Petal Bag 99% Done

 Here it is...

The top looks a little funny now because the casing for the cording is flipped down and you can see the lining. I don't have any satin cording for the bag handle.  The green thing in the picture is me trying to make my own cording out of fabric.  I could use it but I just don't like it.  It doesn't fit with the bag.  Before I call it complete I'll buy some proper cording.  

Working my way backwards, here is the outside of the bag before I added the lining.

 This is the inside after I gathered the bottom.

While I was in the midst of this project I kept telling myself I'd never make a bag this small again.  I hated working with the small pieces.  But now that it is finished I love it!  I would make another one.  First, though, I want to make my own bag using this technique.  Only with bigger pieces and a larger final piece. 

One final thing about this project...I learned that magazines make mistakes and in this case they obviously did not test the instructions.  There were a bunch of errors!!! This is in the Spring 2008 Quilts and More magazine.  Here they are...

1. A print error.  I needed 2x's the amount of lining squares for the petals.
2. It had me cut out 4 strips of lining fabric that I never used.  Was this supposed to be the missing lining for the petals?  But there were only 4 strips not 7 and they were too long.  
3. When attaching the lining, it did not say whether to sew with right sides together.  The picture implied that the wrong side of the bag was sewn to the right side of the lining.  
4. The lining was too small for the bag.  I had to re-cut, adding 2 inches!  That is a huge error for such a small bag. 

This is an older magazine and I never had a subscription to it so I couldn't say if they corrected themselves in a later issue.  But I didn't find a correction page online.  Hopefully, they test out all the projects now. 

Movie and Pinning

The husband and I watched the GI Joe movie from netflix (LOVE Netflix) but because it wasn't supposed to be the best of movies I decided to pin and watch at the same time.  It ended up being a good idea as the movie was pretty bad, especially the direction they took the story line at the end.  You can see where the petal bag is right now.  Just one more seam to sew before the outside is done.  And there is an example in the magazine picture, which is from Quilts and More mag. Spring 2008.

I was also pinning pieces from another quilt in progress, which I call Jeanne's Quilt.  It is a dresden quilt.  My mother-in-law asked me to make for her sister.  The partially begun quilt and all the vintage fabric came from her aunt(?), now deceased.  Well, I've been working on this quilt for several years.  I really want to get it done in the next couple of months.  It might actually be possible now that I've started sewing again.  The pieces are cut out so I started pinning them together last night. 

After I ran out of pieces to pin I just went to my machine and sewed.  I knew I wasn't going to miss anything important in the movie.  So, got a bunch done.  Yey!

Oh, and here are the basket of scraps and the sewed pile of leaders and enders.

It Figures

It figures that the one night I don't stay up late and sew is the one night that the babies only wake up once and are out again after 40 minutes.  Total sewing time ~20 minutes.  Last night I didn't tuck a couple of the petals before I sewed them together and accidentally sewed the petals down to the lining.   Fixed those mistakes on the petal bag and ironed the seams in opposite directions. 

Just Surfing Tonight

Not feeling crafty right now.  We had a huge storm, tornado warning and all.  You are supposed to be able to take cover in the basement.  Right?  Well, we ended up running away from the basement when the water started coming up the drains.  It all happened so fast.  One moment we were relaxing, waiting out the storm, the next I see water pooling and smell poo.  We grabbed the babies and ran upstairs to take cover in the bathroom.  The husband had to run back down to grab the baby chairs, toys, and our laptops.  There wasn't time to move much of anything else.  I'll check out all the damage tomorrow.

The past week or so, I've been able to clean while the husband puts the babies to bed.  Then I take an hour for myself in my craft room.  Sleep has suffered a bit but my sanity is worth it.  It's weird to have the husband going to sleep before me.

Tonight, I am content to surf my blog list and save the sewing for the early morning hours; there will be time later while the babies eat.  Goodnight!

Progress Made on Petal Bag

Here are all the petal pieces sewn together.  I had to baste the petal to a lining square, 1/8 inch from the edge.  It was a difficult task as the single layer fabric wanted to be sucked into the machine.  If I do this again I think I'll make my own pattern using larger squares.  These are 1.75 inches squared. 

