The Secret Summer Sewing Project

Recently, I referenced a big sewing project without being able to mention specifically what the project entailed. Now it’s finally time for the reveal!

My dear friend Cait got married last week, and asked me months ago if I would make six jewelry rolls (initially presented in this Mother’s Day blog entry) for her bridesmaids. Although the idea of making six – plus one more for Cait – seemed a little overwhelming, I didn’t hesitate to say yes! But the project had to remain a secret so I wouldn’t ruin the surprise for Cait’s bridesmaids.

Being responsible for even a tiny portion of someone else’s wedding plan might be a little intimidating to anyone who has seen an episode of the TV show “Bridezillas.” But I know Cait, and I knew she would be the complete opposite of a Bridezilla.

I now present to you three pieces of evidence that prove my point:

1) When we took a trip to the fabric store, Cait was torn between a so-so fabric that matched her wedding colors – yellow and gray – and a stunning green fabric that she knew her bridesmaids would love. She ultimately put her bridesmaids first and chose the fabric that she knew they would like, despite the fact that it didn’t match the wedding colors. Awesome!

The winning fabric combo!

2) While trying to balance the start of my MBA program and moving across town all in the same month, my life was in utter chaos and I didn’t finish the jewelry rolls until just a few weeks before the wedding. Cait didn’t hound me for the finished jewelry rolls once. Awesome!

3) Cait wore yellow Converse chucks down the aisle… and then broke out in a surprise hip-hop routine with her dad during the father/daughter dance. Now THAT… is an awesome bride.

Photos compliments of Brie at rgbrie.tumblr.com

Her wedding was beautiful and I feel lucky to have been a part of it. Congratulations to the new Mr. & Mrs!

Creative Visions and a Placemat Purse

A few weeks ago, I found some clearance placemats at Cost Plus World Market and had a vision – I could easily turn a few placemats into a purse. I still consider myself pretty inexperienced when it comes to sewing, so the fact that I felt so confident about my vision also made me feel a little wary, as if I were missing some glaring error in my plans.

But there was no way I could pass up the opportunity since the placemats were marked down to less than $2.00 each – and I had a rewards coupon on top of that – so I brought home two place mats and a matching napkin to see what I could do.

The "before" picture!

I worked slowly and did a lot of thinking before I made any permanent decisions along the way, but lo and behold, I made a placemat purse lined with the napkin!

The "after" picture... success!

... lined with a matching napkin.

...with an optional bow.

I still have a little bit of fabric leftover and I think I can make a zipper pouch with it. I also bought a few more placemats and napkins so I can make another purse, document the experience with photos and write a tutorial soon.

Cheers to creative visions!

My first wearable project: a sneak peek!

A hearty update is in order! I finished my sewing class at JoAnn’s and completed a pretty awesome dress as a result. Here’s a sneak preview until I get a chance to write in more detail and take some photos actually wearing it!

Simplicity 2443 in all of its stretch knit glory!

I will also say this:

1. I am fairly confident I never would have been able to figure out the pattern for this dress on my own.
2. I am no longer scared of stretch knit, and in fact, I am a little excited to try working with it again!

Stay tuned for more photos and the full story.

I did not sew this wooden birdhouse but I’m writing about it anyway

Happy Father’s Day!

Here’s the sewing-related Father’s Day blurb: a free necktie tutorial at The Purl Bee!

Photo and tutorial courtesy of The Purl Bee

My dad rarely wears neckties in his profession – he’s a dentist and can most often be found wearing scrubs. However, I have some guy friends who often wear ties to work, so I have tucked this tutorial away for a future project!

Now, the non-sewing related Father’s Day craft that I’ve been waiting to share. My dad really enjoys birdhouses, bird feeders and pretty much any other device that attracts birds into the yard. He spends summer nights sitting on the back porch with a glass of red wine, looking over his land and watching the birds take advantage of the whimsical sanctuary he’s created in the yard.

