Showing posts with label sewing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sewing. Show all posts

Friday, September 5, 2008

I am so a grown-up!

In an effort to be tidy
and to keep track of the mess
I have made another bucket
With a sweet girl in a dress .


I think it will be useful
and it does look kinda sweet
(Although I'd need another fifty
to really keep things neat)


So now upon the table,
where there is a tiny gap.
I keep my bucket handy
And I fill it full of



There will be some little potty-mouthed (or not) blank girl panels in my shop later today or tomorrow, so you can sew them nicely into whatever project you desire .....and you get to use your own naughty words too if you want.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

The post where I am revealed as a great big sook.

Remember my sore foot? Well, four days of as little walking as possible and it seemed to be on the mend. Three hours at work today and .................... a trip to emergency for an X-Ray.

I am now the proud user of these.............................



and by golly , they make having a sore foot feel like a picnic.


My under-arms are rubbed raw and I think my bra under wires will have to be surgically removed from my sides at the end of the day. I am so very very bad at ambulating on these things , that old people , like seriously old people were overtaking me on the footpath and asking me if I was OK. I fell up the gutter twice and dropped one crutch down some stairs. It was kinda like my legs went out drinking and forgot to tell the rest of me..


I am on them for a week to start with - and no, nobody has any idea what is wrong my foot. We know it is not broken so that's good I guess.
I am not a good patient , I am whingey and whiney and generally grumpy. I am cross because I am in pain , and because my foot is stupid and because my crutches are obviously faulty and I am supposed to be moving the bloody library into the new building next week - Ha !!!

I am cross because I cannot just whip anywhere, like the post office or the patchwork shop or even the bloody letterbox at this rate, without having to organise half the family to get my bag, carry my stuff, just pick up that thing off the floor, pass me the other crutch, move things, open doors and generally join the passing parade that is Jodie-hauling-her-behind-from-one spot-to-another parade.


You know what? It is lucky I put in all that time over the weekend learning to accelerate the sewing machine with my right foot.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Not to put too fine a point on it.

There is a certain special kind of madness that comes with My mother deciding to sell house and move to this side of town at the same time that Mr Ric-Rac's parents sell their place of 27 yrs.

Lets just say I have never had quite so many conversations about boxes before in my life.

On Sunday we went to Mr Ric-Rac's parents place (about 1 1/4 hrs away ) to pack. The best part of that, was 2.5 hrs of car craft.


I finished off quite a few of these little guys. They are so great. I got the original idea from the gorgeous tutorials over at Moonstitches and made some before Christmas. They were so popular that I whizzed up another dozen on the machine and then just popped them in the car craft basket to finish off as the the opportunity arises.


A couple of late presents for some of Jemma's friends.

Remember murphy? Well when I gocco'd him I made quite a few and later fused on their bodies and popped them in the car craft basket as well. I blanket stitched this guy and when we got home turned him into a handbag.



It was a long day but we got lots done and the kids were excited with some of the "junk" they were able to acquire. They just loved these.........



and Grandma gave me this for safe keeping. This was her first ever ballet dress, made of parachute silk (that's all that was available at the time).


They couldn't afford a sewing machine so the whole little dress was hand sewn by Great -Gran (she of the 99 years not out).

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Back with buckets !


Hiya,
Here is my very belated bucket tutorial. I was hoping to do this for Whiplash but never mind. I fluffed the first lot of photos but had to use one of them here as I missed a step - just ignore the fact that the fabrics change won't you?


There are probably a gazillion versions of these floating around in the craft cyberspace, so these are the way I make mine. They are super useful for little things in the sewing room or for hair ties and stuff !

For each bucket you will need:
· 5 ½ x 18 ½ inch strips of outer fabric, light wadding and iron–on interfacing.
· 6 x 18 ½ inch strip of lining fabric (note it is a bit bigger so you get the nice trim at the top.
· Circles measuring 6 inches across in outer, wadding, interfacing and lining for the base.



Step 1.


  • You may do this differently but I prefer to iron my interfacing to my wadding rather than my fabric – I hate those little wrinkles I always get if I iron onto the fabric.
    Do the same for the bucket bottoms as well.
Step 2.

With outer fabric and lining right sides together (and the wadding interfaced piece under the outer fabric) sew along the long (18 1/2 inch) edge that will be the top of the bucket.




You can see the layers here. The black is the lining (face down) linen is the outer (face up) and then the wadding/interfacing on the back of the linen.

Open up and press the seam.

Step 3.

