Scrapbook pages

So I do scrapbook. You know, some. Anyhow I was looking back at my older stuff and it all looks dated to me. So I am doing more simple pages. Also I'm currently madly in LOVE with Kraft colored cardstock. Also with handwritten journaling. So here we go: Ah! you noticed? The fabric from YOUR purse is on that zoo page. The Ralph Lauren pillowcase fabric. Now that's become this scrapbook page, your purse, your zippie and a notepad cover that I've not shown you yet. I'm down to almost none of it left now. But I have this personal challange to use all of it. Gotta get my 50cents worth.

I think you will need a Zippie with that.

I felt that the purse in the last post was a little large. I thought, "Whoever wins this will surely spend their whole lives looking for their chapstick." I can't have that! So I made you *the winner* a little zipper pouch to go inside your new purse.

This first pic, the colors are right on, but it's a smidge blurry. *I can't take great pics when it's not sunny, I don't know what people who live in Washington State do ever*

This pic is not blurry as much, but the colors are washed out. Now squint your eyes at these two pics and try to blend them into one pic... THATS what your new Zippie will look like.
So I like to share the things I learn when I sew with you. On this zippie I learned that adding piping to a little zipper bag is about 50 times harder than adding it to a purse. I almost threw this thing out. I did add an additional topstitch all the way around, just in case I didn't catch everything or something, it won't leak your pennies or whatever out all over your purse. It's NOT perfect. I can see in the pic the one corner is weird, also I can see some of the construction on the piping, it does not just appear like magic all the way around. *sigh* I also learned which way to point the piping while sewing it to the zipper so when I turn the bag it's right, although in all honesty I don't see me doing this again. *Julie, I will make you a poof ball zipper bag some day, and this piping direction while sewing thing will be needed for that too.*

All in all, I think it's pretty cute. It goes really well with your purse. If you hate it you can just toss it and I'll never know. Unless you are local. Local girls, if you win you have to use the zippie or I'll know and it will hurt my feelings.

Remember you have to comment on the ORIGINAL POST to enter to win. You can comment on this post you are reading right now to tell me how cool this zippie is, but it won't enter you in the contest. *wink*

Blog Candy! Purse up for Grabs!

I've been wanting to make this purse for a while. One with side gussets, and piping, and an inside zipper pocket. With this gray fabric. And some vintage or vintage looking fabrics. All this fabric is from thrift stores. So I did.

There are a few weird things on it. But the button IS centered right, as is the ribbon catch. It's just wonky in this photo and the one above, I promise it is centered and lays normal. I pleated the lining. That was not really necessary. It also caused a weird outward pucker on the zipper part. If I insist on pleating a lining again I will do that pleat BEFORE I set in the zipper, then carefully carry the pleat into the cut out hole for the zipper. It will be a PITA so I probably won't pleat linings on bags with zippers inside them anymore. I'm sure it will be fine when you use it though. Whenever you open the zipper you will remember that Erin, a self taught crafter made it for you. It will bring you joy.

Here's the roomy pocket that you will access after you unzip the wonky zipper. (the zipper itself is fine, I'd NOT give you a bag with a messed up zipper.)

Do admire the custom made piping trim on this bag. This trim is so adorable it is taking everything I have not to keep it. I simply don't need a bag though.

So there you have it. If YOU would like this bag and have a use for it you just leave a comment here. If you spread the news somewhere then you can leave two comments. If you spread it more places you can leave even more comments.

I AM participating in a Pay it Forward. I want to be clear that this bag is NOT my pay it forward item. This bag is being given away in shameless blog promotion. If you choose to give something away after you get it that's adorable of you.

I will pick a winner Super Bowl Sunday. Then if you love sports it will be a super awesome day for you and if you don't you will have something to look forward to. You know, instead of being excited about a new crop of commercials.

If you live on planet Earth in the Milky Way Galexy you are invited to win the bag. *My son Stephen always says the whole "Earth in the Milky Way Galexy" part.*

Oh! I just realized you could not see the cool inside lining on the sholder strap. It's more of the lush orange print. Which was a Ralph Lauren pillowcase earlier today.

Zippers.

