ScrapStitching & ScrapSewing

Beauty in a button

2012-02-23T01:16:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd share this little piece with you. Again, it's not really sewing or stitching, but it is done with scraps.

I was lucky enough to get ownership of my mother's button box. In it are buttons that were bought, came with sweaters as an extra, came off of bathrobes or blouses, and various and sundry others. I remember as a young child sitting on the floor and playing with the buttons in the button tin. I have no clue how many hours I sorted, matched, and in general played with the bits of plastic, wood, and metal.

One day, I was looking through the button tin recently and decided I needed to do something with some of them. I found a frame that I wasn't using, took out the cardboard, and glued a nice piece of recycled denim on it. Then I scoured through the hundreds of buttons for just the right ones. I settled on 9 that may or may not go together, depending on your eye at the time you see it. I know the white one in the right upper corner is from a bathrobe. The others, I'm not sure. I used a fabric glue that dries clear to put the buttons on, and let it set overnight. The next day, I put the frame back together (including the glass cover) and voila - a nice piece for the sewing room.

Got a button box? A frame? Some denim or other background fabric? Sit down by yourself or with your kids and make a fun piece or a pair.

I'm not sure why, but I sure like the way it looks.

Life, quilting, and scraps of thought

2012-02-22T00:32:00.000-05:00

A lot has happened in my life lately, much of it in the realm of life-changing events. My best pal, Lindsey, pictured on the left, took ill and ended up being euthanized a few days later. What we didn't know was that she had cancer all throughout her body. My companion of 11 years is now resting peacefully, and we're still sorting through the loss of our "empty nest dog." The same night, my husband's mother died in her sleep. She had been extremely ill for years and though it is not easy, we were prepared. That event put a lot of activity in motion, culminating with her funeral a week ago. Prior to all of this, I had knee replacement surgery on January 19, and have been recovering beautifully. That includes a lot of at home therapy followed by outpatient physical therapy. To say the least, it's been a busy time.

Part of what I have done to maintain my sanity through this all is to sew. I've mentioned before that I'm making a hexagon scrap quilt. It will be about 2000 pieces when it's done, each one hand sewn. I'm in my second year of working on it. I tend to pick it up when life gets too busy and I need to rest my psyche. I've done a lot of that lately. Every stitch is combined with a thought or two, every pairing of hexagons is filled with a moment of my pondering, and the whole of the project is filled with wistfulness and love. The making of this quilt will span two knee replacements, the passing of friends and family, and other memorable events. When it is completed, it will be seen as something that keeps you warm by most people, but by me, I will be taken back to this time in life in happy and not so happy ways. I should call it my sanity quilt, but I'll come up with something more uplifting at another time.

Life's short, my friends. Get out there and sew something, make a memory, or just relax a bit with needle and thread and your own outlet. Turn a batch of scraps into something beautiful or something to wear or something with which to decorate your walls. That unfinished project won't get done without its most important "ingredient" - you.

Live and be grateful.

ScrapStitching is coming back online and I hope to bring more projects and ideas your way. If you have anything you'd like me to sew or to try, let me know and I'll do my best.

Short hiatus

2012-01-17T13:28:00.000-05:00

I spent this morning hemming sweat pants to 3/4 length rather than full length, adding a touch of embellishment, and cleaning/organizing my sewing area. I'll be away from sewing for a while, probably two or three months.

I'm not really going fishing, though. I just love the concept. I'll be getting my knee replaced. This is a good thing! But there is a long road of rehab and recovery ahead, so I won't be updating the site during that time.

Think of it as sitting by the ocean with a line in the surf, and throw back all the fish you catch so you can wile away more than a few hours.

See you when I get back!

Wow - MIA much or how the Scrap Stitcher does holidays!

2011-12-18T21:54:00.003-05:00

Happy Christmas season everyone. As with every December, I've been busier than I care to admit. I had planned on coming in and doing oodles of Christmas sewing projects with you and tutorials about how to this and how to that, and lookie here... I didn't! Trust me, it would have been a blast. Okay, so maybe I stretch the truth a little bit there. But I have indeed been making Christmas stockings using my instructions, pot holders, placemats, and even a few items of clothing at the sewing machine. I've done very little sewing on the hexagon quilt, but I'll get to it. I refuse to allow it to be a UFO forever!

Today began the cooking/baking phase of Christmas. My tree is done and most of the ingredients for goodies are purchased. We have a nice steak dinner for Christmas and I went to the high end grocery today to pick the steaks themselves up. This week, I'll pick up the rest of the food and anything I've ordered from the gourmet shop. I have family coming Saturday, Sunday, and Monday next week! That means at least two meals, maybe more. It'll be great.

On a personal note, I'll be having a planned surgical procedure in January and may be a bit quiet again, but never fear, I'll definitely be back and will be sewing during my recuperation. Hexagon quilt anyone?

If you have any ideas for projects or something you'd like for which you'd like me to try a tutorial, just let me know by comment or mail.

For now, Happy Holidays to all. Regardless of what holiday you celebrate or if you celebrate none at all, we're all citizens of a wonderful planet. As the children's song goes, "we're all a family under one sky." Keep that in mind as you hang with family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving Scrap Stitchers!

2011-11-23T23:01:00.000-05:00

You don't have to sew to use your scraps!

2011-11-17T14:24:00.000-05:00

This is step 1ish when it comes to making outlet covers. ModPodge, fabric, outlet covers, and some fun fabrics all ready to go. The Sponge Bob fabric had some nice images of Sponge Bob and Patrick on a rainbow and I had to cut it at odd angles, but it worked. The M&M fabric is an all over image, so it goes far with little or no waste.

At the stage in the photograph, I've already roughed up the outlet covers so the ModPodge would do the best job, cut the fabric and stretched it onto a ModPodge covered outlet cover, and applied a first coat of ModPodge over the fabric. (If you look to the top of the image, you'll see some Spnge Bob cutouts that I used to repair the top of the card table too! I don't ditch a card table just because I have tiny rips or tears; nope, I repair that top with what I have on hand - true scrapping!)

I have my work cut out for me, no pun intended, but in three days, there will be 9 outlet covers ready to sell on Etsy. Actually, one of the M&M ones is already sold. These are so fun to make. They take time and precision, but they're great when they're done. I have some Steelers fabric that will be used next. I sort of went nuts and bought 20 covers at Lowes! I better use them up.

On a side note, I saw a lot of outlet covers at yard sales when I was in Phoenix and wish now that I had purchased them and did the reuse/recycle concept, but that will have to be a next time thing!

These are not difficult, but they are time consuming. It's something everyone can do with the right tools. Mod Podge, Exacto knife, paint brushes, fabric, and then later on, some vinyl coating. Get to working!

Scrap Stitching - Free patterns found on the net

2011-10-24T18:14:00.000-04:00

I'm not at home, as you know, so don't have my whole sewing room with me, just a wee bit of it, and I'm feeling like sewing. I've been looking around at free patterns on the web and thought I would share a few with you that would go well with scrap sewing.

Here's a tote bag/CD case/glasses case from ClassicsCotton.com that looks pretty simple. What a better way to use up your scraps than to make a bag?

From the same web site, I found a nice pillowcase pattern. Simple and easy, and you can make these as gifts or for holidays at home, or whenever you want for a custom look on your bed.

Here's a nifty apron pattern that includes a pocket. They call it a Funky Kitchen apron. I call it a great way to do a patchwork piece or use up a colorful remnant you have hanging around. This one is from the folks at ClothWorksTextiles.com.

This apron is a bit different. It's got an assymetric halter feel to it. You could almost wear it with jeans for a hippie sewing look.

You can never have enough tote bags. This one looks like it could double as a grocery bag. Just be sure to reinforce those handles!

Here are some lovely pillows to make and some birds to go with them. I love the fabrics they used, but you could use any you like to make these elegant or funky.

Heffalumps and woozles. Okay, no woozles, but some cute elephant patterns for pillows.

Maybe you could use a woozle or two on this bib from UnitedNotions.com!

Classy up your sewing area with a Prairie Flower Pincushion. So cute! It uses paper piecing and hexagons, two of my favorite ways to sew.

Another pincushion to consider is this Eight-Pointed Civil War Buckshot one from Marcus Fabrics.

Michael Miller Fabrics offers this free Christmas tree skirt pattern. It's pretty enough to wear! Use your imagination, though; you're not limited to the fabrics shown.

I've brought you placemat patterns before, but this one looks like fun. It's a chicken pattern! First a picture of it and then the pattern.

Ever wonder how to make these cute little roses? Wonder no more, for here's a pattern for ruched roses from PBTex.com.

For a long list and to do some exploring of your own, this was my starting point. It's amazing how many people are generous enough to share their ideas and work with us, isn't it? Of course, there's always Google and some tutorials here as well.

Happy hunting!

Vacation!

2011-10-13T16:58:00.000-04:00

Sorry to be gone for so long. I'm on vacation and thought I would take a quick minute to check in.

Before I left home, I cut out a Kwik Sew 3147 jacket/cardigan out of a light paisley denim and finally found enough time to get it together. There's a picture and a description of the pattern in my October 9 post. It turned out really nice and fit really well. I'm so glad I added pockets. I did not use buttons and chose to leave the front open with no closures. I wore that and a brown V-neck tee along with beige capri pants for the flight, and my assistant after my last flight asked me if I was "a businesswoman." I told her that I wasn't really, and she commented on how "professional" I looked! What a great compliment, especially when you're wearing something you made. I thought it was a great looking outfit myself and the jacket pulled it all together. So keep sewing your stuff - you look great!

I also carried my Peter Max oversized tote as a carryon in lieu of a purse (my purse was actually in the bag!), and got unsolicited compliments and comments on that. Seeing as that was truly a scrap project, the fabric coming from a vintage curtain, I got another proud moment!

I'll be doing some hand sewing while I'm out of town. I always take my hexagon project with me. The flight attendant started a conversation with me about quilts when he saw me sewing. That led to conversation about tee shirt quilts and his grandmother and mother, and everyone else he had known who sewed. Let people see you sew! It makes for good chat openers and may encourage someone else to give it a try.

So enjoy your fall weather wherever you are, and I'll be here in Phoenix wasting away in their gorgeous climate.

Sewing, sewing, sewing!

2011-10-09T02:25:00.000-04:00

It's been a month or so of finishing projects, organizing fabrics after giving away about 20 pounds or more of fabrics that I sorted out as "stuff I just might not use." It's SO hard to do that! Every piece of fabric could be turned into something, right?

I realized that my hexagon quilt is going to take more than I thought to finish, so I have been basting fabric to paper seemingly endlessly. This is not something that will get done quickly, for sure. I love working with the English piecing and the hexagon shapes, but it has gotten to where I had to buy some charm fabric packets from a variety of people on eBay and Etsy. It turns out, a lot of people have just as much fabric as I do! By my last count, I'm about 1/3rd of the way done with the quilt top. What I thought would take about a year will probably take two years, and that's okay by me. I'm flying to Phoenix on Monday, and I will take the hexagon bag with me again to make rows while waiting in airports or just while doing a little bit of nothing else.

I'm on the lookout for more Peter Max fabric, and I have been working with my smaller Max scraps making potholders. What a great way to use up small pieces of fabric! I keep a small supply of heat resistant batting on hand so I can always fabricate a set. I had thought about decorating hand towels with scrappy bits of Peter Max fabric, but I'm not sure it would hold up to that much washing.

I also sold a few Halloween items. I made placemats and trick-or-treat bags and though they didn't all sell, some did and now I have a couple left for next season. Along the way, I cut squares of the Halloween fabrics and sold a few charm collections myself.

And just today, I finished a jacket I cut out some time ago, just in time to wear on my flight. I added pockets and did not add the buttons. I also redrew the hemline for the front pieces and made them into a wavy line rather than a straight one. The back is also straight. I used a light fabric with a brown and turquoise paisley pattern, and used a bias tape I made out of a complementary fabric (turquoise crystal type fabric) to bind the front, sleeve edges, and pocket edges. This gives it a bit of a retro look, but it also added a unique look to a very simple line. It was not a hard pattern to make, but it was a touch time consuming for me because I'm used to making smaller items. A full sized jacket was a bit bigger than I generally take on, but I loved making it. I love that it fits well and that I have the perfect tee shirt for wearing underneath it. I also love pockets and with the two pockets on the jacket and the several in my capris, I'll have plenty of room! I'm flying from Virginia to Phoenix and this fabric is light enough that I can wear it for a bit of warmth on my side of the country, but not too much for the warmth of Arizona.

I have so many sewing projects in my head. Will I ever finish them all? Will you? Sew on, friends. Fall is here and it's time to sew clothes to keep you warm!

Wow! Time has flown, hasn't it?

2011-09-05T14:48:00.001-04:00

Let's see - an earthquake and a hurricane, no power for a period of a few days, several sewing projects being worked on, then on hold, then being worked on, and a busy life in general! That's no excuse for ignoring the blog, now is it? Time for some good karma!

