Kerri Made

Introducing Firefly

2010-04-05T06:34:00.000-07:00

Making blog debuts today are the babies. Here are a couple pics of the newest addition at the stable. She is our border's new filly.

What a little cutie.

And she is so tall! I couldn't get over how big she is, but then again when we had our first filly last year she was this size. That's our little Cookie, aka Cooka-Butt or if she's being bad then she's just plain Butt hehe. Her name came about because she had black spots on either side and white in the middle so from the back she looked like an Oreo cookie.

For scale here is a pic while she is giving her famous kisses....before she had any teeth.

She is a miniature horse. I think I want more minis. They just have a different demeanor than regular size horses. So sweet, almost like dogs. But sometimes she looks like a water buffalo.

Anyway, there are some of the animals at the stable. I'll be posting more. Talk to you soon!

Babies!

2010-03-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

It must be Spring! We got a batch of chickens a couple days ago from a friend. He said they hadn't started laying yet, but I had hopes we'd be getting some fresh eggs sooner rather than later. We got more roosters than we had hoped, but we don't live at the stable so the neighbours get to live with the cockadoodle-doing. hehe

Anyway, we went down to the stable this morning and we found this:

Isn't it amazing? Our first home grown egg. And it's green-ish. The camera couldn't pick up the colour very well.

I went running from the chicken coop babbling about how the chickens must like us better and cradling the egg so I didn't drop it to show our baby Cookie-butt who is always interested in the goings-on in the stable. As I rounded the first stall I came to a dead stop. There at the end of the alley was a new foal who was born in the early morning from a mare we didn't even think was carrying! So that kinda trumped my one measly egg. But I didn't have the camera with me at the stable this morning so I couldn't get any pics of the new foal. So the green egg will have to do for now. After all the excitement this morning I had one hell of an appetite so I came back and had a breakfast of our first home grown egg. It was delicious.

A Modification for Jill

2010-03-12T17:17:00.000-08:00

In the comments today someone said:: "I LOVE this tutorial, great job! I was wondering what the finished size of the bag is? I'm trying to find a tutorial/bag that is at least 14" tall x 18" wide x 4" deep. I'm sure I could alter the measurements to match that, but wanted to get an idea of how much to alter...Thanks!!"

Now before I get into that let me say. Hi All! I have been busy and I miss you all. I'm alive and kicking, just very quiet in the blogland. I'll have to show you all the Hallowe'en costumes I made for last year. They were great especially if you are a Tim Burton fan....some Nightmare Before Christmas characters made special appearances that night!!

Anyway, before I get distracted and start writing a post I didn't intend to let me answer Miss Jill's questions.

The finished bag measurements are 10X14X4. So if you wanted to change the dimensions it wouldn't be too hard. I used 1/2 inch seam allowances because it's just easier to work with and leaves a little extra inside the bag so it'll wear better.

You should come up with something like this for your measurements:

Exterior Material

Front & Back 15x19 inches
2 Sides 5x15
1 Bottom 5x19
2 Pockets 5x8** I made the pockets a little taller for you so they wouldn't look too short on the taller bag.

Lining Material

Front & Back 15x 19 inches
2 Sides 5 1/2 x15
1 Bottom 5x19
2 Pockets 5x8
2 Divider Pocket 13x19

For the top where the handles meet the bag I would make the interfacing pattern the same way cutting 4 - 22x4 inch pieces and drafting the handle onto the interfacing.

I think drafting the Top Trim at the handles might need to be done backwards since I don't have all the measurements. I would fold the interfacing in half so the piece measures 11X4. On the cut edges (not the fold) measure in 2 inches from the edge and 1 1/2 inches from the top edge and mark. Along the top edge measure in 3 inches and mark. Draw the curve connecting these two marks. Cut the piece out and re-use as a template for the rest of the curves.

From "Now measure over 1 3/4 inches" you should be able to follow the rest of the instructions for drafting the Top Trim. Hopefully those measurements won't put the handles too far apart and the bag won't bow out in the middle.

I hope this helps you out a little. If you have anymore questions feel free to ask and send me along some pics when you get it done!

Cheers!
Kerri

I'll be back soon I promise, now that some new post ideas are a-brewing. Hey Hallowe'en isn't that far away now!!

I haven't blogged since April?!?

2008-08-25T09:40:00.001-07:00

What? That can't be right! How is that even possible?? Well, I have been a very bad blogger lately completely ignoring my group of loyal readers. You have needs too, I shouldn't be so selfish with my time. I understand and I apologize. Are we still good? I hope so.

Well now that I've gotten that out of the way. What have I been up to? I'm sorry to say but there has been very little crafting on this end. I have been sooo freakin' busy! I've been working 2 jobs and doing some classes. The classes are over now, so hopefully I'll be finding more time to craft and then blog about my crafting as is only fair to all you lovely people. hmm...well I need to eat some lasagna before heading to work...no I won't take pictures, you wierdos. Actually I totally would if I had some more time.

Oh yeah! And I was touched by craft blog royalty a couple days ago when the most awesome Amy of Angry Chicken fame linked to my teensy, completely unworthy blog. I was in shock. I'm sure she doesn't wear a crown but I've always imagined her wearing one, we wouldn't judge her if she did....not that I spend much time fantasizing about all you bloggers out there or anything...cuz that would just be wierd. So for any new readers to my little corner of the blogging world I welcome you. Take a peek around and I hope I can amuse, entertain, and maybe even teach you something new. And if you're looking for me I'm easy to spot, I'm the one in the jester hat. The next post will have pictures and not just random babbling. There will still be random babbling, I can't help myself.

Sling Bag, Done!

2008-04-25T14:33:00.001-07:00

I have been wanting to make the sling bag from the Life with Nature Girl blog since I first saw it. It is my ideal bag, worn across the chest and just big enough for the necessities. Simply put, it's perfect! I didn't use interfacing, because I find this Ginger Blossom fabric to be study enough on it's own.

I sewed up mine in just over an hour. To use up the small leftovers of fabric, I made a couple of extra pockets for the inside. One for the handy Chapstick, and the other for pens. They went together the same way as the original interior pocket.

Yes, my pics really suck tonight. Ah well, the bag rocks. I'll see if I can get some better pics tomorrow. Thanks for sharing this tutorial, Jill!

Chicken Scratch Bookmarks Tutorial

2008-04-23T17:14:00.001-07:00

Chicken scratch is such a pretty type of embroidery. It is quick and a great way to decorate up that stash of gingham you have tucked away. It is known by many other names such as Snowflaking, Depression Lace and Gingham Embroidery.

I'm completely addicted to chicken scratch now. The only items I have really seen it made into is larger pieces such as aprons, and pillows. I tried to come up with other objects where chicken scratch could be applied. They can't get too much wear because the stitches would get pulled or damaged. I decided a bookmark would be a nice small item that doesn't get too much wear, and would be quick to stitch up. So I made up a couple of small repetitive patterns. You can really go wild with these little stitches, and every little change has a noticeable impact on the finished piece. Test it out. I'd love to see what you come up with!

As usual, this tutorial is provided for personal use. Make up for yourself, gifts and charity. Please do not make to sell. If you are unsure feel free to email me. If you use this tutorial give credit with a link back to this page. And if you can give me a heads-up if you are making chicken scratch that would be great. I am thinking of starting a flickr chicken scratch group so everyone can see and share their creations, tell me what you think. Thanks!

For one bookmark you will need:

1/4" check gingham (you could probably get 4 out of a fat quarter)
white embroidery floss (sewn with 3 strands held together)
embroidery hoop
needle
6" ribbon

The final measurements are 7 1/2"x2" for the bookmark and 2x2" for the tab.

Here are a couple of quick pictures to familiarize yourself with the stitches. If you would like something more descriptive go here and come back.

Those are all the stitches used in the flower bookmark. They are Cross-Stitch, Double Cross-Stitch, Running Stitch and Woven Oval Stitch. The Woven Oval is made by passing the needle under the leg of the Cross-Stitches twice to make it thicker.

The same stitches are used in the second bookmark, only the Oval is substituted with Woven Circle Stitch. The Woven Cirle is made by passing the needle under the Running Stitches two times to make the stitch thicker.

Since this is such a small object leave your material whole for stitching and cut it out afterwards.

Here are the two patterns. Just a little 5x5 block.

The tab is made by stitching one repeat of the pattern. The bookmark is made by stitching 5 repeats. Follow the shading in the pattern. You want to start your cross-stitches on the darkest check in your gingham. I used 3 strands of floss, but you can try more or less to see what the result is. I knotted the ends because the back of the piece is covered and small stitches might be noticeable.

Once all your stitching is done. Cut the bookmark and a backing piece to measure 8X2 1/2". For the small tab cut out the stitching and backing into a 2 1/2" square.

