PASSPORT WALLET from ADORN

Here is my take on the ADORN Magazine passport wallet. I absolutely love it. My concern was to get the main cover with the two larger side pockets right and the rest was just decoration I could have omitted. I made the opening tab slightly longer [it wraps around] and decorated it with one crochet flower. I have the pattern and the instructions on PDF file so if anyone is interested, please leave a message in the comments along with your email address and I will be very happy to pass these along to you.

ECO FRIENDLY FABRIC GROCERY BAG

On June 1st, 2009, Toronto new bylaw took effect: customers have to pay 5 cents for plastic bags. In order to be environmentally conscious, I sewed by very first fabric grocery bag! I searched for the very best tutorial and I found the Singlet Style Shopping Bag on Craftster. The tutorial is amazing and I didn't even mess up once [not that I was expecting to but sometimes tutorials aren't written well]! To continue with the theme of eco-friendliness, I even reused a bedsheet to make this bag! I am so proud of myself and I love this bag.

TWEED PASSPORT SLEEVE

I recently became a Canadian citizen and I am waiting to get my brand new Canadian passport in the mail! Of course, I didn't want to get any ordinary passport sleeve/cover!

I followed bunnybum's passport sleeve tutorial and as you can see, it turned out great!

First of all, I have to say that tweed is my new friend!!! I had some tweed that I bought at a thrift store and haven't had that chance to use. Tweed makes everything so polished!

For the lining I used a sheer, woven cotton that I reinforced with interfacing.

bunnybum finishing steps were to topstitch the outside and to fold the pockets and topstitch again. I didn't want the topstitching to show so I embroidered little running stitched to mimick the 'topstitching' and finally, I sewed the folds by hand using the invisible/slip stitch.

To top it all off, I placed a simple crochet flower made from this tutorial.

EASY PEASY CROCHET FLOWERS

My aunt taught me to crochet when I was 10. It was the first needlework craft I picked up and although I prefer knitting more, I have enough basic skills to create something. I finally learned to do easy two-layered crochet flowers. In the past I made just one small flower, never really understanding how in the world I was supposed to hold the needle in order to make a second layer. Then finally I came across a wonderful tutorial!!!! I made the three white ones first and when I got the hang of it, I made the others while I was watching a movie! I haven't figured out how to use them yet, but I am sure I will resort to them when I need to embellish something!

SUPERCUTE KNIT CABLE TUBE TOP II

Here is another tube top I made using fine, fuzzy, grey wool. The pattern is the same as the regular tube top below but I added small cables all around with ribbing at the top and the bottom. Super warm!

SUPERCUTE KNIT TUBE TOP

I've had a small ball of fine, fuzzy, pink wool sitting around for a long while and for the sake of using it, I knitted a tube top. The pattern is easy [when I wing things like these, I never write down number of stitches or the needle size!]. With a pair of circular needles, begin by ribbing 2 to 4 inches for the hem, knit around as long as you want and rib again at the top. The ribbing will stretch making it easier to slip on and off. What I absolutely love about this is the fact that it is a one piece, no-seam tube top!! Due to the lightness of the wool, I need to sew a light pink lining inside which I haven't gotten around  to doing yet. You can also add extra decorations by pinning fabric or knit flower brooches!

THESE BOOTS WERE MADE TO.....LOOK GORGEOUS!

First of all let me say, aren't these fabric boots absolutely pretty? I was excited to pick up from the library Sew Pretty Christmas Homestyle by Tone Finnanger. Even though it's not Christmas, I couldn't help myself from trying to sew these cute fabric boots! The patterns provided in the book do not include seam allowances so I used 1/8 inch seam allowance. I also traced the boot pattern as is without enlarging it which resulted in 6 inch long boots. I used some black paint to define the sole and heel. Finally, I sewed little gold rings at the top for easy hanging. 

