Delays

Yeah, yeah, I know it--I'm a loser. I promised y'all pictures and I haven't posted them. I took them and even downloaded them from the camera, but have up to upload them to the blog. The projects turned out really well, actually.

So well, in fact, that it kept me motivated to sew more. Cathryn received an enormous wooden dollhouse from some cousins and I sewed curtains for them! Sure, you could argue that they're just fabric squares that have been hemmed, but it took me like five hours to complete all 16 curtains! My back was aching!

Just dropping by, letting y'all know that I'm still alive and sewing. And singing--an Easter post is coming soon!

Anticipation

Y'all, the weather is beautiful today, and it's supposed to be gorgeous all weekend. IF the Weather Channel is correct, that is! My heart is positively singing at the prospect of this weekend. Why, you ask?

Because I am going to open the curtains and sew in the sunshine, folks! I haven't sewn anything since November, and I have two specific projects in mind for this weekend:

1. My Christmas Stocking! I got everyone's finished except mine. Wouldn't you know it? Oh, well, it will definitely be finished by THIS Christmas!
2. A Purse! I found this new pattern (called "The Charlie") for a big roomy purse and I just cannot wait to try it. I do love a big purse!

I promise to post pictures.

Toodles!

The So-Called "Booty Bag"

Wow, y'all. It's been a long time since I've posted, and even longer since I've posted about sewing! I feel like I've been neglectful. Accept my apology?

So, I found this pattern for a purse that you make from pants, and I had to try it.

Here's the finished project:

And this is how I got there:


I started with a pair of pants that were too big for me, and it's no surprise to anyone that I like big bags. I also liked this pair of pants because it's the color of Trey's team and I had a great ribbon that coordinated as a trim.


I measured the rise from the top of the pants to the crotch. Eww...it's gross, typing that word.


I measured that distance from the waistband down the leg all the way across and drew a line. I cut the legs at the line.


Don't forget to cut out the crotch so that it looks like a skirt!


Turn the pants inside out. Cut out all the tags. In order to make the front and back of the pants lie flat, I needed to sew a new straighter seam down the middle. I laid the crotch area flat, marked the area with a straight line, and then sewed along that line and trimmed the excess fabric.

I repeated the process on the backside of the pants. Since the backside is more curved, the line for the new, straighter seam will extend further up the backside.

I then pinned and sewed across the bottom. This part of the bag was done--now onto the handles!


I used the pant legs to make handles. Cutting the legs apart, I cut the length I needed (maybe 12 or 15 inches) and four times the width I needed for each handle. I folded the leg in half lengthwise and pressed, then folded each side into the center, and pressed again.

I attached the handles and then stitched in the ribbon, which I just happened to find in a remnants box! I didn't think I'd ever find anything to go with that ribbon, but it's perfect with this purse.

On the whole, I am very happy with how this bag turned out. Come spring, I'll take it to Trey's baseball games!

Toodles!

I've been a bad blogger lately, I know. My heart just hasn't been in it. I was going to blog about how things just haven't been going my way, I've felt like a hampster on a wheel, blah blah blah. But everyone has their own problems, and no one wants to hear about mine. Besides, my sinuses have finally started to clear and I'm feeling better.

I've decided instead, to tell y'all the things that are going on in my life, and because I love lists...

1. "Christmas County Spelling Bee". That's the name of the musical Leslie and I are directing this semester. It's so cute, and the music is so much fun. Plus, it's going to be super simple to produce. We don't have to purchase nativity scene costumes, because we did that last year for "The Mystery of the Manger". In fact, the only costumes we have to purchase are cheerleader uniforms and tshirts for the kids to keep. Also, one of the characters has a thing for bumblebees, so I get to make a little dress for her using my sewing machine. Because of "Rock Solid" the musical we did this past spring, we shouldn't have to buy that many. Yay us!

2. "Good Vibrations" at the Carolina Opry. This deserves it's own post, but I wanted to give it a little shout-out now. Richie took me to see it this past Friday, and let me tell y'all, I did not stop smiling and singing the entire time.

3. Sewing. I made another purse. I can't wait to show it off! I have so many patterns I can't wait to try.

4. Adult choir. I was awake at 2 a.m. on Monday morning, and as thoughts were rolling around in my head, I realized how much I missed singing. Now, I can't sing in the adult choir on Sunday morning, because of us being out of town so much to see Trey play, but I can go to practice on Wednesdays and sing in the Christmas Cantata. Maybe I can get the old praise team together and we can sing "Days of Elijah" one last time...