Pin the bookmark pieces with right sides together with the ribbon in between. Let 1/4" of the ribbon peek out from one short side between the two layers. Leave a small gap open on the other end of the bookmark for turning. Sew 1/4" seam around the edge with the wrong side of the stitching facing up. Clip the corners and turn right side out. Press.

Pin the tab pieces right sides together and sew 1/4" seam around the edge leaving an opening for turning. Clip the corners and turn right side out. Press.

Slip the free end of the ribbon into the opening left in the tab and pin. Topstitch around the tab to secure the ribbon. Topstitch around the bookmark and you're done!

I was up way too late

2008-04-21T06:05:00.000-07:00

Last night I sucked it up and pulled out the purple gingham. I got out the embroidery floss and went looking for patterns online. The lack of available patterns was disheartening, but I soldiered on with the plan that if I could at least find basic directions I could draw up my own patterns. What am I talking about, you ask?

Well, it's this.

Why, yes. That is Chicken Scratch, aka Depression Lace, Snowflaking etc.

Online there is a great little instructional .pdf from the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service. I read through the instructions and plotted out the pattern (there is a large star pattern on the last page). I like stars. I sat back on my desk chair and started stitching, then I moved to another chair, and soon I was propped up in bed still stitching. It was nearly 3 a.m. when I finally put this little piece of gingham down.

I love the simplicity of the stitches partnered with the effects the shaded checks have on those simple little stitches. For a very long time it just looked like stitches and I worried that I was doing it wrong, where is the 3 dimensional-ness? Where is the lacey overlay? Why doesn't mine look like the image in my head? I was feeling cheated. Instead of throwing it into a drawer I just kept stitching.

You work the stitches in order: double cross, then running stitches, and finally woven circles. The double cross-stitches are alot of stitching and they take by far the longest. Once all these were stitched I sat back and was not impressed. So I went on to the running stitches, which were quick and satisfying. It was as I was repositioning my hoop that the stitches finally came to life.

Those running stitches lightened up the background just enough to make it look like I had sewn down a nearly sheer applique! It was so exciting, almost magical to watch how your stitches and the fabric affect one another.

Once the woven circles were added it was love. The only thing I might have done differently is used 1 more strand of embroidery floss for the woven circles. If you have ever thought about trying chicken scratch I highly recommend it. It is relatively fast, and the end product is totally worth the loss of sleep!

As I was browsing online some more I came across this site. It is french but the images are great. All the same stitches, different placement, and completely different results. Just thought it was interesting plus there are also a couple of free patterns as well.

Now I want gingham everything just so I can Chicken Scratch it.

Optional Box Pleat Tutorial

2008-04-20T06:33:00.000-07:00

I forgot some of you liked the box pleats in the first crafty tool belt. It goes together just like the crafty tool belt tutorial just the math, and of course the pleats are different.

To figure out how wide to cut the apron and trim pieces:

Measure the width you would like your apron to be (e.g. from hip to hip or a little wider). If this measurement is less than 19 inches follow Option B. If it is 19 inches or more follow Option A.

**if you are unsure how much width you need, cut it wider. You can always trim off some of the width after you add the pleats and before you attach the double fold bias tape trim.

Option A - Add 8 inches to your measurement. Cut your apron and trim piece to this width.

Follow the directions for the original Crafty Tool Belt until it is time to pleat.

Box Pleats:

Mark the centre of the apron with a pin. Measure 2 inches and 6 inches from the centre pin and mark those places too. Now fold the fabric so the 2 pins meet and pin. The extra fabric should be on the wrong side of your fabric. Flatten the pleat and even it out so the same amount of fabric is on either side of the pin. Repeat for the other side.

Continue on with the Crafty Toolbelt Tutorial.

Option B

Add 6 inches to your measurement. Cut your apron and trim piece to this width.

Follow the directions for the original Crafty Tool Belt until it is time to pleat.

Box Pleats:

Mark the centre of the apron with a pin. Measure .75” and 3.75” from the centre and place pins at these points. Now fold the fabric so the 2 pins meet and pin. The extra fabric should be on the wrong side of you apron. Flatten the pleat and even it out so the same amount of fabric is on either side of the pin. Repeat for the other side.

Test fit and make sure you have enough fabric to attach the pockets (7.5” approx. on each side). If you don’t have enough you can make your pleat narrower. If your apron seems too wide, you can trim an even amount off each edge, just remember to maintain at least 7.5” on each side of the pleats to apply the pockets.

Continue with the Crafty Toolbelt tutorial.

Crafty Tool Belt Tutorial

2008-04-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

For all coming over from Sew, Mama, Sew! Welcome! And I hope you stick around, there is always something going on here now. (I’m new and therefore obsessed with the whole sharing thing.) And for those loyal readers, I’m so very glad you’re still with me and I love the whole lot of you. The online crafty community is such a wonderful place!

I took pictures while the first Crafty Tool Belt was being put together, but somewhere along the way things went awry and the camera missed some steps so I made another one.

The inspiration for this was first blogged about here. I thought the idea was great and thought, ‘I can make that!’ A lot of thought and planning went into this and I took my cues from a tool belt, because it seems to be a perfect way to tote your junk with you without said junk getting in the way. But they aren’t very pretty, functional yes, pretty not so much. So I tried to come up with something that was both pleasing to the eye and would serve its purpose.

Okay, I’ve bored you enough with the background of this little guy and I’m sure many of you skipped the babble and just scrolled to the pics. So here is how it goes:

You know the rules. You can make these for personal use, gifts and charity. Do not produce them for profit. Please, credit this blog and link back if you make one. If you have any questions feel free to email me, my address is in my profile.

Crafty Tool Belt

You need:
¼ metre main fabric (you may need more if your hip measurement is over 46 inches. Just read the math section to make sure. Ditto for the accent fabric)
¼ metre accent fabric
1 pkg. SINGLE fold bias tape
1 pkg. DOUBLE fold bias tape

N.B. if you have the inexplicable fear of the bias tape go here. If you have already been there and still have the fear then just omit the tape, but you will have raw edges inside and you have to do the nasty hemming around the edges. Plus tape makes it pretty. No pressure, though!

Math for Accordian Pleated Toolbelt

You can find the math and directions for the optional Box Pleats over here.

I’m sorry but you have to do some math. Just a little bit.
Divide your hip measurement in 2. ____
You need 15” to apply both pockets. So subtract 15 from your number. The number you have left is the width after pleating. ____
Multiply this number by 3. ____This is the width of the material before pleating. **Remember this number, you need it later.
Add the 15” back onto this and if you would like your apron to wrap around your hips a little more add 4” or so. ____

This isn’t exact, it’s just to give you an idea of the width of the apron piece you need to cut. I could get the width I needed out of 40” wide fabric. If you need to make one wider than the width of your fabric just divide the number in two and instead of cutting one long apron piece, cut two halves of your apron and sew it up the middle. Repeat this for the bottom trim as well.

Just to make sure you got the right idea. My math looked something like this:
22-15=7x3=21+15+4=39 inch is the desired width of the apron piece.

**if you are unsure how much width you need, cut it wider. You can always trim off some of the width after you add the pleats and before you attach the double fold bias tape trim.

Fabric cutting:

Main Fabric: Apron - 8”x desired width. Cut 1
Accent Fabric: Waistband and Ties 4.5” x width of fabric. Cut 2
Bottom Trim 2.5” x desired width. Cut 1
Pockets 6” x 5”. Cut 4
Loopholes 1.5” x 6”. Cut 1

Getting Started:

Pockets X2

Place two pocket pieces right sides together and sew all the way around leaving about an inch opening on one of the long sides for turning.

Clip the corners and turn right side out. Push out the corners and turn the edges of the opening in. Press. Topstitch along the long edge that had the opening about ¼ inch in from the edge. I stitched a long, narrow rectangle because I thought it would look nicer. Set aside.

Loopholes

Run through a bias tape making tool or fold under ¼” on the long sides and press. Fold in half along the length and press. Sew along the edges. Cut into two pieces and set aside. You could just use some double fold bias tape if you like.

Waistband and Ties

Pin two of the short ends with right sides together and sew. Press seam open. Fold in half with wrong sides together along the length and press. Fold ¼” along all edges and press. Set aside.

Assemble the Tool Belt:

Attach the Bottom Trim

Lay out the apron piece and the trim piece with WRONG sides together. Open up the single fold bias tape and pin it along the edge. Stitch in the crease closest to the edge (approx 1/4”).

Fold the bias tape down to cover the raw edges and topstitch.

*If you would like a rounded Tool Belt you can now fold the apron piece in half. Draw a curve along the corner and cut.