I have a store-bought quilt that is falling apart on the patchwork side, but the back is in great condition. I decided to rescue it and repurpose it and make it a loved member of our winter warming blankie collection. I gave away lots and lots of my stash, but I held onto the browns I have. I cut those all into 8" squares, saving the smaller pieces to make binding. I've been spending time at the machine sewing the squares into strips. It looks like it will be 10 squares by 12 squares to cover the queen quilt top. A true scrap stitching project, I'm using threads that are left over from other projects and garments. I have so many that are gold/brown/off white! After I get the top completely sewn, all the strips combined into one piece, then I will tie the patchwork onto the old quilt, trim up the edges, and bind it anew. I'm very close to finishing the quilt top!

I've also decided to make some clothes for myself. In making this decision (and knowing I'm losing weight), I went through my patterns and have decided to put all the oversized ones on Etsy for sale. As things tend to happen, I found a bunch of 18" doll clothes patterns that I had in duplicate or were collecting dust, not to be used, and am also selling those on Etsy. Soon, I will put together the unlined paisley shirt jacket and the aquamarine top to wear under it, and thus will have a new outfit for flying in October.

Lastly, I have been looking into purchasing more Peter Max fabric for bags and other items to sell. I get so many comments on my Peter Max bag. Every woman should have one!

Happy sewing and look for pictures soon of the browns quilt. It's coming along. Happy Labor Day and enjoy the end of summer. Think good karma!

P.S. Here are a couple pillows I made on contract:

and their backs:

Max, Peter Max, Calling Peter Max!

2011-07-29T00:37:00.002-04:00

Here I go again. I'm not done with my Peter Max fabric. I've made potholders, a tote bag, and tonight, made another lined tote bag to sell on Etsy. I've got enough fabric to make at least one more. We'll see how this one sells. the Peter Max/M&M potholders sold today. They were fun to make too. But tonight, the house was quiet and I hit the sewing room, taking apart some more of the curtain that I have, and came up with this lovely item.

It's about 15 x 13 and is lined with a cotton blend fabric rather than the Peter Max fabric I used on its larger counterpart. I have some turquoise fabric that matches the turquoise thread and designs on the Max print, so I went with that.

I made the handles out of the hem of the curtain. I cut it off and folded over a hem, then folded the whole thing in half again and stitched three rows of stitching to provide stability and long life of the handles.

I always try to make sure there's a signature showing somewhere on the bag, and in this case, it was front and center on one side and to the left of center on the other. I'll be sorry to be done with this fabric as I've so enjoyed working with it! How can you not love those hippie dippie colors? My bedroom was filled with this stuff when I was a young teen.

The top of the curtain was used to make a large pocket for inside the bag and I cut a small bit of Velcro to use as a closure for that. You can see the lining fabric with this photo of the inside of the bag.

The bottom line is I got some sewing in today. It's been a whacky week and I was hoping to get to the machine for a little while. My next project is a Smurfs dress for a little girl somewhere. I think it's a size 5, but will know for sure the next time I mention it. A friend on the Hippie Sewing email list sent me a white zipper to use to finish it up, so there's no reason for me to not get started on it.

Buh bye Mr. Max.... for now.

Stash busting - UFOs - Hand Sewing

2011-07-11T13:29:00.002-04:00

We've talked before about half finished projects or items that merely need that last bit of hand sewing done, right? For instance, when I make placemats or pot holders, I apply the binding with machine on one side and by hand on the other. I have a really bad habit of finishing them up to the point of the hand sewing. I bet I am not alone on this!

The latest is a set of Peter Max and M&M potholders. I finally finished the hand stitching on the binding on the one bound in green last night. It's been sitting around for about a week or so just waiting for me! I still have remnants of the Peter Max and of the M&M fabric and who knows what comes next for them. For now, I have one more placemat to bind!

I had a bag that I put all my hand sewing in and took it to the living room with threads, needles, and all the other items I'd need to finish them up. Every night while we hang out, I work on a different piece. I've made a deal with myself not to start something new till these are done. That includes no machine stitching on the Peter Max tote bags I have cut out. It feels good to finally be using those fabrics that I've been sitting on for so long!

One last stash busting note - I sent out five boxes to people from my email group and have three more to fill when I get the postage together. It sure feels good knowing that fabric has found a good home. It has also been an eye opener for me, reminding me what I have on hand and what I don't need to keep. Bust away fellow sewing people!

P.S. for an easy how-to for potholders, I have a generic potholder project/instructional/tutorial for you on the Scrapstitching project page. These are easy, use up all sorts of scrap fabrics, and require very little in the way of buying. The only thing you really need to buy is Insul-Bright Mylar/Poly Batting. The rest of the parts, you already have. If you don't have Fiberfill, use an old towel.

2nd UPDATE - Want some free fabric?

2011-07-03T13:04:00.002-04:00

2nd Update - The fabric is gonesville for now. I'll let y'all know when I have gone through and cleaned out my stash once more.

Update - This offer is for folks in the US. Turns out postage to international addresses is way too expensive, unfortunately.

I posted this to the two email groups in which I participate and now am offering it here:

I have more fabric than I'll ever use. I want to fill up like 5 or more boxes of cotton/cotton blend fabrics and mail them to people who will use it (one box per person would be great if there are any takers). I have a lot of Christmas fabrics and other "theme" type stuff. I have some Halloween, strawberry fabric, and other stuff. Who wants a box of fabric? You'd be doing me a huge favor - I really need to de-stash my stash. Free by the way. I'm not looking to make money, just gift the fabric.

Leave a comment and we'll figure out how to contact one another off the blog.

Thanks ahead of time!

Oh the sewing we can sew

2011-06-30T20:06:00.000-04:00

I've got a really fun stash of fabrics, from M&Ms to Peter Max to strawberries, Star Wars, Elvis, German Shepherd Dogs, the Smurfs, Harley Davidson, various NFL teams, and all sorts of designs in between. The last few days have seen the M&M fabric and the Peter Max fabric come out to play. First same these:

Everyone needs an M&M light switch cover, right? I made a few of each and put them up on Etsy.

Then I made these two pot holders:

The log cabin one is on Etsy too.

I love them both, but am particularly fond of the Peter Max one, also available on Etsy. I made sure to capture a signature piece for the strip quilting:

I had some fun sewing these. I suggest if you have a spare couple of hours this holiday weekend, grab up some batting, Thinsulate and some of your fabric bits and make some pot holders. Keep or sell. It's up to you!

That's my fun for today. What's yours?

Zen and the art of sewing

2011-06-25T23:22:00.001-04:00

I have owned the domain ZenSewing.com for some years now. I don't maintain the site any longer and, in fact, it redirects to the ScrapStitching blog. Interestingly, one of the reasons I began this blog was to put all of my online sewing articles, projects, thoughts, ideas, etc. in one place, to simplify. They say that the only word you need to understand Zen is "is." Simple, but ever so deep. I wrote a piece about zen and the art of sewing for the ZenSewing site, and thought I'd share it with you here. The reason I'm doing this now is related to some lightswitch covers I'm working on. I spent a quiet hour with fabric, ModPodge, paint brushes, and other tools working toward a focused goal. I was reminded of this article and wondered if I still had a copy. I didn't. I had to go to the Wayback Machine on line to find a copy! (A lot of my writing is missing due to a recent burglary.) So, without further ado, here you go - Zen and the Art of Sewing.

Zen Sewing is sewing what you need to sew as well as what you want to sew, using items and fabrics you have on hand whenever possible, seeing the full potential in the process and in the materials. Making something out of what was once potentially nothing. Or turning a pile of yuck into a gorgeous garment or craft item. It's quilt making. It's sewing for children and for their children, garments of your choice or in the design of the late 70s and early 80s, as well as boutique items and fancy clothes or accessories. It's designing and creating clothing for 18" dolls or making the dolls themselves. It's making a set of placemats or embellishing a pair of pillowcases. It's recycling denim and making all sorts of things out it. It's stitching up something for donation to a local nursing home or hospital. Zen Sewing is something you get lost in, are directed to, and need to do to satisfy not only your receiver/customer, but yourself. Something that you do for you. Something you do because it is there to be done.

Zen also includes giving. To give is to receive. One of our community project ideas is dolls for donation. We collect 18" dolls, clean them up if they're used, give them a haircut if they need one, and then make clothing for them. These dolls and an outfit or two are then donated to a child at the battered women's shelter or the Child Protective Services Department. You can also contact your fire department or police department and see if they would be willing to give them to a child in crisis. Work on a local level and encourage others to do the same. If you have 18" dolls (like American Girl Dolls, Tolly Tots, Our Generation, and many other manufacturers), fix it up and donate it to someone in need.

How often have you gotten lost in your sewing projects? I do it all the time. I may start out with an end result in mind, but there are times when I am not exactly sure of every step I took from start to finish. Think about those times you have driven home or somewhere else and you looked up and wondered, "How did I get here so quickly?" (Or even "How did I get here?" at all!) Though your safety could be an issue on the highway, I look at the act of sewing in the same manner - how'd I get that done? Let's start from the beginning.

Life is fairly chaotic for most of us these days. We live in a hurry up world and have many deadlines for ourselves, our children, our pets, our jobs, our everything! We have to make time to sew. And when we do, there is a process that should be followed in order to get the project done. Say it's a garment - pick out a pattern (contemplate the books or the internet for choices), choose a fabric (with sight, touch, whimsical fancy), prepare the fabric (wash, dry, fold, press), lay out the pattern (order, planning, or even a mish-mosh of pieces here and there), pin it or weight it (taking control of the fabric and the pattern), cut it out (slowly, methodically reshaping the fabric to your will), and then sit down and put the pieces together to create a whole. You may or may not refer to your pattern, you may or may not pin the pieces, but you will put thread to needle (either by hand or machine) and begin to sew at some point. The sewing by machine - that's where the meditation can come in. The sound, annoying to some, is music to my ears. The hum of the machine as it makes stitch after stitch, controlled by my foot on the pedal, and the fabric controlled by my hands. I don't hear the sound after some time. I get lost in the project, putting one piece here, another piece there, stopping to press seams or serge them finished, and using a life's experience of sewing how-to in one setting. I think back to days when my children were young and I made smaller items of clothing, back to Christmases past when I would make gifts from fabric or hand embroider items. I find myself being calm when I sew. Whether it be the hum and lull of the machine that takes me down a meditative path or the constant movement of my hand as I take stitch after stitch with a hand quilting project.

I take refuge in the sewing, I "become one" with the machine. The act of sewing takes me away, brings me some sanity and peace when I need it most. Isn't that the enlightenment we all need from time to time? No wonder I come back time and again to my machine and my hand sewing. I need it as much as I need the item I am producing.

Who knew sewing could be this deep?

Stash busting motivation

2011-06-20T12:28:00.000-04:00

Hoarders is on all day on A&E today. If that show doesn't make you want to get into your stash of fabric and sew something, nothing will. I have literally cleaned my sewing room twice in the time I've watched this show. By cleaning, I mean, the three piles - keep, donate, dispose. Rarely is there an item in the dispose pile. I just can't do it, but I have been known to donate quite a few pieces of theme fabric. '

Thankfully, I do not have the hoarding issue that the folks on this show do and am able to make sense of what I own and what I have to work with. If you're remotely crazy, though, and most of us who sew are a wee bit on the nutty side, go through that stash today! Or at least make a path so you can get to all of it ;)

Critters and the things we make

2011-06-17T23:30:00.000-04:00

I made some denim pillows for a friend recently. She sent me a picture of her cat enjoying one of the pillows:

This picture reminded me of a picture I took a couple of years ago of my dog on my old couch with a bunch of pillows I had made:

Both animals are in critter heaven. You can't see it well, but the dog has pillows at the back of her body as well, one made from a ham bag and another made from some patchwork of days gone by.

So what if the pillows were made for people. It's fine with me if our furry family members get to enjoy our artsy fartsy ways too, right? Yup, right! Sleep well little munchkins!

Scrapstitching Wordle of the Day

2011-06-07T14:12:00.000-04:00

Or you can see it on the Wordle web page:

New project - fabric covered light switch and outlet plates

2011-06-06T19:37:00.000-04:00

I've been asked to make a set of M&M fabric covered light switch covers and thought it was time to put up the tutorial so you can make them yourselves. I finally coded the project page and it's up for you to use as we speak - http://www.scrapstitching.com/projects/LightSwitchCover/. You can also get to it by clicking on the Projects/Tutorials link over there on the right side of the blog.

That's a picture of some of the covers I've made over the years. I'm eager to make more and I think making the M&M ones in the next day or so will get me started on another set and another set and another set.... you know how it goes!

Nope, it's not sewing, per se, but it is using up scraps of fabric to make something beautiful so it fits the scrap stitching way.

Have fun!

Memorial Day - Scrap Sewing Can Help

2011-05-30T22:35:00.002-04:00

It's Memorial Day. This is a day when we consider the fallen soldier, giving thanks in our personal way. It's also a time when we send our thoughts to the families of fallen servicemen and women. I saw a story on the ABC news and then again on our local news about a woman (Marcia Bonifas) who makes teddy bears for children of the fallen. She herself is a military widow.. Ms. Bonifas' story was told on the web at Coastal Point (Delaware) you can read it here. I've also provided a link to the video of the ABC story as shown on my local ABC affiliate.

