Failed Challenge

You know this girl loves a challenge.


Okay, so not all challenges.  Definitely not ones that include getting covered in dirt and eating disgusting food.  YUK!


But I do love challenges when I am given a topic or a material or a deadline or a puzzle.


I recently fell head over heels for a challenge proposed by one of the ASG neighborhood groups I sometimes attend.  The challenge was to document a very expensive item and then recreate it for pennies.


Yahoo!  I knew what I was going to do even before I left the meeting in January when this challenge was proposed.


In the August/September 2010 Threads magazine there was an article on how to construct a hard sided clutch.

I wanted to try this out and came up with a couple of examples of little hard sided bags, one of which was going to be my inspiration.

So far so good.


Four days before the challenge was due I sat down and began to construct a hard sided clutch and here are the results from two hours before it was due to be presented:

Yup... I tossed it while it was still in pieces.  The instructions seemed easy but I forgot Rule Number One when it comes to trying new techniques.

RULE NUMBER ONE

READ AND FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS.

Once again I read some of the instructions and followed some of the instructions and came out with a useless result.

Where did I go wrong specifically:

• Cut all the fabric to what I thought was the right size and, of the seven pieces of fabric needed for this project, three were cut too small.
• Used extra heavy duty fusible web when light duty was recommended thus the glue seeped through the silk fabric and made it stiffer than petrified wood.
• Cut the chip board interior boards raggedly so the edges curled a little for a too loose fit.
• Thought that hard Timtex could replace soft felt padding.

My dollar investment was less than $3.00 for the chip board and I have enough left over to try again.  Everything else was already in the stash and were primarily leftovers from other projects.


Next time I try this I will start off with one tool not mentioned in the instructions:  a strong person (read Paul) to cut the chip board.  My hands are not that strong any more and I really mangled the cutting process.


Until then, on to my next challenge of trying to figure out why Alex and Kelis are so stressed this afternoon.  


Could it be because I am eating pretzels while writing this?  


I may need to do an experiment to solve this mystery....NOT!

Cold Weather Sewing

The past couple of weeks have had many days of brutal cold for us in the south of Texas.  Down below freezing on many nights in a row and some friends have had to contend with frozen pipes.


My own home is well insulated but with a large expanse of windows in the living room and floors that are mostly tile things get very cold downstairs.


I found myself running out of clean hand knit wool socks and having to resort to my old ski socks in order to  keep my feet warm.


The dogs have loved it all as they have slept with me on many nights.  They are a little ticked at me as I have had to wash the bed sheets frequently to keep down on the amount of dog fur that has rubbed off of them.


Keeping warm feels like a full time job some days.  My feet have done well but other parts of my body have not faired so well.


My hands, in particular, have not been happy.  Not so much my fingers, but my wrists and hands have been very achy.  Not sure if its the cold or the RA but it really puts a damper on things when your hands just want to be in a pair of fluffy mittens.  


Another part of body has not been happy either.  Essentially my upper torso... shoulders, back and chest have been very stiff and cold.


I knew I needed a solution that did not include more bulky sweaters or hiding under the covers all day.


Solution #1 - Polartec vest:

Yes, its not pretty but it is nice and warm.  Made from a kit I bought years ago at an ASG conference, this simple vest is like shearling on the inside and like velour on the outside.  Its a little big but it works at keeping the problem areas warm.  The pattern is from Kwik Sew but any basic vest pattern would have worked.  


Solution #2 - Polartec gauntlets:

Made from scraps left over from the vest making.  Essentially a tube with a slit for my thumb.  In use on both hands as I type and boy do they feel warm!


Now that there is a warming trend this weekend I may not have much time left to use my new cold weather accessories but I am very happy to know that I will have them for next year.


I hope your weekend is going well and that you have not forgotten to get your loved ones something for St. Valentine's day.  The dogs are getting bully sticks and Paul is  getting his bank statements balanced.


No-one ever said I was a romantic!


PS - read about the story behind Polartec here and here.  I am so happy that the company still exists and continues to make fabulous fabrics.  This is NOT your average fabric store fleece and their newest products are very intriguing.  Next year I might look into their battery operated heated vest...but that might just be going a little overboard for a southerner like me.

Loot!

One of the things I really enjoy about this season are the ASG neighborhood groups holiday celebrations.

The food is always amazing on both sides of the equation... some is sublimely delicious while some is inedible...or at least for me.

I seem to split my contributions three ways... a quick pick from the supermarket, something from Sweet Sadies or something I actually make from scratch.  This year the quick pick was salad, Sweet Sadies contributed Cajun Rice or potato salad and I made batches of fudge...yum!

Besides the food there are gift exchanges or swaps.

One group decided on an unusual gift swap this year.  Each of us had to made a tote bag from our stash.  The gift was to be wrapped in a brown paper bag.  I made a gray/gold/pink tote lined in grey silky stuff with a zippered pocket inserted into the facing.  No picture but it was pretty basic if a little on the small side.

A dear friend chose it and I hope she gets a lot of use out of it.

I, on the other hand, picked a bag that included a huge tote made from upholstery scraps.  

Pretty neat, isn't it?

There are a couple of large pockets on the inside and it could carry a whole queen size quilt if needed.  Look closely at that flower embellishment...that button is fabulous!

Thanks, Donna!

The other type of gifting that goes on is the gift exchange.

In this one each person either chooses a gift from the pile or steals a gift from someone else.  I put together a pile of wool roving, felted coasters, a felted sweater with a lot of texture and a homemade sachet of moth repellent.  It ended up in the hands of a woman who does a lot work with wool and wool felt so I hope she can use everything.

