Selfish swap

Hi all!

Well, things did not go as planned for my project. My first mistake was leaving this swap until the last week (I know better!) but I had other swaps and well, I put it off.

Then, my car died earlier this week.  First, I was stressing over what was wrong and how much it would cost.  Second, I needed a car during the day because of course, I have a dentist appointment and there are errands that absolutely cannot wait.  So, I shared cars with my husband for a couple of days while mine was in the shop.  We both work, but I work nights and he works days so theoretically this should work.  My toddler and I had to wake up EARLY to take him to work...and my sewing time is night-time, after I get home from work and everyone goes to bed.   I was way too tired from being up at dawn.  Sewing was just not gonna happen.

Anyway, finally tonight I have had a somewhat normal day, I am rested and I am ready to sew. I go looking for my car seat cover, and can't find it.   Anywhere.  

I think it's in here...somewhere?

Ok, no problem. I have plenty of other things I want to do for myself. I started this little makeup bag a week or two ago - isn't it cute?

The pattern (I need to find the link, it's an internet freebie from somewhere.)

Fabrics for the makeup bag

When I originally started the makeup bag I got stuck because I don't have a zipper foot for my sewing machine.  I went to the fabric store, bought a generic one, and it didn't work.  So I went and exchanged it for another one last weekend.  Tonight, I install the NEW zipper foot and try to sew...and the needle hits the foot.  This foot doesn't fit either.  Gah!  (I live in a rural area and my nearest actual sewing machine dealer is an hour away.  I had been trying to save time with the generics but clearly, that didn't work.)  So I put the makeup bag project away and find yet ANOTHER project I want to do, just for me. 

This denim skirt is beyond old.  It is soft and comfy and worn in just right.  I stopped wearing it after losing 50lbs in the past 2 years, because it is mid-calf length and the length looks weird to me since my shape has changed.  It still actually fits...just looser than before.  So I decided to give it a new life.  I originally started this a few months ago and just put it away for some reason.

First, I cut off the extra length to make it just above the knee - a more flattering length for me:

Faithful denim skirt circa 1998-ish?

I had found some pretty ribbon at the fabric store a while back, and some fabric to match from my stash.  I cut the fabric into 4 inch strips.

I knew I wanted the ribbon and fabric along the bottom edge, but I had to decide if I wanted it like this:

Fabric is flat, following the line of the skirt

 Or like this:

Fabric is gathered, making a little ruffle at the bottom of the skirt

I decided that while the ruffle is very cute,  I wanted to do the more plain style for this project.  I didn't have enough fabric to make a ruffly enough ruffle, and ruffles are time consuming.  I will save the ruffle idea for another project - I have lots of old clothing to repurpose.

So I got started.  First I sewed up each of the vertical skirt seams about 1/8" in from the original seam, to reinforce them and also make the skirt a little smaller.  All these seams of the skirt were a bit worn looking and doing this really made a difference right away.  I forgot to take a pic of this step.

Next, I realized that I was a dummy and ripped out the bottom couple inches from the skirt's back seam, since I needed it to be open in order to add my embellishments.  I want to be able to close it all up at the end and have it look nice and neat.

And as ye sew, so shall ye rip. Or something like that.

Then I took my strips and combined them all together, and sewed a nice double seamed edge for the bottom of the skirt.  I don't have a serger so I have gotten used to double or french seaming everything I do.  I don't want to have to worry about stuff coming undone in the laundry. 

I sewed the fabric to the bottom of the skirt:

1/2" seam or so.  Hope it's not crooked!

And pressed:

Already an improvement from the boring old skirt

Then I pinned the ribbon around the skirt. 

Ok that is adorable.  Who knew I was so talented?

The ribbon was hanging off the edge of the table, so my cats "helped."

Violet and Kinsey staring intently, but resisting the impulse...

Kinsey just couldn't stand it anymore.  That ribbon had to DIE!

And this is where my story ends, for now.  I want to stitch the ribbon down CAREFULLY, because this is the part that will show.  And it's midnight, and I am tired, and I don't want to jack it up. 

Thanks for reading...hopefully tomorrow I will have an update with the finished product!  Maybe if you are lucky I will even model it for you :)

>S<

Too busy crafting to post?

