Woof, Grrr, Meow

July of last year I purchased a child's rag quilt pattern that has a bear, dog and cat.  They all look the same except for the ears.  Last July I made the bear and this week I finished the dog.

Last month my darling D. caught a hot deal on Amazon and bought me a Brother sewing machine with 99 different stitches.  I knew immediately that the dog quilt would be a perfect project for trying out many of those stitches and helping me learn my new machine.

The cat will eventually be made; this pattern is too cute and too easy not to do them all.

As with most projects I had to re-cut two 'squares' leaving two odd pieces that I quickly found a use for.  

This barrel bag was listing as a cosmetic bag.  It seemed small but the right size to use these defunct, quilted pieces.  My intention was to recycle a red sweater with a super zipper but my initial cuttings were off (measure twice cut once...eek!) and that idea got tossed.

This alternate refashion had to include a lesson for installing a zipper.  Not a difficult task but one that does take a bit of finesse.  I'm happy with how the overall bag turned out, D. thought it was a sufficient size for cosmetics, but it is small.  

A trip to Goodwill today garnered a lined jacket of a lovely color and fabric with a double zipper that will become a larger barrel bag after a quick enlargement of the current pattern.

(I put the jacket, marked size S, on my form to take this picture and thought, 'this fits my dummy, it should fit me'.  Currently rethinking the use of this jacket.)

The summer is looking good on all fronts with a line up of a number of refashion ideas...sew on my friends.

In My Sewing Room and We're Talking Bags

After the dress dummy I fell into the world of 'bags', grocery and hand to be exact.  In the midst of sewing my timing gears wore out and the machine was in the shop for a week.  In a previous post I shared I got my first Singer in 1980.  There was a flurry of initial sewing but then only minimal action for about 31 years.  Since 2011 I've worn out the timing gears twice with A LOT of sewing but also, more likely, yanking heavier materials than is wise between the feed dogs and needle.

Yet, I have not been deterred but more surprisingly rewarded!  My attentive husband, D.; patiently watching me spin and thread, cut and construct, curse and kick spied a Brother Laura Ashley CX155A sewing machine on Amazon's Daily Hot Deals.  Their selling point, "goes through 5 layers of material" caught his eye, the selling point to me "99 decorative programmable stitches"!

I am eager to start the Dog rag quilt but I needed to finish up the bag projects which today, are complete.

The reversible grocery bags from a t-shirt and fabric were a breeze and very useful.

A regional sweatshirt was headed to a pillow case but turned into a tote instead.

The initial large bottom seemed plain and uninspired (not to mention the pockets inside were wrong).  A revamp fixed the pockets, rounded up the bottom and became a test for 2 of the 99 stitches.  The craftsmanship is clearly first-round but a lot was learned in the process.



This smaller purse received the bonus of lessons learned.  From a sweater to a handbag
I love how this purse turned out.  Handbags are a project that will definitely be revisited.

 
The sewing room has been cleaned and restocked, fabric picked out and pattern prepared.

Let the quilting begin.

Silhouette Me: An Adventures in Sewing Story

*Duct Tape Dangers Disclosure

My adventures in sewing began in 2011 when L. left for college and the unpredictable 'empty nest' season began.  Live & Learn With Sally has been a depository for both the emotional and artistic journey.  Silhouette Me is another stop along this road.

The Refashion movement has caught my eye.  I've tackled minor adjustments on blouses through haphazard pinning while looking at my reflection in the mirror.

 A major dress refashion has swirled through my mind for some time. My avoidance is in large part due to the lack of confidence to 'fit' the refashion accurately and sufficiently.  Honestly, I want to "want" to wear this dress when the refashion is done.

What I really needed was a dress form which cost $100+, a sum I'm not willing to spend if I'm only going to use it once.  (See Upholstery Re-Do)

A trip on the internet leads to more tutorials on 'Making Your Own Dress Dummy' than you would ever expect.  The two common instructions: you need another person and more than one roll of duct tape.  D. was my willing taper and Sam's provided the bulk package of duct tape.

The adventure began:

Start in a trash bag or old t-shirt.

It is important to capture
every curve.

We followed specific
wrapping instructions.

Getting close but not tight.

2 1/2 hours in and we
are done wrapping;
now to cut me out.

Stuffed and ready
for service.

Dress ready for a
refashion.

The intention for this dress refashion is to make the skirt portion an A-Line and bring up the hem without removing the back zipper.

I will post the results, success or failure, to let you know how the refashion goes and the dress form performs.

Thanks for stopping by.






*Duct Tape Dangers Disclosure
In an effort for full disclosure be aware that continued use of duct tape over an extended period of time can result in blisters.

D. took one for the team!

I Made a Duffle!

In the current recycle/reuse environment I was going through a bag of clothes destined for donation when my recycle eye caught sight of a pair of cargo pants with a draw string waist and excellent pockets.

A bag pattern came to mind inspiring the next project.

With many of these new endeavors I often fly by the seat of my pants; following the suggestion of a pattern and designing as I go.


After cutting out the seams a visit to Joann Fabrics yielded an upholstery remnant that complimented the cargo blue.


Two 4 inch strips replaced the seams.  A bucket design made the best use of size and pocket placement.  My sewing machine couldn't accommodate the thick fabric for sewing the handle strap but two gold buttons did the trick.



The lining came together with minimal frustration and installed with ease.  I am still on the hunt for a cord lock large enough to accommodate the draw string which will make the bag complete.

