Stuff I Make

Finished again!

September 11, 2009

I’ve been on a finishing roll, and I finally managed to finish a simple project I’ve been dragging around since 2001. Way back then we went on my dream vacation to Rome. In November even, so I got to wander around my dream city when it was rainy and crisp and glorious. We stayed in this little hotel right on the edge of an enormous park and scoured the city looking for all the artwork I had learned about in my Western Civ classes. Bear still teases me about my obsessive fixation with Bernini.

While strolling through one piazza or another, we came across a few booths with artists selling their work and snapped up this lovely little watercolor.

I love this piece, but the only problem is that it is such an odd size I could *not* find a frame for it. I looked at getting it custom framed but it’s just so very expensive and we have never been in a position where I could make that a high priority, so it’s been sitting, carefully, in the bottom of my work in progress drawer, only getting out when it was time to put it in a box and move to the next house where it went back in it’s drawer.

Whenever I’m at a thrift store, I always scout through the frames, hoping I’ll find something that just happens to be right. When I was up in Utah I found something that still isn’t perfect, but is close enough. It’s a few inches too long, and I wish it was just a little bit taller, but I’ll deal with the extra white space if it means I get to actually look at it instead of just squirrel it away.

It was a light blond wood, so I gave it a good sanding and painted it with Folk Arts enamel paints. This worked great! You get a good hard cure so it’s WAY stronger than acrylics, but you can save yourself the trouble of busting out the spray paint.

This hangs in my studio just above my ironing board, and I’m wondering how long it will be before I burn something because I’m too busy staring at it. It was those two tiny people walking through the arch that really captured my imagination, and it brings back such sweet memories of walking through an ancient city hand in hand with my love.

Filed Under: Mushy Love Stuff, My Dreamhouse in Progress, Stuff I Make, The Good Life

Finished!

September 10, 2009

Phew! All summer long with needles flying, breaking all proper crosstitching procedure by dragging this all over the place with me, including outdoors (Scandalous! The dirt! The mess!), hours and hours of Battlestar Galactica and Burn Notice later, I’ve got all the stitching done.

I spent Tuesday night embroidering Atti’s name on the wool cuff and then sewed it all together yesterday. I can see all kinds of nagging little imperfections that hurt my feelings after all the time I spent on this, but I’m just going to close my eyes and plug my ears and sing myself a little song. La la la la, it came out right, la la la la, all is well….

From far enough away it really does look like it came out right.

I think that by pursuing this project so singlemindedly all summer, I’ve shot any chance at finishing most of my crafty goals for the year. It’s a chronic failing of mine – I always shoot too high – but at least it keeps me motivated.

Once June rolled around and I realized with a start that the year was half over…saying that still makes me want to sit down and catch my breath…I had to look critically at what I wanted to accomplish, and especially what I wanted to accomplish for our family celebrations this year. Atti didn’t have a stocking for his first Christmas, and I really didn’t beat myself up about that too much, what with the almost dying and the hospital stay that kind of commandeered 2008 away from me, but I just couldn’t allow it to happen again.

I’m almost glad I didn’t push too hard for it last year. This year gave me the chance to do it right and make an heirloom quality stocking for him instead of just slapping something together because I felt guilty. But it’s also been such an immense joy to watch Atticus emerge from babyhood into a great little member of our team. The Rookie is now a utility player, and it just seems symbolic that his stocking is ready to join ours now that he’s old enough to grasp what it all means.

Filed Under: Over the Top Christmas, Stuff I Make, The Good Life

Halloween Swap Reminder

August 27, 2009

I’m thinking I’m going to extend the dates on this swap. I’ve been hearing from a lot of you that you’re so in the middle of getting kids back to school that you can’t even consider Halloween yet. So let’s say that you have until September 7th to sign up with a swap date of October 5th. Hopefully that extra week will give us all the time we need to switch gears a little bit.

I’ve been working on Halloween stuff all summer long. I started really early to try and send some things off to the magazines, but I still ended up missing deadlines. They all work so far ahead that they’ve almost lapped us!

