Category Archives: Sewing

Embroidered Hearts

Posted in Boston, Holiday, Recycled materials, Sewing, Stuff to make by

Before we kick into full valentine production at my house, cutting and decorating paper hearts for my kid’s multidinous classmates (maybe this is the best argument for keeping class sizes small), I thought I’d sneak in a little stitching.

It all started with this freebie download for bear and bunny dolls  from wee wonderfuls. I stitched bunny, but not bear because . . .

 . . . I was taken by the urge to create these lumpy little stuffed embroidered hearts! 

I had hoped they’d be reminiscent of these embroidered birds,  but alas, not quite. I learned that it’s really hard to turn small shapes right side out after sewing. Also that I haven’t mastered sewing perfect curves on my machine. And the elusive invisible stitch? I keep trying . . .  

But I did my messy best and enjoyed the embroidery. I used muslin for the front and for the back, scraps of printed cotton and denim and (pink!) cordoroy from recycled pants. The heart paper is from Paper Source in Cambridge. Happy Valentine’s Day, friends!

Curtains

Posted in Brooklyn, Sewing, Stuff to make by

Here are some curtains I made using the purl bee pattern lovely lined curtains. In case you haven’t noticed, I am seriously enamored with all things purl. In case you are thinking of trying the pattern, it might be worth noting that it recommends pulling a thread to make a straight line for cutting, which is a very clever trick. After a painstaking hour of pulling tiny bits of thread, I couldn’t stand it and zipped through the fabric with my rotary cutter–so satisfying! But, as the pattern forewarns, it’s pretty much impossible to cut a straight line 60-inches long. As you can see below, my lovely lining peeks out from the bottom of one panel, but it’s really only noticeable upon close inspection. The fabric is from Joelle Hoverson’s collection Cake Rock Beach. I love the seaweed pattern, which reminds me that Brooklyn is actually very close to the ocean!

Darling Clementine, Part 2

Posted in Boston, Recycled materials, Sewing, Stuff to make by

OK, for Part 2 of the Darling Clementine Project, I thought I would sew a groovy vintage-y oilcloth liner for a clementine crate. I thought this print with oranges would be perfect:Green Oranges OilclothYou can order it at http://www.warmbiscuit.com. But I decided to take my chances and buy a yard of whatever was in stock at the nearby Tags Ace Hardware. (Not many hardware stores carry oilcloth–only those in yuppie strongholds like Porter Square in Cambridge, Mass.) Anyway, I chose the only fruit-themed print they had: red cherries on white.

I decided that it would be better to build up the clementine crate with bass wood strips (from my local craft store). That way, the liner would have an edge to fold over and it wouldn’t obscure the Darling Clementine graphic on the side of the box. I tried stapling the wood strips first, then hammering in brads, but the wood corners of the box were surprising strong. So, I used wood glue, which worked well.

Sewing the liner went pretty quickly (except getting the tension right for the oilcloth). For complete, step-by-step directions, a downloadable pdf is here: Darling Clementine Project.

 

Not sure what I’m going to store in it: clementines, maybe?

Oh, happy day!

Posted in Brooklyn, Knitting, Sewing, Stuff to make by

A three-day weekend, and a sale at my local, friendly yarn and fabric store, Brooklyn General–what could be better? Brooklyn General is a cozy store with a great selection of natural fibers, a helpful staff, and a doll’s house in case you have a small person in tow. Another great thing–a few times a year everything in the store is 25 percent off, which is such a treat. Here are the things I bought–the black fabric with the sporty cars is for a sewing machine cover, the yarn is for a keyhole scarf for my niece, and the plain cotton (Kona) is for just about anything.

Camera case

Posted in Sewing, Stuff to make by


You can make this soft camera case in about an hour using left over bits of fabric, some batting, and a big button. You might be worried about putting your camera in something that was so easy to make, but don’t be! The case has double batting and French seams; your camera will be safe as houses. Attached are detailed instructions! Point and shoot camera case