I appreciate what Ms. Bonifas is doing. I wrote to her this evening asking if her pattern were still available as it was not found on the site pointed to from the Coastal Point story. I love that she is providing "something to hold" for youngsters whose parents are not coming home. The mechanics of the teddy bear are simple - they'd be very easy to make and you most definitely can make them with scraps or remnants or patchwork that you have on hand. Hers is an easy, jointless, 2-piece pattern that is sewn around the edges, turned, and stuffed. She embroiders a simple face on them, and if you decided to make one or a bunch, this could be optional. The only expense I can see is the cost of the fiberfil, and even that is something most of us have in our sewing rooms already!

I hope Ms. Bonifas writes back and shares her pattern. If she does not, run with the idea on your own. Get in touch with a local military base or one of the many organizations on the web for children of fallen soldiers. Create a pattern of a bear or a cat or a whatever and get those scraps out and start sewing. There are so many things we can do for our military families; this one speaks to me, though - it's truly needed, wanted, and falls under the scrap stitching definitely of making do. Love isn't expensive. Let's all show some to the folks who put their lives on the line for our freedoms every single day.

NOTE 05/31/11: Ms. Bonifas did reply to my email and provided the following links for instructions and pattern for the teddy bear she makes.

http://oceanwavesquiltguild.org/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20Teddy%20Bear%20Instructions.pdf
http://oceanwavesquiltguild.org/teddybear_large.upper.pdf
http://oceanwavesquiltguild.org/teddybear_large.lower.pdf

Sewing on vacation and now I'm home!

2011-05-26T22:33:00.006-04:00

Hexagons. I see them in my waking hours and in my sleep. I took my hexagon quilt pieces with me and worked on them in the airport, in Phoenix, in Los Angeles, on planes, in a hotel room, and now am working on it again at home. It became evident while I was in Phoenix that I'd need new fabrics, so hunting on the internet I did go. I found a few charm collections that were personal and not, say, Miller or Kaufmann collections. I ordered a few and was tickled to open packages of squares when I arrived back home on Monday night.

My sewing plan is to set up the cutting table in the former dining room and do some pattern cutting. I have two Halloween bags that need to be completed. I believe I have one more set of Halloween placemats that need to be finished. Then I can start sewing the items that I cut! Did I mention (or did I post photos?) while hunting for charm fabrics on line that I found three pieces of fabric for myself? Oh, I am such a fabriholic!

Want to make some placemats?

2011-05-19T19:55:00.000-04:00

Over on the right side of the page is a link to projects I've created over the years. Today, I posted a project for placemats. I worked for Sewing.com for a while and part of what I did was make "stuff" and photograph the steps along the way. I have made placemats like these a bazillion times and decided it was a perfect fit for an online tutorial.

So, while I continue to be on vacation, I'm still playing with some of the sewing projects I've done online. Feel free to make the idea your own!

Peter Max and Hexagons

2011-05-09T15:44:00.000-04:00

The Peter Max tote worked perfectly for my flight from Virginia to Arizona. Besides the fact that it was the most beautiful bag in the airports and on the planes, it held what I needed, fit under the seat and on my lap. I noticed a few folks taking a gander. How could they not? Okay, the arrogance is a little fake, but my pride in the piece is real.

Inside the bag, along with a lot of personal items, were some pieces to be sewn for my ongoing hexagon quilt. I read recently that it will take about two years to finish a quilt like this, so I'm taking my time, enjoying the process, and loving collecting charm fabrics without duplicates. I am working in lengths of 11 hexagons now instead of 10. I made an error early on and had some 11-hexagon rows, so I decided that was my new unit size. I can pull 11 hexagons out of my bag and stitch away at my leisure, and that's exactly what I'm doing. I highly recommend a small hand sewing project for everyone who sews. It's always there and willing to be utilized. Take your time, enjoy the process, and relax a bit. Beach time is coming and a hand sewing project, to me, is as important as a good book to pack!

And, while I have you, Happy Mother's Day to everyone.
My mother passed away several years ago, but she is still fondly remembered. My children all contacted me and we had fun phone conversations (I'm out of town). Overall, it was a beautiful day. That's my mother with the dark hair in the photo and her mother with the white hair, sitting on a bench in Austria, her home.

On a dinner outing Saturday, we saw many, many teenagers in formal gowns. I am thinking it's prom season! Here's hoping your prom experience this year was a fun one and that many of you made those dresses!

Enjoy your day! keep sewing.

Peter Max Tote

2011-05-02T12:52:00.000-04:00

I've had a vintage curtain panel, genuine Peter Max, for some time now. I've been waiting for it to speak to me. The fabric is too heavy for a garment. It's too precious for a pot holder. I wanted to make something that would last for a while and show off the fabric. I'm traveling Wednesday. I had a light bulb moment - tote bag! I need a bag with shoulder straps that I can use instead of a purse, and there you have it, the planning began.

I cut the hem off the panel and made two shoulder straps, each about 39" long. I folded them toward the center and stitched, reinforcing with a few more rows. I chose orange thread to keep with the Max and 70s theme.

I used the fabric from the curtain header to make pockets for the inside. I cut four pieces of fabric, about 40" x 40", and made a lined basic tote, adding the pockets to the lining and the Velcro closure for the bag itself after I completed construction of the bag and lining.

I have a large piece of the fabric left and am not sure what I'm going to do with it, but I'm very happy with phase one - the travel tote with shoulder straps.

Unfinished projects - UFOs

2011-04-26T18:56:00.000-04:00

It's been a sewing few days:

I'm getting ready to travel, so I got a small Cathedral Window quilt cut out and all the machine work done. That's ready to go with me for hand sewing on the road.
There was a set of prequilted placemats waiting to be bound in my placemats container. I got out the strawberry fabric today, made bias binding, bound the strawberry quilted placemats by machine, and they now are on the table, adding some much needed color and love to the room.
I have a stack of 4" square Halloween fabrics. I've wanted to make trick-or-treat bags, so I started stitching the squares together and cut some 2" strips to go with them, made handles, and made a prototype lined bag. I didn't like the size, so I redesigned and made another one - perfect! I now have a design for trick-or-treat bags that I can work with and made one more. Those will make a nice sale item. I have models in mind and will take some photos when I get back from AZ.
Though this is not sewing, per se; I've rounded up all the denim pieces and jeans I have around the house and have been dissecting them to beat the band. I've got a nice stack of 5" squares to work with when I return from vacation. I want to make another Smurf quilt.

So there you have it - my sewing room has not been sitting quiet. I've been a busy beaver. I have a lot of projects left to finish and many more to begin, but it's all going to have to wait. I have another trick-or-treat bag to finish first!

Smurf quilt done and in its new home

2011-04-17T01:13:00.001-04:00

The Smurf quilt is done. Not only is it done, I put it on Etsy and it was gone within days. It now lives with a young man in Virginia who loves Smurfs. I'm going to make a Smurf pillow for him as well. It will be a simple square pillow stuffed with Polyfil, but he should love it. It makes me smile to think of him with these items!

Updated an older post - Christmas Stockings (teachers and otherwise)

2011-03-31T00:35:00.000-04:00

Hey - lookie here - I updated the Christmas Stocking post with teacher's stockings and a link to how to make strip quilted stockings. Never to early to start making this year's batch!

Getting Smurfier!

2011-03-31T00:17:00.002-04:00

The Smurfs quilt is almost done. All the fabric's been cut and every day, I've done a little something.

Patchwork - done.

Backing - done.

Machine "quilting" - done.

Binding made - done.

Binding applied - working on it! I suck at quilt binding. I have to do it by hand because I can't get the hang of doing it by machine.

I should have the binding done in another couple days. It will take a while.

Sewing may not be on the top of the priority list here soon. I'm going to be traveling in May, so I want to work really hard in April to get my knee up to snuff so I can walk as much as I want to. That's a lofty goal, but I can make it at least halfway to there, I'm sure! I definitely will continue to hand sew the hexagon quilt (it's going to take a year to finish) and will start a small project to take with me on the plane in May. It might be a small Cathedral Window again. I have one almost done using M&M fabric that is doll sized.

I also have two ideas for items to make and sell. More about them as the ideas develop. Wouldn't it be great to make my whole 'paycheck' with sewing and Amazon, Etsy, and eBay? Well yes, it would!

Smurf day!

2011-03-25T19:24:00.000-04:00

Twas Smurf day in the sewing room. I know, it's supposed to be Friday and I should be planning the weekend. But I am not. I am relaxing after having cut and sewn and Smurf'd my way through the day.

I cut the remainder of the 5" squares for the Smurf quilt. That didn't take long, but I used an "I spy" technique so that I could utilize the fabric in the best way possible and get a good image on each square.

I also cut out a little girl's twirl dress using the Smurf fabric. I will be putting a white Peter Pan collar on it and using some white decorative ribbon to fem it up. I have to get that fabric and the zipper for the back, but other than that, it's cut and ready to sew.

With the remaining pieces on the floor, I cut bias strips and made the binding for the Smurf quilt.

Okay, so I did cut a few denim squares and it wasn't 100% Smurf fabric day, but it almost was! Happy Smurf Day!

Working on unfinished projects!

2011-03-23T22:13:00.000-04:00

Recently, I spent some time cleaning my sewing area and during that time, I organized my unfinished projects in such a way that I'm able to get to them and work on them easily. I don't have oodles of things to complete, but I do want to get them done. As I was sewing today, I thought of several more projects to begin! It's never-ending, isn't it?

Today, I pulled out a lap quilt I started - Smurfs! I use junk jeans for a lot of things. One of the items in my box of fun things to finish is a Smurf lap quilt. I'm using 5" squares of Smurfs fabric (a vintage sheet I purchased on eBay) alternating with recycled denim. It's a nice look! I put together three rows today and attached them one to the other, for a total of four. The end result will be nine rows by eight squares, and the binding will be smurf fabric that I will piece together from bits of the sheet. I am backing this particular lap quilt with minkie that I have which was purchased for another project and not used. It will make for a wonderfully soft backing and warm too! I like to use fleece when I can with denim quilts because the denim is so heavy that it's often difficult to work with a traditional backing and batting.

It felt great getting this one to about the halfway stage. I'll be making at least one more row tomorrow and then it's time to cut more squares. Before I know it, my unfinished projects box will be empty!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T23:54:00.000-04:00

And

Happy

St.

Patrick's

Day

to you and yours!

Cleaning!

2011-03-13T17:17:00.000-04:00

I took a day off from sewing and decided it was time to clean up all my sewing project mess. Every time I make something, I have a pile of fabric scraps, thread, and sundry other items on my sewing table. Recently, I've made Valentine's Day hearts for my tree, placemats for sale, and did some mending. That left behind fabric with hearts and flowers in various shades of red, the backing fabric and the strip quilting fabrics for the placemats, and the things I haven't mended yet.

It's amazing how much stuff you can collect! As I cleaned and organized, I also went through my spare buttons (some purchased wholesale for sale on line and which have seemed to collect en mass in a box under my sewing machine table) and project containers. I have containers with placemat projects in various states of completion; another one with potholder patterns, fabrics, and partially completed items; containers with like fabrics in shades of brown, rainbow Michael Miller Krystal fabrics; containers with batting and bags of polyfil next to those; and oh gosh, containers of all sorts of stuff. Even just talking about it makes me tired!

I had a couple pair of jeans that needed to be taken apart, so go that done and put the resultant fabric in its container along with the pockets. I might use them someday, right?

I "found" my container that I take with me to the theater to do mending on costumes and restocked that, putting away older items in the container that I may never use again. And next to this was a small metal container that I use for hand sewing items. So that's where all my hand sewing needles "went!" And under another pile of fabric was my bobbin winder. Darn, been wondering where that was. I also learned that the small screwdriver that goes with my trusty Bernina isn't in its container; I'll find that on the floor someday when I bend down to find a button that falls.

Overall, it was a great adventure in sewing land. I now have things all tidied up and ready to mess up once more. What's next?

St. Patrick's Day is coming!

2011-03-10T23:51:00.000-05:00

Just a quick reminder that St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner.

I have my tree decorated and have some placemats planned to make (but not even close to made!). I'm using a strip quilted method to make shamrocks to applique onto denim patchwork placemats. I'll post photos as I get them started.

I know that everyone is Irish on SPD, but I really am. Or at least my father was. Will I drink a green beer? Probably not, but I will definitely enjoy my tree. I have some green stone ornaments to come, but other than that, it's about done for this season!

Are you sewing for St. Patrick's Day?

A couple of things

2011-03-06T23:16:00.001-05:00

The artwork is changing, in case you haven't noticed. I've hired a kickass graphic artist to do a professional piece rather than the artwork I had one. Even the first iteration that you see here today is better than anything I could have ever done. She's going to work on it some more, so keep an eye out.

The second thing is that I'm resting my hands today. I've been sewing like a demon lately and today, my hands said "no mas, no mas!" Therefore, today, I don't touch the thread. I don't touch the needle. I leave the hexagon quilt right where it is, in its own little bag, waiting for a time when my hands aren't on strike.

I did do some machine sewing yesterday to sort of make up for what I knew were soon-to-be sore hands. I sort of always know.

Tomorrow, I sew.

Thinking about cutting, sewing, and stuff

2011-02-27T17:46:00.002-05:00

I have patterns galore. I have an overflowing stash. What I don't have is the desire to cut stuff out. The only motivation I can see for cutting is the sewing that will follow! But oh, how I hate to cut out a pattern.

