Upcycled Pant Leg Bag

February 22, 2010March 17, 201812 Comments

We're off to a birthday party today for an outdoorsy, active seven year
old girl. I spent yesterday afternoon stitching this fun, (slightly
wonky) messenger bag. It's small at 8" square and I think just right:
sturdy enough to haul rocks home from the lake; cute enough to be an
actual purse if she develops an unexpected girlie phase.

I prefer to handcraft birthday presents – for my friends, for family, and for kids' birthdays. What may have begun as wise frugality has become my preference, like cooking beans from scratch instead of buying canned. (Yes, they are also cheaper, but homemade beans – and gifts – are so much yummier.)

The idea for her gift came when I noticed Pete's old khaki's in the donation box. I could see this bag in my mind immediately (only in my mind it wasn't nearly as cute!).

I cut off one leg, split it into two pieces by cutting off-center down the front and back. Then I cut a long section (for the body) and a short, slightly narrower section (for the flap). I cut the same sizes from the lining and also a strap and some applique pieces.

It stitched up in under two hours, and that was with figuring the whole
thing out and botching the first round. (Fortunately pants come with two
legs.)

We tucked in a set of letter stamps just for fun. I think I paid $1 for them on clearance. A $1 birthday gift that's cute, personal, homemade, and useful? Perfect.

Cabin Craft (translation: more dolls).

February 4, 2010March 17, 20189 Comments

Vacation means less time in the work of life and more time in the play. At the cabin last week that transferred into drinking coffee and tea all day, sewing, knitting, and otherwise creating.

Pete and the kids tied flies in preparation for the coming fly fishing season.

All the while I was sewing and knitting, working on kitty cat hat number four and Waldorf doll number… seven? Eight? (I've lost count.)

This trip was the first time I have traveled with a sewing machine. We brought Sage's machine along as it is portable and it was a delight to be able to sew on vacation. I packed one suitcase of supplies and we were able to spend some wonderful hours looking out over the river, stitching away.

We made a new doll, Mimi Mama Mama ("She had one Mimi and two Mamas," says Ms. Lupine.) and I think I love this one most of all. She is huge, nearly 20" tall. Her hair is three yarns, one handspun that I picked up on Etsy, one Irish wool I found at a thrift store and some brown mohair.

She has the jointed arms and traditional Waldorf doll body (and of course, a nose). Her sisters will be on Etsy soon, so let me know if anyone has a special order. I love making dolls! Especially at the cabin.

Waldorf Doll Making: I am a bit obsessed.

January 26, 2010March 17, 20185 Comments

"Lavender" is the latest baby in our home. After I made this baby for Craft Hope Sage was determined to talk me into one for him.

It didn't take much talking into. He was sleeping with her unfinished head that very night and head plus body the next.

He wanted her to be small ("sleeping-with size") with reddish brown hair and hazel eyes. I made her with jointed arms and a traditional Waldorf doll body. (This will be my go-to body form from now own. So sweet.) Sage helped me with the head and the nose and sewed on the mouth himself. Her neck is a little wrinkly for my liking but whatever. We love her.

She is stuffed her with a combination of wool and organic lavender. She smells
delicious. (Which at our house borders on the absurd. We are surrounded by gallons upon gallons of essential oils here, living at LuSa Organics
headquarters. The bank ladies fight for who gets to enter our deposits
because we "have the best smelling checks".)

Tomorrow? We're making clothes.

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I've added an Etsy toolbar at right for my brand-new-almost-still-empty Etsy shop. Some babies like the one above will find their way there soon. Not to be pushy or anything. But just so you know.

A Small Waldorf Doll

January 22, 2010March 17, 20182 Comments

Although LuSa is our livelihood, crafting just for the passion of crafting is key to my sanity. Last night I got a bug about figuring out how to add a nose to a Waldorf doll.

And I figured it out! I used this tutorial for just the nose portion, fixing it with Tacky Glue on the layer beneath the skin so that it will hold well even if she gets wet.

This is the first doll I have made with a nose and I love the sweetness it adds to her face.

I sewed her with doll skin leftover from another doll ("Gaia Baby", seen here), stretch velour left from another doll ("Irie Baby", seen occasionally as well), and wool batting purchased locally at Paper Scissors Stone. The basic instructions I use are varied, though I have a copy of the Magic Cabin Dolls instructions and I reference Kinder Dolls for hair, clothing, and body details.

Really, I could make dolls all day. This baby is going up on the Etsy Craft Hope site for funds for Haiti. (The other items we listed from LuSa Organics sold out quickly. Thanks everyone who made a purchase.)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! See you on Monday.

Note: If you are interested in hearing when this doll goes live in the Etsy store just let me know and I will be sure to post.

Edit: She is live in the store at www.crafthope.etsy.com!

