Juicy Bits

231: poor planning, good results

Did you notice I skipped blog post # 231?  Unintentional.  I just forgot to post it sometime at the beginning of the year.  Whoops.  Well, here it is:

I made very few gifts for Christmas again this year.  Honestly, doing so has saved my sanity the last couple of years.  I love homemade stuff and the thought and care that goes into it, but I'm not enough of a planner to get things done early and by the time the holiday season rolls around, who has time to make masterpieces?  So, I've been making small and quick gifts, and just a few.

The main one I did this year is these cute little ipad stands.  These are just the two I made for my kids (yes, we got them mini ipads this year, don't judge).  I made 5 others including one for me. :) Really by sewing them all at once it didn't take much longer than making a couple.  

I started with this pattern that I saw on Pinterest.  Obviously.  What didn't I get from Pinterest lately? There's also this pattern which I referred to.

The major changes I made were I filled it entirely with rice and the lip on the bottom front is a casing with a piece of wooden dowel in it.

Because I used all rice they're very plump to say the least.  And not entirely triangular shaped (especially the tip which is empty so it doesn't always stand up). The reason I did this was the theory that if it was set on a surface not totally flat, it could conform to a curve.  Haven't tested that theory yet, but they are functioning quite well on our countertops.

So, you might be wondering how this project amounts to poor planning (if you ever read the title, that is).  It doesn't.  That project was beautiful.

But I also decided to make ipad mini cases for the kids.  Adorable right?

But you won't ever be seeing a tutorial for them here because they were kind of a pain in the butt to make.  That's because I designed them for their cuteness and functionality and neglected to think about all the aspects of construction.

Here's what I wanted:

-a somewhat fitted pouch case for traveling

-to fit over them when they have their permanent "case" on as seen above

-a hard outside so that if something pokes them in a bag, the screen is protected (this was really the key, because the case they have has no screen protection)

- a hole where the power plug goes so they can be charging in the case

-a pocket for storing power cords and headphones

Here's the problem I encountered when I started sewing my brilliant design: a hard case (pressed illustration board inserted between layers) doesn't bend.  Duh.  So when I went to sew the binding around the top I realized I couldn't get it under my machine.  I was able to do most of the long edges but then I had to very slowly sew around the corners by hand and since it doesn't bend that meant poking it in and pulling out the other side.  Ugh.  Not fun.

Then once I put the ipad in I realized that my fit was so nice that I could barely get the ipad out.  That was solved by adding the little strap.  It is a piece of ribbon that actually goes under the ipad and part way up the other side.  So when you tug on it, it pulls the ipad out part way.  And it doubles as a nice little handle, so I guess necessity is indeed the mother of invention again. :)

But despite the troubles, I love how they came out in all their Japanese cuteness.  And they function well, until we decide we need different permenent cases, then I'll need to make new ones to fit.

JT

223: why not?

Why not take on one more craft hobby?  I mean what's one more in the great scheme of things? :)

Yeah so around Christmas time I saw this adorable Winter Wonderland cross stitch from Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery and I couldn't resist.  I had delusions of Christmas morning sitting quietly on a corner of the couch watching all the chaos around me while calmly stitched away.  Bah!

But I did start it.  I've tried cross stitch before and it wasn't good.  Carpel tunnel reared its ugly head.  Anyway, I'm probably doing everything wrong, but I jumped in and got a good bit done.  I've stalled out for now, but hopefully it's something I'll go back to when the mood strikes.  I think if I had known there were Kawaai patterns out there I would have tried it before.  My plan is to sew this into a wall hanging of some kind.  I really like it when you can see the stitching when it's not behind glass.

JT

220: happy valentine's day

Just a quick hello to say I hope you and yours have a sweet day.

These are the pinterest-inspired and much-too-elborate valentines my kiddos are handing out.

Theo wanted juice box robots.  It's all about the fruit punch.

 And Aurora liked the fishy ones because she likes swedish fish. :)

  Sadly, she's sick and will likely miss the chance to hand them out herself.

xoxo

JT

217: the Harry Potter trio (and their props)

I mentioned that I didn't sew much in the way of holiday gifts this year, but in the past I've always tried to make some.  True, it did elminate a lot of stress this time around, but look at the cute results when I do make them...

