Category Archives: Fabric
WIP Wednesday #5
I debated doing this post or not. It’s been a pretty sad sewing week. The last thing I completed was the gathered pouch for my friend and that was a week ago. Since then I have had zero time to sew. It’s a complaint I hate having. It seems so luxurious to sew period. That being said I REALLY REALLY love it and it makes me happy. So I’m sad I haven’t had a chance to.
What have I been doing instead you ask? Well, my son started sleeping through the night, and now his nap schedule is all off, hence the not being able to sew. He kind of wants to play or be on me all the time. I’m lucky I get to spend this time with him so I’m just trying to enjoy it and not beg him to take a nap. (He’s napping now though! Thank goodness.) We also have managed to keep busy. Since last week’s post, we went to the zoo, (exhausting for mama), had a playdate, went to a pool party, went to a family party, Tesla had her first day of camp (and loved it) ran tons of errands while she was at camp, and then today we went to the beach and had an absolute blast. So we’re having fun, finally enjoying our Northwest Summer and not sewing. It’s okay really, breath deeply and repeat, it’s okay.
Want proof of the fun? You got it.
I also joined a sew a long and managed to cut a bunch of stuff out and add to my WIP list! D’oh!
Here’s the WIP List this week. For further explanation for items 1-11 you can check out my other weeks posts here. Be sure to check out #13. I have a question about what to do with some fabric for a gift.
- Dress for me. This will be a knit shirt type dress in a Michael Miller print called Aromatherapy. (Fabric washed, and cut. I also had lost a piece of the pattern for quite some time, but I just found it and cut that out too.)
- Skirt for Tesla (Oliver +S) you can see it here.
- Dress for Tesla (Oliver +S) you can see it here.
- Shirt for Tesla (Oliver + S) you can see it here.
- Dress for Tesla – Macy Giggles. Using the same pattern from that I used with this dress. (Cut out, I actually cut two out and plan to send one to my friend’s daughter.)
- Pouch for gifts – This week I am making pouches for our Aunt who is coming to visit. I have a bunch cut out and I thought I would give her quite a few pouches that she can then give out to friends as gifts. She’s a really thoughtful person and volunteers at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek, CA. She also used to volunteer at the California Raptor Center in Davis, CA. She would care for birds, take them on walks and help nurse them back to health. She currently has been retired from the Lindsay Wildlife Museum living in her back yard aviary. He is injured and can’t be let go, all the animals at the Lindsay have been injured and can’t be put back in the wild. Anyway this guy could live for quite a long time. Needless to say owls are a big part of her life so I bought Owl fabric. They are all cut out and matched up with their linings.
Cute right? I think she’ll like them. Whenever she comes to visit she always has to hire someone to house sit so I’m thinking at least that person will get a pouch, and probably a few of her birding friends. I have until Friday to finish them so hopefully I can get them all done. As you can see the top picture even has some zippers started. - Pillow Case for my MIL or a table runner.
- Quilt – I have the fabric and pattern just need to cut and get started. It’s from Oh! Fransson.
- Cuddle blanket for Nala and other gifts (Jason’s boss had a baby girl a few weeks ago. Blanket is almost done.)
- Pack and Play sheet using a super soft flannel
- Booties.
- Bucket Hat for the Little Things To Sew A Long. Have you heard about this? It’s the Oliver + S Sew A Long hosted by A Little Gray. Check out Jessica’s blog and read all about it, I’m very excited to be participating! I’ve decided to use this dragon fabric. It’s not exactly something I’d pick out but my mom bought it for me at a thrift store and I have no idea what to do with it. It’s about a yard, so I think I can make a couple of hats with it. One for Miss Tesla and possibly Ben and maybe one for her friend, who I think will like it quite a bit. It’ll be very unique that’s for sure.
- Present for my mom. Here’s that question I was telling you about. I have this Alexander Henry fabric, which I love. I have a half a yard of each. My mom loves Day of the Dead stuff and Halloween and pretty much has enough of everything so I like to get her Halloween items for her birthday in September. I was thinking about a bag, but what can I make with only a half a yard of each? Any suggestions???
