not enough hours in the day

Handmade Backpack

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 13:10:00 +0000

I am a firm believer that "If its made out of fabric, then I can make it". Why not? I signed up for a class at a local art school and the first thing I do to prepare to accessorize! I was going to buy a backpack but couldn't find anything I loved for less than $100. Although I have no access to commercial fabrics- cordura or coated poly, or other heavy duty water proof fabrics, I knew my bag would be out of canvas. Those commercial fabrics are great because they are light weight and sew pretty easy. ( I am trying to get my hands on some for future projects). I used duck cloth ( a thick cotton - not as thick as canvas) for the upper. The lower is a (thin) poly decorative suede that I lined with duck cloth.

On one side is a zippered laptop sleeve ( bottom right). It turned out really well and it is heavily padded.

On the other side is a sort of hidden pocket that I made for my hand to slip into. ( left side) The pocket is quite large on the inside. I like it but I can only put things in that are hand size.

I wanted a bag that opened on top rather than a zipper. This is so that I could fit larger things in, like pads of paper or rulers. I have gotten some comments about the way it opens on top, but I don't mind that it is not zippered. I thought I could remedy that by putting a draw string pull closure.

My favorite part of the bag is the waxed treatment. The fabric is actually a light beige but with the wax it became a darker khaki. I waxed the poly suede and it became shiny and much more durable. This was my first time doing a wax treatment to add water proofing. I don't think I put enough on but, but I lined the outer fabric with water resistant lining material- available at Fields. I was stuck in one especially heavy down pour and nothing got wet inside. I used a tutorial online for the wax treatment. I used 100% parafin and a paint brush to do this. I have since done a second bag differently, see Handmade Backpack 2 for details.

Things I learned: Having one central strap caused gapping on the side and put a lot of stress on the strap. You can see the shredding of the belt I used for the strap, which may just be because that belt wasn't made for that type of stress.
Also I need more pockets. And a place for a travel cup or bottled water. I was constantly having to get into the bag for these and it was just clumsy.
However I do like steam lined, minimalistic look without a lot of clutter, so I guess there is some sacrifice.

Here's the three backpacks I have made. The middle has internal laptop sleeve, the outter two have external laptop zipper pockets. I repurposed the organization pouches from thrift store bags to save me time. I made all the straps and spent time making then strong and reinforced. I basically was experimenting with top closures, sizes, and usefulness of bags.

Moving to a new blog

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:39:00 +0000

Hi I have started a new blog : left right confused, I will continue to post crafty projects there. please update your reader I hope to see all of you there!

click here to go to left.right.confused

Customized Planner

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 20:43:00 +0000

I bought a planner on clearance that was a little boring, it was really easy to customize it to be unique. I was able to sew over the existing cover ( through the cardboard- easier than it sounds), then glued around the tab and magnetic closure.
before:

after:

Also I created a custom monthly planner in Indesign that I printed out on 2 sided speciallty scrap-book paper, with a 3-hole punch and a rotory cutter its one of a kind.

Print your own plannner: download the custom monthly planner pdf here

More Diaper Bags

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:36:00 +0000

McCalls B4560
these are a comission, one in pink and one in blue. I added strap adjusters per request, I had to special order 2" adjusters, they just don't sell those at the store. other than that I put the plastic canvas on the bottom instead of the back. I have made this pattered at least 8 times now and I love it more and more each time

Holiday sewing

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 16:05:00 +0000

Homemade cassarole dish cozy with zipper, it has temperature reflect fabric to keep things hot or cold. It came together easier than I thought it would, I'll probably have to make more of these in the future as I can see how it could in handy for potlucks

Dog coat: Mccalls 5723 view c , no bow, I used fleece and reflector tape. this is the large size! it fit great though.

.

McCall's 5538

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 15:51:00 +0000

fleece winter coat with an oops! ( bottom pic) how did that happen???oh well.

homemade couch slipcover for Katie

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 23:07:00 +0000

before:

From 2010-08-29

and after:

this took us about 2 days of sewing, this is my 3rd cover and I like to make the cushions instead of a regular slipcover- I think this looks much nicer. Covering the cushions probably takes the longest. we used heavy home-dec fabric that is way more durable than the chintz that was on there to begin with.
below is close up of the arm back, probably the hardest part with the curve and 3 large pieces that come together, it needs to be tight to prevent it from shifting.

