Posted by Som
Sat, 21 Jan 2006 16:56:00 GMT
Because I am hopelessly fascinated with aprons, I took some of the cotton fat quarters Mom gave me for Christmas and made a few this week. First, two aprons for my girls:
They chose the fabric themselves; I'm hoping these will help get them to clean up after themselves. I'm not holding my breath, though.
I had two fat quarters of this adorable Chinese lantern print, so I made a nice, big apron out of that:
...and four more out of single fat quarters, like so:
They're so delightfully simple to make, and I never have to use a pattern - or even pin them before sewing! I just turn the hems with my iron and put them to the sewing machine. The five aprons I made for myself took just one evening. Instant gratification!
Posted in sewing | Tags machine_sewing | no comments | no trackbacks
Posted by Som
Tue, 17 Jan 2006 17:20:00 GMT
Well, I scrapped the applique snakes idea for this bag when I discovered that turning 1/4" hems on stretchy kimono fabric is an exercise in fruitless masochism. Instead, I opted for a 4x4 zigzag stitch grid with random fabric squares. Ari "innocently" sidled on into the picture:
The interior is a satin brocade, and this project has cured me of ever wanting to work with that stuff again. Ugh. I had problems from the get-go, first with cutting a straight line, then with fraying edges, then with feeding it into the sewing machine. I do like the effect, though. I think putting a red staing brocade interior into a black purse is like wearing expensive lingerie under an old t-shirt and a pair of ripped jeans: nobody else knows it's there, but it makes you feel special nonetheless.
The tote bag pattern is from Sashiko, and the idea for the applique is from Machine Made Patchworks (it's Japanese, ISBN457911020X.) The squares are all vintage kimono scraps, and the straps are cotton webbing. I was surprised how easily the webbing went through my sewing machine, given my previous horrible experience with nylon webbing (IMPOSSIBLE. I'm telling you, that stuff is IMPOSSIBLE to work with.)
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Posted by Som
Sat, 14 Jan 2006 06:47:00 GMT
Alas, I have no new completed projects to show off this week, but I'd like to talk about a few that I have in the works.
First off, I'm planning another purse. This time, I'm using the tote bag pattern from Sashiko, but I'm not ready to do the sashiko stitching yet. Instead, I'll be putting two applique snakes on the bag, cut from vintage kimono fabric. I'm really excited about this project, but I can't move forward until I find some freezer paper for cutting out the applique. Hancock's and the grocery store were a wash; I'll be checking Jo-Ann's tomorrow when I go to pick up an OTT-LITE for my dad's birthday. I used a 40% off coupon at Hancock's to buy a lovely red satin brocade for the purse interior. With some of the leftover fabric, I plan to make a little hanging chopsticks holder for my kitchen.
My newest love is knitting lace. The Airy Scarf projects left me wanting more, so I ordered two Heartstrings patterns: Lacy Serpentine Scarf and Beaded Lace Cable Mini-Study. The mini-study will be great practice, and I think the little bracelets will make nice gifts. Eventually, I'd like to knit an authentic Shetland wedding ring lace shawl. I know that's a formidable goal, but it's something I can work toward in tiny increments.
Finally, I found a great deal on some 50% wool/50% silk laceweight yarn on eBay and ordered three hanks of it:
Half of that yarn will go into the Lacy Serpentine Scarf; I think the sheen and drape of silk will work nicely with that pattern. Maybe I'll make two...
Posted in sewing, stash, knitting | Tags applique, lace, machine_sewing, serpentine | no comments | no trackbacks