Deep into the process, as I was wrestling the fabric thorough my machine that wasn't made to handle industrial sewing, it seemed this project might have been too ambitious.

Multiple trips to the fabric store and additional days thinking through problem areas did result in a pleasing duffle.

My feelings regarding this project is similar to the Chair Re-do.  I am happy with how it turned out but I won't intentionally revisit it again.  I do like the myriad of bags and purse patterns out there and this has given me a great trial run.  There is likely another effort out there but on a much smaller scale.

Because it turned out to be much larger than initially expected I have to consider it's purpose. I've decided it would make a great Diaper Duffle.  The pockets are perfect for all the various and sundry small baby items with the interior large enough for diapers, extra clothes and toys.

Another item for my Grandmother's hope chest. :)

The Nut Doesn't Fall Far....

Recent posts have showcased my swirl through the world of crafts, sewing in particular. In my lifetime I have attempted many different types of crafts and been pleased by most results.

My husband, D., has a talent working with wood.  In the early years of our marriage, mainly due to a tight budget, most of our furniture was rebuilt and refinished by D.

This weekend he took two old end tables that were becoming rickety and scarred renewing them with a screwdriver and can of spray paint.  L., too, has proved to be quite crafty.

He has been an avid gamer in many mediums.  Currently he is a supporter of board games, especially games still in development. Most of the games he purchases from Kickstarter and are played with cards, many, many cards.

There are a few 'card carriers' available for these enthusiasts but it is early in their own development leaving much room for improvement. L. stepped into this void with some help from the internet.

A trip to Hobby Lobby brought a painters box plus red felt.  Home Depot had the hard board and stain.  Dad stained the box and cut the hard board for dividers from L.'s measurements.  L. glued all the inside pieces together and used a wood burner to etch the game title on the lid.  I glued the felt inside the box.  For under $36 we created this personalized card box.

Clearly, the nut does not fall far from the tree.

Sewing Presents for Christmas 2013

Fraternity T-shirt Back

Fraternity T-shirt Front

On the previous post which highlighted the college t-shirt quilt I hinted at a creative use for additional
t-shirts.  Online there is no difficulty finding many neat ideas for reusing favorite t-shirts but I've never before seen pillowcases.



I work for the Student Ministry at a local church and t-shirts are ordered for multiple events every year.  By Christmas there remains a large selection of leftovers.

Graphic T's Front

Graphic T's Back

After seeing my previous t-shirt quilts one of our youth interns was interested in having a quilt made out of his many graphic t's.  We struck a deal in which he cut the squares and provided the backing and I constructed the quilt.





With t-shirts on my mind and so many at my disposal I wanted to make a quick gift for all the interns.  In retrospect I did make a t-shirt pillow case many years ago with some left over Christmas fabric and a white t-shirt.  The idea popped up again and with a dip into the many wonderful remnants I am still working through I went to work.

Front/Back with added fabric
top and bottom.

For the youth staff I sewed a pair of pillow cases out of 4 different shirts.  I did a slightly different style on each but on every pair I added stability by lining the inside of the opening with the coordinating fabric.

Decorative stripe with inside lining.

With this style the neck was retained filling in with fabric from the sleeve. The shirt was a large which was wide enough to reach the standard pillow case size without extra fabric therefore coordinating fabric was used to decorate the outside of the pillow case as well as inside the opening.


An extra large shirt was too big for a standard sized pillow case.  On this design I cut more fabric off the sides and made the pillow case to size with the coordinating fabric.  This design also retained the neck.

The neck was retained and filled in with fabric from the sleeve.

The quilt I'd made for our intern had enough remnants to create matching pillow cases out of yet another shirt.

I expect these pillow cases will be used at times when a pillow may get thrown around on the vehicle floor, into a tent or out by the fire.

 Situations where you don't want to mess up a "good" pillow case, which makes them perfect for anybody on a road trip, school trip, family trip or at scout camp, summer camp, church camp or on any kind of overnight adventure.

If you make a pillowcase I would love to see it, please post a link in your comments.

Happy Holidays, Happy Sewing!!

Out of Sync Birthdays

L. turns 21 today.  December 7th, within the UT college calendar falls at the beginning of semester finals.  This is L's third year at UT, so as in the two years past we planned to celebrate over Thanksgiving break.

We drove down to Austin to pick him up but he was booked to fly back the following Sunday.  This required taking his gifts with us as there were some big boxes and all needed to end up in Austin.

Circumstances such as these puts a birthday out of sync.  Instead of being a problem I see these as opportunities to make a week, or month, celebration instead of only one day.  On November 27 we celebrated in his dorm room as he opened gifts.  On November 29 we celebrated with cake and candles at home.  Today he is back in Austin celebrating with friends and I get to cyber-shout out, one more time.


One of the large gifts was a UT
 t-shirt quilt.  It is the first full size quilt I have 'quilted' on my home machine.  The backing is that ultra-soft minky material and although it shifted slightly the adhesive spray recommended to aid in the quilting process worked great.

Quilting a full size takes patience and practice.  The process and result went so well I've decided to make baby size quilts to practice and improve my patience and machine quilting skills on.

L. was thrilled with the new college quilt, which takes the place of his high school quilt.  There were many other shirts that didn't make the cut for this gift.  Watch for a future post on the creative end found for those
t-shirts.

Here on Pearl Harbor day we wish L. a Happy, Happy 21st Birthday!