What I'm Working On: Keeping Sewing Ducks In A Row

Readers: How many balls do you keep in the air, and are you any good at juggling?

By balls, I mean sewing projects, and by juggling I mean actually finishing any of the projects in question. Or do you let them fall eventually once your sewing table is finally buried under a mound of fabric scraps, unmarked pattern pieces and empty iced coffee glasses?

Those reference points are a little too specific, no? This clearly hits close to home. I'm actually not that bad at juggling (literally!), but as far as finishing three projects when I'm working on them concurrently....we'll see about that.

1) A Tooth Fairy Pillow, which is a present for my daughter's friend. It's was Lucy's idea (her friend is turning 5, and Lucy reasoned she'll soon be loosing teeth, so she should have a special pillow in which she can stuff her little incisors). The little pocket on the tooth fairy's dress functions as a place to hide teeth — and then money. It's nearly finished, but I am out of stuffing...and am now looking around my apartment for appropriately springy materials. I would have to travel far for a bag of polyfill....any suggestions, anyone?

2) Kenneth King's "Jeanius" class from Craftsy.com. I have marked the trousers I am copying (a perfectly fitting cropped tuxedo pant). Moving on to the next step (pinning the pants to a piece of silk organza for tracing purposes) requires properly cleaning off my drafting table as this picture makes clear:

3) And because two is never enough of anything, I'm also about to draft a patch pocket and flap so I can make a chambray version of Pattern's Runway's Pussy Bow Blouse (minus the bow, but with two pockets on the front). I just want to make something I can wear sooner rather than later (I don't even have fabric in mind yet for the above pants pattern):

So what's your number? Do you take on your projects single-file (no budging!), or do you keep a number on the backburner for when you need a break from one that's giving you grief?

Show Your State Some Love With DIY String Art

Do we have Bon Iver to thank for inventing the concept of Wisconsin pride?

(Of course Texans have always had it.) 

Actually, most Americans are pretty into their state's shape. They're often offended when you can't name it based on a squiggly outline, to which I reply, "Find me a household object shaped like Saskatchewan!" — an easy exercise because Saskatchewan is shaped like a board. (I'm not actually from Saskatchewan. I'm from British Columbia. I just like watching Americans say the word "Saskatchewan" as they briefly consider the breadth of all that they do not know).

Anyway, people from the Midwest are practically Canadian for their humble lack of overt state patriotism. I like that about them.

My husband is from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, which is actually Bon Iver's hometown. Ryan's never met him, but he does like to recall listening to Justin Vernon's first band out of high school. It sounded a lot like Jack Johnson, apparently.

So for Christmas this year I decided to make him a piece of string art in the shape of Wisconsin (with a heart where Eau Claire is located).

I got the idea from this Mississippi artist's Etsy shop, which I found through Pinterest. If you don't have the patience to hammer a couple hundred nails into a board like I did, I recommend placing a custom order with Curiously Wrought. She's even made the map of Canada, an impressive feat considering the shape of our three coast lines.

I, however, am short on money — but long on patience. And I have an assistant who demands only cookies as payment.

It should be noted: in order to get anything done with a child underfoot, you must involve them in some small way (but make their contribution seem really significant or they'll lose interest). Also, handing over part-creative control to a preschooler may mean you end up with an orange art project, which is what I did.

She was right though; her dad claims orange to be his favorite color. But when it's a project paying homage to a state known chiefly for its contribution to cheese culture, it can seem a little....literal. Ryan is a good man though, and I'm sure he'll love it all the more knowing Lucy picked the paint chip.

What you need:

-A piece of wood. We reclaimed a board that had been a shelf in a friend's closet. (With her permission, I swear).
-A bunch of 3/4-inch nails (I estimate I used about 250 nails, or approx. 3/4 of a package)
-String, a lot of it (mine was from the dollar store)
-Hammer

Optional: Paint (Orange or any other hopefully non-questionable color), tracing wheel and projector (though you could probably find another way to transfer the shape of your state onto a board!)

To start with, Lucy and I sanded the board a bit to get rid of any splinters and make the paint stick better.

Then we painted a couple thick coats of orange and let it dry completely.

