Scrappin' Saturday XVIII

Welcome to Scrappin' Saturday - come take a peek into the pages of my scrapbooks. This page is devoted to the two beach bag totes that I've made. One for myself, and one for my Grandma.

The Details

Paper: The paper is a 12x12 sheet of Decorative Scrapbook Paper.  
Photos: The photos were cropped square and the corners rounded with a punch.  
Journaling: The journaling was written by hand and consists of the pattern title and some notes about making the pattern.
Project Link: I blogged about these here. The project is 'Girlfriend's Beach Tote' from Mary Mulari's Travel with Style book.

Scrappin' Saturday XVII

Welcome to Scrappin' Saturday - take a peek into the pages of my scrapbooks, and learn how I made them. This page is a sort of collage of sewing projects. I know that the phrase 'a stitch in time saves nine' applies more to mending, but I couldn't think of anything else to put in the blank space.

Background Paper: The white paper that came preloaded in the scrapbook. In the lower left corner, is a piece from the DCWV 8x8" Luxury Stack. It worked nicely to separate the hangers from the other projects.
Letters: The letters are from the Cuttlebug Die Set Olivia.
Photos: For the hangers, I simply cropped them by hand. The doll dress in the upper left corner was closely cropped, then I rounded the corners. The picture in the upper right corner was cropped using Nestabilities Spellbinders Labels One.
Die Cuts: The upper right photo was double matted with Nestabilities Spellbinders Labels One. The upper left photo was matted using Nestabilities Spellbinders Labels Two. For the journaling I used Nestabilities Classic Ovals Small, Nestabilities Classic Scalloped Ovals Large, and Nestabilities Classic Scalloped Paisley.
Projects Pictured: Padded Hangers, "Dronkles", and Doll Dress.

Quiet Book

This is one of those projects that sits around for years, because you're too lazy to finish the last step that would really only take 10 minutes to half a day. I started this quiet book way back in high school, (I think). It was a kit from Nancy's Notions. I remember struggling with understanding the directions. It has been 'done' for several years, it just needed the X's and O's for tic tac toe cut out, and the flowers for the button page cut out. One day I finally sat down and cut out all the pieces. I used suede cloth, so I didn't have to finish the edges.

From left to right: A large zippered pocket, an embroidered inscription, and the front page, a moon with stars that can be pulled out of a clear vinyl pocket.

From left to right: the 'button page' with suede flowers, tic tac toe, and the final page is made with chalkboard fabric. It also doubles as a pocket to hold some chalk, and a sponge to wipe it clean.

Lingerie Cases

This post got buried in my drafts folder. I'm trying to catch up on the list of things I should have blogged about last year, but never got around to.

My sister had a small bachelorette party - just the bride and bridesmaids. I'm not too keen on buying (or making) lingerie for others, so I made something for her to keep lingerie in. The outside is made with a satin-like fabric (it's washable, though.) I wanted my gift to reflect my Sister's love of monkeys, so I got a fun monkey print for the inner lining. The lining is cotton.

A lingerie case is a somewhat old fashioned concept. I tried to do some research on them, but apparently they were not enough of a novelty to be widely written about. I remember one from the movie Rebecca - Mrs. Danvers shows Mrs. De Winter around Rebecca's old room, and one of the things that Mrs. Danvers shows her is a lingerie case.

I don't know if you can see it in the picture, but I divided the inside. I have made a second case for a friend, and am working on writing out directions for this project.

Wedding Gift

A friend of mine was married last weekend. I honestly had no idea what to make for a wedding gift - due to my sister's wedding I didn't have time to make my usual wedding gift. Next thing I knew it was two weeks before the wedding, and I still didn't have any clue what to make. I asked my Mom is she had any ideas, and she mentioned a set of coasters that a friend had sent her. Mom emailed her friend for the pattern, and I made them in an afternoon with a week to spare!