Accordian Pleats
OR
Go to the optional box pleat tutorial

Mark the centre of your apron piece with a pin. Measure ½ of that measurement you were supposed to remember and mark it with a pin. Now measure 1.5” from the centre and place a pin. Pin every 2” after that out to the last pin. Work out from the centre in the other direction in the same manner. Fold the fabric so the 1.5” pin meets the centre pin, pin in place. Fold the next pin to meet the edge of the fold you just made and pin in place, continue to form all your pleats. Repeat in the other direction.

Now test fit your tool belt. If you like it continue on, if not you can add or remove pleats, or trim excess off the edges. This is the last fiddling you will ever have to do.

Baste the pleats in place.

Apply the Double Fold Bias Tape Edge

Open up the double fold bias tape and lay the apron piece wrong side up. Beginning at the top right hand corner pin the bias tape with wrong side up along the sides and bottom of the apron ending at the top left hand corner. Do not attach to the top of the apron.

Sew in the crease closest to the edge.

Flip the bias tape to the right hand side and topstitch as close to the edge as you can.

Waistband

Open up the waistband piece and lay it with right side facing the wrong side of the apron piece. Sew in the crease. Flip the waistband so wrong sides are together. Turn under the pressed edge and pin in place on the right side of the apron. Pin the ties together as well. Starting at the top corner of the tie topstitch along the edge of the tie along the apron and the other tie ending at the top corner.

Attaching Pockets and Scissor Loops

Using one pocket and one loop pin the pocket at an angle on the side of the apron. Tuck the ends of the loop under the edge of the pocket and pin.

Sew around the edge of the pocket leaving the top open. Backstitching over the loops to secure them in place. Repeat for the other pocket.

Press your pleats and smile knowing you will never go searching for your sewing stuff again.

Go Win a Craft Apron

2008-04-18T05:52:00.001-07:00

Over at Itching 2 B Stitching there is a great contest going on where you can win a Craft Apron. So for all you who know you need one go try your luck! All you have to do to enter is offer a name for her new dressform. So go and give the girl a name. Good Luck!

I love mail!

2008-04-17T05:07:00.000-07:00

I got these wonderful stitch markers in the mail yesterday from The Caffeinated Crafter and they made my day! Thank you so much! I needed some good light to get pictures of these little guys, they are so cute. I think my favourite is the rosebud in the front, but I can't decide. Until I start knitting on something again I guess I'm just going to have to use them as eye candy. Oh, woe is me. hehe

Thanks again!

Oh, and the card was too sweet. I loved the colours, I want to make something with that flower motif now.

And the Winner Is...

2008-04-14T17:13:00.000-07:00

Greetingarts! who said:

I'd use the little bag for my take-along knitting, the handwork I schlep all over the place for all those spare moments in life.

So congratulations girl, there will be a little bag on its way to you very soon! What are the odds that number 1 would get drawn out of the bag?! It shocked me.

I want to say thank you to everyone else who took the time to comment. And while I'm sorry if you didn't win I have a sneaking suspicion that there will be another giveaway coming up again. (50th post is getting closer everyday.) So stick around, hopefully I can entertain you a while longer and maybe you'll have a chance to win something Kerri Made!

Gee, I love this blogging thing, you all make it so enjoyable.

While I'm posting, what do you all think. Should I write up a little tutorial for the Crafty Tool Belt?

Crafty Tool Belt

2008-04-13T11:56:00.001-07:00

Tracey over at Itching 2 B Stitching made a craft apron last week and I thought, "I need one of these!" No more wandering all over looking for my fabric scissors, or the seam ripper, or a spare bobbin. It can all be right at my fingertips all the time. So I sat down to figure out what a craft apron for me would need. First it needed some great fabric. This is some of Sandi Henderson's Ginger Blossom line that I got from Sew, Mama, Sew! I paired it with some chocolate coloured 100% cotton and a little cream bias tape. I wish I had some matching rick rack or lace, but no luck.

I could see one possible problem with a craft apron. It seemed probable that with many or large pockets I would just end up stuffing them full so when I stuck my hand in to grab my handy seam ripper I'd pull out some scrap fabric wrapped in thread unwinding from that ever so handy spare bobbin. That would annoy me as much as not being able to find my scissors so I thought it would be a good idea not to have huge pockets that could be crammed full. I could also imagine having my scissors quickly poking a hole through the corner of one of the pockets. Lining a pocket with leather could keep this from happening or the other option was to make a place to hang my scissors much in the same vein as a tool belt having a loop for a hammer. So this was the beginnings of my crafty tool belt.

I also decided to place the pockets as far on the sides of the apron as possible so that when sitting at the sewing machine I would still have access to the needed tools in my pockets. The scissors loop was also sewn to the edge of the apron so I wouldn't be stabbing myself in the thigh every time I sat down to sew. The pleats were also added so that when sitting it would splay out rather than flip up and possibly dump stuff out of the pockets.

I really do try to think this stuff through, though sometimes I do make mistakes. I'm not left-handed and yet somehow the loop ended up on the left side. Oh well, nobody is perfect. Now I wish my scissors matched my crafty tool belt. It's just a first run, more are needed. Must have one to match every outfit.

The little corset that could

2008-04-12T19:06:00.000-07:00

There are a couple of things I'm working on. The biggest one was the Burda 7938 Corset Bodice or whatever it's called. Light, flimsy or drapey fashions don't usually find their way into my closet because, well, I don't look good in them. There is that and the fact that I Hate static cling, just the way fabric feels like it is trying to touch me makes my skin crawl. So I also hate clingy fabric. This cuts down on my fabric choices immensely, but it doesn't bother me.

The Burda Corset is a pretty pattern, princess lines, zippered closure, piped seams, long flowy sleeves. I have sewn it 4 times now, 3 muslins and then one to actually wear. There were issues with general fit, sway back alterations, raised neckline (who do they think I'm trying to impress?? and with what??), wierd cup sizes (I think they hijacked those pattern pieces from some old timey football helmet) as well as the usual Burda crappy instructions. With most patterns - this one included - I read all the way through the instructions, I stare at the pictures and think, 'uhh wha? Why do I do that? That makes no sense, that is slow' etc, etc (and there is usually cursing). So I put the instructions away. And I made this.

Does the fabric look familiar? It is the stretch cotton I fell back in love with while making my mom's bag. I found it to be sturdy enough to make it unlined, which would have created a problem with the piped seams if I had chosen to make them, but I didn't. My option, and a much nicer option on this fabric was flat-felled seams like those found on jeans. They are really easy to do and make a nice clean seam because all the raw edges are enclosed (I'm all about clean seams). Each bust piece was sewn to the front bodice first using just a regular seam. All of the bust was lined so the raw edges were hidden inside there. All horizontal seams were just plain seams. All the vertical seams were flat-felled seams. It worked out just the way I anticipated. The little bit of stretch in this cotton makes it form fitting without feeling restrictive, I am so loving this cotton! This top is so comfortable to wear, the fact that this pattern was compulsively altered may have something to do with the fit.

There were two options for sleeves on the pattern, short or long belled sleeves. The short looked too casual and the long looked too princessy, plus in this fabric long sleeves would have given it a very short wearable season. I opted for sleeveless with the rationale that a tight long-sleeved shirt can be worn under it in the fall/winter and can be worn on it's own in the warmer months. The only worry for this shirt is the length. In the picture it looked short, but I didn't bother to add any length to it. I'm only 5 feet tall and they were showing it on a tall, thin model so surely it would be longer on me. Well, in some mystical pattern drafting twist of fate this shirt is so short that if I hem it, this poor shirt will become a bellytop....umm no. I need to finish the edge with bias tape so I don't lose any of the length.

Next up on the sewing list is another revamp of this pattern. I'm going to draft it into a dress using some black and white polka dot stretch cotton. It's going to be great!

Presents!

2008-04-11T09:34:00.000-07:00

For me this time, not for you.

I checked the mail today and there was one of those little 'Parcel' cards. I hadn't ordered anything so I didn't know what to expect. But wee! I was so happy when I found this waiting for me at the counter! I ran home to open it, well I didn't run, but I got back to the house in a hurry.

Yay presents for me! and look where it's from.

ooo...International Presents. What could it be?

I carefully removed the wrapping paper and inside was another layer of packaging and as I was pulling that open this little bony face popped out at me to say, 'Arrgh, me matey. And a happy birthday to ye'. Okay well he didn't actually talk, but that's what I heard in my head. Don't judge me.

Isn't it too cute?? For those who don't know me well, I have a love of containers - all sizes, all types, all shapes - I love having them around. Why? Because you can put stuff in them. But wait, this little pirate lunchbox is a little hefty because all of this was in it too!