Yes, it's now over a year later, and these may or may not have just been finally completed, but I do love how they turned out.

These pictures actually show my gifts for both Aurora and Theo from last Christmas.  Aurora got the cute Harry, Ron, and Hermione dolls.  Theo got a set of branch blocks that I made from fallen branches from that year's storm.  They are cut in increments of 1 inch so they stack nicely together.  There are a ton more than shown here.  Those were actually complete on Christmas. ;)

The dolls, however, were partially naked.  They all had robes, but Ron and Harry were shirtless and poor Herminone had nothing on under there!  Thankfully they're now ready to make their internet debut fully clothed.

The dolls were made from the Pocket Pixies pattern by Ginger Melon.  Hers are not Harry Potter themed, that was my own addition.  I wish I could say I highly recommend the pattern, but I was pretty unimpressed.  Yes, the design is just darling, but I felt the pattern really lacked detail and instruction that I expected especially because I paid $15 for it (I think it's less now).  It was mostly the outline of the dolls that you were paying for.  I did learn how she attached the arms which was useful information.  Some stiches etc were included but if I remember correctly it didn't tell you what stitch to use for every step and it certainly didn't tell you the number of strands to use etc.  Shelly herself was very helpful and responded to my question I emailed her about which color felt to use.  Her style is so great, but I just felt the pattern was too basic for what I paid.

Anyway, the clothes were a pain to sew. SO tiny.  I had trouble getting the hood to look right.  It ended up being skinny and way to small to put on their heads but looked right with the bodies.

They did have shoes, but they didn't last long.  Probably should have sewn them right on.  And Harry's glasses are a little bent in these pictures but I'm too lazy to retake them.  Picture him just a touch cuter.

I'd say it's about time for us to start reading the 6th book.

JT

 

216: merry and bright

I hope your holidays were full of joy and peace.

Although it goes against the creative aspirations of this blog, my goal this year was to NOT make any gifts, thus eliminating much of the stress.  And I'm happy to say it mostly worked.  I had my shopping completed a full week before and had even wrapped about 3/4 of them before Xmas eve.  It might not seem a lot to you all, but for me, it was quite shocking.  Did it mean I went to bed before 3am Christmas eve? Not a chance.  But still. 

I did relax my rule a bit to make some cute fabric star ornaments.  

There were more, but I sent them away.  They are from this tutorial and are pretty easy.  You could easily be make some from magazines/papers as well.  They reminded me of those gum wrapper chains we made as kids.

And these cuties were for Aurora's class party.  It's so fun to have time to decorate cookies all fancy.  I always run out of time for our parties...

Anyway, now that the new year is upon us, it's time for me to try to get stuff done.  Last year by this time I had already completed a new quilt top.  This year, not so much.  But, hey, there's plenty of time... :)

JT

 

209: un-paper towels

In the midst of one of those many hours spent surfing around Pinterest, I stumbled on someone selling "un-paper towels" on etsy.  A very cute notion indeed.  

I liked the idea of us using a lot less paper towels (haven't 100% eliminated them yet) and I have a bunch of cute novelty fabrics that I never can figure out how to use.  

So the towels (napkins, cloths, whatever you want to call them) are terry cloth on one side and quilter's cotton on the other.  They are simply serged around the edges.  This is what I saw several people doing on etsy.  Many of theirs have plastic snaps so you can actually roll them up on a paper towel dispenser, but that seem an unnecessary step I didn't want to add.

I pre-washed all the fabric and really the trickiest part was figuring out how to turn outside corners with a serger.  But, let's face it, they didn't need to be perfect.  I did dab a little fray check on the thread ends to stop unraveling.  I made a whole bunch more than I show here, but I'll probably make more because lots are always in the wash.

I started using mostly fruit and veggie prints because that seemed appropriate in the kitchen but I think anything that makes you smile is perfect.  It's a bit like my vintage drinking glasses...just a mini pick-me-up every time I use them.

It is a little weird to get over the potential for staining them (TOTALLY happens and that's the point) and use them like a regular paper towel.  But the kids are getting used to them and even have specific prints that they want at each meal.

Made anything quick and fun lately?

JT

 

203: more christmas do-dads

Just a few more little christmas gifts that I hadn't got around to posting.