5. Heroes, Ugly Betty, and The Office. Otherwise known as the show Richie likes to watch with me, the show Richie watches with me because he loves me, and the show Richie tried to watch me but just cannot get the humor. It's fall, folks, and the new television season has begun!

That's all for now. It's good to be back! Toodles!

Purse addiction

I saw a pattern for a clutch with handles, and I knew I had to try it. It couldn't be that difficult. I started out with a familiar material--a placemat. Placemats are nice to use because you don't have to sew a liner--it comes with one already! I also decided to use my buttonhole presser foot to make the handles.

In fact, I made the handles first, because obviously, that would be the most difficult part of the project. On the "wrong" side of the placemat--what I had decided would be my lining, I used my tape measure and fabric marker to measure out the size of my handles. I used my hand as a guide for the size, because I wanted it to fit comfortably in my hand. I drew a square on the lining side of the fabric and used my buttonhole foot to stitch the square, so I'd know where to cut the handles open, making them nice and neat. Then I pressed down the rough edges and seamed them again.

I folded the placemat in half, right sides together, and seamed up the sides, leaving a 1/4-inch seam allowance. I pinched the bottom corners and sewed a traingle on both sides to make a square bottom, the I flipped it right side out.

The finished project:

I'm actually really happy with this purse. I haven't been able to use it yet, because, well...that's for another post.

Toodles!

Pillowcase Dress

I learned several things about sewing as I was making this dress. As we go along with the pictures, I'll tell you what I learned.

Yeah, I know this isn't the prettiest fabric in the world, but it was cheap, and I didn't want to practice on something expensive. I figured if this one went well, I could move on to more expensive fabric. For this project, I needed a pillowcase, ribbon, and elastic. First lesson I learned: bring your project sheet with you, so you get the correct sizes and lengths!

I cut the closed end of the pillowcase off and cut out the sleeves. Second lesson learned: fold the fabric in half so that the sides match! You can see that one sleeve is a little deeper than the other. At least my cuts are neat.

To make the seams neater, I pressed 3/4 of an inch down on the top. Third lesson I learned: the iron is your friend in sewing. Your very, very bestest friend if you want it to look neat and semi-professional.

This is where lesson #1 (bring your project sheet with you) came into play. I bought 3/4-inch elastic for the neck, but need 1/2-inch. I had to cut the elastic, and it was very difficult. However, I also learned lesson #4--how to gather material. Let me tell you--this was fun. IT was like putting a puzzle together, and I love puzzles! All I had to do was fasten a large safety pin to one end push it through to the other. It gathers itself! I stitched both ends to keep the elastic secure.

Working on the sleeves was difficult. It's not very easy to iron or stitch on a curve. Straight lines are much friendlier.

More repercussions from lesson #1: my ribbon was too short and the sleeves ended up being too tight on Cathryn. Luckily, ribbon is cheap and it's no problem to just buy more.

This isn't a good picture of the whole dress. It's a lot cuter in person, and Cathryn was thrilled with it. I was surprised at how much more difficult it was to make a dress than making a purse, even a simple dress like this one. I realized, as I was making it, that it would have been simpler to buy actual fabric yardage, cut two pieces (the front and the back) and work on the sleeves before simply sewing the side seams up. Oh well, it was a valuable learning experience. And with sewing, you definitely have to learn by doing.

Toodles!

It was bound to happen...

It started out so promising. The pattern seemed so simple, and the pictures made the purse look so cute, and I had found this gorgeous print that practically screamed purse. But, I should have seen the warning signs when I couldn't read the pattern. It was written in German. I think. Something definitely not English.

The sewing instructions were in English, so I thought that not needing to read the pattern would make it OK. First, I cut out all my pieces for the body and the straps.

I folded the straps inward, and then stitched the edges.

I then stitched down the middle of the straps. Big mistake.

See those rough edges? This is before I learned to turn under my seams and iron them before stitching. Now it looks like a 7th-grade home-ec project gone horribly, horribly wrong.

From a distance, they don't look so bad. I don't know what was up with the camera, but those straps definitely don't look like they came from the same bolt of fabric. I promise, though--they did!

I connected the upper part of the purse with the lower part of the purse. This, again, is where it went horribly wrong. Because I couldn't read the pattern, I didn't know that I was sewing it in upside down and wrong-side out!

