Monday, May 31, 2010

The New Triangle Scarf Prototype!!!

From the Blue Shed has a tutorial for the cutest triangle scarf for a little girl.  It has a visor on it!  It is not only cute but practical.  I wanted one, so here is my adult version.




I love that it is reversible! 





I need a new camera.  The colors of the fabrics are so much prettier than they look here.

I didn't do the fold and buttons the original has because I didn't make it long enough on the pointy end.  Prototype 2 will have that. Another change I made was to press Wonder Under to one of  the pieces of visor fabric.  I wanted to be sure it would have enough stiffness since it would be much larger than the child-sized version.

The ties are extra long (26" in this case) as I did on my plain old triangle scarf from a few posts ago.  I like the tie on top of my head instead of in the back.  This length allows me to cross the ties in the back and bring the bow to the top.   My hair is fine and thin.  Ties stick out through my hair.  (On the positive side, my hair dries super fast so let's hear it for fine, thin hair!) Next time, though,  I'll do 20" ties.  These 26" ones require a bow.  I'd rather just knot the top. 


I cut my triangles on the fold using 11 1/4" for a total of 22 1/2" to go around the head and 13" for the length (from center of the head to the tip of the triangle).  I hope that makes sense.  I measured down 13 inches on the fold and 11 1/4" from the fold down on other end.  Then I used the rotary cutter from one point to the other.  I'll probably go with 23 x 15" for the next one.  It is sewed with a 1/2" seam.

For the visor pattern, I used a small dinner plate.  I cut the piece with 4 3/4" center height  x 8 1/4" length.   The 8 1/4" worked great, but I ended up pushing the visor in about an inch and a half because it would have stuck out too much.  Still, don't think I will use less than the 4 3/4" the next time.  I think that extra fabric provides some stability for the visor. 

A huge thank you to The Blue Shed for the idea.  She has some great jewelry in her Etsy shop, too.  Such talent!

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Thirty Days or So of Sock Creatures

Off topic for a minute, we bicycled from Glens Falls to Lake George and back today.  Brian rides often including centuries or 100 mile rides.  I, on the other hand, am a leisure rider more interested in the ten or fifteen mile rides.  Let's call mine decades.  Lake George village was crowded! The walkway on the lake was packed with people.


I'll share Brian's picture.  He got there looking happy and rested.  I had severe helmet hair, so you can't see that picture.  It was a perfect day for biking.



Back to the sock creatures.  I've decided that I will do a sock creature a day for thirty days.  Why?  Because I want to experiment with different designs, get better at sewing knits, have an hour or so a day to just have fun, and carry through on a totally absurd goal.


After getting home today, I created Aunty Lame.  Kiefer named this one, too.  See if you can figure out why he chose that name.




Everyone thinks he looks like an anteater!  I beg to differ.  Look at those pouty lips and those cat's eyes.


I went along with the name but insisted that it be spelled Aunty.  Since aunt is pronounced ant in my neck of the woods, Kiefer and I both win. It's kind of a plain name so I'm adding Lame--Aunty Lame.

Day three goal completed!

Friday, May 28, 2010

A Much Better Way to Stuff Sock Creatures

L'ove-Lorna, of the last post, did not get a sister.  She got a brother.  I need some help coming up with a name for him.   (I really should be asking for help getting a job.  Otherwise I fear my house will soon be filled with sock creatures, and no one will have any socks to wear.)
[ UPDATE:  He has a name:  Matt.  Kiefer says that he looks like his friend, Matt.  I guess that makes him Mini-Matt actually.]


Yes, he is good looking.  He is also less lumpy and sturdier than L'ove-Lorna.  Instead of stuffing, I used rolled up batting cut to the size of the body part.  Since the socks were quite stretchy, I cut the batting to the same size as the body part it was to fill.  You stuff it in kind of like you would put a pillow into a case, just keep gently pushing and pulling.  I found the batting was actually easier than using stuffing. 

Here he is with his big sister.


L'ove-Lorna takes after the taller, Overthekneesock side of the family, while her brother takes after the Kneesock side. They do have some similarities, however,  Both  have those eyes that just scream love and both are into inter-species dating.



