oh fransson

She Knows How To Shake Her Thing

It was nice to take a break from baby showers this weekend and go to a bridal shower.  Not only a bridal shower but, effectively, a lingerie shower.  So much more fun than looking at rattles and crib sheets!  (It probably goes without saying that the accompanying conversation and games were also more interesting.)

I decided to mark the occasion by reviving a card design I first made seven years ago when my best friend got married.  She, like me, is a big fan of Ann-Margret and so I made her Bachelorette Party invitations featuring a picture of Ann-Margret and part of a song from Viva Las Vegas.  (Though it's probably from somewhere else originally.  I just know it from Viva Las Vegas.)

These cards are a little more simple, since they don't have all the date/time information on the inside.  The base is an irridescent pink card stock, cut in half the long way and folded.  I printed the phrases "See the girl with the diamond ring . . ." and ". . . She knows how to shake her thing." onto a satin print paper, gluing the first on the outside and the second on the inside.  I then made color copies of an awesome picture from the inside of the "Let Me Entertain You" CD, which I cut out with an x-acto knife and glued on top.   To finish it off, I glued a little rhinestone on the picture's ring finger and a little veil onto her head.

In retrospect, I think the card would benefit from a leopard print border around the edge of the satin print, but it's still fun and I have a couple of extras set aside for the next bridal shower or bachelorette party.

(Originally posted on August 5, 2007)

New Joel Dewberry Fabrics

I'm about a week late in posting about winning Second Place in the Tote Category of Sew, Mama, Sew's Bag Month Contest. I was so excited to win something, and even more excited when I came home yesterday and found this package in my mailbox.

I love Joel Dewberry's designs and am, again, so excited to make something out of them.

Thank you, Sew, Mama, Sew!  I can't wait to see what the theme month for September is going to be!

(Originally posted August 7, 2007)

Satin Evening Wrap

My mother is going on a cruise this week, during which she must dress formally on a couple of occasions.  She bought a kicky black dress with a little bit of white trim, but wanted some kind of wrap.

This one is made from two yards of heavy satin -- beautiful stuff! -- that I picked up at Josephine's.  I cut two 36" x 22" strips from the white fabric and sewed them to either end of the black.  Then I just folded it in half and closed up the edges.  If you look closely you can see the seam allowance inside the white ends, but I hope that's only true when it's lying on the table.  I don't think it will be nearly as apparent while being worn at an evening function.

The fabric is really nice and, because I didn't interface any part of it, it has a nice drape and silky feel.

(Originally posted August 5, 2007)

Adria's Wedding Stuff

My friend, Adria, is getting married next month and she chose absolutely gorgeous colors for her decorations and paper goods.  In order to add some color to the middle of the tables, under the floral arrangements (vases of dahlias) I made her some square  mats using strips of different satins, silks, and other "fancy fabrics" in the wedding colors.

Because there were 25 of these, I sewed them the quick way -- by ironing the strips onto large squares of fusible interfacing and then folding along each intersection of piece and sewing the seams.  That also allowed me to avoid pinning the delicate fabric.  One thing learned from this project: brocade is absolutely awful to sew!

The backs are just black muslin.  Because these are, basically, single-use mats and nobody is going to be turning them over during the reception (at least I hope not!) and because I wanted the sharpest possible edges all the way around, I put the right sides together and  sewed all the way around, without leaving a space to turn them.  I then cut a large slit in the center of the muslin and turned them that way.  After I'd pressed the finished mat, I just sealed up the slit with masking tape!

I can't wait to see what these look like on the tables.  Adria is making some paper flowers like these to hang from the ceiling above the tables (along with, I think, round white paper lanterns) and small ones like this to go at each place setting.

With the leftover fabric, I ended up making a few more things:

This ring-bearer pillow.  I used covered buttons on both sides of the pillow. (Covered buttons are so great!) The one on the bottom is covered with the same velvet as the bottom of the pillow.  That side looks kind of like a very small sofa cushion!

This bag for the flower girl (not to use in the wedding, just to carry around like a purse).

And these for the bridesmaids.  The wristlet strap can be folded back across the front of the bag, under the flap, in case anyone wants to use it as a clutch.

I'm so pleased with this design.  I'm probably going to make 100 of them now!

(Orginally posted August 17, 2007)

A Little Bag for Marissa

I was so happy with the way the Maneki Neko bag turned out, that I decided to make some others in the same pattern. 

The body is made from the same denim as the Maneki Neko bag.  The prints are all from Heather Bailey's beautiful Freshcut line, except for one print from Robert Kaufman. 

The stitching around the top is a little bunchy.  I was using what I'm going to refer to as the Lime Green Thread of Death (LGToD) which was, I'm pretty sure, defective in some way.  Despite the fact that every other thread I was using was working just fine, the LGToD just wouldn't stop breaking, bunching and generally causing lots of problems.  By the time I got around to stitching the top of this bag (in another thread) the LGToD has been thrown in the trash.  What, sadly, still remains is a bunch of damage to the pink fabric where stitches were sewn and taken out again and again.

