My one and only (sort of) quilt

I've totally slacked on not only updating, but on actually making things.  I really hate it, not even not being able to post, but being able to hang out and relax by the sewing machine.  Problem is, not that the Internet much cares about the details, my sewing machine is at home, and home...home sucks right now. 

I've made a few quick projects here and there, but still on my camera card are pictures of this (wannabe) quilt that I put together for my favorite baby's first birthday.  Every single piece came out of the remnant bin at Jo-Ann, and probably didn't cost $10 to make.  I did it that was because I'd never tried to quilt before, and if I either failed or gave up I didn't want to be mad that I forked over all kinds of cash. 

The backing is a super soft minkee-type white fabric (remnant bin...I didn't purposely make a solid white backed quilt for a baby), and the rest are mysteries.  The quilting is solid lines stitched (as close to) in the ditch (as I could get it).  The binding is machine stitched. 

You cannot see photos of the back of the quilt because I'd rather not remember it.  Total puckersville.  Thankfully, the minkee was pretty scrunchy, and by the time I washed and dried it it was decently camouflaged.   

I haven't tried to quilt since, and I'm afraid to try anything bigger.  I finished this one in about three days and by the time I was done it was cozy and heavy and soft and crinkly and I know that once I get up my courage and am back in a peaceful place, I'll give it another try. 

January 28-31: Tin can cover

To make this project, the tin can cover from elsie marley, I first had to track down a 28 oz tin can.  Since I don't often have them laying around, and don't trust most foods that come in cans anyway, I had to dig pretty deep into the storage rack of various creamed soups and emergency vegetables to find a huge, dusty can of sauerkraut.  I hesitated to dump it out and use it (even though I can't think of one time that I've dared make anything that called for sauerkraut  out of can) because I didn't want to waste it.  Then I noticed it expired in March of 2008.  Not that you'd know, but I moved to my current house in January of 2009.

Does that mean this girl actually packed and moved a can of expired sauerkraut, you ask?  Yes, I did.

Nasty spoiled food related anecdotes aside, I messed this project up pretty good, and it still came out pretty good.  I'm going to blame it on my still feeling pretty sick, but you can free to take that as an excuse, because it sort of is.

I wanted to try thread sketching, but for the life of me I couldn't come up with anything to sketch.  I want to use this can as a pen/pencil/spare change/wadded up gum wrapper holder on my desk, but I was afraid that a sketched pencil would just look like a wonky rectangle.  So, I dug deep and come up with.....the letter A.  In a pale, nearly impossible to see, pink.  Wild, I know.  There wasn't much to it, but it did help me realize that thread sketching might not be as scary as I'd thought, and I want to do it again.  And soon.

The fabric doesn't wrap around the top of the can as called for, because I read and read and read and my medicine riddled brain just could not comprehend the directions.  I debated trekking upstairs to pull up the original tutorial to see if the pictures would help, but realized that I didn't have any glue anyway, so that point was pretty moot.  I sewed the edges shut and that's it.

I want to take it to work with me tomorrow, but my sniffer is still outta whack and I'm afraid it still smells like sauerkraut.

January 18-20: Lunch bag with wristlet

The project for January 18-20 is a lunch sack with a wristlet strap from IS*LY.

I made a lot of changes to this tutorial, and I will tell you why.  Because I am NUTS, and, again, I will tell you why.

When I first saw this lunch bag, I was really excited to make it.  I have a job, I eat food, I always get a occasionally get a lunch break -- perfect bag to tote back and forth to the office.  I had a bright idea to maybe use some vinyl-ish fabric that I have in my stash to make this not only a little sturdier, but to also make it a bit more spill-leak-water-sauce proof.  Then, OH THEN!, I spotted some oilcloth that I had left over from some travel bags that I had made and had never found a perfect use for again.  So, I decided so make this bag with the oilcloth.  Good idea, right?

Ha.  HahahaSOB.  (Earmuff small children and the elderly now!) THIS? was a b-i-t-c-h to sew.  Stitches were skipping, the fabric was shifting, birdsnests were forming and turning (oh! the turning!) was like a workout for my arms.  I looked over the IS*LY blog while I was getting the full links, and everything over there is just great, so I know that the fault totally lies with me and my stupid fabric choice.