I scored big time.  I was the eighteenth person to draw out of 19(I think) and by then most of the big loot was frozen... like the pile of red silk bits and beads...oh, how covetted that package!  The only thing that I saw that I was interested in was a book from the Kyoto Costume Institute called Fashion.. A History from the 18th to the 20th century.  It is 735 pages packed with all sorts of information about fashion.  There are several editions available and this is the one I received:


I have already spent many hours reading the easily digestible essays and the little bits of explanation for particular items of clothing.  Two of the things I have learned is that stomachers really have nothing to do with stomachs and that corsets have always been, and will continue to be, instruments of torture.  Can you imagine yourself stuffed into a corset that had 182 whale bones as its support?

Today was my last holiday related get together for this season when I made a brief appearance at a friend's open house.  Someone brought some cakey lemon balls that were infused with a lemon liquer.  I love citrus flavored food but these were way over the top.  I must try to make some of these for myself so I can indulge without worrying about getting pulled over for driving while drunk.  ;-)

Time for me to start getting back to normal eating and gathering some things for Paul.  We will be eating a Sweet Sadie's turkey for Christmas Day and I am so looking forward to that as they do a mean turkey.  Maybe I can persuade him to make some of his fabulous scalloped potatoes?

Hint, Hint :-)    

Clay Time

A few months ago at an ASG neigborhood group someone asked if anyone had played with air dry clay.  I had used it to fix some broken pottery so I volunteered to do a short program on it.

Today was the day and I spent the last week trying to come up with a successful use of air dry clay.

Here are my notes for today.

Air dry clay is essentially a purified form of the clay we used to dig out of creek beds when I was a kid.  

Yup... it's a form of dirt and as such is something we are all familiar with from when we were kids.

The key word in using air dry clay is WAIT.

Wait for it to dry, wait for your layers of paint to dry, wait for the sealer to dry and, more importantly, wait for some inspiration before you even begin.

Oh, there is one other wait... wait until you have your tools together before beginning.

The clay I used was made by Das, a German company, with its products sold in my local Hobby Lobby.  There are many brands available out there and all seem to perform the same so find one at the price you are willing to pay if you want to play with this material.

Here are the basic materials I used:

food scraper - for cutting and lifting the clay
acrylic rolling pin - for rolling out ven thicknesses
skewers, needle, Nintendo DS wand - for making button holes
slim bastard - also called a slim taper file for smoothing edges of dried clay

Other things I used but not pictured:

acrylic paints - for coloring the dried clay
white glue - to glue bits together
sealer - for after things are painted (I used shellac.. not recommended)
cutters - I used a thimble and egg cups for the circles
non-stick surface - I use an old cookie sheet

Here are the buttons I made:

and a picture of something that might be a button or decoration on a purse.

(copper paint under black ink...looks better in person)

If you want make some unique buttons, pins or other clay based constructions, try air dry clay.  You will not get instant gratification like with other products (think Fimo) but you will get a sturdy and unique construction.

Swap Time

I went to a local neighborhood group meeting of the local American Sewing Guild Chapter for a stash swap.

Imagine fourteen avid sewers clearing out their stashes to swap with other sewers.

It just takes your breath away!

One member brought her Japanese textile 'scraps', another brought another sewer's pattern collection from the 60's and 70's while another brought rolls of silks.

Here are some shots of the loot AFTER it had been reduced by other swappers.

I scored some wonderful lining fabrics, a couple of Japanese prints and a couple of kits to make clutch style bags.

The best thing though was a long curtain made up of many squares of African style fabrics.  I think that will make a great wheelchair quilt for the VA.

Most of th left overs came home with me for the Quilt Guild Garage Sale.  I had a blast going through it one more time before boxing it up for the actual sale.  

It will be hard to keep  my hands off this stuff before I actually put it on sale.

Note to self... I don't need any more fabirc, patterns, buttons, zippers, magazines, books, notions, thread etc. etc. etc..  Repeat as often as necessary.

Retreat 2009

I spent two solid days at this year's Houston Chapter of the American Sewing Guild's 2009 retreat. As last year, we went to the Northwest Conference Center just north of town. I arrived on Friday afternoon and spent until about 2:00 pm on Sunday sewing, eating, sleeping and chatting with 26 other sewers. When you get a group of women together with such varied tastes and skill levels you could have a disaster but, once again, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. There are members of the chapter who only come to the retreat so it was good to catch up with them again. Then there are the folk that you seem to see at all the events. In that case it great to see them in action.



The National Charity project this year is pillowcases for Ronald McDonald House in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Some people brought fabric and the storage locker was cleared out of all its cotton. Although some of us did not even make one at the Retreat, 89 pillowcases were finished and no kits were leftover for us to take home and finish. I made a dozen of them last year and I am trying to limit my participation this year as projects like this seem to take over my life sometimes. I did see about a dozen ways to construct pillowcases and I willl try to post a summary of the techniques I saw demonstrated.



I went to the retreat with two quilt tops to complete, one bias rayon scarf I have been wanting to try and a checkbook/wallet kit I won at the KAQG as a door prize. Back in 2006 I bought a Charlotte Angotti quilt kit and I have worked on it off and on since then. I got that top finished but now I realize that I need to add some significant borders if I want to use it on any of the beds in this house. I also started on another Angotti quilt top. That one will take a while a get finished but I am about one-third of the way through the construction and I am quite pleased with how it is coming together. Here is a shot of the quilt top (minus borders) that I completed.

I did not get anything else completed but I am quite content to have only one thing to show for all my hard work.

One of the best thing about these retreats is that people show up wth stuff to share with others. This year about 10 cartons of fabric from the storage locker was available for taking as well as one woman's stash of bolts of fabulous fabric and another woman's wonderful silks, patterns and other bits that she was giving away before she moves homes. It was like a feeding frenzy but very polite. We all have enough in our own resouce centers (read 'stash') to last us quite a while but some fabulous corduroy and several good patterns really caught my eye and made it home with me. I guess I better start culling out some well aged fabric in my own resource center to make room for the new, to me, acquisitons.

