here's my first try at the gocco fabric printing attachment. i used my same oyster design from a tote bag i made this summer, but printed on linen--something i'm really growing to love using. this is for the mid-winter gocco swap and i'm about halfway done with my project. 
i've never done the whole mass production thing, but with 12 people on my swap list it is pretty necessary.
my knee is healing--very purple--but healing. i was able to sew a little bit tonight which made me feel better about the dust that has been collecting on my sewing machine these past few days. i've been working on this bag for a good friend. i decided to use my normal tote bag pattern, but instead of two straps i used one going from side to side. i think it makes it more purse-like but it is still a decent size and i finally found a good reason to use my new noguchi fabric. 
look! it's my first real pocket! i don't know why i have been avoiding putting pockets in my tote bags, but it wasn't difficult at all. i'm sure all you expert bag makers are thinking, "duh!" i know, i know...i don't know why i had myself psyched out. i hope she likes it!
i didn't get nearly enough done this weekend, and i actually have a valid excuse for it. saturday i started off the day with a pretty successful thrifting trip, and then the plan was to go out to the state park and do some cross country skiing. i'm pretty new at the whole nordic skiing thing, but i'm a quick learner so after our first go round on the easy loop i didn't think twice about going for the intermediate loop. well turns out the intermediate loop should be called the "watch your life flash before your eyes as you ski downhill and try to turn yourself around a bend going top speed before you slam into a tree" loop. i had two options here: slam into a tree or bail out onto a nice fluffy patch of snow. i picked the snow, but there were a few knotty roots under that snow that met both my knees as i dove. the good news is that i can walk and i didn't tear any ligaments or break my knee caps, but the bad news is that i have a bump the size of a golf ball on my right knee and a giant strawberry to keep it company. i've been elevating and icing it for the last 24 hours, so here's hoping i won't be hobbling around school tomorrow.
so i did have a pretty successful thrifting trip that resulted in the above 6 vintage pillow cases and full sheet. i know that there's a vintage pillow case challenge going on over at handmade parade, and i certainly have enough pillow cases to submit a few entries, but i just have no idea what i would make. entries can be submitted until february 15th so i have some time to think on it. the other amazing thrift store item i found on my trip was this avon creative needlecraft doll-making kit. it is fully intact with everything i need to create this little rodent (except the batting.) it even includes the little piece of cheese he's nibbling on. priceless.
yesterday i received my first item from the mid-winter gocco swap--this lovely little notebook from elizabeth over at right out loud and blue valentine press. it is so sweet i almost don't want to write in it.
she set the bar pretty high, so i've been racking my brain trying to figure out what i should make for the swap. i've been itching to use my fabric printing attachment that ted got me for christmas, so maybe i'll make some sort of small fabric thingy. as you can tell i haven't really given it much thought...maybe i'll use my new notebook to sketch up some ideas.
it's another snow day here in iowa city, so i decided to try the clutch again. i'm still not happy with it, so i think i'll try it again but with different (not so thick) interfacing and maybe add a pocket on the inside. the bias tape is actually seal brown, but it looks black in the pictures. the bias tape is definitely getting easier for me, but i have to keep a steady hand when doing the final stitch on the top--it still turned out a little wonky.
i like the woodgrain for the lining, but i don't like the wrinkles that appear at the crease where the clutch closes. i think if i use one-sided fusible peltex i can avoid the awkward wrinkes on the inside...we'll see. now i'm off to give myself a break and do a project that won't make me want to rip my hair out---a simple tote bag.
do you ever have those days when you feel totally on top of everything? bills paid, house clean, project finished? today is definitely one of those days for me. i've had about a 3 inch thick stack of paperwork sitting on my desk collecting dust, a dishwasher full of clean dishes (and a sink full of dirty ones,) and a half finished project staring at me from my craft table. i finally tackled them all this morning...all in time to watch the returns of the nevada primary and pick a new project to start.
behold...my new ironing board cover. i found this tutorial on a blog i was reading the other day. i can't remember the blog, so i can't give proper credit--but i remember that the person wrote that it took her less than an hour. i commend you--as easy as this project looks, it definitely took me longer than an hour.
look! it's bias tape! and i didn't totally mess it up! the hardest part of the whole project was folding over the bias tape and not sewing through the elastic. this cover is definitely a step up from the tiny orange and brown flower cover that was on before. now maybe i'll use the board to iron items other than my projects...
for christmas our wonderful friend, john, gave us a gift card to fishs eddy--one of my favorite stores in new york. normally i walk around the store a little dazed and overwhelmed at the sight of all the eclectic dishes and platters and cups and salt and pepper shakers and tote bags that match the dishes. i'm in heaven.
but since i'm no longer in new york (snif, snif) i have to do my shopping online. this actually made the process easier, as i wasn't distracted by racks and displays filled with items i have to have. 
we decided on a set of these pantone dishes...one in each color since we couldn't pick just one. it will be nice to actually have a set of dishes that match, are sturdy, and nice to look at all at the same time. i bought a huge set of green dishes from an antique store before i left for new york, and after two moves, two roommates, and slippery hands i've broken about half of them. let's hope these can last a little longer.
on monday, while surfing through all the crafty blogs that i could on my lunch hour (or rather lunch 20 minutes) i stumbled upon swap bot. i've never participated in a swap before, and always wanted to get in on the action but never really knew how. enter swap bot. i figure i'll start out easy because i've never done one before (and i couldn't get in on some of the really good ones because i don't have enough points...or something...i'm just going with it.) so i signed up for one called "surprise, surprise, surprise" that just basically says to send your partner anything--something you made, already had, bought etc. pretty simple.
i couldn't just stop there, though. i found a gocco swap on another site, and signed up right away. not only do i get to use my beloved gocco, but i get to put a neat little button on my sidebar that says i'm participating in something--very exciting. both swaps aren't due until february, so i'm confident in my ability to complete both in a timely fashion. i hope i didn't just jinx myself...
still practicing applying bias tape to curves...man, that is hard for me. if anyone has any tips, i'd love for you to make my life a little easier!
getting a fabric order in the mail is one of the small pleasures in life. yes, i paid for it and know it is coming, but when it gets here i can't help but let out a little squeal and rip into the package as if it were christmas. i especially felt that way this afternoon when my package from sew mama sew came. i don't know if i will get up the guts to actually cut into this fabric right away--maybe i'll just look at it for a while and save it up for just the right project. my good
friend lauren used to do that with her good bottles of wine until she read somewhere that you need to let the wine make the occasion, not the other way around...so maybe i'll let this fabric make the occasion.
ok, so i sort of finished the clutch i talked about yesterday. i say "sort of" because it is kind of a disaster. the marking for the magnetic snap on the pattern for one part is about 2 1/2 inches off from where it should be, so it leaves a gap between the gusset and the flap when you close it. if i were to actually use this clutch, my lip gloss and tampons would slip out of the gap causing me to be simultaneously embarrassed and pissed i lost my lip gloss. the second problem i have with this project is the bias tape--i don't know if i am rediculously bias tape impaired, or the measurements are off. long story short--it really kind of looks like crap. yet through the magic of photoshop, and strategic pins (closing the clutch as it should, not with the gigantor gap) it doesn't look that bad.
i think i'll try this again with the adjustments...hopefully they will make it a little less frustrating and actually usable. the fabric is a vintage curtain, so i have plenty more fabric to try again, and again, and again.
here's the light box i put together to try and make my pictures look a little less dark and gloomy. it works pretty well, but you still need photoshop to brighten them up a bit. here's a tutorial by lindsay designs that explains the process.