Finding just the right fabrics was difficult. I could have used 5 different fabrics, if I'd wanted, but I had a hard enough time just coming up with three. I was going to make 8 coasters, but there was barely enough of the maroon fabric to make 6. I used my rotary cutter to cut everything out- aren't rotary cutters great?
The back is just a solid square. For some reason it didn't photograph very well - it has some feathery swirls or leaves, and the little sprays of purple flowers.Okay, I just uploaded the picture to the post, and you can see all the detail.

After cutting out all the pieces and pressing the top pieces in half, it was time to stack everything together. I used a lot of pins to make sure the pieces didn't shift while I was sewing and leave a gap in the middle. I'm very pleased with the way they came out, and someday, maybe I will have time to make a set for myself.

Bride's Rescue Kit

Most of this past week was spent working on my sister's bridal shower gift. I'd seen the idea of a "Brides' Rescue Kit" several places, and decided to make one for Grace. I made Mary Mulari's cosmetic bag from her book "Made for Travel" to contain everything. Once again, I proved that I can't make a Mary Mulari project without altering it in some way. This was my second time making the cosmetic bag. The first time I used a double sided quilted fabric that required me to drastically change the directions. This time I was just going to follow the directions, but ended up making a few changes.

First, I didn't like the way the inner pockets had worn in my original bag. I ended up cutting two pockets, one out of the bag fabric, and one out of the outer pocket fabric. I sewed them into a tube and turned them right side out; the remaining raw edges are hidden when the lining is sewn together. You can sort of see the two-tone pocket in the picture below.

Second, in step 5 there is a typo. It tells you to draw lines 3.5" from each edge of the bags outer fabric. These lines need to be 3" from the edges. Second, after stitching down the pocket sides, stitch two lines across what will be the bottom of the bag. I think I measured out 1-2 inches from the center. This will keep anything you put in the pocket from slipping down to the bottom of the bag. I've had this happen with my original bag, and apart from panicking when you can't find whatever slid down there, it can be rather difficult to get out.

Third, in step six, you sew ribbon and braid together. I didn't do this for either bag. For the first, it was because I was being lazy. For the second, I couldn't find any braid in the right width and color. The bag seems fine without it. Also in step six, instead of meeting the ribbon handle edges as diagrammed, I folded over one end and sewed it over the other raw end.

What's in it? Here's the list! (Most things are trial or travel size)

• Toothpaste
• Toothbrush
• Floss
• Listerine Spray
• Lip Balm
• Germ-x
• Spot Remover(s)
• Emery Board
• Clear Nail Polish
• Tissues
• 1'st Aid Kit
• Sewing Kit
• Nail Kit (clippers, tweezers, etc)
• Wet Wipes & Makeup Removing Wipes
• Mirror
• Hairspray
• Lint Roller
• Baby Powder
• Tums
• Feminine Napkins
• Safety Pins
• Bobby Pins

Some things I wanted to add, but couldn't find and/or ran out of time: Advil, Asprin, etc., mini Static Guard, and hand lotion.

Seatbelt Cushion

I made this a couple of months ago, and finally took some pictures of it! The pattern is from Mary Mulari's Made for Travel book. I had made the cushion once before; this time I thought it would be nice to make one covered with cotton, for the summer months. It turned out pretty well, although a bit on the small side. Easily fixed the next time I make one.

How I did it: I started with two 12" squares, one of fleece, one of cotton. I sewed around 3 edges, leaving the fourth open to turn right side out. The remaining raw edge was serged. Folding it in half, I placed one side of the velcro along the sewn edge. The serged edge of the cotton layer was placed about halfway under the piece of velcro. For some reason, I didn't catch in the fleece layer - possibly to reduce the bulk in the seam. I then placed the other piece of velcro as per the directions in Mary's book.

Mom's Shawl

This was a Christmas gift for Mom. It is the Travel & Television Shawl from Mary Mulari's Accessories With Style, page 50.