I made the lining a little different and, as a result, this bag has a much more functional pocket and better-fitting lining than the first one.  This one also has a magnetic clasp (my new favorite thing!).

The back has an applique cut from one of the floral prints and buttonhole stitched around and a little dragonfly made out of wool felt. 

Hopefully Marissa will like it, LGToD problems notwithstanding.

(Originally posted August 5, 2007)

New Improved Margaret Bag

This is my second attempt at the bag pattern I designed for my sister's birthday and the Sew, Mama, Sew bag month contest and it's a big improvement!  (This one I actually gave to Margaret.)

The interfacing tutotial Amy Butler and her staff did for SMS was extremely helpful.  I used their suggestion to cut Timtex to fit within the seam allowance and then attach it to the pieces with lightweight fusible interfacing and it worked beautifully.

The main body is a grayish twill.  The four prints are from Joel Dewberry and the lining is a light yellow cotton.

Once again, the pieced lining came out beautifully.  This time you can actually see it in the photos too!

I love these colors.  It's not exactly perfect for Fall, but I suppose it will do for the few weeks of Summer we have left!

(Originally posted on July 30, 2007)

Margaret's Birthday Bag

I finished my sister's birthday bag, which is also my second entry in the Sew, Mama, Sew Bag Month Contest!  This bag is my original design and I'm pretty pleased with the way it came together.  I'm looking forward to making another bag with this pattern so I can perfect the craftsmanship -- particularly the use of interfacing.

Fabric: The body of the bag is made from linen.  The main lining fabric is a solid chocolate brown and the four contrast fabrics are from Denyse Schmidt's Katie Jump Rope series in chocolate and cobalt.  I think the best part is the "basketweave" fabric sewn along the tops of the outer pockets and continuing onto the side ties.  I LOVE the way the side ties look with the daisy fabric used on the side panels!

Applique: I added a wool felt applique of a bird and a daisy.  (You might recognize the shape of the bird from the Uptown paint-by-number birds.  I looked at a piece of that fabric while I was drawing it!)

Design/Construction: The front, back, and bottom panels are reinforced with a heavy Pellon interfacing, while the sides are interfaced with fusible fleece.  This allows the side panels to fold inward, giving the bag a sleeker shape.  The outside pockets are also lined with fusible fleece.

I made the handles the same way I made the handle for the Maneki Neko bag.  I also made the handles very long.  I've found that most shoulder and tote bags have ridiculously short handles.  This bag is designed to hit at the hip when carried, so you can get into the pockets without taking the bag off your shoulder.  I attached the handles to the exterior pockets, rather than the body of the bag, to help hold the shape when the bag was carried.  As an added bonus, I think it looks much cooler when "resting" than if the handles had been attached to the body.

Pocket Bonanza: Margaret is a big fan of pockets in bags, so I included a bunch.  There are the two exterior pockets, lined in daisy fabric, one of which has a zip pocket.  The inside of the bag has a smaller zip pocket, as well as three open pockets.

Lining: I'm not a big fan of linings with those interior pocket panels that are sewn on the side and then subdivided with rows of stitching -- I just don't like the way they look.  I was very interested in having the lining fit well, so that the pockets would stay in place and, of course, I wanted the "look" to be appealing.  I came up with a pieced lining that included a band of linen around the top to match the exterior bag.  Below that is a strip of the daisy print, and below that the solid chocolate brown.  The pockets are also pieced into the side of the lining in such a way as to allow a strip of the daisy print to "stick out" above each pocket.

I also used a nifty trick I learned by taking another bag (the bag the Maneki Neko bag was based on) apart.  I turned the main part inside out and sewed the bottom corners of the lining to the bottom corners of the exterior before flipping it all back the right way.  Now the lining sits nicely inside the bag.

What I'll do better next time: I have to say that the low point of this bag is definitely the linen/fusible Pellon combination.  Linen is so wrinkly and the more I ironed it, the more it "crunched up."  This was my first time using interfacing that heavy and I think I got too much of it in the seams, which made certain parts difficult to sew.  (It took my more than an hour to close up the bottom corners of the bag!)  The next time I use this pattern, I'm going to use a "sew in" interfacing and a fabric that isn't so wrinkle prone.  If I were to use linen again, I think I would interface it with a lightweight fusible (just to hold the shape) and then a sew-in heavy interfacing or canvas.  Partially as a result of the excess Pellon, the seam around the top is not the prettiest ever.  I think I should slipstitch/blindstitch it next time.

In the end, I am thrilled that my "crazy idea" for a bag actually worked and I can't wait to make another one.  I'm thinking gray wool for fall!

(Originally posted July 22, 2007)

Maneki Neko Bag

For whatever reason, I really wanted to make a bag with a Maneki Neko (Japanese welcoming cat) applique.  I also wanted to use some scraps of asian print fabric I had been saving for just the right project. The bag shape and size is based on a little linen bag I bought at The Gap about ten years ago.  My finished bag is 7.5" wide by 8" tall with a 17" handle.