I added these little embroidered sprouts (vines?) to a yummy fur-lined sweatshirt from Old Navy for my Aunt.  (I know, not my best picture taking this time around.)

Here's some things I learned: Don't over-iron tiny bits of fabric adhered with fusible web.  The glue can sort of start to melt away and they won't stick too well.  Also, use a round-tipped needle when embroidering on knit.  You'd think that one would have been obvious to me since I know to do that for machine sewing, but it took me a bit to figure it out.

I also made these coat hook plaques for my sister's apartment.  They're inexpensive wood plaques from Michaels that I painted and mod podged fabric onto.  When I use mod podge on fabric I find it best to paint a layer on the the back of the fabric before cutting it and let it dry.  This makes the fabric stiff and allows you to cut without frayed edges and it seems to prevent so many bubbles.

JT

202: knock off

I kinda hate to post a negative post (this is my happy place), but I wanted to share and it's really not that bad.

I've been "knocked off".  In a way it is a bit flattering.  Really, my little owl is worth copying?

So, as many of you know I have this little free owl ornament pattern.  The key word there is free.  It's my gift to you.  But it is for personal use, not for people to profit from.  And in reality, anyone's who's asked me if they can use the pattern to sew them for charity or even personal profit, I've said yes to.  I'm fine with an independent crafter using it, but it was not intended for mass production.

Well, a reader sent me this picture:

She bought this cute guy in a store and it wasn't labeled except with "made in China".  Seriously?  China?  Clearly not hand sewn but some dedicated crafter.

Normally I wouldn't go right to "copy", because how many different ways are there to make a felt owl? And I know I've designed things on my own only to find that someone already beat me to it.  But you be the judge.  That's pretty darn identical to mine.  Right down to the decorative blanket stitching.  The only real difference is it's made by machine and glue.

Here's mine:

Since it's a free pattern I put out there I don't really see myself trying for any actual recourse. In this case it would be pretty futile. And I'm OK with that. (No, that's not permission for someone to copy this or any of my other designs.) But it does floor me that someone, somewhere decided to mass produce something of mine without permission.

Someone else was making them for sale on a website called fiverr and, worse, he/she was using my photo with not credit and representing it as their work.  Thankfully the site handled the matter.

Anyway, so that things don't stay negative on here for long, I promised to be back with another post very soon...

JT

200: holidays

Phew!  Nice little "blog breather" there.  Wish I had something more monumental to share on this, my 200th post, but alas, just a bit of catch-up.

In my usual delayed fashion I haven't really talked about the holidays.  Of course they were busy, busy, busy over here.  I made a bunch of gifts, but I'll have to share most of them at a later date.

But to start with, this is an awesome project I did for my sister.  She just moved into her very very own city apartment and of course I had to help with the decor.

This is a large canvas that I painted and then mod podged on some fabric.  The inspiration is actually from a bedding set, but it was totally different colors, in a different scale, and had no print fabric.  So it's not a copy at all.

But I did make it to coordinate with this bedding set I got her.  I'm not going to put a link because I'm sure by the time anyone cares, it will be long gone, but it was from Macy's.  

It was fun to do.  I normally sew stuff so painting was a departure.  Actually if I could have found a background fabric that coordinated well, I probably would have sew this too, and then stretched it on canvas, but time was limited.  Painting is always a bit more difficult than I think it will be, but I'm quite pleased with how it came out.

Our holidays were mostly spent at home.  I enjoyed my newly converted wood burning fireplace and spent lots of time just hanging out with the kids.  I've even completed an entire quilt since the new year! (More on that later).

Here are a few of the basic holiday holiday portraits.  Aurora chose her own dress this year which she was just dying for, so I went with it.

Hope you had great holidays and that your new year is shaping up to be a good one.

JT

193: design wall debacle

I suppose the design wall episode wasn't so much a debacle as pretty fruitless.

What I decided to do on my birthday was to make myself a design wall.  Truth be told, I've never really seen the need for them.  I've always just used my floor and it works fine.  But lately I had been envying some sewists with their works in progress sticking up there for a long time while they mull over the design.  Sounded like a cool idea.