Ohhh. Invader Zim. How I love these cartoons which rarely air here now. The story is about Zim, an Irken screw-up who is sent to take over Earth (really they are just trying to get rid of him) assisted by his handy reject robot G.I.R (who often disguises himself as a dog). And in that box is the Complete Invasion! Gir makes me giggle like you would not believe. I have heard, more than once, that I am a little bit like Gir. I take it as a compliment. You don't know Invader Zim? Created by the genius that is Jhonen Vasquez? Shame on you. Go watch Gir now and come back. Isn't he great?

Okay you crafty people I was holding out on the yarn in an attempt to broaden your tv watching habits (life is not all reality tv, you know). The yarn was already mine, it got left behind when I came back to Canada. It is Lanett Superwash in my favourite (Hallowe'en) colours. And besides being useful for making stuff it also makes excellent padding! What should I make with this now?

So thank you, D, for an awesome birthday present! (Yes, I know it isn't until Monday, but it came today and there was no one here to stop me from opening it! So there.) I'm going to go watch Invader Zim now.

Oh, and here is a parting shot for you. This is Libby making her blog debut. Loves: Crinkley paper and cat treats. Hates: flowers, apparently.

And for those of you who haven't noticed yet I'm doing a giveaway to celebrate my 25th post. Go comment and win something!

Random-y Me

2008-04-09T14:00:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Jenaveve to share 6 random things about myself. I'm nothing if not random so let's see what I can come up with.

One of my guilty pleasures was watching Xena.
I know how to make chainmail.
When I was little my cousin and I were swinging like Tarzan in her backyard. I got called home and on my last swing I fell onto the ground. I got up and started home. Halfway there someone stopped me and asked if I was okay. I looked down and there was blood streaming from my knee. I fainted on the corner.
I like to play MUDs (not in mud) and I'm a damn good xp'er. Why do I still play these text based games with the plethora of 3-D graphics games on the market? 3-D games give me motion sickness.
When Xena ended I bought one of the costumes from the set. It was a Valkyrie costume, not the one Lucy Lawless wore though. *pouts*
I've lived in Yemen.

25th Post and A Giveaway!!

2008-04-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

It's post #25! I can't believe I have already babbled my way through 24 posts. This has been an enjoyable couple of months already, great people have been met, things have been created, and tons of time has been spent online. So to celebrate I am giving away something kerri made!

I took inspiration from some antique beaded Mohawk pieces. It was the shape that interested me most, it was to be structural, yet collapsible. I wanted to create a bag that you could throw your lunch or small crafty project into. I wanted to use up some of the leftover frog fabric. The little bag has become all that I wanted it to be and soon it will be whisked off to some exotic locale because I made this for one of you! Umm it still needs handles, but this post had to get put up because the giveaway is going to run until my birthday, April 14th.

So to get in on the giveaway all you need to do is comment on this post and tell me what you'd use this little bag (7" at the widest x 9" tall) for. The contest will close at noon on April 14th. I will draw a name and contact the winner so make sure there is an email address so I can get in touch with you. I will ship internationally. The best of luck to everyone!

Kitty Legwarmers

2008-04-08T18:29:00.001-07:00

I think it's safe to say that spring is here. The birds are singing, the grass is finally getting a green tint to it (there was snow all over the place just a few days ago so that's saying something), and people are starting to go outdoors again. Needless to say, I got very little craftiness done today. I did wear my frog skirt all day today. Love it! I'm really jumping into this skirt only summer. My cats though got a bit confused by the naked legs and kept attacking me, I'd like to think Libby was just trying to keep my legs warm but she is lacking in claw control.

After a day of just enjoying the day I watched a few reruns of Supernatural (Dean Winchester, uh huh) and got to working on a project that has been bouncing around in my head. Nothing like a little demon hunting to get my creativity into gear. Hopefully my new project will be photo worthy by tomorrow.

And speaking of tomorrow my 25th post is coming up so I am planning something special. So stick around, there might be something in it for you. I suck at keeping secrets.

Part 2: Tote Bag Tutorial

2008-04-07T05:14:00.001-07:00

So the exterior of the bag is done so on to the interior. First up is the Zippered Divider Pocket.

Zippered Divider Pocket:

12" zipper
2 9x15 zippered divider pocket pieces
zipper foot

Lay one divider pocket piece right side up. Centre the zipper along one 15" side and line up the edge of the zipper fabric to the raw edge of the pocket. Sew along the edge with a 1/4" seam. Lay the piece right side up and fold the zipper so it is also right side up which will turn the raw edges to the wrong side. Pin the fabric so it just touches the edge of the teeth. With a zipper foot sew along the edge of the teeth. One side of the zipper is attached. Now repeat these steps for the other side.

With the zipper attached lay the pieces flat with wrong sides together and pin. Sew a scant 1/4 inch seam along the three open sides. Clip the corners.

Unzip the zipper and turn the bag inside out. Press the edges and sew another slightly larger seam but this time begin and end about 1/4" from the stopper on the zipper.

Turn the pocket right side out and set aside.

Lining:

Sew the lining of the bag the same way you sewed the exterior but don't attach the bottom yet. Leave the lining so the wrong side is facing out.

Place the Zippered Divider Pocket inside the lining placing the edge of the pocket centred along the uninterfaced channel of the Lining Sides. Pin and sew a 1/4" seam to attach the pocket inside the lining. Make sure to sew all the way along that edge, not only the part where the pocket is or your lining won't fit properly.

Now it should look like this.

Now attach the bottom of the lining the same way you attached the exterior bottom.

Assemble the Bag:

If you would like to add a sturdier bottom in the bag cut a piece of plastic to fit (I used one of those hard plastic sheets out of a binder) and place it in the bottom of the exterior. Slip it under the seam allowances to help keep it in place and the slide the lining bag into the exterior bag. Line up the side seams and pin the two bags together. I've made this bag three times so far and every time the lining ends up a little too long so don't worry if it pokes out above the top of the exterior bag. It's more important that the inside be smooth and fit snugly rather than those top edges meet exactly. Sew all the way around the top edge of the bag to hold everything in place and trim whatever excess lining is peeking out of the top.

Attaching the Top Trim:

If you would like you can add a magnetic snap to keep the bag closed. I finally did this on this last bag and I love the results, but it isn't necessary. Just attach it on the insides of the Top Trim pieces.

Open the Top Trim piece so it lays flat. Stand the bag up and slide the Top Trim piece over the bag so the raw edge of the Top Trim matches up with the top edge of the bag. Pin all around the top of the bag. It will look like this:

N.B. If you opted for the magnetic snap make sure the side where they are attached is not the side that you are pinning to the bag or else you will have little magnets on the outside of your bag.

Carefully sew a 1/2" seam all around the top of the bag. Pull up the Top Trim piece and turn the inside to the inside. Pin the inside of the Top Trim piece along the inside of the bag turning under approximately 1/2" to cover up your stitching line. Carefully top stitch all around the bag again and you're done!

Part 1: Tote Bag Tutorial

2008-04-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is my first tutorial so go easy on me. If something doesn't seem to make sense I will try to explain it better. I tried not to get too wordy with it and used pictures where it seemed useful. Of course, the usual restrictions apply, don't pass this off as your own pattern, link to this tutorial and give credit if you do make this. Do not make this for profit, though if you get in contact with me and explain the situation an exception might be made. Please make this for charity and gifts, send me a pic if you do - I would love to see them!

I like a bag that is sturdy and looks just as nice when it is empty as when it is full. But this pattern does still look nice even if the lining isn't interfaced, or if it is interfaced with a mediumweight interfacing instead of heavy. Guess I'm just trying to say it is a flexible pattern.

Materials:

1/2 yard cotton for exterior
3/4 yard cotton for lining
1/2 yard cotton for handles and trim
2 yards heavyweight fusible interfacing
12" zipper to match lining fabric

Optional:

1 magnetic snap
1 14 x 4 inch piece of plastic (for bottom)

Directions:

Fold the fabric selvage to selvage to cut it. If you are a visual person I snapped these pictures to show all the dimensions.

Bag Exterior

Lining

* that red text I tried to highlight came out unreadable, it says 5 1/2 inches.

Handles

Once all the pieces are cut you will have:

Exterior

Front & Back 11x15 inches
2 Sides 5x11
1 Bottom 5x15
2 Pockets 6x5

Lining

Front & Back 11x 15 inches
2 Sides 5 1/2 x11
1 Bottom 5x15
2 Pockets 6x5
2 Divider Pocket 9x15

Handles

4 Handles 2x21 inches
4 Top Trim 5x19

There will be a few pieces left over. Make them into small pockets if you're feeling ambitious.

Interfacing:

Now that all the pieces are cut out cut your interfacing for each piece. I cut all of my pieces 1/2 inch smaller on each side to minimize on bulky seams.

