365 Project–Week 19

Day 127-Saturday, January 5, 2013

We had a wonderful time joining in this ancient Italian ritual! See more photos here.

Day 128-Sunday, January 6, 2013

Epiphany is my least favorite day of the year. Christmas decorations are packed up until next Christmas

Day 129-Me Monday, January 7, 2013

Messed around with the speed lights. I can’t wait to get the nifty little gadgets so I can get the speed lights completely off camera. For this photo I had one on camera, pointing to the left, hitting a reflector, and one at the far back left corner pointing up towards me. The one on camera was at the lowest power setting, and the other was somewhere in the middle.

Day 130-Tuesday, January 7, 2013

I love when I get to snuggle little babies! This precious little girl was only a week old! I was also really excited because the first time I tried using my mermaid outfit was an epic fail, this time it worked perfectly!

Day 131-Wednesday, January 8, 2013

My first 2 completed projects for my 113 Crafts in 2013 Challenge! The flower is detachable, so it counts as its own project.

Day 132-Thankful Thursday, January 10, 2013

I got a new toy in the mail today. My brand new Viking embroidery machine!! I am so very incredibly thankful for it! And that it arrived in one piece, and that I have the most amazing sister and mother who helped me buy it in the states and shipped it to me! It is absolutely wonderful and I cannot wait to make all sorts of amazing projects with it!

Day 133-Friday, January 11, 2013

My third finished project wanted to model projects one and two.

Feedback is always appreciated. Please feel free to share your thoughts, tips, constructive criticism, etc.

 

113 Craft Projects for 2013

My super awesome friend Mande, who has helped me so much this past year with both photography and crochet questions, has challenged me to complete 113 craft projects in 2013! It doesn’t matter how big, or small the project is, it just has to be 113 projects. I have already started a list of projects I want to complete this year. First up on the list: the Project of Doom quilt from sewhooked! Ok, so it won’t be the first one I start, nor the first one I finish, but I have ordered some of the fabric for it! I have wanted to make this quilt since the first time I saw it, and I am finally resolving to make it! I also ordered some vinyl to make my own poser bean bag, just like the one I made for Mande last year! Mande has let me borrow it a few times, and I have completely fallen in love with photographing newborn babies on it!

Poser made last year for Mande, minus a bag of filler

Today is a sewing club Monday, which means lots of time to work on the challenge! I’ve picked out a few paper piece patterns, also from sewhooked, that I want to use to make a few pillows. Also on my list for the year are a bunch of crocheted newborn cape sets (Calleigh’s Clips and Crochet Creations has a bunch of super cute patterns that I plan on using!), a few tutus, and lots of headbands and flower clips. Wish me luck! I’ll post most of the projects as I finish them throughout the year!

The Greatest Things In Quilting

Remember this?

Ok, so I’ve REALLY been slacking on finishing up my quilt! Part of the issue was I was waiting for Mariah to come back from her vacation so I could use her embroidery machine. Of course, that was well over a month ago (more like almost 2 months ago), and I’m just now making more progress on it! The name and info was embroidered several weeks ago, and during yesterdays sewing club I started quilting it!

I’ll be doing the rest of the quilting at the next sewing club with Mariah’s embroidery machine.

I am SO glad I let Mariah talk me into needing a walking foot, and quilt basting spray. This was the first time I’ve used either of them, and they made everything about a million times easier!

 

I’m The Little Mermaid!

Ever since I was a little girl The Little Mermaid has been my all time favorite Disney movie. It may have something to do with being a redhead. I remember many times pretending to be Ariel in the swimming pool, keeping my legs together as I swam around like a mermaid. This year for Halloween I decided to make my dream of being Ariel come true, and made my own Ariel costume!

Special thanks to my friend Jay for taking this wonderful photo for me! I was so happy with how the costume turned out! There were several bumps along the way, but I was able to finish it just in time for my first of several costume parties this month!

I’ve Got A Costume! Just In Time…

My Halloween costume is done! Well, kind of. I sewed the skirt a while back, and then yesterday and today I made the corset. I still haven’t made the shirt, but I found one in my closet that will work for my first costume party, which is tomorrow night! I’ve got a couple more costume parties at the end of the month, so I’ll hopefully completely finish everything by the next one. And if I still have time once I finish the shirt, I might redo the corset. It was my first time making one, and while it didn’t turn out horrible, there are a few changes I want to make to it. I would post a photo for you, BUT I’m using that photo for my 365 Project, so if you want to see it you’ll just have to come back tomorrow! Now I just need to find a pair of shoes and quickly make a big huge bow!

Where Has the Time Gone?