I intended to make a Halloween tree this year, but I couldn’t narrow my focus. So I think I’ll eventually have two. I was really feeling a black and ivory, gothic, Poe, Burton type of theme, but then I also wanted glitter and fun and lots of orange and green and purple. So I just started tossing paper and glitter and fabric around and now I have a big mishmash of Halloween fun.

2009 Halloween Peek

I have a lot of fun planned once we get closer. I’ll share a bunch of free tutorials as always, but a lot of the projects I’ve been working on require more of a pattern. Some sewing, some embroidery, some just more detailed explanations than a blog post allows. I’m toying with the idea of doing a little pdf pattern shop for those, but we’ll see.

Filed Under: Grand Schemes and Other Plans, Stuff I Make

Rustle Bag

August 19, 2009

A couple of months ago I looked over from the computer and saw this:

Atti had discovered this plastic bag I use for one of my crosstitch projects and had himself a ball crinkling the plastic and shaking the threads all around the floor. I nearly had a heart attack when I realized my immobile baby was suddenly able to get into trouble and I had all kinds of visions of what could happen if he kept playing with the plastic bag.

But he loved it. And every time I left it on the floor, or even dangling from off the edge of the table, he found a way to get to it. Sometimes I couldn’t even figure out how. So I decided that if I was ever going to get any peace, I better make him a version that wouldn’t threaten to smother him.

I just used fabric that I had in my stash, quilting cottons for the bag and lining, wool felt for the “bobbins”, and some cellophane I had for a halloween project, and in an hour I had a bag that he loves and that lets me relax.

You’ll need:
Bag pieces cut to 6.5″ x 9″
2 outer pieces
2 lining pieces
4 cellophane pieces
Side pieces cut to 3.5″ x 9″
2 outer pieces
2 lining pieces
4 cellophane pieces
Bottom pieces cut to 3.5″ x 6.5″
1 outer pieces
1 lining pieces
2 cellophane pieces

Sew the sides to the front and back pieces to make a tube.

Open up the bottom end of the seams 1/4″ and sew the bottom on. This is just like sewing a box pillow, but since you have seams at every corner, you don’t have to snip anything, those open seams will fall into place just right.

Repeat this process with the lining fabric, and again with the cellophane but at a double thickness. I wanted to maximize the rustling effect, so there are two pieces of cellophane on each side.

Stack the lining bag inside the cellophane bag, making sure that the right side of the lining is what is showing. Then place both bags together inside the outer bag.

To finish the bag I zigzagged all three layers together and then just folded it over about a 1/2″ before securing it with a simple running stitch.

To make the bobbins I just cut a bunch of squares of wool, stitched them together on three sides, stuffed some cellophane scraps inside, and sewed it shut. Easy as pie.

Now my only problem is that Atti loves this thing so much, and the cats love chasing after the wool bobbins flying all over, that my house is littered with these little toys. But at least they don’t hurt when I step on them barefoot.

Filed Under: Stuff I Make, Tutorials

Another bracelet

August 13, 2009

My other clothes might have been storebought, but I couldn’t resist a few more handmade bracelets. I have kind of an obsession with them.

The basic premise behind this bracelet was floating around in my head for literally the past nine years, so it is such a relief to get it out of there. I basically just needed to get my beading skills up to the level of my ideas.

I started by using the brick stitch to bead the gray sections, then wove in all the remaining threads. I found this amazing animated tutorial to show you exactly how it’s done.

Then I tied a thread onto one end of the clasp, threaded on a bunch of seed beads, threaded that through one of the rows of the gray brick stitched piece, threaded more seed beads, then another brick stitch, etc. until the bracelet was the size I wanted. I did this seven more times so there was a turquoise beaded thread running through each row of my brick stitch beaded pieces.

Then I did it again exactly the same way, eight times (once for each row) out of the brown beads.

Then I did it again with the turquoise, only this time I added a few beads between each gray piece so that it would kind of hang loose and flapper-y, and then did it yet again with the brown beads the same way.