Oh, and if the fabulous Joanne is reading this... you can now start talking about the threes B's again... that is boobs, butts and bugs. You had to be there!

Have a good week!

In the Mail

The fifth round of the Doll Quilt Swap is over for me. I received a beautiful New York Beauty quilt that was the first attempt by my partner at doing paper piecing. I don't think I would have the patience to paper piece this type of intricate block. Isn't it neat?

I sent off my quilt the other day and it is going far away to where snow is a four letter word. The quilt was based on a snowball block and is called Twisted Rope. What do you think?

I had a lot of fun this time making my quilt as I used a new book that I got through YesAsia.com as the basis for my quilt. The book is called Patchwork 1030 and has 1,030 quilt blocks in it. The layout is terrific and you don't need to know Japanese to get acceptable results. Each block is illustrated in line drawings four times. The first is illustrated in grey scale so you have an idea of how many values of fabric you need. Beside the drawing of each block is a slightly exploded view showing you how to assemble the block, then another view showing the back of the block so you can see how to iron the seams and the final illustration shows you the size relationships of each of the pieces. Here is a pretty crappy picture of one page.

This is a great book for bathroom reading as it requires no concentration but gives you plenty ideas for future quilting adventures and we all need more ideas for quilts... right?

I hope your weekend is going well. I am off to my last annual meeting of the Houston Chapter of the American Sewing Guild as their Treasurer. Although the chapter has over 400 members the treasurer's job is very straight forward. I will not miss the job but I will miss the board meetings and all the friendships I have made with other board members over the past four years. I know the new treasurer will enjoy the job and I intend to leave her a clean set of books.

Enough nostalgia... onto my annual report!

Charity Sewing

Recently the American Sewing Guild chose their national charity sewing project to be completed by the conference in 2009. The project for 2009 is pillowcases for Ronald McDonald House. I thought this was a great idea as they are easy to make and can use up a lot of stash fabrics. I figured that I would wait until next year before starting on them BUT Stitchin' Heaven had a sale of their pillowcase kits (buy 6 get six free) so I had to get them and, being an over-achiever on some things, I made up all twelve of them a couple of weeks ago. Here's what they look like:

For each pillowcase in the picture... the larger fabric is actually the cuff, the strip is an accent and the smaller piece that you see is actually the body of the pillowcase. They were made with 3/4 of a yard for the body, 1/3 of a yard for the cuff and and 1/8 of a yard for the accent. They are a little larger than the required size but I did not want to cut them down and generate scraps. If you would like to join the adventure here are a couple of sites with directions on how to make them. In addition, most quilt shops have kits with their version of the instructions for people who don't want to disturb their stash.

http://sewing.about.com/library/weekly/aa061505.htm

http://www.craftandfabriclinks.com/pillowcases/cases.html

http://www.mormonchic.com/crafty/pillowcases.asp

I must confess that I used none of these instructions to make mine as I sort of made it up as I went along and each pillowcase is a little different. The variations I tried included serging the seams, french seaming the seams, tubing the cuff and sewing the seams last and first. Make up your own technique as it seems that nothing is wrong as long as you get a good product. In addition, wouldn't these be a nice add-on for any quilts you are making for this year's round of holidays? Its a good way to use up any leftovers for making the quilt and especially great if the person receiving the quilt likes things that match.

Fashion Show

Are you in a rut with your fashion sewing, whether for yourself or for others? I have the cure for you. The American Sewing Sewing Guild conference, this past July, a fashion show. The website has been updated with pictures from the runway show. Check this out. There are about 80 photos so it will take a while to get through but I guarantee you will be inspired. There are articles modeled by several icons of home sewing, (like Shirley Adams) by teenagers in their first show and some wonderful local members with their creations. The best part about this runway show is that a lot of the clothing modeled could be worn by regular folk in thier real lives and not just as costumes for once in a life time events. Even if you don't sew clothing you will be inspired by the fabric manipulation used in many of the garments. Heck, the white 3/4 length style jacket that is embellished by Mondrian style art is fabulous and should inspire many quilts, accesories, paintings and scrapbook pages. (Thanks, Lou!)

During the commercials during the Olympics, watch this show, and be prepared to be dazzled.

ASG Conference 2008 - Part 2

To continue from the previous post...

Saturday lunch was a wonderful sit down meal and the winners of the Creativity Contest were presented. Every year ASG and Simplicity choose several Simplicity patterns and challenge ASG members to use these patterns as the basis for a special garment or even a whole wardrobe. I must admit that the criteria for winning this contest are completely opaque to me. What makes a grand prize winning garment 'better' than the runners-up garments was not apparent to me from the runway show. I know several individuals that have entered garments that seemed to be very creative and wonderfully constructed but never made it to the final judging stage. For a look at last year's winners, click here. The winners from this year have not been posted as yet. One amusing thing that happened was that our chapter's past president had created a beautiful white outfit from this year's patterns. She then proceeded to spill and drop every thing that could stain on it during lunch. Maybe not amusing to her, but I certainly enjoyed the fact that I was not the one with chocolate sauce up my sleeve... as per usual!

After a short nap, I next went to a lecture/trunk show by Mary Ray on matching fabrics to a design. I love her work and have taken a class with her on making a vest using her rectangle vest pattern. I always have trouble taking a fabric and finding the perfect design for it or visa versa. The room was packed and I think we all came away with some ideas how to do this match better in future. Basically it all comes to drape and weight and I will try to do better next time. The evening was devoted to a gala dinner with everyone dressed to the nines. Patti Palmer was inducted into the ASG Sewing Hall of Fame and Deon Maas, the creator of the anti-ouch pouch, received a special gold star award. The final count of pouches made has not been disclosed but an estimate I heard put the minimum at 5,000.

