Wool critters and day 2 of school

School start has gone well except for one thing. The AC in my room has gone out. It went out Saturday during a storm and it came back on in each of the other rooms Monday. I’m still waiting. To give you an idea of how warm things are, it was 109 in my car when I got in it today at 3p. I don’t normally leave ASAP, but having spent three days in a room with no air but fans and window breezes put me in the mood.

I’m enjoying my class. AC aside, it’s been one of the smoother school starts I’ve had.

Between school start and being hot all day, I’m still really tired. I’m enjoying the more visual blogs right now. (I am reading the short ones, but the longer posts are eluding me. Sorry guys )

Crafty Pods reviewed a book called Wool Pets. Go look at the pix they posted. They are really cute!

Cupcake Pedestal

Is this not the cutest little dessert presentation? Find the instructions at Zakka Life!

Bottle labels as craft material?

zakka life has a short piece on using bottle labels for crafts. There are some fascinating labels out there. I’m thinking of finding the product she mentioned, Label Off, and giving it a try.

Crafting with Bottle Labels

Want to make a tabbed book?

Ten Two Studios has instructions

Pink & Purple Purse

This one is a bit bigger than the denim one – I had more material. The purse and the wallet were made in half the time this go round.

Do you play with Paper Dolls?

These are from Ten Two Studios. Reminds me of that Zombie P & P book that’s so popular.

A wallet to go with my purse

I had extra fabric and thought I’d try my hand at a wallet/billfold.

Original size was 9 x 12 and I cut three pieces. One outside and two for the inside for extra strength. If’ I’d not had enough fabric, I’d have used muslin.  I used a leather wallet as a guide for construction.

I wanted more card slots than you get in most wallets, so my plan was to make 5 slots that would give me 10 slots (x2 would give me 20). The bottom fold is 3″. Then I folded accordion style using a gift card as a guide – pinning at each up or down fold. I should have unfolded this piece and measured it, but I didn’t. Everything started out at 9″ wide.

Steam ironed front and back.

Just checking sizing and layout here. The piece in the middle will be a coin purse.

Back to the card slots. I folded the end pieces over to sew together. They will be top stitched into the wallet along that bottom edge.

I had to unpin the pieces to turn them. Since this was my first one, I hoped it would refold into it’s original shape easily.

I sewed a line up the middle and each edge after turning.

Coin purse. I made inch seams on this piece. It has to go in the middle and I have to be able to sew around it without it catching in the main wallet edges.

When I turned and pressed this, I did NOT sew up the sides. Seam is at the bottom center. I’m going to sew along that bottom center seam to attach this to the wallet. THEN I’ll sew up the sides. I hoped this would make for a more secure attachment to the wallet – allowing for a seam that goes completely across the bottom of the coin purse.

Layout – inside and outside is to the left.

This is the center piece of fabric. All the insides are sewed to the inside piece and the center piece for added strength.

After the coin purse was sewn to the wallet, I top stitched both ends together.

Inside is constructed.

I tried to find purse magnets, but had to settle for velcro. I’ll have to keep my eye out for the purse magnets though because they would have made for a nicer finish.

Folded the wallet to place the velcro before sewing the inside and outside together.

I left an opening at the top for turning where there was the least amount of bulk.

After I turned it, I top stitched on all four sides. The squared off look on the flap was ok, but turned in the corners so it would have the same look as the purse. It would have been better to have done this earlier, but . . . I also added another piece of velcro for those times when the wallet is thicker or thinner.

Finished wallet.

 

Purse is here.

Making a purse

Usually, summer is full of creative ventures for me, this one has obviously been lacking except for making a few skirts. No painting, no collages, nothing but resumes and job apps

So, I had a hankering to just make something. I love purses and had a piece of denim large enough for the outside of one (I thought) and some fabric left over from a skirt that could make the inside lining.

I started cutting. I do use patterns sometimes (like for shirts), but life is so exciting without them. The pictures will primarily walk you through the process, but some didn’t come out (OR I got so busy making that forgot to take one for a step).

Here are the pieces. The denim was just a small piece that I’d bought for some other project long forgotten. I used every bit of it except for the parts I clipped off for bulk and turning. That original piece determined all my plans and the size of the end product. NO room for messing up and having a denim purse in the end. The two long strips will be handles. The small pieces at the top will be the flap. The piece to the left will be the inside pockets.

Sides  and corners sewn up. Top edge turned. Maybe because it’s Calvin’s birthday, but I couldn’t help but wonder if this is what Luther’s hat looked like on the inside before it was turned.

The ends were clipped so it would turn inside out and not be so bulky.

Next is the handle. Turning a 1″ tube of denim is a total pain. I used to have some diaper pins that I used for turning long thin pieces like this. They are really helpful because they give you something to tug on and don’t come unclasped.

These are the pieces that will be the lining and pockets. Part of the reason I like my own creations are the pockets I can add.

Next are the little side pockets pinned to the lining. You can see iron marks if you look hard enough on the lining to make sure the size of that bottom matched the bottom of the denim bag.

I sewed a line down the middle of one of the pockets and measured for my blackberry on the other side.

Those get sewn down on three sides and I’m ready to tackle the middle pocket which has been the biggest unknown for me from the beginning – how it would turn out and work exactly.

Now that piece gets pinned and then sewn into place.

I didn’t clip these corners because this fabric is not nearly as heavy as the denim.

Ready to attach lining to purse.

Last piece is the flap. I’d have liked for it to be a little LONGER, but this was all the fabric I had left

There was a pix of the flap pinned to bag for placement, but it looked like a shot from the X-Files. So it’s in photo heaven.  Here is the finished product that measures about  8″ x 8″ x 4″. The handle is 48″ long.

How to fold and cut a star

You never know when you’ll need a paper star. Here are a set of easy instructions from Go Make Something.

I’m looking at beads this afternoon . . .

wondering what I can make with some of them. I’ve got a few ideas rolling around in my brain.

The sun is shining brightly btw. Been kind of gloomy weather-wise round these parts the last few days.

Scarves for Christmas

I finished the scarves!

I still have a few purses to complete. Now how many days are there . . . mmmmmm

Crocheting and Knitting

I am making Christmas presents this year.

shhhhhh, it’s a secret, but it’s been fun so far . . .

Craft Store

I stopped by Zondervan’s. I’ve been wanted to pick up a TNIV. Well, JoAnne’s is right next door. I’ve been also wanting to pick up material for a new black purse. Material I got. They also had a knitting machine on sale for 1/3 off. I used to have one. This one in fact. I gave it away when we left Atlanta.

Guess what I came home with? *eyebrows raised*

finished those Roman Shades

The re-covering was a dumb idea . . .

I thought it would make the room darker at night and in the mornings when we had the chance to sleep in. BUT they just didn’t hang right. That’s ok. They are finished now and are all beautiful and yellow. These go much nicer with the spread and pillows.

New Pillows

Well that’s not exciting I know. I’ve had the material for ages, so I recovered a Roman Shade too. I think I’ll do to more Shades tomorrow.

I did get the hole patched. Tomorrow . . . Wall Paper!