My Spare Time

Repurposed

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:14:00 +0000

A few weeks ago we added to the chaos of our house by dogsitting for our friends' bichon. Mix three territorial cats, a crazy terrior, and a new dog and it makes for an interesting week.

As a thank you, Kim brought me the conch shell bracelet seen yesterday. Conch is one of the main industries where they were vacationing. The shells are so gorgeous, but as she handed it to me she said it was huge and I'd never wear it, and of course I protested, said it was beautiful.

But the truth is I probably wouldn't wear it very often, so I carefully snipped the elastic and used the beads to make a few new pieces of jewelry.

The conch beads will see the outside of my jewelry box a lot more often this way!

July Plans

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:26:00 +0000

Those who can't do... Plan!

1. Use these conch beads to make some earrings and a necklace or two.

There are just never enough hours in the day to do everything I want to do. I'm sure we all wish we could get by on a little less sleep, skip (even more than I already do) the less pleasant daily chores, come home from work a little earlier...

2. Find some cute red gingham and pair it with these cherries for a new lunch bag.

But since crafting usually has to be a little lower on my list, behind, say, paying the bills, I spend a lot of time day dreaming about what I want to do next!

3. Make a wall hanging for my newly painted nook.

So I always have a lot more dream projects on my list than I will ever be able to get to.

4. Finish the nook project by cleaning and organizing all this wonderful storage space - this will be my July OPAM.

Above are a few I hope to get to get started on over the long weekend. What are some of your tricks for having time to do it all?

52 Nights Update - Night 18 - I made dinner right after work (super yummy), folded and put away about 5 loads of laundry from the weekend, and tried out the yoga class at my new gym. I haven't been to yoga in ages and man am I inflexible! I think I'll have to make that class a regular activity...

Small Regrets

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 01:46:00 +0000

Ever since I had the chance to visit Liberty when I was in London, I have regretted not picking up some of their fantastic fabric. It was so expensive, and though it would have been a fantastic souvenir to actually buy it in the Liberty store, I left empty handed.

Luckily Marisa linked to a great store with a wide selection of Liberty available as affordable fat quarters, so I was able to correct my "mistake."

The lovely turquoise fabric is a recent purchase from here.

I'm so bad about hoarding fabric, not actually using my "nice" fabric, I hope I can actually use these!

In the grand scheme of life it's a small regret to not buy fabric on a business trip, but it still brings me joy to have these gorgeous prints as a reminder of London!

Done, with a week to spare.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:07:00 +0000

Sorry for the slew of home improvement posts! Hopefully you're like me and LOVE before-after pictures. With $40 of paint (why is paint so expensive???) and some motivation to finally hang things on the wall, our office nook went from this:

To this:

Ignore the concrete floor - one step at a time!

It's still a little plain and definitely needs some organizing, but I love it!

Finishing Touch

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:40:00 +0000

There is a lot of really interesting history about labeling quilts. This is something I've never done - I know I should, but my quilts have all been gifts and I'm never finished early enough to get on a label. I was about to send off the diamond quilt when I remembered these posts by Marisa.

Since I had to get this quilt packaged and in the mail today to be on time for the baby shower, I stayed up late last night to get this on there. I stabilized the fabric with Heat-n-bond, waiting to peel off the paper backing until after I was done writing. Supposedly the Heat-n-bond is washable, but I did decorative handstitching around the edge anyway.

I used a pigma pen like Marisa recommended and did really like it. It has a soft tip, and I wonder how it will wear after writing on relatively rough fabric, but for now it is fantastic. If you're a quilter, do you always label your quilts? I think I will from now on!

52 Nights Update - Night 17 - I got right to work painting when I got home and finished the nook - pictures as soon as I hang a few things on the walls. Then I made dinner (since it was after 8pm it was tempting to skip this and just eat junk, but I behaved!), and decided to do the quilt label. Handstitching did allow for a little TV time, perfect to relax after a busy evening!

Sunday Already?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:06:00 +0000

Where did this weekend go??

