Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Knit remnant pillows

Remember the sweater knit remnants I got years ago? I had made Tabita's wool tunic out of some and gave mom a few in her colors. The rest stayed packed away in boxes in my son's bedroom closet. Recently though we added some new shelves into his closet and moved our 4y old's clothes in there as well, so the boxes had to go. Which means I pulled out the knits and decided to find some fresh ideas for them. Since these are pieces that were left in the factory after they cut out things, they are very oddly shaped and most pieces are not large enough for clothing pieces. The wool is also very thick and a bit scratchy for wearing.

I had some pillows that I had thrown the pillow case away, since I didn't like the colors. I decided to use the smallest pieces of the remnants and cut little squares out of them. And then made pillow cases (with zippers) for these pillows. I think they came out great and the children love them as well. Now, our camera is broken and so I can't take any pictures. I tried to use my Nokia phone camera and while the quality and color is very bad, at least I can show you something. When our camera (hopefully) gets fixed, I'll replace the photo with a better one.


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Saturday, February 18, 2012

Scrapping for Marcee Duggar

This month I have had a special privilege to scrap exclusively with products from DSP Designer Marcee Duggar. Since Marcee creates products that are more graphic in nature, it is perfect for the scrapping style I love - more artsy, less traditional. I am so  enjoying creating with ther products.

You can see all her designs at the DSP store and read a bit more about her on her DSP profile. She also has a blog and a facebook page
.
So, here are the pages I created with Marcee's products so far:



 


 
Credits:
Collage Art LVC by Marcee Duggar
Collage Elements Set 3 by Marcee Duggar
Collage Overlays Set 1 by Marcee Duggar
Collage Stamps Set 2 by Marcee Duggar
Flea Market Page Kit 2 by Marcee Duggar
Fonts: Jellyka Delicious Cake, Letter Gothic Std

Credits:
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Saturday, February 11, 2012

Modesty panel for t-shirts tutorial

I was sorting through some photos on my computer and came upon photos I took last summer of adding some modesty panels to t-shirt which I never posted. So, I thought I would catch up today.

I have quite a few t-shirts that I love to wear, but the neckline is just too low for me. In the winter it's easy to layer with other shirts or tank tops. But in the hot summer, putting on yet another layer is out of question, as it defeats the purpose of a cool cotton t-shirt. I have tried sewing some modesty that clip to the bra straps, but I found that I had to fix it too often to be comfortable during daily wear. So, I just decided to sew some permanent modesty panels into my daily wear shirts and stop worrying about it.


For shirts I could find coordinating solid fabric, I used scraps of that and for those I couldn't, I simple used white t-shirt fabric (cut up t-shirts we received from the airline when we were stranded in a hotel last year because of a missed flight).

I am going to show you the process I used on one of the shirts. This method requires no measuring or making of any patterns. I first just eye-balled the width and length of the opening, then cut strips bigger than that. I hemmed the upper edge of the panels (on some I just used the bottom hemmed piece upside down, on others I bound the edge or used elastic lace).



Then I turned the shirt inside out and pulled it onto the ironing board. I placed the panel strip over the opening and first pinned, then basted it in place. I tried it on and fixed something if it pulled anywhere.

Then I used a matching thread on top and white on bottom and simply stitched the panel in place from the right side, stitching over existing stitches in binding or hem of the t-shirt.

If everything worked and it looked well, I cut off the extra fabric and voila - a shirt that is modest and comfortable. Here is the view from the inside:


And this is the view from the outside:


I altered several shirts like this last summer and was so happy with the end results.