Sunday was a completely different day for me. I got up so late that I never even made it to the buffet breakfast. I went directly to a class on creating a handbag with some lovely embroidery on it. The class was basically a commercial for the new Viking embroidery machines. The machines are fabulous and have a ton of built-in stitches. One good thing about the organization of this class was that the instructor gave everyone a small packet of different fabrics so we could try out the machine before beginning, and possibly destroying, the project. The bad thing about the class is that only five of the machines were set-up for embroidery. This meant that only five people could embroider at a time while the rest of the class moved on to other construction steps, or strived to catch-up. By the time I got my embroidery done I realized that the materials needed to construct the handle had run out. I packed up at that point and brought the whole thing home to finish here. These machines practically walk, talk and do the dishes and if you have a spare seven grand or so, it would be worth a look.

Lunch on Sunday was basically a farewell meal. We were treated to some wonderful information about next year's venue - Albequerque, New Mexico - and 2010's location - Altanta, Georgia - was announced. I am looking forward to next year as Albequerque is apparently within driving distance from here. I envision a caravan of cans, vans and SUVs driving from here to there carrying many well dressed women and the reverse a few days later with many sleeping ladies and tons of new sewing supplies... especially fabric!

Sunday afternoon I got to play with Lyla Messinger and create a necklace out of an expensive zipper and a large bead. Isn't it great!

I wore it home on the plane and it didn't set off the metal detector. Being a very cheap soul I wonder if you could use metal dyes and a regular metallic separating zipper? The possibilities are endless.

The rest of my stay in Chicago was pretty unstructured. I walked down the road from the hotel until I found a fast food place for dinner on Sunday. Monday morning I availed myself of the wonderfully expensive breakfast buffet in the hotel dining room. By the time I made it back downtown for some well deserved museum hopping, I realised I could not do justice to any of them so I spent a couple of hours in the Millenium Park. This is a wonderful resource for the whole city and I love the concept of cutting edge public constructions in the middle of Chicago's lakeshore. Here are a couple of examples:

And why are little boy's shorts so long on them?

By the time I made it home on Monday night I was thoroughly exhausted and my lungs had decided that they hated Houston allergens even more than Chicago allergens. I went to the doctor today and, after a scolding, she prescribed massive amounts of drugs to get everyhting under control. I think I got off lucky as she was pleased as punch with the navy silk fabric I brought her from Vogue Fabrics. Must remember that for the next time I want drugs from her.

If you have the opportunity to go an ASG conference or other crafty guild annual event, please try to go. I was inspired by some of the wonderful garments I saw that were for every day wear and not just for grand events. The other attendees were fascinating and I made an effort to sit with different people at every meal. Do try to go healthy so you can really enjoy yourself, but even ill I had a really good time.

On a final note, I really want to go back to Chicago and find a certain second hand store open for business so I can get this chair and its twin. Wishful thinking... maybe, but I could squeeze in another visit to Vogue Fabrcs to make the trip really worthwhile... now for the planning wheels to start turning......

ASG Conference 2008 - Part 1

The conference this year was in Chicago and was probably one of the best ever. I got into very few of my first choice classes but that did not stop me from enjoying those classes I did get to attend. The conference started Thursday evenng with the opening of the vendor area. After a full day poking around Chicago I was unprepared to spend much time fighting the crowd to really see what was being offered. There is always an elcelctic mix of vendors, from the Toronto based Wool House to a small booth for Melissa Brown's 'Fitting it all Together' Newsletter. I lasted about 10 minutes but others spent the whole two hour preview time shopping until they dropped. I did hear that there was some excitement at Louise Cutting's booth of wonderful fabrics when a couple of shoppers argued over who would get a particular piece of fabric. Chill pills were distributed and shopping continued uninterupted.

The next day the real business of the conference began. One thing about ASG, the food is usually fabulous and is included in the price of admission. Friday morning's breakfast included presentations for things like Chapter and Member of the Year. I missed most of the presentations as I slept in a little but I heard that niether the Houston Chapter nor its members received awards. My first class was with Melissa Brown on 'Embellishments to Flatter Your Figure". I left class early as it didn't seem that she was saying anything more than 'don't put bullseyes on your boobs'. I was still recovering from a bad bout of allergies so that may have colored my view a little. Tammy O'Connell taught my next class. It was called 'Leather Logic' and we spent most of the time learning about natural and synthetic leathers and their uses. We also made a little suede flower just to get a little feel of working with suede. I first ran across Tammy at the International Quilt Festival a few years ago and I was amazed how her business has grown. Lunch included a speech by Patti Palmer as the Keynote Address. It seemd like it was one big advertisement for her work and her daughter's new venture. I bailed on this one as well so I could take a little nap.

After lunch I attended a lecture/trunk show by Linda Macphee of the Macphee Workshop. I love Linda and have followed her for about 15 years. Unfortunately, most of what she showed and talked about I have seen and heard before so the whole thing sounded like one big commercial for her products. Also, although Linda does have a loud voice, I became exhausted just trying to hear her asides to other members of the audience. Note to self: the next time a teacher rejects a mic, bail immeadiately before your head bursts from straining to catch every word. Dinner was on our own and the day ended with the member style show. Several Houston Chapter members showed some terrific garments. I left a little early as I couldn't calm my cough but I understand that all the garments were photographed. When they get posted I will direct you to some of the best garments.

