Sewing & Scrapping

Sewing & Scrapping... that pretty much sums up the first couple weeks of January 2010.

With Design House Digital opening, I have had the delightful pleasure of scrapping with many, many wonderful new products. My latest layout that I did last night will be featured in my first DHD blog post later this week. It is a tutorial on weaving elements together to give your layouts a little more dimension and fun. I used the very cheerful and beautiful Lovestruck kits by Audrey Neal. Here is a sneak peek at it...

In addition to doing a lot of scrapping, I have done more sewing in the last week than I have done in quite awhile. I finished 3 projects and began on another which is likely going to take me a few weeks to complete.

I finished up a dress that I have had the materials and pattern to make for a couple of months for Kinley. I sure hope it fits as it is the first more fitted and toddler sized outfit I have made for her yet.



Then I did something that I haven't done in a very long time, I sewed a project for myself. It has only been on my todo list for probably 6 months now. I picked up a bunch of remnants to make myself a purse but couldn't decide on a pattern to make. I finally settled on the Margaret Sling bag. I followed most of her instructions but I wasn't pleased totally with how the pleats were done in the instructions so I added an extra step to make sure that the top portion of the pleat was closed and didn't want to pull open at all.

I love how it turned out but am totally sure that it is my kind of purse. But then, I am not sure any kind of purse is my kind of thing. If I made it again, I would have to rethink the pattern for the strap as the cross body sling strap may be good for most people but I am larger than I should be and my feminine curves mean that the strap should have been made a few inches longer if I really wanted to wear it as a cross body purse. It is a good length, a touch long but not bad, for over the shoulder but I have always had problems with purses never wanting to stay on my shoulder and not slide off.



And then Mike and I went to the store to pick out fabric for his Snuggie aka Snuglet. The tutorial/pattern calls for 3 yards of fabric but Mike decided that he wanted his to be double thickness so we picked up 6 yards and for his height, that worked well to add an extra 12" to the length. I cut off the 24" from the end which is what the tutorial calls for, for the sleeves. Since we didn't really need to make them double thickness, I left the other 24" which became his 12" added length once doubled over.

I then took the rest of the fabric & folded it in half. I then marked and cut out the arm holes. I pinned around the arm holes to be sure that they stayed lined up when I sewed up the side seams. Next, I stitched up the sides with french seams (leaving the top open for turning) as I much prefer their finished look to simple seams on something that you likely will see the wrong side often. French seams on that much fabric is a bit awkward but the finished look is so worth it.

Then I turned it right side out and sewed up the sleeves with french seams again so that they would be ready to be attached to the body of the snuggie. I then pinned and attached the sleeves and finished it with french seams. Lots and lots of french seams which made for a lot more sewing but I do so love the finished look.

Once the sleeves were attached, all that was left to do was to sew up the top. I folded the ends in and did a simple stitch across the top finishing it. Not the ideal way to finish the top but I am not one to like hand sewing at ALL! so it still looks neat and clean finished but not hidden like the rest of the seams.

Mike seems to really like it and it is definitely extremely cuddly warm. $30 well spent to get him one in a color he likes, is nice and thick and cuddly for him and has arms and length long enough for him. If anything it is a bit too long but there isn't really such a thing as too long in a blanket is there? He gets to tuck it all around his feet and be happy.

Do you think it gives off Monk or Jedi vibes?



My next project is another felt playhouse for a friend's son. However, this time, I am going on a smaller scale. The frame is about 35X35 inches cube and is going to be an animal sanctuary with lots of small critters crawling around in the grass or swimming in the river.

I am using some of my digital scrapbooking supplies to make my patterns for the pieces for the animals, trees, clouds, etc. And I am probably going to add in some monsters ARRR! as Spencer Nugent has some really cute ones in the store which would look really adorable and her son likes to say ARRR! to monsters. Still deciding if the monsters will have their own side of the playhouse or if they might be intermixed with the animals.

What do you think?