A special thanks to John Murphy whose book on sock creatures is so much fun. I don't know how thankful the family will be when their socks start disappearing.   

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

I Did It!!! My First Stupid Sock Creature

I finally decided to take the plunge and create something from John Murphy's book,  Stupid Sock Creatures:  Making Quirky, Lovable Figures from Cast-off Socks


Stupid Sock Creatures: Making Quirky, Lovable Figures from Cast-off Socks

I've been waiting because I didn't have any cast-off socks.  I like my socks, and no one was offering to donate theirs to the cause.  I felt a certain amount of guilt sacrificing a pair of perfectly good socks.  As it turned out, however, L'ove-Lorna was well worth it.  I am using the new style of naming I've seen in the papers lately which requires one to use an abundance of punctuation.


Is she not a thing of beauty?  Okay, she is cute, at least.  And, look at those eyes!

Filled with love.  And some stuffing.

Here she is in a more formal pose.  Those ears are great fun.


L'ove-Lorna can tie them in a knot but not a bow.




My first sock adventure!  I'm stoked!  I have some pink heart-shaped buttons.  She will probably have a sister by tomorrow.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Fabric Scraps into Simple Doll Quilts

I made my first of these doll quilts out of Keepsake Quilting's  fabric sample boxes.  Keepsake used to sell sets of tiny squares of the sample fabrics.  I loved going through them.   Even the boxes were special.  My sets came in small dark green boxes with gold lettering and gold elastic ties. They looked nice just sitting on the shelf  in my sewing room.  There was no way I could just toss them out when they were outdated.  So, this was my first doll quilt.

 This night-light doll  from a store near Lake Placid seems to enjoy them, too. 

The down side of finally using the samples is that I now know I can do something with even a two and a half inch square of scrap fabric.  When the stash of pathetically small pieces gets too out of control.  I start another doll quilt.
 The quilts also give me a chance to use up some of the children's fabrics I've bought simply because I like the design.

Who could resist this Raggedy Ann flannel I used for the backing on these two?


I was a bit disappointed to learn that Keepsake no longer sells the sample boxes.  While I really make MORE than enough scraps on my own, my collection is not nearly as diverse and exciting as the Keepsake collection.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Colorful Crib Quilt



 Good quilters gather pieces that have different scales, appropriate contrast according to the color wheel, similar hues, etc.  I, on the other hand, go for the pretty pictures.  


Then, I don't want to cut it up.  Come on!  These colorful views of childhood in the late forties-early fifties are just too cute to cut into little pieces.  This quilt was my way of having my cake and eating it, too.  I did FINALLY use it for a quilt, but the squares are large enough to provide big bold pieces of the artist's picture.

This one will probably be donated since we are still in the midst of a baby drought. 

Sunday, May 23, 2010

OMG! A Seventies Triangle Head Scarf

I went looking for a triangle head scarf tutorial after spending the day trying to do yard work with my hair in my eyes.  My hair is long enough to be in my face and too short to tie back.  Most of the triangle scarf patterns out there are for kids, but I finally found one at All Crafts .

Of course, I had to make changes.  I just cannot NOT make changes.  By the time I was finished, the only thing mine and the original had in common was a triangle.  Changes:
  • My triangles are 22 x 14 inches which is larger than the pattern.

  • After sewing together the two triangles and turning them right sides out, I sewed the edge all the way around a quarter of an inch in.

  • The tutorial called for a straight strip of bias tape to bind the long end and serve as ties.  I wanted to just use scrap fabric from my stash.  I also wanted the ties to be long enough to bring them back to the top so that the tie is on top of the head.  Back when women wore these things, I always hated that knot on the back of my neck.  I had enough fabric to make long ties that would serve my purpose but not enough to cover the full length of the scarf.  I folded strips of fabric for two ties and sewed them to the corners.  
 The pattern also did not have sweet Melissa to wear the finished product for pictures.  I handed it to her and said, "Here, try this on so I can get pictures."  Melissa, having never experienced the seventies, had no idea what to do with it.  "What is it?  A top?"  


She got it on the right part of the body, but not quite straight.  When you are as pretty as this, though, everything  looks great anyway!



   Finished!