I knew if tried to draw the outline of Wisconsin freehand my husband would end up making fun of me. (Again, damn Americans and their fierce devotion to their state's shape!)

So I set up the projector  (my husband bought one for a solo show he performed a few years back), and traced the shape onto a large piece of pattern paper. I drew a heart where Eau Claire is located.

(The upside of re-discovering our projector: my kid was so thrilled to watch an episode of My Little Pony projected onto the wall of our apartment.)

Then I taped the pattern paper to my board and used my tracing wheel to transfer the outline of Wisconsin onto my board. It was actually a pretty great way to do this because I had ready-made spacing for my nails: every three holes I placed a nail.

Then the hammering began.

Lucy only banged my thumb a couple times.

Winding the string was fun. I simply made a slipknot on the end and wrapped it around a nail. Then I zigzagged from the outline to the heart, all the way around, knotting it at the end.

The effect is pretty heartwarming for a cheesehead, dontchathink?

I don't know where in our apartment this is going to go. It's pretty heavy, and the walls in our pre-war apartment are crumbly as an oatmeal crisp. There's no mantle either. Maybe atop a bookcase? (WWBID?)

So that's one of the things I've been working on these past few weeks. Lucky for me, my husband never reads my blog, so I can share this DIY with you even though it's still weeks until Christmas.

What about you? You got state (or province) pride? How do you express it?

Ornament Exchange 2012!

When the lovely and talented Kelli of True Bias asked me to participate in an ornament exchange this holiday season with a bunch of other bloggers, I didn't have to consider it for long before saying yes. After all, the darkest days of the year are definitely easier to take with a little extra glitz. (I consider the lights on my Christmas tree a sort of S.A.D.-preventing device).

Plus the thought of receiving a tiny package from each of the eight other bloggers involved, each containing a completely unique handmade ornament, throughout the month of December? My kid might just lose it from the excitement. (And me too). 

Brainstorming ornament ideas, I tried to think of what aspects of Christmas decor I loved most. And I kept coming back to tiny details. Stuff like Bergdorf Goodman's Christmas window displays, the Metropolitan Museum of Art Baroque Creche and Christmas Tree, and the Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden really floats my boat. (We haven't been yet but became NYBG members this year just so we could go see the intricate models of iconic NYC buildings and landmarks made completely from natural materials like acorns, bark, twigs and fungus.) And though I'm not Christian, I still adore nativity scenes for the miniature lambs, camels and fancily attired Three Wise Men. Dioramas, obviously, are also up my alley. Searching for and appreciating tiny details on Christmas ornaments is just so magical to me. 

Part of the deal here is providing readers with a tutorial to make whatever ornament we came up with. And I was trying to work with materials I already have on hand — that way I would keep the costs low for me, and also insure that readers can try their hand at making it possibly without having to spend any money themselves. (I care about your budgets, people!). I wanted something simple and fast to make, but infinitely customizable, so readers could add their own details if they have the time, materials and crazy will to make something weird this holiday season. 

The starting point is a simple corduroy and muslin mouse with button eyes, an embroidered nose and whiskers made from a few strands of thread:

The pattern I created is terribly simple — so simple I hesitate to call it a pattern. (It can be downloaded by clicking the image below):

But the details are what make it special. Consider this mouse, who I call "Craft Blogger Mouse" for her balls of yarn and on-trend chevron-printed dress:

Or this one, who is clearly from Brooklyn:

If there was ever a time to stage a craft intervention, now's the time:

Gangnam Style Mouse

OK, back to simpler, actual Christmas-themed ornaments. The Mouse King (from The Nutcracker, another of my holiday favorites), made with a muslin crown painted with gold fabric paint:

And the Sugar Plum Fairy, wearing a wee tutu and toting a fabric-wrapped button for good measure:

Poor dear is a little cockeyed, no?

Using the pattern posted above, cut two body pieces, one each from your two fabrics, and four ear pieces — two from each fabric. I used muslin and brown corduroy, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand. (Save your fabric money for a nice dress instead and make this from your scraps. The tiniest pieces will do!).