32 total strands – 1 tight turquoise, 1 loose turquoise, 1 tight brown, 1 loose brown. 8 times each.

All tied onto a multi-strand bracelet clasp.

When I first had this idea, I imagined the woven pieces to be done out of the same small seed beads as the strands, without thinking through how I was going to get a thread through that tiny bead at least six times. That didn’t work so much. But these larger square beads are perfection.

Filed Under: Grand Schemes and Other Plans, Stuff I Make, Tutorials

Clothes for the big talk

August 11, 2009

I leave tomorrow for the Sunstone symposium I mentioned a few weeks ago, to give some presentations on parenting a child with special needs and teaching teenagers. I’m going to be there with some very well respected experts, so I had to shake off my mom-frump and find something to wear that was stylish without being ridiculous, and serious without being pretentious. As a woman with some serious curves, I am a major proponent of the pencil skirt, and if there is ever a time to rock the sexy librarian look, I’d say it’s as a layperson at an academic conference.

This is Butterick pattern B5429, a really great pattern. I ended up modifying it a little because the waist went in rather a lot, but it was easily done. The fabric I chose is a little busy to be ideal for this pattern, you miss some really cool pleating that makes a couple of pockets, but the home dec weight fabric makes a really lovely structured skirt.

Since I have really long arms and fingers, I always go for a big substantial bracelet. After years of mourning that I wasn’t more graceful and petite, I just learned to embrace what works for me and what a difference that has made. When I actually take the trouble to dress decently, I’m almost always wearing either a collection of bracelets or a big fat chunky cuff. This was just a simple three strands of these green glass beads that I tied onto a vintage clasp.

And to finish it off, the necklace I started a few weeks ago. I inherited all these vintage costume pearls from Bear’s grandma when she died, so I just used them altogether, every size and color, and tied knot after knot after knot to keep them all in place.

The rest of my outfits are storebought, after a sewing attempt that went swimmingly other than the small catch that it was absolutely unflattering on me. I might have to pick that one back up some day, but it was not the right project for deadline sewing.

Filed Under: Grand Schemes and Other Plans, Stuff I Make

Jumbo Picnic Blanket

August 7, 2009

Late in the Spring I ventured out to a couple of thrift stores, which I really don’t do very often. They are not known for their treasures around here, a lot of people live off these stores, and California is pretty young for antiques. You East coasters don’t even know how lucky you are. Anyhoo, I went looking for some vintage linens I could turn into a beach blanket. I knew that vintage linens would be a tall order, but I at least managed to find a couple of old sheets that would do the job. Combined with some fabric I had left over from my stash, I chopped everything up into pieces measuring 3 1/2 x 5 1/2, and sewed them all together into a brick pattern.

Since I knew from the beginning that this was going to be used outdoors and on the ground, I didn’t want to spend weeks making an heirloom quilt, so I used the brilliant idea from this book and the Super Quick and Easy Baby Quilt. In a nutshell, you skip the binding portion altogether by sewing the quilt right sides together and then turning it right side out, and instead of complicated quilting or tying you just use those decorative stitches included with your sewing machine. Just inspired.

My own brilliant little bit of inspiration* was an answer to a problem that drove me nuts at the beach. About two minutes after you spread out your blanket, the first time anyone shifts around or somebody walks by, your blanket ends up in a tangled pile. So I wanted to stake it in place.

*At least I’m pretty sure it was mine, I feel like it came from my own head but since I’m not exactly easily mistaken for “outdoorsy”, this could just be how it’s always done and I’ve reinvented the wheel.

I used some leftover fabric to make a piece that measured 3 1/2 x 10 inches and sewed it right sides together to make a tube, then I just tucked it between the layers, one in each corner and in the middle of each side, lining up the raw edges before sending the whole quilt sandwich through the machine.