So, following the directions here I set out to make a movable design wall.  I wanted it big, but to be 3 separate panels that would fit perfectly into the corner of my studio I had picked out for it.  So I bought the foam insulation but only had one choice of type at my local Home Depot.  It was pink but I didn't see the problem in that.

It was a problem.  I had to add an extra layer of white fabric underneath so the whole thing looked close to white.   Between that and cutting the panels down to size, it ended up taking more than my birthday to complete and wasn't particularly inexpensive.  

Then I brought them upstairs and realized I was totally kidding myself.  I was never going to put these away in their intended corner. Right now they're still set up in the hall area outside my studio and this is 3 months later.  They're not going anywhere...at least not very often.

They are pretty cool and the blocks I have on there now are from my first ever online Bee - The Busy Bees.  It's fun to play around with them and nice to really be able to step back.  But let's be honest, the same effect could have been achieved  by tacking a big piece of batting to the wall whenever I need it.  And it would have saved me a lot of headache.  Live and learn.

Two other notices:

The Modern Mix blog tour is still going strong.  See the list on the last post and don't miss your chance to win a copy and learn some funny stuff about me...

We're finally going to have a New Jersey chapter of The Modern Quilt Guild.  Hoo-ray!  See the fancy new button on my sidebar?? If you're in the area stop by our new blog and find out about how to join in the fun.

175: I've been busy...

making stuff!

Sometimes I feel like I'm not getting anything done, but the fact of the matter is I really have been making a lot lately.  Mostly because I've been taking up small, easy-to-finish, just-for-fun projects.  yay!

These little cuties were my Valentine's gifts for the kids.

Theo got a little crochet elephant.  The tutorial can be found here. This was my first attempt at amigurumi.  Not too hard, but more time consuming than you would think.  The only problem I found with this pattern is the trunk just kind sticks straight out.  You have to bend and shape as best you can to make it look cute and curved.

Aurora's gift was my first felt food.  Every year I think I'm going to make her some precious felt sweets. I only got as far as one slice. I don't get people who can make a whole cake. This took me way too long. And please be kind and ignore my obvious, uneven stitching. I think I was supposed to use a ladder stitch and I did, but perhaps I have to make them VERY close together. However, that would add hours to the construction... And I don't like how light it is stuffed with poyfil. Is there some kind of heavier fill I could use? I did add some barley in the bottom for weight. I do know there are plastic equivalents I could buy and I will next time, just so it doesn't appeal to mice. :)

What have you been making lately?

JT

165: little time = small projects

Just popping in to say "hi".

I have Aurora's bday pictures, but haven't had time to edit them yet.

This is a little project she and I did over the summer.

It was just an unfinished frame, and we painted it and added some fabric covered cork board.

As you can see, the intended purpose is to give her new Disney pin collection a home where she can admire them and rearrange them to her heart's content.  I personally wouldn't have chosen such a busy fabric, but it's already in her room (some day I'll show you pictures of that) and I let her pick.  The frame is the color of her dresser.  I love that the pins just sort of blend right in now.

Anyway, these are the kinds of thing I had time for over the summer.  Things have settled down a bit since then, but as you might imagine, I'm working away on halloween costumes.  Her school party is friday (annoyingly early) so I don't have much time left.  This year she has chosen Glinda, so I'm swimming in a sea of pink.

What are you up to?

JT

137: a christmas bloom

Just dropping in to say a quick hello.  

Thanks so much for all your kind words about my magazine ad.  I'm anxious to see what you guys make with Timber once it's in stores.  Speaking of which, it should be shipping soon and I promised to post a list of those of you shop owners carrying the whole line so people know where to go.  So once you get your stock in, let me know and I'll link away.

And so this post isn't picture-less, I thought I'd share this little christmas flower that I made to adorn Aurora's Holiday attire.

It comes from the book Kanzashi in Bloom.

I think these flowers are gorgeous and so easy to make.  The book gives basic techniques and then a bunch of sample projects.  To be honest, I doubt I'd really do any of the actual projects, and the basic techniques are really very simple, but the book is still worth it as an easy reference and a good guide to which kinds of glue to use and stuff like that.

The holly leaves are made from wool felt.

JT

134: one, two, three....under the sea

2010 is here.  