From dp

helper cats Basil and Nutmeg!

and helper dog Salute:

From dp

VIEW PICS HERE

parasal from unbrella

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:35:00 +0000

I have been wanting to make this for some time, I covered an existing unbrella that had a few holes with home -dec fabric ( thank you Carrie!), I pinned the fabric together over the umbrella for the pattern but still had fitting issues - although the cells appear the same they are not symetrical at all. Next time I make one I will use thinner material, the dotted fabric adds a little weight but it keeps the sun out, perfect for the beach!

Paint Brush Holder

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 16:07:00 +0000

I made this out of osnaburg- one of the oldest fabrics, I love to use it, it has a great feel and look. I didn't line this because I wanted it to be thin. Now off to painting...

diaper bag for Nerrisa

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:26:00 +0000

Pattern Review Here

This is for a coworker, I offer to sew a homemade diaper bags for anyone expecting as my gift. I love this fabric, it's stain repellant outdoor fabric, the beige on the inside is pre-quilted fabric.

pillows for Carrie

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 20:51:00 +0000

I love sewing pillows, they are so easy to make, and they look store bought with a little pipe-ing. At her request I made the pillow covers with a zippers instead of a flap, I used the by-the-yard home dec. zipper and a little flap to cover.

Jewelry Holder made from Tree Branches

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:33:00 +0000

I found this idea from this

I was in need of something for jewerly, I had been using a plastic silverware tray lined with felt but my necklaces became too kinked. I sanded and removed the bark then painted the branches white then to add sparkled I brushed diluted glue and sprinkled glitter on. I used plaster in the little decorative jars to hold them, they are a little tippy so I would recommend slightly larger bottles. It is so pretty in the morning sun..

neglected sewing machine

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:26:00 +0000

well, I knew the last time a needle broke was a bad one but I just kept going on, until I kept breaking threads and snagging fabric. here is my throat plate, you can see the gashes that have been snagging, the one on the left is huge and there is a sliver of metal hanging off!

then I discovered the underneath...YUK!

Zipper repair in pants for Flor

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:13:00 +0000

this is my first ever zipper replacement, I don't know how I have avoided these so long but I am surprised how well it went together. Of course I couldn't find the same color zipper to match the beige pants but I am please with the light cream. and it save Flor from loosing her favorite beige pants.
I removed the original zipper carefully keeping it in place with pins then slipped the new zipper exactly in same position then sewed carefully. I would really have to love a pair of pant to do this again though.

kitchen light redo

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 21:04:00 +0000

we finally got a kitchen light to replace the one that sparked and burned out our first week in the house (it took 2 years!). it's from the Restore ( a great place for 2nd hand house supplies), it cost 12$!.

We spray painted the the decorative nut silver from the outdated brass then I found some great craft paper ( the kind for scrap-booking) to cover the old wood frame, this was such a easy project, just folded the paper and cut, used some double sided tape to attach the paper to the wood. it should hold for a while, I might need to add some glue if the tape quits holding.

I used a similar method for this lamp but used masking tape- which did not hold long, I will have to reinforce soon but basically used the old shade as a pattern for my decorative paper.

before and after painted dining room buffet

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:14:00 +0000

I bought this wood buffet at a thrift store for 20$, it was very dirty and the wood was paneled on the side making it look outdated. I used steel wool to clean and prep for painting.

I primed and painted it beige. I was inspired by all the vinyl stickers out there for walls but they cost more than I would pay so I painted a tree motif in a lighter shade of beige with dark red berrys. I still need drawer pulls, the originals where quite small.

homemade potholders

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:30:00 +0000

I made new potholders for my new kitchen, I used fabric from a yard sale and grosgrain ribbon, there is a layer of fusible fleece on the inside and I used ironing board fabric ( found at Jo-Anns) for the 'hot' side, I'm hoping this will extend their life.

Kitchen dining room before and after

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:13:00 +0000

These pics are from when we where thinking of buying the house, so the furniture is not ours. notice the wall to wall wallpaper and the entire kitchen is painted yellow.

