Finally finished

Another WIP complete. Wow! 7.5 in. in 6 months.

Not so secret Santa

I signed up to participate with Reddit's Secret Santa on a whim and it's totally gotten me into the holiday spirit. I wanted to make something for my recipient, so I made a little notebook using some recycled materials and an extra screen print. I made the cover out of some food container cardboard we had in the recycle bin. I sewed the print onto one side and bound some paper (using the sewing machine) on the other piece. I then just sewed them together. It's not a huge notebook, only about 3 x 5, but I really enjoyed making it and hope the person receiving it will like it too. Perhaps I'll make some more in the future.

I just found out that my gift is coming from Hong Kong which has me almost giddy as to what it could be. I also received a message from my Secret Santa that said: [WARNING]: Do not consume any items you are not familiar with. Does this mean I'm getting pickled sea cucumber, a 1000 year old egg or bird's nest soup? I can't wait to find out!!!! I haven't been this excited about Christmas in a very long time!!!

Free time?

Last night the bear and Frank disappeared for about 2.5 hours and I was free to get some tasks crossed off of my list. I finished some more motorcycle napkins, or actually fixed the debacle that I created on Monday. I overprinted a set and a half while hurriedly trying to get them done which means that the prints were basically smeared and overlapping. I was quick to get them to the sink and wash them off before too much of the paint had set and then threw them in the wash to see if I could save them. I'm used to getting at least one bad print every few sets, but this was the biggest batch that I had ruined in a very long while. They came out of the wash just fine and the reprints looked good!

Since I had all of my printing supplies out, I also decided to print out some more packaging since I was about to run out. I print all of my wraps on used paper bags that I get from the grocery store when I forget my totes. It's a great way for me to recycle them and they're just the length I need. Here's what the process looks like:

Everything ran smoothly and I was able to crank out about 120 labels which should keep me going for a long while. Tonight, I'll cut them out using a rotary cutter and a ruler and they will be ready to wrap all of my new goods I'll be taking with me to the Handmade Market this weekend.

I was also able to vacuum all of the rooms in the house, wash dishes, fold a load of clothes, change the sheets on my bed and the crib, pick up everything in the living room, put the mountain of clothes on my dresser away, take out the recycling, and sit down and wait for their return. I don't remember ever being so productive pre-Frank.

Another work in progress

I've been prepping for the Handmade Market in Raleigh on the 12th for the past few weeks and am slowly amassing items and even a new print. While shuffling some things around on my work table, I came across this piece that's been patiently waiting to be next in line at the machine. It's a growth chart that was featured on The Student/Teacher back in May and I thought it was such a great idea that Frank needed one. It's been a great project to use bits and pieces from my stash and trying to get a neato rainbow effect and another way to work a bit of quilting in without having to commit to a large size. I'm hoping to get it finished soon after the last show I do on the 19th. There's a perfect place for it in Frank's room and I can't wait to hang it up.

Quilting inspiration

I really love to quilt.  There's something about seeing colors and patterns to come together to make a larger, even more appealing image. There are so many takes on one simple pattern, just by the way you turn it or by choosing solid colors or bold patterns.  One simple change can make an incredible twist.

The images are a little spotty, but you can get what I'm sayin'.  The devil's in the details at times and other times, you just have to take a few steps back to see what's really going on.

That being said, I came across Luke Haynes today.  He's an art quilter and makes some phenomenal quilts.  I hope someday soon I'll embark on some more art quilts.  His work is so inspiring!

Back to beginnings

Many moons ago when I began the idea of a profitable crafty adventure, I used to make purses and knitting bags. I like how quickly they sew up, they don't use too much fabric, and design strategies are seemingly infinite. Unfortunately, tons of other people have the same idea and when I looked around, I saw that there were almost as many bag designers as jewelry makers. I'm pretty good at the bags I make, but can't compete with some of the wonderful stuff that's out there, so I moved into far less chartered territories. Every now and then, I return to purse making because of a request or just a great idea. This time, I did it for my sister's birthday. When she came to visit in July, we went to Ruby's Gift, a little store in NoDa that sells local, handmade goods. She spotted a writstlet but the design of it was a little flawed so it went back on the shelf. Good for me, 'cause that meant that I could make her something for her birthday that she really wanted without having to dig around and ask her.

The wristlet is made out of vintage linen that's been patiently waiting for me to use in some special project. The button was made by my dad but it's only decorative. I used a snap underneath to ease the flap opening and used velcro instead of a zipper for the body. The purse is lined with fabric from a curtain. It's my first attempt at a wristlet and without using a pattern. I'm very pleased with the way it turned out and hope that she likes it.

Frank's new sling

I've been smitten with my moby wrap except for a couple of things: 1) it's not quick to put on and when the kid's crying, anything that takes more than 15 seconds feels like eternity and 2) I've only got one of them which creates a problem when it's in the wash and the kid starts crying. I use my wrap as a soother, as a way to get things done around the house, and as a carrier instead of the carseat. I've been looking for a new baby wearing piece of equipment for a couple of weeks and I'm too cheap to afford even what's on ebay, so I decided to sew one after finding a pattern from the makers of the Maya Wrap. I found SlingRings through a recommendation from the thebabywearer.com and ordered a couple of pairs.

I made the first one last night around 1am - the only time it seems I'm able to sew - and was able to stitch it up pretty quickly. I was done by 2am. All it called for was a couple of cuts, a bit of hemming and double stitching the ends 'round the rings. We tested it out today and so far, I like it a lot. We still need to practice some with it, but I really like the ease and quickness of putting it on and him in it. I've got some more fabric coming tomorrow for another one, so hopefully we'll continue to get better using it. At least when I'm done with it, I can recycle the fabric into something else.