I feel like I’ve been slacking in the sewing department lately. There’s always so much going on, and then its way too hot in my sewing room, or my back decides it wants to hurt like hell. I could keep coming up with excuses as to why I haven’t been sewing, but really, what’s the point? All that matters, is I haven’t been, for no reason other than laziness. So here is my promise to you…I will get off my lazy butt and get some sewing done! Mariah is FINALLY back in town, so sometime in the very near future I will definitely be enlisting her help to finish up my Triple Irish Chain Quilt. I also want to create a tutorial for the filled tutu I made not too long ago, and I have a couple quiet books I need to make. OH, and how could I forget? I also need to finish my Halloween costume!! I should have everything I need to finish it now, although I think I want to find a different fabric for the shirt.

This is what happens when I play with the bulb shutter speed as we’re driving home at night

On the bright side, I’ve been having a lot of fun with my camera, and I’ve even gotten some crochet done! I’m in the middle of making a small blanket, and I’ve got a couple hats that I want to share with you, once I find someone to model them for me!

I Got Mail!

I love getting mail. And I don’t mean e-mail, I mean good old-fashioned snail mail. Today I received the most wonderful package in the mail! I won this awesome sketchbook set from one of my favorite bloggers, Terri, over at Terri’s Notebook.

The larger notebook and the smaller zipper pouch connect together with velcro, and everything fits into the larger zipper pouch! I absolutely love the set and cannot wait to start using it! Be sure to check out both Terri’s blog and Etsy shop!

Working On My Halloween Costume!

I am very excited about Halloween this year! I am FINALLY making the one costume I’ve always wanted to have! I’m a little nervous about it though, because there isn’t a pattern specifically for my costume, so I had to find patterns for each piece separately. Hopefully it all looks right when I’m done.

I started with the easiest piece, the skirt. I originally bought a pattern to use, and then realized that a basic circle skirt would be easier, and look more accurate than the pattern. Now I just need to make the shirt and the corset! I’m a little worried about the shirt, not sure I found the best pattern or fabric, but I guess we will see how it all turns out!

Any guesses as to what my costume will be?!

Surprise Pay It Forward!!

One of my favorite bloggers, A Ponytail Kind of Day, joined in on a surprise pay it forward. Doesn’t that sound like fun?! I cannot wait to see what she sends me, as she always makes the neatest things! Well, here is YOUR chance to get in on the fun!

This is how it works

I will send a surprise gift to the first 3 people to comment on this post.  This gift will be made by me and I will send it sometime within the next year.  Exactly when you will receive it will be a surprise.

And here are the rules:

1.  I will make a little something for the first 3 people who comment on this post.  It will be a surprise and may arrive at any time in the next 365 days (yes, a year).

2.  To sign up to receive a gift from me you must play along too.  Share the giving love on your blog by promising to send a handmade goodie to the first three people who comment on your blog post.

3.  You must have a blog.

4.  After commenting on my post, you have to post this (or similar) on your blog to spread the love.  If you haven’t posted in 48 hours then the next commenter will be chosen.

If you want to join in just comment below and if you’re one of the first three I’ll send you something before the end of August next year!

If I Was a Superhero, Vinyl Would Be My Arch-Nemesis

Vinyl. You know, that wonderful fabric that sticks to your legs in the summer time every time you stand up. It has some good qualities too though. It is also durable, and is super easy to wipe clean, which makes it the perfect material for a newborn posing bean bag! My friend Mande wanted one for her photography studio (check out Magic by Mande on Facebook), but these special bean bags start at about $75, and that is without the bean bag filling. So, Mande ordered some vinyl for about $15, and I grabbed some velcro from my stash and made one for her! Total cost, once she gets the rest of the beans she needs, will end up being about $45…MUCH cheaper for a complete bag than it is for just the cover!

The only problem is vinyl is a pain to sew with. Much like it sticks to your legs when you are sitting on it, vinyl also sticks to the metal presser foot and doesn’t feed through the machine like it’s supposed to. They do make a plastic presser foot that is supposed to work a lot better with vinyl, but unfortunately, I do not have the special foot. So, naturally, I found a way to make my metal presser foot work! My first piece of advice for sewing with vinyl, is don’t. Find a fabric that won’t stick, and is easier to work with, but if you must, especially if you plan on sewing with vinyl often, I would HIGHLY recommend spending $10 on the proper presser foot. Here are some other tips that might help you:

~Practice on some fabric scraps before starting your project. Vinyl is very different from sewing with cotton, and is not forgiving if you make a mistake. If you have to rip out a seam, you will have a line of holes where the seam used to be.

~If you don’t have access to the correct presser foot, and decide to use your regular presser foot instead, a tip I found is to put a piece of scotch tape on the bottom of the presser foot. I still didn’t have much luck this way, so before you start, see the previous tip.

~Put a piece of paper on top of the vinyl. This brilliant tip was inspired by paper piecing. After you finish sewing each seam, just rip the paper off! (carefully of course, you don’t want to rip the seams up with it) I used regular printer paper, but tissue paper would probably be a better choice, since it is more transparent. The biggest issue with the printer paper that I had was I couldn’t see where the vinyl was underneath. Otherwise it worked like a charm!

Any tips you would like to add?