A couple of exceptions are the Lining Sides. Cut a 4x10 inch piece of interfacing for each and then cut each one in half so you have 2 2x10 inch strips. Fuse each strip with the same half inch seam allowance so that there will be a 1/2 inch gap left unlined. This is where the Zippered Divider Pocket will be sewn in later.

I also did not interface the Divider Pocket pieces, or the Lining for the side pockets, and only interfaced half of the handles. For the Top Trim cut 4 18x4 inch rectangles of interfacing and we'll shape those next.

Top Trim:

To shape these pieces draw the pattern onto one Top Trim Interfacing piece that has been folded in half. Measure in 3 7/8 inches from the folded edge and 1 1/2 inches down. Draw a curve to remove the sharp angle and cut out this piece. Use the discarded piece as a template to draw the rest of the curves.

Now measure over 1 3/4 inches from the top of the curve (this is where the handle will be attached) and use your template to trace the curve again. Cut out the curve and then trace the pattern onto the other 3 pieces of interfacing.

Now fuse all the interfacing to your fabric pieces and cut the Top Trim fabric with a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Now it's time to sew!

Handles:

Pin two handle pieces (one interfaced and one plain) right sides together. Sew along the long edges leaving the ends open with a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Repeat for the other handle. Turn the handles right side out, press and top stitch.

Top Trim:

Pin two of the Top Trim pieces with right sides together. Place each end of one handle strip into the spaces for them letting them stick out about 1/2 inch or so beyond the end on the Top Trim piece. Make sure the handle is not twisted. Sew along the top edge of the pattern pieces and clip the curves.

Turn right side out and repeat for remaining pieces. Open the Top Trim pieces and lay them right sides together. Pin the short sides together on each end and sew.

Now turn right side out. Topstitch all the way around the upper edge of the Top Trim, pull the stray threads to the inside and knot. Trim and set aside.

Assemble the Exterior:

Pin one exterior pocket and a lining pocket right sides together. Sew across the top edge then flip so the wrong sides are together, press. Topstitch along the top edge you just sewed. Repeat for the other pocket.

Layer the pieces as shown in the image and sew along the turquoise line. With the other pieces layer them the same as the picture except sew the Pocket and Side pieces to the other edge of the fabric so you will end up with a pocket on each end of your bag. Open up both sets and lay them with right sides together. Pin and sew each end to create a tube.

Cut a small square out of each corner of the bottom piece to make sewing in this piece easier.

Line up the fabric so the corner of the interfacing points into the side seam. Repeat for each corner. Pin along the long sides of the bag.

Sew up these sides beginning and ending at the corners of the interfacing to preserve the shape of the bag. Line up and pin the short sides together on each end and sew them the same way.

You're done with the exterior part of the bag! Now I think I should divide this tutorial in two posts because it is getting pretty long.

I signed up

2008-04-05T19:04:00.001-07:00

I signed up for the Sassy Apron Swap a couple of days ago. I'm so excited as this is my first swap, and it is for aprons! I was already dreaming up designs, I'm having such a hard time not starting on one (or two) aprons already, but I want to wait until the partners are passed out so I can work on one especially for my recipient. This is going to be so much fun!

hmm...guess I could always just make an apron or two for myself first. We'll call it practice.

Frog Invasion!

2008-04-04T14:20:00.001-07:00

The froggies invaded my sewing room

and now little frogs are hopping across my new skirt. It took me the better part of today to get all the kinks worked out, but I'm so happy with the finished product it was totally worth all the annoyance. Did the seam ripper ever get a workout today!

I drafted this skirt pattern earlier. Originally it was just a plain A-line skirt with a couple of darts on the front and back, with a facing at the waist and it was cut on grain. Well I liked the way the frogs looked when the fabric was on the bias so I decided to cut it that way instead of on grain which led to problems along the way.

Last night all the pieces got cut out, the interfacing was fused to the lining, and the polkadot trim was sewn to the bottom edge. French Seams are my favourite as it keeps the inside nice and clean (stray threads bother me). They are really easy, and great for delicate fabrics (though I use them on cottons). Anyway, just sew a 1/4 inch seam with wrong sides together, open up and press in one direction then realign the fabric with right side together and sew another seam slightly larger than 1/4 inch. Now the nasty raw edges are hidden between two seams. Tada! It looks like the picture above.

This morning I started working on the skirt and everything just went wrong. First the darts weren't working. Why I thought the darts would behave the same way on the bias fabric is beyond me, the end of the dart kept ballooning out no matter how it was sewn. I guess because the bias fabric has so much give on the diagonal as soon as there wasn't another stitch holding it in check the fabric went a little crazy. I ended up sewing long gradual darts from the top to the bottom of the frog fabric so I could keep it under control.

I put this together differently. First I sewed the left seam of the lining together, then the left seam of the skirt pieces, and then attached the lining to the skirt, pressed and top-stitched. So far the right side seam where the zipper is sewn in is still open and it made pressing so much easier. Then I couldn't put the zipper in. First it was too low, then it was crooked, then it was bumpy. Interfacing saved what was left of my sanity. I love the polkadot lining!

So after a day of pulling my hair out and swearing, I have this:

It's cold and rainy here today but I was already wearing it around the house with some black leggings on underneath to stave off the goosebumps. I can't wait til it gets warmer, this will be great with some flip flops and a hoodie.

p.s. You know you want the frog fabric, don't deny yourself the pleasure!

*edited to change the finished skirt pic. I covered up the duct tape with my fav tee. I'll probably wear it with that, I like the way they look together. Anyone recognize the character?

The Lightning Zero

2008-04-04T06:54:00.000-07:00

Your Superhero Profile

Your Superhero Name is The Lightning Zero

Your Superpower is Paranormal

Your Weakness is Reruns of the Cosby Show

Your Weapon is Your Poison Shotgun

Your Mode of Transportation is Zebra

What's your Superhero Name?

Just had to post this because it gave me the needed giggles on this rainy morning. Poison Shotgun, nothing like a little overkill. The new froggy polkadot skirt I'm working on would make a perfect costume, especially with that stripey Zebra I'd be riding. Okay, I'm putting too much thought into this. I have to go finish my costume...err skirt!

Oh and the bag tutorial will be finished this weekend, the 12 inch turquoise zipper is an elusive beast.

More Fabric

2008-04-02T06:51:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics of the rest of the new fabric that came in the mail. These are from Sew, Mama, Sew and I just love them! I already got to playing and picked out the coordinating fabrics so all that is left to do is pull out the rotary cutter and start slicing it up. Oh, that sounds so cruel. That might be what my problem is - I anthropomorphize everything. Yes, I make the animals talk but everybody does that, right? The problem goes much deeper than that though (like here for instance). People who know me get used to it, or ignore it, or think it's quirky that I'm having an ongoing conversation with the soup. So, it makes sense that I sometimes get the jitters when it comes to cutting up fabric. It's been welcomed into my home, washed, dried, ironed and folded. But it has also been petted, adored and a little life has been created for it. Then there is the future and aspirations of what it wants to become. It is just a matter of me making it so. That's a lot of pressure, but I have to believe that the skills are in me to pull it off so the transformed fabric can be sent of into the world in his new incarnation.

Oh yeah, I was going to show you fabric pics instead of rambling on!

I just love the spirals in that one, and the colours. He wants to be a skirt of some kind.

Frogs? What can be better than frogs? I'm going to cut the fabric on the bias like its shown here because the frogs seem to have more movement this way. They were going to become a bag for the tutorial I'm working on but the progress shots would have been too dark. So it's becoming a skirt too.

I just love this little pattern, it reminds me of something from when I was small, but I can't quite remember what. I think it might be similar to something on my grandmothers everyday dishes.

Alright, now I'm going to go work on that bag tutorial.

Something Completed Finally

2008-03-31T10:04:00.000-07:00

Here is Mom's finished tote. The dimensions are 10 x 14 x 4. Inside is one large zippered divider pocket and on each end are two smaller pockets. I used the same idea from Lana's bag except I did the inside pocket a little differently. To the lining pieces for the ends of the bag I added an extra 1/2 inch. When it came time to sew the already finished pocket into the bag I just folded the lining end piece in half with right sides facing with the edge of the pocket sandwiched in the middle and sewed a 1/4 inch seam. That was repeated for the other end of the pocket. I don't know how this is done in patterns, but it's what I went with and the results are great.

Extra care was taken when cutting the pieces for this bag out. I made sure to get the pattern centred so it would look pretty.

When cutting the sides I wasn't so careful. But it still looks okay.

I'm not usually one for making the same thing over and over. Once I've figured out how it's done it is easy to lose interest, but this tote gives great results with a minimum of fiddley details. I just might have to make one for myself! Maybe I'll make a tutorial.

What a Haul!

