Hexagons

After seeing my friend Mary (of Molly Flanders blog) at Sew to Speak work on her hexagons quilt I got an itching to try it out myself. I knew I always wanted to do hence the boxes of scraps that I keep from every project but I was letting myself get sidetracked because I couldn't find a solid small hexagon template.  I was just being bogus, because when I finally went to do it I found I never needed it in the first place and it would of made me waste a lot more time an energy then I needed to work with a foundation template from plastic or wood.  I said to myself I bet I can find a good hexagon size just from clip art on the internets.  So I did just that and printed out my hexagon to the size I wanted then I folded the paper over several times so I could cut out more then one at a time. Then I had my tiny hexagon templates, easy peezy like.  I continued to do the trace and fold trick using maker paper which is a bit more expensive but I like the weight of the paper and it is more durable then tracing paper.

My hexagon paper templates

Since this was my first go I picked the most boring scraps of fabric to try my hand at this.  I pin the hexagon to the fabric and cut around it leaving 3/8 - 1/4 of fabric around the template.

 After it is cut our all the way I begin the next step which is folding over the extra fabric around the paper template while baste stitching it down.

 You sew through the fabric, paper and out through the fabric again.

You want to pay careful attention to the corner when doing this so that you go through both the fabric to keep the corners sharp and flat.

After you basting do not tie it off or too tightly where it curls inwards.  You want to be able to pull the basting stitch out later without too much trouble.  At this point if I am home I would take a pile of them and press them flat to keep everything nice and crisp.

 After I assembled a small handful of them I started to piece them together by hand with a whip stitch and they fit together perfectly like a little puzzle.

Right now I have no idea what I am making, I just the lines to be at random and then I'll probably applique it onto something else.  When I am done with stitching all my pieces together I will press it with the iron again and then snip the basting stitches to pull them out.

I am very excited for this new piecing technique to play with.  I think it will add a good element of pattern to my designs and help me to further explore representing neurons into a fiber based art form.

Weekend Crafting

Over the Weekend I was a big slug.  I ate too much, played video games and crafted much.  I started off going to Sew to Speak on Saturday with my friend Claire.  What started off as innocently taking her to the fabulous fabric store for the first time ended up in me spending $35 I didn't need to on fabric to make an Amy Butler Gumdrop Ottoman. It was a quick and easy project took me just a few hours on Saturday night and about 8 bags of fiber fil stuffing.

It turned out much bigger then I anticipated (I hate to do the dimensions on pillows before I start them).  You can see it is about half the size of our new couches.  Granted the couches we got are smaller then conventional couches but still it is unwieldy.  It is working out better as a spare chair and cat throne.

 In other Craft news I continued to work on a second Sock to this one I had finished before Christmas and simply lost my interest in.  Since my scaled crochet project is finished I felt the need to pick up and finish the sock.  Wisely I am using the already complete sock as my yarn guard/holder whilst I make it's mate.

I also got into my Japanese Tatting books!  Very excited for this because their charts are so easy to read and I completed several small flowers and a lace heart for valentine Cards. I'll post pictures tomorrow and perhaps a book review.
 

To end my wonderful weekend of relax and craft I started another Entrelac cowl out of this luscious silk/wool/cotton/nylon blend of Noro in sweet pastel colors.  The colors just make my heart flutter and the silk makes my fingers sing in the softness being worked in my hands.

Amazing what amount of things I get into when I'm not stressed out with a grad school application.

My Adventures with a Coin Purse Frame

During one of my recent and naughty spending trips to Sew to Speak I saw they had these cute Japanese Coin Purse frames on sale that I had been eying for a bit.  I went ahead a picked up two.  Also recently I had lost my precious pencil case that I keep in my purse with my favorite Frixion pens and Delful knock mechanical pencil (total sad face).  I thought I would take the opportunity to make myself a new pencil case and get creative with the coin purse Frame.  Now I will take you on a pictorial journey of my adventure (and yes it was a grand adventure) of me and this Japanese coin purse Frame.

