Finally!

Yeah, it's been a while. I planned on getting this up two weeks ago. I took the pictures, I was ready. Unfortunately, we somehow managed to take them with the card out of the camera, so it made for tricky downloading.

Anyhow, it was my friend Melissa's birthday, so I created some earrings for her. They are bicone Swarovski crystals in two shades of red, on sterling chain. I was attempting to create something simple, yet sparkley for her, to fit her Sparkling personality.

Happy birthday, Melissa!!

Crafting with Mixed Feelings

Another placemat bag -- another coworker leaves work! I stitched up this cute little number as a lovely parting gift. This is the first time I'm trying buttons to attach the straps... I'm hoping it will hold up. I also think that since the handles are removable, she should* be able to wash it (on gentle) and that it'll hold up. Hopefully Kelly will have fond memories of her time with all of us! (Secretly, I wanted to keep this one!)

Crafting with Kayla!

Today my little sister let me hang out with her and her "little sister" (they've been together as part of the "Big Brothers/Big Sisters" program for over a year!) We decided to make a no-sew fleece throw for Kayla to cuddle up with during the winter when she visits. We bought 1.5 yards or two colors of fleece, and used this tutorial to make it! It turned out great!!

Dagnabbit, Martha!

So, I picked up a faboo bag at a garage sale. (Not the one pictured... that one is courtesy Martha Stewart!) It's incredibly comfortable to carry, just slip it over your wrist and go! (Plus, it's super small so I can't cram it too full with unnecessary crapola.) I have been searching for WEEKS for a tutorial, hoping I wouldn't have to do something crazy and take it apart to "see how it works" because I want to sew some for my sister's wedding party. ANYWAY, Martha comes through in a pinch, and here is her tutorial plus a pattern for this cute bag!

I have some fabric scraps I picked up specifically to try this out, and hopefully I can post about an actual craft, soon!

fun with tee-shirts!

So, over at the old day blog, I'm working on a 101 things in 1001 days post. I'm not quite done, as trying to put together all my little to-do lists into one giant to-do list is a bit more daunting than I thought! However, one of those to-dos is to conquer my pile of repair/rework items. Some of these are pretty straightforward--mend a seam here, stitch a hem there. Others require more thought and time.

The bulk of these reworking projects are tee-shirts. Back in my younger days, when I lived at home and thus had disposable income, I attended many a rock show. Usually at least one a week. Everything from big time rock stars, to little know acts from across the globe given a chance by my teenage self because the tickets were dirt cheap. Along with this concert going went concert tee-shirt buying. I loved those tee-shirts! At the time, I also loved BIG tee-shirts, usually opting for the extra large size. Now, I have a stack of barely worn tees, which I still love but don't wear because I know longer try to drown my frame in tees sized for men who hit the gym or the buffet (or both) more than the average bear.

What to do with them? There's the ever popular tee shirt quilt. I did think about this. However there were some problems with the plan. A) while I sew, I do not quilt B) Once I had the quilt, what would I do with it? 3) Quilts just plain aren't very rock-and-roll.

Then, a while back, I started thinking that there must be a way to take them down. However, older, wiser seamstresses said this was impossible, the scale wasn't right for doing so, they would look just plain wrong. Then, a younger, sassier generation of seamstresses (and seamsters) stepped up and said there was a way!! There are plenty of books and sites for altering tees out there these days. My goal is to make my tees look like other regular articles of clothes that just happen to be made out of tees. I think these two tees from Stitch Lounge fit the bill.

Blast from the Past!

So, I'm hurriedly getting this post in before departing for a fantabulous road trip to Wisconsin tomorrow! I plan on seeing fantastic works of folk art and strange roadside attractions, which I will definitely post about. However, today I want to talk about Care Bears. Back in 1988, at the height of their popularity, my dad helped me make these lovely balsa-wood representations of all my favorites! All you need is: balsa wood, wood stain (Sharpies or Acrylic Paints would work fine, too) a basic template for bear, muzzle, and tummy... and then specialty shapes for the tummy symbols! Eyeballs and ears are colored in with Sharpie... and that's good for drawing in the deatils on Wish Bear's tummy, and the raindrops on Grumpy Bear.
Still cute, even 20 years later!

Just a quickie

I am madly writing this before check-out time. We've spent a long weekend in Chicago for Lollapalooza! W00T! It's been a swell time of music and fun. Of course, Perry Farrell is a bit of a hippie and tree hugger, so there was much opportunity to learn about recycling and environmentalism. After verifying that we'd offset our carbon footprint in coming to the festival, we grabbed a large garbage bag, and set off to collect mucho recycling that had been abandoned across the grounds. We wound up collecting enough to earn a fab recycled tee-shirt! (I would post a picture, but the tee got a little gross during a mosh pit later in the evening). So, instead, I try to keep the spirit of the festival and being green, and present an oldie but goodie making fabric out of plastic bags!

Late, again!

As I sit a home last night and think... "It's Thursday! I'm supposed to post today... I haven't crafted a gosh-darn thing." SO... off I went. I threw together a "placemat" bag for a basket my Stitch'n'Bitch crew is filling for a silent auction. (Como Park Block Nurse Porgram is having a fundraiser at the Como Park Carousel on Monday, August 11! Come ride the Carousel! It's beautiful!) I also wanted to try turning some of my cast-off cat food cans into pin cushions. SO... here are the results...

I am thinking about embellishing the handles on the bag a bit with my new favorite: Sharpie Paint Markers... They aren't available in many colors yet, but some white flowers and green leaves should spruce them up a little.
I've updated the photo to include the embellishment!




Oooo! Cutie! And a great use of: Scrap Fabric, unused Scrapbook Paper... and of course the cans! (Just make sure you clean them out well... or it'll get a little fishy.) This one turned out a little lumpy, but that could be because I maybe didn't even really look at the tutorial when I was doing it. I might have been all "oh, I can figure this out!" So next time I'll follow along the instructions. (And maybe not waste quite so much hot glue.)