2008-03-31T06:24:00.000-07:00

There was an awesome sale on at Fabricland this weekend, everything was 50% off unless it was already on sale. So it was stocking up time! A bunch of 100% cotton solids both for accent fabric and more applique came home with me. I was a little dismayed at the available colours of the cotton solids, while if you walked to the other side of the counter there were three times the amount of poly/cotton broadcloth. Ah well I'm tingley with the lot of them.

Once everything got home and washed and ironed, it was time to pull it all out on the table to start playing with colour combinations. I love how much fabric changes just by switching accent fabric.

I'm still having a hard time deciding which of these I like best.

Or this

Or maybe this

Oh decisions, decisions. Then there is this new fabric that came in from Equilter (it was hiding in the picture on the post about that) and I must admit to having an almost indecent love of it. I paired it with the turquoise and a teal because there was no matching greens to be found.

It's hard to decide whether the two solid colour combo is too heavy or not. There is also the option of adding an accent colour using ribbon on the solid fabric and there are more options for ribbons than there are for 100% cotton fabrics.

There is way more to show but this post is already picture heavy as it is. Time to go finish stuff instead of planning the next three sewing months away. Mom's bag is almost done, I would have finished it up last night but either the light isn't good enough or my eyes aren't because I couldn't even tell the right side from the wrong side of that black fabric!

Something wonderful

2008-03-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

Something wonderful hopped out of my oven today. It all started with those last two bananas. You know the ones, the ones that are always left in their embarassingly over-ripened state sitting out on the counter no matter how quickly you try to eat them up, and no matter how many you bring home from the store there still always seems to be two. Seems like it should be a chance for some simple arithmetic, if you buy 6 bananas and end up with two over-ripened bananas leftover then next time you should buy four, four bananas. Ha Ha Ha. (Sorry had a Count von Count flashback for a second there.) Of course this is simplistic because there are variables like the green-ness of the bananas at time of purchase which would affect the length of time before the bananas passed their ripeness peak, but that is putting far too much thought into this. Point is - even if you buy two less bananas, there are always going to be two 'past their prime' bananas on the counter. It seems like some evil banana conspiracy.

So the two bananas were destined to become banana bread - a most noble end for those sweet but not so attractive leftovers. My tried and true recipe got a minor adjustment so here it is.

Butterscotch Banana Bread

Prehead oven to 350 celsius

mix in one bowl:
1 3/4 c white flour
2/3 c white sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

cut into flour mixture:
1/2 c butter or margarine

stir into flour/butter mixture:
3/4 c butterscotch chips

in another bowl:
mash up 2 lg. bananas (1 cup)
beat in 2 eggs
add 1 tsp vanilla

dump the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just mixed.
Pour the mixture into a greased loaf pan and bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let loaf cool for 15 minutes and then remove to cooling rack.

And you end up with this:

It turned out super yummy. The butterscotch chips melted and sometimes burst through the crust making little golden rivulets which cooled and formed little candied bits. It may not be a regular breakfasty snack, but who cares, it tastes so good!

Make some for breakfast, if it lasts til then.

Mama's got a brand new bag

2008-03-26T16:21:00.000-07:00

Ok I’ve been procrastinating. The new fabric is sitting prettily on top of another pile of fabric, waiting. Does anyone else feel pressured to make? But at the same time not wanting to make something just for the sake of using up a stash? Or, for fear of screwing it up? Well, that’s how I’ve been feeling. It’s easier when someone asks for something specific, so when my mom said she wanted a tote for a trip she is going on I busted out the fabric and got to work.

I used some stretch cotton that I had bought to make a skirt for myself and black cotton for the lining. I made pockets on each end, one for a glasses case and one for a water bottle. Inside is a large zippered divider pocket and I think a small pocket for keys or whatever. So far it is just what I wanted it to look like and I totally fell in love with this material which is an added bonus. After I brought this fabric home I felt kind of meh about it, another drawback to the store shopping – a complete loss of common sense. But now that it has been cut and I’ve had a chance to handle it I can’t wait to make something for me out of it. My mojo just might be crawling back out of whatever dark hole it’s been hiding in.

No, the bag is not finished because I ran out of interfacing and the store was out because I had just missed a huge sale (probably a good thing). It will be finished in a few days and until then I’m chopping up the rest of that cotton for a skirt, or a jacket, or something that I’m going to screw up.…and so the evil cycle begins again.

There a couple of crochet projects on the go for the quest to use up the acrylic but the camera turned them into some kind of blurry radioactive monstrosities (not much of a stretch from reality, but still). I will try to get either some better pictures or mutant superpowers, superpowers could be fun.

If you whine enough

2008-03-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

your fabric will come. My package from eQuilter came in today! And I am loving all of it!Yeah, very purple and green. If you didn’t know they were my favourite colours you would by looking at my fabric choices. Orange is my other fav, I live for Hallowe’en!

I am growing to prefer shopping online rather than brick and mortar stores. I have to prepare to go to fabric stores because I get so overwhelmed that I rarely bring home what I went in to get. Lists are written, plans are made, patterns are picked out and then I walk through the door and all of plans go out the window. I wander, I fondle, I design on the fly. I have actually walked out of a fabric store and stood outside for a few minutes to cool down enough to try again. Crazy. Maybe this isn’t you, you are one of the lucky ones, I have seen your kind in the stores - the quiet calm, the relaxed posture, the composure – and I aspire to be like you when I grow up. But that’s not me. To shop online, everything is organized, I can search for a particular colour, pattern or style without having to wander past hundreds of others which inevitably lead to distraction. I can relax, drink a coffee and compare choices rather than running around in the fabric shop like a crazy person with a bunch of bolts in my arms trying to find matches and make decisions. It’s true, you can’t fondle, but it’s a fair trade to save myself from looking like a fabric manic.

So with the cool-headedness that online shopping affords I picked up 4 different purple patterns with plans to make a baby sized quilt based on the Iroquois Confederacy Belt for the Mohawk Fair this year. Not to be confused with the Confederate flag. I am thinking of strip piecing it with one strip representing one row of the wampum beads. The hand quilting will just be stitched in the ditch to accentuate the beaded look of the original belt. In my brain it looks great. Sorry the picture isn't great though, but those beads are all made from drilled quahog shells which are deep purple with colour variations that's the reason for needing so many purple fabrics.

As for all the green fabrics the plans are a little more open. I’m thinking skirts and maybe a bag. I still need to take a trip to the fabric store to pick out some coordinating cotton solids for trims and white for the quilt and thread but that I can handle, they are all in one area.

Thanks Mom for the early birthday presents!

*crosses her fingers that the other package makes it before the weekend*

You learn something new

2008-03-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

I picked up this purple fabric with no idea what it wanted to be. It was on sale at Fabricland so there wasn’t too much of the worry about screwing it up that I’m usually plagued with. Does anyone else do that? Putting off cutting into fabric for fear of wasting it?

So I pulled it out the other day once Lana’s gift was finished and started planning and pinning. Pleats have been calling to me lately. Yes, pleats. No it’s not really my style, but neither are skirts. This spring (if it ever gets here) I want to start wearing skirts. I get really hot and miserable in the summer, shorts ride up, jeans are too hot, so skirts are my last option. Yes dresses are a possibility too, but I’m baby stepping into the world of girly clothes. I wouldn’t want to stumble this early in the game and relapse only to wake up covered in camo coveralls or something.

So the seductive coolness of the skirt is tempting me. My first attempt came out pretty well formed, working without a pattern. Why do I even buy patterns anyway? I never seem to use them. Ah well, that’s a rant for another day.

The skirt was all pleated, zipper sewn in and the waistband was even attached when I learned something new and very important about myself. I guess there was always a hint that I understood this problem, I did sew the pleats in the back a little longer than the front because of what I thought was a big butt issue, but that isn’t actually the problem.

Hello, my name is Kerri and I have Swayback. I can just hear you all cringe and scream in shock and horror. I have images from the old Godzilla movies flashing in my head. In case you, like me, were one of the uninformed it means that my spine curves in more than it should at my lower back, this in turn tilts the hips forward which causes my butt to stick out. It explains why my shirts always bunch up at my lower back (the back waist length is shorter than the front waist length so there is too much fabric length on my back). It also explains why I usually wear RTW pants higher in the back and lower at the front and why if I pull up the waistband in the front to make it even with the back then the pants gape at the back. It also explains why my skirts are always shorter in the back, it’s not due to my enormous butt! Oh so many things to learn! I am not a monster! I just have a weird posture. I’m sure Quasimodo is feeling me.

If you, like me have fitting issues, I found this site to be very helpful. It isn’t just about the swayback issue but helps with tons of fitting adjustments! This is quickly becoming my favourite quick help site as the written instructions are short and there are helpful little diagrams showing how to chop up and change the offending pattern piece. Go, New Mexico State University!

