Cherry and Spoon

Another project finished... almost

So last post I showed a picture of the fabric I picked out for my next project.  

Getting it was an adventure.

I went to a place called SR Harris fabric outlet for the first time ever.  It was amazing and overwhelming at the same time.  And kind of awesome.  

The place is HUGE.  I thought the Joann's near me had a pretty big fabric selection.  This place, this place was SO MUCH BIGGER.  Indescribably so.  It was literally a warehouse filled to the brim with fabric of so many types that I didn't even knew existed.

And it was all reasonably priced, too.

So I picked out these fabrics and the ribbon and some vinyl.  I found bias tape and velcro at Joann's.

Here's the project again, from Positively Splendid.

These are the pieces I cut out.  

There's an outside part, a lining, and pockets.  I decided to cut each piece out of both fabric and make two opposites at the same time.  It took almost exactly a quarter yard of each fabric to cut enough for two, so if you're making one of all the same pattern, it would take 1/4 yard.

This (above) is all the parts mostly assembled.  The pockets are in, the vinyl is an earring holder, and (below) the ribbon to wrap it all is sewn on.  And the outside and insides are basted together.  I had issues sewing on the ring holder and vinyl parts.  They're thick and small, and complicated.  But one turned out really well.  The other one, not so much.   The ring holder and vinyl parts also both have snaps attached.  Those were hard.  The first two I put on aren't very attractive.  Then I watched a nice tutorial on how to attach them properly, and the next sets turned out much better.

Then I got to experience bias tape for the first time.  I watched a couple you tube tutorials until I figured I had gotten the hang of it.  It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, but it also wasn't easy.

But here's the final product.  Outside:

Inside:

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It turned out pretty cute.  The second one is all basted together and just needs bias tape yet.  Then I'll have two cute travel jewelry holders!  One is for a friend, one for me.  And I'll know how to make more for presents!  Yay Christmas!


Next up, I'm going to make a casserole carrier.  There's a tutorial at 2 little hooligans, and some modifications I've seen.  I want mine to look like this:

I'll probably make one for myself and one for my MIL.  It looks like something she'd appreciate.  

Now I need some straps and some more velcro.  

Also, I'm still working on the skirt.  I've cut all the parts from Easy Trace paper and I've cut out the waistband parts from my fabric.  I've got most of the markings on the waistband parts, but I want to try an alternate type of shirring on scrap fabric once the rest is cut out.  The shirring directions they have are interesting.  So, we'll see how it goes.

My first pattern of my own... and others

I attempted my first project of my own design.  It didn't go so well.  It looks cute from the outside.  And the inside.  And my straps even turned out well.

Unfortunately, it's ended up bulky with too many layers and too many seams.  I think I'll stick to tried and tested patterns for a while longer.

But it's still cute and useful.

Also, I made some card holders for my friends.  I showed off the one I made earlier, well, the one of the three that I kept, and they thought it was very cute.  So I had them pick out their colors and finally finished the card holders.

These turned out even better than my first batch.  The seams are straighter, the corners turned out better, the buttons sewn on cleaner and the elastics on straighter. 

Overall, they turned out pretty darn well!

Aren't they cute!

Next up, I have a skirt to make.  I bought a pattern, some black jersey knit fabric, and some elastic thread for shirring (or smocking, I'm not sure which it is).  I also bought some Pellon Easy Pattern so I can make my pattern from it.  I'm not completely sure what size to make, so I don't want to cut up the pattern until I know.  Plus, I may want to make more of them.  It's a simple, versatile, basic skirt that would look good in a lot of patterns.

I also have another request from my friends for jewelry cases.  So I found a really cute pattern and tutorial from Positively Splendid.  I picked out some fabric, a whole bunch of other supplies, printed out the pattern and am almost ready to go.

These are the fabrics I picked out:

Can't wait to start on the next projects!

Completed little projects and what's up next

So I made two new little projects.  I used some scraps and tried a fabric basket and a checkbook holder.

The fabric basket pattern is from Sometimes Crafter, and she has a whole bunch of cute basket pictures and a full set of pretty easy to follow directions.

Mine turned out... okay.  It's cute, it stands up, and it hold things, so it fits my purpose.

But it's also a bit floppy and it's lopsided.