>A New Ironing Board Cover
>Inspired by the beautiful ironing board cover I saw on Sew Dang Cute’s blog in April, I made a new ironing cover for me. My old was icky to say the least. I don’t know why stores don’t provide you with cute ones or perhaps they do and I was to cheap to buy it, but my old one was a funky material that ripped easily and it didn’t stay on the board well, so I was constantly ironing on the padding underneath. I took Sew Dang Cute’s directions and modified them a bit. One thing I did was I added a scrap of fabric at the top of the board underneath to hold the cover on better. Tam did this on her’s too, but mine didn’t have it originally so I eye balled it and made it work. I also didn’t use all the same string and such from the original like she did, I bought everything new. I did use a very similar fabric though which I only just realized now that I had to look back to get her link. It’s kind of funny. I think it’s just that red is the best color out there so who wouldn’t want a red patter for their ironing board.
Below are the pictures of the board, I forgot to take a before of it so I just laid the old material down over top the new so that you can get the gist of it. But just imagine the foam underlay sticking out and it being more wonky on top. You also can’t see the rips in the cover, but it is ripped. I have to mention that I have only had this ironing board for about 3 and a half years, there’s really no reason that it should be ripped other than it’s crappiness factor.
Before:
After:
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| When it’s nice out, I prefer to iron outside. Don’t you??? |
So there you have it. What an improvement right? I used Michael Miller’s Ta Dot in Red. It’s scrumptious. I picked it up at Fabric Depot for under $5.00 a yard! It inspires me to decorate my sewing room now.
Thank you for visiting my blog as always! Please leave a comment to let me know you’ve been here and become a follower to get all the latest news!
>Bolt!
>Last week I told you all about the flannel I bought at Fabric Depot in this post. I still have other fabrics I bought there but I need to tell you about my experience at Bolt Fabrics. Oh my goodness, I was so excited to go to Bolt, it was like going to where the superstars go. The day was really beautiful and hot out too, and after this winter it was a bit surreal to have sunlight. Bolt is located on a street with lots of restaurants, boutiques and homes. It’s so very cute. I found a parking space right in front and it was all I could do to not run into the store. The store is small and filled with fabric, but not cluttered and overwhelmed. It was lovely. The employees were super helpful, I was trying so hard not to gush. When I finally got to the counter to have the fabric cut I couldn’t help it though and told them I loved their blog and they really got me into reading more blogs about sewing and how much I loved it and how wonderful they are and gush, gush, gush, gush. There was no stopping me really. The ladies were so nice, they just said “thanks it’s so good to hear that people like the blog.” Dang they were so much cooler then me, seriously. But I did hear them say the best thing to another customer. She was looking for fabric to line a fairy house so not very much fabric and when she said thanks they were so helpful and she loved the fabric they helped her choose, one of them said “Thanks, we want you to leave Bolt cheering fabric!” How cute is that? I wrote it down as soon as I heard them say it because I knew I wanted to tell you all about it.
I know what you want to see, what did I buy???
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| Marbled Magic by Fabric Freedom Photo from: http://www.fabricfreedom.co.uk |
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| Marbled Magic by Fabric Freedom Photo from: http://www.fabricfreedom.co.uk |
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| Michael Miller Wheel Dot Charcoal Photo: Fabric.com |
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| Jay MacCarroll’s Habitat in Peach Photo from: http://www.freespiritfabric.com |
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| Ann Kelle’s Urban Zoologie Whales in Aqua Photo from: Fabric.com |
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| Aqua Appleville by Suzy Ultman Photo from: http://www.robertkaufman.com |
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| Summersault by Erin McMorris Photo from: http://www.freespiritfabric.com |
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| Marcia Derse Third In Line Collection Tourquoise Birch Bark Photo from: http://www.marciaderse.com/ |
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Victoria & Albert Bottles Turquoise/Multi
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Spring by Manaluna by Sew Happy
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| Opal Owls by Tina Givens Photo from: http://www.freespiritfabric.com |
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| Geeks Gone Wild Space Invaders Green/Black Photo from: Fabric.com |
I also bought a small rotary cutter there and that’s it. I wanted to post the fabric before I cut into them, but then I was talking to my Chiropractor telling her about the fabics I bought on my trip and she asked if I could make something for her daughter using the space invader fabric. I of course said sure and made her this:
The lining is from the garage sale I went to a few weeks ago and I blogged about here.
I have to say I had so much fun at Bolt and the whole time I was fabric shopping. I really love all the fabrics I got at Bolt, they really inspire me to sew and create. Thank you so much to the ladies at Bolt for being there!
And thank you for visiting my blog as always! Please leave a comment to let me know you’ve been here and become a follower to get all the latest news!
>Flannel Flannel Flannel!
