Crazy Handmade Doll

Just a crazy doll I made.

Handmade Doll

The body fabric, which is pretty loud, 

has umbrellas printed all over it so I chose

 more subtle fabrics for her dress and pantaloons.

I sewed a piece of crochet edging to her forehead to represent a crown,

and the hair is three different colors of yarns with some pink ribbon thrown it.

Handmade doll

Handmade Doll posing with Carl's Sewing Machine

Now if I could just teach her how to sew!

OH,

if anyone has a users manual for this machine that they would like to share?????

From what I can gather on the net,

 it's a Sewmor brand that Carl's put their name on.

Till next time, keep creating,

Bonjour

Waxahachie Junior Service League, Christmas Market Preparations

We had a fun and profitable day at The Texas Country Reporter Festival.

With the help of my grandson Brian and 

my daughter Ginger we sold lots of product, kept the money secure,

and generally had a great time.

I sold out of my full aprons and dolls and moved quite a bit of soap.

Needless to say I've been quite busy replenishing the stock

for The Junior Service League Christmas Market, December 6-7

at the Waxahachie Civic Center.

Halter Style Apron

This style apron, with it's halter top, seems to fit the broadest range of women.

But, I don't want just one style,

 so I'll be working on creating a more diverse selection.

The taggie monsters and ballerinas are getting some notice also.

Taggie Monsters & Ballerinas

Mini Christmas Stockings

I've also been working on my mini stockings,

I market these as gift bags.

Well, there's a lot yet to be done and only 

32 days left till show time.

SO....

Till next time,

happy creating!