There I am, stitching the straps in. Why didn't I catch this?

The finished product. Sure, it looks kind of cute, but think about how much cuter it could have been had there not been that weirdness down at the bottom. Good thing I've got a good bit of leftover fabric, so that I can have a do-over.

Live and learn, as my mother always told me. And, in the words of my first grade teacher who was quite discouraged by my leaning 'L's, "practice makes perfect".

Toodles!

A Purse for Cathryn

After my success with my first two purses, I decided to make a purse for Cathryn.

I used a remnant of purple fabric with green polka-dots that I found for $1 a Wal-Mart for the body of the purse. I cut out rounded pockets and a flap using a "Built By Wendy" pattern from my "Sew U" book (thanks again, Stacy!), green ribbon from my first purse project, and a green button for the pocket. That's the buttonhole foot there at the bottom.

I seamed the top of the front panel of the pocket, and after measuring where the flap would lie on the purse and the pocket, hand-sewed on the button. I love how perfectly it matched the green dots.

I turned the right sides of the fabric (the front panel of the pocket and the back panel) toward one another and stitched around the edges. I then flipped the pocket right-sides out, using my fabric marker to poke out the edges of the pocket. I was so happy with this cute little pocket that I woke Richie up from his nap to show it to him!

On the pocket flap (and I wish I had taken a picture of the back), I used a simple seam to make the edges neat. Then I used the buttonhole foot on my machine to make the buttonhole. Note--make sure you measure the button so that your buttonhole doesn't end up the wrong size, and make sure the fabric matches up with the pocket.

See how that matches up? I sewed the flap onto the purse body first before the pocket, and before sewing the purse together.

It looks a little wonky here, but overall I'm happy with the way the pocket looks. Also, in person, it's much cuter. This shot was taken after I stitched on the pocket underneath the flap.

For some reason, I'm missing shots of me stitching up the sides of the purse, as well as sewing the seams. I did this a little backward, and when I attempt this again, I'll sew the top seams on the fabric first, and then sew up the sides. I used a 1/4-inch seam allowance on the sides and top. I then pinched the corners (about an inch and a half) and sewed them up to make a triangle. You do all of this with the right sides of the fabric together, then flip the purse right sides out, using a fabric marker, or skewer, or chopstick or press out the corners of the purse.

The final step was to attach the straps on the inside seam of the purse. I tried to match up the seams on the straps with the seams in the purse and I think I did an OK job.

The finished project! Cathryn was so happy and excited to have it, and that's the most important part of doing any project--making sure your client is happy.

Toodles!

A Purse for Beth

When my friend Beth saw my purse, she asked me to make her one, too. I was more than happy to oblige, and since I see her wear lots of red, and has that gorgeous, enviably thick dark hair, I decided that making her a red purse would be perfect.

First, I laid out my fabric:

Then, to get to this:

At first, the fabric on the end (the red and black reversible) was supposed to be the main body of the purse, and the fabric on the far left was supposed to be purse trim and a pocket. However, the fabric was too thick and I didn't have the correct needle for the design. In fact, the fabric broke the needle in the machine, and I had to replace it.

I had to improvise. The fabric I had cut for the trim became straps. Thank goodness I had another piece of fabric handy. I put the right sides of the fabric together, and sewed the seams. I also pinched the bottom corners and sewed those so that the purse would have some depth. 'Cause you know, I want Beth to actually be able to use the purse. While the purse was still wrong side out, I sewed in the straps, and then flipped it right side out.

And you know what? I was happier with this incarnation than I was with the original design. I think Beth will like it very much, once I remember to give it to her...

Toodles!

Hey, Ma, Look! I Can Sew!

Y'all. The day finally came. I made something with my sewing machine. It was simple, sure, but shouldn't all beginner projects be simple?

Isn't it adorable? Of course, it's not perfect, but I didn't expect my first project to come out immaculately. For instance, I wished I had used the same color for my bobbin thread as I did for my needle thread. I really wish I had thicker invisible thread, so the outside seams wouldn't have shown at all.
I started out with a fabric place mat that I found at Wal-Mart and some matching grosgrain ribbon. I folded the mat inside out and stitched a 1/2 inch seam on each side.

This side turned out a a little neater than the other. With the mat still inside out, I folded the corner to make a triangle and then stitched three inches down to make the bottom of the triangle. I did this on both sides.