>This past weekend was my birthday and for my birthday we went to Portland. We stayed at the lovely Inn @ Northup Station. It was such a nice all suite hotel. I picked this hotel because it was in the neighborhood we wanted to stay in, it had a full kitchen and the decor was vibrant and young, and I thought my daughter, Tesla, would like it more than someplace with more sophisticated decor. The last time we stayed in a hotel it was a bit of a disaster and this time it was perfect! We brought Ben’s Pack and Play for Tesla to sleep in and then Ben slept in the hotel’s Pack and Play. The room was large and we had a lovely little patio that we could sit on and watch the trolley/literail thing go by. Tesla really liked that. The hotel had a nice continental breakfast in the morning and our room was close to the dining room which meant that when Ben woke up at 5ish, I could take him out there so that everyone else could sleep. I thought I did not bring my camera SD card so I didn’t take any pictures of the hotel room but please go visit their site and check it out, the interior colors are stunning. In fact I was talking to a woman in the breakfast area about it and she said that after staying there the first time she repainted her sewing room in the same colors. Which of course I asked her about her sewing and about her sewing machine and it turns out she has the same machine as me! Crazy right?
On Saturday I dropped everyone off at the Oregon Zoo and headed on to Fabric Depot. Where I preceded to spend 4 hours shopping for fabric. It was so luxurious. I’m going to break up the pictures of the fabric I bought since I bought lots of flannel and then lots of everything else! So here it goes!
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| All Star 2 Main Stars Green Flannel Riley Blake Designs |
The next one was bought for my friend Marisa.
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| All Star 2 – Blue All Star 2 Mini Dot Riley Blake Designs |
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| Wheels by My Mind’s Eye Riley Blake Designs |
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| Zoo Friends by Kelly Tanner Blue Hill Fabrics |
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| Dino Dudes for Michael Miller |
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| Bliss 26 Circles Ocean Westminster Fibers |
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| Della Flannel by Valori Wells for Free Spirit Westminster Fibers |
Summer Song was bought for a particular friend in mind.
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| Summer Song Pink Riley Blake Designs |
The next one was bought for my friend Marisa.
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| Jungle Friends by Kelly Tanner Blue Hill Fabrics |
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| Sprinkles on Top Michael Miller |
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| Dumb Dot Michael Miller This image is not exactly correct, the dots are actually a light pink. I’m working on finding a better image. |
Well that’s all the flannel I bought. It’s all so pretty. I bought a lot more fabric though so I’ll be posting some more about that another time!
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>Portland Bound!
>We’re heading to Portland here soon for the purpose of fabric shopping! I read the blog by the store Bolt and have been wanting to go there, also there is Fabric Depot. But where else should I go for fabric and other sewing items? Any suggestions???
>Spring Top Sewalong Entered!
>The top has been accepted and entered. I also found out the name of the floral print. I emailed the folks over at Pacific Fabrics. Annette and Michelle got back to me. Michelle said that the print is called Floral Lawn Print Plum. It’s not part of a specific line but it’s lovely just the same! Pacific Fabrics got back to me really quickly! I really appreciate it their help! Thanks Michelle!
Rae over at Made by Rae (the host of the Spring Top Sewalong) has posted some of the prizes for the Sewalong. There’s a lot of really cool packages. I love all the bows, patterns and fabrics. It’s really nice that I had never heard of any of the companies either so even if I don’t win I get to learn about new businesses that I clearly need to know about! Check out these bows by Bird Song Bows!
How pretty are they? I have a few friends with little girls who these bows would look amazing in. Well and Tesla of course.
Also apparently there is going to be a Reader’s Choice Winner…. My goodness, now I’m nervous. I wasn’t so nervous until I realized people are actually going to be looking and judging the top. Yikes! You should go over to the Flicker Pool and check out the other entries. There’s some really amazing tops. A lot that people made up on their own. My goodness I wish I could do that. Check them out here. I’ll find out how you go about voting and update next week once it starts.
Oh, I also wanted to mention that Fabric Flair is having a huge sale right now. Most everything is under $7.00 a yard. I bought some really great auto inspired fabric by Riley Blake. Check it out!
I know that I’m going to make some fun stuff for Ben with this!
Thanks for visiting Tesla’s Mom! Leave a comment!
>Spring Top Sewalong: A Completed Top!
