"Finishing" projects

No, this post isn't about actually getting around to finishing projects. Although, I really ought to finish that clutch.  This is about the final touches to really "finish" a project.

Last month, I finally invested in a serger.  I was so afraid of it: there's too many threads, too many moving parts, it goes too fast! After a week of borrowing my mother-in-law's Huskylock 435, I decided I needed my own.  It's not as fancy as a Husqvarna, it's a simple, affordable Brother 1034D.  Now, I use it every chance I get.  I am amazed at how quickly I can get projects whipped up.  I mean, to finish an edge with a zigzag strip takes forever with my Bernette, but now it takes mere seconds with the serger.  Even if I had to rethread the machine, it'd be faster than a zigzag.  If something ever happens to my serger, I might as well just resort to pinking shears instead!  You really can't go back!

Anyway, I've become interested in finding other ways to ease adding that finishing, professional touch (not that I really make anything that has to look professional, but it is a confidence booster).  My next goal: bias binding.



Last Christmas, I made oven mitts to gift.  I went through quite a few packs of bias tape.  I love the look of bias tape, but store bought ones are so, plain and stiff and well, plain.  I love the idea of custom made bias tape because you can have prints and can probably better pick out a coordinating binding instead of the remaining stock in Walmart, plus, the fabric isn't ever as stiff (unless you use the entire can of starch while ironing it out).  I've made my own bias tape before, it's really simple, but there is one problem, I hate to iron.  It is soooo time consuming, not to mention really hot.  I don't know why I didn't ever consider getting a bias tape maker.

Anyway, I finally came to my senses and got one.  I added up my points from Amazon Rewards, redeemed a couple gift cards from other point systems, and I had enough to snag it off Amazon!  I spent the other night researching how to make bias tape using the machine, but even with the countless tutorials out there on how to make continuous binding and videos using the machine, I still had trouble understanding.

So, I practiced with paper.  During my lunch break at work, I made my own version of striped paper (striped so I could get an idea of before and after since paper doesn't actually have a bias) and finally figured it out.  It really is much faster than sewing individual strips together.  I am so excited and can't wait til USPS drops off my package!

Daddies want to match their daughters, too!

Ghostbusters is Ryan's all-time favorite movie. It is to him what Star Wars was to people born in the 60s/70s. He was so bummed when BAPE discontinued their Ghostbusters themed apparel before we even found out about the line.

Back in 2007, we went to Vegas as part of an annual trip we take with our friends. There, he proposed and bought 3 of these shirts from Anchor Blue.


It glows in the dark!

I didn't want to be left out, so I got one for myself. Did I mention it glows in the dark? Makes for a horrible pajama shirt when you glow. It went into my junk shirt pile.

Since realizing I am approaching my third trimester (oops, did I fail to mention that this is my renewed motivation for blogging again?), I've also come to acknowledge I will be losing crafting space in a few months. So, I've been trying to catch up on all things crafty.

I've finished this year's Christmas gifts, sewed a hospital gown, toddler nap mat sheets, a pillow case, a blanket, stuffed plush toys, I've been quite busy, though you probably would never guess from my blog.  But since I've been so busy crafting, I actually went on another fabric spree and chose some knits and flannels to make pjs for Ella.  Since I wasn't about to practice on nice yardage: I raided my junk shirt pile to do a test run.



I used Dana's 90-minute shirt tutorial. This is an excellent title by the way! I'm still a novice sewer and even with drafting the pattern and not having a serger, I was able to whack this out in an hour and a half. Seam-ripping apart the onesie for the pattern guide actually took longer (don't ask why I didn't just cut the darn thing).

Ella was so proud to wear a shirt that had the same picture as daddy's. She's his little princess and he's totally wrapped around her littlest finger.

How do people find time to blog?

Whenever I want to know how to do something, I look to the internets.

Nevermind Pinterest.  I'm actually overwhelmed by Pinterest, sure it has lots of inspiration and most times includes more information on how to realize the inspiration, but really, it's everything that's been done already and if one person pinned it, I'm sure there 46 others that repinned it and 4 other similar pins using different photos.  Plus it's so easy to overwhelm yourself with, ooh I want to do that and that and that, and you end up with 15 different baby mobiles.  Maybe you'll have 15 kids so that assuming there is never another cute mobile in the future of the universe, you can put every idea to use, or maybe you'll have one kid and swap out the mobile 15 times.  Honestly, I'm thinking 2 kids are good, and one mobile design for each will suffice.  So Pinterest aside, I look to the internets.  Yes, I do have several dozen blogs in my reader that I use for inspiration, but it never seems as overwhelming.


I have an idea of what I want to do and if I can't figure it out myself, I want to search the internets (btw, yes I have been adding an "s" for hilarity sake) and hope that someone has tried to do it or maybe even posted a tutorial on how to do it.  It actually bums me out when there isn't a blog post dedicated to what I want to do.

I usually have a spark that says, "Hey!  I should figure out how to do it, make a tutorial, and post it so that other people that may want to do something similar won't have to reinvent the wheel!" But then I decide to just figure out how to do it and not even bother with a tutorial, let alone let people know that I've done it.