I'm not in a very introspective mood right now.  I've been reading lots of lovely posts about what people have accomplished over the last year, and sort of feel that's what I'm "supposed to" write about.  But I'm just not there.  

It's true, my life has changed A LOT in the last year, and almost all for the better, but I think looking forward to all I need to start on this new year is getting in the way.  So pardon me if I don't reminisce with the rest of you folks, and just simply move on to new things...

 

Anyway, this is a little preview of a room I've been meaning to show you.  It's Theo's nursery/bedroom, and it, as you can guess, has an under-the-sea theme.  

This is my favorite project from the room.  A counting collage.  Each number has a corresponding sea animal, and you'll note I didn't forget the often neglected 0.

   

Here's how I made it:

 First I figured out which animals I wanted to use.  Of course you could do it with any theme you'd like, from flowers or fruit to trucks or zoo animals.  Really just about anything works.

Then I researched pictures and drawings of the intended subjects.  The internet is so wonderful for those of us not too confident in our illustrating capabilities.  I wanted to trace the images so they could be recreated in only 1 or 2 colors.

 Then I took the outline drawings and traced them onto Steam-a-Seam2.  Remember you have to do the reverse of what you want in the end.  Then I stuck the outlines on the fabric and cut out the shapes.  Little things like the crab legs I did in separate little pieces instead of trying to cut out one big complicated thing.

I printed out the numbers and traced them on the Steam-a-Seam2 the same way.

 
 

 I had pre-planned the layout and the sizes of each piece I wanted.  They are made from regular wood canvas stretchers you can get at art supply stores (mine were ordered online to get all the different sizes).  

 Using the "frames" as a guide I laid out each number with it's animals onto a larger piece of batik fabric.  When I was satisfied with the composition I ironed them in place according to the instructions.

Since they're going to hang on a wall and not really get "used" didn't feel I had to stitch the edges or anything for stability.  But I did do a satin stitch around the numbers for an outline.

 
Then I "stretched" each one over the stretchers.  All I did was use a staple gun to staple it smooth over an around to the back of the stretchers.  You want to start in the middle of each side and work you way out to prevent wrinkles.

 And then hang them all up on the wall in a pleasing layout.  

I want to type: "That's it!" here, but who am I kidding?  It was a lot of work....

But so worth it.

JT

132: A little Flikr and cheater ornaments

Well, thank you all so much for the owl love.  Those little cuties seemed to have hit a cord.  I wish I could email you all back personally, especially since I seem to have some new readers....but alas with some of the changes Typepad made a while back, that would take me forever.  Curses!  :(

Anyway, I have a NEWSFLASH!  OK, maybe not a such a huge deal to everyone, but I have now officially set up a Juicy Bits Flikr page.  I know, I know, I'm the last one to get on this particular bandwagon.  The reality is I'm a little bit afraid the only pictures on there will be mine.  But, by now enough people have sent me lovely photos of what they have made from my tutorials, that I figure I should be safe.  

So please, please, please come join me at the Juicy Bits Flikr page and show off your handiwork.  We all want to see.  And when the new year comes and Timber hits the store, I'll start a group for that too.

Today's project is kinda a no-brainer, but sometimes the easiest solutions aren't so obvious. 

 

These "almost homemade" ornaments are so easy and fast to make, and give your tree a nice homey feel.

The mushrooms are simply little patches I bought at Fabrichound and stitched a square of felt on the back with the ribbon in between.  Um, can you say "five minutes"?  And there are so many cute patches out there, so can you imagine possibilities?

 

And these are exactly what you think: covered buttons.  Since I'm going for a woodland themed tree I just used little scraps of fabric with critters on them.  

1. Cover the button.

2. Use pliers to remove the back loop or just bend it flat.

3. Cut a circle of felt to match the back.

4. Add a loop of wire and hot glue it under the felt.

 

Presto.  A mini ornament...

You still have what? A whole week til Xmas? Get busy!

JT

131: give a hoot for the holidays

I haven’t made that much this Christmas.  I might make a few last minute gifts, but I feel I have to get most of the shopping out of the way first... especially the online stuff that needs to be shipped.

And no outfits for the kids like last year.  I’m giving myself a break.  Aren’t I nice?

But I did do a little felt hand sewing.  I made the little gnome from the last post and a few other things for my tree.  I’m doing a woodland theme this year.  Hopefully it will be all set up soon for you to see.

