Art, Craft and Needlework, May, 2019

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Harriet
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Art, Craft and Needlework, May, 2019

Postby Harriet » Wed May 01, 2019 11:09 am

Puppets, bags, stamping, quilted eye glass cases, fruit carving, and gardening ...
What a fun variety of creative projects posted this month!


said BookSaver about April!

What is making your creative world go 'round in May?

So many times a smile comes to our faces when we think of our creativity - it's puzzle-solving and beauty-making and satisfaction rolled into one, nurturing our brain cells!

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Harmony
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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, May, 2019

Postby Harmony » Sat May 18, 2019 4:04 pm

I don't think this item is particularly creative, but it is frugal and oh I don't know.

What do you all call mending and fixing things to be useful again?

Today I took DH's favorite pillow and washed it. Yeah. Not all pillows are washable. This one had some kind of fiber batting in a big square folded up into pillow shape. He likes a nice flat one. So the washing was fine except it came out lumpy. I tried to straighten it. Put it in the dryer with tennis balls and dried. Lumpier. Worked and worked and worked on it but couldn't get it flat and straight again.

Ah-oh. Ruined his favorite pillow. Figured oh what the heck and cut it open on one end and half the long end. Straightened everything outside and put it all back together and sewed it up again on the sewing machine. Now it's sitting out in a laundry basket on a lawn chair in the sun to make sure every trace of moisture is gone. Once I have the pillow protector and case on nobody but me will be able to see the funky seam. :)

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Nancy
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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, May, 2019

Postby Nancy » Sat May 18, 2019 4:36 pm

I am trying to sew up an apron for a gardening tote but have to tweak my design ideas first!
Found the jean fabric to use for part of this yea!
Mended fabric form one project to get it ready for another life in a diff one. :mrgreen:
I wanted to do a tote with diagional stripes been thinking how to do that. Remembered I had stripped fabric I cut on the bias save a lot of tme yea!
:mrgreen: made a tote yea it is not perfect but this was a learning one to see if this would be a good size! Lol!
Last edited by Nancy on Sun May 19, 2019 5:02 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, May, 2019

Postby Twins' Mom » Sun May 19, 2019 10:29 am

Good going, Harmony. That's using your skills (sewing) and creativity to think of a frugal solution!
Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better [wo]man. Ben Franklin

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Nancy
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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, May, 2019

Postby Nancy » Tue May 21, 2019 4:02 pm

Too cold for yard work I have been sewing, made a simple shift, to use when I am in lounge mode.

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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, May, 2019

Postby Nancy » Tue May 28, 2019 6:06 pm

I am thinking of projects I can do with fruit and floral prints.
Did an alteration on my caftan.
I ripped out a seam on a tote bag project remaking this thrift shop find. Getting ready to do lined pockets in a new method
I watched on a video. I need to press it and cut out the pockets.
Last edited by Nancy on Fri May 31, 2019 10:23 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Harmony
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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, May, 2019

Postby Harmony » Thu May 30, 2019 2:23 pm

I did another pillow. Took the casing off and washed it. This one is a firm support one and had a lot of stuffing in there, all bunched up. I had to take the layers apart a little at a time and pull the fibers apart to do that. This stuff actually got welted together the way wool does...though I'm sure it is cotton... maybe too hot a dryer one time? Resewed the casing. It's way better. Showed DH (this one is his also, he uses it to support a leg when he's on his side because of the bad hip) and get this - he says he never noticed all the lumps. :roll:

So, if anybody tries to do this, know that thickly stuffed pillows are harder to do and may be a challenge. I figure if this doesn't work, it's no loss and I have extra pillows to use, but so far that's 2 for 2!

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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, May, 2019

Postby BookSaver » Fri May 31, 2019 7:52 am

This month I have not been able to get to the sewing machine as much as I would have liked.

I thought I finished the floral print top that I described last month. I had bought it on deep clearance because I liked the colors and type of fabric. It started as a very long tunic with a low scoop neckline. I cut it shorter and used the fabric to add an insert into the neckline and lengthen the sleeves.

Unfortunately, the hem wants to curl up after every time I wash the top, which makes it necessary to pull out the iron and ironing board to press it flat. Bother. It's back on the sewing machine awaiting the addition of a strip of stabilizer fabric that I hope will stop the edge from curling up.

What else this month? Oh, I did final inspection and quality control of the 217 cat mats, snipping threads and trimming edges. They filled 3 huge plastic bags and took up a lot of space. Those were turned over to the animal shelter mid-month.

For June, I have an unlined jacket that I started to alter a few months ago. It is very thin fabric and will be a good piece to layer when I am someplace that has the air conditioning set too cold.

I'm looking for the fabrics and supplies to try a new pattern for a large tote bag with multiple pockets with zippers. I'll be flying to the east coast later this summer and I need a bag that can hold a lot of stuff and still fit under the plane seat. The pattern says it will finish 18" H x 16" W x 6" D. Fabric suggestion rip-stop nylon, and I know that I have some in my stash ... somewhere ...

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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, May, 2019

Postby Harriet » Fri May 31, 2019 9:53 am

I haven't been able to get in much creativity either, so it's been nice to see others have!

BookSaver, putting a finishing "eye" on more than 200 mats is a big deal, though. That's great. I'm sorry to hear the additions for length to that top require more steps. When I see a top that just doesn't work because of length or sleeve length, I mentally calculate what it would take to remedy and usually just move on. It can be so frustrating. And these are tops for women - it's not like they are Juniors tops, you know? What are manufacturers/buyers thinking? sigh.

Hope you enjoy your new shift, Nancy!

Harmony, those pillows are going to last so much longer now than they would have, and YOU know they are clean and in good condition, which is valuable. Agreeing with Twins'. (Also you know the new seam is secure!)

I have pressed some flowers twice this month and these were some of the ones I purchased and grew myself, with an eye toward pressing, or maybe dd's resin jewelry-making. Several ones, but especially lobelia. It's one of the few blue flowers and thin/flat enough to press, so I knew I wanted to grow it. But it is very delicate. I pulled the pages back carefully and it looks like the blossoms are holding up well in pressing.


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