Welcome to Blogtoberfest!

I have shamefully neglected my blog this summer, but I have a whole array of excuses. Painting the outside of the house, rebuilding a porch, lack of time for sewing or crafts, a strong dislike for WordPress, which makes everything unpleasant.  However, I couldn't figure out how to make Blogger the home page on my website, so, here I am. Please ignore the weird, disorganized appearance.  Someday, I'll conquer WP.

Anyway, I've done the one post per day thing over on my Live Journal.  There, I talk about my house, my grandkids, my husband, my dog, the weather, my business, and anything else that I feel like discussing.  This was meant to be my craft blog.  In light of the fact that I haven't posted in two months, maybe this will become a public version of my LJ.  We will see.

So, to introduce myself, I'm all of those things in the box on the sidebar.  I am a BookCrosser.  We register books and leave them in public places for people to find and enjoy.  With luck, they journal them and we can track their journey.  I've had books travel from Texas to Central America, through Cuba, and on to Canada. We lost track there, but it may surface at any time.  One of my books was journaled almost  years after I released it.  It's a lot of fun, and there is a wonderful community there, so you might want to check it out.  I'm TexasWren there too. I don't have an etsy store, I don't sell anything, I don't design cool things. I just relax and enjoy making things that those more creative folks invent. And I thank them daily for sharing the instructions!

So, what have I been crafting lately? 
I made a puppet theater for my granddaughter.  I sort of combined the pictures from several places and put my own spin on it, and this was the result.

She has been using the curtain as a permanent part of her door, so that’s been fun.

Mostly, I’ve been working on the outside of the house.  We hired someone to paint it, but there were still a million things to do besides the paint.  Our house is over 100 years old, and I don’t think it had been painted in several decades.  It went from this:

To this:

There is still a ton of work to do-repairs (see that window frame?) and finishing the verandah. We have stained and varnished floors on the wrap-around porch, instead of painting them.  They are gorgeous, but I’m thinking they aren’t going to wear well.  If they don’t, we can always paint them.

So, that’s how I spent my summer.  How about you?

Yo-yos 4th of July Style

I apologize a zillion times for not being able to give credit. I saw them somewhere in the last couple of weeks, made a mental note of how cute they are, and because they are so simple, I never thought to bookmark the source. If anyone knows, please tell me, and I will gladly give credit where credit is due. Just so you know, the creative credit does not go to me. I'll take credit for the technical part though!! ;-) I'm making these to hand out at the parade party at our cousin's house tomorrow. There will be at least 50 people there, I have 9 pins. I had 10, but a clerk at Home Depot complimented me on it, so I gave it to her. Depending on how much I get done today, there will be a yo-yo deficit tomorrow. Rarity adds value, right?

I

t's 7:35 pm here in Central Texas and still 100º. I don't see fireworks in our future if it's like this tomorrow. Have a great Independence Day celebration everyone!!

Kittens and Puppets

 

 

I have been racking my brain, trying to figure out something for Dad for Father’s Day.  He’s in a nursing home, so he doesn’t need much, and he doesn’t really have any hobbies.  He doesn’t like tv, or reading, or music, and he has plenty of clothes.  But, he loves cats-always has, so I decided to get him something with a cat on it. 

It’s June, so no calendars.  Not much space for pictures, they don’t make grown men’s pajamas with cats on them, so I was stumped.

I finally decided to make him a pillowcase, so I headed off to my trusty Wal-Mart.  I know they are down low on the list of Places That Have Great Fabric, but, in my world, you work with what’s available.

Anyway, I ran across these pre-printed pillow panels by Patty Reed, and my problem was solved.  The brindle one is a lot cuter than the yellow one, but he won’t mind.  I also bought some fabric with cats on it, and I’ll make the pillowcase for his birthday.

I also bought fabric to make a puppet theatre for my youngest granddaughter’s birthday.  I had planned to finish it today, but that won’t be happening. My dog is having some issues with the whole being still thing.  He was really good for the first 10 days, but now, he wants off the leash.  Since that isn’t going to happen, he’s decided that the only thing that will make him happy is to have both of us in the same room with him.  So, I’m doing a lot of reading and a lot of handwork right now.  I brought him with me into the office and and am bribing him with bacon treats to stay in here and not cry. He’s going to be so spoiled by the time this is all over!

So, this is the fabric that will, one day soon, be a doorway puppet theatre.

I’m also working on the yo-yo clown for my friend’s little girl.  I embroidered one face, but I can’t use it.  It’s scary—it scared me, so I sure don’t want to send it to Lilly!  I have another one sketched out, so maybe it won’t look scary. 

Hope everyone is staying cool, or warm, depending on your season.  We hit 99º yesterday.

Sewing machine meme

Sew, Mama, Sew is having sewing machine week. To kick off the fun, they have asked for answers to these questions. I think they plan to compile them into a sewing machine resource. I'm not sure how much help I will be, because I have vintage machines. I love the word "vintage". It covers so much stuff that would otherwise be defined as old, used, or ancient.

So, here are my replies.

What brand and model do you have?
I actually have 3 machines. I have a Bernina. I can't remember what model--I think it's a 1980's model. It was my mother's, and she's been gone since 1991. It may be a 1970's model. I put it in the shop a few years ago, and when they returned it, I put it away, since I had another machine. When I finally pulled it out months later, I realized that they had left out the whole bobbin mechanism. There's just a gaping hole there. I keep thinking that I'll hit ebay for the parts, but I haven't bothered.

