Late Birthday / Early Christmas

This year I was seeing my immediate family on my mother’s birthday and my husband’s aunt’s birthday. Both in early October. I decided to let bring presents not only for them, but also for a young niece and nephew how have birthdays in August and September. Plus Christmas presents for all the nieces and nephews. Phew that was a lot of gift giving sewing! Luckily everything was small and did not take up much room in the luggage.

Birthday presents:

For my niece I made her a hedgehog from a Jo Carter pattern as seen in Simply Sewing (UK sewing magazine I love). Like I stated in my last post, I don’t usually follow patterns for stuffed animals. But these are really some whimsical super cute stuffed animals.

My niece and her hedgehog. Plus bow in her hair!

For my nephew I made a triangle with letters on it. He immediately grabbed it and ran off with it. Perfect size. Now if he wasn’t so quick I could have got some more pictures of him with it.

My nephew, still holding onto his triangle! 

For both my mom and aunt I created their own potholder/hot plate trivet out of fabric. I also cut out and sewed an individual design to each. For my mother I made a simple heart that I used a wide blanket stitch to attach to the top of it. For our aunt I drew a dove, used a little bit of fabric marker to outline a branch it was holding and hand stitched it onto the top. This took some time. I drew my design out of paper first and used that as a pattern piece to cut out the fabric. Then trimmed the fabric as needed.

Front side of potholder. Dove cut out. 

Christmas presents:

Two nephews equal two double bow ties that match! If the family every is able to coordinate then I will imagine both of them wearing their bow ties the same time. I won’t hold my breath through.

For my nieces. The little one got hair bows that match the bow ties. She immediately took them apart. I fixed them, but she is in the take apart stage so these may need some fixing again when I next visit them. The older one got a little bag I constructed out of interior design fabric. She likes dark colors so I made it black/auburn and dark purple. It can be used quite literally for anything. I think she will find use for it. I know I have for each little bag I’ve made myself!

I’ll have to work on getting some pictures of these things. Seems I was in such a hurry making I didn’t document! That happens with most of my creations. I make them and pass them onto others without ever taking any images. Haven’t we all though : )

Now I just have two more birthdays and three more Christmas plus Hanukkah presents to make for 2017! Better get back to my sewing machine!

 

Little Lion

For my nephew’s birthday I decided to sew him a lion. I followed a pattern in Issue 21 of the UK magazine Simply Sewing by Jo Carter of Two Owls Design. Of course I did a few things my own way. I used fabric I had, made everything the same fabric, added buttons for eyes instead of safety eyes, sewed them and the mouth on before I was finished and then made the lion a vest out of felt without a pattern. I added buttons to the vest that seemed royal. My first stuffed animal made from someone else’s pattern. I think it came out great. My nephew likes his lion and our cat does too.

Oh and I made a lion card!

 

 

 

 

Coffee Cozy

This year for our second wedding anniversary we kept it local and simple. We went to dinner in the neighboring town, walkable. Somewhere we both love that is a bit pricey. I made my husband a cozy for his french press out. Using two interior design fabric samples, some extra trim from another project and a tiny bit of velcro left over from projects so old I was surprised I had any left! It can out so perfect that it not only kept the coffee hot for his second cup, that it works on the new french press he bought after the original one cracked and then broke. Maybe one day I will start working with glass so I can just make him a new one when this one cracks. Probably not. ha ha

 

This one is a little taller, but it still keeps the coffee warm1

California Yarnscape

As a member of Yarn Bombing Los Angeles I, along with my husband and our friend Britta participated in their current exhibition California Yarnscape. Our piece along with 40+ other artists’ work is on exhibition at The Autry Museum in Los Angeles. Once a month their our public workshops for people to contribute to the yarn bombing, free with museum admission. The exhibition pieces though are on the rotunda outside the museum, so whether you go inside or not you can view them!

From the Dreameco Crafts website:

ART SHOW and Workshops! California Yarnscapes, March-June 2017 at the Autry Museum of the American West! This is a Yarn Bombing Los Angeles event! Sunday, March 19, 2-4pm Opening Reception – Autry Courtyard
Drop-in Workshops, 10am – 2pm The public is invited to create California native flowers!
Saturday, March 18 (day before the reception) – Past
Saturday, April 29-Past
Saturday, May 20-Next one!
Sunday, June 18-Visit before they take it down!

