In-the-Hoop Stuffies

I am always afraid to try new things.  I really should have named my blog "The Cowardly Crafter." I must be growing up, though, cuz I've been trying new things left and right here such as these in-the-hoop stuffies.  Making in-the-hoop designs, much like using the Silhouette, turned out to be freakin' easy. 

I will look up the designer if you want, but you are gonna have to ask.
I also could also have named my blog The Lazy Crafter for obvious reasons.

I do like them.  They are cute and easy to make on the embroidery machine.  Each takes six minutes of machine time with a few more minutes for the thread changes, doing the ribbon stuff, and sewing up the opening after turning them right-side out.  I did not follow ALL the directions. My ribbons are whatever length looked good to me.  There is a matching applique that I may put on a baby blanket if I get ambitious.

White one is flannel.  Pink is felt.
I like the felt better.  Will try a fleece one soon.

Right now, however, I feel I've overdosed on cuteness.  Is it strange that I prefer Shaz's walking dead sock creatures?

I can make sock creatures, but Shaz takes sock creatures to the art level.  She does lots of different kinds and they are usually cute, adorable little masterpieces.  These, however, are my favorite.  I bought three from her to give as gifts.  I stole this one back from my son's room and put it on my bookshelf.  Don't judge me.  There aren't any in her Folksy shop, OddSox, right now.  I can't imagine why. Okay, maybe it is just me, but if you do happen to share my predilection for the odd, you could go to her shop and ask her to make one.  (No, I'm not making any money off this, no freebies. Just trying to help other people find treasures.)

How's this for contrast.

Hello?  Do I have any readers left?  Should I have stopped with the bunnies?

Who Has the Cutest Towels?

I do!

It has been pointed out to me that you're supposed to make a hooded towel on which to place these designs.
I know!  I like this way, though.  It's easier to make, looks cute, and is easy to fold.  Just try making one of
those hooded towels look nice on a towel rack.  

Are they not the cutest things?  I should have waited for better lighting, but I wanted to get this post up before it got lost in my busyness.  

 I've been playing with the washcloth ears.  They can stand up really well like the one below if you fool around with folding the washcloth more snugly. 

These were supposed to be appliqued, but the pattern doesn't have the level of directions I would need to do that.  I have no idea how to cut out the fabric to fit!  I like my version without the applique just as well in any case.

I also changed the colors a bit.  The design calls for the upper lip to be black, but I like the pink. The eyelashes are supposed to be gray, but, as you can see, I used black.

 I'd tell you where I got this, but I cannot find anything on my computer with that information!  I thought it was an Etsy shop, but there is no listing for it on my account.  If you really want it, let me know.  I'll go through my PayPal account to see if I can find the info.

UPDATE:  I hear from a few faithful commenters that my comment section is out of order.  Yup, it is, and I am having a fun time trying to fix it.  If you need info on the towels, email me.  Hopefully that is still working.

The Wine Tote

Everyone needs a bag for shopping in wine country.  I am so ready for the next trip.  This is made with some of the fabric purchased on our last trip to the Finger Lakes wine country.  Originally I was going to put pockets between the straps but didn't want to cover up any of the beautiful fabric.  Then I realized why I really couldn't put pockets on it. Wine has to breathe.

Needed a glass of wine to celebrate finishing the bag!  Usually things don't end
up hanging from the chandelier when I drink.

There are pockets on the inside, however, just large enough to keep bottles from tipping and clanking.

I had the worst time getting photos today--could NOT get the lighting to work.  You can see that the wine glass is starting to empty out.

After the fifth try to get the light right, I just gave up.  Rather than refill the empty glass (it was barely noon after all), I decided to fix the pics with Photoshop later.  

I didn't sew the handles all the way to the top so that I could fold it over if the mood struck.

I think I may have to try this out at the local store first.  I'll be the obnoxious one in line saying, "No, thank you, I don't need your crappy leftover box.  I have my own wine tote."  

The Bag That Happened Despite Me

Or maybe I should say "to spite me."  Bags can't think, right?  Nah.  

Okay.  It's a nice bag.  It's just not the bag I was trying to make. This was supposed to be such a simple project, just doubling the size of the tiny tote I did a couple of weeks ago.  First my reading skills failed miserably.  I needed TWO not one of some of the large pattern pieces I had cut and there was no more fabric.  Improv time! Sadly, my math skills were not up to my improvisation.  The bag changed and changed and changed some more.

Now all I have to do is figure out what to do with a rather long, squat bag with lots of pockets. If only I knitted or crocheted.  It would be perfect for skeins of yarn.

Tiny Tote From Free Tutorial

Sweet, quick, easy and from a free tutorial called the Pick-a-Pocket Tote at...I think it's Allpeoplequilt.com. You can just Google it if you're interested.  UPDATE: Here's the link for the tutorial thanks to Wonky Girl! By my standards, this is a tiny bag.  Note the glasses in the front pocket and figure it out from there. It is 10x8x4 inches.

