Thread Sketching Love

I am totally in love with thread sketching. I guess I am a few years behind the times, but I don't really care. I saw this tutorial on Pinterest and thought - I MUST try this! So I did. These are the 3 pillows I have made to date, with several more planned. I have also done a few kitchen towels and napkins. Ohhh the possibilities. I have started a Pinterest board for thread sketching ideas. There will be MANY more pins over the next few months.

Most of my sketching is simply done with straight forward stitching and a TON of fabric turning. I have JUST started to try true free motion for this technique. Let's just say it is a learning process. I think it works well for some designs and not so well for others. But really, free motion has a large learning curve, so I won't know until I have a LOT more practice.

For me, this has been a great way to express my artistic side through sewing. It may really just show I am not that artistic. :) Oh well, I don't care. I like it and I plan to continue doing it. So, if you happen to receive one of these projects as a gift, please humor me and tell me you like it.

Have you ever tried thread sketching? What do you think?

Upcycle Projects

Yes, we have been really busy outside lately, but I have still found some time to sew. Here are some pics of a few of the projects I have been working on. These projects are focused on finding new uses for old items.

Up first: coffee sack tote bags. This is the front and back of one bag. I have several more in the works. I love the look of these - but really, working with burlap is not my favorite. It is SOOOO messy. Luckily, I have a serger which makes the job a little less messy.

Fun, right?

Next up: summer dresses made from men's shirts. Fun sun dresses that just slip on. The elasticized area sits above the waist, just below the bust to flatter most body types. Every dress is unique. Cool and stylish or just off?

 I have a new respect for picking fabrics and envisioning the final product. Some items are easier than others.

Until later...

Jill

Quick Projects

Lots of little projects happening around here.

Summer Hat

It's getting nice again, which means lots more time outside. Which means, bring on the sunblock and hats! Lucy has grown out of her hats, so I had to whip one up so she can really enjoy being outside - and NOT have to worry about burning her scalp. Yes - her scalp will burn - a lot. So hats are mandatory for her. Not to mention, they just make good sense for additional sun protection of the face, ears, and neck.

Since she loves Dr. Seuss these days, and Mom sent me a bunch of Dr. Seuss fabrics - she got a Dr. Seuss hat!

Cute right? She loves that it is reversible - she can choose what color she wants to show off. And, now that I added a little elastic in the back, it will stay on while she is twirling and playing. 

Crayon Rolls

Just a super quick project that can be nice for the little ones. Holds 16 crayons and has an elastic hair tie as the holder - no need to tie a ribbon on these. Each one takes about 20 minutes - love that!

Yard Projects

Then it was off to create a compost bin. We needed something fast, easy, and functional. This is what we came up with. 

Left over chicken wire and 4 plastic stakes that easy go into the ground. I used zip ties to anchor the wire to the stakes. The last 'end' I left free and added about 8 inches that 'overlapped' with the beginning. This allows me to open one end so I can dump the wheel barrel in here when necessary. Works great for now. If we end up doing a lot of this, we will likely build something more substantial.

Then I added a little landscaping fun to the yard. I wanted a nice spot to look at when standing at the kitchen sink washing all those dishes by hand! 

   

Amazing what a little mulch, bird feeder, flowers, and azalea plant can do for a grassy area. That tree is a pink dogwood. Much better now. Again, this was a quick project that I finished in just an hour or so. 

Until next time...

Love of Aprons

I LOVE APRONS!

Now that we actually own a farm (small farm with chickens and a dog) I find I wear one ALL the time. They are great for gathering up all kinds of stuff to be taken to other places - hopefully back where they belong. My apron becomes a rag, Kleenex, and towel - hopefully not all at the same time. :) It keeps my clothes dry and clean while I make all kinds of messes - even while 'cleaning'. You all know I'm not very good at cleaning - right?

I find I like full aprons better than half - mostly because I just need that much coverage to really protect my clothes. Yeah, things do get that messy sometimes. I also don't like them too long - I'm short. I don't need my knees covered. When aprons are that long on me, they just get in the way when I am trying to garden, pick up toys, clean floors, etc. And, because I am short, the neck tie is often WAY too long. So, what's a girl to do?! Make my own - of course.

I found the perfect apron several years ago and have been using that as a pattern ever since. Instead of separate back ties and neck ties, this pattern is one long tie that slides through 'pockets' along the 'arm holes'. Perfect for making the apron fit just right.

Then, I saw an article in the April 2013 Country Living magazine (thanks Judy!) featuring this company. I REALLY liked the look and took that idea and applied to my pattern. This is what I came up with.

Cute right?
The best part is I already had everything to make it!! So, in just an afternoon (intermixed with all my regular 'mom' duties) I was able to have my new apron done! This project probably shouldn't take more than an hour or so to make, but I rarely get time to completely devote to sewing.

