calm

  We had a chance to get away and spend some time at a retreat in Minnesota. it was such a great time to relax. I don't know why blogger is being weird and typing this like a link but it won't let me type other wise.

I don't get this crazyness.

My new sewing space!

It works, and I can sew and sew here.  It is a high traffic area, being on the way from the upstairs bedrooms to the kitchen, so the layout is not great, and when I'm done EVERYTHING gets put away. I've been itching to sew and figured out a new way to do a denim quilt, that pile of squares is a part of it.  Starting this has reminded me of the denim crazy quilt I have in progress... I started in November 2006, and I only know that cause I embroidered my start date on my first block.   I should pull that back out again, since i have more scraps from cutting out all these squares.

I'm also starting to get into upcycling, and I have some jeans aprons in the works as well.

Pics of where I disappeared to for a couple weeks coming tomorrow!

err, later today after I sleep?

upcycling t-shirts

today I am making these upcycled re-useable grocery bags. yep, trying to be green.

First you get a shirt you aren't going to wear anymore... like this, that one on top there, and sew up the bottom, with it right side out. yes, right side out.

Next, you turn it inside out, and even out the bottom of it.  You are going to sew all the way across the bottom, without catching the seam you did on the outside.  This way, when you turn it back right side out, you have a finished looking seam showing, and its reinforced for your heavy groceries.


So turn it back so you're looking at the front, and line it up nice like you're going to fold it.  Lay it on a flat surface.  If you started with a tank top, you are probably done, but perhaps wishing it wasn't a ribbed tank top.

Go ahead and cut off the sleeves. I left the seam there for a little more stability, but do whatever you want here.  its easier to go thru one layer at a time if you want to keep the seam intact.  And use the scissors, a rotary cutter seems like too much work here.

Chop away at the neckline, but carefully.  The neck on this T was too small for groceries really, so I gave it one slice through the center of each layer.  I didn't like it for this one, but you might, so I'm showing you.

I went ahead and chopped the whole thing off, through both layers, and down to the lowest part of the front.  Much better!  This is a huge bag, and will hold a bunch. 

Watch out for stretchy t-shirts when you do this, the stretchy ones droop towards the floor pretty good when you put heavy stuff in there, but are awesome for bulky light stuff.

New Sewing Space!!!

I've been productive today!

I have found my new sewing space, and have actually had the chance to get back into using my machine again. So nice to finally be doing that again.

I have also re-listed all the items I have to sell in my Artfire account. Hopefully I will be able to be selling things, as the money from that will be going to pay for my crafting, as we have no money for that.

I do have pictures of my new space, but the usb card reader has walked away and I haven't been able to find it yet. So instead I give you me and my hubby in London! Proof that I actually went somewhere this summer!

I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to be sewing after a 2.5 month hiatus.  Sewing is my stress reliever, and I need it!

i'm home!

Hello blogland, I'm finally back. I missed you blog, posting and reading everyone's creative geniusness.

Before I left, I had to move out of the sewing room...someone lives there now, and I am auditioning smaller spaces to work in. If you have any tips on working in a smaller space, let me know.

For now I'm trying to catch up on all the blogs I've been missing.

I'ts good to be home.

so long for now... for reals this time

Well its been too long hasn't it?

too bad, its gonna get longer. (tehe)

I quit my job (WOO HOO!!!!!!) and we're going to Europe. crazy.

I will definitly not be posting here until at least mid august.

Don't cry, it'll be okay, i promise....

we leave in 2 days, i have to pack for the summer and move out of my glorious sewing room, good thing i'll be distracted for a couple months.

have a good summer, and check my other blog to see where i might be.

I love you all, my wonderful bloggy friends, i cannot wait to read up on what all of you have done this summer!

Oh, what a weekend!

It started before the weekend.

My sewing machine broke around noon...the needle started sewing thru the plastic bobbin case. What was merely a "was that hole already there?" turned into " no no no this is not happening!"

My lovely Brother, ate its own bobbin workings.

Not only that, it chose to do so on the day before the craft fair. When I had 12 Jeans aprons to finish. It should have taken about 3 hours.

So, I rummage thru MIL's closet, grab her trusty Kenmore, and can't get the frakkin bobbin thread to work, because who knows how to adjust the tension on the bobbin? not me. An hour of scrap sewing, and I ditch that for a drive to my mom's house, to pick up her brother machine.

It took 3 hours of my life before I finished adding a binding by machine, to the edge of a very short jeans apron. I fought the whole way, coaxing the thread, encouraging the machine, re threading about 100 times. And I finished the apron. However, what should have taken 30 minutes took me 3 hours, so, I was done. Called the craft show, and said I can't come (I had a very full shoe box worth of inventory, but not nearly enough to pull off a table, let alone a booth!).

So, I am now mopey, I have no working machines... and hubby takes me out to dinner, and we saw wolverine, it was fun, but no first craft show.

Saturday rolls around, and yes, I slept in when I should have been having a booth and selling my stuff! I start looking to see if there is a way to fix my machine, and kind of hopefully looking for a new machine, cause my hubby said to look. I started by looking at janome, cause this time around we are getting something solid, a work horse, something I can sew on for hours and hours and hours.

I must say, I am quite lost when there's no sewing machine to be had. Its what I do with my life. Not having a sewing machine meant I just had a messy room, not various projects in the works. (which is a much better way to describe the piles of crap I have all over the place).

Looked at Janome, Bernina, And Husqvarna Viking; did you know bernina and husqvarna buy their machines from Janome? mmm hmm, I originally loved the threadbanger 12, for its no frills, utility-ness, and metal frame, and the price was great at 300. I then loved a Bernina Activa, but that was too expensive, if I need to make payments or it costs more than my first car, its too much. I also loved the janome 6600, with 2 sets of letters and #'s to embroider, umm, but again, more than my first car.

I drooled, and longed, and we went to guitar center to look at a cajon; its a box, that is a drum. My hubby wants one (he is a drummer) and they are really cool. However, that brings us up to 2 things that will cost about 300, and he would bring the cajon with us on our missions trip, so I am all for the cajon. we didn't get it cause they don't have what he wants, but its cool.

So on Sunday, we get home from church and he says, I want you to have this machine, can we buy it today? umm, yea. yea we can buy it today, give me your phone so I can call the dealers and find one in stock. So, the 10 dealers closest to our house don't even carry the thing because its so basic, the only have the mucho more expensive ones. We had to drive almost an hour to find the one store that carries them and has one in stock. GAH! but we bought it, and they matched the prices I was seeing online too.

oh my gosh, if you ever make it this far in my post, kudos to you. This thing sews like butter. Like Butter! oh its sooo nice. The feet from my brother machine are usable on this one, so walking foot is still good. I can drop the feed dogs for if I ever really do get around to free motion quilting. the throat space is much bigger, but I will need to measure, they don't advertise that fact.

when we got home I got to work on a disc golf bag for my wonderful hubby who bought me a new sewing machine. He designed this bag, and it looks really great. It was canvas, and this machine did not even flinch at 12! layers of canvas!!! it sews so nicely, is quiet, doesn't shake, did some lovely nice top stitching for me, so yes, I think I am in love.

so far so good. I like my new threadbanger 12.