Fabrics: I originally wanted the body of the bag to be made from gray linen, but I couldn't find any that I liked.  In the end, I think the denim is far more effective, since the deep blue color makes the black and white print stand out more.  The indigo and the crosshatch markings are also reminiscent of a yukata, which is appropriate to the theme.  The pieced front evolved from my desire to use scraps.  Each of those squares is about 1.5" x 1.75".  I sewed the button onto that center square for balance -- it was too stark without a bit of color on that black and white piece.  I can't recall the manufacturer of all of the scrap fabrics, but I know that the little girl in a kimono is "Keiko" by Michael Miller.  The Maneki Neko print and the black and white print are also from Michael Miller.  The sushi print, which is also used for the lining, is a Kaufman print.  I'm pretty sure that the majority of the other asian prints are also Kaufman.

Applique: I make appliques all the time, but I usually finish them on my machine with a buttonhole stitch.  This was my first adventure in hand embroidery and the results were mixed.  I used a buttonhole stitch to attach the white base to the denim before I started the hand stitching, and I'm not sure I would do that again.  It would probably have been more effective to use a traditional "turn under" method.  I'm happy with my pattern though.  The cat looks cheerful and the tag around its neck could be adapted with another letter or symbol.  I just stitched an "e" for Elizabeth.

Lining and Pocket: The interior is lined with the Kaufman sushi print, a tiny piece of which is also used on the front of the bag.  I also made a slip pocket in the black and white print used on the front and handles

 

Hardware: This was also my first time using a magnetic snap.  I can't believe I had never tried it before!  Such an easy process for such a professional result!

Handles: It took me a while to get the handles right.  The demin is already really heavy, so I didn't want any interfacing.  I also didn't want to have to turn them inside out (again, because the denim is so thick).  I ended up pressing under the raw edges of both the outside (demin) and inside (print) pieces and then fusing them together with Stitch Witchery before sewing along the edges.

Bag month is so much fun!  I hadn't made anything for myself in a really long time.

(Originally posted July 21, 2007)

A Fuzzy Space Duck

I'm cheating a bit on this one.  It's one the the "Thirteen Baby Quilts" but it's not a quilt -- more of a security blanket/lovey thing.  It's 24" square, which is hopefully a good size to use for a carseat, stroller, or just to carry around.  I used Michael Miller's Retro Rocket Rascals with a black and white Dumb Dot trim and a shaggy yellow microfleece back.

I drew the duck applique pattern as a larger version of a duck that's perched on the outside of a flying saucer in the Rocket Rascals print.  I love his little jet pack!  I've been on a Minky-appliqued-animal-to-match-the-Minky-back kick lately, which is how I ended up with the shaggy yellow microfleece.  I thought it looked just like a little duck.

The photo (sadly I seem to have lost all but one!) was taken at 1:30 am and it is really bad -- way too dark!  Given how much work I do at night, I'm going to have to learn to take photos without the aid of natural light.

At any rate, it's done.  It's cute.  I hope Baby Devin likes it!

Three down.  Ten to go!

(Originally posted on July 23, 2007)

Bunny Jump Rope

This is quilt two of my thirteen quilt series.  Seriously!  I didn't realize it was possible for this many of our friends to be pregnant at the same time!  This one is for Shelby and her baby girl.  When I was pulling the fabrics together for this one, I ran across some old pieces of fabric with beets (or radishes?) and pea pods, which made me think of Shelby because she grows all her own produce.  Very impressive!  Most of the other fabrics are from Denyse Schmidt's gorgeous Katie Jump Rope series.  Alos included are red gingham from Michael Miller and a red daisy print from Moda's Peas and Carrots line.

There are good things and bad things to say about this quilt.

The Good: The colors are amazing.  Bright, vibrant and fun!  The prints go together well and have a very happy-graden (whatever that means) feel about them.  The white Minky back really brings out the colors.

The bunny applique might be the cutest thing I've seen all week.  It's my second Minky applique and I LOVE it.  Making animal appliques out of Minky is definitely the way to go!  The skirt of the dress is an actual gathered panel secured at the "waist".  I laid down the applique of the bunny's body first so, if you lift up the skirt, you see the bunny's legs underneath!  (The effect would have been improved considerably if I'd thought to give her some little bunny knickers.)

Now the bad: I need to come up with a better way to use Minky for the back and/or to quilt it.  The typing doesn't do justice to the piecework on the fornt and it makes the quilts look wrinkly all the time.  I don't want to do too much sewing through the Minky though, because these are supposed to be functional and putting a lot of quilting lines through the Minky would have a negative impact on its softness.  I'll have to work on that.

The applique base (the blue piece its sewn onto) looks kind of crappy.  I really could have done a better job with that, as well as using a closer matching thread.  I used to use that "invisible" thread all the time for appliques, but I stopped because it looked shiny and plasticky in certain lights.  I think I need to experiment with some limited use though.

All in all, I'm confident that Shelby will be happy with it, but I feel like I could have done a better job.  I think that, when I'm done with these baby quilt, I'm going to have to use the leftover materials to make a series of mini/doll quilts in each of the themes.  What I'd do with these, I have no idea, but I just love putting the fabrics together and making the appliques, so I suppose it doesn't matter much.

Two down.  Eleven to go!

(Originally posted on July 22, 2007)