In recent years, I’ve taken to painting a new birdhouse each year for Father’s Day. One more thing I should mention is that my dad dreams of driving the monorail at Walt Disney World when he retires from dentistry. So, I present to you… the Father’s Day 2011 birdhouse inspired by the oh-so-magical highway in the sky:

Like the backdrop? It's a Disney Snuggie.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad! You can bet that the next time you hear birds chirping, they are surely saying “Por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas!”

Crayon rolls for a cause!

This past weekend, I made an exceptionally last-minute decision to fly across the country to see my parents. Here’s why: My mom, who doesn’t sew very often, was telling me how she was thinking about trying out the crayon roll tutorial. One of her co-workers was collecting small trinkets and toys to put in birthday boxes for foster kids and she thought the crayon rolls would be a fun and creative addition. The thought of my mom trying out the crayon roll tutorial without me there to join in the fun was just too much to bear, so I booked a flight and left the Sunshine State before you could say “Just one yard of each, please!”

Now, I know you’re probably all thinking that sounds like an incredibly rash decision and that I’m a crazy person. Well, it was, and I am. It was the first time I’ve ever jumped on a plane with just a day’s notice, but I’m so glad I did! I usually have an agenda when I visit my parents – a wedding, a birthday, a family vacation – but this time I savored every uneventful, unplanned moment from walking the dog to enjoying a steak dinner off the backyard grill.

Of course, my mom and I visited three different fabric stores and whipped up a handful of crayon rolls before the weekend was through!

Crayon rolls for a cause!

At the risk of sounding incredibly gushy, I have learned throughout the past few months that my family means more to me than anything else in the world – and I would not trade a last-minute weekend with them for anything. We may be a little family – just my mom, dad, brother and me (and recently, a precious little pup named Gizmo!) – but we sure know how to do it right. No family is perfect, but my family is perfect for me.

It’s strange to think that without the presence of fabric crayon rolls in my life, I may not have taken that last-minute trip home!

And now I leave you with a photo of Gizmo that is sure to make you feel a little melty…

Gizmo!

Hats off to you, mom!

A belated Mother’s Day post because I was waiting on this photo…

This is the first sewing pattern my mom ever picked out and made on her own – a nightgown for 6-year-old Lindsay (cue the “awwww”) with a matching nightgown for my Cabbage Patch doll.

The pattern came with a set of Cabbage Patch Kids iron-on transfers to brand the finished products – Fancy!

My mom made me the style shown in the photo on the pattern packet – although sadly, I didn’t sport Fraggle-Rock-esque pigtails like the girl in the photo.

My mom never claimed to be a seamstress extraordinaire, but she could definitely hold her own when it came to basic Halloween costumes, minor alterations and curtains for our basement windows. She made the nightgown on a vintage, hand-me-down sewing machine that only went forwards and backwards without any fancy bells and whistles.

My mom likes to claim that my sewing skills exceed hers, but I beg to differ. She made this successful WEARABLE item right off the bat, and I have yet to conquer the wearable field. Once I have that accomplishment under my belt, we’ll talk. But till then – hats off to you, mom!

On a (jewelry) roll

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! If you hadn’t already guessed, the surprise project I referenced in my last post was a gift for my amazing mom. It’s a jewelry roll!

I’ve been excited about it for a few weeks, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to brag until Mother’s Day or I’d ruin the surprise. Like a crayon roll for grown-ups, the jewelry roll has zippered pockets for various jewelry pieces and trinkets, a ribbon tie for rings and the whole contraption rolls up and ties closed for safe travels.

It was the first project attempt from my One Yard Wonders book. I have nothing but glowing reviews for both the book and this project. The pattern was included with the book. I’m still a little new to zippers, so I moved slowly and followed the directions to a tee. The biggest challenge was evenly sewing the half circle curve along the top.

My mom lives across the country, so we Skyped this morning while she opened her jewelry roll and she loved it! I told her I almost didn’t include the ribbon for rings since she doesn’t wear a lot of rings, but she pointed out that she can use it for her Troll beads. Duh – I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. She loves her Troll beads!