Saturday began with a wonderful breakfast buffet and I pigged out on eggs, bacon, home fries and croissants.YUM! My first class that morning was with Marla Kazell. The title of the talk was 'Fabric Collage Jacket' and I have no memory of it. I must have been dozing after that huge breakfast. The next lecture was by Londa Rolfing on Design Principles. I loved this class as she presented a lot of information we should know in an entertaining and insightful manner. We had a professional make-up artist in the audience who added a lot of good information as well. One tidbit I remember is that you can't go wrong wearing a garment that matches your original hair color ... who knew! Most of her garments use sweatshirts as the base for incredible embellishment and they all should be in my closet!

Well, that's all for now. Tomorrow I will try to sum up the rest of the conference.

Stay tuned!

Machine Wrapped Cording

At the Kingwood group of the Houston ASG Chapter, I had the priviledge to do some hands-on work with one of our members on machine wrapped cording. I had first encountered this technique in the book Fabric Leftovers by D'Arcy Jean Milne. I tried it out and my results sucked. I tried again on Wednesday with an expert there and my results were still sucky HOWEVER I figured out why. To do this successfully you really need a feed dog in the middle rear of the sewing field. The feed dogs on my travel sewing machine are on the sides only so I had to manually pull the base cord through the foot which meant uneven coverage. Also, a beading or cording foot would have helped a lot but I left mine at home. Here are the examples I created:

The upper piece has 20 gauge wire as part of the cording while the lower piece is just wrapped with thread. The base cording is actually three pieces of worsted weight yarn. If you would like to try this technique and see some great examples of how to use your custom cording, the folk at the Creative Textile and Quilting Arts site have a free on-line tutorial in this technique. You can access it here. This technique would be great for creating custom colored cording for purses, pillows, clothing or art quilts. When I used to do a lot of hand embroidery I would take my leftover threads at the end of a project and create cords and tassels with them. Now I have a use for leftover thread from sewing projects when I have over bought.

Try this out, you should be pleasantly surprised by the results.

A Little Thing

A while ago I saw a cute little sling bag where one handle is longer than the other. It is carried by the longer handle slipped through the shorter handle and the whole thing slung over a shoulder or wrist. I got a link from the Junie Moon site for a small, wristlet size version that uses only two fat quarters. I had a couple of fat quarters of fabric that were begging to be used and this is what I came up with:

I love the idea of a bag called 'Japanese Knot Bag' made up in purely Texas themed fabrics. Its completely reversible, only twelve inches tall with a circular bottom about the size of an everyday bread and butter plate. The pattern and instructions I started with are posted here. I did not interface the fabric at all but I did add a layer of Timtex to the circular bottom for some extra durability. I also changed the way the handles were completed so I didn't need to do any hand sewing. The technique I used is from the 'Five Fat Quarter Shopping Bag' instructions I posted here. I would like to make another one but in a size where the bottom is about the size of a dinner plate but I haven't figured out the proportions yet so this will take a little more thought.

I see myself using this when I am out and about and need a little more with me than can fit in the pockets of my shorts. But this bag is also perfect for using at the ASG conference later this year. At one point during the proceedings, there is an awards banquet and each chapter tends to wear or display some sort of locally themed item. Most of the group going from Houston will probably be wearing their Texas pride on a wonderful garment. I think I can make do with this little handbag.

I hope your weekend is going well. My big sewing machine died so I am hauling out my old straight stitch machine. I think the problem is the one Brother has with a lot of their product...a power supply issue. Both of my other Brothers have had their power supplies replaced at least once each. Fortunately these replacements have been at no cost to me so I am not afraid of a big repair bill. I just want it back soonest because I have some embroidering I want to do.

Since I had to go back to where I purchased it (about 50 miles away), a friend and I had a mini shop hop today. I picked up a lot of little goodies at the three shops we visited but didn't spend a lot of money. It was very, very nice to spend a stress free day in the company of an avid sewer who is also an incredible quilter. I hope we get a chance to do it again. It was even nicer for me as she did all the driving as I am trying to recover from a nasty cold. Thanks!

The only sour note on the day was that I forgot to remove a silk pre-made purse from a dye bath I started it in last night. Its been sitting in dye for almost 24 hours and I am not confident that it will survive that long in dyes from 15 years ago. I hope it will be dried and set by the morning at which point I'll post the results. Here's hoping it will turn out all right or at least accepteble.

The Schlepp Bag

I first saw instructions for this bag at a board meeting for the Houston ASG Chapter. Apparently someone had showed it at neighborhood group and another member (an engineer no less) created instructions on how to make it. I took a copy as I was intrigued by a bag made out of squares and immeadiately saw an opportunity to use up some the five inch packs I have been picking up at my favorite quilt shop. I tried to make one and it turned out incorrectly. I then was e-mailed a scan of a similar pattern, resewed my bag and it turned out wrong again. For some reason when I used this pattern it all came out correctly. Anyway, here is my bag:

I used a pack of five inch squares from Moda but have no idea which pack it is as I have discarded the packaging. You need 32 squares if you do the lining and exterior in squares. My pack did not have enough squares so I added five extra from a spare fat quarter. I cut the straps from a fat quarter as well using two strips of 22" x 5" and ending up at about 1 1/4 wide after folding and stitching. I think , if you choose to go with a five inch square rather than a seven inch square, (as in the pattern) you should stick to one manufacturer as they all seem to cut their packs a little differently. I used Fusible Thermalon Fleece by Pellon for the batting that is attached to the lining. I cut it a tad smaller than the actual size of the squares to reduce bulk. I also cut another piece the size of the finished bottom to add a little more protection to the bottom when it is in use.

The bag, using five inch squares, came out to seven inches on each side and about ten inches tall. This is a nice size for a light shopping day, a book bag or as a gift bag. The five inch packs come in many themes so it should be easy to match one to an event. The other suggestion I have seen is to cut your squares so that there is a focus fabric in the middle diamonds. That would look very planned and not as scrappy as mine.

