Threadbanger Sewing Machine!

Hey all!

I entered a contest through Threadbanger.com to win a sewing machine. All I had to do to enter was to make a tutorial video on how to do something DIY and creative. See the entry video here.

The winner of the contest won a Janome TB12 sewing machine. Unfortunately, I came in 3rd in the contest. But don't cry for me. My awesome boss bought me the next best Janome Threadbanger machine, the TB 30, as my pilot bonus this year. YAY!

For my first project, I made a sleep mask. It seems an odd choice, but I needed it hardcore. I had one that my friend April bought for me, like Holly Golightly's in Breakfast at Tiffany's, but at some point in the moving process after the wedding, it wandered off and got lost. Ev likes to play videogames at night with his cousin or his friend D, and the light makes it hard to sleep. So? Headphones in, sleep mask on, snoring like a chainsaw... YEAH!!!! It's so cute! Red satin on one side, black and white polka dots on a red background on the other, with some fleece padding inside to help with keeping the light out.

I named her Rosie, after The Riveter. I liked her logo, "We Can Do It!" It inspires me to go after any project and make it happen, even if it turns out a little lopsided on the first try, like sleep mask v1.0.... let's just say... the elastic was on the wrong side.... the inside. :( I fixed it with the second attempt, but the hem near the nose part is still a little wonky because my seam allowance was a touch lacking.

Hey, at least it's functional! Not bad for my first try. :)

Hugs and kittens,

Stina

Fun with Mod Podge!

Hi kids!

Today I'm going to tell you about my fun little holiday foray into decoupage. I've never done it before and I was excited to try my hand at it. First, you need fun colored / printed paper and something to stick it on to. Then you need some Mod Podge, a foam brush, and a craft area with a table cloth, since the stuff is sticky. Thankfully, it can be cleaned away with soap and water if it's still wet. Mod Podge:

You can get Mod Podge from any craft store. Combination glue and sealant, it's a must-have for anyone who wants to make anything AWESOME. :) Here is a clipboard that I made for my mother-in-law, who is a high school spanish teacher. I've removed the clip part of the clipboard to make the decoupage easier. First, you brush podge onto the back of the paper, then you place the paper carefully onto the surface you want to decorate. Try to get all the air bubbles out. I used an old plastic card (like the kind used for gift cards at stores) to pull the air pockets to the sides and out.

Here is the front of the clipboard that I made for my MIL, before I coated it.

And... after the shiny podge coat:

I used alphabet stickers (designed for scrapbooks) to put her name on the board:Here is the back of the clipboard, before I made it shiny:

And... after the shiny podge coat. I used glitter mod podge for the back, as opposed to standard podge, which was used for the front. Click on the pic to enlarge and see the glitter:

Here is the other clipboard I made for my grandmother. It felt sort of Art-Deco and vintage. You can barely tell in this pic, but the bottom pattern has copper leaf in it, so it shines like crazy in the light.

This is the back of the "vintage" clipboard. It also has some copper in the pattern, but I hadn't yet put the gloss on when I took this picture.

I think that decoupage is my favorite new craft activity, and I'm really excited to try it out on some other surfaces. Check out this blog, Mod Podge Rocks, to see other awesome decoupage projects from some of the most creative people out there. I covet their talent and free time. :)

Hugs and kittens,

Stina

Quick note regarding my mascot

Hello all!

Quick note, since I've only just this minute updated the header of this blog. Credit for Thread Bear goes to my friend Devon McGuire, who is an insanely talented artist and who has always impressed me with her abilities, from drawing with sharpie on her binder in school to making christmas cookies shaped like ornaments and snowflakes, no two the same.

Thanks, Dev!

Hugs and kittens,

Stina

Pageant Sash

Hello all!

I hand-embroidered a pageant sash for a costume. One side says Magnolia Queen (for the costume) and the other side says "Birthday Girl." The costume was a Southern Belle Pageant Queen for a Murder Mystery Dinner Party set in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Since I'm new at the whole embroidery thing, I used a basic split stitch for the embroidery (Magnolia Queen in purple floss and Birthday Girl in red, on white satin with silver glitter on it). If I had a chance to do it again, I would have put the letters closer together, since the words were so long.

Below: a close-up of the split stitch in progress

Below: one of the letters outlined with disappearing ink. It actually disappeared cleanly about 18 hours after I marked the lines, despite the fact that the fabric was white.

Below: me in costume and "Magnolia Queen" sash

Below: Hubby and me, after I flipped the sash to the "Birthday Girl" side

Sorry the close-up pictures were so fuzzy. I didn't think about it until later that I should probably take pictures of the process for the new blog.

I think it turned out rather well for my first real embroidery project.

Hugs and kittens,

Stina

Playing Catch-Up

Hello, friends.

I've posted my quilts on my other blog (here and here and here) but I've decided to create a place specifically for my extra-curricular handiwork. So here is my way of playing catch up. I'm going to repost pics of my three quilts, then later my latest bit of fun with thread and fabric.

The first quilt is a kid-size bed quilt for my cousin Angie on her 2nd birthday. (Click to enlarge pictures)

The second is a king-sized bed quilt that I made for my mother for Christmas.

The third is a queen-sized bed quilt that I made for my brother-in-law for Christmas, which he took back to college with him.

I sewed and quilted all of these by hand (as in needle and thread, no machine). Yep, I'm a glutton for punishment.

As a background for anyone who doesn't know my story and how I came to pick up handicrafts, I've been knitting for over a decade. I learned to knit when I was in 7th grade. I learned the basics of sewing in about 5th grade, but I didn't really pursue it again for a while. I never really got the hang of crocheting, but I think it's cool and maybe I'll attempt it again some day. After I got bored with knitting, I decided to pick up quilting about a year ago. I thought it would be something I could do by hand, since I don't have a machine. All of my quilts took between 4 and 8 weeks of solid work (yay for hiatuses, except for the not working part), mostly done at my mother-in-law's dining room table. After having done two spectacular but intensely time consuming pieces, I've decided to try my hand at embroidery. I found Jenny Hart's website, Sublime Stitching, and I was inspired to try some of the awesome patterns that she's got going on over there.

So here is my little corner of teh interwebz to show all you crazy kids what I've been doing with my hands.

Hugs and kittens,

Stina