My second machine is a Singer, ca. 1940's. It's a Featherweight and a half--or so the repairman calls it. For a number of years, it was my only working machine. I liked it just fine, it did everything I needed except backstitch and zig zag. I wasn't sewing much in those days, so it didn't really matter. I bought it at an estate sale for about $20.

The machine I'm using now is a Singer Fashion-Mate, also from the 1970's, that my MIL passed along to me when she downsized. It's my primary machine now, and it's never let me down.

How long have you had it?
Bernina-1991
Singer#1-I got it about 10 years ago.
Singer FM-about 20 years ago.

How much does that machine cost (approximately)?

I think they are all too old to have value.

What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)?
These days, I'm mostly just making toys, pillowcases, a few pillows and kitchen things. I'm not making clothes anymore.

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get?

I probably sew less than 20 hours a month now, although that's way down from a few years ago.

Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name?

I am ambivalent about my machines. It's what I had when I couldn't afford anything else, and now that I can afford to upgrade, I don't see much sense in it.

What features does your machine have that work well for you?
Pretty featureless.

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine?
Not really,

Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it!

When I found the older Singer at an estate sale, it was tucked into a bedroom on the second floor. I carried that machine, in the cabinet, across that house, down a steep, narrow flight of stairs with rude people trying to push past me to get upstairs, and outside to the car. All by myself. I worked for that machine!!!

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why?
Honestly, I'd have to say yes to both Singers. You can pick them up on ebay and estate sales for almost nothing. If you are just getting started, or just doing basic sewing, it's an inexpensive way to get a machine. Mine have all been extremely reliable and both make a pretty stitch.

What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine?

I honestly don't know what's available now. I just plug along with my antiques.

Do you have a dream machine?
Funny you should ask. I want a sew/quilt/embroidery machine. I actually planned to buy one at the State Fair last fall. I saved for a year and had the money in my hot little check book. But, that was about the time the economy started getting a little shaky. I'm self-employed, my husband is semi-retired and works for me, and the truth is that I got scared. I started thinking about how much it was going to cost, and anyway, my office/sewing room is so crowded now that I don't have a place to put a large machine. In the end, I went home without it. It was a good decision. We had a few rough months, before we re-bounded with record sales this spring. So, even if I'd bought it, I wouldn't have time now to get a lot of benefit from it.

So, basically, if you want to get started and think that a machine isn't in your budget, do 2 things. First, ask around and make some phone calls to find out who can work on machines in your area. That might not be an issue in urban areas, but in rural areas, a machine repairman nearby is a very good thing. Once you've done that, start visiting estate sales or yard sales for a machine.

All about yo-yos

Much to my surprise, I've had a lot of questions about yo-yos--what they are, how to use them, but no one has asked how to make them. Hmm...

Anyway, I have no proof, but I think yo-yos were another product of the Victorian era, those lovely, idle ladies who were looking for yet another way to decorate with fabric. The early ones were probably made of silks and velvets, like the crazy quilts.

Yo-yo quilts are not really quilts in the traditional sense. The yo-yos are sewn on top of a backing fabric which shows through the yo-yos. Sometimes, the yo-yos are stitched together without a backing and used as a coverlet.

This would be an example of yo-yos used as a coverlet, just imagine that the expanse of your bed is covered with these, with a white or ivory sheet underneath.



Now, imagine that you wanted a more dramatic backing. You could sew the yo-yos to a darker fabric, or maybe a rose color in a little girls room. Imagine how feminine these would look done in pastel florals, sewn to a pink background.



In the 1970's this craft became popular again. I've seen them made into sleeveless vests worn over turtleneck sweaters. I've seen them covering throw pillows. If you dig through your memories, I'll bet you can remember a grandmother or aunt that had these pillows. Lately, I've seen them made into purses and used as a brooch or decoration on a purse. And of course, there are animals. And clowns.

Camera bags and yo-yos

It's been a busy week for sewing.

My new camera doesn't have a case. I haven't bought one because I like to carry it in my purse, and a bag large enough to fit the camera won't fit in my purse. It isn't really a problem-I'm very careful with my purse, because I'm use to having a camera in there. The lens has a cap, but I was worried about the viewing screen getting scratched. I know it wouldn't be a catastrophe, but there is no point in taking chances.

So, I bought some gorgeous quilted fabric and made my own.



It is not quite as firm as I expected--it probably could have benefitted from some interfacing, but the inside of the quilted fabric was just so pretty that I wanted it to show. If I had used 2 layers of the fabric, it would have made it too bulky. So, this will work just fine.

Just look at that gorgeous inner fabric.



I still need to put some sort of closure on it, but it fits nicely in my purse and will keep it from getting scratched.

And for Yoko, we have yo-yos! Do these colors look ok? Because if not, I can easily adjust them. I'm using mostly primary colors, but if you'd rather, I can put in more pastels or florals.



I meant to make more butterflies today, and I did actually get more cut out, but machine time just didn't happen. Maybe tomorrow.

Flutterbys

I completely fell in love with the fabric butterflies seen on thelongthread's Make it Monday series.

I promised my granddaughter a surprise package this week, and these just fit the bill!

They are designed so that they can work as a mobile or be pinned to a wall. I think she will be happy with her surprise.

They were so much fun to make, and I see a lot more in my future.

Flutterbys

I completely fell in love with the fabric butterflies seen on thelongthread's Make it Monday series.

I promised my granddaughter a surprise package this week, and these just fit the bill!

They are designed so that they can work as a mobile or be pinned to a wall. I think she will be happy with her surprise.

They were so much fun to make, and I see a lot more in my future.