I was cruising some blogs and saw this pattern, though:

It almost makes me want to break out the fabric and the scissors. I love the collar on the cardigan/top. I have similar patterns and could easily fashion a Peter Pan type collar for any of them. I just never thought of it before. Now there's some inspiration. I love the no collar look, but I really like view A here with the collar. My sewing fingers are just a'twitchin'. Could seeing this pattern be the catalyst I need? Might I set up the table and lay out some fabric? I might. If not today, maybe tomorrow. Yeah, tomorrow.

A hexagon day

2011-02-25T00:52:00.002-05:00

I chose to have a hexagon day today. I did have a little work to do, but did not let it interfere with my sewing.

I got up, made an interesting cup of coffee with my Keurig (Mudslide from Gloria Jean, to be specific) and warmed up a frozen spinach/mushroom quiche for breakfast. I watched the tail end of Rachael Ray and decided I did not want to make her super duper whateveritwas burger for dinner, then remembered I better take something out of the freezer or there would be no dinner!

Then, it was time to work. I finished up in short order and tackled my pile of denim that needed to be dissected. I started it yesterday and finished it today. As mentioned prior, I'll need to figure out what I want to do with it, but today was not the day to decide. Because today was what? A hexagon day!

I have wanted to complete my second of 10 x 13 hexagons panel, and I did. It's hard to describe, but essentially, I sewed. I put thread in the needle and hand sewed until it was done. In between times and in order to provide a short break for my hands, I washed dishes, fiddles with my other computer, and took a trip to the post office, but after each chore, I came back to the panel. By the time it was dinner prep time, I had two panels and started to stitch those two together. After that was started, I measured it on my lap and sitting on the loveseat and decided that the width of the completed quilt top will be three panels of 10 x 13 hexagons, or 390 hexagons. Whoa! I better start cutting some more because I'll need four rows of three panels to complete the top. That means the total number of hexagons will be 1560! I will add a few more stitches before I go to bed, but there you go. I had a hexagon day and I'm happy as can be about it. Sometimes, you just need to take some time off and do something that makes you feel good about the world. And I did.

Dissecting the blue jeans!

2011-02-23T23:11:00.000-05:00

One of the things about sewing with junk jeans and recycled denim is that the fabric had to start somewhere. For the most part, my junk denim comes from my husband's old jeans. They get one hole too many or aren't presentable for work, and so they become placemats, hot pads, mug mats, strips for quilts, and all told projects that I can think of, including clothing.

Tonight, I was gifted with three pair of worn out jeans! He was doing laundry and gave me the three that were ready to retire after their wash and dry. Yahoo! Fresh denim. I got out my "I can use these to cut anything" scissors and set to cuttin'. Each pair gives me two large pieces from the front of each leg, a long piece from the back of one leg, a three-quarter length piece from the back of one leg, and a pocket from the back of one leg. If I were truly a recycler, I'd keep the zippers and side seams, but I don't. I used to keep the side seams and did some weaving with them, but man, they are a mess! I tried. I don't want to try again

For now, I have to think of what's next. I will make a three-knotted leg of denim for the dog to play with, I need backing for some hexagon faced mug mats, and it's about time to make some more Smurf hot pads. Hmmmm.....

Oh no! Hexies. And oh my! Buttons.

2011-02-19T23:54:00.001-05:00

First the "oh my!"

Look at this beautiful exhibit at the Kyneton Museum in Australia: http://thehouseonthesideofthehill.blogspot.com/2011/02/buttons-buttons-and-more-buttons.html I am so jealous. I would love to see this! I wonder if it's coming to the US someday or if it's even a traveling exhibit? It is truly a coincidence that I read a short piece about a woman's mother's button "box" (really a round tin) filled with buttons. My mother had the same type of button box and I would play with them for hours. Later, my children played with them and the buttons from my own button box - sorting games with color, size, number of holes, with a post or not, etc. Buttons have shown up in a few places in my life today. I also found this piece I made several years ago using buttons from my own button box, recycled denim, and a recycled wooden frame. Buttons - amazing.

Now the "oh no!"

I just may have been making hexagons the wrong way for 30ish years. I am doing a hex swap and love it. Today, a post was made about a method for making the flowers that we swap. I noticed in the instructions that the threads do not show on the right side of the flower. Mine does. I learned how to make these at a quilt guild meeting when I was in my early 20s and made my daughter's quilt "my" way, my nephew's baby's quilt (shown - denim and strawberries) "my" way, and several hexagon projects in between "my" way. Jeepers! What if I have to learn a new way? I guess I could, huh? Or maybe, everyone can make them the way they've always done it. We'll see!

Today found me putting a row of hexagons onto my own quilt and I realized I had one too many petals at the end of a row. Snip, snip, snip - off came the extra one. Oh, I so don't like taking out stitching! Reminds me of (and I paraphrase) "As we sew, so shall we rip." Sew on!

A touch of discombobulation

2011-02-18T22:38:00.001-05:00

If something bad happens in your life, pick up your needle and thread and sew. Calm your mind and soul.

Wednesday, I came home from physical therapy and noticed the dog was outside and the door was open. I then noticed some items in the yard that were not there before. As I went inside, I noticed Wii parts on my front porch and then Wii parts on my living room floor, along with Wii games. Then I saw my laptop was gone and went in the other room to find our other laptop gone. At this point, I knew that I had been robbed. I went outside and called 9-1-1, then sat on my front steps to make a few more calls, one to my husband and one to my boss included. The rest of the afternoon was like a script from Law and Order, including police officers entering my house with guns drawn and telling me to stay outside, fingerprinting, and lots of papers to fill out and talking to do. The thieves were interrupted in their plundering when Fed Ex made a delivery. Thank you, Fed Ex.

Wednesday night, I picked up my hexagon quilt and did some sewing, for hours. I wasn't interested in sleeping and put together several rows of hexies. It was just what I needed to do. My little pieces of fabric, my thread and needle, and me. What do people do who don't have something like this to turn to in times of turmoil?

Sewing is more than just making kids' clothes for sure.

Zen and the art of hexagons

2011-02-15T18:43:00.000-05:00

I took some time today to finish my hexagons to send to Iceland as part of the hexagon swap. I turned off the television, turned on the lamp, sat by the window for extra light, and picked up the needle. The dog was at my feet and a cup of coffee was by my side on the end table. I sewed until the second hexagon flower was done. In the quiet. With no interruption. And the time passed too quickly.

The center is yellow (it scanned orangish) and is from the Michael Miller Krystal collection. I've used the fabric for rainbow projects and have several colors on hand.

It was a wonderful afternoon and a nice interruption of a normally hectic day.

What's a Wordle? Check this out.

2011-02-12T17:49:00.001-05:00

Click on the above for the full sized Wordle. It's a jumble of words from our blog. Very cool.

P.S. Still working on the hexagon quilt!

Hexagons! Knee progress! Life!

2011-02-05T00:47:00.000-05:00

I've blogged so much about the hexagon quilt lately, but honestly, that's what I'm sewing these days. I spent a couple hours sewing individual pieces together to make rows and in a few days, I will put a few rows together and then, voila, there will be a whole 10 x 13 block done. It's a slow, but steady process.

My knee is almost fully usable! I am driving my car (with clutch) now and today I went to a real grocery store for the first time since 12/14.

I worked concessions at the theater last night and watched the first half of 42nd Street (go tap dancers!!!). I'm beginning to live again and it feels good.

I plan to cut out a blouse this weekend and to make a commissioned pillow or two. I have one last Valentine's heart to complete. That should fill my sewing need for the weekend.

The Stupid Bowl is Sunday. I'll be moderating on ESPN a good part of the day, so it'll be a lot of "Steelers suck" and "Packers suck" and "Go Steelers" and "Go Packers" and lots of stuff in between. I have snack making plans that will take up the part of Sunday that is not working time.

A very exciting life!

Seasons Tree and Hexagons A-Go-Go

2011-02-03T12:25:00.000-05:00

Hexagons - did you know they multiply at night when you're not looking? I started another large block last night. The blocks are 10 hexies by 13 hexies. I'll connect the blocks after I have at least 12. Let's do the math here - 10 x 13 = 130 per block. At least 12 blocks is 12 x 130 = 1560 hexagons. Each one is made from a unique fabric from my own stash and from fabrics that people have donated. Jeepers!

More math - I'm doing a row of 10 per day on average. How long will it take to complete it? Too much, too much, too much! But that's why we do this, so we can sew. I don't do watching television with idle hands well. I don't do waiting for people having procedures or for flights to board or something similar with idle hands well. I never have. Hand sewing has helped maintain my sanity, including this hexagon fever quilt. But I have to say, the first block looks amazing!

And today, I started decorating the February Season Tree. I have a few ornaments I've made and some I've bought. What am I doing in March? Another Jeepers! This is the beginning. I have more hearts to hang and think that in the future I may want some more beaded thingies.

My patterns arrived

2011-01-30T22:13:00.000-05:00

And now I need to get them cut out so I have them ready for sewing. That way, I can sew when I have time each day and get the blouses made in nothing flat.

I made four more Valentine heart ornaments - two are quilted and two are stuffed. I'll be sure and take photos when I put them on the tree.

I am also making time for my hexagon quilt.

Can one do three sewing projects at a time? Well yes, they can! I do it all the time. I have a few UFOs (uninished objects) to work on, including some placemats (I've made all but 2 of the set of 8 I am making), potholders (a couple left to bind), and baby bibs (I always have those in the works). I have plastic bins with each of these particular projects in them and which ever one I feel like working on, I'll pull it out and work on it. As I finish them, I'll start something new and put it in the plastic bin. It's a whacky system, but it works for me.

What are you sewing?

Heart, knee, and pattern

2011-01-22T00:18:00.001-05:00

I made another heart ornament today. This one was a little less scatterbrained, or is it me that was less scatterbrained? I put the ribbon hanger on it before I sewed the sandwich together and turned it, so it looks a little better than a hanger put on as an afterthought. Now I find myself looking for red trims - rick-rack, ribbon, etc., to use on them! Four more to go.

I ordered this pattern today, McCalls 5896. I like the necklines and the empire waist design, and it has several sleeve lengths to play with. Because of the design, it lends itself to playing with patchwork or block color designing. The capri pants are a bonus; I really picked this up for the top (see the drawing of the pink one on the upper right - that's the one that caught my eye).

I also purchased this one. It's from 1992, but the culotte and button down shirt appealed to me. I'm not sure I like the collar in the blouse, but it was a cheapie pattern, so I didn't feel like it was a huge investment if I wasn't 100% happy with it. With the pleats/tucks in the front, it does not lend itself to piecing, but there are enough pattern pieces that it could be done with more than one fabric if I wanted to get creative.

And on to the knee - The recovery from the knee replacement is going amazingly well in my opinion. Yesterday, I was able to put on my own sock on the left foot and today, I was able to put on and tie my tennis shoe. I also am riding 15 minutes on the recumbent bike in PT and making progress with my flexion and extension as far as angle measurements go. I will be seeing my doctor on Monday for a followup and will hopefully be allowed three more weeks of PT. I practiced clutch use movements in the car today and as that is my goal, I'd like to at least stay in therapy until I get my function to the point where I can drive my own car. I would also like to be released to walk in the pool and work on kicks that I'm able to perform with flippers and without. Overall, I have zero regrets. I have a scar that is absolutely beautiful. I have plans for this new knee!

I will sew again tomorrow - what will it be? A heart, the hexagon quilt, or will I break out the Smurfs quilt and work on that for a bit? We'll see!

February Season Tree Ornaments - Hearts Anyone?

2011-01-20T21:05:00.000-05:00

I decided that it's time to start getting ready for the Season Tree for February. I saw some heart shaped potholders on Martha Stewart's site and thought that was a nice jumping off point for inspiration. Did I just admit that I was looking at Martha Stewart's site? Please don't tell!

I started digging through my heart themed fabrics and found a few I liked.

Then I had to find a heart to use as a pattern. My freehand drawing is not the best, so I found a picture on the web and resized it up and down for the heart and what was soon to be the heart center accent pieces. Then, came the cutting - hearts of both sizes and a piece of batting. I chose to make these flat and quilted rather than stuffed. Maybe the next batch will be pillowesque.

I practiced some edge stitching on a piece of the fabric and then jotted down te settings for what I decided to use. I'm not sure why I remembered this step, but I did! I can safely turn off the machine and not have to wonder "what in the world was that stitch I used?"

I stitched a small heart in the center of one of the large hearts with the decorative stitching. Then I made a sandwich of two large hearts right sides together with the batting on the wrong side of one of the hearts, sewed around the edges, leaving a turning area open, turned the heart, and top stitched around the edge. I did a quick machine quilting stitch inside the smaller heart so it would show on the back of the ornament as well.

These photos are the first heart I made. It still needs a hanger (probably thread) and when I make more, I'll add a hanging ribbon before I stitch the two pieces together. There's always a first! These were mighty simple, but I believe I could gussy them up with ribbons, strip/string quilting, etc.

A few tee shirt quilts

2011-01-18T19:46:00.000-05:00

I've been discussing tee shirt quilts on an E-mail list in which I participate. I thought I would show a few of the quilts that I've done over the years for others.

