Tag: sewing (Page 3 of 7)

Another little zipper pouch

March 31, 2012 / Patty

Another little zipper pouch? Yes indeed another little zipper pouch! I’m having lots of fun sewing these little zippered pouches. I keep working on the zippers to get them just the way I like. This one is closer. I love this chair fabric but it was too busy to use a big piece in anything so I decided to just use a section. Then I had to decided on the size of the section and what other fabrics to pair it with. Decisions, decisions. This little pouch is a bit taller and not as wide as some but I think it would be perfect for and iPod and some ear buds. The thing I really love about these zippered pouches is that I can throw them in a bag and they don’t end up at the bottom. It’s also so much easier to find the contents and the bag when they are all together in one place. I grew up with my mother telling me “put it back where you found it!” I still try to do that because it makes my life so much easier and I’m less frustrated when I don’t have to hunt for my stuff. Zippered pouches really help.

Baby baby..

March 24, 2012 / Patty

Baby baby, here’s the next quilt. I love how soft this one feels after it’s come out of the dryer. I used my tumbler die and cut them from a bundle of fat quarters that I bought at Joann’s. I actually bought two stacks when they were on sale with the intent to make a baby quilt. I actually like the way it turned out although I keep wondering if the red is too “in your face”. Maybe I should have used 2 different bundles so there was more contrast. It’s hard to know. I also found yardage of one of the prints at Hancock’s and decided on that for the backing and bias border. I’m really glad that I made that choice. It looks good on the back. The border has all the colors in the quilt top and really pulls it all together.

At the end of the day this was a success. I’m going to try this again with some gender neutral fabrics and see how it looks. The size is perfect for a baby quilt. Either on the floor, in a crib or a car seat. Neither too big or too small.

Vintage Zip Pouch

March 23, 2012 / Patty

When I get the urge to sit and sew I often wish that I had things cut out so I could just “sit and sew”. it’s frustrating when you want to just sit at the machine and have to make a decision on what to sew and the fabric choice. Now really it’s about making a decision and some days it’s just too much trouble.

I came across this piece of linen that had a vintage print on it and it had already been lined with fleece. It was also a rectangle. On the spot I decided it was time to make a zip pouch. I have experimented with zipper installations. I want to know what goes the fastest and still looks good. I found some fabric for lining, cut a square of the same size, did a bit of quilting so the two were stuck together and made a zip pouch. It’s cute and I do love the fabric but am not entirely happy with the zipper. It looks ok and works fine but I like them better when they are a little more finished looking. That will be my afternoon project today. For now however, this will go in the pile of things until I need a gift of have a need for a pouch of this size.

My keys, my keys..

March 7, 2012 / Patty

My keys my keys. I don’t like to lose my keys! I’m usually – that’s 99% of the time certain where I put my keys. I do not ever allow time to search for them because I’m so consistent in the place they live. There has been a time or two that they have been misplaced but it’s rare. Well now I have one more key to keep track of. It will need to be in my purse because it’s to a new door that will be part of my regular schedule for a while. The dilemma is how to keep track of the key. I don’t want to put it on the key chain with my car key and my house key. I will not use the key more than a couple of times a week and it looks identical to my house key. I didn’t want to add the weight of a big key ring or a bulky key chain to my purse because it feels like I carry around more than I need anyway. The solution is a lanyard. I have eyed these for a while and been anxious to make some more. I think they would be a good sale item as well and they are fast and fun to make. Well as fast as anything is that you have to cut and sew. I interfaced it so there is a bit of substance to it yet it is light and flexible and should be easy to find in my purse. It also is big enough that it will be easy to keep track of. All these are important criteria in my world. Problem solved and now it’s off to read for a bit before bed.

After Christmas

December 28, 2011 / Patty

I’ve made it through Christmas. Tomorrow is Aaron’s birthday so dinner again but I love to have the kids around and don’t mind cooking if they will come and visit for a while.

Part of the bigger family Christmas celebration this year was a handmade gift exchange. We each had the name of a family member. The only guideline was something you made. I enjoyed seeing what everyone created for their giftee. I had Kim’s name. The item that I had planned on making didn’t happen. I ran out of time when my mother became ill and ended up with a 5 day hospital stay from the 15th to the 20th. I had finished most of the other projects and knew that I would have plenty of time to create this gift. I’m not going to mention what the gift is. She will probably get this for another occasion because now I have the pattern and all the supplies. My second idea came together quickly. Kim is a knitter and last fall I traded a friend some market bags for yarn that she had spun into a beautiful skein just right for knitting. I passed this on to Kim with a bag that I made for her to carry her knitting in. It’s easy to tuck in a bag or a suitcase. I had also included a little pair of scissors. After the gift opening, I told her that I almost put a ribbon on the scissors and attached it to the bag so they would not be so easily misplaced. She said that she would love that. I ended up opening the side of the bag and attaching a D ring. This D ring is now hard at work holding a clip that has the scissors, a tape measure and a needle book attached. They are all long enough to leave attached to the bag and still be used but the clip can also be unhooked and the tools used. It’s big enough that it will be noticed if the bundle is set down and yet small and light enough to easily live in the bag until they are needed.