Sounds like a lame excuse.  But look at all the neat stuff I have made!  I joined a really cool website called Swap-Bot and have been making and sending cool stuff all over the country.  Here are some examples:

This adorable little needle case came from a free pattern found here: Little Letter Needle Book Tutorial
 

Front

Opened up

 

 

These quilted notecards came from a free pattern found here:  Quilted Greeting Cards  I really like making these and have already made more.  I forgot to take pictures before sending them :/

I joined a swap for Upcycled/Recycled crafts.  I used two old pillowcases to make this skirt for my partner's daughter, who is only a month older than my son.  The free pattern is somewhere in my pattern binder...I will post a link shortly.

I also made her 4 year old son this apron.  The fabric is sort of recycled: I bought a huge bin of fabric from a lady who was going to throw it away.  Most of it is good usable stuff, including this adorable construction fabric that was already cut into an apron!  There were 2, so I will probably make another for my little guy.

A quilt block for a swap - love this one!

 

More random stuff - Shorts for my son:

A paid sewing job - ruffles on the butt of a baby outfit.  I am going to make more of these:

And a notecard a friend commissioned for her mom, who loves brights and black and white.  Very 80s:

Well, it seems like I have done more in the past couple months but that's all the pics I have.  I have been trading a lot of postcards too - my son enjoys receiving them.  And I am trying hard to complete some other projects.  But spare time is in short supply lately, and I don't know if that will change any time soon.  I just keep chipping away!

>S<

Oops...stepping on toes!

I was remiss in not crediting the designer of the awesome counting beanbags I made...here is a link to her pattern:

http://chezbeeperbebe.blogspot.com/2010/01/tutorial-and-pattern-counting-bean-bags.html

And here is my humble apology to Holly, who had such a great idea and was thoughtful enough to publish it for the rest of us enjoy.  I did post a link to the pattern when I started making it, but it didn't occur to me to repost it with photos of the completed product.  I am sorry!  I am new at this!

Holly also makes really cute stuff and sells it on Etsy.  Check out her shop at

http://www.etsy.com/shop/beeperbebe

The tote bag I made to match the beanbags was from a free pattern by Better Homes and Gardens, found here:  

http://www.bhg.com/crafts/sewing/accessories/signature-style-tote/

>S<

Getting back into it

I finally started sewing a little bit this past weekend.  It felt great!  I think I needed the break, plus last week I was really busy with my mom visiting anyway. 

The weather seems to have finally turned, and I brought out all my summer clothes from their winter hiding places.  I don't have much that is functional for work, because I have lost a lot of weight in the past couple years.  I took inventory and went shopping over the weekend for a few basics, courtesy of gift cards from my family from Xmas and birthdays.  I did great, found some good deals, and have at least a week's worth of work outfits now that aren't falling off of me.  But I still have this huge pile of too-big clothes...some of which I really, really love. 

I also have a little stack of toddler pants that have suddenly become too short on my little guy.  We measure him periodically and he has grown nearly an inch in the last MONTH.  Since summer's coming, and the pants all still fit him around the waist, I see no reason to give them away just yet.

So....guess what my next project is?

I am not a seamstress and I have very little confidence in this area, but I figure I have very little to lose by recycling our old clothes.  If I screw up....oh well!  But I love the idea of making our clothes, so the more practice I get, the better. 

So far, I have successfully made shorts out of a pair of jeans and a pair of sweats for my son.  I also used an old pair of homemade shorts of mine, cut them up, and made them into shorts for him.  They have rubber duckies on them and he had been trying to steal them from me anyway  :)  They fit him much better now, and I don't have to worry about him tripping and falling because he is trying to run around in shorts that are a womens' size 16, clipped with a paper clip in the back.  I have two more pairs of jeans to shorten for him, and fabric for a few more pairs of shorts made from scratch.  The shorts pattern is easy and fast, but it is a boxer short pattern so it doesn't include pockets.  I think I am going to try to add those to the next pair.  Pockets are very important when you have cars and army guys you need to carry with you.