With this in mind, I am extremely grateful for those bloggers who create wonderful tutorials.  How to they do it?  How do they find the time to post (consistently), create tutorials, raise kids, have decorations, have jobs, etc.?!  The last time I posted was in February.  Yes, 8 months ago, that February.  Sure, I've quickly drafted posts to get edited and published later, but obviously, later hasn't arrived.

So, with renewed motivation, let's get to posting!  ...maybe. 

My Fave 5 Blogs for Inspiration, in no particular order:

• See Kate Sew
• MADE
• Noodlehead
• Made By Rae
• Craftiness is not Optional

Tutorial - Converting a cardigan

I have an old cardigan.  It's soft and helps maintain a comfortable body temperature.  However, the combination of constant washing and gaining a little weight, has put the length into the awkward category of being a little too short for my body type.


Betty (Ella named her.  I asked her for a name for my dress form, not expecting anything as she doesn't really know 'names' and usually she responds to questions with 'snack' or 'milk'.  That day she said, "Betty".  Ok, Betty, it is.) seems to pull it off okay.  She may be the same size as me, but definitely not the same flab as me.  Anyway, it's about 2 inches too short, so I wanted to crop it rather than send it away.  The internet has a lot of great tutorials.  I am still considering the idea of using the scraps to dress it up a bit. 




Right sides facing, pin the cardigan to the desired length, lining up the seams and/or notions.  Note that where you pin will be the length.  Sew along the existing ribbed hem.  Press open.  Repeat with sleeves, if you so desire.



Tada!  You have a cropped cardigan with original hem. 



Pair with a cute dress.

Not so messy anymore & an applique tutorial

Ella is definitely more independent than most kids.  She doesn't need a pacifier (though, she seems to understand her cousin's constant need of one), she plays well with others and can play by herself, and she HATES bibs. 

I know hate is a strong word, but really, there is no word that is 'nicer' that could describe her extreme dislike she has for the accessory made for babies.  She rips them off, or will tug and tug until her neck is red.  I try to insist that she wears them since she loves spaghetti, but no she won't have it, it seems to only bother me that she has orange stains on her front side. 

For a while, I've been meaning to make a Bapron, created by Jess on Craftiness is not Optional.  I've really been in a creative slump.  Be it the weather, the constant cleaning after Hurricane Ella, or that I've just been too exhausted, crafting has been slow. 

Due to the complications of owning 1 car seat and 3 different vehicles, we decided to suck it up and buy another car seat.  After all, it is a new tax year and our state gives a tax credit for a child safety seat.  At the baby store, they always feature new products -- sometimes useful, sometimes just a waste of money. 

I found these Wonder Bibs on sale.  These bibs cover the front and arms, and attach with a small piece of velcro at the neck.  They come in a variety of solid colors.  Inspiration struck.  They aren't typical baby bibs and I could dress them up to something Ella would wear.  YO GABBA GABBA!!!  Yes, after 2 months of standing in front of a Christmas tree admiring her gabbo ornaments, and wearing only gabbo shirts every day, I decided to trick out these smocks in Yo Gabba Gabba fashion.

What you'll need:

• A Wonder bib, or anything really, you could use a tshirt
• Felt
• Adhesive (I used E-6000, but it was really smelly and I wanted to prewash to test the color, I suggest Tacky Glue for a temporary hold)
• Scissors
• Embroidery needle
• Embroidery floss
• Pattern

Design a pattern for your applique.  For the red bib, I used Muno.  It was really easy, I just drafted on scratch paper, then cut out two circles for his eye, a mouth, and two teeth. 



Arrange all pieces to confirm proportion and placement. 



Optional step: Glue pieces before tacking them down with floss.  It helps prevent the pieces from moving around as you stitch.  Like I said, I used E-6000 and the fumes were strong.  I couldn't find liquid glue at the time and had planned to wash the bib before Ella used it anyway, so it wasn't an issue for me, but you can use tacky glue instead.



I split the six-strand embroidery floss to three strands and began to stitch the pieces together.  I went from top layer down.  (i.e. sew pupil to eye white, sew eye to body)  When attaching pieces to bib, be careful to only sew through the top layer (the back lining is sort of a waterproofing nylon, so poking a bunch of holes in it would most likely counter its efficacy).  Another tip, is when you're done stitching, use the needle to pull the thread beneath the piece and pull up somewhere in the middle, then use the scissors to snip it close.  That way the thread will be hidden inside and you won't see stray fibers.




A completed bib.  Ella was really excited when she saw it, couldn't wait to put it on!



After a quick wash -- the colors didn't bleed.  Yay!  She put it on, rubbed her belly and let out a content, "Gabbo!" and an ear-to-ear grin.  This is going to make an excellent outfit for eating spaghetti.  And extend the lifespan of her existing wardrobe.




So far, thumbs up.  She likes wearing her gabbo, I like keeping her kinda clean.  In fact, sometimes I have to explain to her that she cannot wear her smock in lieu of real clothes.