Category: sew

I got a bunch of new sweaters today. I’m getting better with my choices through experience. My first bags have helped me decide which sweaters will felt and sew up the best.

I also made a sweater bag for myself! I figured I should have some real-world experience with what I am making. So far I absolutely love it! It’s given me the itch to sew, but my walking foot broke when I was finishing my bag and I’m waiting on a replacement.

Also, I was really excited to get this feedback from my sage green bag:

LOVE this bag!!! I have been getting lots of inquiries and compliments on it, too. VERY well-made!! Thank you!!

There’s something about getting feedback like that from someone I don’t know that is really exciting. It makes me energized to get creating. C’mon walking foot! Get here soon, please!

I was invited to two showers for Baby D. and there was no way I could knit something for both, so I planned to sew something for the second one. Since Snoopy is his nursery theme, I went searching online and found the cutest fabric for a blanket! I was originally going to sew the Super Quick + Easy Baby Quilt, but I didn’t have the right embroidery stitch on my machine. I tried the zig zag workaround, but that didn’t work well with the fleece. After trying a few ideas, I finally decided on simple, parallel lines. I love the way this turned out and it was really fun to make.

I’d also been itching to make a Wee Bunny, and I thought it would be fun to make one out of matching fabric. He turned out so well, I think I need to make another one for me. (I had a hard time letting this little guy go!)

Another one! In Valentine’s colors! I am totally in love with this pattern. It’s just something I whipped together after studying a lot of other tote bag patterns. My favorite part is no measuring! Well, I do measure the gussets to make sure they match, but that’s it. I vary size depending on the sweater, trying to get the most usable fabric out of each one that I can. I think my next bag might be something a little different. Stay tuned! Price: $30. Sold! Details at kundhicreative.etsy.com.

I am in love with this bag. It is going to be hard to let go of it! I really like its simplicity and how well the two fabrics work together. Sewing this bag was much easier than the previous ones now that I have a walking foot and rotary cutter. It’s amazing how having the right tools for the job can make all the difference! I hand stitched the lining and I think I’ve mastered the blind stitch quite well, if I do say so myself. Details are at kundhicreative.etsy.com. Price is $30. Sold!

My etsy items are at a craft open house today and are hopefully being sold. (Details on Christy’s blog.) The shop was looking a little bare, and I couldn’t figure out which sweater to sew up next, so I decided to let you pick your own. All the details can be found here.

I know most kids get a mustache while drinking their milk, but M gets a goatee. She sucks in a bunch of milk from her sippy cup, smiles, and lets it dribble down her chin. This is why she is only allowed to drink in her chair with a bib. (I thought after the first few months of nursing we were done with smelling like milk around here. Who knew?)

Anyway, we have this one quilted bib that is perfect for catching all of the goatee dribbles. One. I needed more and couldn’t find any big and absorbent enough for full coverage, so I made one of my own.

The back of the bib is terry cloth from bath towel. This should be absorbent enough, don’t you think?

I’m happy with the size, but I bought some fat quarters of cute fabric from Michael’s and would like to get two bibs out of one piece. Right now this bib is just a little too big for that, so I’ve got some scaling and redrawing to do. I’ve got some real work to do this week, so I guess the bib will have to wait until the weekend.

So that thing that I’ve been working on for the past few weeks? It’s now up and ready to go! I’ve been making tote bags—some out of felted sweaters and others out of shirts. Christy was kind enough to invite me to a craft fair last week, which gave me a deadline to get some things produced. I didn’t sell anything that night, but I did make my first sale on Saturday. Cathy of Lincoln Knitters was my first customer and bought one of my favorite totes.

I actually gave away my first tote to my knitting exchange buddy, Yvonne.

I’m trying to be environmentally thrifty with my totes. All are made out of sweaters or shirts that might otherwise end up in the landfill. The leftover felt and fabric will be used up in scarves and maybe hats or blankets. I’m also sewing the shirt tote bags large enough to carry groceries or library books.

I’m really excited about this project. I still love graphic design and it is definitely my primary passion, but technology (specifically the pdf file) has pretty much taken all of the hand work out of my job. I miss comping up folders, brochures, envelopes, boxes and direct mail packages. I also still love knitting, but it’s just not going fast enough for me these days. The tote bags combine my love for creating things by hand and the instant gratification I’ve been craving.

So, that’s why the blog has been quiet: I’ve been pushing to get some things done and up on etsy. I’ve got lots more sweaters and shirts to keep me busy for awhile.

I also take requests for custom orders. If you’ve got something you love and it never gets worn, let me give it new life for you! I also do pillows, Christmas stockings and I’m thinking of trying felted sweater teddy bears.

When my parents were here, Liz came over for a sewing lesson to teach me how to read and follow a pattern. Liz is a great teacher and VERY patient. My first project was a sleep sack for M.

Yeah, I know it’s huge. It’s the XL size for this winter. Liz helped me all the way up to the zipper and then left me to finish it up on my own. I was very proud of myself, until I realized I sewed the sleeves shut! That was a quick fix, though. I added a little flap to cover the zipper top. I’m going to order a different zipper for the other one so it will close on the bottom.

This was a pretty easy project, especially for a beginner. I can’t wait to tackle the next one. I’ve also been making some tote bags and bibs. Don’t worry knitting buddies — I haven’t given up my needles!