Zakka Challenge #3: Pincushion

 Front

 Back

I sat out last week's Zakka Style challenge because the book I ordered hadn't arrived yet, and the free preview on my phone only went through project #1 (besides, scrolling pages on my phone to make that tote got old very quickly - I'm glad I got the book).  This week's challenge was a pincushion, which took a faction of the time of the zig zag tote (although I love that tote, and use it all the time, so it was worth it).

As I was going through my stash of supplies, a theme started to emerge: Wizard of Oz.  It was like it came together all on its own.  True to my original intention, almost all of my supplies are repurposed, too!  Here's what I used:

- linen (right panel), from the same curtains used in my last project
- rainbow elastic (middle), from the antique store (symbolizing over the rainbow, of course)
- words from the "wizard," which I had printed out on fabric about 4 years ago with the intention of making a skirt for my daughter.  The skirt never materialized, but I kept the phrase and found it in my box of embellishments
- covered button, from a long-outgrown chenille Baby Lulu overall set.  It symbolizes the poppies that put Dorothy and her friends into that nap in the field, right before they get to Oz

- yellow linen and Oz fabric - not repurposed, but from long-ago fabric store purchases
- heart button on back - symbolizes the Tinman's heart, natch

I stuffed it with crushed walnut shells, so it's hefty and nice.  I don't know what I'm going to do with it, since my quilt guild just had a pincushion swap and I was the recipient of an awesome one from a fellow member.  I don't need another for myself.  Maybe this will be the first item in the hope chest I've always been meaning to put together for Kate.

Earth Day Crafting with Kids

I know Earth Day is later this month, but I am off this week while the kids are in school, so I've had some time to volunteer in Kate's classroom again this year. Her Montessori school encourages involvement and participation from parents to a high degree, which makes for an incredible number of different talent and inspiration and instruction to enter her classroom every year. We are all really lucky she's enrolled there.

So this year, like last year, her teacher was kind enough to allow me to come in and share a few recycled crafts with our up-and-coming generation. Last year we made Mors Bags, which ended up being quite an undertaking, especially with a group of 25 kids, most of whom had never used a sewing machine before. Still, it was awesome; when I visited her school for months afterward, I had kids walking up to me asking, "Are we going to make more Morsbags?" Today I had one girl tell me she still uses hers at home. Yes, teaching imparts lessons that last well after students walk out the schoolhouse doors.

We didn't make Morsbags today. Instead, I came armed with five crafts, all made from upcycled t-shirts, which are plentiful and free (and, bonus, easy to work with). All of the projects were greeted with enthusiasm (some with more enthusiasm than others, but the kids were all ready to try anything, which made for a fun morning). Here's what we did:

1. Shopping Totes - I thought these would be more of a hit, since they're no-sew and simple and I love them and I think the idea is so clever. But the kids seemed very concerned with the 2"-or-so hole that results in the bottom of the bag once you draw the string through. I told them to just not put anything too small in the bag, but they didn't seem convinced, and they looked at me skeptically, like I was trying to pull one over on them. Whatever. I still love them, and I'll be making more for home. The kids seemed to have a tough time using the safety pin to guide the t-shirt strip through the bag bottom, too.

2. Bracelets - no tutorial or link here, because we simply braided 1"-wide strips of stretched t-shirts into long lengths and wrapped it one or two times around wrists before we tied them off. Basic. The kids loved seeing how jersey stretches into a skinny rope if you pull it tight enough, and even boys liked the bracelets.

3. Circle Scarves - easily the most popular of the five crafts from today. The kids absolutely loved it, and the scarves came together much more quickly than I had even thought they would. Kids were even able to easily show latecomers to the group how to assemble the scarves by themselves, and when they were done, they had substantial, tangible, fashionable items to wear. Plus, it inspired some of them to think about what they could do with their own t-shirts once they got home. I did advise them to check with their moms and dads before they started cutting up their clothes, nut who knows if they'll follow my advice?

4. Dog & Cat Toys - we took 1" strips of jersey (about 10 per toy) and tied random knots in them. Dogs like chasing them, and cats like batting them around with that cat-playing thing they do. Easy peasy. And my dogs have never been harmed by them, even when they swallow pieces of the fabric (which Angel does quite frequently; I think sometimes she eats directly from my scrap basket). Make one knot per toy or make 6 knots. Pets like them all.