I have closeups of most of these. They were primarily done with the quilt-as-you-go method and then pieced with sashing. The sashing has machine quilting that was added as the blocks were attached to each other. With every quilt, I learned a lesson. I'm most proud of the soccer quilt, but am proud of all of them in their own way. They took about 2 months each to design and make.

My way is my way. There are a lot of different methods to use when making tee shirt quilts, several on the internet and others in books. I started a 'how to' years ago and this is as far as I got:

Tee shirt quilts

Decide how many squares
Width should be at least 60ish
Length should be around 76-80ish.

Separate tees into color piles, as well as size of design if necessary.
Set up grid, and plan the colors based on tees.
Design any "blank" squares.

Cut muslin mounting squares exact square size after doing math for design.
Remember to add in sashing measurements.
Cut tees about the size of the muslin, or a skosh larger.
Baste tees onto muslin for stabilization.

Have fun!

Another hexagon tutorial

2011-01-17T20:55:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite blogs to follow is Quiltville by Bonnie K. Hunter. It's all about using your stash and sewing with scraps, with a focus on quilts. As I was browsing older posts today, I found a really nice hexagon English piecing tutorial. She explains it so much better than I could, so I will provide pictures of what I'm doing rather than a how-to from here on :)

If you're interested in using small pieces of fabric to create larger items, do follow her blog. I just ordered her two books - one directly from her and one from Amazon. I can't wait to get them!

Hexagon quilt - part 2

2011-01-17T00:01:00.000-05:00

I work on my hexagon charm quilt every day and today, I made a decision.

We have so many blankets and sheets and bed coverings that we don't use or that don't match anything at all, many of which we don't remember acquiring!, and have been collecting these things for 20 or 30 years. Today, we made a pile and went through it. One item in the pile was an old store bought quilt. The pieced side has been falling apart and we stopped using it some time ago, but it's been living in my daughter's room just collecting dust. The batting is in good shape. The backing is in good shape. I did this once in the past, so decided to do this again - I'm going to use this old quilt as the batting and backing for the hexagon quilt. It's a ready-made completion piece, it guides me to the finished size of the top that I'm making, and it's essentially free. Why throw it away? Re-purpose it. Upcycle it. Reuse it. Recycle it.

I feel good about the decision and now look forward to continuing to sew and sew and sew until the hexagon top is done.

A Seasons Tree

2011-01-16T20:10:00.003-05:00

I have a tree, a metal tree. It's been a long time coming. I've always wanted a tree to decorate year round. I used to have a twig that I decorated with tiny wooden Easter eggs. That got me started. I have no idea where those eggs went.

Over the years, our Christmas tree has gone from a huge live tree to a very small faux tree with fewer and fewer decorations on it and finally, down to one string of lights. This year, I found a small metal tree with hooks on the boughs. It's perfect for what I want to display as a Christmas tree. The more I looked at it decorated for Christmas, the more I got to thinking that this might be the tree that I will use for all seasons.

So, that's what I'm going to do. I started collecting prisms and chandelier parts (crystals) and crystal/beaded snowflakes, and as of today, I have a few. I have 9 more on the way, and they'll get here, but I have a lifetime to go. I have some ideas for February (sewn hearts, for one) and Easter, and maybe something patriotic for July. I've got plenty of time.

The bottom line here is that it's time to carry on with things that I want to do. Why the heck not, right?

How to machine stitch bias tape around corners

2011-01-14T21:30:00.000-05:00

I admit, my placemats are almost always oval, my potholders almost always have rounded corners, and I avoid sharp corners on purpose. Why? I don't want to deal with binding and mitering corners. I am pretty good at it by hand, but never seemed to master the mitering by machine. Well, guess what? I found a blogger who has done a very nice, simple tutorial about sewing bias tape around corners:

"Smashed Peas and Carrots

I'm absolutely going to try her method the next time I get brave enough to do corners. I made my daughter a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt when she was younger and hand stitched bias binding all the way around, mitering inside and outside corners as I went. Jeesh. If only I'd had the internet or a friend to teach me how to do it by machine!

Texas Freckles: Hexagon Charm Quilt Piece-Along

2011-01-13T18:39:00.000-05:00

Texas Freckles: Hexagon Charm Quilt Piece-Along Another hexagon quilt. The more I look for them, the more I find! This one also includes links to graph paper and English Piecing patterns. Beautiful!

18" Doll Vest Project Up!

2011-01-13T01:43:00.001-05:00

I love to sew for 18" dolls. Sometimes I sell the items I sew and other times I don't. I may give the clothes away, swap with others, or simply keep them. There is a huge community of people who sew for 18" dolls, be they American Girl Dolls or others. I personally have about 10 dolls, including American Girl, Apple Valley, and a few hybrids. I have some that I want to rehab to give away or sell. They need some TLC for sure! Indeed, one or two of them could get haircuts and become boy models for clothing. But I digress.

Today, I received an E-mail from someone asking me for instructions on how to make an 18" doll vest. Many years ago, on a site I used to run (SewingWeb.com, may it R.I.P.), I created instructions and an online tutorial for that very thing. I re-coded it and put it up today for you to use. I made the pattern on my own. You can make one of our own or use a purchased one. The idea is to use up some smaller bits of fabric with the strip quilting process. You're not limited to the fabrics I used. Feel free to check out the projects link on the right or click here for the vest tutorial.

Here are a few vests I've made using the same general instructions:

P.S. If you go to ScrapSewing.com now, it will redirect you here. As mentioned below, the content of ScrapStitching and ScrapSewing will be here and projects and other information will be provided via ScrapStitching.com's space. You won't notice a thing other than ease of navigation.

Feel free to contact us anytime!

Going blog & today's sewing

2011-01-08T12:17:00.000-05:00

Scrapstitching.com is going blog. I'll still keep ScrapStitching.com alive for a holder of projects, tutorials, and other information, but the updates will be primarily found on the blog, right here.

A friend came by today to chat and visit, and I got my hexagon scrap quilt out and started sewing on that. I got about an hour of sewing in. It felt good to do some before my hands became fatigued with online work for today. I then showed her two of my other quilts - a denim string/strip quilt (below) and a black and white Cathedral Window.

Now I take a break and get some work done. I'll continue to sew each day and the hexagon scrap quilt will continue to grow. Happy sewing!

Threads Magazine

2011-01-07T20:26:00.000-05:00

I used to be a magazine junkie. In the days before the internet, I received sewing magazines and would devour them from cover to cover. I can't remember all the titles, but I believe one of them was Work Basket. At any rate, I still get Sew News and let my subscription to Threads run out a few years ago. Well, today, I renewed Threads. I miss my old friend and it's always fun to read and be inspired.

Lordamercy, what if I find more projects I want to do? Eeep.

Hexagon Scrap Quilt

2011-01-05T11:49:00.000-05:00

I decided I needed a new hand sewing project for several reasons:

1) Quitting smoking 11/18 and need something to do with my hands.
2) Having surgery on 12/14 and will need something to do while I hang out and rehab.
3) Want a new quilt made of scraps and that I can work on anywhere, anytime.

Years ago, I made a Grandmother's Flower Garden for my daughter in the traditional sense. I used English Piecing and fabric I purchased. I made curtains for her room out of the same fabric with a pieced block edge. I remembered how much I enjoyed that. I printed out 2" paper hexagons on recycled paper using a border of red so the lines would show on printed paper. Then I gathered 4" squares of fabric.

Each fabric is different and I won't be using a flower garden type pattern. This will truly be a scrap quilt.

Add a paper hexagon to the square with a pin.

Trim the fabric around the hexagon.

Baste the fabric to the paper design per the tutorial above.

I chose to stitch together rows of 10 various hexagons varying light and dark colors.

And then I stitched the rows of 10 together.

This quilt is a work in progress and is being made one row of 10 at a time. You can take your time and do the paper piecing first and then do the rows or do a little of this and a little of that for variety. Right now, I have a very large tote bag with all the components in it, including an envelope with paper hexagons, a contrasting thread for basting the pieces, a bag with basted hexagons, lots of rows of 10, and a small piece of rows that I've put together. In time, I'll be able to build on the piece until it's lap, twin, or queen sized, and then I can back it and use it. When you have surrounded one piece, you can remove the paper, by the way. The basting and paper are temporary. In the end, you'll have paper only in the hexagons around the outside of the quilt and those papers will be removed so you can back and bind the quilt.

These instructions are sketchy and a bit incomplete, but you get the idea. I'll be working on this for a long time and it'll be beautiful every step of the way.

Sewing in the new year

2011-01-05T11:35:00.000-05:00

Happy 2011!

There are a lot of big changes in my life and one major resolution. My resolution is to sew every day, even if it's just one piece for my hexagon scrap quilt. I'll post about that in a minute. The big change in my life is that I have a new left knee. I'm three weeks out from the surgery and doing great. I'm walking with a cane, off the pain meds, and able to concentrate enough to sew again. P.S. I still don't smoke after having quilt on the Great American Smokeout in 2010!

I have a sub-resolution as well and that is to attempt to make a garment for myself each month as I continue to rehab, exercise, and lose weight.

Here's hoping you have a great time with your stash and that you use your scraps like a madwoman/madman! Sew them up and enjoy the use of something small turning into something large. Why buy a piece of fabric when you can make your own with scraps?

Sewing and quitting smoking

2010-11-30T00:25:00.000-05:00

I quit smoking on November 18, the Great American Smokeout. While preparing to quit, I decided to make a quilt by hand. I've made them by hand before; in fact, I've made a Grandmother's Flower Garden three times - once for my daughter when she was two and once for my nephew's daughter. This one was made of denim and strawberry fabrics, and the blocks were outlined in red zig-zag stitching to make it extra strong. I also made one doll sized in Halloween fabrics. I use it for a seasonal decoration.

Now, I'm doing another one. It's my quit smoking quilt. The hexagons are 1.5" (as are the ones in my nephew's daughter's quilt) and each one is a different fabric to give it a truly scrappy look. I collected a 4" square from every fabric I have that is suitable (cotton or cotton blend). I also printed out hexagon graph paper to use for the English Piecing method which I use when constructing anything with hexagons. Sunshine Creations blog has a great tutorial on English Piecing to which you will be led if you click on the link! Mine is not quite as tidy, but the method is essentially the same. It's a great way to make small pieces into a larger project.

The good news for me is that I'm not smoking. I've spent a lot of time cutting paper hexagons (NOT with my good scissors) and fabric squares, and trimming the fabric before basting it onto the paper. (Google will lead you to tons of tutorials about Grandmother's Flower Garden designs, probably the most popular of the hexagon quilts.) Hand quilts like these or Cathedral Window are a great way to do a little here and a little there and make it last for a while.

Smoking is a nasty habit. It will be nice to have a beautiful reminder of what one can do instead of smoking. I believe this quilt will be a keeper.

TKR and not about sewing

2010-11-21T14:31:00.000-05:00

I ran across a blog while I was researching rehab for total knee replacement, which I am slated for on December 14. Add that to the mayhem of quitting smoking, which I did on November 18 (The Great American Smokeout) and you have my life in a nutshell of late.

In the blog, there was the best animated gif I've ever seen; it defines me recently.

Oddly mesmerizing, I'd say.

As I prepare for the total knee replacement, not only have I quit smoking, I'm getting my house in order, moving furniture to the "other" room and preparing for delivery of recliner furniture in my living room. I am thinking that I will be downstairs for a good part of the time, at least in the beginning.

The consensus on partial resolution of my research is that the operation is a piece of cake, the hospitalization is a breeze, but the rehab is a bitch. Good drugs at first weaned down to eh. And then they expect you to bend again! Lily have even said it hurts like hell, but if she can do it, so can I. Folks who have gone through it say it's worth it. That's what counts for me, that it's worth it.

And so we prepare. I will have a hand sewing project to do, I've ordered some paperback books, I have a television at the ready, and I can take my laptop outside if need be.

In the meantime, I tap my fingers.

Halloween!

2010-10-31T02:55:00.000-04:00

It's Halloween again! I stopped by Sewing Mama's forum to check out costumes that folks are making for their kids and it took me a bit down memory lane. I was taken back to the days of sewing bones on a black sweat suit to make a skeleton costume, stitching apples on a green sweatshirt to make an apple tree costume, covering boxes and other accessories with fabric to sew a very complicated Darth Vader costume, making a leopard costume with hat and tail that doubled as pajamas over the next year, and so many more. We still have, though don't go through as often, a Halloween box in the attic that we'd get down mid-October for the kids to dig through. There are lab coats, cowboy hats, old costumes from years gone by, and a variety of dress up items for Halloween and other times. We had witches, hippies, cats, ghosts, vampires, and all ilk of creepy creatures in our house at one time or another. Fond memories indeed.

Halloween can almost always be addressed with what you have on hand. There's no need to go rent a fancy costume or spend hundreds on one with exactly all the right trimmings. Someone who can sew (or even use fabric glue!) can make a costume for Halloween or other times with old clothes, sheets, and who knows what else you have in your fabric stash. Be creative and work with your kids on something unique. Yeah, you might end up buying a hat or something to go with the suit, but your children will have fun dressing up before the holiday and after, and if you think ahead, you too can take out the Halloween box a while ahead of time and let them go a little nuts.

In most parts of the country, it gets cold shortly after Halloween and we have other holidays on our minds. Let Halloween be the end of the season and the welcoming back indoors that it always seems to be. Have fun. Go crazy. Laugh and smile. And by all means, treats, no tricks please.