Bonjour

New Items For The Fall Shows

Half Aprons

Full Aprons

Dolls and Bags


Lots of exciting things going on here....
~~~~Busy, busy, busy~~~~
I hope you' all have a great weekend.

 

Handmade Cloth Dolls

Handmade Cloth Dolls

 

Handmade Cloth Dolls

 

Handmade doll sales are hit and miss for me at shows,

but I do so enjoy creating them.

I usually take three to every event and since I sold two

at the Bluebonnet Festival I didn't feel guilty

creating a couple more.

 

Usually, their hair flowers/ornaments are pins

that can be detached and worn on a jacket.

Their necklaces are bracelets, also wearable.

At the price of $14.95 I figure that's a pretty good bargain.

 

My hubby thinks I way under price my items but in these times,

and vending mostly rural, I feel the best option is

to move items rather than sit on them.

 

They're approximately 18" tall.

What's your opinion?

 

Till next time, thanks for your input,

Bonjour

 

 



Vintage, Dressmaker Sewing Machine

My new find...
~ The vintage Dressmaker DeLuxe ZigZag Sewing Machine ~

Vintage Dressmaker Sewing Machine

Vintage Dressmaker Sewing Machine

 

 

1960's?

I've got myself a little sewing factory going on.

 

 

 

The vintage Singer Touch & sew. 1970's

 

 

The not so vintage Sears Kenmore. 2003

(I think the Kenmore is getting jealous).

 

With both a soap factory and a sewing factory going on over here,

the house is, shall we say, getting a little full!

 

The DIY dress form is still in the works.

Part 2 is on it's way.

 

Our first show of the season is this Saturday at the Waxahachie Civic Center,

maybe I'll sell enough to justify buying two "new" sewing machines.

 

Till next time, happy crafting:-)

Bonjour

Free, Bicycle Pouch Tutorial/Gift For Heather

Bike Bags

 I was tooling around the net one "very early" morning

and found this post showing how to make a pub bag.

I liked the idea as a bicycle bag, to loop over the handle bars.

My daughter Heather does a lot of riding so I decided to make one for her.

 

I couldn't make the original instructions work for me,

 so I had to rework the idea.

I didn't like the first one I made, it seemed to long and not wide enough,

so I re-did the measurements to get a shorter, wider bag.

I think this bag would also be super for the farmer's market or thrifting.

 

Here's the re-worked version if you would like to make your own.

So here goes, my take on the pub "bike" bag.

 

Materials

 

 

2 ~ 5” x 8 ½” rectangles for main body (fashion fabric)

2 ~ 5” x 8 ½” rectangles for lining

1 ~ 10” x 5” rectangle for strap (fashion fabric)

2 ~ 4” x 7 ½” rectangles fusible interfacing

1 ~ 12” zipper

 

Method      
(¼” seams unless otherwise stated) Finished size is 4” x 7”
 
Strap
With wrong sides together, fold strap in half long ways, press on fold.
Open out and press each long side in to meet the fold, press. Fold in half and press.

You will now have a piece that is 10” long x 1 ¼” wide. Stitch along all the edges.

Fold in half so you have a piece that is 5” long x 1 ¼” wide. Set aside.

 

 

Body
Press interfacings to wrong side of fashion fabrics, centering it in the middle.

 

Zipper
Lay fashion fabric right side up, lay zipper tape face down with teeth to the inside and "zipper butt end" to the right and pull to the left. (right side of pull will be facing the fashion fabric).
Lay the lining fabric right side facing down over the zipper tape,

align edges and pin in place making a sandwich.

 

Sew in place using the zipper foot.

Open fabrics to right side, exposing other half of zipper tape.
Flip fabric to lining fabric side.

 

 

Place fashion fabric right side up, under exposed zipper tape, place lining fabric right side facing down on top of zipper tape, align edges and pin in place making another sandwich.

(This time the "zipper butt end" will be on the left and the pull tab on the right).
Sew in place making sure you keep the first two sides out of the way.

Trimming
Open out and press fabric away from the zipper. Open zipper halfway.

On your cutting table, line up one fashion fabric and one lining fabric to the left, wrong sides facing and the other two pieces to the right, with wrong sides facing

With your rotary cutter, trim off the excess zipper and true up your fabrics.

 

 

Sides
Lay the two fashion fabrics, right sides together on the left and the two lining fabrics, right sides together, on the right, with the zipper in the center. Sew down each side, parallel to the zipper, leaving a small opening for turning, on the lining side.

Top and strap
Open out your lining fabric so that the seam is in the center, do the same with the fashion fabric.

Center the strap under zipper top edge, between the two fashion fabrics, with the loop to the inside and raw edges even with the edge. Pin all layers in place. You will have a sandwich, two lining pieces and two fashion fabrics on either side of the zipper, ( four layers on either side) seams to the center, with the strap centered in the middle.
The strap should be mounted on the top of the pouch where the zipper pull tab is. That way, when you’re carrying it, the zipper opening will always face up.
Sew through all layers, sew again in a 3/8” seam.

Bottom
On the bottom end of the pouch, line up the fashion fabric on one side, and lining fabric on the other, so seams are in the middle.

Pin and then sew across bottom edge.

 

Finishing

Trim corners and turn right side out through opening in lining.
Push out corners through lining opening with a chop stick. Open zipper all the way out and give each piece a good press, tucking the raw edges of the lining opening to the inside. Stitch opening in lining closed.
Push lining to the inside.

Fill with essentials, hook onto your bike handle and you’re good to go!
No need for that shoulder bag, and where is her helmet? Wait I think I see it....







Thank you to Paula Storm for the great idea.

What have you been sewing?

Till next time,

Bonjour



DIY Craft Show Banner

SEW.....

Time is being spent preparing for the up-coming shows.

Making soap, sewing, all the things that come with running my own business.

This is the latest....

 

I needed a more detailed banner and

funds being what they are, I decided to make my own.

 

craft show banner

 Found the letter templates at

http://chubbiecubbie.com/abc123printables.htm

 

I bonded the letters to my fabric panel with wonder under

and then stitched them down as an added precaution.
 

I outlined the panel with bias binding and

added loops on the corners and in the center top and bottom.

 

 

The fabric panel was what I had left over from making my kitchen curtains.

 

 

The fabric flowers were free from my local thrift store.
The whole project was constructed with things I already had on hand.
 It was a bit time consuming but, worth the effort.

What great projects are you into?

Till next time,
Bonjour

 



The "New", Used Sewing Machine

Dallas Farmer's Market

I was looking for a used sewing machine on Craig's list

the other day and found one for $29.00.

A singer touch and sew, circa early 1970's.

Not a bad price for a machine in a cabinet, plus the matching chair.

 

The only problem?

 

It's location was in Dallas, about an hour away.

I might not even want it...

Maybe it wouldn't sew properly...

Maybe it would need work...

Maybe this was one of those Craig's list scams...

 

You can let the maybes deter you or just go do it!

 

So, off we went to give it a test drive.

 

It was a fine machine with bells and whistles,

 plus a few extras thrown in for good measure.

 

 

We tarped and tied her into the back of the pickup

and headed over to the Dallas farmer's market.

~Couldn't waste the fuel doing just one thing!~

 

Well, I have some sewing to do and soap to cut...

Hope you have an excellent day!

 

Till next time,

Bonjour

 



Free Baby Blanket Tutorial/What I've Been Sewing

