Starfish Alley

Category: handmade (Page 10 of 14)

Smaller oilcloth bag

October 22, 2011 /

I’m making a smaller oilcloth bag for a friend.  I’m trying out a couple of different sizes of bags because I keep having requests for a smaller size.  This first one I reduced the height by 5 inches and the width by 2.5 inches.  I like the width and think that will be fine but I think I’m going to make another bag and shorten the height a bit more.  This one is actually a good size and would be handy at the drugstore or at the bookstore where you want a bag but don’t want or need such a big one.  I’m looking forward to making a few more of these and then ask what size my friend would like what her opinion is.

Orange you glad you did?

October 21, 2011 /

When my kids were little they really loved knock knock jokes.  This was the punchline of one of them..  In this care,orange you glad you told me how to adjust the sock measurements because these will probably fit a bit better.  I talked to my victim friend with the cold feet and decided what adjustments we would like to make to the socks.  I ended up making them a bit narrower at the front as he has narrow feet.  I also lengthen the hight of the sock a bit so he could wear them inside boots without them rubbing.  This is more vintage fleece.  It seems like it might have been from an old Halloween costume although I can’t remember for sure.  It really is a bit more cantaloupe colored than the picture shows.  I found a remnant of some black swimsuit fabric when I was at Joann’s last week and it made perfect ribbing.  It has a higher lycra content than ribbing so the stretch recovery and is better and it should not overstretch as easily.  It also has a high cotton content so it should feel good on the legs.  I normally wouldn’t use black thread either but it was on the machine and it’s close to Halloween so I decided you could wear them as part of a costume if you wanted to be a pumpkin.  Also, I wanted to try the pattern adjustments and decided that once they’re inside shoes or worn around the house it didn’t really matter what the color looked like.  The contrast is fine with me also and adds a bit of interest to plain old socks.

Halloween towel

October 19, 2011 /

I’ve been having fun with some Huck toweling.  I bought a few yards to play with and keep experimenting with options.  I’ve done some applique and also added a border to some of the toweling.  This time instead of a shape applique I added a strip of printed fabric that I attached to the toweling.  It was such a cute and colorful print that I thought this might be fun to try.  I used wonder under on a large piece of fabric and then used my scissors to cut out what I wanted.  I knew that I didn’t want it to be in a straight line so just wiggled around the pumpkins and the scene.  I then ironed it on and I used a narrow zig zag stitch to applique it to the towel.  It turned out cute.  Tomorrow this will go a new home.  This friend likes to cook and has young grandchildren so I’m sure they will all find a use for this new dishtowel.  On to another project. More Huck toweling ideas to come.

 

 

A new shawl

October 16, 2011 /

My dear friend Gretchen knit me a pair of slippers last fall.  She knew that my office floor can be cold in the winter and the cozy felted slippers would keep my feet warm.

Now this wonderful friend has knit me a lovely warm sea-foam colored shawl.  It’s very lacy and warm.  I’ve never had a shawl before so I’m looking forward to using it.  It’s soft and lightweight and very pretty.  I’m sure that I’ll get a lot of use from it.  I did show my bridge friends the other night and they were impressed.  Thanks Gretchen, I’m pleased!

Fleece Socks

October 11, 2011 /

Many moons ago…or at least fifteen years I think, I was in a fleece sock making mode.  I made big socks, little socks, lightweight socks, heavy socks, patterned sock and plain socks.  Yes I had a great time.  They were fast and easy with my new serger.  When my family was no longer interested in fleece socks, I mean how many pair of fleece socks can a person wear, I gave socks to friends and finally had to give up the fleece sock adventure and move to something else.  Now I’ve had one of those friends ask for new fleece socks.  It’s getting to be fall and the feet are getting cold and the old socks have finally worn out.

This was such a fun project.  I went into the storage room where all the “vintage” fabrics and patterns are located and shopped.  I located fleece and my favorite sock pattern. This is a Rain Shed pattern.  The Rain Shed company is located in Corvallis Oregon so they really understand the local climate and needs.  This pattern is very high quality, it fits well and is fast to sew.  It also produces a professional end product which makes it very satisfying to sew.

The first pair is done.  Now the victim or I mean friend can come and test the fit and I’ll be inclined to sew a few more pair.

fleece socks

Fall table runner is finished.