At minimum, the only other supplies you will need are two buttons for eyes, and some black embroidery floss. This is what you will start with (plus a handful of polyfill):

Then, right sides together, machine stitch (or hand sew, if that's how you roll!),  3/8-inch from the edge most of the way around the body and the ears, leaving an opening along the bottom of each to turn right side out: 

Then turn the body right side out, using a chopstick or some other pointy object to get those little corners pressed out:

And do the same with the two ears, setting them aside for the moment:

Now sew on your two buttons for eyes, using a couple strands of black thread, keeping them level with the widest point of the mouse's face:

Thread an embroidery needle with black floss, and stitch your nose at the bottom point of the face. I used just four stitches to make my nose, starting with a small horizontal stitch, and then a couple slightly longer stitches above it:

Thread your embroidery needle again and knot the end. Poke the needle through the underside of your mouse face, pulling the thread all the way through. Snip the thread so it's about 3/4-inch long. That's one whisker. Repeat this process three more times. From the underside it will look a little messy, but don't worry; it won't show: 

Tired of hand stitching yet? If so, warm up your hot glue gun...and then glue down the mouse's face. (You can also stitch it, if you're anti-glue).

Stuff the mouse's body with some poly fill, using a chopstick to pack it in nice and tight:

Thread a needle with some brown thread (or whatever color works best depending on what fabric you chose), and make gathering stitches all around the bottom open end of your mouse:

Pull the thread tight, closing the opening, and then make a few stitches to secure it shut:

Now it's time for the ears. Using a dab of hot glue (or a couple stitches, if you prefer), fold your ear in half at the open end, securing it in place. Then glue or stitch the ears to the back of the mouse's head:

The last step (minus any embellishments) is securing an ornament hanger to the top of the mouse's head, using a few stitches:

All that's left is adding some details. Like Reindeer Mouse:

Or Angel Mouse:

To celebrate, do your best Gangnam Style Dance:

Not into adding rodents to your tree this Christmas? That's cool. I get it. Check out tutorials today from the eight other bloggers who took part in our little ornament exchange. I can't wait to see what these other ladies have cooked up for the holiday!

Sonja of http://gingermakes.wordpress.com/
Mika of http://savorystitches.blogspot.com/
Miranda of http://www.onelittleminuteblog.com/
Megan of http://blog.megannielsen.com/
Jen of http://grainlinestudio.com/
Dixie of http://dixiediy.blogspot.com/
Madalynne of http://www.madalynne.com/
Kelli of http://www.truebias.com/

Advent Cabin

Though Jesus is not our reason for the season, that doesn't mean I'm not trying to inject our secular Christmas celebrations with meaning above "What do you want for Christmas?"

Thanks to our current budgetary constraints, there's no risk of our four-year-old being spoiled. And, lucky for us, she's admirably modest in her wishes — and has never once even asked me for a toy she's seen in Target or whatever, which is kind of amazing. But (BUT!) I find that on the days she gets the most, she can be the most ungrateful.

So in addition to her cheap Target-brand chocolate advent calendar, I made her a toilet paper roll cabin calendar, an idea I stole from this much better version I first saw on Pinterest — originally from Morning Creativity:

My version looks much more DIY thanks to the fact we were out of printer ink (are we not always out of printer ink?).

But instead of treats or small gifts, I stuffed each tube with Christmas jokes only a four-year-old would love  (e.g.: What do you get if you cross mistletoe and a duck? A Christmas quacker!"), good deeds and "Christmas dares" (a concept I totally made up but don't tell my kid, OK?).

Of course she was much more excited to open the window on her cheap chocolate calendar yesterday, but she was also game for her first Christmas Dare, which was "Give someone (other than mama or daddy) a nice compliment." She made me email my friend Briony, who was visiting from Toronto and we had seen earlier in the day, to tell her she looked pretty in her furry coat. I hope a little bit each day, I can help her see that the best way to spread Christmas cheer is not only singing loudly for all to hear, but also to make someone's day in some small way.

A few more examples of the Christmas Dares and good deeds I hid behind each brown paper number:

• Chose one grandparent to call and sing a Christmas carol to.
• Here's $5. Now go buy a small gift for someone else.
• Here are two lollipops, one for you and one for someone in our neighborhood. It's your choice, now go deliver it!
• Here's some paper and an envelope. Write a short letter to anyone you like, and then ask mama to mail it for you.