~~~~~~SEW~~~~~~~

 

Handmade baby blanket, bibs and burp cloths

The Great-grand-baby's 1st birthday is coming up,

so I decided to make her a few cute, but useful gift items.

The weather is turning cold here in Texas,

and when I saw this cute fleece at the fabric store,

my mind went to baby blanket.

I bought 1 ½ yards of it, plus some quilting cotton for a ruffle.

The bibs were made out of fat quarters.

 

The thought was,

the blanket could be used length-wise in the crib as a normal blanket,

or, used width-wise to put over the baby seat/carrier.

 

It was quite easy to make, and,

if you would like to make your own, here are the specs.

 

Keep in mind....

It is near impossible to get a decent photo in this house,

the fleece fabric is a pink, brown, blue, yellow and white paisley/floral print, and the quilting cotton is a brown background with pink flowers.

I did my best!

 

Supplies: 

1 ½ yards - 45 wide lightweight fleece/main body
1 ½ yards - 45 wide quilting cotton/ruffle
thread, scissors, cutting mat, rotary cutter, ruler, sewing machine, ETC.

 

Method: 

1. Using the cutting mat, rotary cutter and ruler, square up/trim the raw edges of the fleece.

Trim off the printing on the selvages.

2. Cut 5 - 8" strips of the quilting cotton, selvage to selvage.

Trim off the printing on the selvages.

You will have about 14" of the quilting cotton left over, set aside.

3. Using a small plate as a template, trace a curve in each of the four corners of the fleece. Cut on traced lines.

4. On the fleece, cut down the length-wise fold line so you have 2 pieces. Using a ¼" seam, with a normal stitch length, stay stitch each piece separately, around the edges. Set aside.

 

Rounding corners/cut strips

 

5. With a ¼"  seam, using a normal stitch length, with right sides together, sew 2 of your quilting cotton strips together ( on the 8" side). Continue adding the strips until you have them all attached to each other. You will have a long circle.

 

Joining strips

 

6. Press the seams to one side. Now, fold your joined strips, wrong sides together, making the width 4". Press.

7. Using the longest stitch length, baste ¼" from the raw edge.

(This will be your gathering threads to form the ruffle).

Since this is such a long piece, I chose to break up the gathering threads into 5 sections, starting and stopping between the seamed pieces..

Just be sure to leave yourself enough tail ends.

8. Lay out your ruffle piece around one of the fleece pieces and start gathering.

Make sure you leave extra fabric at the corners so it lays right, I

didn't leave enough, and the ruffle wants to curve inward and not lay flat! Lesson learned...

 

Basting the soon to be ruffle/fitting to the blanket front

 

9. Once you have the ruffle gathered, with right sides together,

start pinning the raw edges of the fleece and ruffle together. (The finished side of the ruffle will be facing the inside/center of the fleece). Use lots of pins!!!!

 

10. Once you have the ruffle pinned in place, take it to your sewing machine and sew ¼" from the raw edge, using a normal stitch length. Take out the pins as you go, you don't want to run over them.

11. Now lay the other piece of fleece on top of the ruffled piece, right sides together, with the ruffle to the inside, and pin in place.

12. At your sewing machine, in a ½" seam, using a normal stitch length, stitch the front and back pieces together, leaving 3" or so un-sewn on one long edge for turning. Again.... Take out the pins as you go.

