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random thrifty finds

We drove up to NE Lincoln today for one specific garage sale. It was a teacher selling books, puzzles, flashcards, toys, games, crafts, etc. Bella was excited. Since we were driving across town, I checked for other sales in that area in case this one was a bust. I’m glad I did because this one was worse than a bust. It was canceled because of the rain. (You would think that someone web-savvy enough to post a sale on craigslist would at least edit or delete the post if it was canceled!)

Instead, we hit two church sales and a closing daycare sale and had a lot of fun dashing in and out of the rain. I found some craft stuff and Bella found some books and toys, so we both came home happy. Here are some highlights:

stitching supplies

sewing book: $1, knitting needles: 50 cents, spool organizer: 10 cents,
plastic embroidery hoops: 5 for $1

denim and felt

felt: $2, two denim jumpers: $1 each

I didn’t take a picture of the 1 1/2 yards of blue and white felt I also got for that $2. Not sure what I’m going to do with the larger pieces. I’m going to cut up the smaller ones for Bella’s felt board. She needs some spring and summer shapes!

The denim jumpers are huge and look like they’ve never been worn. I originally bought them for tote bag fabric. Now I’m wondering if I should refashion them into something for myself. I love dark denim!

books

books: 25 cents each

Someday Bella will outgrow her love of ripping paper. Until then, I’ll keep buying books at garage sales. I have less angst over torn pages this way.

bella's finds

wooden stool: $1, lightening mcqueen: $1, penguin: free

Last, but not least, if you are going to drag your daughter around in the rain all morning, you should let her pick out a few things — especially if you talked up a really cool teacher sale that was canceled! I thought the blue car was Sally, but Bella corrected me. That girl has a good eye!

update: Check out all of the thrifty finds over at Southern Hospitality!

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new skills: satin stitch and cross stitch

June is a hard month for me to have a craft blog. I’m busy with birthday, Father’s Day, and anniversary gifts. Throw in the occasional June wedding and there’s not a lot of time left for non-secret crafting. Most of this month’s posts will probably be close-up shots. At the end of the month, I’ll do a full reveal!

Project #1 required two new stitches for me: satin stitch on the machine and cross stitch by hand. Both are taking a lot of practice.

My machine’s tension is very sensitive. One millimeter in the wrong direction and I get a tangled mess. Here is the wrong side of my practice fabric. The one on the bottom left was the best I could get.

satin stitch

Here are the finished stitches before pressing. (The iron was off at this point and I was too lazy to turn it back on for a photo.)

satin stitch

Here are my attempts at cross stitch. After my first two tries I went back to what I know best: the running stitch and back stitch.

embroidery

I think the single strand cross stitch initial is my favorite, though. I just need a little bit more practice.

satin stitch

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wardrobe refashion: green cardigan

green cardigan refashion

These flowers and buttons make me so happy! I am just in love with this cardigan refashion.

I found this Talbot’s sweater at a church garage sale. It was in really nice condition. The button bands were even backed with grosgrain ribbon! I knew right away this would be be a summer cardigan and I had everything I needed in my stash.

green cardigan refashion

The original sweater looked kind of sad. The buttons were nice, just too heavy for the knit fabric. (I’ve saved them for another project.)

green cardigan refashion

The tabbed sleeves were a bit much. They needed some brightening and lightening up. This is definitely a case of less is more. Here’s what I did:

  1. Removed all of the buttons and threw it in the wash. Let it dry flat.
  2. Cut off the tabbed cuffs and made 3/4 length sleeves. (Note: I sewed two zigzag seams above and below my cut to keep the pieces from unraveling.)
  3. Made some trim with my bias tape maker and stitched it over the raw sleeve edges.
  4. Sewed on new buttons.

green cardigan refashion

This is a fast and easy way to update outdated sweaters. I may even take a look at the sweaters in my closet and see what I can do to brighten them up, too!

refashion: Sweater came from church garage sale. Floral fabric was from my “free” stash. Buttons from a thrift store score.

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that’s how i roll

Another little Mother’s Day gift for me: a rolled hem foot. The other night I sat down to make some tea towels and expected to have a whole stack to show you. I didn’t realize there would be such a learning curve! It was like learning to use my machine all over again. I think I’ve got the sides down, but the corners are still giving me a little bit of trouble. So, here’s my one tea towel.

tea towel

I found this fabric in my stash while I was hunting for something else. It was originally for a sewing machine cover, but when I washed it, it got super soft. It feels like a linen/cotton blend, but I’m pretty sure it’s just cotton. The colors match my kitchen perfectly. Check out those beautiful hems!

tea towel

I couldn’t have gotten this far without this awesome tutorial from the Sewing Divas. I think once I get the hang of it, this little foot is going to be a big time saver for me!

stash: Having the right tool for the job can make life so much easier. It will pay for itself in productivity.