As with most of Mary's patterns, I would make a few changes. I would have sewn the cuffs on before the pockets and binding so that the seams could be hidden under the pocket and binding edges. I think that I would also have preferred to turn under the pocket edges or do a decorative stitch, rather than using the binding. Otherwise, it was quick and easy to sew.

Backpack Purse

As I was working on updating my blog today, I realized there are several FO's that I have yet to blog about. First up, this Backpack Purse by Mary Mulari.

This is from Made For Travel, Page 57. There are two changes I would make to the directions. First, as with the Beach Tote, I would serge all pieces before beginning sewing. Second, use a reinforcing stitch on the seams at the top. The fabric is not holding up well at the top. I think sergeing and a good reinforcing stitch would have prevented the problem. Other than that, I'm happy with my new purse. It has nearly eliminated the shoulder soreness caused by regular purses. One other change I made was to make beaded zipper pulls for the front zippers.

Sewing Projects

No, I haven't fallen off the blogosphere! I've been working on the gifts that I should have started two months ago. Two months ago I had no idea what to make for people. Now I have three crochet projects, 2 sewing, one quilling, and whatever else I'm forgetting. Here are a couple things that I sewed before I started the mad scramble to finish Christmas presents.
A pillow:

An iron pad:

Just Keep Sewing, Sewing...

First off, Happy (belated) Thanksgiving! I hope everyone had a wonderful day!

For some odd reason, I seem to only blog when I've finished a project. The other day I was thinking "I should really blog about something. But what? I haven't fnished anything lately." Then it dawned on me, like a lightbulb going on over my head: I could blog about my unfinished projects! Brilliant! Ok, enough with the sarcasm. I've been doing some sewing lately, and finished three projects last night. I also started working on the gift I was going to give my cousin last year for Christmas. It was going well until I realized that one sleeve had been put in upside down. I'm not sure who reads this blog, so no pictures 'til after Christmas. In the meantime, here's a picture of my sewing area.

When I sew, I move the machine over. Otherwise I use the space for pinning, scrapping and reading patterns that don't make sense. The bag next to the iron contains mending and projects that I really should finish. The pillow needs to be taken apart and given a new backing. Behind the sewing machine is a two drawer storage unit that has all my ribbon, lace, trim and bias tape. I store my serger on top when it's not in use. You can't see it in the picture because it has a bag of Almost Finished Projects leaning against it. On top of the serger is a bag of fabric that needs to be cut out. The cabinets above store most of my notions, and my two fabric stash boxes are below the counter. (My Grandpa custom-made the counter for us!) to the left is my Mom's sewing space, and our stamping/scrapping space.

Placemat Set

One of my first sewing projects. These were made by cutting strips of fabric, sewing them together, cutting them apart, sewing them together...It was a little traumatic for me, since I'd worked really hard to sew straight lines, and then having to cut it apart. Thanks to the fabric store's crooked cutting of fabric, I was only able to make 5 placemats. There are 6 napkins though, so I'm contemplating making another set to mix and match with. The hot mitt was another first project. Not stellar, but it keeps your hand from getting burned.

Baby Clothes

Some more things from my hope chest. Several of my sewing projects for school were these baby clothes. The patterns are Quick and Easy Playwear and Quick and Easy Layette by Sew Little Pattern Company. (I couldn't find a link for these - if you have a link for them, please leave a comment and I'll add it to this post.) The peter pan collars on the dresses drove me bonkers, but other than that the patterns are quick and easy to make. Please excuse all the wrinkles - I didn't see much point to ironing them and then putting them back in my hope chest to get more wrinkles.

Belated Gifts

Because of a death in the family, we did not celebrate Christmas with my grandparents until late January. I made this beach tote for my Grandma, since she likes mine so much. The pattern is 'Girlfriends Beach Tote from Mary Mulari's book Accessories with Style. The best thing about this tote is that there is a layer of vinyl between the top lace and bottom tapestry sections. You can put your wet stuff in the top, and everything in the bottom will stay dry. The one problem I have is that the tapestry fabric ravels like crazy. I serged most of the seams this time, but there were a couple I couldn't quite get to.