Edit 2: Nevermind. She sold within minutes. (Awesome!) If anyone else wants one let me know and I'll put some in my personal Etsy Shop.

Crafting with Kids

January 21, 2010March 17, 20184 Comments

You might remember this quilt from over a year ago. I started it when Sage was two and abandoned the directions completely. Perhaps a poor decision, but patterns and directions are so… boring.

However had I followed the directions (on this my first quilt) I would not have been left with a pile of odd-sized quilt squares, wondering how to move forward.

After five years I finally finished enough blocks (and squared them up to like sizes – no small feat) to make a lap quilt for our family room. (Sage long ago rejected the fabric as too "babyish" so the quilt has been repurposed into something for us to snuggle under when we read books by the fire.)

I carefully laid out all of the quilt block on the floor and was getting the order just right when help arrived.

"Oh! Now we can play ring around the rosey!"

And so we did.

It's hard for me to remember what it was like to craft without kids.
Was there more order? Predictability? Control? Probably, but then I
didn't have so many reasons for crafting. It wasn't as much a way of
life then as it was just something I did for the fun of it, like
snowboarding or making photos; gardening or baking bread.

Given the choice I will take my quilt squares scattered with the winds as long as there is someone in the background singing "All fall down!" in a voice as sweet as a dream. To hell with control. Just give me a little one to wrap up in love.

Easy Tee Shirt Shopping Bag Tutorial.

January 6, 2010March 17, 2018Leave a comment

Two tutorials in a row? Madness. I have so many other (non-tutorial-type) things to share, but the sewing inspiration keep flowing, so we'll save the other wonderfulness for a future day.

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There is now officially no excuse for taking plastic or paper bags when
you go shopping. Making your own simple shopping bag takes literally $0
and five minutes of your time. Can you cut with scissors and sew a
straight line? Then you can make a shopping bag out of an old tee
shirt.

Sage, age 7, just made his own with nothing more than verbal instructions from me (and some needle threading). His is the one on the left. (Ironing it would have been an insult to his work, so you get his in its 7-year old glory.)

In Sage's words, "You need a shirt, a sewing machine, and a pair of scissors. Shut the bottom, cut off the sleeves, and cut the neck hole bigger. It was fun." For those who require a few more details, they follow.

Tee Shirt Shopping Bag Tutorial

1. Take your favorite old tee shirt. (You know – the one that you spilled red wine on one the shirt that simply must have shrunk because it fit last year. You get the idea. My kids chose their outgrown favorites.) The shirt must be sturdy and not threadbare.

2. Turn shirt inside out and sew a double straight seam across the bottom, back stitching at both ends. For a child's bag a single seam is enough as they are unlikely to be loading them full of canned goods.

3. Turn right side out through the neck hole. Cut off the sleeves and widen the neck hole to create handles.

The shirt will resemble a tank top when completed. They are sturdy despite being made of jersey and have a comfortable give and bounce.

Quick, frugal, green, and kid-friendly. And, of course, fun. Can't beat that for five minutes of crafting.

Quick Duvet Cover Tutorial.

January 4, 2010March 17, 20185 Comments

If you are looking for an uber-simple sewing project, this may be the one. I tend to be a passionate project starter, but I lose momentum before completion. There seems to be no end to the half done's in my crafty world. I can't really call them "Works in Progress" at this point, as some have sat for years without being touched.

There was no chance of atrophy on this project – it was finished in less than an hour.

I have a stash of vintage bedsheets that I thrifted for a quilt I was planning for Lupine. The project has evolved and some of the prettiest sheets aren't going to make the cut. Considering my quilt track record (my current project has taken me four years and counting), I decided to sew a duvet cover to get us by.

It couldn't have been easier. Instructions follow:

Duvet Cover Sewing Tutorial

1. Choose two flat bedsheets at least one size larger than the bed size you are making the cover for. I chose double sheets for my twin duvet. (If you are making a king duvet, choose four sheets and begin by seaming them together into two larger panels.)

2. Measure your comforter and add six inches for wiggle room and a seam allowance.

3. Mark and cut your fabric to size, utilizing two edges if possible to minimize your cutting.

4. Line up the existing sheet tops (finished edges) for the opening end of the duvet and pin fabric together all around.

5. (Optional on smaller comforters) Pin a 12" piece of twill tape at each corner folded in the middle. This will give you a pair of tapes to tie the comforter into place with.

6. Leave a 30" – 36" opening centered on these finished edges (depending on the size of your finished duvet) and straight stitched 1/2 inch from the edge on all sides. Double back over the ties at each corner if you used them.

7. Zig-zag the raw edges to prevent unraveling.

9. (Optional for beginners… or lazy sewers like me) Add buttons and button holes across the opening to close the flap. (The one pictured here is staying closed perfectly without them.)

