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January 31, 2007
There is a reason...
I've been sewing on my mother's machine. Through a lengthy confluence of events I had found myself for the first time in a while with no sewing machine. [That is not to say that I have a lot of sewing experience. For me sewing has happened in spurts.] But, no sewing machine. And then my mother's machine was given to me and I put it, along with her fabric and her rotary mat and cutter and her quilting supplies, in storage to be gone through at a later date.
When the sewing itch returned I wasn't quite expecting it. I was busy and tired and creatively stalled. Which is probably where the itch came from. When the desire got undeniable I sent K. to storage for the machine. I found comfort in the fact that it had been my mother's machine and that she had made many quilts for many people on it. It was a simple mechanical sewing machine and I felt at home with it quickly.
But as I began to sew on it more, I found myself going over and over the details of my mother's death. How she had been failing for quite some time, but the signs were so subtle as to be missed. How her hands shook and her vision got blurry. How slowly she stopped sewing and quilting, and how sad that was for her and for me. The details swirling over and over and over in my head. How the machine fell silent in that last summer and my mother eventually fell silent too.
It seems that it is too soon for me to be sewing on my mother's machine. Her machine was important to her, and is symbolic of my mother for me. Too symbolic.
Once I realized how the machine was affecting me I didn't want to go near it anymore. It seemed to have an aura about it. The more I thought about it, the less I wanted it around. Finally I told K. And K., being K., instantly said, "Yes, of course you need a new machine. Let's put your mom's machine away for now."
And that is how I found myself last weekend at the sewing machine dealership talking buttonholes and walking feet and dropping feed dogs. I took K. with me, afraid that I would chicken out and come home without a machine. Of course taking K. along brings its own set of problems. And that is how I came to be the proud, and befuddled, owner of this.
I almost cried when I took it out of the box. I couldn't do a thing with it. Nothing. Eventually I figured out how to get the needle down into the fabric (should I need to read the manual to do that?) and sewed two tiny test lines into a scrap of cloth.
And that is why I only sewed my one set of bags this month and did not get around to sewing the second set.
Scandinavia 300, you will not have the best of me!
I am thinking that perhaps my project for the month of February will not involve sewing with a machine.
Posted by grrlTravels at 9:48 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
January 29, 2007
More on camera settings
Shelba and I started our photography class last week. I'm not going to regurgitate the class here, mostly because I love the fact that this class is being offered by a photographer/blogger who takes lovely photos and just decided to offer courses online. I love the idea of that.
We were challenged to take photos of an object (not a person) with various camera settings. I have found that I do not like photographing objects. Well, that isn't exactly true. I do like to photograph objects; obviously you are either photographing objects or people. Or objects and people. What I should say it that I do not like to search around my house for something interesting to photograph because invariably I am bored before I even start searching. My house just isn't that interesting, and I never want to do the obvious shot.
So I was moaning to K. about the assignment when I remembered the house and the cars. They were made by my grandfather and were part of a large slot car display that he built himself. He was an engineer and very intelligent. It apparently was something to see. Eventually it was dismantled and bits and pieces were passed around the family. I am fortunate enough to have a building, 2 cars, and a tree. (Not the tree in the photos. Another tree that has no stand and so is leaning the vast majority of the time.)
Of course these items are interesting to me because I know the history of them, but I wonder if they are interesting to others. I don't know. I had fun taking the shots. I started out with sparkly felt (first shot above) and I liked the shininess of it which did approximate snow (as closely as you can with felt, you know) but in the end I thought the sparkles were distracting and switched it out for flat white felt.
I generally wait until the last moment to submit my assignments unless I read it and a great idea strikes me all at once. A great idea that isn't impossible to implement, that is. You know, like dressing up the kids and posing them with the dog outside when it is sunny but not too sunny in front of moving water. I occasionally have those kinds of crazy ideas, and when I do I have to wait until they leave my brain and I can move on to something a bit more practical.
If you'd like to comment on individual photos (I love feedback. Love it! Especially constructive criticism.) check out the photos from this course on Flickr.
Posted by grrlTravels at 10:12 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 27, 2007
Beachcomber Bags.
Gat Your Craft On!
January 2007: Bag.
I finished my bags for the kids. Phew. I can't recall if I decided I wanted to make a bag for taking along on walks on the beach first, or if I decided that I wanted to sew plastic first. Chicken or the egg?
Joann Fabric had several weights of plastic available. I went with 16 ga which was the second thickest. I think the thicknesses went from 4 (thin) to 20 (thick). The 16 ga is nice and sturdy, and the bags hold their shape very well. My sewing machine was not thrilled with 4 layers of plastic, but it went through them. I would recommend heavy duty needles for your machine. Also, I wanted to sew with upholstery thread, but my machine decided about half way through that thick thread would not do. Instead I doubled all of the seams.