I have a lot of zippers.

I don't have ANY that goes well enough for me with this bag!

The bag will be lined with this print, the outside is gray cord. I might pipe the outside with some contrast fabric too.

how can 100 zippers NOT be enough? HOW???

One Red Robin Mushroom Girl

I saw this pattern at One Red Robbin and wanted to make it. I generally STINK at embroidery though.

So here she is: She is on a large piece of linen. I'm not sure what I'll turn her into. Any ideas?

Stephen's Quilt is done.

I didn't actually use Jenny at all on this. This quilt is the last thing I forced out of The Beast (old machine).

Stephen had requested a "yellow quilt" So I made this: True to his love of yellow (please note yellow walls) He likes to have it on his bed so the back is showing. Shoulda just made it whole cloth with two yellows I guess! haha. But the best part is he loves it. I think he needs a pillowcase for it now. His pillow cases are all blue. That simply doesn't work. I have enough fabric I think to make one with the yellow animal print. I think maybe a line of red ric rac?

New Sewing Machine

Well it went like this. Brian tried to fix my machine, but not only was the pressor foot thingie not working (which he DID fix, YEAH BRIAN) but the timing was all off, missing stitches and it would not free motion anymore. The thing was just generally dieing. I could probably have fixed most of that by getting the full service for $90. I didn't feel it was worth it, as I did really WANT a new machine anyhow.

So I sold some of my cards, I sold some of my stamps. And today I bought this: Here it is all out of the box:

With the free motion/darning foot attached. I LOVE it. (Oh I bought the darning foot and also a 1/4 inch foot seperate.)

It's not terribly fancy. It does have a yellow flower on it, well three of them. So that's cute. Anyhow it's basic, but really sturdy. It has every feature my old machine did plus a few more. And it sews like a DREAM. And it's more quite than my old machine.

So what it has/does that my last didn't:

• something about the threading having an extra catch that is somehow better, but I don't know why. It's a Janome thing.
• A little drawer in the part you can remove (extension table) which can hold your extra feet and such. I'm not SURE I care about the drawer, I guess I'll get used to it.
• the bobin cover thingie is clear so I don't suddenly run out. I LOVE this feature.
• the feed dogs lower, so I don't need the cover I had to use on my old machine
• all the parts just feel better, more sturdy
• came with a seam ripper
• came with a button hole foot, I've never done a button hole, I'll have to give it a try.
• Oh it has two button hold feet, one is "button hole foot B" and one is "sliding button hole foot" I have NO IDEA.
• It can hold a double needle and two spools of thread. the only thing I know you use this for is pin tucks, which I think are the most precious thing ever. I saw it on Sewing with Nancy one time. I don't have a double needle though, or a pintuck foot, but I COULD get them.
• The whole sewing area with the extension table on is larger, great for free motion quilting.

Ok so I also bought the darning /free motion foot, and a quarter inch foot. I had no idea about the quarter inch. I'd heard the term, but my old foot was a quarter inch from the needle to the edge so I thought that was what it ment. NOPE. I now have this special foot that has a fabric guide you actually butt the fabric up against. I did some peicing for an ongoing project and it came out with perfect points. I mean on row after row. I usually get one perfect point in about 5.

So I'm a totally happy camper.

And her name is Jenny. Jenny the Janome.

Aquarium

I love the new Ocean Friends set by Cornish Heritag Farms. When I opened it up and pulled it off the plastic I had an idea! Make a 3D aquarium with it.

First I stamped a handful of the sea critters and colored them with my copic markers. Then I cut down the plastic sheet and colored that too with copic, it looks streaky, but it turns out ok. I think that alcohol ink dropper stuff would rock for this too, probably be even better, but I don't have any so marker worked fine.

Ok next I forgot to take a pic, but I stamped the seaweed and bubbles on a white piece and colored them. Then I glued the pieces I cut out to the plastic pieces (two of them).

I layered with foam tape to give tons of dimension. So it's paper, foam, plastic with critters, foam, plastic with critters.

It looks like a mess, so here I am putting ribbon over the edges.

Here is at the same step from another angel, so only the seahorse and the very large yellow/orange fish are on the top layer, then all the other critters and the coral, then the bubbles and sea weeds.