We made progress on the floor. (Well, the boys did, I cheered them on.)

I made another batch of the caramel shortbread - I put a batch in the Relay for Life auction at work and the lady called to remind me I owed her!

Is it bad to go to my book club meeting when I haven't finished the book? Turns out in this case it was a good thing, since now I'm motivated to finish - seems like there's a lot of interesting events I haven't gotten to yet!

And among other chores and errands I got the nook ready to go - hopefully paint will go up tomorrow, thanks to no tech night!

Getting Better

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 17:31:00 +0000

My two-color plan for the nook is half done! I realized in my before picture you can't see the bookcase wall, but it was the same off-white as the rest of the nook.

Now it's khaki! Two coats are up, and I don't think it will need a third. Tomorrow I'll tackle the other color. Off to work on pinning my quilt - I haven't touched it since last weekend!

Recessed Zipper How-To

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:04:00 +0000

I've had a few questions about how to install a recessed zipper closure on a handbag. This has to be the longest tutorial written in the history of tutorials! I did my best to explain, but please let me know if anything is unclear.

You Will Need:

- (1) 14" zipper
- (2) 15.5" x 2.5" inside upper fabric
- (2) 15.5" x 16" inside lower fabric (I demonstrate using my own pattern, feel free to experiment!)
- (2) 15.5" x 18.25" outer fabric (or your own pattern)

1. Take one 15.5" x 2.5" piece of fabric. Pin the zipper as shown, zipper pull facing down, centered based on the zipper, not the webbing.

2. Sew using your zipper foot and 1/4" seam allowance. When you get close to the zipper pull, leave the needle down and raise the machine foot, pivoting the fabric so you can move the pull to the other side of the needle. Finish sewing.

Lift the presser foot and pull the zipper to the other side of the foot. May take some wiggling.

Back stitch at the beginning and end, by the zipper stops.

3. Take one 15.5" x 16" inside fabric and place the zipper face down on the top edge, sandwiching the zipper between two layers of fabric.

4. Sew as in Step 2, following your first sewn line as close as possible.

5. Repeat with the other pieces of inside fabric (see photos). Be sure the small lining pieces are on the same side of the zipper.

Center the 2nd top strip along the zipper and sew.

Place last bare side of zipper face down on last lining piece and sew.

6. Your lining is finished. Now is a good time to check if the lining and outer pieces are the same size. Trim if needed.

7. Unzip the zipper about halfway. Match one outer piece to the inner piece, right sides together, along the 15.5" edge. This is when you'd insert your straps if you want them at the top of the bag - mine are attached in a lower seam. Sew with 1/2" seam allowance, backstitching at beginning and end to secure.

8. Repeat Step 7 with the other outer piece.

You should be getting an idea of your finished bag!

9. Now it's time to finish the bag. Open the zipper almost all the way (so you'll be able to turn your bag right side out). Match the outer pieces, right sides together, and pin.

10. Match the lining pieces, right sides together, and pin.

11. Starting in the middle of an edge on the outer pieces, sew one direction as close as you can get to the zipper, backstitching to secure.

Fold the zipper towards you to help get the needle closer to the zipper.

You can see I don't always get super close to the zipper - it won't matter!

12. Go back to where you started in Step 11, and sew the other direction, overlapping your first stitches for a few inches. Sew as close as you can get to the zipper, backstitching to secure.

13. Repeat Step 11 with the inner pieces.

14. Repeat Step 12, except leave ~6" open to turn your bag right side out. Back stitch each side of this opening to it won't rip when you're shoving the bag through while turning.

15. Your bag should be sewn completely except for your opening in the lining.

16. Using pinking shears, trim the seams where the outer meets the lining to reduce bulk at these intersections.

17. Pull the bag right side out.

18. Close the opening in the lining, either by hand-stitching or carefully sewing with your machine.

19. Top stitch if desired.

20. Admire your bag!

I hope that made sense! It took a lot of photos and explanation, but it's basically like a glorified zipper pouch. Please let me know if anything is unclear - or if you figure out an easier way to do something!

P.S. This is the bag for the winner of my Relay for Life raffle - it'll go in the mail soon, Megan, I hope you like it!

Coming Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 23:20:00 +0000

Due to popular demand I'm busy working on a tutorial for a recessed zipper like this and this.

Rather than writing more here I'm going to get back to work on the tutorial! I'll post it tomorrow if all goes well.

52 Nights Update - Night 16 started off well with some sewing and a trip to the gym, made dinner... Then we finished Season 3 of Lost instead of more productivity. Oh well!

Big Undertaking

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 04:07:00 +0000

When I started my master quilt, I did so knowing it was going to be a challenge. I'd never made a king-size quilt before, never used the true quilt sandwich method, never had to baste anything so large.

Drawing lines for quilting with a little help from Hitch.

Luckily I have an awesome mother-in-law who is always excited to help.

Our innovative smooth and pin work positions.

She borrowed a million safety pins and a cool pin-closing tool from a quilter friend and came over today to help me work.

Nifty safety pin closer thingy to save our fingers.

She's teaching me the tricks she's learned - start in the middle, don't baste the whole quilt at once so you can resmooth after doing a section of the quilting, roll tightly so it fits in your machine... I'd be struggling so much more without her help!

It is still a huge project, but just working with someone else makes it so much better!

Jump Start

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 00:29:00 +0000

I know I mentioned two special order necklaces on my list, but I decided to take a quick break to make myself a necklace.

I needed a little something to wear with one of my favorite shirts, and it's been a long time since I've made anything with the intent to keep it!

These beads are so sparkly and pretty in person, I kept it simple to show them off.

Making something quick and fun like this often kick starts my crafty drive - now I can get back to work on my other projects!

P.S. - I joined twitter. Picture me rolling my eyes! facebook, twitter, before you know it I'll have a myspace page! Anyway, there's a little gadget in the sidebar to see my updates, in case you don't get enough of me!

Getting Back Into It

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 02:54:00 +0000

Thanks for all your comments on my lost mojo. I'm feeling much better, and got some much needed crafty time in this evening...

Working on a tote for my cousin.

Planning two necklaces for special orders.

Figuring out how to make my master quilt the right size.

It was very... restoring... to have some time in my craft room. I definitely get fidgety when I'm away too long!

Button Mail

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:45:00 +0000

My buttons from the button swap arrived!

They are absolutely precious.

I realized guiltily as I opened the package that I sent mine off with no way to know they were from me. Oops. No cute tag or backing, like these. How clever.

Not sure what to do with them now to be able to maximize admiration of them. Maybe pushpins or magnets, so they don't get tied to a single finished project.

Love them all!

52 Nights Update - (Night 15) I am still anxiously awaiting the return of my mojo. I think I see it lurking on the horizon, but still no crafting lately. Last night was an easy no tech night, though. It was girls' night with my mom and visiting cousin. We did watch a movie, which might seem to break the no-tech rules, but since it was social, girl time, I say it doesn't count!

Lost my Mojo

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 22:00:00 +0000

I've been in a little bit of a slump this past week. A few contributing factors, including a broken big toe (ouch), and a distinct lack of after-work-crafting motivation. So nothing's been done this week, despite ambitious plans to work on several different projects.

I know times like these come and go, that I will feel productive again soon, but it's hard to see that from inside a slump.

One advantage of my toe injury is that I don't have to get up at 5am tomorrow to run with my running club, so I'm hoping that will provide a little extra energy to find my crafting mojo.

In the meantime, I have enjoyed gazing at these amazing lillies, a gift from a good friend who came to visit last weekend. I swear you can smell them in my whole house, just delicious!

The Nook

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 01:16:00 +0000

I mentioned Sunday that my June OPAM is to fix up our office nook.

This is such a great space, it's close enough to our big back windows to get a lot of light, you can still easily talk to folks in other parts of the house, and it has a ton of space for storage.

This OPAM is purely cosmetic - paint, and some things I've been meaning to hang on the walls. Maybe for another month's project I'll tackle cleaning out all these drawers and cabinets, full of whatever we threw in there willy nilly when we moved in four years ago!

The Power of the Interweb

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:25:00 +0000

The fact that I have a blog, a flickr account, a really long blogroll over there on the side, etc, should be evidence enough that I love the internet. But I am sometimes still surprised by the things that can come about from it!

I got an email towards the end of April from Amy in Kansas - she found my blog while searching for Relay for Life information, and sweetly requested a tote for their Survivor Dinner. They have a dinner to honor cancer survivors, and at the end of the evening they raffle off prizes for the survivors, and she wanted one of the prizes to be a tote of mine!

I was so honored to be asked, and so happy she found me. It's very nice to hope something I made is brightening the evening of someone who has battled cancer! Maybe that's why I chose the sunny colors?

52 Nights Update - Night 14 was back on track! I skipped the gym (busted my toe this weekend in my soccer game so no running, etc) but did everything else on my "to do" list. It was a good night!

Deadline Schmedline

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 02:45:00 +0000

A little peek of what I worked on this weekend...

This is not my master bed quilt. Yes, it is June, so I missed my OPAM deadline. I never would have gotten as far as I did without the OPAM motivation, so thanks Tara! Hopefully I'll get back to it soon, though the quilting is still a little daunting and I discovered today I didn't get enough material for the backing. Things don't always go well on the first try!

Even though I didn't make it for May, I'm going to try again in June. For June, my OPAM project is get our office nook in order - "before" picture forthcoming when I have some daylight.

Also, I was super excited to be blog browsing this weekend and see this on whipup...

My tea towel apron, so cool! Thanks, Nicole!

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Diamonds for Kali

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sat, 31 May 2008 01:02:00 +0000

This little baby blanket has been in my head for a long time.

I picked up the fabrics when I saw the Alexander Henry numbers print at JoAnns, it was just too cute to resist.

Then I saw the Zig Zag quilt at the purl bee but wanted to do a little twist on it.

Diamonds! It is quilted to fleece because I still love that so much. I'll add a few goodies to the package and then send it on its way to LA in plenty of time for the June baby shower. So good to have this finished!

Fab Burpies

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 28 May 2008 23:07:00 +0000

I really love these fabric-ended burprags, so I took some pics last time I made them in case anyone else wants to try.

I like this method because it's really quick and doesn't use a ton of material or Heat-n-Bond while still looking really nice. I usually make 6 or more at a time since it's easy to stack up the fabric when cutting!

You Will Need:
- tri-fold cloth diapers
    (I use the Gerber brand from Target which are 14" wide)
- 11" x 14" piece of decorative fabric per diaper
    (Adjust the 14" dimension to match the width of your diaper)
- 4 pieces of Heat-n-Bond approx. 1 1/2" x 5" per diaper
    (another type of double sided fusible interfacing would work too)

1. Iron diaper and decorative fabric to remove wrinkles.

2. Press in ~1/2" on both 14" edges and then press to form a crease down the center of the 14" length.

3. Following the Heat-n-Bond directions, use two small pieces and press the rough side to each short edge of the decorative fabric.

4. Remove the paper backing from the Heat-n-Bond and position the fabric across the bottom of the diaper as shown. Your Heat-n-Bond pieces should be facing the diaper. Press to attach.

5. Flip the diaper over and apply the remaining Heat-n-Bond pieces to the exposed wrong side of the decorative fabric.

6. Being sure to match the folded edges, fold the decorative fabric up to wrap the end of the diaper and press to attach.

7. Starting at one corner, zig zag stitch the three loose sides of the decorative fabric. Since you lined up the folded edges in step 6, the zig zag stitch should catch the decorative fabric on both sides of the diaper.

8. Step back and admire your handiwork!

Since these rags are often tossed over the shoulder for holding and burping, having the pretty fabric at the bottom looks really nice!

These wash up really well and seem to be holding their own after frequent use. I hope this made sense and you enjoy!

Nothing to Show

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 28 May 2008 03:49:00 +0000

I got totally caught up in the laziness of the three day weekend, and didn't do any crafting yesterday. I putzed around the house, made coffee cake, took care of some long-needed organization projects... but nothing in my craft room despite several due-soon projects!

The package with my king-size batting showed up so I'll soon be madly basting and quilting the master quilt - a couple other projects are going to get priority, so I might miss my Saturday deadline, but not by much.

I'm back on track, I just don't have much to share just yet! Since I hate a post with no pictures, here's another sweet baby!

52 Nights Update - Night 13 was a miserable failure. I did quite well avoiding technology during the day, but in the evening we decided to see what all the Lost fuss is about and got sucked into Season 1. I'll have better self discipline next week, I hope!

New Tote!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sun, 25 May 2008 16:06:00 +0000

I was supposed to get the batting for my master quilt delivered Friday, but through a (very frustrating) miscommunication with DHL, it's not coming until Tuesday. So instead of nothing but quilting this weekend, I'm finishing up a few other projects.

I'm a little worried that I won't make my May deadline on my master quilt, but I'm staying optimistic. I'm so anxious to see how it comes out that I'm motivated to work "long hours" on it!

This bag is a familiar design, with a few tweaks - hidden zipper rather than right up at top, and a new pocket method.

I love this bag to death, but it's a gift, so I'll have to be sending it on its way. Which enforces my desire to make myself one soon! Thank goodness for three day weekends. I'm going no tech (if I can) the rest of the day and tomorrow, so wish me luck and see you on Tuesday!

Meet Izabelle

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 22 May 2008 23:32:00 +0000

Monday I had the opportunity to take a few photographs of the daughter of some good friends. This is Izabelle, at 9 weeks:

Even though she was grumpy I still had a lot of fun. I've found a 9-week-old that can't move around much is easier than a squirmy toddler, that's for sure!

Like Candy

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 20 May 2008 22:55:00 +0000

Despite a plan to avoid stash enhancing, I have been having trouble resisting all the vintage glass beads I keep finding on etsy.

They are just so pretty and colorful. I get mesmerized and just keep clicking "add to cart."

I have a few upcoming projects that will be a lot easier with a well-rounded bead stash, but that's a pretty poor excuse. I know I would buy them anyway.

Luckily these aren't all new, I have a teeny bit of self control.

Since a lot of these will get used in the near future, I can't make myself feel too guilty!

52 Nights Update: Night 12 I switched it up a little - after work I headed to a friend's house to take pics of her sweet 9-week-old daughter. Izabelle was pretty grumpy, so we're going to try again one morning since she's usually happier! Then home to work on some projects and make dinner. I had a few nights last week with an open schedule that I could have worked on projects and instead got sucked into the Tivo backlog, so it felt good to get back on track!

Checking Things Off

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sun, 18 May 2008 21:41:00 +0000

Thanks to everyone who signed up for RME with my referral! I reinvested in crafty folks by going on a little etsy spree.

Going with my new motto "finished is better than perfect" I have been trying to check a few things off my list!

Starting a very belated baby gift.

Getting the master quilt and new quilt tops finished.

And can I just share something with you guys? There are limited folks in my life that will appreciate this:

Can you see that? Angled piecing, without cutting off any corners! There's a reason I don't attempt fancy blocks, as much as I would love to try Amanda Jean's star quilt-along - I usually chop the tips off of any points I try to piece. So, yay! I'm excited!!

It feels really good to get to some long-awaited projects! Hopefully I'll actually have some finished projects to share soon rather than all these works in progress...

Free Money!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:20:00 +0000

Thanks to Beki for the headsup, there's a new paysite in town! If you sign up for Revolution Money Exchange (RME) before the end of the day today, May 15, you'll get $25 free deposited into your account. RME is like Paypal, but with no fees. Once you have an account you can spend your money online, or transfer it into your checking account. Here is a list of some retailers accepting it.

If you click the button above, I'll get $10 deposited into my account, too! What are you waiting for??