KNITTING LIBRARY

1. Complete Guide to Needlecraft by Reader's Digest
   
2. Knitted Toys: 25 Fresh and Fabulous Designs by Zoë Mellor
   
3. Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Marion Edmonds
   
4. Knitted Toys by Jean Greenhowe
   
5. Knitting for Dummies by Pam Allen
6. Knitted Toys by Sharon Welch
7. Cowl Girls: The Neck's Big Thing to Knit by Cathy Carron
8. Hattitude: Knits for Every Mood by Cathy Carron 
9. Itty-Bitty Toys: How to Knit Animals, Dolls, and Other Playthings for Kids by Susan B. Anderson 
10. Amigurumi Knits: Patterns for 20 Cute Mini Knits  by Hansi Singh 

SEWING LIBRARY

1. Complete Guide to Sewing by Reader's Digest
   
2. Zakka Sewing by Therese Laskey
   
3. Sew Pretty Christmas Homestyle by Tone Finnanger
   
4. Simple Sewing with a French Twist by Celine Dupuy
   
5. Romantic Home Sewing by Christina Strutt
   
6. Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson
   
7. Sew and Stow by Betty Oppenheimer
   
8. Bend the rules sewing by Amy Karol
   
9. Seams to Me by Anna Maria Horner
   
10. Sew Teen: Make your own cool clothes by Sheila Zent
    
11. Lingerie Secrets by Jan Bones
    

KNITTED CAT PYJAMA CASE

For some reason, I love knitting from toy books! Little stuffed animals, baby toys, dolls capture my eyes! Everything seems to be cuter! This is the Cat Pyjama Case from Zoë Mellor's Knitted Toys: 25 Fresh and Fabulous Designs. It's definitely a book to have in your knitting library. I love how it turned out; I do not use it as a pyjama case, however, it can be used to store anything and since the back has an envelope fold, you can insert a fitted pillow.

THREAD HOLDER nº3

I made another thread holder from The Stitching Room tutorial. This time I used narrower strips of fabric [1.25 inches] which turned the holder into a little tube. 

FLOWERY SNAP COIN PURSE

I've been wanting to make these cute coin purses for a while but it's impossible to find internal flex frames in Toronto's craft and fabric stores! Luckily I've managed to remove a flex frame from a used [and rather ugly] leather jewellery pouch. I used the U-Handbag tutorial and it came together in a snap! I absolutely love it! I'm surprised by how roomy it is!It's unfortunate that I won't be able to make more, at least for now...I have in mind a really cute purse design I would have loved to try out, but I guess I have to wait.

IN TIME FOR EASTER...MORE CUTE BUNNIES

Here is an adorable knit bunny I made from the Last Minute Knitted Gifts–“Loveable Toys” pattern, by Marion Edmonds. I found this to be the best pattern for knitting bunnies. The tie and carrot were completely free-handed.

HAND STITCHED QUILT WITH FELT APPLIQUES

Though I have made two beautiful quilts on the sewing machine, this one below is truly really my first quilt- made way before I learned to sew on the machine. It was made by using ready-made quilted blocks from a craft store. My mom got me a garbage bag filled with these blocks that her school was not using. Before I got my hands on them, they resembled frames; they had wooden buttons on each corner and a hanging rope. I took off all the buttons, all the glue, all the ropes. I hand stitched each block together to make a large quilt. Finally I embellished each square with cutout felt and used embroidery cotton to sew them. It was a great craft project that kept me busy for a long while. I'm extremely proud that I upcycled those quilt blocks and made something really pretty!

PATCHWORK PINCUSHION & THREAD HOLDER

This weekend I made the patchwork pincushion from Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson and a thread holder from The Stitching Room.

I already have a few pincushions that I use on a regular basis- one for my sewing needles, one for the sewing pins, one for the embroidery/wool needles, one that I keep by the sewing machine that holds pins as I take them off- I really could do without another pincushion, but I couldn't help myself!!! I thought it was going to be a challenge sewing each segments, but it wasn't at all. I got really excited once I closed it off, and tightened everything with cotton to definite each segment. I have it sitting on my desk as a paperweight instead. It's too pretty to put pins in!!!

I also made a thread holder using the easy tutorial on The Stitching Room. I made one last year as soon as I began sewing with the intention of using it as a thread holder, instead, it sits on my desk holding little things like my cell, lip balm, pen drive etc. Now, I finally got around to making a second thread holder and I'm happy it's doing its job!!

