Busy, Busy

It's been a busy few months working on Granola Strolla.
I've set aside my sewing for a bit even though I'm still sewing for the boys.  In being the face of the company I have also rediscovered my love of makeup.
I'm not sure what the future holds for the blog, but something will happen.

Adventures in Ice Dyeing

I've been busy lately doing a lot of sewing.  I decided to open up my Facebook blog page to more of a business page. I'm making and selling more these days so that is the best way to keep up with me.

A couple months ago I purchased some adorable fabric from So Cheeky.

such a fun print

It's so lush and soft. I knew I wanted to make myself a shirt out of it.  Since I've made myself a couple bubble shirts recently I decided to do the same with this fabric.  This style of top is perfect for the hot Memphis summers (and to cover up my inability to lose the baby weight).

I always look like I want to smack my husband in photos 

I love the feel and fit of the top.  But with a toddler and a baby I didn't think that much white would work for me.  So I turned to my newest crafting obsession, ice dyeing. If you don't know about ice dyeing it's simple and fun. I find it less messy than tie dyeing.  It also takes up a lot less space while you are doing it.

I picked out a couple greens and a blue and got started. The only hard part is letting it sit for 24 hours.

 I pleated and then rolled the fabric. I haven't tried that particular fold before so I wanted to give it a try. Since the fabric was thick after 7 hours I flipped it and then dyed the other side. I wanted to make sure it went all the way through.
I'd normally leave the colors to set a bit longer but I decided I wanted the colors to be slightly more subdued than jewel toned so I rinsed it earlier than the 24 hours and did a hot wash with Synthrapol.


 Garrett decided he wanted to show off the t-shirt I made him yesterday.

Here is a better shot of how the colors came out.

I'm in love with the way this came out. I can't stop touching it because the fabric is so soft.  Glad I have another yard to use.

For more of what I'm sewing check out my Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/craftinghobbit

12 weeks and a top I never could have worn before

3 months after surgery and I'm still getting used to my body. My right expander still has a weird dent in it and probably will until my exchange surgery.
I have found that yoga has really helped me gain back my mobility. Losing weight is just an added bonus.

It's really hard to take a good picture of yourself

Another added bonus is that I can now wear tops I was never able to before because I no longer require a bra.
Case in point this awesome halter I made myself.

I'm learning to be more comfortable in my own skin, which is important when you feel like you had Betty Rubble and Wilma Flintstone's plastic surgeon.
Pictures and more after the jump

The Luggage Project

For many years Ben has kept his magic cards in this old fashioned train case. He sold his cards but I wouldn't let him get rid of the case. 
It's a Relco brand, Joyce Lane style case from the 40s-50s. But it's in bad shape.

It's going to need a total overhaul. I don't have time to do it all at once so it will happen bit by bit (hopefully with updates).
Here's what I need to do:
Replace the mirror.
Reline the interior
Make a new snap on zipper pouch
Make new elastic strap
Paint and stencil the outside
replace the handle

Mini Pincushions

mini pincushions, a photo by teawithfrodo on Flickr.

Love making mini pincushions. So simple and adorable. great way to reuse all those plastic bottle caps.

Unpaper Towels

Everyone knows I love my cloth diapers.  We use cloth wipes, cloth napkins and cloth cleaning wipes. But what the hell is an unpaper towel?
We go through more paper towels than I'd like to admit and I wanted to find a better option. I found a simple tutorial and got working.

I chose to go with a darker terry so stains wouldn't show up easily. I also managed to get flannel on clearance at Joann's for $1.50 a yard. I also used my serger to sew them together instead of stitching, turning and top stitching.
Having them snapped on the roll is really convenient since I have limited counter space.
Now I just see the commercials for paper towels and laugh.  Even Ben thinks they are great and loves using them.  He can wipe down the counter and then leave the towel for wiping up again later.

I'm trying to get enough "growl towels" to make myself a dozen Memphis Grizzlies towels.


Don't forget to enter the Name My Serger Contest/Giveaway

Name my serger contest/giveaway

My new serger is in, but it doesn't have a name.  You know me, it needs a name.
I had been planning to do some sort of giveaway when I reached 100 followers. Since I reached that milestone while we were in the middle of moving it got pushed back.


So I'm having a contest. Name my serger! 

Name me!!!

This is a Singer Stylist Serger.  I'm open to the strange and unusual names. In case you were wondering here are the names of my other 2 machines:
I have a Singer Stylist Sewing machine named Zoe (Zoh).  Because the first stylist to come to mind was Rachel Zoe.
My sewing/embroidery machine is a Brother machine from the Project Runway line. He's names Mondo, because Mondo was cheated out of a win.

The rules for this contests are really simple:
1: You can enter as many times as you want.  You can have multiple entries in 1 comment.  I'm choosing the winner by the name I like best so feel free to comment with any names you think of.
2: You need to be following me. Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, Network Blogs, etc...just let me know how you are following me when you comment.
3: If you don't have an email attached to your name when you comment please include one so I can contact you if you are the winner.


