Bringing Back Retro, Baby

There's something about the 1960's that appeals to me.  The fabrics, the fashion....Women in their house dresses and aprons.  Men in suits and hats.  Children washed up and combed for dinner.  Everybody was fancy. 

On Saturday I found some delightful fabric that totally encompasses the 1960's housewife.  It's by Johansen Newman for Elizabeths' Studio, but I don't know what the actual design is called.  It's a black background with seven different housewives in separate window panels, all doing their daily chores. 

They're so sweet!  They look like they live to vacuum and bake and set up tea service, with a charming smile all the way.

At Target I found 4-packs of flour sack kitchen towels for $3.99.  Flour sack towels are amazingly absorbent.  Love 'em.  Then I used double sided fusible web and a super-quick satin stitch edging to applique a housewife to each towel. 

Theses lovely ladies bring such cheer to my kitchen!  I wish I looked half as good doing my daily chores.

Q - What Did Harry Potter Say to Hedwig?

A - Owl See You Later!

My 8-year-old is obsessed with Harry Potter.  She saw the first movie on July 4th, and between then and now she watched all the movies and has read almost all the books.  She has about 1/4" left in the very last book, so by the time you read this post it will probably be finished. 

Obviously, it was a given she would choose a Harry Potter character for her Halloween costume.

It was a tough choice, because she didn't really want to be any of the main characters because that's what all the other kids at school would probably be, and my daughter is nothing if not different from the masses.  Her favorite teacher from the story is Professor McGonagal, but she wasn't quite sure how to pull that off convincingly.  And so we pondered.....

....and one day I was wandering in JoAnn's and saw a free project sheet for a felt owl costume!  Clearly, this owl could be Hedwig!

[if you aren't familiar, Hedwig is Harry Potter's messenger owl, which is how most people communicate in the wizarding world.  It has always struck me as odd, though, that those who possess such amazing magical skills as Transfiguration (turning a person into an animal, for example) can't figure out a more efficient way to talk, like telepathy or something.  But that would probably make for a very boring movie, with people just standing around and staring at each other for two hours.  Anyway....]

Today, with a wave of my magical sewing machine needle, my daughter became Hedwig, the messenger owl.

I made a few changes to the pattern for stability.  They say this is no-sew.  What that really means is glue-the-snot-out-of-it.  In my opinion that might hold up for one night of trick-or-treating, but it certainly wouldn't make it through a classroom Halloween party, a costume parade, trick-or-treating, and a crazy amount of running and flapping through the yard while hooting and trying to nip your little brother who is pretending to be a rat. (They did this for quite some time today.  Really.)

And that is why we sewed this one together.  It isn't as hard as it looks, because the feathers are stitched on in long strips.  It takes longer to cut the feathers and lay them out than to actually sew them on.  Plus, it's cheaper than store bought because we got all the felt on sale so it came to just under $10.

Oh, and we changed the colors because Hedwig is a Snowy Owl.

All we need to do now is roll up a piece of parchment and tie it to her leg.  She wouldn't be a messenger owl without a letter waiting for delivery.

Happy Halloween, a few weeks early.  :-)

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Betty and I are through.

It was short and intense; one of those relationships that starts with a lot of excitement and promise, but quickly fizzles.

It turns out that Betty likes to keep things simple.  She likes to sew straight, flat things.  And only on cotton.   That just didn't work out well for me, because I needed her to sew fleece, and to create beautiful quilt bindings.  It wasn't meant to be.

Betty and I did manage to complete the doll quilts today, but don't you dare look too closely at that edge binding.   Please, avert your eyes and look instead upon the details of the doll sheets, with the little row of flowers embroidered down the hem (that little bit of delight was done with the machine that's out for repair, before The Breakdown).

This is my 8-year-old daughter's project.  She choose the fabrics, designed the two quilts, and pieced the tops together.  She started quilting the first one, but then decided that quilt-making takes soooo looooonnnngggg and the project sat for a bit in the studio.  When she was ready to tackle it again, the sewing machine began The Breakdown and she couldn't finish. 

So, I finished it up for her today, but I still consider this her project because I just love how she pieced those blocks together, with their edges sorta-matchy-but-not-quite-perfect. 