I tried to just carry this mondo blanket loose during our ill-fated beach trip a couple weeks ago and it was absolutely a mistake. I made this blanket as big as I possibly could – it’s about a queen size – so that it could be used for big family get-togethers or play dates, but it was just impossible to carry. So I had to make a big jumbo bag to carry the jumbo blanket, complete with extra long handles so I can toss it over my shoulder and keep a hand free for kid wrangling on walks to and from the car.

And then while the sewing machine was still hot I kept right on going and sewed up a little drawstring pouch to keep the tent stakes in.

In my head this was going to be a quick project finished before spring ended and put to use all summer long. It took a whole lot longer than I planned, but I did it. Just in time for the fall, which all the locals know is the best time to visit the beach anyway.

Filed Under: Stuff I Make, The Good Life, Tutorials

Announcing a Halloween Swap!

August 3, 2009

I’ve been jonesing to get more involved with this big lovable craft blogging community. I read a ton of them, but I don’t comment very often, probably because it would mean I would have to cut back on the time I spend reading so that I get anything else done in my day, and heaven forbid I actually discipline myself. So what results is me sitting over here in my corner of the internet feeling all these warm feelings, feeling like I have friends around the world, and then I remember that many of them don’t actually know I’m here.

I’m trying to remedy that by, you know, actually being polite and leaving the occasional comment, but I wanted to jump into some swaps too to really force myself out of my comfort zone and into this larger world. I seem to have bad swap luck. They all seem to fill up before I get around to them. So the only other option is to throw one myself.

The 2009 Halloween in a Box Swap!

Filed Under: Grand Schemes and Other Plans, Stuff I Make

Design Book

July 31, 2009

I can’t believe I haven’t gotten around to sharing this yet. This is one of those things that’s been in the back of my mind for years now, but I kept thinking that I had to have covered it already. I couldn’t seem to find anything, so I figured I better just get it off my chest already.

Back when we first bought this house, we knew that every single room needed fairly significant renovations. The layout of this place is an open floorplan, so not only did every room need serious work, but each room had to work together and I could not go through systematically one room at a time. I had a million decisions to make and they all had to be made together.

At the same time, we were going from an apartment to our first house, so we had A. LOT. of furniture to buy. On a serious budget. Which meant that I needed to be prepared to pounce on any bargain I found and couldn’t waste time by running home to take measurements. And garage sales aren’t really known for their generous return policy.

I had to make myself some way to keep track of every decision I was trying to make, so I started by making myself a cute little book. I gave every room in the house a few pages, and separated them with little tabs.

The first order of business was coming up with a color scheme. Mine was inspired by a peacock feather (remember this was over two years ago. I was totally original at the time. :wink:). Each room on the main floor uses a combination of these colors in different proportions. Over the past two years, these swatches must have gotten switched. My walls are not navy and my ceiling is not pink. It’s the top group.

I included fabric swatches I really liked, and pictures of furniture that I saw online or in magazines so I could keep my eye out for a cheaper option. I also included complicated measurements for trouble spots I had to work with.

I also made lists of specific items I was looking for, and what their maximum sizes could be, for each room of the house. It’s a little impossible to keep track of all the furniture you’re comparison shopping for when you really need Everything.

I carried this book with me everywhere for the first year we lived in this house, and once I didn’t have to consult it every day I stuck it in the glove compartment so that I had it around if I needed to double check the size of that one niche that still needed a vase.

This book was such a serious lifesaver. I seem to be allergic to making returns – it’s hard enough for me to get out the first time, let alone a second – and this simple book saved me from making any missteps and saving my sanity over that long, stressful, renovation process.

Filed Under: My Dreamhouse in Progress, Stuff I Make

Crafting FAIL

July 31, 2009

Just in case any of you were operating under the delusion that everything I make works out perfect every time…..

Styrofoam melts in the oven. Thought you should know.

Filed Under: Are you kidding me?, Stuff I Make

Finished again!

Finished!

Halloween Swap Reminder

Rustle Bag

Another bracelet

Clothes for the big talk

Jumbo Picnic Blanket

Announcing a Halloween Swap!

Design Book

Crafting FAIL

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