The winner gets to choose their hand made prize (within reason).
Want a lunch bag?
How about a tablet cover?
Even homemade baby legs. 

This contest will be open until Thursday June 7th (which also happens to be my birthday).

I'm bouncing around the apartment and squealing.  I've been lusting after a serger for some time now. It would be great to have with all the clothing I'm making for myself and others.
I know Ben had been setting money aside to get me one, but my mother is visiting and decided to cover the rest of the cost. 

It should be here in a week and I was so excited I started crying.  Now to buy some thread cones.

Lovely lunch bag

oh how I love instagram!

Today Garrett started at Transformations. I'm excited about him getting extra therapy and I think it's a great transition to him starting school this fall. He'll be going twice a week for 4 hours each time, which means he'll be eating lunch there. I loved packing him a lunch today but hated using a brown paper bag.

You know me...that didn't last long. Once I knew he would be going I ordered some Insul-Fleece because I had found a simple lunch bag tutorial. However I hate buying laminated cotton.  It's really expensive and you can just make your own with iron on vinyl.
Now before anyone says anything about food safe I did check on this. It is food safe, they just recommend not using it for anything your child will chew on. 

So I laminated a couple pieces of fabric I got on clearance at Walmart. I really love making my own laminated cotton because I can choose any pattern I want without paying $20 a yard.



I have a snap press but you can always use velcro.  For the next bag I'll make sure I change out my thread and use something matching.  It's bigger than a plastic bag and I know it will keep things cool while we go from home to his classes (it gets hot here in the Mid-South).

And yes, I know the ships are upside down, they are right side up on the other side. The fabric was too cute to pass up and I did this one quickly so I had it for Friday.

Ruffle shirt

I've been eying this awesome shirt for a while. I had some cute fabric in my stash so what was I waiting for? I was told that the summer here was going to be hell.
That was enough to get me to start making more clothing for myself.  I love that I can use light weight cotton for this shirt.

New shirt and a new haircut

I had 2 sets of fabric I was going to use to make 2 separate shirts. I decided to start with the one I liked less just in case I screwed it up the first go around.  I did try out the shoulder ruffles but moved the pockets from the sides to the front.
The pattern is simple and straight forward and I promise the math at the beginning isn't that hard if you write it down as you measure.

Nightgown

I've been meaning to make myself a new nightgown.  I have one made of cotton that I got for $6 on clearance at the GAP.
I came across a simple nightgown pattern the other day. I didn't have enough of one fabric for the pattern so I used 2 fabrics with the same color scheme. 
It's nice and loose which will be really comfy in the summer months.  This pattern would also make a cute top if you shortened it. 

Kid tested

Not only is the pattern easy but even with my doing fabric strips I finished it in an afternoon (with interruptions). 

Doxie approved

Don't throw away those ripped pants

For some reason Ben wears through his clothes faster than our toddler. One of his pairs of khakis got a rip in the knee.
"They're not ripped, they're worn through."
"What exactly are you doing at work that you are wearing through the knees on your pants?"
*crickets*

He was going throw them out when it occurred to me that Ben doesn't have any shorts. I know he can't wear them to work but he'll want them for weekends since it will get pretty damned warm here in Memphis.

After a quick modification the pants are now shorts. I cut off the excess fabric and hemmed them.  Instead of tossing the excess fabric away I saved it for the next time he rips any of his khaki pants.
It only took a few minutes for me to do and it saved us from spending a lot more money.

Ben says he looks like he's going golfing

Please consider donating just a few dollars to help fund the FORCE Memphis Chapter.

Scrappy

I love projects that get me using scraps. I found this project a while back.  My first attempt was a massive failure and the project disintegrated in my hands.

After having some nifty fabric bits left over from making a top I decided to try it again.  I made a few changes.
1: Instead of wetting the entire "stabilizer sandwich" I used a spray bottle with warm water.  I placed my circle over a bowl and sprayed and shaped it. It gave me much more control and I didn't have to worry about it falling apart.
2: I used extra stabilizer pieces and added them as I wet the bowl. I even added some extra fabric and thread to cover up any bare spots I saw.

It ended up taking more than overnight to dry but it didn't fall apart this time.

 Looks like a cute little bird's nest. Now to figure out what to use it for.

Sewing machine covers

I've had a little more time to sew lately. Mostly because I'm a klutz and hurt my MCL earlier this month.  It gave me some time to look through all the projects I had wanted to do but never did.  One of them was sewing machine covers.

I can see a bunch of my other posted projects here

The plastic covers are great for when I need to take my machine somewhere because they are plastic and will keep water out but for home I wanted something a little nicer to look at.