Take the short (5 1/2 inch) sides together and sew along creating a tube. Almost done now –


Step 4.


Sew the bottom into the outer fabric end right sides together. I do this by dividing the circle and the outer into fourths and than matching up the pins. You can clip this seam after you have sewn it if you like. Do the same at the other end with the lining base BUT leave a turning space (I leave about 1/4 of the circle).


(the brown is the lining in this photo)


Step 5.

Turn the whole bucket back through the space you left in the bottom. Then you simply tuck your lining into your bucket and slip stitch the opening closed. I like to top stitch around the top.

You can stitch-in-the-ditch for a nice finish.



Add a bit of Auntie Cookie or whatever you please and they are ready to fill ! You can add handles too !!


Saturday, July 14, 2007

and another one bites the dust !

And another one down and another one down and another one bites the dust !


YEH!



I made this with a felted jumper. It is the same pattern as the previous post but the handles are attached to the body of the bag first and then sewn into the bottom seam. (does that make sense? ) No magnetic clasp for this one as I have fallen out of love with them lately. The bag I made for myself a while ago has a large magnetic clasp - so large in fact it is hard to open and my pulling at it has started to tear the lining - yes I can fix it but I can't be bothered. Bigger is not always better Jodie !!!



I have also been toiling away at "The Big Project". I have quilted a mass of this fabric - probably more than I will need- It is the same fabric as the bag handles - lovely patterned black - the photo has just washed it out a bit.




I want to say a huge Happy Birthday to Annie - pop on over to her Flower Garden and wish her a happy birthday- she might just give you a slice of cake....

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Ticking off the list

Ok, So I haven't done everything in the list of the last post but I have roughed up a pattern for the doll for school (huge relief). I might actually try and sew one up this afternoon. (not even close)


I am not really into photos of myself (what an understatement) but thought I might use the same idea to make a doll of myself to put in my blogger profile ......stay tuned on that one- I am not promising !


I have finished the two frilly bags - I tried out my exceptionally limited embroidery skills. I mean that truly, I can only do one stitch - I just do it bigger and smaller as I need. I can live with them - they are very happy.




I made these with a combo of new and vintage fabrics - I have quite a stash of vintage fabrics that I rarely use but I love the way these fabrics came together. They have little frills on the last two layers.


The shape is simple and super easy. With Connor's help this morning I learnt how to insert into paint blah blah blah computer blah megasomething blah...... I had a few goes at this because it was hard to make it so enormous that it could be read.



Anyway that is the shape I used - I have made many many bags with this shape - with little carry handles or long shoulder bag handles. If you turn it the other way you get a more basket shaped tote and you can paper-bag fold the bottom corners (either way) to add a gusset.
You know I could have ironed that piece of fabric for the photo ......yeh right !!!

Monday, July 9, 2007

Getting nowhere fast

Apart from the mammoth felting day I seem to have been just diddling along and get nowhere in the craft stakes.
So with the rest of this week not at work , here goes.

  • I need to come up with a basic boy doll and girl doll shape for a project i said i would do with Grades 5 and 6 at school. My plan is that each child will create a doll with their own face on it. I have 5 two hour sessions - This is my gorgeous niece Rosie who agreed to be my proto-type face. We will paint on the basic clothing and then embellish after that..... This is a non - negotiable must do craft for this week.



  • This bag needs to be finessed (actually started might be a better term. )I have done nothing but cut it out and make but not yet quilt the straps.
  • These two bags need linings, pockets and straps - like hardly anything really.



  • Poor little Poppy is still nude but she is all sewn up and even eventually got a tail.

Today at the op shop I got the cutest bag ! It kind of fits in with my coat hanger collection so it may end up on the wall I think. It is made of all those little chopped up bits of plastic. aaaaah what a craft !!!



The BIG project that I have bought all the fabric for involves a hacksaw, bolts, nuts, screws, staple gun - lots of fabric and crossed fingers. I haven't started yet but I am determined to do it - Can't wait to show you (if it works of course).

Also have some crazy stripey legged dolls and hedgehogs slam-dancing in my brain this week as well. They may just have to be happy with being consigned to a piece of paper somewhere for another day at this rate.

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Crafty week


The week in craft


Using up some of the huge amount of fabric I bought for the original Dick and Jane - I made

some more (just need to hand sew the covered bases in)



Zipper practise - just like exercise - I hate it but feel better afterwards



A bit of hooping - new bags . stay tuned

and me casting flirty wistful glances at Mr Gocco every five minutes !