Crayon Rolls

You may think that there has been no crafting at Aunt Lola's house since there have been no posts. How wrong you'd be! As a matter of fact, I've created a new craft room to house all the crafting! When Amanda moved in, she took over my old craft room, and now the basement guest room has become a guest room/craft room. Interestingly, I've actually used it more than I did when it was upstairs. It's a little bigger and feels like my own little studio apartment. Plus it's close to the ironing board, which I pulled in for this recent craft project.



Two of my little munchkins turned three this fall, so I made crayon rolls for birthday gifts. I got the idea from Skip to My Lou. I was delighted to find that Skip has experimented quite a bit and has posted several variations of the project:

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2009/12/18/felt-crayon-holder/
http://www.skiptomylou.org/2008/09/09/keep-on-rollin/
http://www.skiptomylou.org/2008/08/06/felt-crayon-roll/
http://www.skiptomylou.org/2007/04/25/on-a-roll/

I copied the project, and put my own stamp on it. My biggest difference was that I used a magnetic snap closure instead of using one of Lou's options. I thought the magnet would be easiest for tiny fingers.

This was my first foray into piping, and it doesn't look like my most professional work. As I often do, I found myself cursing the fact that I only took sewing in 4-H for two years. I think Grandma Lo should give Aunt Lola some more lessons.

You can imagine how huge my big beaming smile was when Ava stopped opening her birthday presents after she opened mine. She immediately pulled out the crayons and started coloring.

I asked the moms for feedback a few weeks later, and one suggested a flap to keep the crayons in place. Apparently they fall out when the roll is turned upside down. Duly noted.

Needle Holder

It's three months late, but I finally dug a tunnel through my craft room so I could get to my sewing machine and make Sarah's Christmas present. I got the idea in one of my Better Homes and Gardens magazines. She had borrowed my size 10 knitting needles last fall, so I bought a nice pair of bamboo needles and stitched up a holder for them using wide ribbon, thin cording, and a button. I haven't given it to her yet, but I think she'll like it!

Alphabet Pillows: C & B

In December, Sarah and I went to the MCAD student art show and saw some alphabet-shaped pillows that were simply adorable. But being the crafty ladies we are, we decided to try to make our own, rather than buy the artist's version.

So just days before Christmas, we had a sewing day together. The idea was to make pillows for each of our neices and nephews in time for Christmas. Sarah needed to make a C for Christopher, an I for Isaiah, and a K for Keane. I needed a C for Cole, B for Brynn, A for Ava, and R for Reagan.

We were making it up as we went along, but I think we did okay. I started with the C, thinking it might be the easiest, since all of my other letters would need to have enclosed holes.

I used some tupperware container lids to trace nice round edges for my C. Then I cut a 3 inch strip of fabric for the sides and started sewing.







I was right that the enclosed holes would be tricky. Sarah and I came up with a few options that would be easier, such as placing a big button where the holes would be, or using a patch in the same fabric as the sides of the pillow. But I ended up going the hard route, because I could really picture little hands poking through those holes.

Another thing that was tricky about my B pillow was that I used one stretchy knit fabric and one more canvass-y one. Knit fabrics are kind of tough, especially mixed with canvass. But look how cute these fabrics are together!



Look at Sarah's finished I. Pretty cute!

It turned out I was right about the holes. It didn't take Brynn long to turn her B into a double bracelet. Unfortunately, I ran out of time to get the A and the R done before Christmas. I am going to see those two little munchkins on Valentine's Day, so I am setting that as my new deadline.

I think Cole and Brynn really liked their pillows. Or maybe they were just happy because I was letting them jump on the bed. Don't tell Grandma!

Proud Crafts

Last weekend was Pride weekend, and I celebrated with craft. I definitely needed a shirt with rainbows, so I created one out of an A-shirt (aka wife beater, for Aunt Lola's non-PC readers) and strips cut from t-shirts. I was having so much fun cutting up t-shirts that I decided to create bracelets for myself and my friends.