And here is the finished card. I ment it to be an underwater scene but with the black it looks like an aquarium to me, which is fun too.

Another view.

Mushrooms

In my blog reading the other day I came across this My Paper Crane post about making clay mushrooms. So I decided to do some of my own.

They sure are friendly. I'm not sure what I'll do with them. Any ideas?

No news on the sewing machine front. I'm going to go on Friday and suss it all out. Marcia (my awesome MIL) is going to come watch the boys so I can take my time and not have to scream, "Don't touch that thread, put down that bobbin" the whole time. My plan is this: If they can fix it for cheap just get it fixed. If they cannot or it's expensive get info on a bunch of machines and come home. Then pray about it for at least a week, compare online and such. Then after some time decide. I spent most of yesterday looking at machines online and honestly it's making me a little depressed and insane. So for the next two days I'm going to focus on stamping and other fun stuff. Now that there is a plan in place I feel I can just shove my sewing machine anxiety to the back of my mind.

Ugh

My machine is still dead.

I am considering replacing it if it's more than about $30 to fix. I mean it's old, it's sorta crappy...

so the sewing place has several Janome for under $300. I'm totally comfortable with that price.

I'm thinking about:

TB12 (which is super cool looking but does it do ENOUGH for me)
Magnolia 7318 (which I like the features of a bunch, but with those flowers on it, it looks like a toy)
Harmony (it's aqua. I can't remember what else I loved about it)
And 11590FS. Can't remember what I liked about that one either, it had a nice review though.

I know everyone has WAY fancier machines than me and I'm sure you love your Pfaff or BabyLock or Viking or whatever you are using. But I'm a girl with a budget and I don't know a single person ever to not love their Janome.

Anyhow I'm totally depressed. I'm gonna go back when the lady who sells the machines and the husband who does the repairs are both in and have the husband tell me exactly the charge to fix me all up, then the lady help me figure out how much it would cost to get me in a machine that I will love. Then pray about it more and decide.

I'm just sick over the whole thing. I need to get some work published to offset my new machine spending.

Oh and if you don't know, our AC died, our pool motor died AND our TV is dieing on us. So like I have money for a sewing machine right now? I mean my family COULD survive without a sewing machine, but not a TV or AC. Oh and have you SEEN how stupid expensive TVs are now? What the heck? They don't even SEW stuff! I suggested NOT having a TV but they all thought I was insane.

Bad News Everyone

My sewing machine repair store is not open on Mondays!


The horror.

Broken

My sewing machine is broken.

Not threaded wrong, or skipping stitches,

nasty broken. :(

I was sewing along on Stephen's quilt. Using the walking foot. I hate the walking foot by the way. Anyhow it just went funky and made a huge loud noise suddenly. Then the pressor foot thingie didn't work. Didn't raise and lower the foot. So I took the walking foot off and then it sorta worked. I sewed some more. But it wasn't right. It sounded off. There wasn't enough pressure on the pressure foot. So I took the quilt out and looked at it and it really didn't have enough pressure. Just sorta flopping around. I could raise and lower it, but it was floppy.

Turns out the spring that is on there isn't attached right now. Somehow it either broke some or came unattached.

Brian tried to reattach it. He used my piercer I got from Gina K. Now the thing with the piercer is for YEARS I pierced with a push pin. Then I got one from Gina K. It was awesome. I love that thing. I'm sure you can see where this is going. My piercer is broken too. Snapped off trying to fix my machine. Which is still broken.

I think my sewing machine guy will be able to fix it. I'm really hoping he can just do a quick fix on it while I'm in there. I don't want to leave it behind. I want to finish the quilt, I want to sew a million more projects.

And I REALLY hope whatever I did CAN be fixed. You simply can't buy a sturdy good machine for what I can afford any more. I cannot afford a new machine. It would take me months and months to save up for even a medium quality one.

In other news:
Oh forget it, I can't think of other news with a broken sewing machine.

My new CHF. Glittery deer.

I got my new CHF yesterday. Which you know because I showed you.:)

So last night after I put kids to bed I cut them all out (man are my hands tired) and stamped a couple of cards.