>Well I did it! I have to say I’m proud of myself every time I finish something. Usually I make things with no particular deadline, or perhaps a birthday or holiday deadline, but for the Spring Top Sewalong is different. Perhaps because I have been reading all about these amazing sewers and quilters for awhile now and they all seem to have this great community in which they share and create things together, and with the entry into this I’m joining in on the fun and not just sitting on the side lines. Or maybe because I am feeling like I am not getting anything done and to pick a pattern, buy the fabric and sew a top that looks pretty darn good on me within any given time crunch is, well, satisfying. The pattern I used is from NEWLOOK or Simplicity #6937. I used a Robert Kaufman Solid Plum for the yolk and unfortunately the patterned fabric name is not correct on the receipt.
Without further ado, here is my Spring Top for the Spring Top Sewalong hosted by Made by Rae.
I had all these grand ideas that I would do my hair and makeup before Nigel came over to take the picture. But then everyone in my family got sick with over 100 degree temperatures. So I ended up handing Ben to Nigel when he got here to hold while I changed, then coming back in and handing Ben to Jason who was about to throw up at any moment. Then ran outside took the pictures, ran back in changed back into sweats and grabbed Ben from Jason who just about fell over. So the fact that I’m laughing in this picture makes me smile.
I like this one, I’m striking a pose… Or showing off the cool sleeves. I really like the feel of them. They are very light and airy and cover my arms nicely.
This is the official entry photo. The entry is supposed to just show off the shirt. So the head and legs came off.
What do you think? Leave a comment!
Would you like to see the other tops entered? Go ahead and check out the Flicker group, here.
>New Fabric
>So I got some new fabric yesterday! A friend asked me to make a gift for her to give. She ordered the fabric plus a couple of yards of Ann Kelle fabric for me. Below is just a picture of the stuff that is for her project. It’s really cool that she asked me to do this. It’s a pretty special project but that’s all you’re going to get from me! I’ll update with details in the future!
I also just have to say, that my friend who picked out the fabric claimed to not know what to get, and so I sent her a bunch of links to different fabrics that I liked. I didn’t even notice this and it is gorgeous! I absolutely love it. So please, like you don’t know what to get! Really I think she should have gotten dinosaurs, but zoo animals are awfully cute! (Okay that last bit was a private joke. I can explain again later, when all is revealed.
>Fabric for Spring Top Sew Along
>I bought the fabric for the Spring Top Sew Along that is being hosted by Made By Rae. I got the fabric at Pacific Fabrics in Bellevue. They are so helpful there. I brought 5 bolts, one at a time, to the counter, to ask their opinion and because I found something better at the last minute. I could only carry so much with me since Ben was in the car seat and boy has that gotten heavy. Anyway, one fabric is a solid and the other is a print. The print will be the dominant fabric and the solid will be just around the color.
I am really into purples lately. I just love the color saturation of it all, and I think that with the pattern it will look really great. Let’s hope! I unfortunately only know that the solid is by Robert Kaufman and is called Ultra Sateen Plum. The pattern I am hoping to figure out but the receipt states that it is a a Moda Marbles Red Hot and it’s not that. They also under charged me. It’s funny because I was thinking wow that was cheap, and then later in the car I was thinking wow, 2 1/8 of fabric at 8.99 a yard plus the other 5/8 yard really was inexpensive. But now that I look at it I realized they totally undercharged me. In fact I’m not sure what they were looking at when they totaled it up. Weird. I feel bad that they undercharged me, I hope I got the right amount of fabric, I better go measure that solid.
>Ann Kelle Fabric Line
>I think I am in love with a fabric line. Okay I’ll admit it I am in love with multiple fabric line’s, but today’s post will be about Ann Kelle‘s line. Even line is not really fair. She has several lines out that I absolutely adore. The thing I like about her design’s are the bold graphics and colors. The shape of the graphic are fun. I love the rounded cars, the round eyes of the owl, the swoosh of the tail on the whale, the squares and the hearts and so much more.
I love the green background on the cars and the roundness of the edges. The blue on the trains is so eye catching. I think I would make pants for Ben with these prints.
Cuddle fabrics… I don’t know what cuddle fabric is but I think I am going to have to find out!
Urbam Zoologie pretty much drives me insane! What do you think? I’m thinking lots of fun play pants for Ben and a matching dress for Tesla! Perhaps my new pattern from Oliver + S would do…. hmmm…
Anyway the one I am getting shortly is the Ready, Set, Go! Trains and cars. They are what made me fall in love with this line and I m super excited to play with it!