5. Headbands - the simplest craft of the day. Take a loop (or 2 or 3 or 4) of 1"-wide jersey, circle it around your hand until it's roughly the size of your head (don't forget, it will stretch, so feel free to make it snug for now) and - presto! - instant headband. I actually did this back in December when Kate and I went to see The Nutcracker and I needed a black headband to go with my dress. The kids seemed a little disappointed that there wasn't more to this one, and my original plan was to do a weave-type of pattern with the jersey loops, but after I saw how difficult braiding (see #2) was for some kids, I made a last-minute decision to nix the weave and go with this simpler version, which I like just as much.

Working with the no-fray, upcycled knit strips was definitely the way to go. Happy for the Earth. And a happy, no-fuss day of crafting for us. Win-win.

Opening Day Bag

When I was 12, I had a pen pal. I loved her. I was not in love with the girl in California, who I never met, but I was in love with the idea that I got to write words to someone who lived across the country, and she read them, and I felt connected to her. I felt like I owed it to her to write awesome things about my not-so-awesome life so that she would read my awesome letters and marvel about how awesome I was.

I think I began almost every letter with the words, "I'm sorry it's been so long since my last letter."

I feel like I should use those words here, now, but I won't. Instead, let's pretend that you are my awesome pen pal, here to read about my awesome life, and it has not been over six months since my last post. Let's imagine that I have posted almost daily, and my super sewing and parenting and wifing abilities have been nothing short of awesome, and now you're here to read about my latest awesome adventure. Are we good, then?

Good.

Then let me tell you about the Zakka Style Sew Along, in which I am enthusiastically participating. If you are at all interesting in sewing and challenging yourself, I highly encourage you to check it out. Not that I am a procrastinator by nature or that I need the motivation of a great challenge to keep me going or that the first project in this book would have sat in a half-completed state on my sewing table for months were it not for this sew-along, but if any of those things were true, I feel confident that my being part of this group would remedy the situation.

I have decided that all of my projects for the sew-along will be sewn from upcycled/recycled materials, which shouldn't be hard, since almost all of the fabric I have is previously loved. More on that in another post. Anyhoo, for project #1, the Zig Zag Tote, I started off with this:

The beige is a linen/cotton blend curtain, new in a package when I scavenged it from a co-worker who was moving on to a place where she would not be needing the curtains she purchased but never hung. The green is an Ikea sheet which I love and which was the victim of an unfortunate bleach accident almost as soon as I brought it home from the store. The blue-and-white polka dot is also a curtain from a bag of thrifted fabric I procured well over a year ago.

Given these raw materials, plus a few other notions and the bulk of my weekend, I emerged with Project #1:


Truly, I adore it and I'm glad I did it. I'm always encouraging my students at school to reflect and ponder, so let me do that with this.



What I love about this project:

1. The directions are very clear.
2. The colors are perfect.
3. Because of the interfacings I used, this bag is sturdy - VERY sturdy. I'm pretty sure I could take it to the beach and use it as a sand bucket. I won't, but I could.
4. The size is ideal. When I began making it, I thought I might use it as a gift; however, as the process went along (and it was quite a process, for reasons that have nothing to do with the book or the instructions), I decided that something that took that much of my time was probably something I'd want to keep. I added one more interior pocket than is indicated in the instructions, so it is big enough for my iPod, my phone, and my Nook, plus all of the other purse essentials. It will definitely be my summer bag.
5. The double-sided handles are fun.

Things I learned from this project:

1. Patchwork, and quilting in general, is all of the work I always thought it was. And probably more. Those zig zags are all made from individually cut and sewn triangles, and since my seam accuracy is not always the best, my points are not perfect.
2. I used a heavier interfacing than is called for in the instructions, which makes for a really sturdy bag, but it was difficult to sew it some spots because it was SO thick, and had lots of layers (and not like an onion or an ogre, either). My Brother held in there like a trooper.
3. When quilting with a thread color that will show, it's probably good if your stitching is near perfect. Mine is not. It's wonky and crooked in some places, but I still love it.