Now, I will probably make one with navy thread and another with green. That will give me plenty to alternate through - as they DO need to be washed every week, if not more often.

Hope you are enjoying spring!
Until next time...

'tis the season - cold and flu season

Well, we have fully experienced colds so far this season. 3 of us hit so far. Yep, it's that time of year again. The worst part for me is the tissues. My poor nose! Over the past several years, I would just use all the lovely flannel burp clothes we had on hand. But, we have moved past that point in out lives and all the burp clothes have been passed on for others to use. Don't worry, they were washed - a lot.

So, once the cold hit my son, he requested I make some more. Instead of the fancy curved burp clothes I had previously, I went with simple (and FAST) squares and rectangles. I made a few double layered soft flannel hankies. Size doesn't really matter - they are all a little different, depending on how much I had on hand.

Seriously, you should make these. Your noses will thank you.

Jumbo Checker Boards

Need a great handmade gift for the holidays? 

Ever want to have a game that is over-sized? We love jumbo checkers. It can be used on a table as well - in case someone doesn't want to sit on the floor. I also make a simple drawstring bag for storage. Great family fun!

Special gifts

We are always trying to think of ideas for personal gifts. Pinterest sure is a great resource for ideas! Thank goodness! I'll tell you, people think I am SOOO creative, but really I just actually MAKE some of the ideas/projects I find on the internet. Shhhhh! Don't tell anyone. ;)

This spring I had to make some teacher quilts. Well, HAD to might be a bit misleading. That is what I typically make for teachers at the end of year. My middle daughter has a large creativity streak in her (yay!). One day she had done a design in crayon on some paper. I LOVED the pattern. So, she and I together created a digital file that could be uploaded to Spoonflower and made into this and this fabric! And then that fabric became part of her teacher's quilt. Cool right? (Her fabrics are the 2 fabrics that look patterned in this photo.)

Hats, Hats, and more Hats

I love hats! I really need to make myself more, but I seem to always make them for the kids. Seems most of my sewing is either for the store or for my kids. Melly Sews is doing hat week this week, so I thought I would share some pics of some of my favorites. I wish I had better pics, but we can't have professional pictures all the time, can we!

As a disclaimer, I make most of my own hat patterns. Many of the ideas come from pictures I see somewhere and then I tweak to make them fit my needs. There are many free patterns and tutorials out there that are similar to what I have made. If anyone is interested in one particular style, I will add details about how I made them later.

First: Summer hats
I have a bucket pattern I like to use and a modified bucket that I use to make monster hats - they're just fun.
My kids always have summer hats - because I do melanoma research - and sun protection is big at my house. But, have you noticed - there are not a lot of options in the US that provide sun protection and are cute/fun?! Plus, the ones they do have, are just expensive.  Not to mention, it is difficult to find hats that are socially acceptable in the US. I know, I know, I shouldn't worry about what other people think. I don't. My kids do (and are too young yet to get past that). So, I started making my own - trying to be socially acceptable and fashionable AND provide at least some sun protection. I've never been on the cutting edge of fashion, so not sure I actually hit that point - but I have made hats that my kids like to wear - so I call that a win!

My bucket hat - kind of a Paddington Bear style.

Rounded bucket hat style with monster embellishment.

I also made a newsboy type hat. My daughter LOVES it - and I must say, she can wear hats! I just wish I had a picture of her in it - she refused to let me take one yesterday... 

I have also tried a couple of wide brimmed hats for me (yes, WIDE brims). I have followed 2 patterns and have not liked the results. So, if I try one again, I will make my own pattern. I have my favorite cowboy hat I wear all summer - it is 4 years old now and has seen its better days. I really need to find another option, but I love it so much and I can't buy another one. :( 

Winter hats - I make fleece and crochet hats for winter. I have done the standard fleece hat with the triangles lots and on some I like to add fabric flowers, buttons, etc to make them a little more interesting.

 I also add some extra fleece or felt piece to make monster winter hats - again, just because they are fun.

Or animal hats?? Say a blue giraffe (because that is what my niece wanted)

Or an orange lion... because who doesn't like blaze orange? :)

But for me, I like to be a little more boring. I do like finding fun fleece prints though.

Or plain old grey, for my go with everything hat.

Then there are the modified 'pill box' type fleece hats with flowers.

And an Elvis hat - made for a special boy during his battle against cancer.

And a scoodie made from fleece and cotton fabrics for those that don't like hats and prefer hoods. I used this tutorial.

And then there are the crocheted hats. I don't really follow a pattern for these, I just wing it. Here is a cloche.

Or just a beanie.

with a little sparkle...

Or with buttons... (and yes, I love orange)

  

I've made about a million hats - so I will stop boring you with pictures. There is one hat challenge I have not yet done - as I don't know what material to use. My son requested a Helmet from the British Zulu war uniform. He wants it hard - like a helmet. Uhhh, ok? According to my son, 'it's simple. Just go buy some Kevlar and cotton'. Yeah, I'll get right on that. So for now, it sits until I come up with an idea. 