See what I mean? There's more of a gap here than on the other side, and I think it's either because my side seam was not as tight as it should have been, or I stitched the triangle on this side incorrectly.

The bottom and inside look really nice, though, and I'm happy with it. For the straps, I attached the ribbon to the inside and sewed a tight satin stitch across the width of each side, then hit the reverse sew switch to secure it. (Whew! How's that for alliteration?) I did this for each handle. Next time I make this, I won't turn the bag right side out until after I've attached the handles.

***

Overall, I'm extremely happy with the way this turned out. It took me maybe an hour to complete, and that's with reading the direction thoroughly twice before sewing, and then replacing the needle when I began, because I stitched too close to the original place mat seam and bent the original needle.

I got really nice reactions from the finished project. When Richie came home from Trey's baseball game that night, he was so surprised and excited about what I had done. He couldn't wait to show and tell everybody! I was so proud and happy that he had that reaction. My friend Beth saw it and wanted to know where she could get one, and when I told her that I made it myself, she asked if I would make her one, too! Which of course, was my original plan to begin with!

Looks like sewing might be working out after all!

Toodles!

Josie the Awkward Learns to Sew, Part 3

Last Thursday (the 10th) was the last time I really spent any time sewing. I dabbled a bit on Saturday afternoon, but nothing to write about.

I organized my sewing area--grouped my threads and buttons by color (Got to love that ROY G BIV that my art teacher at Andrews Elementary ingrained into my brain!) and labeled by pincushion so that I can tell which pins serve which function. (I can practically hear my sister rolling her eyes at me as I type this.)

More clean-geekery: I discovered that the satin stitch is really pretty and simple, and I really enjoy cleaning up the ends of fabric scraps.

Bartacking! Folks, that is a fun word to say. I'm not going to lie. Bartacking (hee!) is a short satin stitch, used to reinforce points of strain in pockets and lingerie straps. I sewed an entire pocket by bartacking, and I discovered that it would make a fabulous stitch for finger puppets. Also, when I was making the pocket, I had to rely on my previous learned skill of cornering, which I didn't mess up at all. Yay me!

Button sewing is a lot simpler than I thought it would be. Of course, I already know how to hand sew buttons, so maybe that's why it seemed so simple.

I've got a few things left to try with the light cotton-poly blend I've been using: rolled hems and zippers, mostly. But I need to buy more zipper packages so that I can practice. But then, on to heavier fabrics.

I finally, FINALLY figured out reverse stitching. Josie the Awkward realized that she has to hold the switch down all the way, not just tap it or flip it. It turned out really nicely. Good on, Josie.

That's it for now!

Toodles!

Josie The Awkward Learns to Sew, Pt 2.

Erin from Dress A Day was right-- you never know what your machine can do until you sit down in front of it and work your way through the manual. And while I haven't had time to work through everything, I did have time to work with the machine and learn a few new things:

1. Make sure the presser foot (that silver thing that keeps the needle and fabric in place) is down. Otherwise, the fabric is going to be all over the place, and you won't get a straight stitch.

2. Try all the stitches; a few favorites will emerge. I like the 1.0mm stitch, and the satin stitch (which is a tight zigzag stitch). The 1.0mm stitch is useful for constructing clothes, but the satin stitch is really supposed to be for edging blankets. Maybe I'll play around with it and edge a skirt or something. You never know what something looks like until you try it! Besides, Wal-Mart fabric is cheap, so you don't feel so bad when you mess something up. Unless it's the Elvis fabric I bought for Cathryn. I'm afraid to touch it until I've worked my way through the manual and Sew U.

3. I'm too new to sewing to attempt monogramming. It was a hideous, hideous mess.

4. I learned how to corner! That will come in handy when I want to sew pockets onto this cute dress I want to make for Cathryn. The fabric is yellow-and-white check, and I bought buttons that look like daisies to go on the pockets. It's too cute for words--I can't wait to post of picture when I finish it. Or you know, start it.

Toodles!

Josie The Awkward Learns to Sew

When I opened the box, I felt like the music from 2001: A Space Odyssey should have been playing. I almost wish I had video capabilities so that I could shoot it from the bottom up and then zoom out slowly while that instrumental played. That's how daunting this thing is to me. I'm clumsy, awkward, and completely devoid of grace. I run into the same walls over and over again at my house, like I haven't known that they've been there for the past seven years we've lived there.