Oh and here is my skirt I still need to sew the hem - taken up a little more in the front than the back, but on my next skirt I’ll test out the new found alteration information. I will be victorious over the sway back!

I think the next skirt will be an A-line, now if only the mail would hurry up and bring the fabric to me. And there is a long weekend! Oh noes, my fabric is never going to get here in time!

It's Done!

2008-03-14T15:19:00.000-07:00

Alright, the birthday present is finished. I didn’t use a pattern (anyone else for reinventing the wheel?) so I just went with a general idea and worked backwards. For the most part the finished product and my brain image matched, except in my brain there was another zippered pocket that didn’t find it’s way into the design.

I made the zippered pocket, the zippered pocket was lovely and it quietly waited on the table until it was time to be worked into the bag.

He amused himself with some fabric scraps as I interfaced and ironed. What a good little pocket.

He got in a little reading while I busily sewed up his big brother.

Then the zippered pocket got bored waiting and fell asleep. Because the pocket was sleeping he didn’t notice that it was his turn to get worked into the bag. Now the pocket is mad and is refusing to talk to me, but the bag is finished so I have something to show at least.

He was even more upset that his brother found his way into the bag.

I'll mail it, as soon as I can find a box to fit it. Mental note, design gifts based on the sizes of available boxes.

No Peeking, Lan!

2008-03-11T16:29:00.000-07:00

I’m working on a birthday present for a friend. Her birthday is supposedly February 20, but I have insisted and will continue to insist that her true birthday is March 23. So her gift is not late, and I have a good 3 more days before it needs to be in the mail. One present/three days=plenty of time, right?

Well, in my brain there have been a lot of ideas rolling around and they all work off this theme. Of all these ideas nothing has actually been created yet. So when do I decide to finally start working out these ideas? And to add to the pressure, this project incorporates skills I’m not very skilled at. Yeah, apparently the crazy runs in the family.

This is a peek at my progress so far. Lana, avert your eyes!

So I’ve never really done appliqué before, but I think it turned out pretty well. Both fabrics are pretty stable so I didn’t use any stabilizer or anything. I did the cutouts and edged it with blanket stitch instead of satin stitching the shape on the teal. So far I’m pretty proud of this. I can’t wait to finish it!

Everyone needs a dragon

2008-03-09T16:33:00.000-07:00

So I was looking on ravelry again and found a pattern for a crocheted dragon. No, I really do knit, in fact until recently I knit almost exclusively. But with the addition of a new sewing machine and the desire to quickly burn through my acrylic stash I haven’t made one knitted item in the last month or so…I’ll start something soon, I swear.

Actually, I realized I just lied. I did knit one little thing, it was a washcloth. I had stumbled across a blog called Mossy Cottage Knits whose post about sentient vending machines made me giggle so later when a cry for help came from the same blog I offered assistance. In the crazy accounting system of life it might not be a good rule to throw a washcloth at every person who makes you laugh, but when they ask, well how can you refuse? How often would you have a chance to do that without odd repercussions or misunderstandings anyway? A couple of days later there were more than 30 knitters offering time on their needles to crank out some washcloths. Isn’t that cool?

I didn’t have any kitchen cotton left (I know, I don’t understand it either) but I did have some Garn Studio Muskat in a creamy colour that smuggled itself home with me from an extended stay in Copenhagen. Sneaky, sneaky yarn. So I knit my washcloth and fought the urge to knit another. The only thing keeping me from making more was an image of a pile of talking washcloths meekly saying, “but I only needed 59.” And then I distracted myself with a much needed crochet dragon.

So I found ‘My Fierce but Friendly really Dragon’ (and the ravelry link) who will from now on will just be referred to as him.

Even though I’m a fan of making things in one piece I really didn’t mind putting all his little pieces together. So maybe it’s seaming I don’t like, sewing on wings and little tiny ears is perfectly fine for me. I wasn’t really sure about counting the rounds, but after searching out this YouTube video it became obvious that I was just overthinking everything, it is only numbers after all.

I really like the way this pattern was written, just writing out the total stitches for each round and the general location of the increases or decreases made it easier to shape this little guy. And the wings, which were written out in rows, are so cute (although mine are a little floppier than I would have liked). Just imagine that wing shape becoming a tail, or the collar on a frilled lizard with some tweaking.

So I loved this pattern, it was well written and easy to understand. And it was quick! I just used some worsted space-dyed acrylic. I don’t know the brand, or if it’s still available, but it is a pretty good dragon colour. Of course, a touch of purple would have made it better, but that is always the case for me. Purple is pretty.

I love this little guy. I would have added little buttons on his legs and arms for that teddy- bear-from-my-childhood vibe, but there weren't any around that would match. He is still jointed though so his arms and legs do move. That's why he can sit on his butt and beg for treats...a virgin sacrifice is preferred.

What am I going to be doing with him now that’s he done? Well, a friend likes dragons even more than I do so he will be well taken care of with her...if he ever makes it into the shipping box. Did I mention I love him?

Oh yeah, he’s missing eyes. I don’t know if I should embroider him a pair, or buttons, or eyeballs. He’ll be really done soon, really.

As for tonight, I have finally come to accept my dress form’s shape and size (read: my shape and size) so it’s time to be draping some fabric. I am envisioning a little olive green dress with pleats down the front for contour and shape. There is some knit jersey in the stash and at $2 a metre there won’t be any tears if I muck it up. Wish me luck!

I'm sorry the photos are dark. Must start remembering to take pictures while there is daylight. There really is no excuse now that that days are getting longer.

And then there were two

2008-03-06T13:58:00.000-08:00

Well as if the world wasn’t scary enough I now have a body double. Ok, it’s a shiny, headless, torso double, but it’s basically my shape and size. All the dimensions correspond pretty well to my measurements except it was lacking in one key area, umm make that two areas. Somehow the boobs got smooshed into what appeared to be pecs, so it was a decidedly male looking shiny torso. Of course, the flatness of the chest didn’t appear to be much of a discrepancy to my eyes until I slipped the shirt I was working on onto the form and the cups had nothing to fill it out. I repositioned the shirt, assuming my lack of doll-playing years had left me ill equipped for dressing someone other than myself, but that didn’t fill out the chest either. Thinking that somehow I had cut the pattern wrong I took the shirt off the dress form and put it on myself. “Wow,” I thought, “I have boobs!”

It was time to bust out the tissue and stuff my dress form. Suddenly I was feeling very immature. And that was just the beginning of the downward spiral into immaturity land because once I had fashioned a couple fakies and duct taped them onto the dress form I stood back and started giggling.

Maybe it’s just me, but they look like two big eyeballs. Two big shiny robot eyeballs. Yeah, apparently I’m 12. At least I resisted the urge to draw in pupils and eyelashes.

I found the easiest way to eliminate the little bumps and ripples was to put a cotton sports bra on the dress form. Not only does it smooth out the bust but it gives the fabric something to stick to when I try clothes on the form. I am still debating whether I should just cover the whole thing with some nylons for the same reason.

I didn’t mount my form on a stick of some kind, though I think that might be nice. For now I just stuck a bag of beans in the bottom and she sits very happily on the table. I would like to use the form for making dresses and skirts as well so I’ll have to impale the dress form sometime.

All in all I’m happy with the outcome. Except it scared the hell out of me when I caught the shape out of the corner of my eye last night.

Un-Drunken Carrot Cake

2008-03-04T05:35:00.001-08:00

Yep, I did it. The cake was presentable, and even, and the little leftover cook's treats were yummy. There was a ton of frosting left over, I forgot this recipe makes a 'generous' amount of frosting. But I'm sure I'll find something else to slather it all over. While the cats were bugging for treats I lost count adding the icing sugar (2 pounds!) and there may be a cup less in there than the recipe called for, but it tastes just as good, maybe better because it isnt too sweet. So the cake has already left the house today, I'll see how it turned out tonight.

Oh, and as you can see, Luther can't resist anything I'm paying attention to. While trying to get pics of the finished product I saw little paws reach into view and snapped this pic.

Duct tape - a sewist's friend

2008-03-03T13:50:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I’m getting into the Red Green swing to prepare for getting covered in duct tape tonight. Being wrapped in plastic wrap and duct tape sounds like some serious bdsm thing, but no, I will not be suspended or have straws stuck up my nose. The latter, by the way, only ever seems to happen when I’m talking to a cute guy and looking at them instead of keeping my eye on the prize as I try to take a sip of my iced cappuccino. Yeah, I’m all kinds of elegant.

Anyway, I really need a duct tape dress form because apparently I have some sort of freakish body shape which doesn’t fit with commercially produced patterns. And while I feel like the only one, I know that most people fall into the freak category when trying to get patterns to fit, especially very fitted patterns like the one I’m working on now.