Without all of the gory, swear word riddled details, the modifications I made were:
1. No lining.  Oilcloth doesn't fray, the wrong side is still water and spill proof, so there wasn't a need (thank goodness).
2. No inner pockets, because there was no lining.
3. Only one outer pocket because I started getting swear-y after sewing on the first one, and decided I could live without the second.
4. The enclosure flap was just one piece, so none of that sew together, turn right side out, topstitch business (thank goodness again).
5. No corner pleats because I had cried uncle at that point.  If I had to feed that oilcloth under my presserfoot one more time I was likely to burst into tears and besides I like that the top opens really wide and makes the inside extra roomy, OK?!?!

That said, the sack doesn't look so bad.  And for all the sweating and cringing that the oilcloth caused, I did enjoy not popping over to the ironing board to press seams every five seconds.  It's possible that when the pain of putting this together dulls a bit I'll go back and try the fabric/lined version. 

PS -- I was checking out my stats the other day and noticed that a ton of visitors were referred by googling for drawstring bag tutorials.  Since I hate to think of how all those people were disappointed to find that I don't have that tutorial, I'm going to try to put on together in the next week or so. 

January 11-13: Owl egg cozy

I was all set to cry about how this egg thing was the third project in a row that I didn't have much use for, but by the time I was done this little fella was so damn cute that it doesn't even matter that I'm still not really sure what an egg cozy is.

This project was the the owl egg cozy from LucyKate Crafts.

I've discerned that it is a sleeve to keep boiled eggs hot?  I'm used to eating boiled eggs cold (cut up in little pieces and covered in mayonaise, too, please...) so perhaps this is why I don't understand.  Right now he's magnetized to the fridge, and he looks pretty much at home, so I'd say that's where he's staying.

I followed this tutorial exactly as it was written, so not many changes to report.  Except for where I sewed his left wing on backward.  I thought, for at least a few seconds, about trekking back into the basement to get another scrap of material to make a new one and sew it on properly, but Big Bang Theory was on, there was pudding waiting to be eaten and...I didn't want to.  I think it looks like he's doing the walk-like-an-Egyptian dance, so I'm leaving it as it. 

PS.  This catches me up on the calendar projects.  Woot!  I'm excited for the next two projects, they're useful and cute.  Can't wait.

Whine

Internet, Christmas is (technically) eleven days away.
(Even though it is approaching 11:00PM, so I clearly only say eleven to make myself feel better because let's face it Christmas is ten days away.)

(And Christmas Eve is pretty much out of the question, because really, that's when Christmas actually begins, right.  Let's just call it what it is.  Christmas is nine days away.)

Before that day I need to finish three pillows, three towels, one purse and another mystery project.  Today, save for the minutes it will take me to type this, I have been flat in bed like this,

Yes, that is a Gal Pal and it is a miracle device.

Not quite migraine, but enough to make sewing straight lines with a noisy machine under the yellow light of the basement fixtures pretty much impossible. 

Crud.

Book It

First things first.  I am totally floored by the comments on the last post!  You all are far, far too kind.  If it's the Sew, Mama, Sew! Giveaway Day post you're looking for, head here.  You're more than welcome to stick around and read on, though.

*****

The latest bag of the Holiday Season Of Non-stop Sewing is for my mom's book club gift swap.  Just a simple flat-bottomed tote, but with pockets in the front instead of on the inside.

Since this is meant for a book club member, I put the handles a bit further apart than standard to make sure a paperback could fit in the pockets.  The side pockets are smaller that way, but will still easily fit pens/pencils and a cell phone if it's thin enough (read: not mine). 

The pocket fabric is the oh-so-swoonable Authentic by Sweetwater.  The lining and bag body were supposed to be the Word Play print of the same line, but, it just didn't look right I cut it upside down.  Oops. 

Luckily!  I'm very stingy and will not throw away extra fabulous fabric just because I effed up.  So, I made this.

I have no idea where this scrap of green came from, but it matches my black and lime green bathroom pretty great.  I was going to make the outside of the basket green to show a little more color in an otherwise boring room, but like I said...STINGY!...so I wanted to show off the pretty.  I've got just enough of each left to make another basket, so maybe I'll do that one inverted?  Maybe.

If at first you don't succeed...

try a few more times until you finally have to go to bed.

I snagged a yard of linen today for only $3.00 thanks to a little stain in the selvedge corner.  And, since I'm super-instant-gratification girl, I wanted to do something with it rightnowrightnowrightnow.

Luckily, I thought better of it and decided on a test run using an unbleached cotton that is linen-y looking.  I came up with a pouch that was so great looking in my head, and this here is the third attempt at actually getting it right. 

This side is what I wanted.  The other side, the one I couldn't bear to photo, has one strip of white that somehow is quite a bit larger than the other.  Some type of slippage, I'd assume.  I really, really like it though, so I'll keep going.