Two things of note: I did NOT cut the slit that low. Sarah, blue-ribbon wingman that she is, decided I needed to be more riské, and ripped it wide open! That's when I realized it was a good place to hold my bottle opener. Which leads me to number two: I agreed to be a beer tub girl for my favorite local bar, to make a little cash to support my crafting habit. Unfortunately, that night I dropped my phone and it shattered, so most of the cash went straight to a new phone. That being said, I had a blast and met a lot of fun people.

Oh, and by the way, shouldn't my wingman have her own craft blog?? Check out what she did with two white A-shirts and a big yellow t-shirt. Pure genius. Hats off to you, my friend

Old crafts revisited: Coaster Set

Lately I've run across a few craft projects I'd forgotten about from days gone by. I was recently at my pal Sarah's house, and saw a music-themed coaster set I'd given her for Christmas a few years ago. I had decoupaged sheet music, photos of musicians, etc. onto bathroom tiles, and backed them with cork. I packaged them in a fabric box I designed and sewed myself. I was pretty proud!

Hope for 2008

A couple days ago, I worked on a mix CD for a friend who's going through a rough patch and needed a little optimism in her life. I started thinking about how it seems lately that there are a lot of people in my life who are going through rough patches. I've certainly been looking for reminders that life is good. So I decided to make a handful of the "Hope for 2008" CDs as New Year's gifts for my friends. And I got crafty and made gifty CD cases made out of fabric scraps left over from my pillow project.


The Playlist:

1. "This Will Be Our Year" OK Go
2. "I'll Take You There" The Staple Singers
3. "These are the Days" Van Morrison
4. "Angry Any More" Ani DiFranco
5. "Blackbird" The Beatles
6. "The World's Not Falling Apart" Dar Williams
7. "Three Little Birds" Bob Marley
8. "My Song" Brandi Carlile
9. "The Long Way Around" The Dixie Chicks
10. "Mr. E's Beautiful Blues" The Eels
11. "Just A Ride" Jem
12. "True to Myself" Ziggy Marley
13. "Love Train" The O'Jays
14. "Let It Be" The Beatles
15. "Into the Mystic" Van Morrison
16. "Growin' Up" Bruce Springstein
17. "I Hope" The Dixie Chicks

The Crafts

Rock Star Tank

There seems to be a running theme in this blog regarding craft ideas I have that turn into something pretty different, but I'm moderately okay with the outcome. I made this shirt during a manic crafting phase last summer, inspired somewhat by my Generation T book.

The plan was to cut rips into a wife beater and have another shirt peeking through. So I placed a gray one inside a black one, and used some red thread to sew a series of vertical lines down the front. The red looked pretty sassy. Then I cut the black tank between the red lines, but left the gray intact. So far so good. What I didn't bank on was that "A-shirts" (the more politically correct term for these men's tanks) are very fitted, and stretch a lot when placed on a body. Even a modest sized chest like mine.

So instead of the nice straight lines I cut with a little gray peeking through, I got wide gray squiggly stripes that all aimed in at the top and out around the boobs. I decided maybe cutting a notch in the collar would help alleviate some of that tension, and then I just got more squigglier lines.

Alas, crafts are not meant to turn out as visualized, and I love the end product anyway. I wore this shirt last week for the first time all summer, and got a ton of compliments on it, so I'm pretty happy. It's back in the rotation.

Peterson Halter Top

I've been looking for photos of this project forever, and finally found the disk when I moved last week. That's right, I've got a new pad, and that means lots of crafty DIY solutions to new space needs. Expect wonderment ahead.






Anyway, I made this shirt last summer when my hometown of Peterson, IA celebrated its sesquicentennial (that's 150 years, in case ya didn't know!). I loosely followed some instructions from my Generation T book.




I used a HUGE old Peterson t-shirt my mom gave me back when big shirts were in. The rest is pretty self explanatory. Throughout the weekend, I kept taking it in a little more and adjusting the straps, because t-shirts stretch. Next time I'd sew the straps on, since the holes I cut to tie them in kept getting bigger and bigger. I'd also leave more space above the graphic, because cut t-shirts roll, and this one kept rolling down over the graphic.