Do you have any good deeds or Christmas Dares that would be appropriate for a small child?

Christmas Crafting: The Slippery Slope to Scrapbooking

Nothing against scrapbooking. It's just, you know, this blog is mostly about sewing actual garments and  for some reason I feel apologetic posting about anything but.

(And anyway I know what you're thinking: Where's the finished Lauren Moffat top knock-off? It's ready to be photographed, and I even have a gorgeous new accessory to wear with it — which I will tell you about soon — but vanity demands I wait because this week I got my annual Fall coldsore, and nobody is taking pics of me until it is gone.

Speaking of vanity, I'm also going next week to see a plastic surgeon about "revising" the scar I was left with after being punched in the face last year. That may be an overshare, but for some reason it has me nervous and is consuming my thoughts. I don't know what has me more spooked: the scalpel, or the thought that this surgeon will think me vain for wanting to erase the physical memento of my mugging. It's small, but it casts a shadow, it sticks out so far.)

Back to crafting: I totally stole this cute Christmas ornament idea from Pinterest, where I saw a pic of this lady's handiwork. She sells these adorable customized ornaments on Etsy.com, but appears to be so backed up, she's no longer taking any more orders this holiday season (so I don't feel too badly for stealing her idea and making my own). Also, if the parents of these tots read this post, I apologize for spoiling the surprise:

Since it was someone else's idea, I'm not about to show you how to do this and steal away her business or anything. But if you have some hand stitching skills, it shouldn't be hard to infer how to make this onesie ornament. Mine measure 3.5 inches square. The "hanger" is a bent paperclip. I drafted this little onesie by hand (on the center front fold so it would be perfectly symmetrical). It's made from two layers of white poly felt, with blanket stitching all around. (Just google "blanket stitch" if you don't know how. There are a million good tutorials out there).

What's the best idea you've stolen recently? Let's give a little credit where it's due!

A few cute things I've been working on

I'm still hanging my head in shame over that pink velvet dress debacle. It really made me question whether I am, in fact, halfway decent at this — in the way that running into a lame ex-boyfriend makes you wonder whether you ever have any idea what you are doing ever.

To help myself move on, I've been sewing some small projects this week — and nothing for myself. All three of these projects are for my daughter for Christmas, and all were made from fabrics I had in my stash.

My daughter is three, and she seems to understand that she can ask for something for Christmas. But her wishes are vague and weird, and left up to a certain degree of interpretation. Her main request has been for a "teacher bag" and a "teacher toy." What those two things are...we may never know. She wont' tell us. Most likely she doesn't know. (If you have any suggestions, please leave them below!)

So following roughly this great tutorial at Say Yes To Hoboken for a Notebook Lined Tee, I used some scraps of a cream-coloured denim (some weird muslin? I got it from a neighbour who was getting rid of fabric) and fabric paints to create this "teacher bag":

I'm fully expecting her to toss it aside Christmas morning and say, "THAT'S not a teacher bag!" Harumph.

Moving on, I also made her this shirt (from the last bits of blue jersey I have previously used to sew leggings and underpants, as well as the pink polka-dotted fabric I used to make tents for Lucy's camping birthday party, and a lovely bird-printed cotton I used for doll carriers). I used the Elise pattern by Violette Field Threads, which I won in a giveaway. The pattern was great, and it turned out very cute, I do believe.

Keep your fingers crossed for me that my kid actually wears it. After using cotton bias tape to finish the neckhole I realized I'd never be able to get this shirt over my kid's head, so I cut a slit in the back, bound off the opening, and added a button and elastic closure. I should have known better and used jersey as the bias strip to finish the neckhole, but the pattern instructions didn't specify and clearly I have poor judgement. Also, the pattern didn't have grain lines. Weird, non?

I also made a few flowered headbands for Lucy and her friends as little gifts. I think I'll give her this one early so she can wear it in her preschool holiday show tomorrow:

So tell me, what do you do to make yourself feel better after failing?