Scooter Bag-Revisited

This Japanese linen scooter fabric might be my favorite fabric this year. Unfortunately, the pattern does not lend itself to being cut into small pieces. It turns out to be very difficult to isolate a scooter on a smaller swath of fabric, and I really don't like sacrificing neighboring scooters to harvest just one. The lid of a messenger bag offers a pleasantly large and uncut expanse of fabric, just right for scooters.

This new purse has a coordinating stripe of fabric on its back side, an interior zipped pocket, a strap long enough to go over my fall coat, a magnetic snap on the lid, and a vintage donut bead for a faux flap closure. I plan to wear it around for awhile to see what changes to make for next time.

100 Postings

My blog control panel informs me this is the my 100th posting of craft-related musings. Though I've already shown a peek of these candy bags, they are now finished and soon to be dropped in the mail to my nephew and niece. I've made several of these cloth candy buckets, and I enjoyed revisiting the pattern this time. Something slightly smaller and without a handle would be very cute in a Christmas pattern to hold a handful of candy canes.

Ready For Candy

10 days from Halloween and I've only purchased the candy I plan to give out to trick-or-treaters 3 times. I feel reasonably prepared for the approaching festivities. The costumes are chosen; the pumpkins are ready to be carved; little hands have arranged our decorations around the house. I even have a good start on two fabric candy buckets for my nephew and niece. Machine applique makes this project largely a matter of rooting around for the right snippet of fabric. The orange duck fabric on the bottom tier of one of the candy corn pieces is my favorite selection.

I Couldn't Resist

Fresh off the plane from Utah, I convinced my family that a stop at IKEA (to eat lunch, of course) was in order. Since I eat at a good clip, there was time for me to slip away from the cafeteria to choose a little fabric for the drive home. I bought 2 yards of this random and colorful pattern I plan to fussy cut into many smaller items. Flowers, people, billy goats, pagodas, this fabric has it all. Maybe I should stretch it on a large frame and store it up on the wall of my craft room for awhile.

Utah Inspiration

I'm just back from trooping around the wilds of central and southern Utah on a family vacation. Two weeks without sewing or shopping for anything related to crafts forced a closer inspection of everything else. The Sego Canyon cliff paintings are chock-a-block full of ideas for silk screening or fabric piecing. I like the effect of something visually interesting and simple, but not childlike.

Misc. Pouches

Hiding the patterned fabric on the inside of these pouches leaves the outside free for a solid color and a silk-screened message. Thus far I'm finding that the paint is easy to work with if I'm careful. It dries evenly, irons, washes and is the opaque look I was hoping for. There are 5 more colors of paint to try in the silk screening starter kit. Maybe I'll make party gift pouches for K's upcoming birthday that say "4 is Fab!"

Shine On, Sun!

I'm experimenting with silk screening my own words and designs onto fabric. The first step is to think of something to say and print it from the computer. An exposure of exactly 30 seconds to the bright fall sun fixes an image of my design on a reusable screen. I'm still working out the best method to neatly paint through my stencil onto fabric. I don't want fancy or intricate, just crisp and vaguely competent.

It's reassuring to find there are still crafting avenues I have never explored.

Pencil Case

I worked for an entire afternoon to puzzle out how to make a pencil case with ends folded up in triangles as you would wrap a present. My thought was if I could make the pattern in paper, origami-style, then I could reverse the math to add seam allowances, turn the pattern inside out to make a lining, add a zipper, and I'd have a pencil pouch. Well, either the solution is awkward and no fun to sew, or it escapes me completely. I fell back on what I know how to do. Here is a pencil pouch with tapered sides and a squared-off bottom. It will stand open to reveal art supplies, but is at its heart a simple zippered pouch.

Rings On My Fingers

I'm a fan of circles. These donut beads speak to me. They could be cute earrings, a dangle on a purse, or some sort of ingenius loop hardware for some project. I have bunches and bunches of them, just in case.

New Design

My favorite pattern person on Etsy, Keykalou, has a new rounded clutch design to try. In the past I've taken her patterns and lengthened them to suit my needs, but this one I sewed pretty much as she directed. The inside has a small pocket, and the flap closes with an ultra-thin magnet snap, my latest favorite sewing notion. I like the way the red polka-dots came out, and I have pieces cut to make the same bag in some of my favorite blue Japanese linens. Maybe a black linen body and a patterned flap would work. I'll try...

Getting Ready for the Season

Before even the big box stores have thought to trot out holiday displays and merchandise, I have a holiday crafting thought. I'm going to make zippered pouches in holiday fabrics. The perfect size to hold a gift card, a zippered pouch makes wrapping easy, is reuable and regiftable, and doubles as a change purse or whatnot holder.

Package!

I've been waiting patiently for several weeks to receive juicy fabric from Japan. One yard of the cutest linen robot fabric every made (and I've spent some time comparing linen robot fabric) and a half yard of green lion fabric (because R's favorite animal is the lion and his favorite color is green) arrived today. How marvelous to have the technology in my own house to prowl the planet for perfect craft supplies. But even after emails around the world and money exchanged through secure second parties, I still wait to hear the distinctive rumble of my mail carrier's car coming around the bend with my well-traveled parcel.