Her dolls will be sleeping in blissful slumber tonight my friends, complete with fitted sheets, flat sheets (with oh-so-delightful flowery details!), cozy quilts, and matching pillowcases.  Now that's doll luxury.



Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

Is it a bird?  Is it a plane?  No, it's SuperMom, striving to deliver spare sewing machines to all in need!   "da da da da ta daaaaaa........!"

That's right my friends.  Some people have skeletons in their closets.  My mother has sewing machines in hers.  Old machines seek her out like stray cats looking for kibble.  They plead to her sadly from their garage sale tables and thrift store shelves, and she lovingly lugs them home and puts them through a rehab program, where they await adoptive homes. 

Mom is here visiting for her regularly scheduled grandkid fix and trip to the annual Quilt Show.  She brought along this fabulous vintage Singer machine.  Ain't she a beaut?

Ok, so it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of my beloved machine.  I don't think bells and whistles were invented yet when this one rolled off the assembly line, but she is wonderfully solid and is helping me catch up on multiple projects while my machine is still in the fix-it shop. 

I've taken to calling her Betty.

Today Betty and I are working on a project my daughter started: doll bedding.  My daughter did all the piecing for two doll quilts weeks ago, but my machine broke before she could get far into quilting them.  Betty and I quilted them both today, made two little doll pillowcases with the scrap fabric, and started piecing the binding strips. 

There are lots of other projects in the queue for finishing, too.  We're going to have a Sewing Marathon tomorrow and try to finish as much as possible.  Stay tuned for pics!

It's not fair!

Lots of people have asked where I've been, since the blog hasn't been updated in awhile.  Sorry about that folks.  See, my sewing machine broke and has been out for repair for several weeks, and I'm having the big 'ol stomp-my-feet, carry-on and whine, mother of all tantrums here.

Projects from weeks ago are teasing me in my studio.  "Na na na...you can't finish me!!!"

I've been trying to console myself with crochet, but even that is coming along crappily (is that a real word?).  I spent days and days working on a beautiful cardigan.  The body of it is truly delightful.  But the first sleeve?  Hidious.  It's all blousy and too big at the top, which A) makes my upper arm look flabby and B) eerily resembles outfits from days of yore....

Hey lady, nice sword.

Everybody has days like these, right?

p.s. I have no idea who the people are in these images.  Type "tantrum tears" into Google Images and you'll get also sorts of delightful photos to perfectly suit your mood in times like these.  You'll also get several imges of Justin Beiber, which is just weird.

'Tis the Season

Ahhhh.....late summer.

The Little Ones have returned to school.  Life resumes a regular schedule.  Bedtimes are again enforced.

This is my New Year.  It's a chance to start fresh.  In addition to getting the kids geared up for school, I cleaned out my home office and re-organized everything.  Very refreshing.

My August New Year comes complete with resolutions.  This year, I want to challenge myself try new techniques, including but not limited to:

• Insert an invisible zipper
• Sew more with knits (two successful projects this week - more on this in a blog post soon!)
• Make something wearable using Tunisian crochet
• Learn the knit and purl stitches with the double-ended crochet hook
• Take a knitting class
• Make a project from Lily Chin's Mosaic Magic.

I'll keep you posted. 

In the meantime, one of the ladies from my Ravelry Crochet Club mentioned the Attic24 blog a few weeks ago.  Wow.  Such inspiration!  The author is Lucy, she's english, and she writes in a delightfully english tone.  She sounds like the kind of person you'd pop over and visit for tea unannounced whilst our kids scampered off to do whatever.  Someday, when I cross that overseas trip off my bucket list, I am soooo going to try and meet up with her.  I'd like to meet her and thank her in person for the free patterns she designs and the joy she shares with the world in her writing.

Anyhow...

Today's blog post is directly related, because both patterns are available on Lucy's blog, attic24. 

The Blooming Flower Cushion and the Granny Stripe Afghan

The flower cushion was just pure fun. It embodies summer and joy and it makes me happy to see it sitting there on my furniture.   Below is a close up, and a view of its stripey backside.

The rest of the yarn was made into this Granny Stripe afghan.  Moment of truth here: I usually find afghans tedious and boring after about one day.  This one was not boring at all!  In fact, it was a scientific study of color that I've never done before.  With 14 colors at my fingertips, this was pure color exploration in putting combos together that I never would put together ordinarily.  I discovered some truly wonderful combinations that will surely show up in future projects.

Oh, and another lesson learned.  Fringe is the enemy.

I thought putting a fringe edge on this beast would be an easy substitution to working the remaining yarn ends in with a needle.  WRONG!  Adding that dang fringe took about 3 hours. (yes, I am bitter toward it still.)  A better plan would have been to work in each end immediately upon completion of each row, so I didn't have a mass of loose ends mocking me at the end of the project, saying, "na na na boo boo.....now whatcha gonna do with US?"  Gah.

Fringe aside, this is one my most favorite afghans to date.

Playing Nook-y

Last week the coolest gadget ever entered my life - a Nook Color.  Now keep in mind that I do not have a smartphone, use Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, or any other cyber-stalking tools, so I'm easy to impress with such gadgetry as an e-reader.

Not only does the Nook read books, it went out and fetched my email for me!  It's like a virtual dog that doesn't need fed and doesn't crap in the yard.  It also has loads of books and gadgets and gizmos to entertain the kids, plus lots of apps I have yet to fully explore.  It also surfs the internet in speedy fashion.  I'm enthralled!

What the Nook doesn't do, however, is come with a protective cover.  *sigh*  Of course not.  How else would They get you to drop another $40 for such an important accessory?  Well go ahead and put your wallet away, because I've designed a cheaper (and prettier) option.

This is a simple little project for a Nook sleeve.  The measurements are specific to the Nook Color, but this is easily adjusted to fit any size e-reader, tablet, or other gadget.  I'll explain how to adjust the pattern at the end of the tutorial.

Nook Sleeve Materials List

• 1 fat quarter (or 2 coordinating fat quarters if you want the lining different from the outside)
• 1 large button
• 1 elastic ponytail hair tie
• 1/4 yard extra firm sew-in interfacing
• Scrap of quilt batting OR fleece, at least 7" x 20"
• Thread

Step 1 - Cut the pieces. 

From the fabric, cut one outer piece 7" x 20" and two lining pieces each 7" x 10." 

Cut both the interfacing and the batting to 7" x 20."

Step 2 - Set the lining pieces aside.  Layer the remaining pieces with batting on bottom, interfacing in the middle, and outer fabric on top.  Line up the edges and fold this whole thing in half so the fabrics are right side together.

Step 3 - Sew the two long sides 1/4" from the edge.  Make sure to backstitch at both the beginning and end of the seams.

Step 4 - Turn it right side out and push the corners out so they are nice and sharp.  If any batting or interfacing hangs out the top, go ahead and trim everything so it's even.

Step 5 - Sew on the hair tie in the center of one side, on the right side of the fabric. 

 

Step 6 - Lay the two lining pieces right sides together, and sew the two long edges with 1/4" seams.  Do not turn right side out.

Step 7 - Slip the lining onto the sleeve by sliding it over the outside.  The right sides of the fabric should be together.  Line up the top raw edges, and tuck the hair tie down between the layers. 

Step 8 - Carefully stitch around the top with a 1/4" seam allowance.  When you reach the hair tie, back up and go over it twice.  You don't want that tie pulling out of the seam later!  If your machine has a partially removable table for sewing sleeves and such, it makes this step much easier.

Step 9 - Pull the lining up and press it flat. 

Step 10 - Turn the raw edges of the lining 1/2" to the inside and press.  Stitch the opening closed with 1/8" seam allowance.

Step 11 - Push the lining down inside the sleeve and give the whole thing a good press. 

Step 12 - Sew on your button, and slide your Nook Color inside!  Voila!

Note: to adjust the pattern, simply measure your device and add 2" to each side.  For example, my Nook measures 5" x 8."  Adding 2" to those numbers gave me 7" x 10" - the size of the lining pieces.  The other pieces could also have been cut to 7"x 10", but I choose to just cut one large piece and fold it over instead of having to sew a bottom seam.