Why the name Opening Day Bag? I'm glad you asked.

While watching the Opening Day of baseball last week, my husband pointed out the new stadium down in Florida. While he was ogling all of the state-of-the-art baseball stuff, I was drawn to the colors of the seats:

I don't think you can see it here, but some of the seats are green. The blue and the green really grabbed my attention, and thus, the Opening Day Bag was born. Plus, it's the "opening day" of the Zakka Style challenge. And it's the first time I've done any real quilting on a finished project. So lots of firsts here. The name fits.

Play ball!

A Nook (Case) of One's Own

Only a few months ago, annoyed by all of the Interweb chatter that made it sound like everyone on the planet either had an e-reader or wanted one, I wrote an article about how I did not desire an e-reader. I waxed rhapsodic about all of the reasons they were inferior to books (no book smell, expensive, easy to damage, no tactile experience...you've heard it all before, from embittered, old-school English teachers like me). Then, over the summer, I downloaded the Kindle and the Nook apps for my iPod out of curiosity, to see what all of the fuss was about.

Lucky for me, my procrastinator tendencies worked in my favor this time, since I never did shop the article around for publication. I say "lucky" because, of course, as soon as I tried an e-reader, I knew I wanted one. Had that article been published, I would have had to eat crow. Or maybe even an entire vulture, since I really liked the apps.

After reading most of The Hunger Games during a screening of Rio with my kids, I was hooked (how can you not love something that helps you avoid watching yet another animated piece of kid-centric nonsense at the theater?). I played with both apps for a couple of months, researching which was "better" (a hard question to answer, since both devices have passionate supporters and equally passionate haters), and I decided in August that the Nook was probably the way to go for me. My husband bought me one for my birthday.

Nook, where have you been all my life?

I love that the Nook has a touch screen and not a separate keyboard. I love that Barnes and Noble still has physical, brick-and-mortar stores that can provide customer support if need be (bonus: you can read books for free in-store on your Nook, as well as be alerted to bookstore and coffee specials. Starbucks, how I have loved thee, too). I love that it's light. I love that I can borrow e-books from the library and read them on my Nook (which is true of the Kindle now, too, but only as of a few days ago). I love that there are lots of FREE books on it, and every Friday they have a Free Friday feature so I can download tons of free books by others I might not otherwise discover. I love everything about it.

But it didn't come with a case.

I was unwilling to spend $30+ on the poorly-made, cheap covers I saw in the stores. I knew, however, that I needed a case, since my Nook goes with me everywhere and is bound to get beat up in my bag. I also knew I had a hankering to go to Goodwill, since I hadn't been in a while. A woman knows what a woman knows. And I was not disappointed. No, I didn't find a Nook case. But what I found was better.

I found a mint-condition Mary Kay mirror case, complete with like-new mirror inside.

I knew K would love the makeup mirror, and the case itself looked to be exactly the right size for my Nook. I gave the mirror to an ever-grateful K and measured the case against my Nook.

Perfect! And it even has these little markings on the inside, which I didn't need to build my case, but make it look even more like it was meant to be my Nook cover.

The process itself was so simple - and, frankly, so satisfying, and I JUST WANTED MY NOOK CASE TO BE DONE - that I didn't take pictures. I just:

1. Added some cardboard, which I measured to fit the back panel.

2. Covered that cardboard with some spray adhesive and some non-slip rubberized shelf liner and added some elastic (about 3" pieces) to the corners with hot glue, to hold the Book in place (see photos). I glued that piece to the case with hot glue.

2. Had K cut out some shapes from felt, using the Sizzix machine, so the case would be all prettied up. I glued them on (later, I did go back and decoupage them, so they'd be sturdier on the case).

3. Added a simple pocket to the inside so I can jot down notes or book suggestions when I'm not in WiFi range. The pocket is made from a vintage sheet and an upcycled curtain and glued to the inside.

All done!

Chances are you won't find this exact same Mary Kay mirror case in your Goodwill, but the possibilities for what you can find are endless. There are cases and pouches of all kinds there that, with just a little tweaking, would make perfect cases for e-readers, tablets, phones, laptops...I feel like making cases for gadgets I don't even have, just because there's so much out there.