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Wednesday, February 8, 2012

January Sewing Review

In the beginning of this year I realized that somehow I had accumulated quite a bit of fabric. Most of it was given to me either by my mom or mother-in-law, other relatives, friends,... I think I only bought about 3-4 fabrics that are in my stash currently. Nevertheless, fabric it is and it's taking up precious space. And I haven't been sewing much lately. Why? I would think there are a few reasons. One is definitely having our 7th baby last year and it taking a lot more for me to recuperate and return to "normal programming"than usual. Another is probably having a larger family, more things to take care of and having less time. Third is probably that my sewing area is in the laundry room and it's usually a catch-all place and by the time I clear it, I don't have time to sew. But I do think there is yet another reason and that is I am afraid to use the fabric and afraid to ruin it if things don't work out especially when sewing for myself - I am pretty hard to fit. But my closet is half-empty and the girls also could use certain clothing pieces, and there are items that are needed in our household. So.....


I have decided that the year 2012 would be the year when most of that fabric would dissapear from the shelves and boxes of my laundry room - either be sewn into useful items for me, the children or the home - or if nobody likes the fabric in our family, be given away to someone who can use it. There is fabric made in the world every day and even though right now there is no budget for it, who knows what will happen when I use it all up? Things might change and God will supply what I need. So, maybe it's also a spiritual lesson I am trying to learn here - to trust and not hold on. Besides, it is much more useful to have clothing in the closet than fabric on the shelf, right?

OK, so part of this decision is to actually record what I make and how much yardage to use, just to motivate myself. And to post it at the end of each month with hopefully also some photos or links to at least some projects that I did accomplish.

So, here are January projects:
~ 3 bassinet sheets (1.5m)
~ diaper stacker (0.5m)
~ 8 flannel washclothes (0.5m)
~ 3 bibs (0.3m)
(All these were blogged here)
~ basket liner for the kitchen and baggie holder for kitchen (1.25m plus 0.2m)
~ 2 fitted flannel crib sheets (4m)
~ Simplicity 2772 raglan sleeved knit PJ top for Eli (1.5m)
~ 4 velvet pillow cases for living room (1.2m)
~ sweater knit quilted pillow case with zipper (0.5m)
(hopefully I'll take some pictures of the other items and blog later)

So, the total for fabric used in January 2012 is 10.25 meters (that's about 11 yards). Not a bad start, but I can do better. A lot of these were small items. Let's see what February brings.
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Tuesday, February 7, 2012

January Favorite Scrapbook Pages

Since I have been back on DET, I have been scrapping so much more again. So, for this month I have decided to post just my favorite pages instead of all of them. The rest can be seen in my online gallery at Digital Scrapbook Place.

And here they are in random order:

 Credits:
Club Digital January 2012 by DSP Designers
Font: Geosans Light

 Credits:

  Credits:
Remember Autumn VC by Carole Harden
Fonts: HaloHandletter and Perpetua 

Credits:
 
 Credits:
Pleasantly Plum Page Kit by Lora Speiser
Fonts: Jellyka Western Princess, Minion Pro
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Sunday, February 5, 2012

Sewing for new baby niece

Three weeks ago my sister gave birth to a sweet little baby girl. As my mom was going to help them during the first days, I made a little bundle of presents for her.


First I made some fitted bassinet sheets for the bassinet I loaned her. Foolishly I didn't trace the little mattress before I gave it to her (it's a bit odd shaped). But she was so kind and traced it on a piece of paper and send it to me in the mail, so that's what I used for a pattern. I used flannel for this:


Then I made some flannel wash clothes. I experimented with this when I was making some for myself last spring. Since I don't have a serger I have found out that the best way is to make them double thickness and satin-stitch (tight zig-zag) all around it. I use mine all the time. Here are the ones I made for her:


And then a few little bibs. Some from knits (I interfaced the front fabric with knit interfacing, so it wouldn't stretch out while I sewed it) and one from some piece cotton:


And I also made her a diaper stacker. I kind of looked around the net for some ideas, measured one that I have had for years and then made my own pattern. It almost turned out exactly as I planned it. But next time I think I have to make the base a bit bigger, especially if it is to be used for cloth diapers, since they are bulkier than disposables. But overall I am pleased with it:


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