As soon as I opened the package I cut out the pattern without even a second thought that I had no idea why there were only two pieces that looked totally different.  I recognized the larger piece as the main pattern but this smaller one was a mystery.  I idled away the time by scratching my head and snapping the frame open and close trying to pretend I could read Japanese. 

Then it dawned on me that there was a tutorial on The Purl Bee somewhere.  After several failed word searches I finally came across it, but low... their pattern was different as well.  The one good and similar thing was that the mystery pattern piece was explained.  It was a facing that you make out of thicker craft paper and glue into the lining, at first you think why not use regular iron in facing.  These Japanese folks are smart.... I'll get to that later.

Next was cutting out my exterior fabric and lining.  I nearly made the same mistake as the Purl Bee tutorial in that I picked out two heavy weight fabrics for the exterior and lining.  Being the smart person I am I read ahead and quickly switched out my lining fabric to something much lighter weight before cutting.  Since it started with a little coin purse, I measured out and left an extra inch longer then my standard pen/pencil.  I then split the pattern to elongate it and BLAM-O pencil case it was.

 Ok and here is the part that seemed funny but turns out the Japanese are really smart.  For the facing it is telling you to use a brown craft paper (or a paper grocery bag works) to cut out these small pieces.  Then you Glue them to the lining fabric.  It seems odd but when you have to stuff that fabric into the frame it makes it worlds easier.  I like to use fabri-tac, it reminds me of hot glue but without the burning when I touch it by accident and I can still wipe and peel it off all the same.  It does a really good job at adhering to fabric also.

Here is my little baggie sewn together (honestly the sewing is probably the easiest part.  I stuffed the lining into the outer fabric and dropped a few small weights and shook it around to make sure the lining fabric was completely spread out.  Then basted the two pieces together all along the top.  I intentionally made my basting go outside the parameters of the frame because I didn't want to add extra bulk when shoving and I wanted to be able to tear them out after wards.

An inside view and you can see how I pinned the excess fabric so that I can more easily (assumingly) slide the fabric into the frame.

This is right before I spread the glue into the first half of the frame and attempted my sliding technique.  In reality there was no sliding just stuffing and cursing and getting glue all over myself, followed by more glue when I had to stuff in the paper cord. Around then more cursing to finish it off.

This is how it looked after the first stuffing and before I cut off my excess paper cord.
The steps were
1. put glue into the frame
2. Slide/Stuff the fabric into the frame
3. Curse a bunch and potentially wipe glue on passer by's such as kitties and fiancee's
4. Add more glue while trying not to pull out the fabric you just shoved in there
5. Curse more and try to keep stuffing it in
6. Stuff the paper cord in while continuing to curse and get glue all over yourself.

Now they tell you you can stuff it all in with an awl or tracer (another pointy metal device).  I used a small flat head screwdriver and by gosh I'm happy I did.  Using a flat head gave me a much faster result at getting all that junk in the trunk aka fabric to frame.  My other trick is while stuffing the first side I pinned back the half that I wasn't using to keep it out of the line of fire.

In these two pictures above and below you can see some closeup of why I was cursing, from stabbing myself with my pins to getting glue generally all over the frame and me.

After all is said and done you need to clamp it down!  This is the tricky part.  You need to use pliers and wrap the frame with scrap fabric so that while you clamp you don't put teeth marks in your frame.  You need to clamp is HARD since there is a lot of bulk you just put into that tiny space and glue.  This is where it is tricky, you need to be mindful while clamping it not to totally bend the frame and also if your pliers have a cutting edge not to cut your frame (I didn't cut all the way through but it sure did leave a mark).  I also used a combination of my rubber mallet when I found that I did mess up the shape and that it would clasp itself closed.

 This is my happy awkwardly shaped product.  I thought I would get really making these.  Not so much.  I will have to make one more just because I bought two frames.  But you know what? it does the job and it looks cute.  Plenty of lessons learned.