Dreameco Crafts & Britta’s California Yarnscape

Dreameco Crafts with Britta!

Frau Fiber & The Sewing Rebellion

For Black Friday 2016 I spent time in Long Beach, CA with the Sewing Rebellion. That is where I got to meet Frau Fiber. Her free community activities that day of anti-shopping where to help with a protest quilt and sewing patches. The quilt included cutting out states. To which I cut out NY and NJ (which had DE stuck to it since that state is tiny) and worked on a patch. To my delight I was told the patches were for us to keep. I did and am working on it more at home. I think I will attach it to my bicycle when finished.

She also had homemade soup for all to share. It was a lovely event. Not only because I got to sew, which I love to do, but because you could feel the community gathering. We met new people and witnessed Frau Fiber receive a donation of a Singer Featherweight Sewing Machine. OMGosh we all drooled over it. Love when people kindly share their items and make sure they go to a home where they will not only be cherished but used as intended.

 

Fun-A-Day-LA

Dreameco Crafts, which I am co-founder of is hosting the first annual Fun-A-Day-LA art show! It is free! It is Fun! It is for all! Join in and be in a group art show in February. All you have to do is work on art (can be one, two, three, ten, 20 or 31 pieces) every day for the month of January and then be in a show with your community! Make art with friends, family make friends and meet your neighbors!

Submission is super easy and can be done online. Learn more at http://www.dreamecocrafts.com/fun-a-day-la.

Remember art is an interpretive term. What is art? Music, dance, poetry, cooking, baking, sewing, sculpture, performance, video, photography, oration, mime, embroidery, singing… It really is anything and everything. It also can be collaborative so don’t be shy.

Pillow Covers

We had throw pillows with cute cardinals on them. They were terribly stained from spills and every day life. The thought of purchasing new pillows to replace pillows that were in great shape (minus complete staining) was unthinkable to me. So I took out my tape measure and went through my fabric stash. I had recently acquired some really fun fabric with images of deers and wolves! (How was I going to turn this into a dress? I was not sure. And I still might for I have some left.) These needed to become the new pillow covers though! With some extra plaid print for borders on the top and bottom. I used a zig zag and straight stitch on the edges of the plaid sewn to the animal print for extra strength. I also did a running stitch by hand to close the new pillows (yes the birds are now inside – why purchase stuffing when I can just put a bird inside it! – bad reference to Portlandia).

Here are the after shots. Enjoy the double sided deer and wolf pillows that now make our couch feel lodge like.

Double Potholder

I sold a double potholder I custom made for a friend and ever since I’ve been meaning to make one for my husband. I had to adjust the sizes for larger hands and some how manage to use up the scraps (I mean remnants!). I had a personal goal of not buying anything new for this project. I managed it! Used three different colors of seam binding to add some slight detail. He loves it. He even got it dirty already, which is a sign of a good cook. We took some pictures of it this weekend so I could share with you all. Adjusting sizes (or grading in pattern making terms) is really easy. The only challenge was doing it with remnants. Would of not been to difficult to match up different pieces, but I only had this blue terry cloth and was determined to use the largest pieces I could get out of it.

Double potholder reenactment

Double potholder foled over.

Double potholder

Sewing Projects

I’ve been sewing up a storm behind the scenes. Many were presents so had to wait till they were given to their owners before any images could be seen online. A few are still being worked on for presents and December holidays, those will remain behind the scenes. Here are a few photos.

 

Pillowcase Dress 3T with shoe laces for ties

Created pattern from another bib, has food catcher. This is not the finished project. Took the bias tape off and reattached on backside only.

Felt shoes made from old kit.

3D Magazine Art

I’ve made and taught others how to make buildings out of one magazine page. Now I’ve tested out letting the students chose what they are interested and taught them different ways to make them stand. One participant said she was even going to show her family members how to make them. Success I say.

Sailing with dogs

Minnie from an angle

Minnie from the top

Dogs

Soccer

Minnie

Minnie and dogs

Look at those sequins!