Sewing Project!

I recently got the book Bend the Rules Sewing by Amy Karol and I have been itching to make one of the very cute things from it. I thought I would start simple and try the No-Cash-Wallet. Now, I am not an experienced sewer by any measure, so please keep this in mind as you read.

The book has instructions for each project with measurements and, for some, a pattern that you can enlarge on a xerox machine and cut out. I do not have access to a xerox machine, so I was going to try to just use the measurement given with the instructions. I am not sure if it is because of my lack of experience or if I was having a foggy-headed day, but I could NOT get the pattern worked out using only the measurements given in the book. No matter which way I turned it, it just doesn't work. I even measured the small scale pattern in the back and used that math I said in 8th grade that I would never use to figure out what the enlarged measurements would be and it just doesn't work. I consider myself a relatively intelligent person and this made me feel the opposite and very frustrated as well.

So I ended up scanning the pattern picture into my computer, enlarging it with a program and printing it out over several pages, then cutting and taping it together. When I did this, the pattern worked, but I still say the measurements in the book have got to be off.

I made four wallets - one for my sister, my mom, my friend Amy and, of course, for me! I forgot to get pictures of my sister's finished product but, trust me, it was cute. I almost kept that one for myself! :)

*Note - I am still trying to get the image functions of blogger figured out - I feel like it should be more user-friendly. The captions for the pictures are underneath this time*

This is the one I made for my mom. It is a little crooked, but it was the first one. The quarter is a button that I didn't end up using but, for reference, it is the size of an actual quarter.

I picked out these two pieces to go together, but when I got them cut out and next to each other I wasn't as sure about it. Too much going on, I think. I will find something more subtle to match with these and save them for later.

This material is so pretty. I love that I found a positive/negative match. I made Amy's wallet with the white background on the outside and pockets with the brown background as the liner. My wallet is the opposite.

This is the material I used for my sister's wallet. The blue mousies are on the outside and pockets and the pink is the liner. It has teeny tiny white hearts on it. I told you it was cute.

The Learning Process

My purse is finally finished! Its not what I thought it would be in my head when I started, but I am very happy with it. I read an inspiring post by futuregirl about the crochet learning process. I have always been nervous about more complex projects because I'm afraid I will spend so much time on something and then be dissapointed. After completing this purse and liner, I have found quite the opposite.



There are things I definitely dislike about how it turned out. I don't know that I will/can use it as a pocketbook - its really better as a tote. It is pretty big. And floppy. The original purse pattern called for a drawstring closure and now I see why. The way the sides are crocheted do not support themselves and droop down when I pick up the bag. It kind of gapes open, which is why the drawstring would be a good call. Also I didn't sew the straps into tubes like the pattern called for. I might still do that. It allows the handles to be very stretchy like it is, but it may end up being too stretchy.

There are things I really like about it, though. I love the color of it and how soft the yarn is. I am very proud of the liner that I sewed for it - my first one! I followed this awesome tutorial to make it and this awesome tutorial to sew it in! I made some neat pockets for it and I think it will be very sturdy. Lastly, it is something that I made from scratch! That in itself is fun.

So you see, I really am not dissapointed at all. I am excited about the things I did right as well as the things that I know I will do better next time. I am all about the learning process. (Thanks, Alice! :D)

magnet snap closure

you can see how it sags with all my stuff in it when I hold it up

zipper pocket - yay!!

cool skull pockets!

Picture Editiing

I finally found a picture editing program that I didn't even know I had. Apparently the version of Microsoft Office that we have has a VERY basic editing program. That's all I need really. So here are the promised pictures from the last post!

As I was looking at the pictures of my messy crafting, I realized that most of you may not agree with my assessment of "messy" for my craft area. I felt very messy that day, I can assure you. So you can laugh if you want, but this is my messy sewing station from the last post:


My pictures of the bag liner didn't turn out as well as I wanted, but here is a pic of the badass skull pockets:



I haven't finished sewing the liner into the bag yet, but it is pinned into place. I am going to have to force myself to do it before I start on my Starling Handbag. I, among many other people, am super stoked about futuregirl's first crochet pattern! Her handbags rock and I can't wait to make my own! :D

Messy Crafting

As you will see in the following pictures, I am (apparently) a messy crafter. I was *in*the*zone* today with my bag liner, so maybe it was just the frenzy I was in - I don't think I am ususally that bad.

