2010 Projects in Review

Projects from 2010

Fabric Strip Curtain, rug and curtains - Jan. 2010

Sun on a Snowy Day Wreath - Feb. 2010

Coffee Cup Rack - March 2010

Pretty Pots - March 2010

Plant Cell Cake - April 2010

Teacher gifts on the fly - May 2010

Summer Dresses - June 2010

Water Bottle Carrier - June 2010

Iron on wall "vinyls" - July 2010

Operation New Board - July 2010

Hang up laundry separators - Sept. 2010

Menu Board - Oct. 2010

Scary Spider Wreath - Oct. 2010

Hobby Horses - Oct. 2010

Operation New Board - Completed!

Remember the mission??

So... New board is done.  Thanks for the fabric input everyone. I ignored all your advice and went with the Revolutionary War toile because I will never ever ever use that fabric.  That fabric has been sitting alone and ignored in my fabric closet for 6 years.  Okay, not alone.  Sitting with 300 other cuts of fabric in the closet, but ignored by all of them.

I love it!!

Water Bottle Carrier

I have been walking with a friend, and I decided I needed something to carry my bottle and my cell phone.

I really just winged this pattern. I measured around my bottle and the height and i cut the pieces and sewed them together. The pocket was a bitch because canvas doesn't stretch much at all. Eventually I got it as close to good as I could and I called it quits. I already had the fabric and webbing, so it was a free project!

Operation New Board

My ironing board has given me a mission.

The mission is called Operation New Board.  Operation New Board consists of ironing board makeover a la Vain and Vapid.

The old board is icky. That hole has gotten huge and raggedy during the last 6 months.  The ironing board is crying out for a successful completion of this mission.

Your task is to help me pick the fabric to cover my ironing board.  All of this fabric is in my closet and begging to be chosen for this mission.

 
 Carebears










 Green






 Cream with Red flowers

 Blue with flowers

Toile with Revolutionary war scenes - cream with dk blue

American Flag (doy)

Camo in browns






This message will NOT self-destruct in 5 minutes.

Summer Dresses

Summer Dress time!

I made a pillow case dress. I hate making these. Pain in the ass. I hated doing those rolled hems.










Next I made some shirred dresses. These were so freaking easy that I made 10. I started out with this pattern, But it just wasn't really super understandable. Then I made one of these dresses (the first one, but I did a different fabric on top.) It wasn't quite right either. So.... I ended up with my own style of fun.

Basically I took a rectangle of fabric. I used the full width of fabric, and measured out the length i wanted, based upon where i wanted the dress to fall on Lucy. Sometimes I used a complementary color on top, or I used a color on top, a diff for the skirt, and then a strip of the top color at the hem.

I prepared the straps as in the SewMamaSew pattern. And then I attached the straps as in the pattern also, but I did not leave a casing for the elastic.

Next, I shirred the top, about 16-20 rows. I just used the pressure foot to measure the distance from the previous row. I did not sew especially straight, but you can't tell in the end.

Okay, after the shirring, I used the iron on a steam setting to shrink up the shirring. It still seems super big though.

Next, sew up the sides to make a tube with the shirring going around the top. Then hem the bottom.

The end.

Oh, to make this fit, wash and dry on high. It shrinks up super well.

Teacher gifts on the fly

Last night I realized that I needed teacher gifts ASAP! So, i found me some fabric, some extra apple jelly (yes, it is the trash jelly, shhhhh!), a Scentsy room spray, and a handmade heart shaped card. Oh yeah. All handmade. Cost = $0.00.

I basically winged the bag. Rectangle, sew up the sides, box the corners. The straps are rectangles with the sides ironed into the middle and then folded in half. I sewed it into the hem as I turned the hem on the top.

Fun with fabric!

Since we have moved into the new house, I have been trying to go room by room and finish any sewing decorating projects, like curtains or rugs or whatever. I finished the kitchen today!

I had purchased some coordinating fabrics for the old house, greens, and purple and pretty, and never got around to putting up the curtains or making the rug... I had that fabric for a year!!

I feel super proud of my self for finally using it up. I made 2 curtains for the entry way, in an olive green leafy print. The ties are in purple. I made a fabric strip version of a hanging curtain for the doorway to the kitchen and I made a woven rug. I even have enough fabric to make a rug for the laundry room!

So the story about the fabric strip curtain: From our front door you can go to your left and go down a short hall to the living room or you can go to the right and in to the kitchen. The door way to the kitchen is wide, and I hate that people entering our house are going to stare right into the kitchen! BUT I love the openness and the view right out to the street. So my compromise was this version of a beaded curtain.

The rug was also super easy. Same basic principle as the woven placemats you made in elementary school. I just cut strips out the length of the rug, and then more for the width, and wove them, under, over, under, over. Then i put on a binding, with mitered corners, like you would for a quilt. I am NOT good at sewing a straight line. That is my goal for this year. Figure out how to sew straight. Entonces, my binding doesn't look super great, but you can't tell unless you look close. Also this was my first time with binding and with mitered corners. All in all, super easy and a fun learning event. I finished it in 2 days, so definitely a weekend project.

I have embraced my mother's advice that perfection is in the little details, so my iron has become my best friend. I ironed all my seams, and measured them to make sure they were uniform. Yes, mom, I measured. All the fabric strips were ironed in so no raw edges would show. My ironing board is feeling a little worn. I think I may need to replace him.

It feels super good to be able to sew and to be tackling these projects that have been on the books so long! Entry way, done! Kitchen done! Next project, laundry room rug! Then on to the Living Room!!

Pics!


Curtains in the entry way.


Fabric Strips laid out on the craft table


View of the fabric strip curtain from the front door.


Close up on the fabric strips


Weaving the rug


The finished product.


My sad, sad ironing board.

Sharon's Photo Quilted Wall hanging

this pertains to 101 things #81 and the year of the FO.

Back in December, Sharon asked me to make this photo quilted wall hanging for her sister. Her brother and both parents died last year and it was something of a tribute to their memory. She wanted this for a Christmas present, but I only had 1 week to get it done and just did not finish. So it sat, half finished, in my craft room for 2 months. In March, she asked if I could have it done for the next trip she was making to visit her family. Here is her finished project. I am really happy with how it turned out, and most importantly she said she loved it and her sister loved it.

Sewing!

I have been on a sewing kick! 2 days ago I organized my patterns for easy viewing. I pulled out 4 patterns for Lk's winter wardrobe.. and started Aj's shorts and shirts.. I may finish those before summer is over @@. He will wear them year round anyway. Now I just need to get my machines serviced before they die LOL