Cheers!

Amy Butler

Randomly I got to meet Amy Butler at a Sew to Speak event that was rescheduled.  It was just one of those random awesome things.   I had actually forgotten about the event because I had another appointment and earlier had to take my fatty kitties to the vet who just confirmed they were fatty kitties.  With my other appointment canceled I figured I would have a great open night to spend working on my wedding dress.  Then magically I remembered that Amy Butler would be at Sew to Speak and I still had an hour to possibly meet her.  I had missed her previously when she spoke at CCAD.   If you have no idea what I am talking about she is a pattern designer and seamstress who lives in Granville, Ohio but is known worldwide for her unique fabric prints and colors. 

Anyways it was PACKED at Sew to Speak and they are not a large store.  She took the time to sit and chat a little bit with every single person in line.  I think that alone is pretty amazing.  I told my friends there "If that was me I would have a power point presentation and do a Q&A session because I hate to repeat myself when people usually have the same questions over and over again".  

I was about to leave after being in the store for an hour but then I saw the line was only halfway and no one else was coming in so I continued to chat to my friends Olivia from Wholly Craft, Emily of Umbrella Girl Productions and Michelle of Baby Gee's.  Michelle was thrilled she loves Amy Butler and has met her several times.  This is the Picture we took with her.  I look a MESS!  No makeup and super tired from wrestling with the cat's at the Vet just before this.  Amy Butler is TALL, she also was very well accessorized with hints of ice on her hands.  I like how her smaller diamond bands and solitaire stones probably equated to 5 carats on just one finger yet she dressed more conservatively but fashionable like someone who appreciates Diane Von Furstenberg  (yes I am probably over identifying her because I have been watching too much NYFW)

My one honest fan question was pretty lame sounding but it was "What sewing machine do you personally sew on and what brands do you like?"  She said he used a Husqvarna Viking Designer 1 but it had too many bells and whistles so she preferred her 1972 Singer ( which is of course a beast but great classic machine and well built).  She had a Janome at one point which she really liked but she gave it away to a friend and she somewhat regrets that since it was a great machine that she really liked and it was gifted to her by Janome.

Another funny fact is that an old friend of mine from high school's parent's moved to Granville and they are neighbor's with Amy butler "We live on the same Hill"

To be honest I like her fabrics and patterns but I wasn't a huge fan.  I thought they were nice but didn't quite understand the entire rave about it.  I am selective about my fabrics and even more my color choices.  But after the trunk show and meeting Amy in person I was really wowed by her how personable she was and genuine.   I also got to take a look at her new line Soul Blossoms and was happily impressed with the more complex patterns in the fabrics.  I think my favorites are from "Passion" below.

 Images of Store are from Michelle at her Baby Gees Blog

Other images from Amy butler website clipped by me.

Finished Projects - Piecing

Many a turns ago I had a blog post about this pieced quilt type thing I was making to put in our bathroom to cover up the spaces that were our built in shelving spaces.  Very awkward little space directly across from the toilet.  Those were finished shorting after but I never did get the photo posted.  Finally with my new fangled camera I am going around and taking pictures of things to finally post.  It was a little tricky since it is directly across from the toilet in a small bathroom.

 This first one hides our spare toilet paper and trash can. very narrow space, you can probably guage it off the toilet paper roll peeking out.

 This is the full length of the Upper, it hides about 5 shelves of toiletries and random cleaning supplies

Close up of the Top half

 Middle portion of top hanging

*I noticed that I didn't actually talk about Piecing here or the other post.  It is an interesting process it's like knitting compared to crochet for people who sew garments instead of Quilts.  Same medium but different forms.  Piecing is about being exact, absolutely exact.  It's like a puzzle but a little more difficult as you don't have nice blobby shapes that fit perfectly together with their match.  You must be competatnt in keeping everything in order because 1/4" off and you are toast!  Also pressing is highly important to piecing.  Unlike a garment where you can fiddle and fudge some or press it all at the end for the most part (if you aren't tailor obsessed like me) you must press all seams as you are piecing.  I thought it would be easier to make things more random and skewed and work everything else around it, but nope.... would of been easier with a more simple pattern palette. 