...UNDER THE SEA... PRETTY KNIT MERMAIDS

The Little Mermaid is the first Disney movie I've watched and when I saw the knit mermaids in Sharon Welch's Knitted Toys, I knew I absolutely had to make them! My knit toys collection is growing exponentially!

Here are my three little girls!!! They are so pretty! I loved adding little details like a seashell necklace or "crimping" their hair by unraveling yarn strings. Their curly hair remind me of Taylor Swift!!! It would be so cute if these mermaids were paired with mermans. Well, that might be on the to-do list!

AS IF REAL CUPCAKES WEREN'T ENOUGH- KNIT CUPCAKES

I am so excited about knit cupcakes!!! I really love how the tops turned out!!! I searched high and low for a good cupcake pattern. I saw many crocheted cupcakes but I don't crochet well! In the end, I made mini cupcake hats, stuffed them and sewed a circle at the bottom. They are so cute, it makes me want to make more!

A SEA OF LITTLE KNIT FISH

Aren't these fish adorable??? I feel like making more! These are from Zoe Mellor's Knitted Toys: 25 Fresh and Fabulous Designs. I have them hung on a mobile and they are so cute to look at! You can jazz up these fish by filling them with potpourri or lavander and placing them in your drawers!

KNITTED HEARTS WITH SOME FLAVOUR

These hearts are super fast and super easy to knit! The pattern is from Anna Hrachovec and it is published on Mochimochi Land 

What's your flavour? 

[from top to bottom] 1) mint 2) cranberry 3) chocolate mocha 4) chocolate orange 5) zabaglione 6) mocha 7) lemon 8) carrot 9) dark chocolate chip 10) chocolate 11) green tea 12) lemon strawberry 13) lemon cherry 14) chocolate mint 15) chocolate chip

WARM KNITS FOR A CANADIAN WINTER

I'm keeping my head and my hands warm this winter with these matching hat and mittens. The hat is a 'grown-up' version of Wendi Dunlap's  cupcake hat for babies. I was googling the pattern for the cupcake hat and by chance, I came across her lovely pattern! You can download the PDF pattern here.

To match the hat, I knitted this pair of super warm thrummed mittens! I have knitted mittens before and I once saw someone knit thrummed mittens but I had no idea of what it was called or what was used to make them. After researching, I discovered wool rovings make these mittens so toasty. I got two packs of rovings, one for each hand, from The Workroom. If you want to make your own, the best how-to for thrummed mittens is found at hello yarn! As always, I knitted an i-cord and attached it to each mitten because I used to have the tendency to lose things!

HELLO ELE!

This is my finished ELEFANTE from Susan B. Anderson. The pattern can be found on her blog. He is just so adorable!

I intended to knit each stripe in different colours, but I after starting with the chocolate brown and the pink, I realized that I was not going to make it, so I added two extra colours, yellow and green. Regardless, I love him!!!!

HEXAGON MADNESS- GRANDMOTHER'S GARDEN QUILT/ HEXAGON QUILT!

This quilt began when I headed to a rummage sale at the nearby Seniors home and found a box of partially completed grandmother's garden quilt blocks and HUNDREDS of hexagons still left to be sewn! I bought the box, two hexagon templates and a pair of scissors for $2

I began hand-sewing the rest of the fabric into GG blocks- a process that took on and off three months! 

I think I ended up with 50 GG blocks and since I wanted to use everything and I didn't want to use a solid colour fabric to divide each block I sewed everything into a HUGE mosaic. I REALLY wanted to get the quilt done!!!!!

After taking the quilt class with Johanna Maskow in September, I completed the hexagon quilt at home on my own in October. I used scrap fabric for the trim and it turned out quite nicely! 

SIMPLE PILLOWCASE SUMMER DRESS- FAUX SMOCKED

This was my first attempt at making clothes and working with elastic thread!! The dress was made from a 99 cent pillowcase and elastic thread! Total cost $5. A great tutorial for sewing with elastic thread is found here.