September is National Sewing Month

2010-09-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to National Sewing Month. There's a contest afoot. It's not being run by us, but hey, we just might look into it. Click the picture to go to the site.

Every month is sewing month for me. How about you?

How to sew and a free beginning sewing book on line.

2010-08-22T15:00:00.000-04:00

I was going through some old notes I had printed off the internet related to sewing. In the folder, I found something I've been looking for! Can you believe it? I often print things to refer to later or to try a project or for ideas to expand upon. The thing I found was this - the URL to the free sewing book online brought to you by Craft and Fabric Links

If you're new to sewing, check it out. I'm often asked how to do this and that, and this instructional manual covers most anything you'd like to know. I still refer to my Reader's Digest and Singer sewing books (my old go-to sources; we all have them, right?), but between our sewing dictionary and this online book, you should be okay. For example, here's the table of contents/chapter list:

Chapter One: Introduction To Sewing
Chapter Two: Choosing Your Pattern and Fabric
Chapter Three: Pattern Instructions
Chapter Four: Getting Ready To Sew: Lay-out And Cutting
Chapter Five: Setting Up Your Sewing Machine
Chapter Six: Now We're Sewing: Terms & Techniques
Chapter Seven: Pockets
Chapter Eight: Zippers & Buttonholes
Chapter Nine: Sleeve Installation
Chapter Ten: Darts & Pleats
Chart: Needle / Thread

Looking for someone to teach you to sew? The Home Sewing Association maintains a database of Trained Sewing Educators in your area.

Other options are your fabric stores, local 4-H resource people, church groups, local mentors and friends, and self-teaching by using patterns, the library, and the internet.

And if you have a chance, stop by your local library. In the nonfiction section, sewing books are in the 640 section (domestic arts), specifically the 646 section. Head for the children's department and browse through 646 for truly beginner projects. Don't laugh; that's one of the things I did to learn!

Enjoy sewing. Start small and aim high. There are no real rules, just methods. And even those are adjustable to your own talent and desire.

An incomplete photo album of some things I've made over the years.

2010-08-21T01:16:00.000-04:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/dgapperson/ThingsIVeMadeSewingAndOtherArtsyFartsyStuffThroughTheYears #

There are a lot more photos on my hard drive - one of these days, I'll get the pictures up here! Some of these things were created along with a how-to written for the web site du jour for which I was working or owning. Others are things I've made on contract, just for fun, to try something new, for the local community theater, and on and on. The overwhelming thread that seems to bind is that I like to make things out of things that have already been made. Must track back to my former hippie wannabe days!

Binding a quilt - boring or inspiring?

2010-08-16T00:12:00.000-04:00

Now there's a question for which I do not have an answer!

I'm completing a quilt my sister started before she died. It's a labor of love and it's at the point where I've had it for about three years now and it's just plain time to get it done. She started by doing individual blocks the size of a bandanna and hand quilted around everything that was on the bandanna (they're all different). Her stitches are small, uniform, and beautiful. Her stitching far outshines mine, but I followed the same pattern of making quilt blocks individually with a bandanna, hand stitching around the designs. Next came the sashing between the blocks, between the rows, and around the edges of the quilt. I did this wrong the first time and put the quilt away, unable to work on it another minute. I finally took it out of its container and used my trusty seam ripper to take off the sashing I had messed up. From there, I made short work of backing, batting, and sashing all edges that needed it. It's still not perfect, but it's done.

Then came the binding. I had cut and pieced 3" strips of the same fabric as the sashing. The method I use is to machine stitch the binding on one side of the quilt and then turn it, pin it, and hand stitch the other side. Unfortunately, I was stumped on the corners. My miters just didn't work out. I improvised. I cut off the point of each corner and rounded it just a bit so that I could go smoothly around rather than fight a miter. After the machine work, I indeed did turn the binding and pinned it to the back for hand stitching. I had a few flaws to cover and the width of 3" was perfect for that. I was able to make it appear as though all edges came together as they were supposed to with the application of the binding.

And now, for the past two weeks, I have been hand sewing the remainder of the binding. I have had short periods of time to sit and sew. Compounded with the fact that my hands just can't take the hand sewing for a length of time, the hand sewing is taking more time than I expected. I stitch and stitch and stitch and my mantra seems to be, "I want to get this derned thing done! NOW!" and then my other mantra sneaks in - "I don't want this to be done; I want to sew forever." I'm winding down a very intense project, filled with emotion, memories, farewells, time, skills, improvisation, frustration, correction of endless mistakes and flaws, and now finally, it's almost done. Amazing.

I probably have a few nights' worth of sewing left to do. I will then snip off errant threads and wipe off any dog hair the quilt has adopted, photograph all that I can, and finally, I'll find a box. It's going to be very difficult to pack it up and send it away. It could be one of the most difficult things I've ever done, giving it away. The truth is, though, it's not mine to give away. It wasn't mine to sew. It was Patsy's and I'm going to have to let it go.

Back to the original question - Binding a quilt - boring or inspiring? I'll let you decide, but do know that most of this was written in my head while I was sewing binding earlier this evening.

A bit of this and that

2010-08-14T15:28:00.000-04:00

The former brother-in-law's quilt is done except some of the hand work on the binding.
The bee potholders are done, but I need to take pictures.
I put Halloween placemats on eBay (user name croakerwoods) and am going to put up some Virginia Tech Christmas stockings.
I'm finishing three sets of 4 Halloween Hunk/rainbow reversible placemats. I'll put them on eBay and Etsy as well.
My daughter and a friend want Halloween Hunk tote bags. So, I'll be crafting them soon. If you don't know what Halloween Hunk fabric is, just Google it or take a peek on eBay (lots of people have it for sale).
These placemats are the project I must finish before I move on. The bee potholders were the prior one. The quilt, well, it's been a work in progress, a UFO, for years, so finishing it now is just amazing.

Photos to come!

What are YOU sewing?

A reminder about sewing for charity

2010-08-08T14:49:00.000-04:00

Some time ago, I posted about sewing for charity. The need in our country and elsewhere has never been greater. Kids are getting ready to go back to school, parents are losing or not able to find jobs, winter and cold weather are right around the corner, Halloween is coming and there are kids who may not have costumes, Christmas and other giving holidays are also on the way and many will go without presents, and there is much that we with our needles and thread can do. You can sew something for someone else for no reason at all - a random act of kindness. You can volunteer locally to help with sewing at a preschool, a community theater, a church, an early intervention center, a hospital, a Ronald McDonald House, and so many other places. To get you started, take a a trip back and read my former post about sewing for charity, which I updated today:

Sewing For Charity Post

Moving back to Blogger

2010-08-07T00:39:00.000-04:00

Zen Sewing is moving back to Blogger for several reasons. I don't blog for profit, so it's silly to pay my former blog host monthly to keep it up. I'm more familiar with how Blogger works and it's more comfortable for me.

I'll play around with designs until I find one that is easy to read and keep updated on a regular basis. So, enjoy the ride. Here we go!

Sewing a memory

2010-08-05T20:10:00.000-04:00

A few years ago, my oldest sister, Patsy, died after having open heart surgery. I still remember the phone call and my reaction. I also remember that the day before, she and I had laughed together on the phone. We didn't always get along, but we are sisters and that's just that. She was in the process of becoming single at the time, but she started a project for her soon to be ex (STBX). She was making a quilt-as-you-go beer bandanna quilt. Some time after the funeral, her STBX asked me if I would finish it. I agreed. He wrapped up her old sewing machine in what I think he might have thought was a trash quilt and mailed that to me along with the quilt squares she had finished for the bandanna quilt. Here's a post showing the "Patsy quilt" which was sent to her grandson as a gift.
Back to the bandanna quilt. I've worked on it off and on for three years and this week, decided it was time to finish it. The blocks that Patsy quilted were all done by hand with perfectly spaced stitching. She was an amazing embroiderer and could sew like a dream. I always seem to be chasing her talent! The blocks I completed, I started out doing all by hand, but did do some work by machine. I completed the sashing and connecting the rows this week. Tonight, I was working on the last of the hand sewing on the back. Unfortunately, the back is composed of several types of muslin and is not the most beautiful work on the planet, but that's the way it goes.
Later this week, I will machine stitch the binding and then at least pin it for the hand sewing on the other side. My hands aren't as eager to do hand sewing as they used to be. The STBX apparently has some health issues right now. I wrote to my niece (his daughter) for their address so I could send the quilt to him and she said this was a really good time for him to have a boost.
Overall, I think I'm doing this for Patsy more than anything else. I've hesitated to finish it. It's like the completion of my acceptance of her death, I think. But you know what? She wanted it done and so I am doing it. I think Michael (STBX) will like it.
I will post pictures soon.
The lesson to learn is that no matter what the motivation for a project's beginning, it deserves to be completed.

2010-07-19T03:17:00.000-04:00

Life is a bit complicated right now, and yet, I find that I need to try and sew a little something every day. I'm almost done with the bee potholders and am really liking the way they're turning out. I'll have pictures of the finished products soon. The tops are made, the sandwiches of top, batting, Insulbrite, and back are made. Now it's time to complete the machine quilting around the bees themselves and make and apply the bias binding. I've made the decision to use the gold bandana and the bee fabric for the binding. I'll make fabric with non bias strips and then cut the bias strips and make the binding from that.

One of the ways I help myself fall asleep is to complete sewing projects in my head or create new ones as I ease off into the realm of sleep. I have so many specialty fabrics in my stash that I am vacillating between Christmas stockings, tote/grocery bags, placemats, and other small kitchen accessories. I have a couple patterns for tops I want to cut out for myself. I also have fabric I'd like to make pants with. For now, though, time is an issue, so I'll work on designing those items as I drowse and nod in bed.

Though it's not specifically project oriented, I am finding that sewing still helps me keep myself centered and brings me back to a place of my own when there is chaos all around me. I can focus and simply be. That, again, is the zen of sewing, and I hope it rings true for you as well. Sewing is our friend. Our very good friend.

Sewing almost every day

2010-07-18T20:17:00.000-04:00

One of the ways I help myself fall asleep is to complete sewing projects in my head or create new ones as I ease off into the realm of sleep. I have so many specialty fabrics in my stash that I am vacillating between Christmas stockings, tote/grocery bags, placemats, and other small kitchen accessories. I have a couple patterns for tops I want to cut out for myself. I also have fabric I'd like to make pants with. For now, though, time is an issue, so I'll work on designing those items as I drowse and nod in bed.

Though it's not specifically project oriented, I am finding that sewing still helps me keep myself centered and brings me back to a place of my own when there is chaos all around me. I can focus and simply be. That, again, is the zen of sewing, and I hope it rings true for you as well. Sewing is our friend. Our very good friend.

Bee Potholders 2 - How a project progresses

2010-07-07T16:42:00.000-04:00

Trial and error - that's how it works, especially when you're either working with no pattern or creating your own. The potholders continue. I consulted the drawing and used a water soluble pen to draw antennae, eyes, and legs for my big bee. I tried a couple different decorative stitches on the Bernina and came up with one that suited the design, stitching the legs per the picture. I created half circles on top of the black piece of the bee to serve as eyes. And then, I did the satin stitch around the whole body.

Looking at the picture above, it looks eh. the legs are not the same length and seem to have a cattywampus placement. That alone wouldn't be a problem, but the antennae aren't quite right either. Check it out in comparison of the drawing.

I didn't stitch the wings on, but did want to see how they looked, so placed them on, trimmed them down to fit so the legs would show, and then stood back and reminded myself this was my prototype and that I get to keep this one. Argh. Sometimes things don't go perfectly the first time! The position of the legs looks even worse with the wings, but there you go. This is how a project progresses. For the next three bees, I'll follow the drawing a little closer when drawing the legs and antennae. I hope that I won't have to cut down the wings any more than just a smidgen; they should be bigger than shown on the piece above.

I'm laughing as I type this because it is really kind of funny the first time you try something and it turns out a little wonky. I'm sharing it with you to show you that you will make "mistakes" along the way and you need to not let them bother you. It's never a waste; it's always a lesson. And I'll end up with a pretty groovy potholder to use in my kitchen. What I won't do with this one is use the bee fabric for binding since I know for sure I'm keeping it. I'll use black bias binding, which will work just as fine. For an item I want to sell, I prefer to use handmade bias binding that matches the design a little better.

Hopefully, the next post will show you the one above completed and one that is a little more like the drawing. I do love the colors and like the choice of bee fabric for wings.

Bee Potholders 1 - How a project happens

2010-07-04T16:51:00.000-04:00

I'm back home and after some family health issues, have decided it's time to sew, and that means it is time to post.
People often ask me - "How do you come up with stuff?" Honestly, there is no rhyme or reason to it, but hey, here's a shot at explaining it. What I'm not going to do is go over every instruction for these potholders. You can see the general "how to" for potholders here. I've made them many times and the process is the same.

For many holidays and birthdays, when my younger son was asked what he wanted as a gift, he would respond, "a jar of bees." One birthday recently, I decided to do just that and made him a jar of bees pillow.