Thanks to the Internet I have another little bag to add my sewing repetoire but I must give credit to the other two designers for figuring it out as well. Apparently the original was on the HGTV website a little over a year ago and I found the quilt guild class instructions by cruising through one of the links in a discusion thread.

A new look at Bias

This past Monday I had the distinct pleasure of attending the Dayton Texas neighborhood group for a session by Suzy Seed on making her Puzzle Blouse. The Puzzle Blouse is something anyone can make from virtually any fabric and be guaranteed of an excellent fit. In the past, I have worked on two similar tops - one designed by Carter Smith (and reviewed earlier this year) and the other developed by a fellow ASG member. The Carter Smith top is a little tough to tweak for a better fit and turned out too short for my taste. The other is a very clever design where a square of fabric, placed on the diagonal, has its corners brought to the middle and sewn up. This top also turned out too short for my taste and, while the front is on the bias, the bad remains on the straight of grain.

The Puzzle Blouse solves two problems for me - its easy to make the blouse as long as you want and the whole thing is worked on the bias so it drapes beautifully. I originally made the blouse as shown in the instructions. It also ends up with nice cap sleeves that cover a multitude of sins on me. The length was great, the fabric draped well but the width was just too broad for me. Today, I worked with a friend and determined that I needed to reduce the width I used by two inches to get the fit I like. The first blouse I made was of very thin/fine linen and I covered the long seam and one of the short seams with bias tape. To test the new width I increased the long seam's seam allowance by an additional one half inch and made another seam down the back to match the front. Here is a picture of what it looks like now .. which should encourage me to use real muslin for fitting rather than some lovely fashion fabric.

The one I made today has not had its edges finished but fits great. I will try to rope someone into taking a picture of me in it this weekend and post it later. If you are as intrigued as I am by this type of clothing construction here are the directions I used to make my second try. Please note that this pattern idea came from Suzy Seed and she should be credited if you use these, or similar, instructions with others.

Supplies
1 – 1.25 yards of fabric – suitable for all blouse weight fabrics, woven or knit, printed or solid. Avoid fabrics with an obvious one way design
Sewing machine and/or a Serger
Matching thread
Measuring tape

Measurements and Cutting

_____________ Width – Your high bust measurement or your high hip measurement, whichever is larger. Rip or cut your fabric along the selvage edge to equal this measurement. Mark this side with a pin or marking pen. (I ended up using this measurement minus two inches)

_____________ Length – if you would like your top to sit at your waist use your width measurement. If you would like it longer add two to three inches to your width measurement. Rip or cut your fabric from raw edge to raw edge to equal this measurement. ( I ended up using my new width plus four inches for the length)

Construction

Fold your fabric with length measurmeent along the fold - right sides together if you would like the stitching hidden or wrong sides together if you would the stitching to show on the finished blouse. Sew or serge a scant quarter inch seam along the short ends.

With your fabric laid out on a flat surface, folded edge toward you, fold one corner up to the open side. Mark where this corner meets the raw edge with a pin in one of the raw edges. This finds the true bias of your square/rectangle.

Holding the edge with the pin as one end of the seam, pull the raw edges apart to form one long seam. Serge or sew this seam with a scant quarter edge seam. The previously sewn edges may or may not end up aligned with each other. Do not be concerned as this will differ among blouses.

You will end up with a weird floppy square/rectangle with no opening, one side plain bias and the other with seams on it. The flat side is the back of the blouse while the seamed side will be the front but tha is your choice.

Shake out the blouse and lay out on a flat surface. Determine the bottom edge and cut a body opening from corner to corner. Do not cut through any previous stitching.

Determine the size of your desired arm holes. Eight to nine inches is typical but additional length can be added when you try on your blouse before finishing. Cut two slits for armholes from the shoulder down the sides.

Fold the blouse together along the center front so that the armholes line up with each other. To cut out a neckline, mark a point about four inches from the fold toward the shoulders. On the fold, mark a point about three inches below the neckline. Cut a curve from the mark on the fold to the mark on the shoulder. On the front only, cut another curve about one inch below the first, cut on the fold, to the mark on the shoulder. (I used a template from an old t-shirt to cut this hole)

Try on your blouse and adjust any of your cuts for the arm holes and neckline to suit your taste and body size. Simple tubular sleeves can be added as this point.

Finishing – The raw edges can be finished by serging, or serging then sewing a small hem, or sewing a small rolled hem or applying a bias binding.

Notes:

As an alternative to the blouse, this pattern can also make a jacket. In that case increase the width measure by an inch or two, add tubular sleeves to the arm holes and open the center front.

The pattern can be enlarged to make a dress by doubling your length measurement and completing as noted. It can also be used for a skirt by adding about twelve inches to the length and adding an elastic waist band.

The neckline can be adjusted for a variety of shapes – a slit or V can be made about eight inches long. A collar can be added if desired but required additional fabric.

The addition of an elastic waistband would result in a blouson edge.

If you have some time and want to try a unique bit of clothing sewing try out this top. I don't think you will be displeased with the results.

THANKS SUZY! YOU CONTINUE TO INSPIRE ALL OF US.

BTW - Dayton Texas has a lovely store in it called The Vineyard. It consists of a series of boutiques selling knick knacks, flowers, clothing and accessories. There is also a great little cafe that sells wonderful sandwiches, salads and a tempting looking daily special. The clothing area had a discount rack and I scored a brown French Terry sweatshirt for $10.00. They also had a large variety of unique purses, including one made of candy wrappers and some of the most beautiful pajamas a girl could want. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.

