using my mother’s sewing machine to edge stitch the entire thing a second time around (not pictured here) in order to tighten up the case so the kindle could fit snugly. Regardless, it turned out great and the whole family loved it.
Added bonus: I got to stitch in my very first label… which made the whole family (and me too!) very very proud!!
Last year at this time, I began to sew, and I made my sister a terribly stitched little wallet. It was fun to see how far I have come this year… and I can’t wait to keep sewing and learning. Hopefully next year I will have something even greater to give her for Christmas.
Oops!
I attempted to make table runners as wedding gifts… they turned out very nice when made but after I washed them, they were ruined. Some of the applique came off and I accidently used a quilt batting, so it clumped up inside. I decided against redo-ing it. I’m going to stick to small projects! The pet mats were part of the gift too…. but those got ruined too. Oh well.
Pan’s Clutch and Fun with Pleating!
I made this darling little reversible clutch for my sister. It is my favorite purse I’ve made, and the toughest one of all! But I love it, and I’m so happy to have been able to make it for the best sister anyone could ask for.
Happy Birthday, Pan! (a little belated)
Quilted Body Pillow Case
It’s finally done! I have mentally been working on this for a long time, however it took me two FULL days to complete it… over the course of a week, that is.
I started by cutting all my fabrics in one day. I stared at the pile on my table for a few days, then decided to finally begin laying it out.
After many layout changes came the sewing, which was a difficult task because it’s the largest thing I’ve ever sewn. As you can see, it was a serious late night event, sewing in the dark until 5am.
Then I backed it and quilted it. (I used an old ikea window curtain I had, which turned out out to be a perfect lightweight fabric for backing) Unfortunately, I was a bit upset about how it ended up looking curved… that’s completely unfixable, so I figured it would just have to work itself out.
Since I made the back an envelope case, I decided to add a strip of fabric to liven up the back in case I got so sick of the quilted crazy colors and wanted to flip it around. I like both sides.
And of course, no project is complete without Coco’s approval.
I will probably never be quilting anything ever again.
New Eyeglass Case
I finally mustered up the courage to use the expensive and beautiful fabric I got a few months ago.. here is my first project with the new Erin McMorris Weekends Fabric Collection.
I needed a new case for my glasses.. this was pretty easy to make. And it is my first time making a real buttonhole! Very exciting.
Reversible Hobo Bag
Here is my reversible hobo bag. Not the best stitch job but it’s ok. The first two pictures are of each reversible side. The last one shows the size of the bag using a CD as reference.
Here you can see close ups of the lace overlay and the satin fabric.
Pure Happiness
I received a $50 gift card to Spool from Laura a few months ago for taking care of her sweet kitties. I finally made it over there today to pick out my new fabric. Spool has the most amazing fabric, with the most beautiful colors and prints. They are all unique, fun and cute, and I absolutely adore every single fabric there. They are expensive though. They sell fat quarter bundles, and after a long time of staring at the different bundles, I finally chose the huge one. Expensive or not, it had the most variety of beautiful fabrics, and it was to be mine. I only had to spend $25 on it, thanks to Laura. Yes, I know, this was an expensive bundle. However, it will last me a long long time. I make so many small items that I know these will be useful for many of my future projects.
I had to take a few snapshots of my own of this gorgeous little bundle of joy. Take a look at what I consider pure happiness:
If you’d like to visit Spool, you can find them on 19th and South St. in Philadelphia, or you can visit them virtually at www.spoolsewing.com
Yet Another Reversible Clutch
I made this clutch on my week off between quarters. Unfortunately, my feelings toward it are pretty much close to hatred. I really don’t like it for all the time I spent on it. I had to cut out all the shapes and individually sew them on after obsessing over the placement. It just took so long and I really wish it had turned out better. Regardless, I have been using it and have been getting a lot of compliments on it. So, whatever. I do however like the black and blue side way better than the yellow.
The batting doesn’t do anything for this purse’s sturdiness. I need to find a heaver, stiffer batting for my purses. It’s very flimsy. I did a terrible job with the stitching as well. Also, I think it’s time for me learn to sew in zippers. All in all, this purse made me feel like I went backward in my quest to become a sewing master. But do I really care? No. Am I lying to myself? Yes. Oh well. Maybe my next projects will be better!
