i finally have my first finished weaving project ready ready to show you all. i took my fabric woven on my backstrap loom and turned it into a bag to carry and store the backstrap loom in.
i folded my fabric over lengthwise to make a long thin bag. (i still have a nice chunk of leftover fabric) the top is rolled over twice to create a channel for the drawstring.
after i sewed the bag and tested the loom inside, i decided that the bottom could use some reinforcement… the weight of the loom bits but a fair bit of stress on the bottom. so i sewed a cap for the bottom from denim (recycled from the same pair of jeans as the make do and mend pillow) and added a denim strap.
the drawstring is made from the alternate color of yarn i used in the final bit of weaving (not used in the bag) and another blue yarn held double on my new lucet. the tassels were made from the extra warp threads left when the cloth came off the loom. i added a clip so that the drawstring doesn’t need to be tied and untied all the time.
i am extremely happy with it. i had a few issues learning to sew with handwoven cloth (and had to fudge it a bit at times), but for a first project it pleases me to no end! i already have identified a few issues i would change if i were to do it again (the strap could have been a touch longer… and the bottom cap should have been a bit taller), but they don’t make me love it any less.
to read about the weaving of this bag, check out the Backstrap Weaving and Off the Loom posts
i finally had time (and space on my studio desk to set up the machine) to sit down and sew up the pillow.
when i first started this project, i had been excited about the idea of making it from completely recycled materials… but when i went to my stash of old clothes waiting to be remade, i found that the only thing i had that would work well with our decor was good old denim. i was a little disappointed that i couldn’t do a log cabin style pillow top around the stitched piece… but not enough to make me break out the new fabrics. so, denim it was!
i think it can out great. i like the way the faded creases and small worn spot give it character. it has a lapped back so it can be removed to wash easily.
stitching done! the finished stitched area is 3.25″ on 14 ct. aida cloth… of course, there is extra fabric around the edges to seam into the pillow. I decided to add some back stitching around the heart to make it pop more… the soft pink was too light to show up against the oatmeal background without help. now I just need to sew it into a pillow.
Below are some smaller images… the first is 200 pixels for blog buttons and the second is 100 pixels for Ravatars, etc. if you are listening to Cast On and want to use these to show your love, feel free to snag them.
the theme of the current series on Cast On podcast is Make Do and Mend… I decided to embroider it on a pillow! hehe. the chart above is my design… feel free to “borrow” it to make your own. when I get the pillow done, I’ll post the finished pics.
I’ll be using:
- some Aida cloth from my G’ma…
- embroidery floss from the huge bag of old floss my mom found at an estate sale
- a button (sewn into the heart) from my G’ma’s button box
- an old pillow salvaged off a couch that was beyond repair (as the pillow form)
- and recycled clothing strips log cabin style around the cross stitched piece
this way, I’ll have it around all the time to remind me to keep in the correct mindset!
Please! I would LOVE to know if you use this chart… leave a comment and let me know. better yet, leave a link to pictures of your wonderful work!
good things do come in small packages!
a friend’s daughter has been trying to conceive for a few years. after a long struggle, she finally has been blessed with beautiful twins. Evan and Elisa.
since newborns are always showered with tons of gifts and clothes, i decided to knit for a little later. these Baby Surprise Jackets will be perfect for when they are about a year old in the Idaho winter.
i made a couple of felt covered hangers for them with sewn in lavender sachets to help prevent moths…plus it’s just nice to have a the hangers on hand.
i made some matching hats to go with the jackets too
and just because i can’t help but knit for newborns… some booties made from sock yarn scraps.
I Love Babies!
good thing… cause now i’ve got another nephew and cousin on the way…. time to get a knittin’!
Materials Needed:
- 2 main body fabric pieces – 13″x22″
- one piece of quilt batting – 13″x22″
- one flap fabric piece – 9″x22″
- 5 pocket fabric pieces – 5″x22″
- 1/2″ wide double fold bias tape
- 3 snaps
Step 1:
layer the quilt batting between the 2 main body fabric pieces with the right sides facing outward. i highly suggest pinning this sandwich together in several places through out to prevent shifting of the layers while quilting. using your choice of decorative stitch (or plain, if you prefer) quilt vertical lines into this quilt sandwich. i did not plan placement of my stitching lines… but you may want to for a more grid-like finished appearance. remember that there will be additional lines added at 5 1/2″, 11″ and 16 1/2″ for the pocket seams. i chose to just play using the decorative stitches on my machine and a variegated rayon thread. set aside.
Continue reading ‘Circular Needle Roll – Tutorial’
i just finished making up these great needle cases to store my double pointed needles.
the pattern/tutorial came from kathrynivy.com
i added the muslin strips so i could add needle sizes with a sharpie. i know, embroidering them on would have been so much cooler… but sometimes quick is better. i can always make more later. i still need to make a couple more. i thought all my DPNs were 7″ untill i got them out to put them into the cases. turns out i have a few 5″ ones.
next up is a needle roll to store my circular needles in. i found one i like, but it’s vinyl. i’ve worked out how i think i can replicate it in fabric. if i manage to make something decent, i’ll post my pattern design.
this is a quilt top made from an image transfer of a collage I did last year. this quilt top has been sitting in my fiber arts work basket for a looooong time. I finally finished up the embroidery on it. now I’m stuck on whether to make it into a pillow like I had planned…. or to turn it into a mini art quilt to hang.
it’s made to finish 16″ square… and I couldn’t get a very good picture of it. the colors are really off. it’s much brighter in real life.
as we’ve been going through the process of moving, I’ve been coming across bits of art of mine from when I first started discovering I could be creative… these little wire chairs were a big part of my early (in my 20′s) creative play. oh, and the pink and blue one is made with matchsticks and embroidery floss for the seat… painted with nail polish, lol.
this piece is a stone sculpture I was working on in a sculpture class at the community college until I got jury duty and ended up having to drop. it’s been packed away waiting to be finished for about 12 years now. I need to drill the base so I can mount it onto a plexiglass rod on a base… and then finish sanding it to a very high shine. it’s in the state it’s in now because there was no point sanding before drilling… it would just get scratched in the process. it’s soap stone and oh so soft to carve (scratch). click the images to go to the large ones.
when I found the sculpture above, it was in a box with my files, etc… and also all the scrap bits of stone from that carving. the bits are tiny, but I always knew I would find something/sometime to make then into. well, I was overcome with the nostalgia of it all… thinking about the many hours spent in the ceramics/sculpture studio… and I went at it and made this little one. I think it’s going to end up being a focal point in an altoid shrine.
this was the one and only teddy bear I ever sewed. I made him back about 10 years ago when I was just getting re familiar with my sewing machine. he’s far from perfect, but he’s mine, lol. click the image to go to the large one.
