Oh Sew Wrong

2009-09-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

I'm not very good at prioritizing. I usually do all the things that I kind of have to get done or I just want to do before I get around to the things that I really should be doing or absolutely need to do. I think a lot of people have that problem. Usually it ends up in no supper ready for my poor husband and girls but a lot of sewing done (or just a lot of fiddling on the computer or something equally useless). The other day was no exception. I got home and looked at my entrance and, even though it is fall and the snow boots will soon come out, I decided I HAD to sew a shoe holder. As you can see in the before picture our entrance was in desperate need of help. With three little girls we tend to accumulate a LOT of shoes. So after sewing all afternoon while my 18 month old, lovingly nicknamed "Baby" by her sisters, was napping I ended up with a very useful and quite nice looking shoe holder. All in all I was very impressed with it. I did have to leave Baby in her crib to play for half an hour after she woke up because I wasn't done but she seemed to enjoy the solitude.

Before

After!

Even some of my shoes fit in. I used an unbleached cotton curtain my mom gave me and serged all the edges in brown and I think it turned out very smart looking. And the best thing about making it myself (other than that it was practically free) is that it fits my space PERFECTLY.

Unfortunately my twins got home from kindergarten and Jeff from work right then and I had to feed them spaghetti for supper . . . again.

Another project that worked out better than I had planned is re-usable snack and sandwich bags. I was using so many now that the girls are in school. I felt like it was such a waste so I went to the fabric store and found some waterproof nylon for about $8 a meter and bout half a meter. So for about $4 I made 4 snack size bags and 2 sandwich size bags and I'm not done yet. I still have some more of the nylon to make a couple more bags. The girls each got 2 snack bags for their lunch kits and Jeff got one (very manly) sandwich bag (pictures forthcoming) and here is Baby with her specially made one that matches the top I made for her birthday this year. I put a little handle on hers too, like a little purse.

They all close with thin strips of hook and loop tape. I got the idea from Etsy as usual. The only thing I don't really like about them is the wet stuff, especially carrots, dry out a little and the dry stuff, like pretzels or crackers, get a little moist. Not a lot just a little bit, it just makes them not quite as crunchy. I think it is because they don't seal air tight. It is a small price to pay for the environment though.

Come one, Come all!

2009-09-15T15:48:00.000-07:00

We are inviting anyone who'd like to contribute to this blog, to let us know! Our focus is sewing, but any crafting is welcome!
If you'd like to become a contributor, please leave your name and g-mail address in the comments section and we'll add you as soon as possible. (It has to be a gmail account, so if you don't have one yet, you have to make one. Don't worry though, you will only need it for the confirmation e-mail and then you'd never have to deal with it again.

Pictures as promised

2009-09-14T14:57:00.000-07:00

So, it is a lot trickier than I had anticipated to upload photos on here but I finally figured it out. Hopefully. As promised here are some pics of my new skirt. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of it from the front. I think at the time I was subconsciously hoping that if I took them at an angle I would look slimmer. I don't think it worked but anyways here it is. Side one.

Side two.

I have decided that I LOVE it. I especially love the blue flowered fabric. But I also really like the grey, it is so versatile. Another tip, when sewing with a pattern that is one way (the blue flowers) make sure when you cut out the pieces that the pattern is all facing the same way. When I cut out the blue, I just folded the fabric long ways and then one piece was upside down. Luckily I had enough along the sides to cut out another back piece, but I had to put a seam down the middle.

Another concurrent project is these little skirts and T's for my daughters that are 5. They are just starting kindergarten which gives me a little more time to sew.

So I just got a new serger and was so excited to try a rolled hem. These little ruffles turned out really cute I thought. A word of advice, sew the side seams first and then serge the bottom. I don't like the way the bottom turned out at all. Another thing I did, just to save money, is only buy the woolly nylon thread in red and then did the other 2 threads in the brown I already had. You can barely notice the brown because it's the red that loops over the edge.

I did the appliques two different ways and I must say I like this first one better. Although it will probably fray over time I think it just adds to the charm. It looks much less messy and it doesn't stretch the t-shirt fabric at all. However, if you have tear away backing or something else to stiffen fabric while appliqueing you could do either. I don't have any though.

Happy Sewing Everyone!

My Very First Blog Post Ever!

2009-09-11T16:13:00.000-07:00

Sew, I wanted to be the first to post on this awesome and fun blog my awesome and fun friend B started. I am so excited to share all my Do Not Do's with everyone. And I have a lot! I think I will start with my most recent and then work backwards. So I recently made a reversible skirt. I got the idea from Etsy. I look on there all the time but never buy anything because I always think " I could make that!" and then I make up my own pattern and it never turns out how I had imagined. I usually make my own patterns which is why I have so much advice on what not to do. So anyways, back to my skirt, one side is this super cute cotton but the other side is a heavier fabric (I'm not sure what) and I made it about mid-calf length. It ended up so heavy that my regular elastic couldn't hold it up! I had to go buy that no-roll stuff that is a lot thicker and less stretchy. It is still not the greatest. I think I will also have to add a drawstring just so it doesn't fall down in church while I'm walking down the hall! I am going to post a picture as soon as I figure out how. I hope you all enjoy this blog as much as we enjoy writing it.