Leaders and Enders - My New Technique

I learned a new technique from a quilting blog (can't recall which one).  It's called "Leaders and Enders".  Take 2 pieces of scrap fabric and sew together, leave under the presser foot.  This is the leader; sew your stack of quilt pieces.  Take 2 more pieces of scrap fabric and sew together, leave under the presser foot.  This is the ender.  When you sew the next set the ender becomes the leader.

This technique allows you to save thread because you are not pulling out long strands after sewing.  There are no long threads to trim.  All the leaders and enders are saved and can be put together to make a scrap quilt.

You are basically making a quilt in between projects.  I saw some amazing quilts made with this technique.  I just started so only have 10 leaders/enders.  I dug out all the scrap pieces I've been saving and put them all together.  Love this idea!!

Away for the Weekend...Again

This is the second weekend, in a row, that we are away for a wedding.  This time it is my brother-in-law's wedding to my friend K.  I brought my round knitting loom and some fuzzy yarn for the trip.  After starting a few rows in the car I screwed up.  I dropped a loop.  The yarn is too fuzzy and irregular for me to go backwards.  So I pulled it all out.  This yarn doesn't seem right for the knitting loom.  Not stretchy or easily undone for that one mistake.  I think I'll save it for a crocheted blanket instead of a hat. 

What especially stinks is I didn't bring any other yarn.  And it isn't often I get a chance to work with my looms.  I have a dog and a cat that love to shed.  If I crocheted in the common areas I would end up with a scarf intertwined with animal hair.  When I try locking myself in my craft room the animals follow and scratch at the door until they get let in.

Alucard (kitty) did it last night.  I had to close the door so the sewing machine didn't wake the babies.  The cat meowed and scratched until I gave in.  It was frustrating and adorable!  He had brought his mouse to the door so we could play fetch.  Very cute!  Especially after he tried to nibble on my elbows all day.  He has two totally different personalities--night and day.

Baby Clothes from Germany

My relatives in Germany sent me a box of baby clothes.  My grandparents (on my mom's side) emigrated from Germany in the 1950's.  They learned English and my Opa (grandpa) started his own machine making business in Chicago.  It is my Oma's (grandma) side that still lives in Germany and who my family keeps in touch with.  This isn't a crafty post so much as I just wanted to share.  Two of the shirts have applique and embroidery (manufactured).  Look...

The other clothes are just really cute.  They were so thoughtful and bought the babies' clothes that they will grow into.

Bridesmaid Dress

Months ago, when I was optimistic about loosing the baby weight, I ordered my bridesmaid dresses.  One for K's wedding and one for E's wedding.  I ordered one size too small.  ONE SIZE only.  I only just barely managed to do that in about four months.  E's dress fit fine.  K's dress is a bit tighter.  So I decided to try altering the dress.  I noticed extra fabric left around the zipper and hoped that if I let out the zipper area it would fit better.  It looks okay but not sure if it did much for the fitting.

Pre-Wedding Gathering

My brother-in-law is getting married this weekend.  Last night, a few girls, gathered at J&K's house to put together the favors.  They are doing small vases, filled with m&ms and a name card inside.  Very cute idea!  I helped as much as I could with a baby in my arms--handed over empty vases, repacked vases, and poured m&ms.  You can see my other baby in this picture.  Isn't she adorable?!?  Both my angels are!

This is actually way past the babies' bedtime.  The plan was to put them to sleep in the other room and do crafty things while they slept.  W & I had other ideas.  As soon as we put them down they decided to stop being crabby and get happy/smiley again.  W started rolling onto I inside the pack n play too.  So out they came.  They were happy until 8:30pm, when it was about time to leave. 

Strawberry and Rhubarb Pie x's 2

This weekend I made my first recipe using rhubarb.  I have two giant plants of rhubarb growing in my front yard.  It multiplied into 2 on its own.  It's ALIVE!

Anyways, I used the basic crust recipe from the Crisco can.  And I learned I should always pre-bake (slightly) the bottom crust.  I had the hardest time getting the bottom of both batches cooked all the way through. The pie was for my neighbors, who are the nicest people and always giving us baked goods and things from their garden.  I made a mini pie for myself so I could taste it and rhubarb pie for the first time.

