Sew I See!

Well, technically, it's a bean bag. Only there are no beans in it. . . After thinking about it for I-don't-know-how-many months (if not years), I eventually got around to working on this extremely difficult project. Actually, there are very few sewing projects easier than this one. It's just a very simple pillow-- and not a very pretty one, at that, with my ugly (but functional and mighty sturdy) "closure seam"*. (I couldn't even be bothered to switch to black thread to match my fabric! What a sloppy seamstress!) For stuffing, I wanted something lightweight. From what I understand, there are times when you'll want something heavier-- and for those times, it's good to use beans, rice, or something similar. One day, I might make a refillable bean bag for that type of filling. However, there are also times when weight isn't an issue, and convenience and comfort call for something lighter. I'd read online about people using tiny styrofoam (o...

I decided to take a few more photos of my second rag quilt, and while I was at it, I thought I'd put them here, too: I think this orientation better shows why this quilt (on paper) reminded me of the window (as I wrote about in my last entry). Of course, these are just squares "on point"-- not real diamond shapes, but I'm not ready for real diamond shapes, at my current level of sewing know-how. (g)

Last weekend, I washed my second rag quilt. Before the photos, here are a couple of reminders for my future self-- or tips for anyone new to rag quilting: First Tip: Double or triple check that you've snipped all the seams of your quilt, but even after that , be sure to give it one more good look when you take it out of the washer. If you're like me, you'll probably find that you've missed at least one seam. It's much easier to notice at this step, and if catch it now, before popping it into the dryer, the seam will rag enough that it won't be glaringly obvious. Second Tip: Even after removing copious amounts of threads and lint after washing and repeatedly cleaning the lint filter during drying, I still find that the back of my quilts-- the flannel sides-- are very messy. (This is after the first laundering. I hope that this will be less of an issue on subsequent washings, but I haven't needed to wash them again, yet, so I can't say for sure. Pilli...

Well, it's the same ones from last time, actually, so maybe I should've titled this post "More of the Felt Mice". . . In any case, here they are again. I still haven't gotten completely honed in on how many photos it takes to make a video that doesn't zip by in five seconds flat, but I'm working on it. (g) More Adventures of the Three-- Er, Four Felt Mice from Michael Johansson on Vimeo .

Here's a little stop-action video I made, with my felt mice and doughnut pincushions in starring roles. ;o) My video-making skills need a little polishing, but it was still fun to put together!

More pincushions from right here on the homestead! Yee-haw! It's a pincushion round-up! (Wait. That didn't really make much sense, did it? You'll have to excuse me. I may tend to go a bit wild on this blog, from time to time, since I don't think many people are actually reading it. As opposed to the ten or twenty souls who read my personal blog. (g)) So. As I was saying. . . I don't believe I ever got around to posting a photo of this "girly-girl pincushion" before. It's "girly-girl" because it's so pink and purple, of course. It's inspired by those penny rugs that had such a resurgence in popularity a while ago. I topped it off with one of my handmade polymer clay buttons. (I do so love to work those into my little sewing projects!) While I had the camera warmed up, I snapped a couple photos of one of my first, simplest pincushions, which is now serving in the capacity of a needle-cushion. (I suppose I ought to make mysel...

I'm still obsessed with pincushions! --Jen Segrest's Flickr tutorial for making a "basic bottlecap pincushion" (which can be adapted and/or decorated however you like). She also has a blog , with lots of pincushiony goodness. --Bella Dia's "Little Houses" on Flickr. They're a charming set of pincushions made in the shapes of houses and mushroom homes (for fairies, I presume). (Actually, I'm not sure these are strictly meant as pincushions, but that's what I see when I look at them.) -- "The Adventures of Henrietta Hedgehog (Pincushion)" (Very cute!) --A Flickr group for pincushion photos . (Have I linked here before? Oh well...) That'll do for now. . . Hope you enjoy those sites as much as I have! :o)

Don't worry; it's not real! ;o) Some time ago, I came across a pattern for a very cute mouse pincushion -- one that I only recently got around to trying. I changed a couple of things, as you'll probably notice if you clicked over to the tutorial. The most obvious difference is that I made my stitches visible. (I used the whip stitch in a color that contrasted with the felt.) I also stitched around the ears and used teensy-tiny buttons (that I made myself from polymer clay) for the eyes. My stitching skills could use some polishing. I imagine this is another instance of "practice makes perfect", and as such, is a great excuse for making a few more of these little felt mice! (I stuck this one in with a gift, so my sewing box is still mouse-less.) Hm. What colors should I make the next one. . .? I love these pincushion projects-- just enough hand stitching to let me play around with thread and needle, but not so much that I get impatient with my lack of skil...

Yep, my plastic grocery bags now have a home. ;o) I basically followed the tutorial that I linked to in my last entry, though I did tweak it a bit. I didn't start with quite as wide a rectangle as in the tutorial, because my fabric wasn't wide enough (more on that later). I think my rectangle ended up being about 14 inches wide. Also, I didn't have any elastic on hand, so I came up with another solution. I sewed the "tube" at the bottom, fed a piece of yarn through it, gathered the fabric up to tighten the hole a bit (but not too much), and knotted the yarn. Unless I'm missing something, I think this will work just as well as the elastic, and it's free (assuming you have a little bit of yarn or string lying around the house). I used fabric scraps I happened to have on hand, because I hate wasting nice, new fabric on a project before I know how it'll turn out. (Besides, this is going inside the pantry, where hardly anyone will ever see it.) Actu...

Ok, I'll admit it: The perceived usefulness of these links will vary greatly from person to person. I've gotten by for years just using one plastic grocery bag to hold all of the rest. Or, actually, several plastic grocery bags crammed to the bursting point with the rest. I take them back to the store to be recycled, but most of the time I forget, so I end up with lots of them stuffed on the bottom shelf of the pantry. However, "getting by" and doing it with style are two very different things. ;o) If, like me, you're tired of looking at plastic bags, you may want to give this grocery bag dispenser tutorial a look. It seems like a very quick and easy project-- and if I had some elastic on hand, I'd probably give it a try right away. (I have an idea that might allow me to do it even without waiting for my next shopping trip. We'll see. . .) If you're less interested in the looks of the thing and happen to have an old sweatshirt destined for t...