As it turns out, sewing in a lining is kind of difficult.  The outer basket is slightly larger than the inner lining, but you have to reverse them to sew them together.  The Sometimes Crafter has some really good advice on how to get them to match up, but it's still not easy.  At least not the first time.  I'm sure it'll get easier with practice.

The other hard part was how small it was.  I accidentally cut my first square too small, so I cut the rest small, and sewing a small circle is harder than I thought it would be.  Next time, I'll make it the right size.  I'll also either use sturdier fabric, or I'll use interfacing on both sides.  I only used interfacing on the outer box this time, and I think that's why it's as floppy as it is.

But it's still pretty darn cute.  

Then I tried a check book cover using the same fabric bits.  The directions are from Crazy Mom Quilts.  The directions are super easy to follow.  And some cute fabrics could make some really cute covers.

Unfortunately, I'm still not so good at straight seams.  Or finishing.  Mine ended up a bit crooked.

But with more practice, I'm sure I'll make some cute ones!

The card holders are complete!

I finally completed the card holders I prepped the other day.

Here's the parts all laid out.  And the first one partially assembled.  

I love the colors.  Navy polka dots with pale pink!

This is the first one fully assembled.  Sadly, the whole thing is a bit crooked.  The center is narrower than the edges, almost butterfly shaped.  And the elastic band is off center.  Also, my seams are crooked and a bit varied in width.

But practice makes perfect, right?  This is the second one.  The elastic is in the center (though not quite pinched together properly), the seams are a bit straighter and more even, and the center line is almost perfect!

The third one is the one with the blue elastic.  It's almost perfectly rectangular!  The seams are nice and straight, and almost even.  It's only real problems are the center line is slightly off center, and I had issues attaching the button.

Project #2 is finished.  I have a long way to go before my technique is great, but now I have some very cute, very functional card holders.

Now what should my next project be?  Something simple like a table runner?  Something with a zipper?

I definitely need some interfacing, some double sided interfacing, a few zippers, and probably some bigger fabric pieces.  

The shopping trip

So I finally made it to a Joanne's for some basic supplies the other day.  It was pretty overwhelming.  And expensive.

I found a Fiskar's set with a rotary cutter, cutting mat, and clear ruler.  And a nice pair of fabric shears.  I also found a cheap seam ripper.  I also picked up various storage containers (they were half off :)!)

And then I went a little crazy.  I found a pack of chevron-patterned fat quarters in various colors, and a pack of navy and white dots and stripes.  So I picked up some navy thread to go with them.  And then there was the fusible fleece, and the buttons.

Which all led to my next project.  I'm not making the coffee cup sleeve like I thought I would.
Instead, I'm trying The Crafty Cupboard's card holder.  3 of them, actually.

Since most of my fabric is in the form of fat quarters so far, I used sections of them to cut out the pieces for 3 identical card holders.  I figured I'd get in some practice with repetition.

My outside is in navy and white chevron fabric, the inside in navy with white polka dots, and the pockets are solid pale pink.

I used the new rotary cutting set to cut the pieces, and so far so good.  I got everything cut out, the fusing ironed on, and the fold ironed.  I've even started assembling the first one, but I'm having problems with my lower thread.  I think my bobbin isn't loaded properly.

So, next step:  re-wind my bobbin, pin everything in place, and sew away!

My first completed project

I set the sewing machine up today.
It took me almost an hour to read the directions, set it up, fill a bobbin, and thread the machine.
But I got it done.

So of course I had to try it out. And why just make a random seam when I can make a small project?

I dug out some old fabric that used to be curtains for a poster (I turned a print of Starry Night into a window many, many years ago) and ironed it up, and started cutting and sewing.

I tried out Daisy Janie's produce bag pattern because all I needed was a square of fabric, thread, and an iron.

I obviously need a lot of practice measuring, cutting, sewing in a straight line, and finishing seams.
But I made a usable object!

For the next time I make this, I'm making the bag shorter and wider.

Tomorrow I'm headed to Joanne's for supplies. I'm hoping to pick up a good pair of shears, various basic threads, a seam ripper, fusable batting, buttons, and a mixed bag of scraps like fat quarters. Also, I'll need to stop at Target gor multi-colored elastic hair bands.