Do you like hats? What is your favorite style?

Awareness Month

September - so many wonderful things about this month! I love fall, it is my FAVORITE time of year.

Cooler temps, low humidity, lots of sunshine and time to be outside. Apple picking,

camp fires, s'mores (of course), 

Fabric Roll-up Chalk Boards

And Sew We Craft is having a linky party! Thought I would share a favorite project...
The Life of Jennifer Dawn.. another linky party I have entered this post...

My mother gave my kids a roll up chalk board she made - yes she is crafty too. I had never seen chalk cloth before. It is COOL. After watching my girls fight over the chalk board, I decided I should make a couple more - and maybe try to sell some as well. 

They have been pretty popular. What's not to love? They roll up and can be stuck just about anywhere. Chalk won't melt in the car (like crayons - yes I have melted wax in my van) or leave 'art' behind like markers (yep, I have permanent 'art' as well).

So, I thought I would share a little tutorial on how I make them.

Summer Fun

Kid Fun
So far during this summer school break, things have gone pretty well. The kids are sleeping in, which makes me happy, and have been playing together relatively well (which makes me even happier). But, we still need things to do so we aren't plugged in all the time.

Sewing, Sewing

Even though I haven't blogged much lately, I have been doing MANY other things. I have taken a little break from the blog as the end of school came and went. I always end up over booking my schedule? Do you have that problem too? I

I had 4 quilts to make in 14 days! Each quilt was about 50"x60" - NOT small. I always make a quilt for each teacher at the end of the year. I have it planned each year. I start thinking about them around spring break. I have PLENTY of time to deal with this. But, I am a procrastinator. I wait until there is JUST enough time to get them done. Even if I have to work long into the night. SIGH. One day I will be better at scheduling my time and balancing all of my tasks. One day. :)

Do you want to see the quilts?

Birthdays and tutorial

This past week, we have celebrated the birth of 2 of my little ones! The youngest turned 3 and the oldest turned 9 - just 4 days apart.

  

Can you say cake overload? Pink cupcakes for the youngest and army tanks for the oldest. I actually had a little foresight to make the cakes the day before. I only had 1.5 hours to put these together. The boys thought they were cool. Mission accomplished.

I have not had the courage to step on the scale the scale the past couple of days. And Easter is just around the corner. AHHHH! I am trying to at least make sure I get some exercise in each day. I can't say I have been 100% successful, but close. Here's to maintaining weight!

The oldest had a sleep over party - 6 boys. Lots of sugar and not much sleep. BUT, they had a GREAT time. Marshmallow shooters (guns), camp fire, and a warm rain. I don't think they could have asked for a better evening. We spent 5 hours outside! Few. My house thanks me.

 

The boys were coverd in so much mud, they needed showers and I had to wash their cloths.  

LUCKILY, we have a mini shower in our mud room - so all of the mud was contained to the mudroom! YAY! Hard to see all of the mud in this pic - trust me, it was there!

The boys 'made' their guns. We had all the pieces cut and then they assembled and decorated. I just love the new duct tapes that are available these days. They could use UNC or camouflage. I had whipped up the ammo sashes earlier in the day. One some of the kids they worked well, on others - not so much. A top flap wouldl have been helpful to keep the marshmallows in.

Our guns are similar to these. Ours were built a little different, but basically the same steps.

Ammo sash
I didn't take pictures as I was making these - no time. So, here is a quick and dirty explanation of what I did. Let me know if you have any questions.

For the sashes, I cut 2 pieces of fabric 3"x25". Sew together on one (short) end (right sides together). Serge long sides. Cut 2 pieces of fabric 8" x 9" (these are for the pockets). Serge all 4 sides on each piece. Pin the 'short' side of the pocket to the side of the sash - about 8" down from the top seam. Pin the other 'short' side to the other side of the sash. Do this again for the second pocket - about 1.5" below the 1st pocket. You will secure these sides (the middle will be 'flapping free' for now). Once secured, now you can make one large pleat across the bottom of the pocket. Pin in place and sew. repeat for second pocket. I would suggest adding a flap on top of each pocket to help keep the marshmallows in place. Just make them 3" wide and secure above each pocket. I serged everything for this project - as I needed it to be fast and easy. You can always just turn under and hem everything. That was too time consuming (I only had 2 hours to make 8 of these babies). Then, turn right sides together and make a 45 degree line across the bottom and sew. This secures the bottom of the sash. Where this is placed depends on the size of the kid (or adult).

This is a close up of the pocket (the top is pointing to the bottom of the screen). Sorry, can't seem to get it rotated. Notice the serged sides.


Next up - Easter...