So who needs the overpriced, commercially-sold cases? I love this one. It's durable, it has a pocket I need (which none of the retail ones I saw had), it's upcycled, and it's all me.

Funeral for a Friend

OK, "friend" may be overstating it somewhat, since we just met him this morning. "He" is the beautiful, blue-tailed lizard (gecko?) we found this morning. He was laying smack in the middle of the mauve-colored carpet that belongs to our friends, for whom we are house sitting/cat feeding. I'm thinking he was the victim of the bored-all-day cat and was a welcome plaything for lonely Charlie, who must have had fun with him.

When the kids saw him, they immediately scooped him up and brought his lifeless little body home.

They planned an impromptu funeral in the backyard. Completely their idea. They even made little headstones out of some of our beach collection. New Jersey comes through again. Who would have thought?
It was wonderful to see them getting along with one another for so long. They had a common mission. A goal. And they worked toward it. Preparations were remarkably complete. They thought about what they should use to line his grave (toilet paper, natch), where they should dig the hole (in the pile of mulch behind the shed), and what they could use to honor his gravesite (a snail shell won).



They even invited me outside so I could say a few words in honor of Mr. Lizrd, since they have never been to a funeral and didn't know what to say. It was a very somber occasion. They were very serious about it. I wasn't quite sure what to say, either, never having been to a lizard funeral myself. I just said he was a brave lizard, doing his job, protecting other creatures from dangerous bugs. And I asked God to accept him into heaven and keep him safe.

R.I.P. indeed, Mr. Lizard. You certainly brought peace into my house this afternoon, and for that, I am thankful.

A (sort-of) tutorial: Upcycled Madras Madness Sundress in 60 Minutes

I love madras plaids. I love the feel of the fabric, I love the way they look rich and complex, I love the way they conjure up the unmistakable feel of summer vacations. I always picture a photo that might appear in one of my mother-in-law's Yankee or Country Living magazines, portraying sophisticated madras-clad adults merrily drinking wine as they watch their ridiculously well-behaved and ridiculously well-dressed children frolicking on the ridiculously well-kept lawn. I have never been to Nantucket, but in my jealously-laden fantasies, this is what it's like.

So when I saw a madras skirt at the Goodwill during our annual trip to New Jersey last week, I snatched it up, knowing it would become something summery and wonderful. I might never live a life of luxury, even in the summer, on Nantucket, but I can still wear madras.

It's a size large, and I thought I'd just cut into it to make something entirely different, maybe a pillow or a new skirt for K. After all, there's a lot of fabric there, and since it usually costs over $10 a yard at the fabric store, I knew I had scored big. But when I tried it on and pulled it up right under my arms, I realized that it would make a perfect dress - for ME! I've heard people say that sometimes fabric just tells the seamstress what it wants to be, but I never understood what that meant until now. This skirt was clearly begging to become my newest sundress. I wasn't going to disappoint.

When I got home, I put it on Audrey


This is, in fact, the first time I've used Audrey in constructing clothes. I love the way she looks in my sewing room and she makes me feel like an authentic seamstress, but I have to admit that even though I got her last summer to celebrate the new season of Project Runway, I have never actually fitted clothes with her. Until now. I used her for the whole project, and I have to say, it was wonderful to not have to try on the dress myself, mid-construction, with it full of pins, to get a good fit. I just trusted Audrey, and I was not disappointed in the final result.

I didn't take pictures of my process (I was anxious to get it done and didn't realize how much I've love it, so I wasn't planning on sharing it), but it was one of the simplest and most rewarding refashions I've completed; the whole dress was done in under an hour.

In a nutshell, this is what I did:

1. Made the straps from a scrap of heavyweight, yellow, upcycled cotton from my stash. I made 4-ply straps, much like I'd make bias tape, but I cut the fabric in straight strips instead of on the bias. Here's how I did it:

a. cut two 15" x 4" pieces
b. folded them in half the long way and ironed them
c. opened them up, and then folded in the raw edges to meet the fold and then ironed again
d. folded in the ends about 1/2" and ironed them
e. re-folded the entire strip to enclose all of the raw edges
f. topstitched all the way around

Viola! Straps! I used this same method to make the belt and the belt loops, too.

