More sewing and a giveaway!

Front, a photo by theresplendentbeauty on Flickr.

This is the front of the bag I made for my pandigital tablet. The pandigital is a 7" android tablet which can access the B&N online bookstore and has B&N reading software native to the tablet. I've had it for almost a year now but it has been sadly naked all this time!

Back, a photo by theresplendentbeauty on Flickr.

I made the case similar to the previous phone bag but this time I made one side long enough to be a flap.  It took several attempts to get the engineering just right but I did it!  The bag uses coordinating fabrics and I still need to put the button on the front but I really wanted to show it to you!  I also quilted this bag for more texture.



Then I found this beautiful printed canvas duck cloth today.  (OK - I found 3 different patterns which had to come home with me   :-D  )  I really wanted to highlight these beautiful medallions so centering the design was considered for this one.  I also found I didn't really have a suitable fabric for lining the bag, or so I thought.  But I remembered that I had some ultrasuede in my beading stash (for bead embroidery) and it turns out I had a great color to use for the lining.  (See Rule #5 !) The ultrasuede sewed like a dream! 

Back, a photo by theresplendentbeauty on Flickr.

The colors here are too washed out.  The bias tape is a beautiful creamy color which adds a little zip to the back of the bag.  This bag is sized to hold a blackberry.  My LG Optimus is a little small for this one.

Now for the exciting part!  I have decided to have my first giveaway!  If you read my other blog, you know that I want to name my sewing machine.  So for the contest, leave a comment suggesting a name for the Singer .  Comments must be posted by midnight (CDT) Saturday night (July 30, 2011).  Then on Sunday, I will use a random number generator to select a winner!  The prize will be a sewn bag!  I'm so excited to offer this!

Rule #5

Happiness is finding what you need in your stash!  Which means you need to have a stash!  Ok - what crafter doesn't have a stash?  If you're like me, you inherited some of your grandmother's stash plus accumulated plenty of your own.  The key here is to keep the stash under control!  Just enough to find what you need, not enough to be <whispering> 'a hoarder'.

So Rule #5 is keep a stash, but just enough.  Use what you have and don't hoard it!

iPhone Case

Front, a photo by theresplendentbeauty on Flickr.

My friend was looking for a cozy for her iPhone and this is what we designed.

Back, a photo by theresplendentbeauty on Flickr.

 

The back side has a pocket just right for an ID and a credit card.

Wine tag

Wine tag, a photo by theresplendentbeauty on Flickr.

Needed a quick way to give a bottle of wine and had felt and buttons on hand after working with Maggie yesterday. Used my die cutter and voila!

Another view:

Wine tag pt 2, a photo by theresplendentbeauty on Flickr.

And this bottle is just a stand-in for the starring bottle!

Maggie's gift for her sister.

Before her sister left to go spend a week in PA, Maggie planned to make her an ugly doll. We looked at the fleece I had on hand and began to make plans.  Maggie has 2 ugly dolls which were gifts but she really wanted her sister to have one too.

I helped with the machine sewing but Maggie did all the hand work.  She created the pattern for the doll using one of her own dolls.  I had the fleece pieces on hand from robes and pajama pants previously made.  And yes, I have a ton of felt on hand for making the facial features.  I love the tie dye print on the back of the doll. 



The ugly doll waving..., a photo by theresplendentbeauty on Flickr.

Back of ugly doll.

Craft Rule #4

I have learned something about myself this summer!  I don't really like to follow directions when it comes to creating!  I have been sewing without patterns, making it up as I go.  I'm no expert!  I just want to do what I want to do!  So Craft Rule #4 is please yourself when creating!  If you aren't happy with what you are doing, why would you expect others to be happy with it?  Share your joy, not your frustration!

This crafting thing is about creating joy.  The joy found in the process itself plus the joy in the finished object.  Go have fun! (rule #1)

my bad quilt flashback

Shortly after I married, I took a quilting class.  It was a simple quilt with 2 piece work squares and 2 applique squares.  Every thing was to be done by hand which was good.  I owned a sewing machine by then but really didn't know how to use it well.  I was very intimidated by the machine.  Thank goodness I have gotten over that!  Now if I could just learn to put in a zipper!

I come from a line of talented quilters.  My father's mother was a great quilter.  Her quilts were not art quilts but beautiful pieced quilts.  Her quilts were meant to be used and kept me warm on many a night.  She was also a talented seamstress, knitter, crocheter and anything else that involved needle and thread.  I learned to crochet from her too.

My then new husband's mother is also a quilter.  Perhaps that is why I decided I should learn to quilt too.  My newlywed mind must have thought this necessary.  My mind now thinks I was crazy! 

I found the Quilt Cottage in New Orleans and promptly signed up for the class.  I managed to keep up to some degree but never finished the quilt.  I recently found it when trying to clean up some in my studio.

Let's do the math, shall we?  I have been married for 18 years now and probably took the class 17.5 years ago.  Yes, that means early 1994.  To say that my color scheme is dated might be an understatement!  Yuck!  I have had the opportunity to spend time with friends who quilt this week and so took my unfinished applique square with me to work on.  I patiently sewed two dark blue pieces and the flowers in the middle over the last two days.  I think it probably took me 6 hours to get through that.  My thread kept tangling, my eyes are not what they were in '94 either!  But I did finish the last square!

What remains now is adding the borders or as my friends say 'stripping' the quilt.  Do I break down and do it by machine?  It will certainly take a lot less time that way.

Well now with out further ado are pictures from the quilt tonight...

Friendship bracelets

IMG_20110715_082618, a photo by theresplendentbeauty on Flickr.

These bracelets have been so fun to make!  I found the tutorial here when I was looking on Pinterest.

When I made the first one, I used this rhinestone trim that I found at Hobby Lobby in the fabric department.  It also comes in white.  I think it is plastic but it is perfect for this application.  It was also on sale this week which made it even more perfect!  I wrapped it with the black waxed linen onto the periwinkle suede cord.  I finished it with a Thai silver flower charm.  I liked it so much, I made a second one just like it for my other daughter.  She is wearing hers as a choker.  Like that it is so versatile!



Then for the second one shown here, I picked up some teal waxed linen at Bella Beads and used some green ball chain.  I used regular leather cord for this one and another Thai silver charm plus a green turqoise charm that I made.  Another hit with the teenager!

The teen and I were shopping at a store out at BridgeStreet last night and saw very similar bracelets for $25.  Increased the cool factor for both of us!