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!

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!”

How soon is too soon?

First things first: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Now, onto the blog talk.

One of the things I love most about my office is the communal coffee mugs and a dishwasher to clean them at the end of the day. The mugs in the cabinet are the epitome of the word “hodgepodge” and you never quite know what you’ll get each morning. My personal favorite is “World’s Greatest Godfather,” but this morning I experienced holiday cheer with every sip of my coffee as I used this festive Christmas mug:

Christmas in June! At least, in my office.

So, despite 100+ degree Central Florida summer temperatures just outside the door, I had the holiday season on the brain and started wondering: How soon is “too soon” to start crafting holiday gifts? Is there such a thing as “too soon?”

Let’s face it, I’m new to sewing and exceptionally slow. Projects that would take an hour for a seasoned seamstress to complete take me an entire day, if not longer, as I carefully analyze each step and spend a lot of quality time with my seam ripper. Therefore, working on holiday gifts 6-7 months in advance is probably a good idea, especially since the holidays are notorious for being sneaky and making time move exponentially faster as they approach.

On the other hand, how disheartening is it to complete a project and not be able to show and tell? I’m not very good at keeping sewing secrets.

I’m also incredibly excited to try the list of summer sewing projects that I posted earlier this week. If I started worrying about holiday gifts, would I just miss out on the present? Get it… the PRESENT?! Ha ha ha.

How far in advance do you start thinking about the holidays?

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!

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!

The Friendship Bag: Rinse and Repeat!

Ahhh. The return of the Friendship Bag. I promise that one of these days, I will learn to sew something other than Friendship Bags and tissue box covers.

But in the meantime…

Wall-E inspired Friendship Bag eye candy that I made for a friend! Well, I guess you could say that it was actually inspired by Eve, the sleek white robot in the film. Details, details!

What I love so much about this bag is how much leftover fabric I was able to incorporate. The only materials I had to buy were the white calico prints. The black calico fabric was leftover from the Minnie Mouse Friendship Bag, the light green calico print was leftover from my first set of Friendship Bags and the dark green was leftover from Mike Wazowski’s eyeball. It’s almost as if I was able to stitch little pieces of my memories into this bag – and that makes it feel even more special!

The Friday Five: 5 reasons you should start sewing

1. The most reasonable excuse to start sewing is that you can fix or alter your own clothes. I’m 5’0″. Try finding a new pair of pants that doesn’t drag on the ground. Enter sewing machine. Amen.

(Source)

2. My friend Krissy often stated in her phenomenal wedding blog something along the lines of… “If you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for, or for the price that you want, MAKE IT!” And that wonderful sentiment not only applies to table centerpieces and wedding invitations, but sewing projects as well. Don’t be a slave to what’s on the shelves. Make it your way!

3. Custom gifts for family and friends. What do you get for the person who has everything? A personalized, handmade item a la you!

4. Finally, an excuse to venture over to the other half of the craft store. Now you can browse through all of those fun fabrics… with purpose!

(Source)

5. Because all the cool people are doing it. Haven’t you ever watched Project Runway?

(Source)

Inspirations and modifications

I get the most brilliant ideas in the most inopportune places. Having a lightbulb-over-my-head moment is so inconvenient when I’m pushing through the last few minutes of an evening run, driving 70mph on the highway or rinsing conditioner out of my hair. I have to wonder how many wonderful ideas float out of my head, never to return again simply because I don’t have a means of writing them down when they come into my life.

But it’s understandable that ideas would come to me during these times. Let’s face it – running, driving and showering are boring. What else is there to do other than think? (and sing to the RENT soundtrack… which is usually blasting in all of the above scenarios)

Luckily, one shower-sewing-inspiration a few months back was so promising that I started mapping out a plan in my head before my hair was even dry. My dear friend’s birthday was approaching and I wanted to make her something memorable. Because we share a special understanding about the magic of Disney, I used Minnie Mouse for inspiration and made a Friendship Bag using the same modified measurements I wrote about a few posts back.

A variety of black calico prints + a red/white polka dot fabric + a magical, inspirational mouse = One successful sewing project!

For an extra magical touch, I added a mouse-head applique using a really amazing product called Heat’n Bond Iron-On Adhesive. It’s available near the ironing supplies in the fabric store for around $10/roll and comes in a variety of adhesive strengths to turn any fabric into an iron-on piece. Since I planned on stitching around the border, I only needed to use the lightest strength to iron my applique in place. Non-sewers would appreciate Heat’n Bond Ultra Hold adhesive – no sewing required!

And last, I created a little coin pouch – my first experience with a zipper. I had to mix and match a few different online tutorials to create the exact quilted zipper coin pouch I had in mind, but overall it wasn’t very difficult. Zippers look more intimidating than they really are!

What I learned from this project:

• Inspiration can strike anywhere!
• Heat’n Bond is an amazing product for creating appliques, and may even be useful for non-sewers.
• Zippers are not scary!

Am I the only one who gets inspired in strange places?