And After....

after 1 week of stripping and cleaning, removing carpet and fixing plaster we chose 5 colors (including ceiling) (Dutch Boy Paint) we took out the bar with plans to put something there. 4 new light fixtures and new hardware. I saw the 2-tone kitchen cabinets (top different than bottom) in a DIY mag. and I just love the added interest. Also we painted the dishwasher ( Note: do not use the appliance spray paint- too many drips, I used oil based enamel). I sort-0f wanted a slightly retro colors with the cabinets so I was please with the lower drawer pulls. I'm very glad its done, it took about 2.5 weeks ( in-between work).

plate clock

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:09:00 +0000

well this is pretty self-explanitory, I drilled a whole through a plastic plate, it nearly cracked. I bought a darice movement and sticker numbers, the hands touched the outside of the plate where it slightly curves out so I had to trim them a little. less than 10$ for the whole project!

next time I will take a little more care in number placement and centering the hole.

sewing for michelle

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Sun, 24 May 2009 13:04:00 +0000

these are monsters for a middle school play, I used Simplicity 4871 we added about 2 inches to each seam to fit middleschoolers. we made the hands with 3 fingers and claw like nails, we didn't make the hat - the kids used face paint. I'll add a pattern review soon

Bookbag

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:07:00 +0000

Well I knew my last purse wasn't going to be big enough, what was I thinking trying to go smaller? so I made this very basic purse/ book-bag. I am taking a couple college classes that are not online and actually have to go to a classroom so wanted something thats big enough for holding a folder and a textbook at least. It has one large outside pocket and a zippered pocket, I placed the zipper behind the pink piping to hide it a little. I really didn't want to set in a top zipper so I added a lip on the inside that has a drawstring; this is my first one and I really like the end result. AND this project was 100% stash fabric.

Altoid ipod nano case

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 20:55:00 +0000

well I can't understand why ipod cases cost 20$ or even 10$ so after I saw a tutorial on Instructables I decided to make my own ipod nano (4th gen.) case out of an altoids tin, the total cost for this was 0$ because I had all the supplies already. I used a nail to make the hole for the ear phones then used an awl to gently increase the size , I had planned on using a grommet but I couldn't find one big enough, then I used a craft brass clasp for the closure, it has a nice tight fit. I used scrap quilted fabric and glue for the inside. It's quite a snug fit so the ribbon is like a pull tab. I think if I make another one I might use cardboard instead of fabric, and maybe add a little handle. Over all I am really pleased with the results.

quest for the perfect purse

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 15:39:00 +0000

my newest purse inspired by Simplicity 5308 view B. what I like about it:

1. it has a flap, which I like but sometimes I get annoyed with flaps that sometimes get in the way so I added to the outside covering 2 large pockets- the main compartment is access by zipper on top

2. it has a short handle and a larger handle that can clip off and tuck into large outside back pocket, I use the short handle most of the time but for hands-free shopping its nice to have the large handle accessible

3.All the fabric came from my stash

What I don't like:

1. the elastic on the back pocket isn't tight enough it gaps a lot and I think it looks diaper-baggy

2. the front pockets are gappy, I should have given them more dimension along the bottom

3. no dedicated cell phone pocket

sewing resolutions for 2009

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 04:09:00 +0000

1. this will be my Year of the Stash- I am going to make those things I intended when I bought the fabric. I have lugged boxes of fabric from state to state for 10 years, sacrificed closet space and spent untold amounts of money. My goal is to reduce it by 1/2
2. loose 10 pounds, okay not technically sewing related but it is when I have to measure my waist
3. learn to screen print (thank you JS!)

what does government have to do with craft shows?

noreply@blogger.com (poppy) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 14:16:00 +0000

In an effort to save us from lead tainted toys from China the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) was passed with unintended consequences. In Feb 2009 anything intended for use by or for children will have to be tested at great cost to the manufacturer. The problem is the manufacturer as the act is written also includes the small craft show people/ crafters selling online etc. This may effect many small business owners who supplement income at church bazaars, its unknown what effect this will have. So pass the word on to any crafters and click the banner on the right. also...

How You can Help:
Please write to your United States Congress Person and Senator to request changes in the CPSIA to save handmade toys. Use our sample letter or write your own. You can find your Congress Person here and Senator here.

*** update...

click here to read the response from my congressman