Pin cushions

November 15, 2011 / Patty

As any seamstress knows a pincushion is your friend. I own many types of pin cushions and have made pin cushions but recently when I was cleaning out a drawer I found a pin cushion that a friend brought me many years ago. She had traveled to Switzerland to visit with relatives that were temporarily living there and brought me back this wonderful pin cushion. As I’ve mentioned before I struggle to use special things and for many years have put them aside for safe keeping. One of my recent decisions however is to live life with intention. One of my intentions is to cherish these special items but also to use them so I can get pleasure out of them every day. This pin cushion sits on my sewing table and holds threaded hand sewing needles. Although I don’t do a lot of hand sewing there are always finishing touches that require a needle and thread. So Sarah, every time I use this pin cushion I think of you and am thankful for your years of friendship. What a gift!

Vintage rag dolls

November 11, 2011 / Patty

A friend was cleaning out a closet and came across a package of old fabric. One of the pieces was orange silk and the other was a panel of fabric that had been fashioned after vintage rag dolls and was printed for “Her Majesty’s Stationery Office” and came from the Bethnal Green Museum in London. ” London’s Bethnal Green houses the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection of childhood-related objects and artefacts, spanning the 1600s to the present day.” I have been looking at their website and it looks like a very interesting place to visit. I’ve also checked out the gift shop link and there are many interesting things here as well. I wish it was closer because I would love to visit.

These dolls however will be fun for my friends granddaughters to play with. I applaud her for the decision to make them up and let the kids play. So often I find myself bringing this kind of stuff home and then feeling I should save it for a special occasion or day and then the kids grew up or lose interest and here I had this very fun whatever and never got used.

Here are pictures of the panels. After they have been stuffed, I’ll ask Sally to take a picture and send me so I can add it to this log of projects.

Third times a charm.. or is it?

November 2, 2011 / Patty

In this case.. not entirely. The process of a smaller bag is closer but not quite there. This time I think I didn’t have the iron quite hot enough so the fabric is laminated but I’ve noticed as I was sewing it seems to be loose in a few places. This has happened as I was sewing so it seems the adhesion was good but not good enough. The size of the bag seems to be fine and I should be able to fine tune it so next time is good. The fabric is cute and the function will be fine but the durability of this bag is in question. Onward and upward for number 4!

Uh oh!

October 29, 2011 / Patty

It happened. Late at night of course while I was picking up and finishing the last of the evening projects. You know how it is. You’re tired and in a hurry and suddenly.. oops! I was cleaning off the top of the sewing table and pushed on a pile of stuff so I could organize my other piles when it happened. I heard a loud plop and my magnetic pin cushion slid off the back of the sewing table and crashed on the floor. The floor is tile and you can imagine what happened. My lovely magnetic pin cushion lay in pieces and there were pins splattered all over the floor. Not in a convenient place to pick things up either. So I got down on my hands and knees, scooted under the machine and gathered up all my lovely pins and the remaining pieces of this pin cushion. Although this is not my favorite color pin cushion it is a favorite because of the function. If you’ve never used a magnetic pin cushion put it on your next birthday/Christmas any occasion gift list. Once you’ve used one you will not want to be without. I do use several pin cushions including a wrist pincushion, a small pin cushion just for sewing needles, one for machine needles that’s marked with sizes and then my magnetic pin cushion. This is so handy when you’re pinning taking pins out of things and you can just lay them down. They all stay in one place. When you pick them up they are easy to grab as well. I’ve relocated the pins for a time and have the glue out to see if I can make repairs. If not, then it will go on my Christmas list. Next time I want a red one please. Or even a blue one or a purple one or I guess any one would do.

A quick gift

October 26, 2011 / Patty

A friend is having a birthday and I wanted to make a quick gift. One pair of fleece socks was included but also some pouches for carrying things. It seems everyone has a phone and various ways of carrying their phones. When you get a new phone invariably it’s a different size than the last phone. That creates the problem of transportation. Now with smartphones and the big screens, how do you carry them if you don’t carry a purse or have the right size pocket. The kids often travel with a backpack or book bag and throw the phone in the bottom of the bag. The goal here was a little bag to add some protection to the phone and the screen. I made three different kinds of pouches not knowing for sure which the recipient would prefer. I also don’t know for sure if they always have a plastic cover on the phone as this too will determine the fit. I also am guessing on the exact size of the phone. I think it’s about the same size as mine but I don’t know for sure. Although I started with the same size pattern for all the pouches they all ended up different sizes due to the construction process. Two of them have zippers and the other is a snap type pouch. I’m thinking at least one of them will work for the phone and the others will have other uses. This was a fun project and I think I’ll be making more pouches.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: