Sew Big!

Ready to ship

2008-11-09T15:06:00.000-08:00

I finished up my first official craft swap project this morning. It's now boxed and ready to ship. A mother in Michigan and I agreed to a stocking stuffer swap for our children. Her son likes cats so I made him a litter of kittens. I sewed five kittens out of different fabrics and furs. In a final crafty flurrish, I made a little animal bed for the kittens out of some leftover fleece I purchased for a blanket. I will mail tomorrow.

This one is my husband's favorite.

This one is definitely the oddball of the litter. I almost didn't send him but decided what the heck and threw him into the package.

This one is my favorite! All fuzzy and white.

The project was very fun and it definitely pushed me to make a project I probably wouldn't have attempted before.

A rough draft

2008-11-07T19:17:00.000-08:00

I picked up this furry fabric to make another kitten and I realized it would make a cute giraffe. I found a cute little free giraffe pattern online. I decided to keep the stuffed animal small--but things got a little hairy after I sewed the legs. They were so small that the furry fabric was impossible to turn right-side out.

I hate to waste so I ripped out part of the sewing, creating a bigger hole so I could flip the legs right-side out. I then sewed the rest of the legs by hand. The hand sewing doesn't look the best but I did complete the project. I am still debating whether I will add a little mane, tail, eyes and a nose or just leave it plain.

I think I will keep the pattern and try it out again sometime. I'll just increase the pattern size by 200 percent so I won't have that leg issue. I might also use some wire in the legs and neck so the giraffe will be bendy.

Here's the link to the pattern:

http://dollmakersjourney.com/giraffe.html

Cat Fancy

2008-11-02T14:13:00.000-08:00

I am now working on a few items for my first official swap. I joined Craftster.com in October and another member--a fellow mom in Michigan--agreed to do a little stocking stuffer swap. Her 9-year-old likes cats so I decided to make him a litter of kittens. I haven't finished the faces but I thought they turned out so well I'd post some in-process photos.

I used different fabrics for each cat. The little short-haired white kitty was my first test cat, which I made using some leftover fabric. I used foe fur and fuzzy felt for the other three. My favorite is the fuzzy little white one.

Here's the link to the pattern. It's actually very simple and I was very satisfied with the overall shape. I hope my swap partner likes them! I still feel a nervous about the swap. I want my swap buddy to feel satisfied.

http://dollmaker.nunodoll.com/cat/terrycats.html

Here's another cat pattern I found online. It's called pointy kitty and is more cartoonish. I haven't tried it yet but I will add to my to-do list.

http://weewonderfuls.typepad.com/wee_wonderfuls/store/pointykitty.html

My last batch!

2008-11-02T14:05:00.000-08:00

I finally finished stitching my final Black Apple dolls. When I first starting making them, I got carried away and cut fabric for 10 dolls. Once the fabric is cut, I feel compelled to finish. So here they are. These dolls were too much fun and so easy to whip out.

Mommy craft swap!

2008-10-31T07:58:00.000-07:00

I am so excited. Several other crafty moms have agreed to come together for a December craft swap. We're all working on a variety of projects that we'll unveil at a swap party on Dec. 5. We have more than a dozen moms participating in swap night. We're also doing a great coaster craft project at the party.

I have been sewing and crafting alone for the last two years, so I am thrilled at the prospect of sharing tips, patterns, projects and praise with other crafty moms. I am new to the stay-at-home mom scene ( I quit working in September) so I am also looking forward to meeting other moms. It's so much easier to form friendships when you have a common hobby.

I can't wait to see everyone else's project.

Help! My doll/creature turned out "weird"

2008-10-31T07:03:00.000-07:00

Here's a reply I wrote to a Craftster poster looking to improve a little ragdoll. After I wrote it, I thought, I should put this on my blog, so here it is!

I consider myself a craft novice so I am often looking to "fix up" a doll that turned out a little weird. Here's some of my quick fixes.

1. Make a little scarf out of felt, fleece or scrap fabric and add it to to the doll. It helps when I've messed up the head shape a bit or when the neck seems thick. I live in Minnesota so all my dolls could use a scarf :) If I could knit, I would probably knit a little scarf.

2. Add a little lace trim (that stuff you get 3 yards for a $1 in the bargain bin) around the neck. This can fix a slightly odd head or neck issue.

3. Add a tutu. Sounds crazy but I make a little no-sew tutu out of tulle strips wrapped around a ribbon and it cutes a doll right up. I have also added ballet slippers--making them out of felt and ribbon.

4. Make a dress. It camouflages some of the strangeness of a simple cloth body. (I posted photos of some of those dolls with dresses earlier in the blog.)

5. Add a fancy little decorative button to the doll. (You can find cute little heart buttons in the dollar bin. You get 100 buttons for $1 in all kinds of colors.)

6. If you're not great with embroidery ( I am not!) break down and buy an iron-on face. It guarantees you'll get a cute face.

7. On one doll that was looking a little "weird, I added little button cheeks. It upped the cute factor.

8. Add a bow to the hair. (Michael's Crafts now has a great $1 ribbon bin--lots of fun patterns and colors. I am a total cheapskate so I always hit the sales tables and discount bins.)

9. Just accept this doll is going to be a little "Weird." I have a few dolls that just look alien! Ooops.
Like I said, I am not a perfectionist so these are some of my cheap and easy fixes!

The stitch that started it all

2008-10-30T19:20:00.001-07:00

I'm playing catch up on my blog and I wanted to post some of my very first projects. When I was pregnant, I got a hankering to bring my newborn home from the hospital home in a homemade quilt. The only problem was I didn't have a sewing machine and had almost no sewing skills. Up to that point, my most complicated project had been a pillow with the help of my mother. (You can see that set of yellow decorative pillows in some of my doll photos. I sewed some of the trim on the wrong way but I kept them anyway.)

My first thought was I would buy the fabric, cut the squares for the quilt and then have my mother sew them. Well, my mother is a lovely person but I wasn't sure she'd ever complete the quilt. So I went to Target and bought this little rickety childlike sewing machine for $20. I then used it to sew two quilt fronts. I didn't use a pattern or book. I just played it by ear. (That's something I do often!)

My quilt squares were HUGE but I was so proud. I even took them to my office ( I was still working at the time) to show my coworker friends. They oooed and ahhed on cue even though in retrospect they were pretty simple.

I then read a few tutorials on the Internet, bought a roll of batting and somehow figured out how to sew the whole thing together.

I really jumped into quilting. I probably made a dozen quilts --trying some different shapes and patterns. My most ambitigous projects were quilts for my grandmother and mother. Here's a few photos of some of the quilts I made for my daughter Ella. We still use them today. They've actually hold up well and can withstand the washing machine and dryer. I don't iron them or display them like the more decorative and intricate quilts. We just use them and enjoy them.

This pink quilt below is the one I used to bring home Ella from the hospital. That was a year ago!

Brainstorming my own patterns

2008-10-30T19:07:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm feeling more confident with some of my basic sewing skills, I am trying to create some of my own patterns. It's not rocket science, right? Here's two dolls I made from scratch--pattern and all. First I sketched the pattern and cut it out. Then I snipped the fabric--etc.

I think they both turned out ok. I want to reshape the head on the second doll. I embroidered both faces. I am still working on coming up with a truly great pattern!

Corduroy jumper cuteness

2008-10-30T18:55:00.000-07:00

I was going to take a break from baby clothes but I couldn't resist making Ella this soft little corduroy jumper. I zipped it together one night after she went to bed. Now that she's walking, she can really show of the clothes I make her. I decided to keep it simple--no buttons or bows. They're a zipper in the back.

Now I just need to tackle pants!

Here's a photo of my little daughter wearing the jumper during a busy play session.

Sleepy-time lamb

2008-10-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

I splurged and spent $9 on a pattern to make a bunch of these little lamb dolls. I think I made nearly dozen and then gave them away. They're a cute, soft baby gift. I also altered the pattern and made a little bunny.

Hand-sewn Scruffy bear

2008-10-30T18:02:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to make a teddy bear but working with fur and movable limbs scares me. Well when a fellow crafter posted a free teddy bear pattern on craftster.com, I decided to give it whirl. Here's a link to the pattern: http://www.jennylovesbenny.com/FREEPATTERNS/SUNDAY.pdf

The hardest part was tracking down the joint components. I didn't quite follow what the pattern called for so I decided to use premade plastic bear/doll joints. I found the joints at a quirky little doll shop in Blaine called Mrs. B's Dolls. I bought them from Mrs. B's because when I called, Mrs. B herself confirmed that she had the plastic joints. (I looked on Michaels and Joann Fabric's website and couldn't find them there.)

I paid $4.20 for 12 joints. (Each bear uses 5 joints for the neck and four limbs.) I bought a very plush foe fur at Hancock. It was actually kind of expensive even with a 40 percent off coupon. (I paid $13.20 for a yard but I have a lot left so you could probably make 3 or 4 bears with it)

I increased the pattern's size to 130 percent using a copier. I then pinned pattern pieces to the fur and cut. There is actually a technique to cutting fur. First, make sure the pieces are laid out so the fur is all going the same direction. Then, you take small little cuts so as not to shear all off the fur on the edges. It's hard to explain until you're actually cutting.

Each piece had to be double hand sewn. You have to do a blanket stitch and then a back stitch to make the bear nice and sturdy. (It took me several hours of sewing each night while I was watching television to complete the project.) The pattern shows you how to complete both stitches.

When all the pieces are sewn, you flip them so they're fur-side out and you stuff them. I used a polyester fill but there's a lot of stuffing options.

Attaching the ears was the hard part. My bear is really fuzzy so I couldn't neatly stitch around the ears. Fortunately all the long fur hid my clumsy, messy stitches. I embroidered the nose and used plastic eyes. I then assembled the bear with the plastic joints, adding a bit more stuffing to all the pieces and ladder stitched all the stuffing holes shut.

My bear is far from perfect but I think he's cute. He has a bit of a puppy dog face. He's about 15 inches tall and he feels sturdy. This was my first totally hand-stitched project and I would actually recommend trying it.

My newest crafting addiction

2008-10-30T17:38:00.000-07:00

I am always looking for free patterns online. I've definitely been on a toy-making kick so when I stumbled onto this little doll pattern, I had to make one--or ten!

Here's the link to the free pattern and tutorials. Emily was featured on a Martha Stewart segment this autumn.

They're called Black Apple dolls. The doll's creator Emily Martin is the best-selling crafter/artist on ETSY.com. (ETSY.com is another one of my addictions. It's an eBay for crafters and artists. It's so fun to window shop online and see everyone's great ideas and work.)

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/black-apple-doll?lnc=38f9cf380e1dd010VgnVCM1000005b09a00aRCRD marthastewart.co m/article/black-apple-doll?lnc=38f9cf380e1dd010VgnVCM1000005b09a00aRCRD

These dolls are so simple to make and you can really personalize them with your chose of fabrics, ribbons, buttons and hairstyles.

One slight tricky area is the hair, especially if you choose to add pigtails like I did on some of the dolls.

An easy homemade doll project

2008-07-21T11:47:00.000-07:00

Here's a fun little project I completed for my daughter. I sewed a set of rag dolls. Instead of sewing a traditional Raggedy Ann and Andy, I decided to do a more modern take. I made dolls with little ruffled dresses with ribbons and longer hair that can be styled in braids, ponytails or just left down. There are some great resources online. I found a great doll pattern with easy-to-follow instructions.

My inspiration for sewing a doll for my daughter was a little plush ballerina doll I purchased. I purchased the adorable little blond ballerina doll at a TJ Maxx-type store for $10 but when I went online looking to buy the brunette version, I found out they retailed for nearly $30! I figure my dolls cost less than $2 a piece.

I bought some muslin--a rough cotton fabric--for $1.50 a yard. I was able to cut 13 dolls from one yard of cloth. I also bought a bag of polyester stuffing for $3. I still have a ton of that left. I used leftover fabric and ribbon to make the doll dresses. Several of the doll dresses match dresses I sewed for my daughter. I did buy iron-on doll face transfers, which increased my costs but I think they make the dolls look cuter.

Here's the very simple pattern I used for my dolls:

http://www.sewing.circleofcrafters.com/freeragdollpattern.html m/freeragdollpatte rn.html

I printed out the pattern and then enlarged the pattern with a copier so I could make slightly bigger dolls.I cut out my doll parts and then zipped each doll together with a sewing machine leaving openings to stuff the doll. I purchased yarn in a variety of colors and textures. I sewed the hair along a center part. With some of the dolls, I also sewed ribbons in the hair.

The clothing is the most complex sewing of the whole project. I didn't use a patten. I winged it making a variety of little dresses that can be taken off the dolls for washing or costume changes. Initially I sewed simple smiley faces on the doll with a needle and thread. I later found iron-on doll face transfers at Michaels. You get six doll faces in three sizes for $3.49. They are very simple to apply.

For finishing touches, I tied ribbons in the dolls' hair and around their wrists and ankles. Overall I think the dolls are sweet little homemade

toys for my daughter. Plus they were so easy and fun to make.

Doing More with Less

2008-07-14T16:05:00.001-07:00

My mother is quite the bargain shopper. I have definitely inherited that gene because I want all my sewing projects to be economical as well as darling. Being a novice, I don't worry about messing up if I am using bargain fabric and notions. I also don't freak out when my daughter messes up the garment with baby food and formula within five minutes of putting it on!

My of my latest dresses in my daughter's summer line is a good balance of bargain and cuteness. I sewed my daughter nicknamed Pickles a little party/church dress. I used cotton poplin. It's one of my favorite fabrics for children's clothing because it's soft, comfortable and very easy to work with. It also comes in lots of fun, crisp patterns. I used a bright red poplin covered with pink hearts. I picked it up for under $3 a yard during a Joann fabric sale. ( The dress used less than a yard of fabric.)
I used a Simplicity dress pattern with a capped ruffle sleeve. What makes it really cute though is the 4 yards of white lace. I used some of Joann's bargain bin polyester lace. It was a $1 for four yards. It looks sweet and I won't totally freak out when a spoonful of carrots lands on the lace. I have tried to eliminate the itch factor but making sure none of the lace rubs against her skin.

As if four yards of lace and pink hearts weren't enough, I added some pink bows on the bodice and a white ribbon trim about a quarter-inch about the hem. Too cute! I figure I made the dress for under $5 materials, which is pretty good bargain and it's an original!

My first outfit

2008-07-14T16:05:00.000-07:00

For any new mom contemplating sewing a quilt or a baby outfit, the best way to learn is to dive right in. I am very hands on and I like to figure it out as I go! Just make sure you have a sturdy seam ripper because you'll probably end up ripping out a few mistakes.

This pink jumper is the first outfit I sewed for Pickles. I used leftover cotton quilting fabric. I didn't have a pattern so I examined some of Ella's other dresses and cut out a simple bodice pattern. I decided to make a jumper because I could avoid sleeves, zippers or buttons.
(The best motivation is an early success and the best way to guarantee a success is to start simple!)

To create nice, smooth and easy neck and armholes, I did one of my mother's clever cheats. I had enough fabric to cut the bodice pattern pieces out twice.

I then doubled up the fabric so it feels nice and lined and takes care of the neck and arm holes. To double up the bodice, you cut duplicate pieces, place the identical pieces right side together and stitch around the edge. Make sure to leave a hole so you can turn the sewn piece right sides out. Use a pencil of similar item to pop out the corners and the seams.

Then iron the piece right sides out, smoothing out the item and continue with the garment construction. Your neck and arm holes are already taken care of and they'll look nice, smooth and finished. New sewers--While it's possible to fudge on some steps, ironing during the sewing process is very important! Take the time to iron!

I sewed the sides of the bodice together and then added a simple gathered skirt. I struggled to attach the skirt. I got it attached but it looked a tad messy so I stitched on a waist sash.

For the top jumper closures, I use no-sew snaps that you hammer into the fabric. It was super easy and they are very sturdy.

Then came the fun part--adding all the ribbons and details. I stitched a decorative heart on the front and then added polka-dot bows for a sweet touch.

Bringing an editor's eye to my sewing

2008-07-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

Nice but too many bows!

That's what my husband always says when I show him my latest sewing creation. I definitely can go overboard with bows, ribbons and girly little notions. Here's my attempt at less is more. I sewed this little summer frock with a scrap of cotton quilting fabric. ($2 a yard on clearance!) The little tulips are so pretty they don't need bows and ribbons, right?

I did add a broad pink waist sash to add some more pink. I think it works.