People were kind of shocked when I told them that I wanted to learn how to sew. I mean, for one, I could amputate my thumbs, right? And second, sewing really isn't very modern. But I think that's why I like it. Sewing is kind of like a lost art, plus it's structured, so it's art with rules. And we all know how much I need structure and rules. I don't function without them.

I was really excited, but confused about where to begin. Naturally, I began reading and studying blogs of other people who are home sewers. (I hate typing that word--I feel like I'm talking about plumbing, not sewing.) Anyway, I found a couple of websites that were simple and informative: sewing.org, Threads, and A Dress A Day. The first two sites had great printable brochures that I was able to take with me to purchase supplies, and simple first steps to learning to sew. A Dress A Day inspired me to sew because she was making all of these really cute retro dresses and actually wearing them. Plus, she helps write dictionaries, so that automatically upped her cool factor by about 10. (I have my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Gowdy, to thank for my love of dictionaries. She thought it was punishment to make us copy the dictionary. She didn't know she was feeding my need to know EVERYTHING.) Her advice was, before sewing anything, was to try out everything out on the machine. Then, I received "Sew U" by Wendy Mullin for my birthday. She spoke to me in a way the sewing machine manual did not, and gave me the courage to actually sit in front of my brand-new sewing machine. Plus, she has--be still me heart-- worksheets and patterns in the book. I almost cried with joy.

So that's what I did this morning. I sat in front of my sewing machine, took out my manual, some thread, and some scrap fabric. Then, as easy as could be, I wound the bobbin ALL BY MYSELF. Folks, I felt like a two-year old who had just gone in the big potty for the first time. Then, THEN, I set up the automatic needle threader ALL BY MYSELF. I'm not going to lie- there was happy dancing going on in my seat. And then, THEN..I ran the fabric through the machine, and the stitch WAS ALMOST COMPLETELY STRAIGHT. Hardly any errors. Not bad for a first try. I practically ran into work to tell Richie.

And tonight? After I paint a pig and a goat for VBS and get Cathryn to bed, I'm going to try out the other seams, and maybe play with the tension in the machine a bit to get the seams tighter.

I know, y'all--I'm actually geeking out over something that is not television. I'm as shocked as you all are.

Toodles!

Setting Summer Goals

Much to my surprise, I found out there are only like 45 days until school is out (that's counting weekends). With that in mind, I began to think of some things I'd like to accomplish this summer.

1. Spending quality time with my family. Since we usually spend the summer weekends at Pirateland, I feel like this can be accomplished quite easily. I'm really looking forward to shopping for a new swimsuit, reading by the pool, taking golf cart rides with Richie, and maybe actually getting to challenge Cathryn to that game of mini-golf I'd been promising.

2. Being a successful VBS music leader. Much like being the children's choir director, this is my first time taking a leadership role where I've usually been the assistant. The theme this year is "Son Harvest", and is county fair themed, so I'm thinking overalls, a t-shirt, and maybe a hat. VBS is always so much fun, and though it will take some preparation on my part, I'm looking forward to creating a relaxing environment where the kids can have fun while learning their songs.

3. Begin looking at Christmas musicals. Actually, I may have already found one, but I need to talk to the pastor about ordering a sample that Leslie and I can listen to before we actually make a decision. Once we make that decision, we'll spend some time this summer putting lesson plans together and also planning an M&Ms kickoff for the end of August. This first year has really opened our eyes, so I think we'll be much more prepared for our second year.

4. Learn to read music. If I expect to teach these kids what the sheet music says, if I really don't have a knowledge of it myself? That's really the blind leading the blind, isn't it? I've got lots of material to study from MusicTheory.net, as well as a course I purchased from Barnes & Noble (my favorite store). Hopefully, by the time we reconvene for choir on September 3, I'll at least have a working knowledge of music.

5. Learn to sew. I know! It seems like an odd goal for someone like me, who is not at all gifted in the domestic arts. But it's something that has fascinated me since I was a child watching my grandmother sew. She had one of those really nice, old sewing machines that flipped out of a hardwood desk, and I used to love to sit and watch her make things. My mother tried to learn, but she was short, SHORT on patience. Like, shorter than me. (Leslie--I'm sure your mind is boggling. Yes, there is someone out there with a shorter fuse. Her name is Bonnie, and she is my mother.) I want to start small, with a simple sewing machine, and with simple projects. I like to think of this as more of a long-term goal so that I can take on more complex patterns with a really nice sewing machine.

What are y'all working toward this summer?

Toodles!