Gross

When is gross not gross? When it is a Gross... like 144 of something. When I learned in grade school that twelve times twelve was 144 and was also called a Gross my friends and I made a lot of lame jokes about it. In this case, 144 of something is not gross at all but very loving, thoughtful and colorful. In this case it represents the output of the Kingwood neighborhood group, of the Houston Chapter of the American Sewing Guild, for the production of Anti-Ouch Pouches. Every year ASG has a national charitable project chosen by the host city chapter of the annual conference. This year the chapter is Chicago and they opted for the Anti-Ouch Pouches.

Anti-Ouch Pouches are thin, soft cushions that look like a tote bag and are used by women after breast cancer surgery to keep their arm from rubbing against the side of their body. An ASG member, and cancer survivor, designed the pouch and ASG members all over the country have been running sew-ins creating them by the time of the July conference. The Kingwood neighborhood group has many members who took to this challenge with a passion. Last October, I made about eight of them one evening and discovered that it was a quick and easy sew. One of our group, on her own and from her own stash, created thirty of these pouches and delivered them right after the January Retreat. Seven of our group have participated in our own three sew-ins and produced fifty bags from our own stashes, completed 32 pouches started by others and made up 24 kits from fabric in the chapter warehouse. So 8 + 30 + 50 + 32 + 24 = 144. I delivered 26 bags last month, will deliver 63 more on Saturday and will do a final delivery in a few days when we finish the final details on about 17 more bags.

This is a great project and, once we got organized, can be easily produced assembly line fashion. If you know of anyone who is going to have this type of surgery please consider making a few of them from the pattern here. We have also discovered that they are a real benefit to those with painful tumors even before surgery to keep their arm from pressing against the tumor, especially when sleeping.

So here's to Patricia and Barbara and Pat and Mary Jane and Margory and Charlotte for embracing this project and making it such a success. About half of these will go to Chicago as ASG's contribution to the host city while the rest will stay here and be distributed to our local cancer centers. At the conference we will probably here about hext year's project. I wonder what it will be? Whatever is chosen, I hope we will continue creating these items for our post-surgery friends.

UFO # 9

Today I finaly finished up a dress that had its inspiration in a challenge for the Seams Possible ASG Neighborhood Group. This project started here last October. I needed to make something with mauve, using a stepped satin stitch and inspired by the movie Sergeant York (1941). The color was the easy part as I had just picked up seven yards of fabric that had mauve in it about an hour before someone gave me the challenge. The stepped satin stitch was also easy to incorporate as it is nice decoratve stitch. How to incoporate these elements with the movie seemed impossible until I re-watched the movie and noticed that York's mother wore a mother hubbard type dress in a couple of the early scenes in the movie.

Mother Hubbard dresses are essentially big sacks with the shaping coming from the apron that seemed perpetually tied on to keep the dress clean. I decide to make a modern take on this style of dress. I cut the fabric into four long pieces, two for the front and two for the back. I then pleated each piece at the eventual high waist. I then discovered that four pieces would make a dress for someone the size of my car so I discarded one of the peieces. I then sewed up two of the pieces from the hem to about four inches above the pleating to form a loose v-neck.

At that point I sewed up the sides. I then separated the v-neck open to about five columns of colors and sewed shoulder seams. I then noticed that I had no arm holes so I cut a couple of holes for my arms and rolled over the edges to neaten them up. I took the seam allowances at the shoulder seams and sewed them into casing for a ribbon I thought I would be using. I made the casings and cleaned up the v-neck with that stepped satin stitch. I also experimented with a couple of ways of shortening the shoulders by using ribbon ties but neither way works satisfactorily. More experiments needed. Here's how it all turned out:

I think the basic concept works but I also know that to make this a street ready garment several things would need to be changed. Firstly I would need a really long slip if I wore it out on a sunny day. The fabric is pretty heavy for the application. Something more thin and drapey could make this concept into a pretty party dress. A nice obi style sash would add some class to it. I experimented with a couple of belts but I don't have anything that is wide enough. My final criticism is that the dress does not look like anything the people of Sergeant York would wear... more of something a mountain family in Japan would wear for working in the fields.

I will be bringing this to the Seams Possible meeting tomorrow to see if they agree that I have fulfilled the challenge. I just hope they can hold their laughter until I am out of the room.

Tips, Tricks & Techniques - Part 1

Earlier on the day of Alex's attack I did the program for the Seams Possible neighborhood group. I presented a bunch of little things that I had learned recently that I thought others would enjoy hearing about. Thus was born Tips, Tricks & Techniques - Part 1. Here is the handout I presented with a few modifications for an on-line community. Enjoy!

Different Way to Make a Boxy Bag

Amy Butler’s ‘In Stitches’ sewing book has some incredibly complex patterns. I made the ‘Patchwork Bag with Zipper Charm’ as part of a sew along on the web. I love the result but when I contemplated making another one for a more mundane purpose the thought of cutting out and using 27 pieces of fabric seemed daunting. With a different method I used three – one lining, one exterior and one for a handle. There is a tutorial on this technique on the web at three bears that shows the basics better than I ever could here.

Here is a picture of the bag I created while experimenting with this technique that used two fat quarters ..... it now holds all of the puppies pills and potions.

Other handbag ideas:

Use a center close handbag zipper (mine come from create for less).
Add fabric extensions to each end of the zipper before insertion to reduce the risk of broken needles and to reduce bulk.
Add fobs to zippers for ease of use.
When creating a traditional boxed bottom attach the lining box to the exterior box before closing the bottom of the lining.
Add a few lavender buds between the lining and the exterior. Lavender lasts for centuries and will add a nice scent when the bag is used.

