PILLOW FORM

When I made the pillow cover from the Quilt-It Kit, I did not buy a pillow form and made my own by sewing together two 15in x 15in squares using a 1/2in seam allowance. I then stuffed it with polyester fiberfill and VOILA!!

Here is a wonderful tutorial on how to make basic pillow form in different sizes!

QUILTED PILLOW

I finally managed to upload a photo of my completed quilted pillow that I made following the Quilt-It Kit I bought at the yard sale back in May!

 

HOOP ART

I finally used my embroidery hoops and made a quick and easy wall art project. It's an easy peasy project! My only difficulty: choosing the fabrics! You can find the instructions for the swatch pattern from Purl Bee.
 

DEALS AND STEALS AT THE FLEA MARKET

On Saturday, Scarborough Village hosted its annual flea market and as it has been the case in the last 4 years, I had to go to work and miss most of event. However, as usual, by the 1pm closing time, I pop in and still get few great deals on sewing/knitting/craft supplies.
This is what I got this year:

6 embroidery hoops:

3 of the large ones (10 in) were 75 cents each, 2 medium (7 in and 8 in) ones for 50 cents and 1 small one (5 in) for 25 cents. I wanted them all so I asked the lady if I could get a deal. She gave them all to me for $1!!!!!!!!!

Quit-It Kit by Denyse Schmidt: 

Priced at 24.99 US, I don't know why anyone would want to get rid of it! It's brand new with the instruction booklet, the 15 pattern cards, the pattern sheets to photocopy, the 2 fat quarter fabrics for the pillow con the cover, cotton and needle. I was baffled that it was marked $1.50!!!!!!! The lady charged me just $1!

I also got zippers for 15 cents each and left over curdroy and gingham for 50 cents and 25 cents respectively. 

 I can't wait to use them all!

The upholstered ottoman- foot stool

My craft journey this year began with signing up for the upholstered cube class at the workroom. I've been looking forward to taking this class for about a year but, with university and work, I was never able to take the class whenever it was offered...til now! Being very crafty and handy, I always wanted to do some carpentry work but, not signup for a carpentry class at a community college, so when I knew that the workroom was offering a class that merged carpentry and sewing, I was elated!

The first Sunday class, was all about constructing the cube. Erin provided us with 5 planks of wood and nails and spent nearly half of the class time gluing and hammering away. My main concern during this first part was making sure that the nails went straight in without sticking out or splitting the wood. At some points I hammered nails into knots which Erin told me was ok if I hammered really, really hard.

After hammering, came the cutting of the foam. Erin brought an electric carving knife which did the job superbly. Then I used a staplegun to keep the foam in place. Using a staplegun for the first time was...something. I was supernervous, especially about having my finger in the trigger. It reminded me of those movie scenes where the guy who has never held a gun is shaking their hand and randomly pulls the trigger. I was scared I was going to accidently pull the trigger and hurt someone with the nails. The sound of the staples coming out also made my heart jump quite a few times.

Then it was time for the polyester batting. This was a quick sew but it was tricky to put on because the batting had to be stretched without being teared.

Soon after the lining and the cover came together fairly quickly. Careful cutting, marking, pinning made the sewing a snap. The most important thing I learned is definitely how to round and sew corners. 

The final step was cutting a dust cover to cover up all the fabric and the staples.

The next most exciting thing about the ottoman was getting the legs which I found at Lee Valley on King and Bathurst. I have to say that I saw very nice legs at Home Depot but for price reasons I ended up getting these adjustable legs.

Ta-da! My finished ottoman! I'm so happy with it! I want to make so many of them but it's going to be an expensive hobby- at least for now!

SCRAPPY STRING QUILT

Here is my first hand at a scrappy string quilt!!!! After trying the Nine Patch block, I wanted to try something different! I began doing the scrappy blocks in December during my university break. Then in July, I sewed the blocks together [6 inch squares] to make 12 inch blocks and added the brown sashing. Today I finally finished it!!! It measures 34x34, has no batting in between so I can use it to dress a table. I'm quite happy that it turned out well even though I cut everything by hand with scissors! The one mistake I soon learned from [after the first block] was not to take the paper out of the back after you assemble the 4 squares together to make one block. Sew everything with the paper and only after the sashing is on, take out the paper. It's quite a bit of a pain but it makes sewing easier and it's completely worth it.

Here are some helpful links to those who are looking to start making their own scrappy quilt:

Scrappy String Quilt Instructions

String Quilting Primer!

String Quilt Tutorial from Sewtakeahike

THE CUTEST CLUTCH

I love this zippered gathered pleats clutch!!!!!! It's a brown tweed with a cotton band in the middle. I can't wait to make more and in different sizes!

PLEATED CLUTCH WITH ZIPPER

After this project, I think my new favourite thing to sew will be pleated clutches! If you made a pleated handbag, you are well on your way to sewing a pleated clutch. I have been a little picky with the design because I really wanted to insert a zipper and the tutorials I found, did not have any instructions for that so i was left to figuring it out on my own It was not an easy task but I certainly learned quite a bit for my next project.

Here are some links to get you started or inspired!

1) Classy pleated iridescent clutch from Craftster

2) Make a pleated pouch bag from Threads Magazine

3) Fat quarter pleated handbag from Sew Mama Sew

PLEATED HANDBAG

This bag was supposed to be just a simple pleated handbag, instead it turned out into a HUGE beach-size tote!!! I made the mistake of adding a couple of inches thinking that the bag would turn out to be too small for my liking!

Things to learn from this project:
-Make larger pleats
-Don't use interfacing, or if you do, apply it after pleating the fabric
-Make slimmer handles or use braided handles
-Don't add a border
-Think of adding a magnetic snap or zipper closure
-Think of adding a zipper pocket inside
-Use heavier fabrics [canvas, linen]


For more information/tutorials on the pleated handbag check out the following links:

1) Green wool + brown plaid handbag "how-to" from sewtakeahike
2) Butterflies and Fruit Pleated Tote from Cut Out + Keep
3) Good posting on Craftster

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!