I started that liner a few weeks ago on a super-productive day, but I still needed to add the pockets because, what purse is cool without inside pockets? I mean, really...

So, today was a challenge because I was not thinking when I sewed the liner into the bag shape that it would be w-a-a-a-y easier to add the pockets beforehand. Ugh. Still, I triumphed, especially for the first one I've ever made! Not only did I add two kick-ass skull and crossbones pockets, but I added a zippered pocket on the other side and a heavy-duty interfaced bottom - all after I'd sewn the sides of the bag together! I'm pretty impressed with myself because it was tricky to do it this way. I have definitely learned to do the pockets first for next time, though. I hope you can see enough from my shoddy pics... I'll post better ones when I finish the bag! Hooray!

** ( I forgot, we are currently without a photo editing program, so the pics are on the way...) **

Yay! Craft time!

I have spent this week crafting when I get home instead of making lesson plans (I guess testing is good for something :P). I finished the baby blanket on Monday - hooray! It turned out huge - just like I suspected. I did alter my original design (check 2 posts back for that), thankfully, or else it would have been a grown-up blanket! I can't wait to take it to my friend this weekend! Here are some shots of the finished product.


Looking at it lying out on my quilt makes me want to sew another quilt... hmmm ...

On Tuesday/Wednesday I make my first sock monkey! If you know me (or have read my profile) you know I love sock monkeys. Strangely, I had never made one myself. It was a little trickier than I imagined in my head to get everything straight, so he is a little crooked, but that gives him character. Andy named him Carlos. Here are some pics of his creation.

We have legs!!

Yay - he is stuffed - look at his cute bottom!! :D



This is where I stopped on Tuesday night. He is patiently waiting for the rest of his body parts. Do you see the mini-monkey pal keeping him company? I can't even stand how cute that mini-monkey is....



Its Carlos!!

Finally tonight I made my way back to the liner for the purse I crocheted at the first of March - yes, March and yes, I do realize its almost June. What can I say? It just hasn't happened until now. But now that it is happening, I am so excited about it! The lining is sewed (pictures coming soon), it just needs pockets and then to be sewn into the purse. I need some handles for the purse too, but if I can be as productive next week as I was this week I don't think it will be a problem! :D

How do they do it?

So here is my monthly blog post. I'm so dissapointed in myself. When I got started with this, it was supposed to help keep me on track with my projects, but it has seemed more like just one more thing to do. I already work two jobs - one of which is teaching, which is like working two jobs on its own - so one more thing to do is not a good thing. I keep making excuses for myself, like I my pictures aren't good enough (I really do wish I was better at that part - any tips, y'all?) or I haven't made enough progress to make a post. But really, that is why I should be posting - that is the part that will keep me on track. How do other bloggers do it? How do they keep up with their busy lives (because I'm not trying to say I'm busier than most people) and still find time to write blog posts regularly?

Here's what I thought of - if I make a schedule and I post on my schedule, even if I'm not that much farther along on my projects, then I'll feel better about it. Right? Or if I at least do two posts a month - that would be an improvement. I reckon this is easy for me to say since school is almost over. Ha! So here is my promise to myself - I *will* make another blog post before the month is out.

I am still working on that baby blanket (I really am almost finished!!) for my pregnant friend - only she's not pregnant anymore - she had the baby on May 8. Its okay, she'll still want the blanket. :)

Blanket Dilemma

Wow, what a crazy busy past month this has been! After I posted about the mushrooms I made, I had to make some more for my friends and family! Now I am working on a baby blanket for a friend at school. She is due the day before my birthday, so I told her to wait a day so we could share a day! We'll see how that goes... Anyway, her nursery colors are sage green and chocolate brown. If you have ever bought yarn before, you will know that baby yarns do not come in those two colors, so I am using Vanna's Choice acrylic yarn which does! I usually prefer to make baby things out of cotton which is soft and durable through many washings, but a lot of baby yarn is acrylic so I figured this would be alright. I designed this to seem random but really it is not. Here is my dilemma: After following my design and getting about halfway through it, I think it will be massive! I can't decide if I should keep on truckin' and just have a big blanket or if I should alter the design I started with. Here is what I planned for the brown/green pattern:




And here is what I have done so far. I am just shy of half way through my design.



Part of the problem is that the proportions of the table that I made to plan my design don't quite match up with the size of my actual stitches. The blanket will also have a brown border around the whole thing. I think I will keep going with my plan for a little longer before I stray. We'll see how it goes....