I had to buy this fabric, it was just too perfect

I found the perfect fabric to make the covers with and it's been sitting in my stash for about 6 months.
I measured my machines and made my own basic pattern.  To make a cover you'll need 3 measurements: width, height and depth of your machine.
I chose to make the pattern in 3 pieces. Front, back and gusset. The front and back are width by height.  The gusset is depth by x (x is height + height + width)
The measurements for my Singer machine are:
12" high
16" wide
6" deep
The machine is actually a tad smaller but I wanted to account for my seams.
My front and back pieces are: 12" by 18"
The gusset is: 6" by 40" (16+12+12)

You can see the post it notes I made myself to use as guides.

Visualizing always helped me

Pin your gusset to one side (right sides together) making sure to account for the curves. Sew and repeat for other side.  If you're using a patterned that has right side up make sure you don't sew it the wrong way. Hem the bottom and you're done.

I love the way they look.

I'm tempted to embroider them with the machine names.  Yes, my machines have names (I can't be the only one). I like how much nicer they look in my crafting area now. My embroidery machine is now fully covered from dust too.

Top of the mornin' to you.

Things have been crazy busy down here in Memphis, but in a good way. I've been sewing and knitting up a storm but haven't had much time to post.
In making a lot of pillow case dresses for little girls I decided I wanted a pillow case top for myself. It's been fairly warm here (even for Memphis winter).  I found a pattern that outlined the same basics.
Instead of a stretch knit I went with a woven Chanel-esque fabric I had on hand.  The adult pattern I had on hand just used 2 large squares of fabric.  In the future I'll make it more shapely like the children's pattern I have. 

It's still pretty cute.  I'm giving it another good wash before I wear it but I may take in the side seams and make it a bit more fitted.

Sometimes I just want a little girl to dress

When I see all the cute fabrics for girls and the great dress patterns it makes me wonder if I want a little girl (no, I'm fine with one child).
Because I get to make little girly dresses for friends and family.   I've been wanting to try my hand at a simple pillow case dress.  A friend asked if any of her crafty friends would be willing to donate items for a giveaway she was doing for families of people serving overseas.
I jumped at the chance to sew AND do a good deed.  She even brought me some fabric, it was a wonderful pink, orange and yellow sarong.  It wanted to be a dress for a little girl.

It was simple, easy and when they outgrow the dress they can wear it as a top.    Now I'm tempted to go make one for myself.

Baby needs some new clothes

Garrett has a mini-Cabbage Patch Kid that he calls "baby". (One of these days we will get him to call her by the name she came with, Julia Honor.)
She came with this adorable little nightgown. She also came with normal looking hair. 
Garrett loves her and will drag her around by her hair.  Last week he decided to dunk her in the toilet which meant we had to throw her in the machine to wash her. 

I had been meaning to make her some clothing but this was the kick in the pants I needed. I had to throw away the disposable diaper she came in because I couldn't get it back on her after she had been washed. 
I found a really simple tutorial.  I made some adjustments because "baby" is a fairly small CPK.

I could barely get her away from Garrett long enough to get her dressed and take a picture.  It's such a cute little outfit.  I know Garrett wouldn't care if she was naked but I enjoy the little project.

Chair cushions

What was I making all that bias tape for?
Cushions!

I love our new set, but alas, no cushions

Our new dining room chairs have a hard seat and it made my butt hurt. The solution was easy, find a pattern and make some cushions.  I couldn't decide which fabric I wanted to use so I decided to make mine double sided so I could switch them over if I wanted a change. I used a third fabric for the piping and ties that matched the 2 main fabrics I chose.

The green and yellow are the 2 main fabrics. I used the raspberry as an accent

They're super stuffed and you can tell which chair I've been sitting on. I need to swap out my chairs to squish down the other cushions.

My butt is comfy now.

 I'm really happy with the way they came out. They're comfy and completely washable. 

What is she making?

My social calendar has been pretty full down here. The good thing is I've been busy, the bad is that I haven't had much time for crafting.
This weekend was spent making bias tape and piping.  I'm still not sure I have enough.

The bias tape maker certainly makes it easier

I'm hoping to get this project done before the end of the week. It's a simple project, the piping is just time consuming to make. But it looks much better and more interesting than store bought.

 

so much piping

What every sewing room needs

A pressing table!
Space is limited in my sewing area. I don't even have a full sized ironing board. When I want to iron I take my mini board and put it on the dining room table, while the condo isn't huge it was still a pain in the butt to drag my sewing out to the table and plug in the iron.


I found a a website where a woman had used a TV tray to make a pressing table.  I needed this for my sewing room.  I found a TV tray at Target for under $10, the fabric and batting I already had.  It took less than 30 minutes and I had my own collapsing pressing table. 

My own pressing table right by my sewing table

I love it, it fits perfectly by my sewing table when I need it and folds up when I don't. I'm thinking of maybe getting a pain pen and adding some designs to the legs just to make it a little more funky and personalized. Even without the extra touch it's perfect for my space.

it's a small space but it's mine

Of course I wrote this before I knew I was moving to Memphis. I'm looking forwards to having a larger craft space and many new projects