Long Range Craft Jamboree

Citing artistic differences...

2007-07-17T20:11:00.000+10:00

Well, actually we all seem to be moving to posting to our own blogs. To follow your favourite, check out:

DJ Bebe at http://djbebe.blogspot.com/ and also Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=59351)
Betty Sue at http://machenmachen.wordpress.com
Sponky at http://gingerjellysnakes.blogspot.com/

Felt bags experiment

2007-07-14T12:30:00.001+10:00

Felt bags experiment
Originally uploaded by Kim (aka Sponky)

One of the girls at work had a cute little felt bag from Kookai or some other store starting with K?. All the seams were on the outside and it was basically square so I thought it would be easy enough and I would get a cute little carry bag to haul my stuff between buildings.

It's basically easy peasy to make - two rectangles 30cm x 35cm, 10cm wide + handles. You can fit all the pieces in with 70cm of 90cm wide felt, but I would recommend buying 1.1m as I had to join to make the sides/bottom. I think it would sit better if this was all one piece.

I also think the felt on the original was much better quality - I had to feel all the felt at spotlight and these two where the thickest I could find but not as good as the original. For a fancy present, would be worth splurging on some good felt.

Mine is the brown, featuring ribbon from Miss Alson, and the caramel/pink one is for a girl at work.

I will let you know how they perform!

Funky Red Maternity Shirt

2007-07-14T12:16:00.001+10:00

Front Red shirt
Originally uploaded by Kim (aka Sponky)

I am rather enjoying how easy it is to make maternity shirts - a big sack with some strings on it. This one is made from Burda 8376 , modified as this is a stretch satin rather than a knit as the pattern recommends. It does photograph rather shiny but is cool in person. The string is harvested from scraps from the bridesmaid dress.

You can see the back and a better view of the print here.

Sponky: Catchup

2007-06-24T10:27:00.000+10:00

I have been exceedingly slack about posting anything at the moment, I am going to blame pregnancy-related tiredness, as opposed to blog-malaise or anything else more sinister.

I have actually done quite a bit of sewing since DJBebe’s wedding that hasn’t been posted, so here’s a big list:

Winter shirts in red and silver. This is a modified version of a stretch pattern but works very well (get lots of compliments on any shirts made of this pattern) and there is plenty of room to have more tummy!
Tummy Warmers to extend the life of my existing shirts and to also cover the gap betwen my shirt and my pants. The ones shown here are some I am making (on commission) for another pregnant lady at work.
A maternity shirt. It's HUGE. And probably more for summer.
A baby's dress (6 months) for ANOTHER girl at work who is due in about 6 weeks. This was made using DJBebe's baby book as the pattern source (Front and back). It turned out quite well. With matching bloomers (oh so cute)!

Also on the go are: Shoulder bags made from felt, to tote stuff between buildings at work, two more maternity shirts, pants alterations for some old jeans to insert a tummy panel and (eventually) the next quilt.

MS BLock

2007-02-24T12:21:00.000+10:00

MS BLock
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

Pleased to report I have completed my weekend homework of an MS block (Thanks for the tip, Miss Alison).

You can see the details of the charity quilt here

Jammies!

2006-12-18T20:00:00.000+10:00

Pyjamas
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

With a burst of energy, I got through my backlog from the Giant Fabric Warehouse and made myself 2 pairs of summer pj's and Paul a new pair of boxers (this time out of really soft cotton, in an attempt to wean him off silk ones!). Nice to have these out of the way.

Open letter to crafty bloggers

2006-12-03T11:33:00.000+10:00

Just beceause it's December, it's not a time to lose your mind and make nothing but completely useless crap only applicable to one day of the year. Now, go make something other than ornaments.

Giant Fabric Warehouse Stash

2006-11-26T20:58:00.000+10:00

Giant Fabric Warehouse Stash
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

So, the combination of heat on the weekends, an excessive amount of family organised events (Cirque Du Solei, Pirates of Penzance, Fawlty Towers dinner) and work running late into the evening have put a dint in my crafty output.

But thought I would show you some of the material I got at the Giant Fabric Warehouse in South Tweed (Fantazia Fabricland, if you need to know, on Machinery Drive). It truly was a enormous warehouse of cheap lots and fabric that stores don't want - and quite good quilting and sewing material, all for 20 to 50% lower than stores e.g. quilting material was $8 to $10 a metre. Also lots of weird stuff - peracle sheeting by the metre, more colours of bra elastic than I would have thought possible, moutains of crappy platstic novelty buttons. But after some searching (and coming away thoroughly dusty) I go tthis selection for some summer Pj's. Dots are for boxers for Paul, and the two sets of blues will be made into shorty PJs.

Worth the drive if you are looking for some filler fabrics or just want to have an interesting day out. Open Sunday mornings too, but they run on NSW time, so call in advance to find the opening hours. I would recommend a strong coffee, bathroom stop and a sugar donut before entering, to keep up your bargin hunting stamina.

Summer bags model 2

2006-11-04T08:49:00.000+10:00

Summer bags 2
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

Now that the ladies who received these birthday's are past (hey there Janito and DJBebe) I can post this final saga of the summer bags.