SWAPS

On the internet there are swaps of creative goodness being coordinated all the time. Check out Swap Dex for a nice listing of swaps that are willing to take new participants. I have swapped wristlets, craft supplies, Artists Trading Cards, Chunky Book pages, handbags, miniature quilts, matchbox ornaments and old buttons. I’ve even swapped based on a theme like Travel or Dark Fairies. I have been disappointed only once with what I have received (ugly towel received versus a black work Huck Towel I sent). Need a creative boost, try a swap.

Non-traditional Store Goodness

Need a magnetic closure but don’t want to spend $3 – 4.00 for one? Try the hardware store for rare earth magnets. They are very strong, can be encased in an organza pouch for sewing between the lining and exterior of a handbag or jacket and are incredibly cheap. The five pound strength cost me less than $0.50 each rather than $4.00 for a set of two from some suppliers.

Another hardware store find is metal washers. These can be strung together with ribbon to make jewelry, handles or belts. Check out http://www.homeofthesampler.com/howtos/smallobject.html for instructions.

The grocery store can also provide some alternative materials for your creativity. My Kroger has a section with crayons and such and I think I have found an inexpensive alternative to Shiva paint sticks. Crayola makes something called ‘Twistable Color Slicks’. I did a test between paint sticks, slicks and oil pastels. All worked well with rubbing plates. Heat setting did cause some bleed through for the slicks and pastels but all washed well. Paint sticks cost about $6.00 each and work very, very well. Slicks cost about $4.00 for a set of five primary colors. Oil pastels cost about $10.00 for a set of 14. Experiment, you may find a new tool.

Rent and watch a ‘Sewing with Nancy’ DVD from the Library. These are little gems of sewing goodness. At the Spring Branch neighborhood group we watched the one on Simple Jackets and I think everyone walked away with a new trick or tip. Especially clever was the way to make a reversible jacket without using binding to join the two sides together.

The attendess seemed to enjoy this program and I think everybody learned something. I am now planning on a few more of these so I have one on hand when a regularly scheduled program is cancelled.

BTW - I have been doing additional experiments with magents as closures and the use of paint stick alternatives. I plan on posting the results here soon.

Serendipity Finale

I finally finished the serendipity outfit that I started last week based on two fabrics that seemed to go together. The dress was a real pain to complete and I needed to recut and resew the sides several times to make them lie flat. The jacket is a single layer of a linen/cotten blend with ties in the front and the edges bound with self bias. Despite getting it done, I realized on Saturday that it was too light weight for the coolish weather thaat day. Here is how it turned out: (please forgive the poor photo as I have yet to master taking pictures of myself!)

I think it turned out okay.. not great but acceptable for some events. I don't think it looks like something poorly made by loving hands but you may disagree! It is not a lawn dress and will not be put in the closet to be brought out only for yard work. I think if I made it again I would choose identical light weight fabrics in different color ways. The over blouse is in a heavier weight than the dress so the tie in the front looks a little like a tumor when viewed from the side. The dress, by itself, is pretty dumpy but I can add tucks or a belt at the waist line to give it more shape if I wear it alone. All in all a successful project that is made way more elegant by the addition of pearls at the neckline.

This was a stretch for me and way outside of my comfort zone. I need to do this more often rather that sticking to the tried and true. I would not recommend this pattern for an in-experienced sewer unless the fit was perfect before you started to cut. Also, with the lack of construction instructions, some sewers may have difficulty getting it all put together.

Have a good week! I will be having a busy one with two presentations planned to two different groups. For the Seams Possible ASG group I will be presenting several ideas for techniques to try and for the Kingwood Quilt Guild Wearables group I wil be doing a presentation on the Bog Coat. Wish me luck!

The Mid-Western Ya Ya Sisters

Today the local ASG chapter hosted Mary Mulari and Rita Farro (the Mid Western Ya Ya Sisters) for a full day of fun and creativity. Mary is a frequent presenter on Sewing with Nancy and is well known for her sweatshirt transformations. Recently she did a unit on creative tote bags including a handbag created solely from a five and a half yard zipper. Rita wrote the book 'Life is Not a Dress Size' which fundamentally changed my attitude about myself when it was first published in 1996. I eagerly awaited today so I could spend some time with this dynamic duo and I was not disappointed.

The day was organized around two trunk shows, presented simultaneously to half of the attendees at the same time. I started the day in Mary's trunk show and was amazed at her creative transformations of ordinary, every day items like sweatshirts, napkins, tote bags and aprons. Her talk was structured around her published books but it never felt as if we had to buy the books to get the inspiration.

We broke for lunch and over the key lime pie, Rita and Mary entertained us like some professional Las Vegas comedy act while showing us some 20 - 30 gifts we could create. Mary and Rita have co-authored two CDs of wonderful, vintage style, embroidery designs. The one I was particularly intrigued by was of redwork style embroideries for the days of the week. For some reason, everyone knew that Monday was wash day and was transformed into Laundry by Mary and Rita. Another day was designated for cleaning and the embroidery could be adjusted to read 'Cleaning Lady'. Sunday was changed from Church to Visiting with an embroidery featuring two women, looking like Rita and Mary, having tea together. A very enjoyable break in the day.

In the afternoon I attended Rita's trunk show. She basically showed us her graphic embroideries on various ponchos and ruanas. The best part, I thought, was when she was talking about making the best of what we've got. Little tricks , while not transforming you into someone who is tall, thin, blond and rich, can make you look and feel better. Her four inch waist belt trick and vertical placement ideas were definitley worth the price of admission.

If you get a chance to see this pair in action, please take the time. They are creative, witty and energetic. By the end of the day you will be inspired to make something wonderful and you may walk away with a new attitude about the most important person in the room - YOU!

BTW - I did not get to wear the Serendipity outfit previously blogged but that story will have to wait until another day.