13. Trim the raw edges, except where you left it open for turning. I like to leave that section alone as it leaves you more fabric for turning under later. 

Give the blanket a few stiff shakes to get rid of any stray threads and turn right side out.

 

Fitting front to back/ turned right side out

 

14. At your ironing board, turn under that 3" raw edge and press.

Press the whole top, pulling the ruffle away from the fleece to get a good flat edge.

15. At your sewing machine, using a normal stitch length, topstitch, on the fleece, ¼" away from where the fleece and ruffle meet. This will close the 3" opening and give you a crisp, clean edge.

Clip away any stray threads, give it few stiff shakes and you're done!

16. Use that leftover, 14" piece of quilting cotton to make a bib or two, or to run down the center of some diapers to make burp cloths.

 

Well there you have it, easy birthday present for baby.

If your in a colder climate you might think about adding some quilt batting also.

 

I hope this tutorial is helpful and if you have any questions/directions weren't clear, let me know, I'll be glad to help. 

 

Till next time, happy sewing.

Bonjour







Mini, Christmas Stocking Gift Bags And Tutorial

So....

We had a great day at the festival on Saturday which means I've been busy

making more products for our show this weekend.

I sold a few aprons, lots of soap and related bath products

and all but four of my cuff bracelets.

Needless to say, I'm a happy camper.

I put a lot of time and effort into the things I create so it

feels wonderful when a customer likes my handmade items.

Yesterday, in between canning and cooking

I found time to do some sewing.

These are little Christmas stockings that I market

as gift bags, big enough to accommodate a soap bar or two,

bath oil, body butter ETC.

They're a unique alternative to the standard gift bag.

I free-handed the pattern, pinned it to my fabric,

cut it out and got to work.

I do these in an assembly line fashion, grouping

like colors together to minimize thread change outs.

If you would like to make some of these for gift giving

here are the directions.

Supplies:

2 - 9 ¾” length x 8 ½” width pieces of fabric

2 - 6” wide x 5” long contrast for cuff

1 - 11” x 1” grosgrain ribbon for handle

My finished stocking measures more or less, 8 ¾” long x 7 ½” wide at the bottom and 5 ¼” wide at the top.
I drew the pattern freehand so yours might vary.
All seams are ¼”

Draw your patterns, one for the stocking, one for the cuff. Pin pattern to fabric and cut.
The top width of my stocking is 6” so I cut my cuff 6” wide x 5” long.

Directions:

1. With right sides together, pin and sew each cuff to top edge of stocking front and  back.

2. Press seam towards cuff.

Attach cuff to stocking.

(If you’re going to embellish the stocking with ribbon, buttons ETC, do it now).



Sew on ribbons, buttons, beads ETC.

3. Press under ¼” on the cuff top edge. (It’s easier to create your hem line at this point).

4.Open out the pressed hem line and with right sides together, pin and stitch stocking front and cuff to stocking back and cuff  (I zigzagged the seam also).

5. Clip seams almost to stitching line at curves.

6. Fold cuff in half towards the seam where you joined it to the stocking body

Attach handle.

7. Position your ribbon in the center of the cuff sandwich, with the raw edge

overlapping the seam about ½ ”.

8. Pin in place.

9. Fold the stocking toe towards the top, out of the way, bring the other ribbon end down and over the bottom and up to meet the other end of the stocking cuff sandwich .

10. Pin in place like you did with the other end of the ribbon.

11. Pin the rest of the pressed cuff edge over the seam.

12. Turn the stocking right side out and stitch the hem in place. (It was easier to sew this way).
At this point it looks like you attached the ribbon upside down, you didn’t.

13. Turn stocking right side out and fold the cuff down which makes the handle on top.

14. Press.



Handle at the top.



More stockings



As to the canning.....

My Hubby does not like me to blog about our food!

BUT...

My grandson Brian came over to help/learn to pressure can food.

He learned the basics of canning meat and stock/ broth

and helped/ learned how to make a chicken pot pie from scratch.

I sent him home with the pie and a few other goodies.

(I forgot to photo the pie).

Don't tell the Hubby!

I'm off to do more sewing,

till next time, teach the kids some skills.

Bonjour