As for me - I have several basic tops that I want to try to make smaller.  I have several large men's t-shirts I want to turn into fitted women's t-shirts.  I have a few bras that need to be taken in somehow.  And I have a bunch of jeans that I am not quite sure what to do with.  Some of them are probably still usable as capris.  Some of them literally fall off my body.  We will see what I can come up with.  I also have a bunch of fabric and patterns for basic skirts, capris and tops.  The patterns are old, and thus, sized too big.  But I may still be able to make them work, who knows.

And for when I get tired of clothes, I have a few other things in mind.  I want to make a backpack for my son but haven't landed on the right pattern yet.  I need to make myself a purse.  I have a bunch of low quality cottons that I want to make purses out of and try to sell perhaps.  I have a bunch of grocery tote bags to make.  And I have a ton of quilts.  And probably a few other things I am forgetting. 

Yesterday for the first time in a couple of weeks, I spent several hours in the sewing room, listening to quilty podcasts and just puttering.  The boys were asleep.  The house was quiet.  And it was wonderful. 

And this morning I was a wreck because I stayed up til 2am, lol.  But after some caffeine and hugs from my son, I managed ok.  The 3 hours nap later didn't hurt either ;)

I have such a blessed life.

>S<

Taking a break.

The only reason I have been in the sewing room in the past few days is to feed the cat that now lives in my closet.  It's a long story.  Anyway, I am on a hiatus of sorts.  Until the room gets cleaned I won't be ready to work on anything.  Maybe I will get in there tonight after work.  Maybe not.  After having a project with a tight deadline, I am enjoying being a slacker!  Also, my son has been a tremendous amount of fun to hang out with lately, and I am doing as much of that as possible.  So instead of hanging out at home doing housework like we should, we have been going out and getting into trouble.  And I am having a blast.

The crafty mood will strike again soon, I am sure. 

>S< 

Finished just in time!

I am really happy with how this project turned out!

Beanbag fronts

Beanbag backs

**EDIT:  This beanbag pattern is located at

http://chezbeeperbebe.blogspot.com/2010/01/tutorial-and-pattern-counting-bean-bags.html **

I only had one evening to make the tote bag, and I was feeling a little insecure about the bucket bag I had planned on making.  It had a lot of pieces, and construction was a little too complex for me to feel comfortable completing in a night.  So I chose another bag pattern.  It turned out beautifully and took me about 4 hours from start to finish:

I like the pattern and plan on making more of these.  The beanbags fit perfectly in it too. 

I LOVE A SUCCESSFUL PROJECT!!

Now, what's next?  First I am going to clean my sewing room, because WOW.  It is a disaster in there.  My mom is coming to visit next week and she needs to sleep in there.  If I get it cleaned and still have time to do more crafting, I need to continue cutting on a quilt I am making for a good friend of our family who helps us out a lot.  He doesn't know it's coming and probably doesn't read this but I am still not naming names.  :)  I will post pics once I start working on it again.  I also need to select another scrap block to do, since I can't ever work on just one thing at a time.  I am also going to make my son a book, using cuttings from magazines and family photos.  He is just starting to recognize letters, and I figure this will be a good book to get him started pre-reading.

>S<



Broken needles are scary.

I am still feeling rather lucky to have both my eyes.  I sewed over a pin tonight, and broke my sewing machine needle into 3 pieces.  I also bent the pin, and the head came off.  Hopefully it's not in the mechanism of the bobbin.  I took apart what I could, but didn't find it.
 

Yikes!

After my little incident, my sewing machine went on strike.  This is the bobbin side:

It is *most* unhappy.  I am praying it is not *most* expensive to fix.

Luckily, the beanbags are nearly done and can easily be finished by hand.  Most of what I have left to do is hand-sewing anyway.  The tote bag?  Hmmmm....not likely to finish that by Sunday with a cranky machine.  What a bummer. 

Here are my pretty little beanbags, all lined up and ready for their inner pockets to be sewn shut:

I am very pleased with the way they look.  They seem so happy. 

It's late and I am pooped.  I did a lot tonight and I don't have far to go.  Now I just need to decide if I should take my machine in.  It's probably due for a servicing anyway...but financially, this isn't the best time.  But hey, tomorrow I have a lady coming over to hopefully buy all my old maternity clothes, so maybe that can be the beginning of my sewing machine repair fund. 

>S<