• craft·y (krft) adj. craft·i·er, craft·i·est 1. Skilled in or marked by underhandedness, deviousness, or deception. 2. Chiefly British Skillful; dexterous

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

RIP Mr Singer

Or maybe it's a female? Anyway, the old Singer just couldn't handle the demands of furry felt. At 40 years old, it decided to breathe it's last breath and give out on me. It appears to be the gears that move the bobbin, and when I called for a repair quote, I was told starting at $110, IF they can find the parts. So the search is on for a new machine. For now, I have picked up a Singer at Costco, if nothing else than to finish the costume. I knew there was a reason I started this thing in September. I figured I can test drive it, and if I end up not liking it, Costco has a generous return policy. I heard a story once of a camera and a washing machine... If you have any good suggestions of how to pick a new machine, let me know in the comments below! Oh, if you have need of any parts for a vintage 1960s era Singer, I know where you can find some. A photocopy of the manual alone sells for almost $20 online.

On a brighter note, I got some Heat and Bond and some fat eighths to try out some appliques.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

A Birthday Card

This is a card that I made for my sister (it's in the mail, I promise!).

The cupcakes are shadowed and the edges are inked. I used Stickles on the candle flames. I used Pop-dots to make the cupcakes stick out. I then made the envelope to match. It is a funky color green-yellow in the picture, but it is really cream to match the card. I need to learn to take better pictures.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Appliques


So, I saw the new infomercial for the Cricut Expression today, and they showed a quilt that someone made, using appliques she cut out on her Cricut! I had to look up how she did it. Wouldn't the designs be cute on a bag or on a T-shirt? Here are the instructions (I got them from here):

What types of fabric will the Expression cut?

Most of your stiffer cottons, and some denims. Of course, the courser the fabric the tougher it is for Expression’s blade to cut through. You want to purchase smoother fabrics like cottons for cutting on your Expression.


Can I place the fabric right on the cutting mat as is?

No. You will want to prewash your fabric prior to cutting or creating your projects as to prevent fabric bleeding. You then want to purchase a Heat and Bond backing for your fabric, apply it to the fabric and then place the fabric onto the cutting mat for cutting.


How do I cut fabric on the Expression?

After applying necessary Heat and Bonding, you will want to play a little with your machine, since each blade and machine varies slightly. However, we have found that setting your blade on 3 or 4 and setting your pressure dial to medium or high and placing your speed on low to medium are the best ranges for ensuring quality cuts.


How much time does it take to cut fabric with Expression?

That varies depending on your project. However, Cricut can cut a mounted piece of fabric as easily as it cuts paper in just a matter of minutes or even seconds depending on the shape you cut.



Friday, September 26, 2008

My mom's serger

So, I haven't been doing too many crafty thing lately, besides working on the Halloween costume (definitely NOT the easy pattern I thought it would be), but my mom is letting me borrow her serger, which is fun because it makes such nice edges. I have only ever used it in the safe confines of her sewing room, and if there has ever been a problem, my mom has come to the rescue. She wasn't here long enough to show me how to use it, but it is amazing what instructions and time can do. In only a little under an hour (yikes!) I figured out how to thread, and got it working. I was quite proud of myself. I can envision many projects with this. It's just a question of how long I get to "borrow" it for!

*I did make a card for my nephew's birthday, but since it turned out so horribly, I didn't bother to take a picture.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Grrrrr...Joanns

I went today to Joann's to get some minkee for a blanket I am making, and the computer was being slow and I didn't want to wait to print off a coupon. No problem, I thought, I will just stop at Robert's first, since Joann's accepts competitor coupons, I have done it lots, etc. Well, apparently today, they decided not to accept it since Robert's doesn't sell fabric. They sure didn't mind the last 3 times I have done it. So, I ended paying a lot more than I was expecting, but it worked out in the end, because my math was bad, so I am going to get 4 blankets out of the material instead of the 2 that I was expecting. Apparently, you can get 4 30" x 30" squares out of a 60" X 60" piece of material, so overall, it wasn't as expensive as I thought. Although I was still hoping the lady next to me in line would share one of the 10, yes 10, coupons she used on some yarn. Where do you get that many coupons at once?

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Minkee

Does anyone know the best place to get minkee fabric? It could be in a store or online. Thanks!

Monday, September 8, 2008

Nice

Sometimes there are no words.
Here is a site that I hope to never be featured on:
Glitter Gone Bad

and

I am not going to post the name, because you have to see it to believe it

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Flower Bow


Here is a hair barrette I whipped up in literally five minutes for Lily before church, and half that time was waiting for the hot glue gun to heat. You take a flower head from any artificial flowers you like (mine was from a flower arrangement my aunt was going to take to the DI), remove the center-it pops apart into two pieces, insert a brad (I used a sparkly one to match her dress), glue a piece of ribbon to a french clip (you can buy these at most craft stores), and then glue the flower on top. That's it! It is so easy and cheap, and you can make them to match any outfit.
This is what the underside looks like.

Blanket

Sewing the men's shirt dresses with Angie, and also another sister, Mandy, has sparked in me a desire to learn to sew. I took a sewing class in 7th grade, where I made an interesting pillow that, surprisingly enough, won a small award, but that is the last time I have really sewn anything on my own. Sure, I've used my mom's serger to make some pajama pants, but I would always have her do the waist and hem. And if the thread were to break, I had no idea how to fix it. Well, when we moved into my grandma's basement, I discovered her old (from the 60s, so yes, it has electricity) sewing machine. Mandy cleaned it, oiled it (using oil that she found in the drawer-it had a sticker price of 30 cents!), and showed me the basics of how to thread it. Since then, I have finished two dresses, and made Lily this blanket! I know, it has Ariel on it, when I always said I didn't really want my kids to be too much into princesses, but what do you do when The Little Mermaid is the only show your kid wants to watch? When we went to get some material, she saw this and immediately said, "Mine!" I couldn't resist. I made it a light weight blanket, with no batting, and I didn't tie it, but I think it turned out well. I also learned to use the twin needle, which I really like. Here is the link I used if you want further instructions:
http://projectsforyournest.blogspot.com/2008/06/simple-inside-out-baby-blanket.html
She also has some other great ideas on her site, and it is one of my new faves to go to. (Thanks to my sis Alicia for having this site linked on her blog!)


It is double sided, with pink flannel on the back.


This is a close-up of the twin stiching. I only had one spool of pink, so I just used white for the second stich. This thread was on the machine when I started using it, so who knows how old it is? It kept breaking on me, which was a little frustrating. I will have to get some new stuff. And yes, that is the pink flannel, it just looks red in this picture for some reason.

My next project is Lily's Halloween costume. I have the pattern half laid out, so when it is done, I will post that as well (if it turns out okay). Wish me luck!

Halloween Tiles

After going to Swiss Days and the Quilted Bear, my sister-in-law Jennie and I decided that we would try to make some tiles of our own. These are a couple that I started with her and then finished at home. I used some window cling removable vinyl that I found at Roberts' in the kids' section, and designed and cut out the shapes with my trusty Cricut. I got the tiles at Home Depot in the flooring/tile section for about 39 cents apiece. I think they turned out okay. I used my new Signo white pen (love it!) to give the spider and pumpkin some facial features. On the orange tile, I would like to add a couple of more shapes, but I will have to wait until I get my Paper Doll cartridge back.