Burda 7938 I picked view B with the long sleeves. The shell is 12 pieces without the sleeves and fully lined making it a fun sew, with lots of tweaking possibilities. The first muslin had cups that strayed all the way down to the bottom of my rib cage plus I realized it was way to lowcut for me. So I raised the neckline, fiddled with the boobs, shortened the shoulders and cut it again. This time around it is better, but there is still some fine tuning that needs to be made and I can’t do it on myself. So getting mummy wrapped in duct tape will solve all my problems! How often do you get to say that? And it might be an incentive to lose some of that winter weight which can’t be a bad thing either.

So far today...

2008-03-03T11:25:00.000-08:00

This pile of raw materials

Became these

It’s my favourite carrot cake recipe. I had lost the recipe for a long time (it was a photocopy out of a magazine), it made me sad. Then a friend said that carrot cake was his favourite kind of cake and magically this awesome recipe reappeared. Funny how that happens. That was back in November. It was a big hit with his household with at least two of the children saying it was, “the bestest carrot cake in the whole world!” Ah, you gotta’ love kids. Since I hate raisins I chopped up some dry dates so there was still that moist chewy sweetness, without the chewing-through-shriveled-skin feeling raisins gives. Yeah, I’m not really into cannibalism.

This is the first time I've made it since then. I still need to put it together and hopefully it won't become Drunken Carrot Cake. Be sure there isn't any alcohol in the cake, but usually by the time I get finished with the cake it looks like there was copious amounts of alcohol in the cook. Ah well, fingers crossed.

Oh, and after checking the photocopy there is no magazine title listed, it must have been on the other page so I can't even find a link to the recipe. It's pretty basic though, just throw tons of cream cheese/sugar at it and all will be good with the world.

I have also gotten the hexes sewn together into a blanket. There are more than 100 and surprisingly this foray into crochet didn't use up that much of the acrylic. Well, it's quite possible that the acrylic still residing in the suitcase prison has begun to breed in an attempt to take over the house. I don't want to know.

So the blanket is basically square and if you look on the pic there is a side on one hex that isn't sewn to his partner yet. I'm thinking I might add a little pocket in that space, might make a handy place to slip the remote or kleenex. You can't see the back because there are lots of stray ends hanging out, but use your imagination. I think I was a little down when I started this, looking at the colours it's very drab and not even a touch of purple snuck in which is odd for me.

Hopefully there will be a drool-worthy cake finished soon.

to reuse, or not to reuse?

2008-02-29T11:16:00.000-08:00

yeah, it's not much of a question.

Two nights ago I found myself checking ravelry for a pattern for grocery bags. Mainly this came about because I had been sewing small reusable produce bags. The first batch was fine, small (I cut 6 out of one metre of fabric), but fine. They were made out of a sheer fabric. I winged it without a pattern, it is just one long rectangle and a drawstring.

Of course lacking in foresight I overlooked where the drawstring was going to actually come out of the bag. Silly me, I paid for it by handstitching in buttonholes through the french seam on one side and threading the ribbon through that.

It worked well.

The second batch I made out of tulle and they just cant stand up to the pressure. The problem was the material itself, the seams all held up fine, but the tulle just stretched to the point of breaking. I'm sad about this because I had actually remembered reading a tutorial but couldn't remember where it was. It took me a while to find but this is the excellent tutorial from this great blog. More will be made as soon as I score some more sheer fabric (no I won't start chopping up the curtains...yet).

But there's more! I did find a pattern on ravelry for a grocery bag. Here is a non-ravelry link to the designer's blog about the pattern.

Over the past couple of days I've made this and this:

Oh! And the last little bit of obvious news is my new camera. Horray for pics!

**edited to fix the bad link to the non-ravelry econo-mesh shopper bag pattern. Thank you, Wondermommy!

A Hookin' We Will Go

2008-02-26T08:34:00.000-08:00

I do things, I do a lot of crafty things and I do a lot of crazy things. I’m not one for taking classes. Written instructions are like a trapeze act for my brain without a safety net, things just make sense to me if I sit and examine a finished product. That is how I learned to knit a couple years ago, how I learned to do loom beadwork when I was 9, and how I learned to make dreamcatchers when I was 11. It’s the way I work. My parents used to say it was like a butterfly going through its metamorphosis. I would disappear for a time and reappear with a new skill, a new skill that I would be completely obsessed with and do nothing else until the novelty wore off. Hence the Horrible Skipping Incident of ’84 where I didn’t eat for a day (cuz you can’t eat and skip at the same time, duh) and woke up with what I assumed were (in my all-knowing 6 year old brain) broken legs the next morning. I’m all about going to extremes.

Yes this story is going somewhere…because I learned how to do something new – Crochet! So it’s been all about the hooking and very little about the knitting lately. Why did I learn to crochet, you ask?

Well, like most new knitters I had acquired a horrendous amount of the acrylic-y evilness of doom. I bought yarn anywhere and everywhere I could find it- you don’t want to know. (Images of me roaming the dark streets trying to score some plast-ick are making me giggle.) I didn’t know any better! Anyway, it had been sitting in my closet, taunting and berating me with its annoyingly squeaky voice every time I opened the door, which I had to do daily because, well, every day can’t be naked Ri day.

At first I tried to quell the noise coming from my closet by shoving the whole lot of it into a suitcase….a very big suitcase, the kind that fit bodies (yes plural). It was muffled, but I still knew it was there, egging me on. It became a challenge to me to get rid of this stuff and giving it away was not an option. Yeah, craziness, I give away tons of the stuff that I make, but just giving away the yarn in its raw form just seems like I am admitting defeat. I screamed at the closet and shook my fist, ‘I will be the master of my domain and no amount of processed plastic string is going to get the best of me!’ Hmm…maybe I had more than enough coffee that day…

Anyway, back to the crochet. I learned how to make granny squares, well not squares cuz I was feeling all superior and decided I could make two more corners to make granny hexes. I yanked open my closet door, ripped open that suitcase, pulled some acrylic out of it’s comfy quiet resting place, it shrieked in the sunlight and I laughed the evil maniacal laugh reserved for the criminally insane and I hunkered down to master the hex.

I have made 67 of these little buggers so far.

I hate them.

I love them.

My new baby

2008-02-26T08:26:00.000-08:00

I got a new sewing machine. I love my new sewing machine. It was payment for some work I did for a friend. Maybe someday I will get pictures of that project and write a real post about it, but just for a little teaser: It was a mat, about 4’ by 3’ knit in entrelac out of hemp. And no it wasn’t that soft hemp either, it was the twine-like, less processed hemp. So yeah, that job was well worth the sewing machine. Oh and did I ever need a new one. My old one I got as a birthday present when I was 12 and after all these years it just wasn’t capable of much of anything useful, like sewing, for instance. It made an excellent paperweight though.

My new baby is the Janome DC3050. It purrs like a kitten. I will love it for a long time to come. It still needs a name, it hasn’t told me what it wants to be called yet. Maybe it just needs to be used more, I’m sure that’s the problem. One of my favourite things about the machine is the foot pedal, my old one was really thick so the front of my foot always felt like it was up on too much of an angle. This one is slim and feels like I have more control, I’m all about control. Oh and does it love the denim, just like it’s sewing through butter. I like that in a machine. Not that I’ve ever actually tried to sew butter. Great, I just got an image of the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland messing around with my machine. *squish*

This is my blog

2008-02-25T04:11:00.000-08:00

This is my blog. I have resisted the temptation to start one of these things because I am a genuine lurker at heart and also I know my level of obsession for new shiny is embarrassingly high which would lead to major time suckage on a laptop I already spend way too much time on already. There will be nothing to blog about if I can’t get off this thing to actually make something to blog about.

I am a nearly 30 (less than 2 months away, geez) self/under-employed gal who gets pleasure from making stuff for a living. Yes, I make stuff. I have a yen to create. It’s a very big yen. I am up to my ears in yen and all attempts made to control or limit the yenbeast have failed miserably. But it’s okay, the yenbeast is snuggly and comforting, although it does drool in it’s sleep (it certainly isn’t me drooling). I have no kids, though I have two cats one of which is completely enamoured with the cursor so she spends much of the time I’m at the computer staring intently at the screen. (I pretend that she’s reading all of your blogs along with me, cuz I’m a dork like that.)

Anyway, lots of typing and no pics for the first little while because (again, dork me) I have no camera. Which is the other reason I was putting off starting a blog, but I am trying to convince myself that if I actually had a blog I would feel compelled to finally get a camera so I would have pretty content for the aforementioned blog.

That’s enough for my first time, I wouldn’t want to get all long-winded and babble-y right off the bat. I’ll be back.