Quick & Easy Sewing Projects

Yesterday was the Garage Sale Season Opener. Sarah and I scoured the neighborhood for treasures. After hitting at least six houses in Tangletown, we decided that rich folks don't have better garage sales. And being rich doesn't mean you're not SUPER weird, either! Church rummage sales are where it's at. I had my best luck at the Urban Refuge church. Not only did they have lots of good stuff, but they gave away free popcorn, lemonade, and hot dogs. And besides the pop/gospel CD playing, I didn't have to put up with any proselytizing.

Here's what I got:

I'm looking forward to making the teddy bear

and the recycled baby rompers! This is going to revolutionize my crafting!

VOTE T-shirts

In October, my co-worker Monica asked if I could join her for a Get-Out-The-Vote drive at a local bar one Friday night. I decided we needed cool shirts if we were going to do fairly uncool things at a bar. Don't get me wrong, voting and getting other folks to vote is cool, but I usually feel pretty uncool when I try to do that second part. So on Friday after work I picked up a package of t-shirts from the boys department at Target, then went home and started cutting up some old green and blue t-shirts that didn't fit me for the letters. The end result was quite a hit. That's pretty much how craft night got started.

Throw Pillows Update

Well, it's been a month and a half since I created my prized throw pillows. I'm still super proud of the design and all, but it turns out I made a mistake on materials. I chose felt because it seemed durable and cuddly for pillowcases. Plus, it doesn't fray, which made a lot of sense for the leaf appliques. Unfortunately, the felt started pilling and collecting fuzzballs and hair that happen to float around the living room within the first week. It hasn't gotten bad enough for me to trash the pillowcases, but I'll be sure to choose my fabric more wisely next time.

Umbrella Onesie

Snow Day! I got to leave work early yesterday, and got today off because of the foot of snow that slammed the Twin Cities this week. So I finally got to work on some crafts. Last night I made this:

I'm hoping to work on some more projects this weekend.

Pillowcase turned shoulder bag

I have a real affinity for used pillowcases and sheets. You can make such fun things using already professionally-finished edges. I found the pillowcase for this project at a garage sale. I trimmed some of the length and width, keeping the finished edge intact to use as the opening of the bag. After sewing up the cut edges, I used the scraps to create the straps. I used strips that were about 3" by about 18". I folded each strip right sides together, sewed them into a tube, and the turned it right sides out. I pressed the strap so that the seam was centered on one side, and then covered that seam with my orange 1" grossgrain ribbon. I sewed the straps to the outside of the bag, and then covered my work with a grossgrain stripe. When I carried my new bag to work for the first time, a coworker's gasped, "Holy Jan Brady!" Apt, I guess!

Latest fabric acquisitions

And now, as promised, photos of my latest lovely fabric acquisitions.

I think this sort of greenish upholstery-ish thrift store fabric remant will go well in our greenish living room, probably as part of some kind of wall hanging or collage. The picture doesn't really do it justice. Trust me, it's pretty.

Another thrift store remnant. I fell in love with the texture--red wool with lots of colorful flecks. Not sure how I'll use it yet.

I think these two look like lovely purse liners. I've been eyeing the tutorials on http://u-handbag.typepad.com/uhandblog/. A purse of that caliber would be an ambitious project, but if I can stay motivated, I think I'm up to the challenge.

And now for the treasure trove from the stash of my friend who left for the Peace Corps.

Here's the whole prized collection. I had a hard time finding space for it in the craft room. I need to start using some of the fabric I've amassed!

While I was lying on the floor for this photo shoot, I thought it would be funny to turn the camera around. Yeah, funny. WHO is this old woman? I thought gravity was the enemy for dragging your face down, but yikes, gravity really makes you look like hell when it pulls your face sideways. Like my dad always says, it's a bitch gettin' old.