And this one. I may have gone a bit overboard with the glitter? I just couldn't stop!

aaah, shopping

I ordered a pile of stamps from Cornish Heritage Farms. I LOVE LOVE LOVE their stamps. And as you can see I LOVE the Kim Hughes collection most of all. I do have a complaint though! On this set it clearly says in the description that there is an octopus. But there IS NO OCTOPUS. That critter you see is a jellyfish. I deamand an octopus! Kim, please draw an octopus add on for this set. *I'm not really upset by the way, just kidding around, although I WOULD like an octopus please*

I can't wait to get creating, I cleaned the craft room (making a quilt makes a huge mess for me) so I'm all ready.

Top done!

Ok I went with the slashing the quilt at the 3/4 then sewing in the fat yellow stripe bordered by thin red. What do you think? I'm really happy with it. (less happy that it's cloudy and I can't get a great picture)

Another view that shows the design more, but the colors are off.

So for quilting I'm going to NOT quilt in the red at all, then on all the fat stripes some free motion quilting, I'm thinking of sort of curvie lines that go all the way across the width of the stripe then back again the other direction. I can't explain it, but it's very clear in my own mind. haha.

Stephen loves it and says that it IS yellow enough.

Oh and I also made a quilt top yesterday

So last night I visited Mom and Jack in their hotel room with my boys. The boys were enjoying it so much that the 4 of them decided the kids should have a sleep over there. I raced home and enjoyed time totally ALONE! *Brian had a church thing and didn't get home until late* So I sewed up a makeup bag for mom who needed a larger one than I had made her.

Then I started cutting fabric for Stephen's quilt. Then sewing. Then I was done. It's SUPER simple. I need to do a border or something, it's sorta narrow. Anyhow here it is: My issue is that I want to do the border in the red dot, but Stephen wants a "yellow quilt" so I'm afraid that will be too much red and not enough yellow. So I'm not sure what I'll do. I have a cool yellow animal on white print that I'm doing the back in and I have plenty do to the border with, but I think it's not a strong enough print to go with all this bright color. So I'm stuck. But pretty happy that I made a quilt top in about two hours.

Oh one idea I have is to slice this whole top at about the 3/4 point, longways. Then add a fat stripe of my animal print, bordered on either side by a thin stripe of the red dot. Then not putting a border on the whole thing, just a red binding. That's actually my favorite idea, but when I explained it to Brian he said no way. But it's not up to him... I'm not sure.

These stripes are simply the fabric cut selvage to selvage and then sewn together.

Poetry

So did you know I write poems? I actually write all sorts of stuff. I make no claims that I'm any good though. See I have this NEED to write. Then I write the thing and that's it, need is gone.

Today's poem I sorta like so I'm gonna share it with you. Its about this box of crap I have. You know, old love letters, mix tapes, ticket stubs. Whenever I would add something to the box it seemed like a treasure that I'd never forget. But looking at the stuff now it all means nothing to me next to the treasures I have in my life every day.

I have a box where I keep
Some objects that I love
I store them safely as I sleep
As you may cage a dove

I took the box down today
To look at what was inside
Not love but junk how did they
Become symbols of live that died

And now I have your heart
I want to keep
And lock it away

But I’m afraid
That if I do
That will also fade

So you are free
To live and choose
Although it may hurt me so

If you choose not me
But break my heart
And choose to simply go

The rhyme pattern is sort of a mess. 4 lines, then 3, then the last two bits rhyme not inside the grouping but with each other. But whatever, I'm not a poet, I'm a girl who wrote a poem. :)

Panda Friends.

I cannot say enough about The Greeting Farm. I first fell in love with their Alice in Wonderland stamps. I knew it was only a matter of time before I got these Panda Friends too. And inside detail.

I colored with copics then went over with the Specia glitter pens.

So what do I love about The Greeting Farm? Well they ship really quick. I love that. The shipping charges are very reasonable. *actually when I ordered the panda it was a free shipping sale* They are just adorable and fun to color. I think they are pretty unique too. Although this all could be influenced by my love for anyone who makes Alice in Wonderland and panda stuff. :)

In other news:

I just went NUTS and ordered $70 of stuff from Cornish Heritage Farms! So in a few days when that all comes I will be stamping up a storm. I'll tell you all about what I got when it comes.