I held various sizes of rectangular household items up against the kids until I had an approximate size for each of their bags. Then I made a template which included 5/8 seam allowances. Five-Eighths Rules! I cut the templates out of paper and then taped them on to the plastic. Ah, the joys of sewing with plastic. No fraying. No stretching. No pins. Scotch tape. What could be easier than that? Well, it seems that the tape does leave sticky marks on the plastic. I'd advise the least sticky tape you can find. I finally went out and bought a rotary cutter and mat, but I cut the rectangles out using scissors and an X-acto knife.
To sew the embroideries, I found photos online, resized them, and printed them out. Then I traced the outline on to tracing paper using a little lightbox I bought at Michaels a while ago. (I need a bigger, brighter lightbox—the one I have now is ridiculously small. Oh dear, I should never have googled that. Another thing to add to my wish list.) I taped the tracing paper to the inside of the plastic and sewed along the lines. I was worried that the tracing paper would not do the trick, but it worked just fine. It was a bit of a pain to pull it off, but a pin and a pair of tweezers is all you need.
I did not stress about finishing everything off as nicely as I normally would. There wasn't really a way to finish it off cleanly that I could come up with. So I just pulled all of the threads from the front through to the back, knotted them, and and trimmed the ends.
The straps gave me pause, but I decided to just sew two pieces of plastic together and slap them on. I wanted them to be a bit adjustable, so I used stick-on velcro. I wonder if I will wish I had sewn the velcro on, but I got heavy duty stick-on stuff and I think it should be fine.
I am an inpatient crafter. I don't prewash fabrics. I don't do test runs. I just jump in. Well, I did not check the thread tension and I subsequently ended up with a hairy sand crab. The hairy sand crab is mocking me. I had to hold myself back from redoing it, but isn't that what this is all about? Trying things and learning from them? So the hairy sand crab stays. (If you don't know what a sand crab is, well, you should know. Don't miss sand crabs—they are so cute!)
I loved making these bags. I loved sewing with the plastic. I loved doing the embroidery with the machine although usually my tendency would be to hand embroider. I loved not finishing all of the seams. It was super fun!
Posted by grrlTravels at 3:13 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
January 24, 2007
January bag progresses slowly
Work in Progress: Can you guess what it is?
(Although I have a marked fondness for red thread and redwork, the thread above is orange. But it looks red. But it isn't.)
I had a bit of a snow day today. I love snow days. There wasn't any snow, per se, but Z.'s appointment and my appointment were both canceled due to illness, and we aren't ill. I had a bonus day of crafting. I got to work on my first bag project after making a small prototype last night.
I am repeating my mantra: "It doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't have to be perfect. In fact it is better if it isn't perfect. It doesn't have to be perfect..." to myself. Which is a good thing, because it isn't perfect. Not even close. In fact I think it's a great example of what I hope Get Your Craft On! is going to be about. Branching out. Trying new things. Things that might be a bit hard and don't turn out perfect. Yep, I've got a doozy for you.
So bag #1 (Z.'s bag, prototype #2) was all set to be finished up. And then the sewing machine went wonky on me. Grrr. I have not been loving my machine up, and really am quite unfamiliar with sewing machines in general right now. And no one reads this blog (because I never post--I know it's my fault!) so I can't even ask for help. Anyway, every time I sew it is making huge loops with the top thread underneath the fabric. I've checked the tension, I've rethreaded the machine twice, and I've taken the bobbin out and restrung that twice. WHAT IS IT?
I was sewing with upholstery thread. Then I switched to normal thread, and then back to upholstery thread. Now my machine will not cooperate with me. Apparently my machine does not understand how many days are left in January. Or maybe it's feeling the lack of love and is staging some sort of protest. I just want to finish my bag!
Posted by grrlTravels at 6:37 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
January 23, 2007
bag. inspiration from the internets.
Quick and easy bag projects and inspiration. [Some of us have not yet completed our project for January. Ahem.]
A Brand New Bag
A no sew project idea from Martha Stewart.
Knitted Knitting Tote
Why not knit your knitting bag?
Purse Pockets Insert
Who made the purse organizer? Because it's a great idea. I love it.
Beach Towel Bag
Is this a good idea? Seems kind of droopy, doesn't it? I can't decide, but it looks easy.
Lined/Zippered Scooter Bag
I would so make this bag if I had a scooter. K. keeps threatening to get me one, but so far no scooter.
Posted by grrlTravels at 9:54 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 22, 2007
bag. inspiration from the south pacific.
The son of the former owners of our former local (and favorite) Chinese restaurant went to Vanuatu with the Peace Corps. He was just home for a visit and had coffee with K. and it turns out that he brought us gifts. From Vanuatu. Isn't that cool? Aren't these lovely woven bags?