I have leftover bee fabric and it has been speaking to me. So I went looking for bee pictures and found this one:

Now I have bee fabric and a drawing of a bee. Hmm, what to do? Potholders! I traced the basic bee parts from the drawing onto Wonder Under and cut the body of the bee out of a golden bandanna and the top and head out of black, but couldn't decide what to do with the wings. I fused the body to an 8" potholder blank that I cut out of recycled denim. Then I used a tight zig-zag/satin stitch on my machine to make the stripes on the bottom of the bee.

It looks kind of plain, but there's a lot of work to be done. I decided right about at this point to use the bee fabric for the wings and then use a satin stitch to give the illusion of veins per the drawing.

I have not yet stitched the wings down as I want to do them last. I'm still thinking on it, but I think my next step is to draw the legs, eyes, and antennae with a water soluble pen or pencil and get them stitched onto the denim. I'll use a water soluble backing when I do the embroidery (I do not have an embroidery machine, so will be creative with the Bernina I do have) for stability. The back of the potholders will be the bee fabric. I don't have enough of it to do the binding, so am thinking of doing a striped length of fabric with the black and bee fabric and cut my bias binding from that.

As projects go, this one is fairly easy. It will be time consuming because of the legs on the bee and the fact that I'm making four of them, but I need a machine project that will take some time. I'm not sure if I will sell these or keep them, but there you go. I looked at a pillow made from interesting fabric and decided it was time to use the remnant. I gathered other fabrics, including the junk jeans, that I already had, hit the internet for a drawing to use for my Wonder Under pattern, and there you go. You could do something like this on jeans or anything you wanted.

Start with something in your stash that speaks to you and just do it. More to come as the design progresses. Hope you have fun with your sewing!

Custom Fabric Covered Light Switch Plate Covers/Plates

2010-06-17T17:36:00.000-04:00

I decided a while back to make some light switch covers. Then as I got further into them, it seemed like a good thing to share with others. This is my first set:

It was not my best work, but I got the process down after a few more. Here are some other examples of covers I made:

Regardless of the size of the cover or the shape of the switch itself, you can cover it with fabric using ModPodge or a water/glue mixture and a little imagination. I used an Exacto knife, but you can use scissors or whatever you have for cutting. The basic back instructions look like this:

Want to make some of your own? Comprehensive step-by-step, photographed instructions can be found here. Now go gather up some small pieces of fabric, some new or old light switch covers, and get started. Way easy.

A couple of notes:

I painted the screws for each cover to match the fabric. I picked up just a basic set of paints, stuck the screws in a Styrofoam ball to hold them steady, and then painted the heads.
For light switches with the round fader, cut a circle a little bit larger than the circle itself and turn the fabric under on the back, using the same glue/ModPodge process.
You do need to let these dry for a day or so before using them.
They're great for selling on line or at craft shows too using trendy fabrics, holiday fabrics, hand dyed fabrics - the list is endless.

I'm sure there are other ways to do these, but it's the best way I could figure out and now you've got the instructions too.

No Sewing for a bit!

2010-06-13T17:16:00.000-04:00

I am in Phoenix for a bit, visiting my sister. She is having surgery on her eyelid tomorrow and I'm here in case she needs help. I'm sure she'll be fine and it'll go very smoothly. But I only have hand sewing with me, and that's difficult to work on because my right hand is not as keen on fine movements as it once was. I'll take the sewing with me to the surgeon's office and possibly work on it some; I can't not sew! I'm making a doll quilt/wall hanging that is a Cathedral Window design - muslin for the windowpanes and M&M fabric for the windows. It will provide a calm familiarity when I thread the needle and slip stitch the muslin frames and colorful M&Ms into the design. I'm working with a muslin that is heavier than I like. I mail ordered it. Let that be a lesson - you need to know what kind of muslin you want if you order online or you need to purchase it in person so you can touch it and know the feel.

I'll be out of touch until about June 30. I may take a trip to a local fabric store, but I really don't need any. I have more fabric than I could ever use. I'm sure I'll find something sewing-related to do while I'm out here, even if it's merely designing in my head or buying a pair of light denim jeans at a yard sale for my dark/light pillow projects.

The Denim Pillows in Pictures

2010-05-31T11:24:00.000-04:00

Here are the three pillows together. The single log cabin pillow was supposed to be round. Oh well, sometimes things don't work out perfectly, right? My daughter thinks the light/dark triangle pillow looks like birds flying. I told her there was a Flying Geese pattern that was similar, but this one was not the same. The four log cabin pillow is paned with a piece of denim to allow for the seam allowance. There are no photos of the back, but the backs were made of 6" wide random denim with reinforced seams. Fun stuff.

I mailed these off to Linda and Grace and they'll be receiving them soon. If you do make pillows like this, remember to put them in a pillowcase when you wash and dry them, then fluff them up when they're dry. I used stuffing rather than pillow forms; I've never worked with pillow forms. I reinforced all seams I could because recycled denim tends to fray. You can use any design you like. If you use tiny pieces, though, you may struggle with thick seams.

Recycling More Denim

2010-05-23T17:52:00.000-04:00

A friend has asked me to make some recycled denim pillows, so I got to thinking - What kind of designs? What kind of backing fabric? It took me a while, but I got three designs going, one log cabin, another with
triangles, and then a random one (pix later). Then I broke out all my denim and sorted into really light and really dark, and started cutting. I used old threads because the color wouldn't show and it was a good way
to use up partial spools. I put in a spanking new denim needle (size 16) and started stitching. I haven't done any sewing in a while, so it was good to get back into it.

Now to cut the backs, put them together and stuff them. Another task for another day!

Coffee Accessories are Cool

2010-02-16T18:34:00.000-05:00

If you click on this link, you'll be whisked away to a quickie tutorial about this, but we had to share anyway - it's a coffee container and placemat that I made lickety split one day. Well decoupage is never quick, but you get my drift.

It was time to gussy up the counter with something other than blah for the grinds and mat. It's a simple decoupage on a Cool Whip container and then a strip quilted mat. The coffee doesn't stain the mat if I spill a drop while pouring out and it's easily machine washed. I didn't have a pattern and I didn't follow any real rules. I just did it. And you can too.

Projects You Can Make

2010-02-16T10:01:00.000-05:00

You can find most of the projects I've done here, with photos and instructions. I will add more as time allows. Let me know if there's something you'd like me to try. (Updated 02/19/10)

Cathedral Window What? How to make them and some I've made.

2010-02-15T09:03:00.000-05:00

I was asked today what a Cathedral Window quilt was. Several years ago, I did a sewing project for Sewing.com about how to make a Cathedral Window quilt. Since then, I've made several. I've made doll quilts, finished a wall hanging, and made one for the family. I also made one for my nephew. You can find the project and how-to by clicking here.

Here are some that I've made over the years, though certainly not all!

This is a doll quilt and pillow made with a dark blue print for the frames and lace for the windows and binding.

This is a piece of a full sized Cathedral Window I made for myself with black and white fabrics that I've been collecting for years as the frame and recycled denim for the windows. The frames started with 11" squares. The windows are about 2" squares of denim.

This is a doll quilt made in the traditional sense with muslin frames, but nontraditional in the sense that I used flame fabric for the windows.

This is a Paddington Bear doll quilt and pillow. Each window has the face of Paddington Bear. The frames are muslin. All doll Cathedral Window quilts started with a 6" square.

This is a red/white/blue doll quilt with muslin frames. I alternated a star fabric with a flag fabric.

This is my first Cathedral Window which I made and included in the project linked above. It's another full sized one and the squares began as 11".

I really enjoy the portability and hand sewing involved with Cathedral Window quilts. I'm getting ready to fly to Phoenix and will take another project with me. This time, I'm using 8" squares to start. My hands got a little tired the last time I started with 6" squares.

There are no real rules. Do what you love!

Digging Groundhog Day

2010-02-02T08:08:00.000-05:00

Sounds like Phil saw his shadow. Know what that means? It means six more weeks of sewing. I know I'm going to follow that edict! How about you?

I sold a few items on Etsy and a few on eBay, but mostly, I'm sewing items to sell in the fall. I'm on a Halloween kick now that I have Christmas stockings made and ready for next year. The final one is made of Smurf fabric and is embellished with a few Christmas buttons and some trim.

There's snow on the ground, my work day is almost done, and I'm going to sew today. I'm feeling the urge to feed my creative beast and that's one way to do it.

Frugal Devolution (or why one shouldn't blog when feeling pensive)

2010-01-08T18:15:00.000-05:00

A couple of sewing thoughts to ponder. They're not just sewing thoughts, but could honestly apply to anything in life. So let's get started.

There is talk nowadays about 'devolution.' It's nothing new; the music group Devo had it down to an art. They suggested that everything is created for obsolescence and that we were devolving. Okay, that's a little heady, but it's worth thinking about. In the process of devolution, we will have met our level of competence (or a Peter Principle - level of incompetence) with technology. Our electronic world will begin to fail and we will start stepping backwards to a time when we knew how to take care of ourselves. Many people today would be hard pressed to raise their own food, build or maintain their own homes, keep themselves warm with fire, or to make clothing. That's where sewing comes in. With our sewing skills and curiosities, we're way ahead of the game. I would wager to guess that not only do people who sew create great clothes, dolls, crafts, etc., they most likely do something else that is creative - growing vegetables and cooking them into delightful dishes - that kind of thing. So congrats on knowing or learning how to sew. You're ready for the electronic crash.

A lot of discussion is held about frugality these days too. Not cheap, but frugal. Frugal often is defined as living beneath your means, like voluntary simplicity. (The two are not mutually exclusive, you know.) There are many ways to sew and do it frugally. There is no hard and fast rule that says you have to buy your supplies at a traditional fabric/notions store. Nor do you have to buy the most expensive sewing machine, used or new, to make the magic happen. I personally started with hand embroidery. I embroidered all the time. My work wasn't as perfect as machine embroidery, but that's okay. I didn't spend a fortune on an embroidery machine and I have such a respect for those who still embroider. I drew pictures on fabric and turned them into colorful paintings with thread. But I digress. I've had my sewing machine for 25+ years, keep it cleaned and tuned up, and it's running as good as new. I purchase fabric at yard sales, sometimes the thrift store, often on line (eBay is a great place for a smokin' deal, but keep an eye on those shipping rates!), and from friends or Freecycle for free. I do go to Hancock Fabrics from time to time, but only with a coupon from their flyer. I recycle towels into hand towels and dish towels. I recycle cotton tee shirts into cloths for cleaning. I recycle old blankets as batting for a quilt project. I use small pieces of fabric for doll clothes and crafts. I try to save where I can, but I also try to make sure I make time to sew.

Whether it be devolution or frugality, people who sew are ready for at least one portion of the de-techologicalizing of our lives! And we're going to keep practicing too, right?

Wonder Under is my friend, yours too!

2010-01-01T08:33:00.000-05:00

Wonder Under is an amazing product. I use it often, so buy online since prices are usually better than offline stores, especially since WalMart stopped carrying sewing items.

I have used Wonder Under to recreate pictures that my children have drawn by tracing the picture, cutting the pieces out of fabric, fusing them to a piece of muslin and then doing a tight zig-zag or satin stitch around all edges. I finish the edges with Fray Check or a similar product and the life of the piece is endless. I have washed and dried many pieces I've made using this method. Check out my dish towel project - this is a typical Wonder Under application, as are the many potholders I've made. I've used Wonder Under to fuse photos printed on fabric for use with memory quilts as well. You can see another use in my bib project.

Some people use Wonder Under without stitching the edged; they simply fuse and let it go. I've not had good luck with that method. In order to make something that you can wear or use several times, items you are able to wash and dry, you really do need to stitch the edges. The only reason I use a fray reducer is that one project with printed photos did some unraveling on the edges. The fabric upon which the picture was printed was fairly fragile. Better safe than sorry with usable items. As mentioned above, I made hand towels using Wonder Under and have washed and dried them a lot with only minimal expected wear that is uniform and not limited to the fused fabric.

You can buy WonderUnder on line and off. There are other products similar to it, but I've not used them. I tend to stick with what I know most of the time. Now, go crazy and make some stuff!

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T13:19:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the last post of 2009! It's been a year of change for ZenSewing.com and our new home on Typepad. To summarize 2009: I've been working on migrating projects and information from my old sewing websites to here with the goal of having everything in one place in an organized fashion for you to use. The life of FrugalSewing.com has come to an end and that site is not being updated any longer. TheSewingDictionary.com is still alive and will continue to be updated when new, edited, or other information dictates. It will continue to be a pet project of mine and serves as a compendium of sewing and fabric terms. ZenSewing.com proper will redirect here in time. Right now, this destination is highlighted on the site.

Looking toward 2010, I have a few goals. One of them is to continue to highlight projects and how to information. That may be enveloped in projects that I myself have done or that friends who wish to donate ideas have created. Boutique clothing is coming. I did not meet a deadline for a Christmas dress for a local young lady, so she will be getting a winter one. I will continue to document how to do this or that embellishment in the event that you wish to try your luck. I will be working on inventory for a craft show toward the end of 2010, and that will provide me with the opportunity to show you how to use your stash in a variety of ways. The focus will continue to be sewing frugally and sewing because it meets a need for you, both inside and out. Another goal is to encourage everyone to teach someone something related to fabric arts, be it sewing, learning to replace a button, enjoying a no-sew fleece scarf, or embroidery. It's an art we cannot allow to die.