Did I make any changes?  Of course, I did.  I'm genetic predisposed to make changes. I used a light/medium iron-on interfacing on all the fabric so the sides will stand well, polypro webbing rather than making the handles from fabric, and edge-stitched around the top of the bag.   One thing I wish I had done differently is to increase the length of the webbing so that I could put it on my shoulder.

It's going in my carry-on bag for my embroidery stuff and a few extras toys such as the iPod.  My usual traveling embroidery case opens like a book which is great for car travel but a bit much on a plane.

A sneak peak at a set of new designs that will be wee ginger-haired people.

Six outside pockets for the iPod and the essential snub-nosed
 scissors to be extra sure the TSA people are happy.

My Fusion pen in case I need to trace out a new
design.  You never know! I might go into a sewing
frenzy and finish the three designs I've got ready.

Once again, I only used stash fabrics including the webbing which was left over from the Departure Satchel. I might just get this stash under control yet.

Purse Organizer

I'm in a sewing mood lately, and this is a project I've wanted to do for a long time.  The goal is to be able to change handbags easily without emptying all kinds of pockets.  Most of the tutorial and patterns I've seen for purse organizers are made to fit a certain bag size and shape.  That wouldn't work for me.  My bags come in all shapes and sizes.  One idea I saw, however, was just a long piece that could be rolled to fit.  I have a lot of  "stuff," so my strip is long!

The larger pockets have small pleats at the bottom.  They take up less
space on the base fabric that way.  It also folds easier than having flat
wider pockets to accommodate the bulk of larger items.

I lined all the "stuff" up and decided to make seven larger pockets for bulkier things such as tissue packets, phone, and the rolled up shopping bag

and smaller ones that are about pen-size for pens, my favorite stylus (am I the only one with fingers too fat to type on that tiny phone keyboard?), comb, and that sweet invention for hanging your handbag on the table when dining out.  That would be the silver circular things sticking out below.

Rolled up, it fits nicely in the new bag I made, the Cate from Paco Bean,

but it could be folded to fit in any bag and around any larger items that might be carried.

Another "I've been meaning to do this forever" project finished AND using only fabric from the stash again!  In this sewer's world that qualifies as a minor miracle.

Paco Bean's Cate Bag

Not bad!  It's a simple bag, not too big.  If I recall correctly, the finished size is 9x11x3.  I thought it would be a good size for everyday.

The pattern is clearly written and easy to follow.  My one really tiny (okay, petty) complaint is that the pattern pieces don't have the dimensions for the straight rectangular pieces printed on them.  It would have saved me needing to tape pieces together to get the dimensions.  If pieces are straight lines, I'd rather cut them with my ruler instead of the pattern pieces.

I added clips on both handles because I could, and I FINALLY figured out how I could remember to do this. As soon as I finished making the handles, I slipped the hardware on them.  I cannot tell you how many times I forget to put these things on.  It would be too embarrassing.

Clips in place so they won't be forgotten.

There was a zipper with two slides in the stash, so that got used.  One change I made was to make the top lining pieces from the exterior fabric.  I wanted all of the pieces that would show on the outside to be from the same fabric.  Had I followed the directions, that fabric next to the zipper would have been the lining fabric.

I'm hoping the zipper will not be a pain to use.

All the fabric was, once again, from the stash.  I may get this stash under control after all.

I think the lining is a linen.

The New Brimmed Hat

I got Betz White's cadet hat pattern on a whim while buying another pattern from her shop.  I thought it would be a step up from my usual baseball hat when I want a brim.  I took her up on the "make do" idea and used fabric from old jeans for the outside 

and an old men's shirt for the lining.

One issue I had was, no doubt, due to my crappy sewing skills.  The directions said to sew around the top seam.  As you can see below that was a disaster for me.  After removing that stitching,  I sewed about a quarter inch down on the crown instead.

Bad top stitching

Better side stitching on the crown

I'm pretty happy with the final results overall, but wish I had used a mid-weight interfacing on the crown and top to make it hold its shape better .  The pattern didn't call for interfacing except for heavy Pellon in the brim and some interfacing on the band as long as you used a heavier fabric.   I thought the band would have been solid enough without interfacing and the rest could have used interfacing to hold the shape better.  On the other hand, maybe if I had been able to do that top stitching  better, it would have held the shape better.

I'm going to give this one more try using some old khaki's and the interfacing.  At $12.95 for the pattern, I've got to get more than one hat from this!

Studio Cherie's Departure Satchel---I Did It!

Even though I left out some pockets, this bag is still filled with them.  That front bird fabric creates a large open pocket that's gonna hold all kinds of stuff like my water bottle and glasses, and magazines.  Then there is the zipper pocket on THAT pocket.  I think my phone will go in there.

The back has a sleeve that fits over the extended handle on luggage.  In the pattern, there are instructions for another pocket on top of the sleeve, but I wanted that beautiful fabric to be the focal point.  You can also close off the bottom to make it into a pocket if you don't want the sleeve.

Perfect fit on the luggage

Sits nicely on top of the carry-on

On the inside, I decided to leave out the hidden pocket and the zipper on the top of the laptop pocket.   Just don't have a need for them.  

