Another fun project that I did was pillow cases. Joann Fabrics had their flannel on sale for $1.49 a yard after Thanksgiving. I’ve always loved flannel. I’ve made pajama pants many times but this year I decided to make pillow cases. They’re fast and easy and I think the kids will love them. So soft!
My Slice die cutter has been fun to use. It will cut the objects in incremental sizes from 2″ to 4″. It will also cut them so you can create a shadow effect, a detailed layer on top of the base and a mirror image. After thinking about it I decided it would be fun to see if I could create ornaments. I was successful without too much trial and error. I put Wonder Under on the back of all the fabric before I cut it out. This made it easy to layer, use a thin layer of batting and a hanging ribbon and well as having a mirror image back. This was so successful and so much fun I’m thinking of all sorts of other shapes or things I can make. I also turned the little houses over and dated them and put names on them. More fun times.
I always have fun thinking of things I can make for family and friends. This year was no different. I’ve tried many different kinds of projects this year as well as variations on projects I have done in the past and also tried some new things. My bridge friends this year got a smattering of several different things. I made smaller market bags, appliqued towels and ornaments. I had a great time. The bags were made from oilcloth which is one of my favorites to work with. The towels I used my Slice machine and mostly blanket stitch rather than a satin stitch and the ornaments were also made with my Slice machine and Wonder Under.
I’ve been working some on finishing Christmas gifts but haven’t had as much time because my mother has been in the hospital for five days. Thank goodness she has been able to return to her home with some extra care giving and I’m going to try to catch up on work and get ready for Christmas.
Tonight I’m working on another project made with my Slice Fabrique which is a die cutting machine. I’ve finally realized that the biggest key is having enough tackiness on the cutting mat so the fabric is very secure. These are going to be very cute and I’ll post some more pictures as I finish them and they are gifted.
I keep thinking I should add a new post but alas I have nothing to show! Soon however there will be more because Santa’s workshop is busy. How about you. Are you making things too?
During the summer I bought a die cutter to do applique faster and more easily. I used it a couple of times and put it away because I had trouble getting all the pieces to cut correctly and I had some adhesive that didn’t work well. I decided with Christmas gifts on the horizon I needed to get it out again and see if I could remedy the problems and have some fun. I’ve had mixed success. I had both Heat and Bond and also some Wonder Under which are iron on fusible that act like double stick tape. I also tried some spray on adhesive on the cutting mat rather than the liquid that came with the machine. I also ordered a Christmas die from the Internet as these no longer seem to be available in the area stores. I certainly with they were easier to find because I would certainly buy some more.
I found that the machine seems to prefer the Wonder Under so I just bought more of that. I also realized that because this machine will cut paper for scrapbooking as well as fabric, that some of the cuts are not easily stitched around due to the intricacies and the fine detail. This has led to some experimentation with the applique. Instead of a solid applique stitch I’ve done some regular zig zag and also some of the machine stitches that look like hand stitching. I also tried a free form straight stitch that loosely follows the outline of the applique. This seems to be a very popular style right now. I’m looking forward to trying some more. Weekend.. here we come!
As many folks are beginning to think of the holidays that is on my agenda too. Hmm what should I make. I have way too many ideas and not nearly enough time or money to make them all. I think people would get tired of getting things I’ve made if I could make all the things I want. It’s also hard to post pictures of what is on the machine or the cutting table so this is just a sneak peek. More fun to come. But for now, a sneak peek.
When my kids were little they really loved knock knock jokes. This was the punchline of one of them.. In this care,orange you glad you told me how to adjust the sock measurements because these will probably fit a bit better. I talked to my victim friend with the cold feet and decided what adjustments we would like to make to the socks. I ended up making them a bit narrower at the front as he has narrow feet. I also lengthen the hight of the sock a bit so he could wear them inside boots without them rubbing. This is more vintage fleece. It seems like it might have been from an old Halloween costume although I can’t remember for sure. It really is a bit more cantaloupe colored than the picture shows. I found a remnant of some black swimsuit fabric when I was at Joann’s last week and it made perfect ribbing. It has a higher lycra content than ribbing so the stretch recovery and is better and it should not overstretch as easily. It also has a high cotton content so it should feel good on the legs. I normally wouldn’t use black thread either but it was on the machine and it’s close to Halloween so I decided you could wear them as part of a costume if you wanted to be a pumpkin. Also, I wanted to try the pattern adjustments and decided that once they’re inside shoes or worn around the house it didn’t really matter what the color looked like. The contrast is fine with me also and adds a bit of interest to plain old socks.
I’ve been having fun with some Huck toweling. I bought a few yards to play with and keep experimenting with options. I’ve done some applique and also added a border to some of the toweling. This time instead of a shape applique I added a strip of printed fabric that I attached to the toweling. It was such a cute and colorful print that I thought this might be fun to try. I used wonder under on a large piece of fabric and then used my scissors to cut out what I wanted. I knew that I didn’t want it to be in a straight line so just wiggled around the pumpkins and the scene. I then ironed it on and I used a narrow zig zag stitch to applique it to the towel. It turned out cute. Tomorrow this will go a new home. This friend likes to cook and has young grandchildren so I’m sure they will all find a use for this new dishtowel. On to another project. More Huck toweling ideas to come.
Many moons ago…or at least fifteen years I think, I was in a fleece sock making mode. I made big socks, little socks, lightweight socks, heavy socks, patterned sock and plain socks. Yes I had a great time. They were fast and easy with my new serger. When my family was no longer interested in fleece socks, I mean how many pair of fleece socks can a person wear, I gave socks to friends and finally had to give up the fleece sock adventure and move to something else. Now I’ve had one of those friends ask for new fleece socks. It’s getting to be fall and the feet are getting cold and the old socks have finally worn out.
This was such a fun project. I went into the storage room where all the “vintage” fabrics and patterns are located and shopped. I located fleece and my favorite sock pattern. This is a Rain Shed pattern. The Rain Shed company is located in Corvallis Oregon so they really understand the local climate and needs. This pattern is very high quality, it fits well and is fast to sew. It also produces a professional end product which makes it very satisfying to sew.
The first pair is done. Now the victim or I mean friend can come and test the fit and I’ll be inclined to sew a few more pair.
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