It didn't care for the rhubarb although the strawberry part was amazing.  But...my friend came to visit today.  I had crust, strawberries, and rhubarb leftover.  I was going to just make a strawberry tart for us but K said she loved rhubarb so I tried the same recipe again.  Only this time things ended up differently.  We were busy with lunch and the babies so the rhubarb sat in the sugar/flour mixture for at least an hour (instead of a half hour). 

The batch turned out great!  I didn't taste the bitterness of the rhubarb at all.  Now, I learned there are multiple types of rhubarb plant.  I have the green version.  There is also a red rhubarb plant that is less bitter and easier to cook with--according to the internet.  Well, I'm happy I tried this again.  Now my rhubarb plant will not go to waste.  Next time maybe I'll try muffins.

Working on Petal Bag

I finished cutting out the pieces for my bag--or so I thought.  I decided to read through the instructions so I'd have an idea of what I would be doing.  The instructions made no sense until I realized there was a typo.  They should have written 56 lining squares instead of 28.  Maybe?  And then they had me cut out 4 strips of the lining fabric and yet I found no mention of them in the instructions.  Where do those come in?

It could be that I'm just tired and not thinking clearly.  Tried googling for mention of the typo but it's a 2008 magazine.  I'll reread this tomorrow when I'm wide awake.

Does Anyone Else have this Problem?

I've had these boxes around since we moved--over a year ago.  They are just full of miscellaneous stuff.  Does anyone else have a drawer, box, or place of miscellaneous things that you just haven't gotten around to sorting.  Eventually I'll find a spot for everything.

Oh wait, did I say eventually?  I should probably rethink that to this weekend.  The in-laws are staying in the guest room (craft room).  It would be nice if they could get around the bed, huh?

Craft Room

My craft area.  Probably not going to stay like this but it's a start.  It'll evolve over time. 

Petal Bag Project

First of all, I did a sound test with my sewing machine.  I had to know whether running it in the craft room (guest room) would bother the babies across the hall and between 2 doors.  It didn't!! Yeah!!  It is a relief to know I won't have to move my sewing machine downstairs when I want to use it.  The husband said it was just a low hum, no louder than the fan or air conditioner in the babies' room.

After that was done I got down to business.  I started to cut out the pieces for my Petal Bag Project.  I'm about halfway there.  Reviewed my template making techniques. Tip #1: To use template, place face down on the wrong side of the fabric.  Tip #2: Place a fine piece of sandpaper under the fabric to keep it still.

Oh, here is a picture of the fabrics I'm using and the photo.  The magazine is a back issue of Quilts and More.  

The First Day of a New Beginning

I agreed to help my grandpa-in-law sell his paintings online.  He is not one to use a computer.  Today, I updated my Etsy account, made a new banner, and listed the first painting.  Here is my shop if you'd like to check it out: http://www.etsy.com/shop/chariot71226.

There is a cool pattern in a sewing magazine for a petal handbag.  I read though the instructions so I have a basic understanding of the construction.  I have the fabrics picked out, prewashed, and ready to go for tomorrow.  When I perfect this project I can make a bunch for my craft show.

Now, time to make some bottles for babies. Goodnight.

Starting Over with a New Crafty Life

Hi.  I am making today a new beginning.  A new crafty beginning.

My babies are almost 6 months old.  They are sleeping better everyday.  Now they only wake up 1-2 times per night.  It is the beginning of more and better sleep for me!  Yay!!!  That also means I can squeeze in some time for myself each day after the babes sleep. 

I haven't been productive this year.  No projects completed. =:(   Just a bit of crafting here and there.  My goal is to do something everyday.    Each new day I will decide what to accomplish that evening.  I will blog about it the next day. 

Here is the BIG GOAL... My town has a spring garden and craft show in May.  This year the booth fee was only $10.  The family and I went to check it out and it seems fun with a lot of foot traffic.  I want to do a booth in the May 2011 show.  If I am to succeed  I need to start accomplishing something crafty everyday. 

So, this blog is about me finding myself again.  Quilting, crafts, cooking, languages, gardening, and homemaking.  Here I go...