Laptop pocket

Two large pockets on the other side

The pattern worked out great.  I had a small issue with printing.  A couple of pieces lost a fraction of an inch even though I was printing actual size.  Fortunately the measurements are included on each piece making it easy to fix that issue.

And there it is!  All ready for that upcoming trip.

Did I mention that I only used fabric from the stash?  So unlike me.

Lil Blue Boo's Hungry Bunny Pouch Completed!

Oh, the misery when you don't follow directions!  I turned a rather simple project into a PROJECT.  First I only scanned the directions.  The part about cutting the pieces back-to-back being essential because the bunny is asymmetrical?  I missed that.  Hence there was a bit of extra cutting to get all the pieces to match up.

I did, however, zero in on the hand sewing of the lining in my quick scan of the directions.  I'll spend a hour machine sewing to get out of ten minutes of hand sewing so that had to change.  In a consultation with my sewing muse, Sandra, I was advised to sew the zipper pieces together as usual,  then just sandwich the rest and sew around the edges.  Being literal I sewed all the way around the edges. No, you gotta leave an opening for turning. Okay, ripped out a few stitches, turned it right-side out, and sewed up that opening. Done!

My  bunny was supposed to be two different fabrics in the front like some of Sandra's.  Somehow that did not happen.  Still, it's a cute little thing and the lining is lovely as you can see if you look inside there.  Check out this link  and this one for more examples of Sandra's awesome fabric choices.

The pattern (AND the directions) are at  Lil  Blue Boo.

No I've Not Been On An Extended Vacation...

I've been away--from my blog.  Sometimes life gets busy with things that make boring blog posts.  However, I finally made it back into my sewing room yesterday.  My embroidery machine proved to be the clear winner in the productivity department. It managed to create these from some Huck towels I made last year.

The towel is crooked in that last one, not the design.  Designs are from the Embroidery Library (emblibrary.com)

In the same amount of time that my machine got all that finished, I got this far with the hungry bunny pouch I've been meaning to make.

Honestly, I had two towels finished before I was able to decide which fabrics to use for the damned bunny. No, I am not using the red polka dot zippers for it.  I just dumped all my zippers trying to choose a zipper. Another towel was nearing completion before I was able to decide on the zipper and interfacing.

Don't look for the finished bunny anytime soon.  This morning, as I tried to put the pieces on the zipper, I realized the bunny is not symmetrical.  I should have read the directions more carefully.  Okay, I should have READ the directions. It appears that I've not cut things right, and  I've used up all that polka dot lining fabric.  Good thing I have a few more towels ready to embroider while I try to decide on another fabric.

Inexpensive Way to Keep the Sewing Machine Pedal Foot From Sliding

As I sew, the foot pedals slowly slide farther and farther back until I'm forced to go crawling under the tables to retrieve them.  Consequently, I've been lusting after what the Keepsake Quilting catalog calls the "Pedal Betty" forever.  The catalog price on that sweet little device to solve my problem, however, is $27.99 to $37.99 depending on size. 

While staring at this remnant of Grip Stop fabric I bought at Joann's,

I decided to try a much less expensive solution that worked out really well!   I sewed two squares of the fabric of the size I wanted wrong sides together, flipped so that the grippy dots would be on the outside, and top stitched around the edges.


These are the serger and embroidery machine pedals



and these are for the two sewing machines

 Joann's charges way too much for the fabric IMHO, but coupons and/or remnants bring that down.  I paid about $4 for the piece I got and have quite a bit left over for other projects.

Also happening in the sewing room:  I'm trying a new configuration for the sewing machines.  The sewing tables are now back-to-back away from the wall rather than against the wall individually.  The thought is that I will be able to put the serger and the embroidery machine on the floor for extra space when machine quilting.  The back table should provide support for the heavy fabric as I'm sewing. Well, that's the plan. We shall see how that works out!

Yes, that is fabric stored under the table.  I really have to stop buying fabric.

This furniture moving does count as housework, right?

Made the Noodlehead Sidekick Tote

This is a great pattern!  The instructions are well-written and easy to follow.  I will admit I chose a boring color--again. 

The photo above, however, makes it look old and worn out already.  It looks much better in person--a nice chocolate brown.  The lining has some color, though.

My flap pocket has a snap because I'm still in my snap obsession phase (or should I say craze).

The recessed zipper instructions were so clear even I couldn't mess them up. 

I pretty much stuck to the pattern.  Yeah, I can't believe it either. I only made a few tiny changes.  First, I used a medium-weight canvas material instead of the interfaced cottons and linens the pattern shows.  Then, I didn't make the strap adjustable.  I convinced myself I didn't need it, but I may regret that later.   When I'm getting close to the end of a project these things happen. 

For some reason, my bag came out an inch narrower and almost two inches shorter than the size listed on the pattern. This problem with getting the sizing right happens to me way too often.   I even used a little metal piece with different seam measures on it to make sure I was using the 3/8" allowance.    Must get new glasses.