She loves it, I love it, and its done! It adds a surprising amount of warmth (prefect timing as it dipped below zero for most of the weekend), and is so much sweeter than the ancient and ugly comforter tucked inside.

A more disciplined crafter would add the optional corner ties and buttons and button holes but I did not. It functions perfectly without them and I actually finished it. A fine trade off for me.

It is oh-so-sweet… like the little person it was made for.

Recycled Sweater Christmas Stockings Tutorial (sort of).

December 19, 2009March 17, 20186 Comments

Hello friends! If you are stumbling upon this post in 2010, check here for more lovely holiday crafty magic! xo Rachel

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The kids have been using my sister's and my old polyester stockings every Christmas. I cringe every time I hang them up. They're so… squeaky… in that synthetic fabric-y way. Ick. (Sorry Grandma. I'm sure they were rockin' in 1976.)

This year I couldn't do it. It was time to upgrade something more our speed.

Pete and I made these last night, literally in one evening. They are fast, green, and free if you have a wool stash. I am loving them in a big way.

Here is how it is done:

Materials (for one stocking)

One adult sweater, wool or wool blend

Wool craft felt

Tacky glue

Thread, embroidery floss, and needle (or sewing machine)

Instructions:

Find a couple of lovely wool sweaters that you (or Pete someone you love) accidentally dried in the dryer. They needn't be 100% wool felt, so work with what you have. If you don't have a stash of felted wool sweaters, go thrifting, look in your closet, and ask your friends. You can work around small holes and stains.

Felt your sweater by washing it on hot and drying flat. Check often as some wool will quickly turn into knitted plywood. (Ask me how I know.)

Draw a stocking to the size and shape that you want (Martha is helpful here. Though her sweater stocking are not my style, the stocking in the PDF here is a good shape to work with if you need the assist.). Add a 1/2 inch seam allowance if you draw your own and cut out.

Lay your pattern over your sweater. Does it fit? If not, cut one sleeve open and machine piece together. (The King Winter stocking above is pieced). Before you cut, consider what direction you want the toe to face. For some reason toes facing left freak me out. I am a right-toe-mama all the way. If your neuroses are milder than mine just go with the best fit.

Cut out two opposite stockings so that wrong sides match when the stocking is together.

Applique pattern of your choice onto stocking. Names, stars, buttons, bells – anything goes. We went with King Winter for Sage (his true identity) and a "Fairy" (angel) for Lupine (her true identity).

Sketch your design on paper and cut pieces out of wool felt. Attach with tacky glue to stocking front, leaving a 2/3 inch border for sewing.

After glue is dry, hand or machine stitch details if desired. (In the interest of time we skipped this step. I will likely add the stitching next year.)

Match up stocking with wrong sides together and pin carefully. Sew along all but the top using your machine's longest stitch, or hand sew with embroidery floss and a blanket stitch.

Using 1 1/2 inch by 5 inch scrap of sweater, make a hanger loop. Attach like so:

The hanger loop is machine stitched to the outside of the stocking with a 1/2 twist in the fabric (If fabric has a side A and a side B, both side A sections would attach. This will help the stocking hang flat against the fireplace/wall).

Normal people would then trim threads and gently press, but I am on deadline here. I figure the wrinkles will hang out when the stocking gets stuffed.

No one but you will judge your work, so dive in and craft with joy! If you make a stocking I would love to see photos.

Solstice Preparations.

December 15, 2009March 17, 20181 Comment

Holiday preparations are in full swing around here. The tree is up, the stockings are being made, and I have become my own little gift-making sweat shop.

And the baking. Oh, the baking! While "sweets" around here are normally of the fresh or dried fruit
category or – gasp – unsweetened carob almonds, during the Solstice we
pullout all the stops – and all of my grandmothers' recipes.

We go mainstream – with actual sugar and white flour. Lefse, refrigerator cookies, crumcaka, molasses bread, sugar cookies, solstice spirals… Decadent, sweet, and wonderful. It has been a jouyful journey to tweak my grandmothers' recipes to fit our lives (purging all of Crisco, for instance). As the recipe cards above clearly show, edits are part of the journey and keep these traditions alive, even after my grandmothers have both moved on.

A Little Sewing: Patchwork Doll Bed.

October 22, 2009March 17, 2018Leave a comment

Lupine has inherited her brother's old doll bed. He never used it much and despite my desire to raise gender-neutral, sensitive children, they found their own grooves.

Lupine is a baby-mama. She spends her days engrossed in nurturing play with her dolls. They had been sleeping the day away on a hard bottomed bed, so I took an evening to complete this little sewing project.

It was delightful to take on a manageable project that I could see through to completion. There was even time to add a pillow to keep baby's heads comfortable as they sleep away.