October 9, 2011 /

The fall table runner is finished and I think it looks ok.  When I added the oatmeal colored border it really helped pull it all together.  It gives your eye a place to rest among all the busyness of the patterned fabric. The dark brown binding really finished off the runner by framing the entire mini quilt.  It think it was a good choice.  I also decided to try my hand at free motion quilting. I traced a stencil on the middle portion and then just did a rounded zig zag down the sides.  It’s far from perfect but for the first time I felt it was acceptable and not so bad I had to rip it out and start again.  I figure it’s on the table for only a month or two and no one really looks at the stitching but only the overall effect.  I know this is how people get better at a skill but I was lamenting to a friend that it’s hard to admit that at my age I’m really just a beginner.  When people get older I think there is a tendency to think you should be able to master a skill the first time and not have to start at the bottom of the skill level.  Sort of a humbling reminder I guess.  I did have great fun doing the free motion quilting however and really look forward to finishing more projects so I can do it again.  I think it’s time to finish up the x’s and o’s quilt and see how I do on that one.

Fall table runner

Birthdays and more birthdays

October 5, 2011 /

It seems like I have lots of friend with birthdays in the next few weeks.  I’m having fun sewing up some new things and each friend will receive something different.  It’s a great way for me to try new things and fun to think of something each friend might use.  I really hate the idea of giving a gift that is not useful in some way.  Then it’s just clutter and something to pass along as a white elephant gift.  Well, I guess the holidays are coming if they want to get rid of these things…  Today I’ve created a dishtowel with some decoration at the bottom.  I had some Huck towelling yardage and that works great for towels.  It’s soft and absorbent and you can bleach it when it becomes dingy.  I also made a rice bag that can either be frozen or heated.  This friend is having a knee replacement the day before her birthday so I was trying to think of something she might find useful in the next few weeks.  This surgery event also made it difficult to choose a birthday card.  Was kind of hard to pick on that said to have a great day or some such thought.  It will soon be a good day but I suspect that may not be her happiest birthday in recent years.  She will be happy with the end result however and that is good.

 

A couple of birthday gifts

October 2, 2011 /

Middle daughter was home this weekend to celebrate her birthday.  The actual date was almost a month ago but with her work travel schedule she wasn’t able to come home until this weekend.  It’s always good to have her home and the other kids came and joined us for dinner.  We had great conversations about jobs, activities and QR codes.  If you don’t know what a QR code is, it’s the little box with squares that you find on advertising that can be read with a smart phone.  This link will give you more information about a product or take you to a web site with more information.  After a yummy dinner she opened her gifts.  I had to do some sewing of course so she got this little snap pouch and a covered pillow for her bed.  After looking at the pictures I wish I had thought about design placement on the fabric before I cut it but I only had a small piece and not much flexibility as to where the pattern was on the fabric. It is cute however and because she is a transportation planner it seemed appropriate.  She also lives in a studio apartment so her bed is a focal point and she has started a pillow collection on her bed.  This one I used some really soft cuddle fabric and made a slip cover for it so she could use it as a decorative element or it could be used for guests and still look not so bed like when it’s not being used for sleeping.  All in all,  another successful weekend.

Testing…

September 27, 2011 /

I’m working on a new table runner.  I decided to do a split rail pattern with fall colors.  This is not my usual color choice but I’m liking it and think it will be good.  I want to put a border on it before I bind it but not sure of the color.  These were the fist choices.  Not sure either one is quite right so will continue to think about it.  Any thoughts?

Coaster number 3

September 18, 2011 /

My first attempt at coasters was ok because they were cute.  Yes, they are also functional but still didn’t really meet my needs as far as dealing with the condensation on the glass with all the ice cubes. Especially if it had been sitting for a while.  Now I didn’t write about try number 2 bust basically what I did was use the apple squares and add a layer of microfiber dishtowel to the batting layer.  This was a better solution but still not adequate.  Here is try number three.  I started not really knowing how big I was going to make this but I had been using a hot pad that was ok so I decided that a bigger version would work.  My kitchen table is formica so getting the table wet wasn’t the problem so much as leaving water on the table so other items got wet.  When I sit at the table, particularly for lunch or a break, I like to read.  The condensation on the glass would get my book or magazine wet.  After I got a Kindle it was suddenly more than just an annoyance but now was deemed a necessity to control the water.  This time I started with a fan pattern.  I’ve been thinking about trying one of these to see how I liked it.  I also knew that I wanted to use some olive fabric that I had so I pulled some fabrics that would look good together and got started.  These are colors that are a bit out of my comfort zone but it turned out fine and I think it will work. I used a layer of insulbrite which has a layer of foil between the batting and also a layer of microfiber kitchen towel.  Because of the larger size and the different layers I’m thinking this should give me an all day solution to wet spots at the table.

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