One of my awesome books I got for Christmas!

I have several other projects lined up such as chiffon skirts, leather bags, more hand embroidery, exploring millinery techniques and editing some machine embroidery patterns.

OTD: Spring is nearly upon us!

After Yesterdays unfortunate surprise of Snow Spring came today in the form of Sunshine and cool winds.  Driving around windows rolled down I felt inspired to write a nice light entry.  I have some longer ones in the works that I will be posting this week about projects I am on and been a part of.

I went to visit my lovely friends at Sew to Speak for the store's 2 year Birthday Party!  I was good and restrained myself from buying anything but a remnant of fabric and a book I have been wanting.  Sure I usually preach that you can get books cheaper on Amazon but I am a huge fan of supporting a local store.  I'll write a little review on the Book "The Sewing Bible" in another post. 

For today it is Outfit of The Day!

I am wearing a really old knit and fur trimmed vest from Express like 10 years ago!

Leopard Cardigan also from Express

White Draped t-shirt from Anthropologie

Grey racer back tank from Express

Black distressed jeans from Express with knee rips by me

Black Zigi Soho open toe booties

Large Swan Sunglasses from UO

Hematite and Silver diamond dangle earrings from Express

Geez.......... I can't wait for my mini-break to NYC to get some clothes that are NOT Express into my wardrobe again!

The process of Nana Part 1

So as a lot of people already know I am a little obsessed with the Manga called NaNa.  I am even re-creating one of her outfits for Ohayocon.    This is the post showing my progress on the project.

It is unfortunately somewhat knocking off a Vivienne Westwood design which does irk me a little.  I hate to me imitating anyone but in my defense this is considered a costume.  I didn't go balls to the walls and get red wool coating like I could have and I picked a herringbone patterned black wool for the heart.

Fabrics were bought Locally at "Sew to Speak"

Black wool Herringbone, Red Velveteen, and This polyester white, yellow and grey tartan tafetta.

Next was the Draping and patterning followed by Cutting

For this I did a short cropped jacket with a flounce attached, it has two hidden pockets with flaps, rounded almost shawl like collar with the heart closure and one-piece long sleeves.  Also it has same fabric facing to attach the china silk lining to the interior.  I use a combination of Multiple Weights, "Mark-b-gone" markers and Clover quilter's chalk when laying out my patterns.  Another funny thing that I do is that I make my patterns with NO seam allowance.  I add the seam Allowance when I am tracing the patterns onto the fabric.  This gives me leeway for grading or resolving problems I might have forgotten earlier or just spotted.  Usually I can catch everything when I do the first muslin mockup but we all make mistakes, especially when you are sick and it is freezing cold in the basement where your studio happens to be.

Currently I am still sewing the pieces together.  I of course serged all the main body edges and I will only serge some of the lining because I don't want to bulk it up.  I also avoided serging the upper collar to keep it from bulking up as well.  Alright that is all for now, back to sewing and starting the skirt.  Keep tuned for Part 2

Holiday Chores

So who else is already done with the Holidays before they happen?  I just feel like this year I have been running errands on every single free day I have had.  It's as little annoying as I just want to finish up The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess on the Wii.

We have some guests staying with us after Christmas till the New Year so we are trying to look like responsible adults in our house.  We have been cleaning for days.........  Finally it has put me in the mood to make my quilted hangings for the bathroom built in shelves.

I'm using this under the sea themed fabric to go with the rest of the Bathroom decor which is also sea creature themed.  It's called Mendocino from Heather Ross for Free Spirit and I picked up mine from no other place then Sew to Speak.  Here's the progress.

And my favorite two panels

I Hope that all of you got your last minute sewing projects done as well!