 

Anyway, these are the little owl ornaments I made.  And it’s a simple tutorial, just for you!

Download Owl ornament and all you do is cut it out from felt and sew however you’d like.

I love ‘em.

 

And if you make it bigger it would make a cute softie.  I was sewing one on the bus with my daughter’s field trip and a couple of the little girls were begging me for one of their own.  So they could make a cute gift or stocking stuffer.  (Of course, I’d stay away from buttons with real little ones for safety’s sake.)

Enjoy!

JT

*****NOTE: I forgot to mention on the pattern about ric rac.  That's what I used to make the "feathers" on the belly....

118: with this ring...

Thanx for all the kind words and fabric love.  For the most part I know it seems a little quieter in blogland during the summer, so it's especially nice to hear from you all.  

(You know I think I say "you all" a lot.  I should just give in an say "y'all"...I did live in North Carolina for 4 years...)

Anyway, this is just a little side project.  Some friends are getting married in a few weeks and asked me to make a ring pillow.  In all my wedding planning, it was actually something I hadn't done before.

They're going for a rustic, woodsy feel and said the colors were shades of green and deep purple.  This is what I came up with.

Now back to my regularly scheduled workload.  :)

JT

112: more bloomin' crafts

I can't seem to get enough of flowers lately.  I guess summer will do that to you...

(photo from marthastewart.com)

So I happened upon a link to these cute raffia flowers somewhere in blogland.  Cathy Callahan did a spot on Martha's show which you can see here.  She has a wonderful blog of vintage crafts and you can even buy kits of the flower looms needed to make these beauties in her etsy shop.

I can't tell you how easy these are.  A total no-brainer.  Although they're not super-fast or anything.

My plan for these is to make a bunch and use them in centerpieces at Aurora's birthday.  We'll see how many I get done...

JT

102: the first step is admitting you have a problem

OK, first off, thanx for all your wonderful support.  I'm so happy you're all looking forward to the fabric nearly as much as I am!

Now, I mentioned recently that I started crocheting.  It's becoming a problem.  A serious one.

BUT, I am making progress.  So that's good.

What's not so good is sitting in the car for 5 more minutes before I go in the house to sneak in a few stitches.  Or staying up 'til 2:30 am to finish one more flower.  Or convincing my daughter what a fun game it is for her to snip off my yarn ends.

But, then again it's not so bad.

And, look how pretty!  I love these flowers and they're really not that hard to do.  My least favorite part is weaving in the ends.  I sense a ton of unfinished objects in my future...

Anyhoo...this is a little peak at how I'm doing so far on that pillow.  And, yes, she does have a pattern on her blog that you too can follow.

Now, this week I'm planning on hitting an actual yarn shop (not just Michaels).  This is where I could get into trouble.  Like I need another stash to start building.  :)

JT

100: distraction addiction

Help.  I can't stop.  Since I got back from Quilt Market, I've taught myself to crochet.  Are there other much more productive things I should be doing?  Absolutely.  But I saw these pillows.  I mean, come on.  The gorgeousness is overwhelming. 

So I felt I simply HAD to learn.  And I love it.  For some reason I really jibe with it, more than knitting.  I think those poor gloves have been abandoned forever.

It's clear that I did start it as an escape.  I need to be doing something, but wasn't ready to face all the "real" work I should be doing.  But, now since it's so darned portable, I may be losing a good chunk of time to this new-to-me craft.  Ah well.

The first pix are just little test patches I practiced.  I was so impressed with the circle.  And then I made a scarf.  It's a very simple pattern from The Happy Hooker book.  I'm disappointed that it's not a little wider and much longer.  I think I may be doing everything a little too tight.  But Aurora already told me she wants it, so I'll make a matching one fore me... And I'm working on getting the flower thing down, so I know you'll see some of those soon.

In other news, did you note that this is 100 posts for me?  Yay!  I know a giveaway is in order, but my blogiversary is only a month away, so I may be waiting for that.  This way I'll be able to make it something really good.  But here's the catch, if you're a regular lurker, you may want to leave a comment soon, because I think I'm going to do some kind of kooky giveaway that rewards those who have left comments in the past.  

Ciao.

JT