I highly doubt I will be weaving my bags from dried coconut leaves, but you never know. I might get desperate! Well, that would have to be pretty darn desperate since I have no idea how to weave.
Posted by grrlTravels at 9:49 PM | TrackBack
January 21, 2007
I love him, but I'm sick of him
Front
Back
This is the guy who has been consuming my mind. I've actually had this floating about in my head for more than a year, so finally I thought I'd better just make him so I could stop thinking about him.
I've made one. I have 14 more to go, but I decided it was time to finish one. I lost interest in the middle, mostly because I over complicated things and I decided to make 15! I will know better next time.
I need to move on to "bag." so I've got to put these away. At least I have one done.
(I should have photographed him but I feel lazy tonight so I scanned him instead.)
Posted by grrlTravels at 7:00 PM | TrackBack
january. bag. inspiration.
GET YOUR CRAFT ON!
There is now a name and a Flickr group for this most excellent crafting adventure. Just click on the button above to go to the Flickr group, and then join us.
I am so happy that some of you are getting your craft on. Shelba and I are lagging behind, not having made our bags yet. That's ok, carry on without us. We don't mind.
I have promised myself that I will post bag inspiration each day this week. Here is some Japanese craft book inspiration:
I have not tackled handles yet. I am thinking of several bags, they are floating around in my head, and although they require handles, I haven't thought of handles. Must program myself to dream about handles.
Posted by grrlTravels at 3:59 PM | TrackBack
January 17, 2007
I'm a poser, doo dah, doo dah
I am such a crafting virgin that I had to ask Shelba where she got her Japanese craft books. "Where do you get them?" I inquired. "eBay," she replied, and it was music to my ears. eBay? I am all over eBay. I know eBay so well that I have to have strict rules about when to search on eBay. Otherwise I get myself into trouble. "What do you search on? 'Japanese craft book'?" I asked because I'm a goober. "That's it. 'Japanese craft book'."
I am as of last week the proud owner of three such books. They are lovely eye candy. The instructions may make sense to some of you, but so far it appears to be fairly confusing to me. I am mostly in it for the inspiration anyway. Here's a peek.
I thought I had the title to this one, but nope. It is a book of projects of embroidery on linen.
I am enamoured with this dog. I must make a little embroidered linen dog.
Tiny Patchworks. When they say tiny, they mean tiny. I wonder what it would be like to try to sew such teeny tiny patchworks.
Aren't those teeny tiny octagons the cutest things ever? (I'm too lazy to go look up the name of this quilt.)
Banana bag. Can't imagine what it is supposed to be for, but isn't it cute? Pencil case? I'm thinking that I will not feel the need to embroider the word banana on my banana bag.
Watermelon bag. Seems like a summer project, no?
Isn't it sweet that Tiny Patchworks can make my life happy every day? (P.S. I like this one better than Tiny Patchworks 1.)
Isn't this little sewing box house the cutest thing evah?
I am longing to make one, but it would require me to applique, which I do not enjoy. But I want this house. So we shall see.
Have we discussed how much I love a short depth of field already? I know we have. I can't shut up about it. Anyway, I am a lover of short depth of field photographs. However, the depth of field in the photographs in the two patchwork books is so short so as to make me feel uncomfortable. In an extreme close up shot of a bag only part of the bag is in focus. The back of the bag is always blurry. Strange. Really. Just strange.
Posted by grrlTravels at 3:27 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 1, 2007
New Year, New Commitment
Happy 2007!
I obviously need help getting motivated. Well, the motivation is there, but I need help finding the time. I still need deadlines.
So Shelba and I have decided to craft together. You can join us if you'd like. We are going to choose one project or topic per month, and then make it.
Shelba said, "We should consider ourselves the Bill and Ted of crafting. Amy and Shelba's Excellent Crafting Adventure." She is not wrong. No, in fact she is very, very right. Shelba is craftier than I am. Much. I am a novice. I do not even own a Japanese craft book (oh the horror!). If you do not own a Japanese craft book I think it is virtually impossible to be taken seriously on the internets.
But then again I don't want to be taken seriously anyway. I think of this as nonintimidating crafting. I am intimidated by some of the craft sites out there. This is lower key. [Clearly.] Because I, for one, have no idea what I am doing. I am going to fumble along. Fumble along with me—it will be fun.
For January we have chosen "Bag" as our craft. That's it. Bag. Make some type of bag and you're in.
[I have made a sort of promise to myself that I will post a photo with every single post on this blog. Unfortunately I'm too tired to go and take a photo right now. I need a photo of a bag. I'm pretty sure I don't have one. That isn't something that I would have taken previously. So. No photo. But the only one who really needs to be disappointed about that is me.]
Posted by grrlTravels at 9:57 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack