I hope everyone had a great Halloween! I really enjoyed eating all of my son’s candy, and look forward to sneaking more of it now that he is in bed. We had a pretty rainy Halloween this year, so we ended up going to the mall for the main trick or treating. Everyone did a double talk when they saw this mini-reaper walking amongst them.
The Grim Reaper is ready for your candy!
I didn’t get a picture (wish I had been faster), but there was one little girl (probably around 2) dressed up like a flower princess and she was quite taken with my son’s costume. She kept smiling and laughing and wanted to come up and see his costume close-up. She wasn’t scared at all!
Even the Grim Reaper is not above the seatbelt law!
This year’s costume was fairly easy to make, but I finished it at 3:30pm today – just in time to go get the candy. I made his creepy black robe, and of course we bought the mask at the store. He was really pleased with his costume and how scary he looked!
In case you missed the press release, September is National Sewing Month! I guess this is a good time to celebrate sewing since summer is over, the kids are back in school, and you have more time to sew (plus you have to start working on your Christmas gifts).
To celebrate national sewing month, I am going to finish a few projects that have been sitting around for awhile. I have a list of UFOs that keeps getting longer and longer and it’s time to take them more seriously! So in addition to the pattern design I am supposed to be doing, I am also trying to find some time for “fun” sewing.
What are your plans for National Sewing Month? This is the perfect time to introduce a friend or relative to sewing – we need more converts! This is also a great time to splurge on that fancy new machine you need (notice I said “need” not “want”).
Also, check out the Moda Country Fair blog hop. It started yesterday and features projects from some of my favorite designers. It’s a lot of fun to visit all these blogs and get some new project to eventually put into your UFO pile.
My son wants to be a mad scientist when he grows up (see Exhibit A):
Mad Scientist
Today, he took a big step towards this lofty goal – starting Kindergarten! He wanted to bring an apple to his new teacher (where do kids get these ideas – TV?), so I figured a stuffed one is the way to go.
Basically (for sewing purposes), an apple looks like a tomato expect that it is taller. I made up a template that looked like an oval that came to a point at each end. The size was about 2″ x 5″. I cut out five (5) of these ovals from quilter’s cotton (although you could also use wool), sewed them together, and left one side open for turning.
Stuffed Apple for Teacher
Turn the piece inside out, stuff, and then hand sew opening closed. Get a small button for the bottom of the apple. Next, take an upholstery needle and thread with strong twine (I used linen thread). Poke the needle down into the center of top and come out through one of the button holes on the bottom. Poke the needle back into another button hole, come out through the top, and then pull tight. Do this 2 more time so that you can create a nice dimple in the top and bottom of the apple. Don’t cut the thread.
Next, cut out two leaves from felt and sew to the top of the apple. You can use the same thread you used for making the dimples. Tie off thread and cut off excess. Get a black pipe cleaner and cut it about 3″ long. Near the base of the leaves, poke a very small hole with scissors and insert the stem. You can use a dab of glue to hold into place. Voila – an apple for the teacher that will never spoil.
Sew many things, sew little time! Sorry, it just had to be said – there are a lot of things going on in the next few months and I need to be better about managing my sewing and designing time. This is the year I really want to take a step forward with turning Keep It Thimble into something more than a blog – and I working over the past few months on some things that are helping in that regard.
One thing I am planning is to have three of my patterns written, tested, and published before the end of this year. The first pattern is called “Carry All Project Tote”. This is a working title, so if you have any title suggestions, please send them my way!
Carry All Project Tote
This tote was inspired by the popular L.L Bean tote bags, but with a twist (of course). My version features two exterior pockets, one in front of the other, and it also has a bit of the lining that peeks out on the top to form a nice contrasting edge. Another nice feature is that this tote is very sturdy and stiff so you can easily reach inside to get things without the bag flopping over. The dimensions are the perfect size for a few books, sewing supplies, and other project needs. It would also make an ideal library tote.
The pattern will be written up by the end of July and then it will be tested in August/September and ready for purchase in October – if all goes well. That may be an optimistic schedule, but I have to start somewhere don’t I?
In other news, the group involved in the Porch Sale had a meeting yesterday. We have expanded to about 17 vendors and should have a nice variety of things to offer. Mark your calendars for Oct 14th and 15th.
Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve posted – time gets away too quickly! This weekend my son had a solar system birthday party. You may recall that he had a “space” party last year at this time, but in his mind “solar system” and “space” are different somehow.
Zippered Pencil Case
For the favors this year, I made the kids zippered pencil cases. They can use them to carry school supplies and other little treasures. There was a bunch of rocketship and planet fabric left over from last year (since I didn’t have time to make anything except an apron). The zippered cases are fast and easy to make and hopefully I will get a tutorial posted on them in the next few weeks.
Zipper Pull
The zipper pulls were some space themed charms from Oriental Trading Company. They are attached to the zippers with some lanyard hooks from Wal-mart (found in the children’s craft section). In addition to the charms, I bought a whole bunch of space things from Oriental Trading Company – it was basically like a solar system party in a box.
Solar System Party Favor
If spend about $50 on one of the value party packs (they have many different themes) you can get everything you need! The “space” party theme included an inflatable solar system, cup/plates/napkins, 3 craft projects, 3 party favor items, and cardboard decorations of space things. All in all a good deal and a huge hit with the elementary school crowd.
I Love You!
My son had a great time and was so happy with the favors I made for his friends. He made me a special note with his drawing tablet to thank me! I love the fancy lettering he used.
My son enjoys all kinds of creatures, both big and small. A few weeks ago he asked me if we could make a stuffed paramecium. He learned about these one-celled organisms from watching the “Cat in the Hat” (proof that television IS educational 🙂 ). For those of you who need a refresher in biology, here is a picture of what one of these critters looks like:
Diagram of Paramecium
As you can see, it is a simple oval, with some colored shapes inside the body, and a row of little hairs around the edge – simple enough to make with some fleece, felt, and pom-pom trim! This is a great project for you to do with your children since there are so many things they can do in the process. I didn’t take photos of the actual project in process, but the tutorial is fairly straightforward (I hope!).
Perry the Paramecium - Standing
To make one Paramecium toy you need:
1/2 yard fleece
Craft felt in assorted colors
3 yards pom-pom trim
1 bag Fiberfill
Google Eyes / Buttons (optional)
1. Starting by drawing 10 – 12 different shapes on the felt. Use a variety of colors and shapes to add interest. The shapes should be various sizes ranging from 2 x 3″ to 6″ x 6″.
2. Cut out the shapes and set aside. I found the shapes to be the most fun for my son. He drew and cut out all the shapes by himself. The bonus was that this kept him busy for about 2 hours (off and on) which gave me time to sew some other project.
3. Take 1/2 yard of fleece and cut it into two equal-sized rectangles (it’s easiest just to cut where the fabric was folded on the bolt). These will be the front and back of the paramecium.
4. Take one fleece rectangle and arrange the felt shapes on it. Again, my son did this step. He took each piece and placed it where he wanted on the creature. Be sure to leave about 1 – 2 inches seam allowance around the perimeter. Pin the shapes to the fleece.
Paramecium - Ready to Sew the Shapes
5. Using your machine, stitch the shapes onto the fleece. Stitch on top of the shapes (basically like raw-edge applique). Since this was a toy, I just stitched around the inside edge of each shape, leaving the edges of each shape raw. Don’t be a perfectionist about this, just get them stitched down securely. For example, I stitched through the center of each star point instead of trying to stitch around the perimeter of the star.
6. Take the pom-pom trim and loosely arrange in the shape of an oval around the perimeter of the fleece rectangle (the one with the shapes). You will have excess fabric at the corners. Caution – do not actually cut the fleece into the shape of an oval, this makes it harder to stitch together later on. Instead, just shape the trim into an oval shape and pin around the edges. Make sure the pom-pons are pointing towards the center of the fleece.
7. From the front, stitch around the pom-pom trim with your machine. You can use a basting stitch to complete this step more quickly.
8. Take the second piece of unembellished fleece and place it RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER with the piece you just finished embellishing. Pin around the edges.
9. Turn the piece over (pins and all) so you are now looking at the wrong side of the piece with all the felt shapes stitched onto it. With pins, clearly indicate where you will start and stop the seam in order to have a 6 inch opening for turning and stuffing (pick the center of one of the long sides).
10. You should be able to clearly see the stitching line around the perimeter that is securing the pom-poms. Using this seam as a guide, stitch the front and back together just inside this seam (about 1/8″ seam allowance). Again, no need to be a perfectionist about this. Remember to leave 6″ open for turning and stuffing.
11. Trim corners so that you now have a nice oval shape. Turn the paramecium inside out.
12. Stuff with fiberfill. This will use an entire bag of fiberfill! Again, kids can participate in this step and handle the stuffing themselves.
13. Once stuffed, whipstitch the opening closed by hand.
14. Optional: Glue on google eyes or sew on button eyes. My son opted to draw some eyes and mouth in the middle with a marker (can you see it in the picture?). However, he did mention he would like to sew on some buttons for eyes so you can see them better.
15. Name your new creature! My son called his “Perry.”
Miraculously I finished both the ballet bags and lunch bags that I posted about last week! I was pretty pleased with how both projects turned out, but also glad I didn’t have the pressure of sewing deadlines! The next big deadline I have is getting ready for the Porch Sale in October (more details later).
Lunch Bags
Heather Bailey’s Jack and Jill pattern is very cute, but the bags were not as simple to make as I thought. And since I was making two bags at the same time, any missteps I made were multiplied by two! Laminated fabric was used for both the interior and exterior – this is a medium weight fabric that is lighter than oilcloth, but sturdier than cotton. It was very easy to work with – and I had no issues with cutting or sewing with it. I did have a teflon foot which made the fabric slide very easily through the feeddogs. If you don’t have a teflon foot you can also use the walking foot.
The pattern instructions were clear enough in most places, but I think she may have missed a minor step when you have to cut out the fabric for the side tabs. Easily remedied, but it slowed me down because I spent a few minutes looking for the missing step.
Lunch Bags with Accessories
The thing that is most confusing is keeping the top and bottom oriented correctly on the top flap. The finished flap works just like a brown paper lunch bag – you pinch in the sides and fold over the top twice. Velcro secures the flap, so precise placement of the hook and loop strips is important. You must also stay on your toes when sewing the lined flap to the bag body so you don’t sew it in upside down. This is very easy to do – take it from me :). I spent about 30 minutes ripping out stitches since I didn’t realize my mistake until three seams later! Thanks goodness I didn’t make the same mistakes on both bags.
Once finished, I added in a plastic sandwich holder and small soup-thermos (color coordinated, of course). The teachers loved them!
Ballet Bag for Pointe Shoes
The second project were the ballet bags from my friend April. I plan to post a tutorial about how to make them in the near future – so stay tuned! The cute thing about these bags was the monogram in the lower corner. You can use the iron-transfers for the craft store – there are many styles and colors to choose from.
May has turned out to be fairly busy work wise, which means a lot of my sewing projects have been put on hold or left until the last minute. There are two projects that I need to finish by Friday evening. So, I think I will be busy for the next few evenings – but at least it is a fun kind of busy!
WIP - Lunch Bags
The first project is a gifts for my son’s teachers. His last day of school is on Friday and I want to give them something special to thank them for all they’ve done this year. Every teacher needs a lunch bag, and Heather Bailey’s Jack and Jill pattern is the perfect one! I’m using laminated cotton fabrics for this project, which is something I’ve been looking forward to trying — I’ll let you know how it goes. One teacher gets a blue bag and the other gets a pink one!
Fabric for Ballet Shoe Bags
The next project is ballet shoe bags for my friend who runs the dance studio Graceful Expressions. Each year at her recital, the graduating girls receive a beautifully handcrafted bag (by me) for their ballet shoes. Apparently, this is a tradition the girls look forward to, so I have to make sure they are not disappointed this year. There are two different types of ballet fabric – the pink is for the younger girls and the red for the older ones (it looks more chic).
I’ll post finished projects later. Keep it thimble!
It’s been a busy few weeks for me with work and travel (and prepping for potential travel) and it’s really cut into my sewing time! Thankfully it looks like summer is going to slow down and I will have plenty of time to hang out in the sewing room!
Charlevoix – Minnick and Simpson – Moda Fabrics
Speaking of sewing room, I am finally getting ready to re-decorate it. This has been one of the last rooms in the house to get any attention and now it’s time! The color scheme is going to be around the fabric above – it is from Minnick and Simpson’s Charlevoix collection. This fabric will be used for valances and then other fabric from the line will be used to make chair covers. The walls will be painted a light blue (exact color TBD).
Shower Curtain – Pattern from Moda Bakeshop
Finally, for the downstairs bathroom I am going to make a shower curtain. I found a great pattern for making a shower curtain out of layer cakes on the Moda Bakeshop website. I am using the same fabric in the picture above (Clermont Farms – Minnick and Simpson). In addition to the shower curtain I am going to make some hand towels by making ruffles, prairie points and other embellishments from the left over fabric. Should be a lot of fun!
Keep it Thimble 