Category: Experiments

June 12, 2008

sewing in my sleep

fuchsia shirt idea The past few nights, as I lie on my back thinking before I fall asleep, all I can think of is sewing. Jo-Ann’s is having a 60% off sale on all of their spring fabrics, so that killed my “no buying fabric” rule for the summer. But one of the fabrics had whales on it! So, of course, that was necessary. I also got some lovely fuchsia knit; I hate purple, it’s my least favorite color, but this sort of purple-y pink has been catching my eye lately. But I haven’t worked with knits much, so this is what I’ve been dreaming about. I want to make some sort of sleeveless top, but one that could be worn on top of a short-sleeve or even a long-sleeve shirt once it gets cold again. I love sewing summer clothes, because anything without sleeves is much easier than anything with sleeves… but my mother keeps reminding me to prepare my wardrobe for the cooler climate of Cleveland, Ohio.

So that’s my basic idea, on the left. I don’t like the tunic style that’s popular right now; I prefer to avoid looking pregnant. So rather than a flowy knit top, I’m going to use princess seams to keep it fitted, and in the princess seams i want to put little patch pockets. Hopefully these will be some fun print; I’m sure I have a scrap of cute knit somewhere that I can use. The straps would have big fun buttons to attach them to the top strip, thus making it a top that could be sleeveless or could go on top of a long-sleeve shirt without looking weird. I’m excited!

I’ve also been coming up with lots of new product ideas that I’m hoping to get finished this summer before I go off to college. The shop is really important to me, though, so I’m almost positive I’m going to keep everything going next year. But my favorite big idea (literally big!) so far has been these totes. They’re big and floppy, and comfy seems like a strange word for a tote, but they’re so nice for carrying things! Every time I finish one I want to keep it, but nope, they’ve made their way into the shop. They’re also a great stash buster, so hopefully I’ll make room for all my new fabric.

Speaking of the shop, the shopping cart script has been edited and upgraded. I don’t know if any of you have tried to order things lately, but for some reason the “add to cart” function stopped working. Obviously, this makes it pretty difficult to order things. But I’ve fixed it up, and not only is it repaired, but the entire shop is running more smoothly than ever!

Summer vacation is beautiful; I’ve been doing lots of biking, working at random little jobs, and sewing away. I’m hoping this summer lasts as long as I need it to… I’m not quite ready to head off for college. I’m excited, sure, and it’s not like I want another year of high school, but it’s just strange to think about. But I’ll be taking my sewing machine with me, so I’ll be prepared!

January 21, 2008

winter weather advisory: whale flurries!

fleece polka dot scarves with embroidered whales

Every Christmas, I make something new and (hopefully!) exciting for my friends. The challenge: finding the perfect balance between fun, functional, and easy. I want them to love it, I want to be able to personalize it for each person, I want it to be more than something they’ll just throw on a shelf… but I don’t want to go crazy when I have to make a bunch.
embroidered whale scarf with pockets
This year, I started early. In November, I started thinking. I wanted to use my embroidery machine; I wanted to come up with something cute and clever. When fleece went on sale the day after Thanksgiving, I had it.

With this adorable navy polka dot fleece, I made scarves! I drew the whale on the computer and turned it into an embroidery applique file. The appliques are fun and painless with my machine; I’ve been working on a few more that I hope to use in the future! So each girl got her own fabric for her whale, based on favorite colors and even with a dash of personality.
I used green minky, hot pink fleece, light pink, hot pink, then turquoise corduroy, lavender flannel, blue and blue & white stripe flannelette, and orange fuzzy mystery fabric (no idea what it is but it’s awesome!)
They were fun. They were cute. But after getting so many compliments on my pocket scarf, I realized it was lackiing. Seriously, seriously lacking in the pocket department.
So each end has a simple navy fleece pocket, handsized and cozy. No zippers this time; I wasn’t about to do nine of those, are you kidding me?

And of course, the happy ending; my fabulous sock monkey wrapping paper was torn into, and I got lots of hugs and smiles. I’ve heard they get lots of compliments. :) I’m happy.

Bloo from Cartoon Network’s Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends And then, we get to the best part of my Christmas. Of course, I love presents as much as the next person.. but what I love most is when that next person loves the present I have made for them. Last Christmas, I made Ben a Goomba, the Mario character, proving that 15-year-old boys are not too old for stuffed toys. This year, I had to top the Goomba. Could it be done?

my stuffed Bloo from Cartoon Network’s Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends Andy, my 9-year-old brother, is obsessed with Cartoon Network’s Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. I watch the show sometimes too.. it’s amusing, and I love the art/colors of the animation; it’s actually very inspiring to watch! Andy loves Bloo, the main character: an imaginary friend who is a joking, rule-breaking, sarcastic imaginary friend. He has an extremely simple shape, and I figured I’d be able to do it.

I cut four shapes out of fleece that I knew would make a good body shape, then made a circle to connect them all at the bottom. Somehow, his eyes took forever. I pinned and repinned, cut and recut, but they never seemed to be in the right place or stay perfect circles. I finally just sewed them on, feeling like they were in the wrong spot and would look completely ridiculous. I stitched a little mouth and began to stuff him.

And he was perfect.

Ben, Andy, and I always exchange our sibling presents for each other on Christmas Eve. When I threw Bloo at Andy, who saw only a big mass of wrapping paper, he said, “i wonder what this is!” and tore away the wrapping. When he turned it around to see Bloo’s face, he yelled, “BLOOO!” and squeezed him and wouldn’t stop hugging him. I was close to tears, I was so very happy.

That is the moment that made my Christmas perfect.

♥ p.s. i’ve added a few more pictures detailing steps 9 & 10 in the Starburst Wrapper Bracelet Tutorial; if you were having problems figuring out how to connect your links, hopefully this clears up any confusion!

December 23, 2007

and a merry christmas to you, too!

pocket scarf the best of good christmas-y days include:
♥ baking pecan pies with papa while wearing my favorite handmade apron
♥ shutting myself up in the sewing room with music to finish presents for mumsy and andy
♥ lots of secrets and “no you can’t come in here!”s
♥ warm cozy moccasin-ed feet
♥ happy happy stuff

yay.

It’s still not feeling quite like Christmas, but I can’t determine why. There’s still a little bit of magic missing from the atmosphere. :) I guess that’s it.

The house is warm and cozy, though, and everybody’s pretty happy. My whole family is home, and we’re all having fun with random baking, lots of eating, and lots of laughter. We’ll all be having fun together one second, and one or two of us will disappear to wrap, or in my case, finish up presents.

I hope all of you are enjoying the Christmas season!

And speaking of Christmas – MERRY CHRISTMAS! Yesterday at work, rather than saying “happy holidays” to everyone, I said Merry Christmas. Yes, I kicked political correctness in the face. But I’m assuming most people are as sick of happy holidays as I am, because their faces all lit up and a few of them even told me how happy they were that I would wish them a merry Christmas rather than happy holidays. I don’t mean to be offensive to anyone, of course, but Christmas is what I’m celebrating and I’m pretty sure all of the people with carts full of red and green fabric are doing the same. So I’m happy to be celebrating the birth of Christ in the midst of the godless materialistic frenzy that has erupted through the years.

pocket scarf

This is one of my experiments: a pocket scarf! Made out of cozy & adorable flannel, it’s plenty warm, and it has pockets at each end! I’ve always wished scarves came with pockets to warm my hands, so now mine does! One pocket is just a regular flap pocket and perfectly hand sized.. but the other one closes with a zipper! I can secretly stash my phone or keys or money in my scarf.. how awesome is that? It makes me really happy.. I love pockets. ;)