MORE ADORABLE BUNNIES

Here are my two lovely bunnies sewn from Romantic Home Sewing by Christina Strutt. Aren't they adorable? The girl bunny is the original pattern. She comes with a dress and a pinafore. I also made a boy bunny with a lovely tie! You have to pardon my embroidery skills!!

MY FAVOURITE CLUTCH

This was one of the first things I made on my own soon after I was comfortable with sewing. It's a simple clutch made with polka dot linen on the outside and strips of scrap fabric on the inside. I used batting in between layers to cushion it a little. I used a blanket stitch around the flap, used snap buttons for closing and added a strap, which can be tucked on the inside. It's suprisingly roomy!  I simply love it!

The yellow clutch is what I made for my sister. I used a vintage print fabric which I bought from a rummage sale for 50 cents!!!

BATHINA HANDBAG

Here is my take on the Bathina bag which you can find on Burda Style.

After cutting all the pieces, it came together easily enough until I hit a bump- I couldn't figure out how to place the handles!!!! I was playing with the handles for the longest time and I couldn't figure it out so I left it be for a week. Every time I saw the bag unfinished, I was thinking about this handle until one day, walking to the library, I figured it out!!!  I came home, I sat at the machine and finished it! 

Just a few days ago I saw an how-to that clarifies the sewing of the handles! If I had that before!

PRETTY, HOMEMADE, PERSONAL BUSINESS CARDS

I always wanted to have my own business cards and after graduating with my M.A degree, I figured it was the perfect time to get them done to show off my titles. I was also growing tired of scribbling telephone numbers and 

e-mails in pieces of paper.

I saw online ads that offer 250 business cards for free and you pay only shipping and handling, but two reason were stopping me: 1) I don't know what to do with 250 cards 2) I don't have a credit card. 

Being creative, I knew I could make my own cards! But how? I knew I wanted something pretty, inexpensive and I wanted to control how many I had. I realized that I had a box of perfume cards that I collected over the years at the mall. Why not use them? They are FREE, come in stiff paper, different shapes and sizes and I can pull out different ones every time!!!

After sorting through HUNDREDS of fragrance cards- men and women fragrances- I headed to Microsoft Word and 

I printed out dozens of cards!  

I absolutely love them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

So if you want to be creative, are looking for a cheap alternative to expensive business cards, reuse those pretty perfume cards!!!

For those interested here is a quick tutorial!!

1) Trace the outline of the card on piece of paper. Place the sheet in your printer.

2) Open Microsoft Word. Type your information in small font [size 7, 8, 9 depending on the size and shape of the card]. 

3) Set the colour.

4) Eyeball the position of the writing with the outline of the card.

5) Print it out. This first printout will help you figure out any adjustments to be made. 

6) Once you made your corrections, print it out again. 

7) If the printing is at the centre of the pencil outline of your card, you are ready to print on the cards!!!

8) Place your perfume card on the pencil outline using masking tape.

9) Print!

TIP #1) It is good to have extra cards in case you mess up- and you will mess up, believe me!!!!

TIP #2) If you like your cards to smell pretty, spritz the perfume and let it dry before printing.

***These cards are strictly for personal use only. No infringement intended***

MY FIRST NINE PATCH QUILT

In September 2008, I took a three part class at The Workroom and learned to make the nine patch quilt!

The class was taught by the renowned Johanna Masko, quilt-master par excellence!

We were supposed to  complete a 9 blocks quilt, instead I did a 36 blocks quilt. I worked on the other 27 blocks the week prior to the last class and used all the fat quarters I bought for the project. I considered that I couldn't really 'use' or enjoy a baby nine patch quilt. I wanted something big enough to throw on my lap.

The quilt turned out so HUGE [64"x80"] that for the back of the quilt, I headed to Goodwill and bought a king sized bedsheet!!! Boy oh boy! Prepping the top layer, the batting and the backing took LOTS of pins and patience! I had never sewn anything that large before and I was afraid it wouldn't get through the machine but we made it work!

Johanna was so impressed that she mentioned my quilt on her blog!!!!

From 9 fat quarters...

To a completed quilt!