Like mother, like daughter - I used my own jewelry for this photo, but the only ring I own is my high school ring!

Now I’m faced with this challenge: stick in this comfort zone and make some more jewelry rolls, or continue experimenting with projects from One Yard Wonders? Hmmm. Decisions, decisions!

I hope everyone is having a magical Mother’s Day!

One Yard Wonders TEASER!

I finally completed a project from the One-Yard Wonders book I bought a few weeks ago, and I’m excited to brag about the finished product!

Only, I can’t brag about it just yet because it’s a gift for someone special… shhh. I don’t want to give away the surprise! Check back soon – I’ll be sure to share the details in just a few days. I can’t wait!

On a (crayon) roll!

Google the phrase “crayon roll” and you’ll be inundated with images, tutorials and etsy shops featuring this gem that allows kiddos to tuck crayons into little pockets, roll ‘em all up and take ‘em on the go. As someone who is constantly on the hunt for free sewing tutorials, it finally got to the point where I just HAD to try making one of these little guys. They’re famous in the online sewing world!

As luck would have it, my friend Brie was about to celebrate a birthday – and Brie LOVES crayons. It should be noted that Brie is an adult, but if you are an adult who does no longer finds joy in a set of brand new crayons, you’re clearly not living your life to the fullest.

So I set out to find the most ideal crayon roll tutorial and settled on The Pleated Poppy - a blog tutorial featuring super-clear instructions and stunning photos.  I whipped up my first crayon roll in just an hour or so, impressing even myself – new projects never have such a quick turnaround! There were some slight mish-moshy stitching errors here and there, but overall, the project was a winner!

Notes about this project:

• It uses very little fabric! I was able to use some scraps leftover from my Friendship Bag and my nook cover  for Brie’s crayon roll.
• The tutorial linked above uses an elastic and a button to secure the roll closed, but I opted for ribbon ties instead.
• Precise measurements are crucial for both the fabric pieces and the seam allowances. If the seam allowance is too big, the crayon pockets on either end of the roll will be too small. I learned this the hard way!

Since then, I’ve felt inspired to whip up a handful of crayon rolls, assembly-line style, for all of the kiddos in my life. Messy crayon buckets be gone!

Hooked on my nook!

Remember when I said I was going to recycle the Hot Seat into the draft of a new project? 

Ta-da! Introducing… a cover for my nook! (My Barnes & Noble e-reader) …



I searched for a nook cover pattern awhile ago, but there wasn’t much out there since e-readers are still fairly new to the world. I recently stumbled across this amazing pattern on etsy.com that included patterns for the nook, nookCOLOR, Kindle 2, Kindle 3, iPad and KOBO, all in one PDF file!



Click here to visit the etsy shop, BirdfulStitches, where I bought this pattern!

I printed the pattern at home and decided to use scrap fabric – the fabric from my old “Hot Seat” – for a first draft to make sure I knew what I was doing before invested in new fabrics. The pattern was easy to follow with lots of helpful photos, and I couldn’t believe how quickly I finished the project! The cover is sized perfectly for my nook.

Only one boo-boo took place during the first draft – once I finished, I realized I had some leftover fabric pieces, and my nook cover didn’t have any extra pockets on the inside. I read the pattern ten times over and realized the reminder to sew the pockets inside must have slipped through the cracks, because it was never mentioned. I sent an e-mail to the person who created the pattern, who thanked me for my input and said they’d update the pattern. Yay!

With my first “draft” safely behind me, I excitedly allowed myself to buy new fabric for the cover I actually planned to use.



I even got adventurous and strayed from the pattern, using a magnetic snap instead of the recommended button. My first magnetic snap!



I was so excited to take my freshly covered nook to my book club last week… with the second set of pockets and all!





It’s projects like this one that make me truly appreciate the power of the internet. With e-readers being such a new product, it’s unlikely that I’d be able to find an “official” pattern like this anytime soon… so I’m thankful that I can tap into the talents of others via the world wide web!