Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
My Very First Ever Apron
At family reunion this summer, we decided to do an apron swap! I have been wanting to do one for a LONG time. But the mail system where I live doesn't really work all that smoothly. It seems to be ok for letters, but I have not succesfully received a package. Anyway... I am really excited about our family apron swap. This is my first ever attempt at making and apron. I wasn't sure where to start. But then I saw a couple of postings on my aunt and cousins blogs about using denim and I just happened to have an old pair of jeans... and I just went from there. The design of this apron is all my own, trail and error. I really hope that the person I am making it for loves it! (And doesn't look to closely at the execution!! LOL)
I took and cut the leg off my old jeans, then unpicked the side seam. I cut off the bottom hem and evened up the sides. The bottom hem of the leg became the top of the apron. The pocket on the front is divided with a pencil slot in the center. I also ended up putting some darts in the top of the apron to keep it from gapping open. (And the best part was I didn't mess it up!!)
The straps cross in the back and then loop through at the waist and tie in the back.
I used the belt loops off the jeans to run the straps through at the waist. I thought it was quite ingenious. However, my sewing machine tried to argue with me about it. I think it worked out ok in the end though.
So what do you think of my first ever made from scratch apron?
I took and cut the leg off my old jeans, then unpicked the side seam. I cut off the bottom hem and evened up the sides. The bottom hem of the leg became the top of the apron. The pocket on the front is divided with a pencil slot in the center. I also ended up putting some darts in the top of the apron to keep it from gapping open. (And the best part was I didn't mess it up!!)
The straps cross in the back and then loop through at the waist and tie in the back.
I used the belt loops off the jeans to run the straps through at the waist. I thought it was quite ingenious. However, my sewing machine tried to argue with me about it. I think it worked out ok in the end though.
So what do you think of my first ever made from scratch apron?
Friday, April 11, 2008
New Bag...
I really love the bag that Rachel brought me from Chile. The only problem is that I washed it. And so now I am going to have to rebuild it. But while I am working on fixing it, I needed something else to use. So after much intense thought and trial and error, I made my own version of the bag.
It has all my favorite features from the bag Rach gave me. The zippered pocket that goes all the way down the back. (And yes people, that is my first ever zipper installation that wassn't in a home ec class!)
It took me almost a full week of thought and trial runs with scrap fabric to figure out some of the techniques for this bag. It is completely lined. (The bad Rach gave me isn't lined on the back of the zipper pocket.) That took some figuring out.
And I ran the strap all the way under the bag to give it better support. I tend to load my bags up here. Carry everything but the sink.
It has all my favorite features from the bag Rach gave me. The zippered pocket that goes all the way down the back. (And yes people, that is my first ever zipper installation that wassn't in a home ec class!)
It took me almost a full week of thought and trial runs with scrap fabric to figure out some of the techniques for this bag. It is completely lined. (The bad Rach gave me isn't lined on the back of the zipper pocket.) That took some figuring out.
And I ran the strap all the way under the bag to give it better support. I tend to load my bags up here. Carry everything but the sink.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Pockets are HARD!
I love these denim capris! They fit great, look good and are really comfortable.
BUT... the pockets are crap. They are really more decorative than functional. If you can actually get anything to fit in them, it just falls out.
This is all the space that there is in the pocket. Very bad pocket design. They just added a piece of fabric the the front of the pants that had a hole for you to put your hand in. This makes it VERY VERY hard to actually make this into a functional pocket. BUT I did it. Well at least one.
It took a lot of thinking to figure it out and then a lot of hand stitching through denim. (There was NO way to get it into the sewing machine.) But now it is a functional fabulous pocket. And you can't tell any difference from the front. It only took me ALL day to do one. Maybe the other one will go faster tomorrow. Sheesh.
~~~~~~~~~ UPDATE Apr 11, 2008 ~~~~~~~~~~~~
I still haven't finished this.... the first pocket was so stinkin hard. If I'm not careful it will become a UFO and I refuse to have 1 more!! Maybe tomorrow....
BUT... the pockets are crap. They are really more decorative than functional. If you can actually get anything to fit in them, it just falls out.
This is all the space that there is in the pocket. Very bad pocket design. They just added a piece of fabric the the front of the pants that had a hole for you to put your hand in. This makes it VERY VERY hard to actually make this into a functional pocket. BUT I did it. Well at least one.
It took a lot of thinking to figure it out and then a lot of hand stitching through denim. (There was NO way to get it into the sewing machine.) But now it is a functional fabulous pocket. And you can't tell any difference from the front. It only took me ALL day to do one. Maybe the other one will go faster tomorrow. Sheesh.
~~~~~~~~~ UPDATE Apr 11, 2008 ~~~~~~~~~~~~
I still haven't finished this.... the first pocket was so stinkin hard. If I'm not careful it will become a UFO and I refuse to have 1 more!! Maybe tomorrow....
Earring Case
I got very tired of digging through my jewelry box looking for matching earrings. So I started to think about what would make a good portable earing holder. I needed something that I could pack up and take with me on trips, and that wouldn't be too bulky on my nightstand. This was what I came up with. It only took me two trys to get it right.
There are 2 panels that the earrings hook into. I used cheap cross stich fabric for these. It's sturdy and already has the holes. All the fabric I used for this is from scraps in my stash. The yellow fabric on the inside is a soft thick cotton type fabric that I had originally used as the back of a baby quilt that I made. I didn't use any batting in this project, but I did double up the yellow fabric to give it a slightly padded feeling.
The fabric on the outside is all scraps from an youth activity where we made pajama pants. And mom should be proud of me. I stepped outside my comfort zone and tried random cutting and piecing. It still may be all straight lines, but it's a small step!
I used the thick cardboard out of an old 3 ring binder for this so that it would be rigid and can stand up on my nightstand.
And it all folds up neatly to travel. Like I said it only took me two tries to get it right. I spent one whole day working on it, finished it, put all my jewelry on it, set it up on my nightstand. HATED IT. It stayed there for one day and then I stripped all the jewelry off it, picked out almost EVERY stitch and completely redid it. Slower this time, and tweeked a few things. Now I LOVE IT. No more hunting for the other earring!!
There are 2 panels that the earrings hook into. I used cheap cross stich fabric for these. It's sturdy and already has the holes. All the fabric I used for this is from scraps in my stash. The yellow fabric on the inside is a soft thick cotton type fabric that I had originally used as the back of a baby quilt that I made. I didn't use any batting in this project, but I did double up the yellow fabric to give it a slightly padded feeling.
The fabric on the outside is all scraps from an youth activity where we made pajama pants. And mom should be proud of me. I stepped outside my comfort zone and tried random cutting and piecing. It still may be all straight lines, but it's a small step!
I used the thick cardboard out of an old 3 ring binder for this so that it would be rigid and can stand up on my nightstand.
And it all folds up neatly to travel. Like I said it only took me two tries to get it right. I spent one whole day working on it, finished it, put all my jewelry on it, set it up on my nightstand. HATED IT. It stayed there for one day and then I stripped all the jewelry off it, picked out almost EVERY stitch and completely redid it. Slower this time, and tweeked a few things. Now I LOVE IT. No more hunting for the other earring!!
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