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new inspiration

Patchwork Style and Linen, Cotton, Wool

I bought these books for myself for Mother’s Day. I had flipped through the pages of Patchwork Style at knitting group enough times that I felt I should just buy it already. They didn’t have a copy of Linen, Wool, Cotton at the bookstore, so I ordered it sight unseen. Well, I had seen a few pics of some of the pages around blogland.

I was really drawn to the organic feel of Patchwork Style. It reminded me of how I felt when I discovered David Carson. Bend the rules of grid and symmetry. Expose your raw edges. Cut things up and paste them back in a different order. Designers either loved him or hated him. I was inspired by him to think in new ways. That’s how this book makes me feel about sewing.

Contrast that with Linen, Wool, Cotton. The beauty here is in its simplicity. Focus on that one, special, important detail. A lot of European graphic design is like that. Embrace your grid. Use your white space. Order and simplicity lead to elegance.

Both of these books have turned my thoughts about sewing upside down. Previously I’d been focused on learning and constructing. Now my head is full of fresh ideas. It’s overwhelming. I don’t know where to begin. I figured the best place to start would be writing it all down. Next step: getting out the sketch pad.

stash: Some books you just can’t check out of the library. They inspire you so much that you have to own them. There are free patterns from both over at MakeGoodBooks. I can’t wait to see Carefree Clothes for Girls!

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giveaway winner!

First off, I am overwhelmed by all of your sweet comments on my tote bag. It makes me happy to see everyone getting inspired to reuse, recycle and repurpose! I’m slowly working my way through all the comments and visiting all of your websites. Y’all are so crafty!

So, on to the winner: Karen Squared! Congrats, Karen!

tablecloth tote bag

I finished up the other tote bags in this series and they are listed in my etsy shop. I love them so much! I keep thinking I should save one for myself. If you want one, better buy it soon before I change my mind!

I’m thinking that the coffee sleeve of the month giveaway might become a tote bag of the month giveaway. How does everyone feel about that?

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wardrobe refashion: comfy shorts

Looking for the Sew, Mama, Sew giveaway? Click here!

comfy shorts refashion

Does every guy have a pair of these? These are T’s comfy shorts. He has literally worn them threadbare. My attempts to replace them didn’t really work. They either didn’t fit right or didn’t have pockets. I think he bought these when we were dating. It is past time for letting them go.

comfy shorts refashion

I found this pair of really big sweatpants at a local church sale, and now that I’m refashioning, I figured I can make new comfy shorts! I tried to just trace around them, but the front and back panels were two very different sizes, so I had to deconstruct them. It was a very delicate operation.

comfy shorts refashion

I am really impressed with the results, if I do say so myself. They turned out much more professional looking that I would have thought. (Pat myself on the back!) They also fit well and T approves!

Sewing knits has always frustrated me, so to prepare for this project, I got Wendy Mullin’s Sew U Home Stretch from the library. I used an overlock foot for the inside seams and a walking foot for the hem. Both worked really well.

I think with the small amount of sewing with knits that I do, I really don’t need a serger. It’s not like I’m going to be making t-shirts and comfy shorts for the whole family. I am planning to make some sweats for Bella with the leftover pants legs, but will wait until closer to Fall to measure her.

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craft challenge creativity tote

Looking for the Sew, Mama, Sew giveaway? Click here!

Remember when I won second place in Crafty Nation’s contest for Christina’s denim messenger bag? One of the prizes was a free month to Christy’s Craft Challenge. Our local Lincoln Handmade Team is sponsoring the prize and I’m donating my challenge entry to the gift package!

creativity tote

I made a tote bag, because that’s what I do best. There’s plenty of room to carry a crafty project, plus two small notebooks and a pen for recording creative inspirations. Here’s how I used the challenge items:

  • blue fabric and cute buttons used for the pockets (there’s a matching pocket on the other side)
  • flower paper used for the notebook covers
  • flower, leaf and wire used for the pen

creativity tote

I was excited to find the blue floral fabric in my stash. It matched the challenge fabric perfectly. The rest of the tote is made out of cotton I got at a garage sale, of course.

I’m excited to see what everyone else puts together with the same “ingredients.” Go check them out and vote for your favorite at ChristyNelson.net!