My wish for you is that you have a healthy new year. As with all works in progress, this site will continue to improve. I also consider myself a work in progress, and I will continue to improve too (I hope!).
Thank you for visiting and sticking with me over the years. Here's to many, many more. - Donna

And so it's just about Christmas

2009-12-23T19:34:00.000-05:00

My daughter has a friend who asked me to help her make a jellyfish costume for Halloween. Well, that never worked out and she made it herself. Recently, my daughter asked me to make a cat Christmas stocking for the friend and I said, hmmm, wonder if I can work in a jellyfish! And guess what, I can and I did. I used striped cat fabric, silver rick-rack, fluffy white terry for the cuff, and some silver sequin fabric and silver rick-rack to make the jellyfish. She posted a picture on her Facebook and I stole it to show you here. And with this stocking picture, I say Merry Christmas to everyone!

One more stocking and then a break

2009-12-08T05:48:00.000-05:00

It's about time to set sewing aside for holiday stuff. The Christmas tree needs decoration, the cookies need to be made, the house needs to be readied for guests. I did make one more stocking, though. How about a Hokie stocking?

Just a little something for our Virginia Tech friends. I did try something new with this - I purchased some fluffy terry from Fabric.com and found out that it sewed very nicely. I have quite a bit, so will use it for cuffs from here forward, at least till it's gone. This stocking is two sided, so the user has a choice of which way the toe points. That's the age-old question with Christmas stockings, isn't it? This stocking is not quilted, so it's very simple to make. Cut, making sure your fabric is going in the right direction (this had a one way print), stitch cuff on the top, sew the two pieces with right sides together using double seams, clip curves, turn, bind raw edge. There you have it.

I'll begin on Valentine's Day items after Christmas. By next year, I should be two seasons ahead instead of right on time. That makes for better shows and selling! Whew.

Ties for stockings take 2

2009-11-21T19:17:00.000-05:00

Ah, Christmas stockings. Can you ever make enough? I finished three more which I made out of neckties. Wow, that stuff is hard to sew. The harvested fabrics were silky and on the bias. Two-punch - stretchy and slippery! They turned out mighty nice, though! As mentioned below, I spent an evening taking the ties apart and learning about them. I pressed them and used the strip quilting technique that I've mentioned before. I covered the seam lines with gold rick-rack, the cuffs were made of a fluffy terry fabric, and the backs were created with simple Christmas fabric.

On a side note, I put out a "wanted" on my local Freecycle group for Christmas fabrics and score! Another Freecycler had a bag of Christmas fabrics she had been sitting on and realized she'd never use. Interestingly, several of them matched fabrics I've had for years, so they're not all modern prints. They are also the smaller prints that I tend to gravitate towards. What a great find.

I'll post pictures of the stockings made of ties at a later date. Right now, I have several Virginia Tech Christmas stockings to sew! Like I said, can you ever make enough? I'm putting them up on Etsy as I finish them. It's more about the making than the selling, though.

Update - here are some pictures of the three I finished.

Ties for stockings

2009-11-15T09:32:00.000-05:00

I've been sewing a lot lately out of my stash. I'm trying to use what I have rather than purchase more, and am having some success with that. Over the past few years, I've been collecting silk ties with an eye towards making Christmas stockings, girls' skirts, or other things I'm inspired to stitch together.

Last night, I sat down with my seam ripper, a sharp pair of shears, a small trash bag, and my box of ties. I dissected all of them that had red or green in them and set them aside. I learned quite a bit about tie construction by taking them apart. Funny how that works.

There will be more to the story as I continue to sew, but for today, that's it. I have to work till 5 and have an errand to run after that, then dinner to make, and then work a little more. I am not sure I'll have much sewing time between now and then!

Now, would someone tell me where my box of Christmas and other holiday fabrics is?

Christmas Stockings for Teachers/School Bus Drivers

2009-11-14T10:02:00.001-05:00

I made a few Christmas stockings this week. I used the same principles that I always use - strip quilting onto a backing with batting and then using a cotton back for the stocking. These three have a school/teacher/bus driver theme. I had purchased some school fabric at a yard sale for a quarter and it was basically border fabric that I used to harvest the apples, chalkboard, and other school items in the stockings. They were fun to make. I used some silver rick-rack; red, white, and green rick-rack; ribbons; and made bias bindings for the top of the cuff. It's time to get these made and ready to give, sell, or use!

Junk jeans!

2009-09-18T23:00:00.000-04:00

I spent an hour today gathering a huge stack of old denim (legs, pockets, etc., that had already been dissected). While I was on vacation, I had an idea for a denim skirt involving 6" strips. I ordered a 6" x 24" ruler and it was home by the time I got here (believe it or not, it was less expensive to buy the same ruler on line than in a store, including shipping!). I dusted off my cutting pad and dug out my table from behind a bookcase, and finally found my rotary cutter. It's been a while!
Then for the next hour, I cut 6" and 4" strips of denim, and sorting pockets for weighing and selling later. The 6" strips are what I was interested in for myself. Although I only did cutting today, it felt good to be doing something that involved fabric. Everyone I know brings me their old jeans, so it felt doubly good to be cutting denim with purpose. The next step in the skirt is to make strips and put the strips together to make the fabric from which the skirt will be cut.
As for those pockets and 4" strips, I think I'm going to make packages with each of those and my 2" strips and put them on eBay. I'll save enough 2" strips to make Christmas stockings, but I think I'm done with those.
So what fabric recycling are you into these days?

A sachet you can make - giftie project!

2009-08-25T23:00:00.000-04:00

We've posted another project from our days gone by on the web. This one is how to make a simple sachet. I used lacy fabrics over a solid fabric. I also used a leftover lace ruffle. These are filled with potpourri. You could use scented cotton or spices or leave them stuffed with scent-less fluff!

Above are the two from the tutorial, heart shaped, but the instructions are able to be adapted to whatever shape you like. I used to own SewingWeb.com (now defunct) and this is one of the projects I created way back then. Okay, it really wasn't all that long ago, but here it is - Sachet.

Smurf smock done!

2009-08-11T23:00:00.000-04:00

I made this smock using a Smurfs sheet and a retro (late 60s/early 70s) pattern which I adapted.I think it turned out pretty cute!

I bought nothing, so the frugality aspect is covered. I used my creative juices when it came to trims and trim placement, and that was a very satisfying sewing experience. It took several days because I simply didn't have time to sit and sew. There were also a lot of pieces and the yoke, sleeves, and cuffs required gathering/ease to attach. The collar needs to be dampened and ironed one more time, but it looks pretty good.
I added a flowery trim down the sleeve and also across the shoulder seams. There is rick-rack in the collar seam and across the yoke in the front and back.

The buttons match the blue of the Smurfs (I need to move one of them just a hair to make them match up perfectly, though).
Overall, I'm pleased with it. I like the price! I haven't made a full garment item in a while, so it was actually quite fun. It made me want to go back to making clothing more often, even if it's doll clothes! Wait, maybe it's time to make something for me.
Now to find my Halloween fabrics and get started on those!

That derned serger!

2009-08-07T23:00:00.000-04:00

I have a 3-thread Bernina serger (about 25 years old) that I adore. I replaced it once with a 4-thread Bernina, but chose to have the 3-thread tuned up and put back into service. When I did that, they lost my needle threader. If you know anything about your serger, you know you need that needle threader! I ordered another one that is a bit different hoping I'd never have to use it. I'm a firm believer in threading your serger by tying the new thread onto the remainder of the old thread and snaking it through. So, a week or so ago, a thread broke. AAAAAA. It was the looper thread that is hardest to get to and gives old sergers a bad name.
I had to thread it from scratch. I probably have done that twice in the last 25ish years! I tried to open the cloth guard and couldn't do it. I tried to thread the derned thing without opening the cover and couldn't do it. I went to consult the manual. I couldn't find it. It's been in my bookshelf for who knows how long, but it's not there now. Oh no. That would be too simple. I went online and ordered a photocopy of the manual. It came today and well, there it was, a clip that needed to be pulled back to open the cloth guard. Eureka!
It took 15 minutes more, but I got it done. I was almost ready to face the ridicule at the Bernina shop by taking it in to be threaded. But now, I sincerely rock. My serger is back in action - I faced the looper and won. Take that Bernina machine thingie!

Sewing tonight!

2009-08-03T23:00:00.000-04:00

I tend to work too much and sew too little. I have left my evening free for sewing. I will even move a small television into the sewing room/office and have the table ready for it. I have a child's blouse/smock cut out of Smurf fabric and am embellishing the sleeves with some retro trim and will use vintage buttons for the front. I have yet to cut out the pockets as I want to match the print of the fabric, so it will take some planning and fussy cutting. I also want to add a lining to the yoke, so will cut that out and incorporate it. I don't like leaving itchy seams on a kid's shirt. It feels good to be working on a garment. I have a lot of the Smurf fabric left, so I'll figure something out! I'm still using threads I have on hand and keep my serger threaded with off white thread; it seems to go with just about anything. Frugal sewing ... that's me!

Stop me before I make more potholders!

2009-08-01T23:00:00.000-04:00

Surprise! I made more potholders. This time, they're very Smurfy. Eeeep! I again used recycled denim and this time did machine appliques of musical Smurfs backed with a Smurf mushroom house. The binding is bias tape made from the Smurf fabric too. These were essentially free since I had all the parts already. Truly frugal. And cute too!

Potholder crazy!

2009-07-30T23:00:00.001-04:00

This is the potholder project which you can use, but what about me? I'm almost done with a set of Smurfs potholders. They're adorable too! Same method - Wonder Under, cut out the designs, fuse, satin stitch, use a batting sandwich that it heat resistant, and sew, sew, sew. I suspect I'm going to be hopeless with the small projects. I picked up a pattern for little girls with a smock type top that I adore. That's next after the Smurfs are done.

Walmart woe!

2009-07-30T23:00:00.000-04:00

Shock, horrors! The WalMart a few miles from me has fabric no more. I was in the store last night picking up a cordless phone and walked over to the fabric department to pick up some black cotton blend for Halloween bags. The shelves which one sported quilting fabrics, interfacing, novelty prints, and cottons were filled with colorful pillows. The table that held the flat fold remnants was gone. The rows of fabric bolts were filled with bedspreads and a variety of home decorative items. My fabric! It is gone. The pattern stand, threads, and zippers were still there, but the thread rows are, excuse the pun, thread bare. I suspect they'll disappear soon too.
I now have a Hancock Fabric Store and the online world for purchasing fabric. Time to visit yard sales, thrift stores, and all those other fun alternate sources of fabric, but dang! No more 24-hour shopping for notions, threads, and whims of amusement.

Acorn Potholders - Easy to make! Frugal too.

2009-07-26T23:00:00.000-04:00

Here's a short tutorial for potholders made with recycled denim and some vintage 70s fabrics I have. I need to add a photo of the completed two that I made, but you get the idea just with this example.
Stop by again for other tutorials as we either get old ones posted or create new ones for you!

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3 or so

2009-07-16T23:00:00.000-04:00

Yep, still here. :)
Today was spent working on some pot holders which are made of recycled denim and vintage 70s fabrics. I machine appliqued an acorn with leaves and twig on the front and made the backs out of the vintage fabrics. I just finished the bias binding using the two fabrics that I used for the acorn and leaves. The unfortnate thing is that I ran out of the green thread that I am using to applique the leaves. Thankfully, it's a Coats and Clark thread and is still made, so I can run out tomorrow and pick up a new spool. I'll take pictures and post them later and eventually will get a tutorial up for making potholders in general. My only direct cost, though, will be the thread. I already had everything else on hand. Not bad.

Sponge Bob Squarepants Bib *

2009-05-16T23:00:00.000-04:00

This is a bib that I've made a few times with minor variation, and I've had good luck selling them. People love Spongebob, not to mention Patrick! I drew the pattern and used recycled denim for the base. I have oodles of Velcro, so that seemed a nice, easy way to do the closure. I didn't want to do a button for a baby item.
You can use any fabric you like. You can put the crumb pocket on or not. Use store bought bias tape or make your own. Consider themes - Halloween, Christmas, other holidays. Enlarge your pattern and use it for toddlers.
It's all about having some fun with what you have on hand or what you want to buy. And who doesn't love Sponge Bob?
Click here to be taken to our project page. The link will open in a new window.

Denim Strip Quilt - Recycling Denim/Junk Jeans

2009-04-30T23:00:00.000-04:00

You can use up untold number of denim scraps from recycled jeans, jackets, skirts, and who knows what else, making a strip project like this. Cut denim into 2" strips and save those in a bag until you have time to make a quilt or a jacket. There is a tutorial here for the quilt. The jacket itself is simply one that we made adding strip quilting to a sweatshirt.
The photos below are of the denim jacket in progress and one of a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt I made for my nephew's baby. Although this is not strip quilted, it is a great way to use up denim. It's a cute little baby quilt and made to be used and abused.
Recycling denim is one of my favorite things to do. If you have a tutorial to share, lemme know. You can't have too many ways to creatively reuse junk jeans!

I use recycled denim a lot in projects you'll see on here. It's one of my favorite things to repurpose. My ideas are available as are many more on the web and in magazines and books. The possibilities are endless.