2. Sewed the straps to the top (formerly the waistband).
3. Decided where I wanted the waist to be and shirred three rows around the middle, just to give the dress more shape. My shirring started at about 11" down from the top and the rows were about 1/4" apart.
4. Made the belt loops and sewed them on, right on the sides, centered over the shirring. The belt loops are not absolutely necessary, but I think I'm just belt-impaired, since non-secured belts tend to slip and slide all over me, so belt loops make life less frustrating. Whatever it takes.
5. Made the belt.

It just so happened that the skirt was exactly the right length for my dress (36"), and the "waist" of the skirt was exactly the right width to fit around the top of my bust comfortably, so I didn't need to address those two areas at all. Even if I had to, though, it would have meant a simple hem at the bottom and/or a simple casing at the top for new elastic. I could have made it shorter, but the length means I can wear it even on occasions when I'd rather not have bare shoulders; I can just add a sweater or shrug and it will be just fine.

I think I have some other skirts in my refashion stash that I'm going to use for the same thing. This one, though, is perfect for right now. I think maybe I'll sip a cool beverage at sunset tonight so that before our simple, un-gourmet dinner, I can sit on the deck and watch my loveable-but-muddy-and-not-always-behaved kids wrestle each other in our unmowed back yard. That's summer. And it's perfect.

Blogging the Summer, Day 1: Crayon Tarts

I'm not nesting, but lately I have been cleaning and organizing and straightening up the house like mad. Maybe I figure as long as I'm sweeping up so much white dog hair, I might as well go the distance and actually go through some of the stuff I've let pile up "until I have time."

Last night it was the dining room (or, as my husband calls it, "Your sewing room."). I'm always looking for ways to consolidate and get rid of useless supplies; last night, I came across a small bin of crayons that had to go. K loves art supplies and has a bunch of newer ones in her closet/art studio, so I knew she wouldn't miss these forlorn, broken crayons with the tattered wrappers. I can barely get J to stay still long enough for him to brush his own teeth, so it goes without saying that he couldn't care less what I do with a bucket of crayons.

I didn't want to throw them out, especially since we're so into recycling here, and I remembered an idea I had seen somewhere, sometime long ago: melt them down and make new crayons. Sounds like a plan.

I couldn't have guessed that J, of all people, would be so taken with this project. A kid who moves like the Flash and usually prefers electronic entertainment over all others actually sat down, peeled the wrappers off the old crayons, and went to town with our crayon tarts. He approached the entire project with gusto and even scoured the house for other old crayons when we were done, just to see if we could make more. It occupied us for a good hour and half. It was awesome to see him so into something like this.

Here's what we did:

1. Peel the crayons.
2. Break them up into small pieces that fit into mini muffin tins.
3. Bake at 250 degrees F for 15 minutes.
4. Cool for about 20 minutes in the freezer.

Our tarts, about halfway through baking. Don't let them bake too long, or all of the colors will blend together and you'll be left with cups of that dark green, grotesque green color you get when you're using watercolors and you wash out your bush in the same water over the over again.

Soon...presto! Crayon tarts.

We used mini muffin wrappers, which I happened to have here, so I could use my regular mini muffin tin and not have to throw it out when we were done. The wrappers make the outside edges a little more rugged and less smooth and pretty, but my kids like the way they look like rainbow versions of peanut butter cups, so it's all good. We had some leftover crayons after we made the mini versions, so J wanted to make some in bigger muffin cups.

I love how the back sides of these look like little world maps (pre-Continental Drift, perhaps?). J loved deciding what color pieces to put in which cup to make maximum color fun when they were done.

The big ones leaked into the actual muffin pan, which means I now I have a dedicated crayon/polymer clay/craft muffin pan, which is fine with me, since it was kind of yucky to begin with and now I have a valid reason for picking up another next time I'm at Goodwill. Win-win.

Packaged in a cute cello treat bag and tied with a ribbon and card from the kids, this is a perfect addition to our gift back for my niece when we see her next month.

Let the games begin!