I also knitted this washcloth and soap sack. The washcloth was not exactly square, and my attempt at knitting the edging from the book looked awful. My Mom kindly helped me out by crocheting an edging for me. The patterns are from the Spa Set in 100 One-Skein Wonders. The yarn is Naturally Caron Spa Yarn, an acrylic/bamboo mix.
~Sarah

Fulling, Felting and Sewing

That's what I was doing two weeks ago. I made a trivet and coasters set with the leftover sock yarn from my Dad's socks. I then felted (fulled is actually the proper term) them, and needle felted some designs onto them. I used the pattern I found here. The coaster pattern was on the same blog. I was disappointed that they didn't felt squarely the corners were really out of proportion and I had a hard time blocking it. Ironically, my gauge swatch for the socks turned out the best (I threw it in to see what would happen). I think the crazy corners were probably knitter error, but I'm not sure what the error is.


I also worked on my own version of this. I have no idea what to call it, but it is supposed to help stop a door from slamming shut when the windows are open or the air conditioning is on. This is my first try, and a failure - the door still slams. I took notes on what to do to improve it and will have another go at it sometime soon.

Happy Crafting!
~Sarah

California Package

Remember the pretty presents from a couple weeks ago? Well, I can finally show you what was in them! The teddy bear (pattern here) is made from Bernat's soft boucle, in Softest Straw. I used Misty Shades for the face and bow. The dress is for my cousin's doll, which is the size of a newborn. The fabric came entirely from Mom's stash. The flowers on the skirt were appliquéd on. The ball is for my aunt and uncle, and you can see a better picture here.
~Sarah

Weekly Goal List

I put off writing this post so that I could finish this tatted ornament cover.
Despite all my mistakes and having to 'retro-tat' {tatting in reverse; i.e. ripping out} several times, it came out pretty good. I also got to try this joining technique, and it worked out really well.

Also this week, I found a teddy bear pattern, a skein of yarn, and started knitting. I finished it this evening. Since it's a gift, I won't post a picture just yet. I'll try and post it on Ravelry, though.

My Ravelry invite came about a week ago, and I meant to blog about it, but got too busy. Ravelry is a wonderful way to connect with other knitters and crocheters, and keep track of your projects, books, yarns, needles and hooks. So far my favorite feature is the needle/hook inventory. It made it so much easier when I needed to know if I had size 8 needles for my teddy bear project. {Somehow I've managed to acquire 5 pairs of size 8 needles} If you're on ravelry and want to look me up, I'm simplestitcher.

Back to my goals, I got one of two items mended. The poncho has been put aside until I get my packages sent. I started the first doll outfit, and am nearly done; it just needs sleeves and a hem.

Goals for this week:

1. Start (and hopefully finish) third tatted ornament cover
2. Finish doll outfit #1, start #2
3. Wrap gifts and mail package #1

These bookmarks are for some of my friends. You can't really see it in the picture, but the upper and lower bookmarks on the left have roses engraved on them. I got them from Fire Mountain Gems. The charms for them came from Let's Bead. The bookmarks and charms for the two on the right are from Beads 'N Things. All the beads are from my Mom's collection.

Happy Crafting!
~Sarah

Large Dronkle Finished!

I'm not going to divulge how late I was up finishing this one. Just that I finished watching The Phantom of the Opera, watched all of Fiddler on the Roof, and nearly half of the special features. Anyway, now that they're done I'm going to (try) turning my attention to Christmas presents. So far I have not finished anything.
Without giving too much away, I have (at least) two knitting projects, one or more beading projects, several tatted items, and two to three sewing projects. I will take pictures and post them sometime between 12/26 and 12/31.

Happy Crafting!
~Sarah
PS~ For a picture of my Sister's animal, click here.