Favorite Things Quilt Swap.

I participate in several quilt swaps on Flickr.

One of the recent ones was the My Favorite Things theme for THIS swap group. My partner had orange and vegetable gardening listed, so I made her the carrot quilt. I used a very sketchy applique. Basicly I basted the items on then sewed over the edges several times with a black straight stitch, but kept it sloppy, like sketching. I really had fun with it. So much fun in fact that I made a second quilt with trees. I sent them both to my partner, they didn't want to be seperated. And this is what my awesome, amazing, wonderful partner sent me. Is that not the most adorable tiny quilt you have ever seen in your entire life? I'm GOBSMACKED. I mean totally and completly in love. I love the birds, the colors, the embroidery, the funky piecing. The whole thing is just awesome.

And as if that wasn't enough look:

It came with goodies. I love goodies! I mean I really really do love goodies.

In other news:

This wasn't my only awesome mail today. I got stamps from the same company I ordered the cute Alice stamps from. I'll do a full report tomorrow with the adorable card I made. I also got a large (for me) order from Pink Chalk Fabrics. I got 3 yards of the famed Kona cotton fabric. I needed a high quality white. I think it's the right white for me. I need to work with it a bit first. I got some yellow for Stephen's quilt, some number fabric for me and Kim's personal use, and some white on white print for me. Oh and I got a quilt pattern, but I'm afraid to show it or talk about it here. It's going to be for Christmas '09. yes, I'm getting ready to work on that already. I want to make almost everything. Again.

Oh speaking of patterns. I'm looking for a cool pattern to get to make some gifts. Do you like Note Taker or Pencil Roll more. Which would YOU want me to make? I just can't decide. I have a pattern already for a small seno pad cover, it holds just one pen/pencil on the outside. It's adorable, but is Note Taker cooler? Then on Pencil Roll, I figure I can use that for all kid birthday parties AND for my artsy friends, right? But anyone would love Note Taker, even if they are not a kid or an artist.

Not so much men though, what do you guys make for men in your lives?

Orangish quilt

After I made that mini quilt for Ethan I needed to make one for Stephen as well. You know how it goes...

So here is Stephen's Stuffed Animals' quilt. And the back: I literally used random fabrics on this one. Just pulled stuff out of my drawers and the pile of fabric on my desk. Oddly I like it, although I'm quite sure these colors do not "work".

Finished up "Not Good Enough"

I'm calling this mini quilt "not good enough" because it's just not good enough for my swap. Although honestly, after putting the border on it looked way cuter than I expected and should be called, "Almost good enough, I mean if I could have used it I rekon" I like the fun back I made:

Another random view.

So Ethan will have this for some of his stuffed animals. Of course Stephen already asked for one for HIS animals. I don't mind though, who better to make adorable tiny quilts for?

Fail Quilt

Not good enough:
Not for a swap. This tiny quilt top is 7x9 inches. I will probably finish it up because Ethan has a deep love for it. I will try again, trying to make it straight and nto wonky and lame. Turns out TINY sewing is harder, much harder. I'm gonna get it though. I can do anything I set my mind to.

Apron for my Grandmother

I made a reversable apron for my grandmother for Christmas. I did buy a pattern, but ended up doing my own design and totally ignoring the pattern.

Here it is on my beautiful friend Laura, who asked me not to include her head. (I'm not sure she knows she's beautiful) Here is the reverse side.

Here it is just laying around. I loved this kitchy fabric for an apron. Can you see the millions of lines of decorative stitching I did on the waistband?

Here is the other side, it also has miles of decorative stitching. And box pleats, well they are on both sides. And I also love the eyelet lace.

Oh look, I found a picture of the decorative stitching. I'm really pleased with that part.
And here it is on the red side. I'm sure you have noticed that it's different decorative stitching on each side, so I did each band seperate with it's tons of stitching, then applied them together over the top of the apron.

Anyhow, I got a thank you note from my Gramma yesterday, she said she really likes it. :)