These were made with quilting material that was on special - I saw the material and thought the ladies would like it, and I had just made my own summer bag, so seemed the perfect present. As the material was lighter weight that my bag of curtain material, I invested in some double sided VERY heavy duty interfacing - best description is thin styrofoam. This mae the bags very strong and they stand up and hold open on their own. To hold them all together, I stipped (by hand, not via my quilting frame) them before putting the lining in -This held the interfacing to the fabric as well as being a design feature (I was a little dubious about my ironing on here).

The interfacing in and of itself is great - but at $20/m, you wouldn't want to use it all the time.

Pleased to report both ladies liked their presents very much!

Black forest cherry quilt

2006-10-27T11:51:00.000+10:00

BFCHQ Mosiac
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

So, at long last, my black forest cherry quilt is finished (original post was here... only took me 103 days from start to finish).

The quilt book said that the quilting was to homogenise the overall colour design. I didn't particullarly believe them at the time but to me, there is a definite difference between this and this. I am glad I picked the duller purple colour to quilt in, rather that the red colour that is used for the edging. It ties it all together very well.

Some lessons learnt:

1) It is definately easier to do a single colour. This was only about 10 hours of quilting time instead of the 30 or so it took to do the last one. Unwaxed cotton also produces a much better effect - no more pulling on the curves on the underside, which was good as I want to use this as a doublesided quilt.
2) Paul and I worked out a nifty way to roll on the material so that it goes on the rollers nice and even. Because of the length, the middle tends to wind looser than the ends, and by introducing drag in the middle (a bit difficult to explain here but I can show you in person) we got the quilt on the rollers evenly. This made it much to get the lines nice and straight when I quilted.
3) Stop occasionally and tighten up all the screws on your sewing machine when you are doing lots of quilting - I didn't do this and the pressure foot came loose and the needle whacked into it and the result was this plus a rather annoying hole (now fixed) in my quilt.
4) I did some practice quilting before starting this one proper, and I realised pretty quickly that you have to do a motion that you can sustain consistenly over a large area. My quilting is much more curvy that the suggested design (which is kinda long stippling, rather than curvy) but I could do it consistently over the whole quilt, and I still like the effect.
5) As you roll more quilt onto the rollers, the working area (between the needle and rollers) gets ridiculously small (e.g. by the end, it was about 7 cm). To try to work around this without a lot of starting and stopping, I tried stopping the machine with the needle IN the quilt and moving the rollers with the needle down. Works OK - you need to have a bit of prior planning to ensure you stop it somewhere useful, and it's much better if you remember where you were going with the quilting when you restart, as otherwise you end up going somewhere strange and not continuing the previous line - which looks a bit dorky. I did get a couple of things like this from the restart, but all in all, not a bad technique.

Ok, now I am going to go lie down.

Product Review: Bias Binding Makers

2006-10-23T21:02:00.000+10:00

Bias Binding Makers
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

As I don't have the patient of DJ Bebe when it comes to working with little strips of material and a hot iron, I have invested in several widths of bias binding makers.

The bias binding maker on the left is a Clover brand bias binding maker and it is far superior to the one on the right. The smaller hole for the exit means you don't have to hold strips down to get the correct folds - the tool holds the folds in for you. This makes the whole process of making binding much faster and you can keep your hands away from the iron.

I hadn't seen them before the craft show at the weekend, but they are definatly worth looking out for. I may have to upgrade my big bias binding maker next time I see them!

Product Review: Removable shelf

2006-10-23T20:50:00.000+10:00

Shelf
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

I am very getting shitty because pins, quick-unpicks and bobbins are disappearing under my sewing machine's work area. After having much success with NALEON products in the bathroom, I did some investigating and found this nifty suction shelf that will hold 4 kilos on any non-poreous surface.

The great thing about this is I can move it from the window in my room to the window out where my quilter is and keep all my bits and bobs in one place.

Baby quilts

2006-10-23T20:47:00.000+10:00

Baby quilts
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

I have had these baby quilts on my list of things to do for months now and I finally got these all finished today. Each is a small sample of the materials (but not necessarily the design in these cases) of big quilts I have made.

The black and white one, is obviously, the black and white quilt, and the two coloured ones are made out of the materials I made the two circle quilts out of. The green and yellow is backing material for my mother's indian quilt - I couldn't cut out bits of the main panel for this, so the backing material has to do!

Now, all I have to do is put up a bunch more sticky hooks on my walls...

Apron

2006-10-23T20:44:00.000+10:00

Apron
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

The lovely DJ Bebe made me this apron and oven gloves about 12 months ago and I have had material to make the pocket for about 9 of those months. Today I finally got around to putting on the pocket, complete with yellow stripe!

Birthday present

2006-10-21T10:39:00.000+10:00

Grandma montage
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

This not actually something I have done, but a gift I received for my birthday a couple of weeks ago.

The embroidery you see here is one of two pieces my grandmother Robin got framed (the other going to my cousin Anna, also for her 30th birthday). Each piece is actually 1 corner of a linen tablecloth that Grandma started in 1944 before she go married - she did 2 of 4 corners and never finished them. When she showed me, I thought it would be a waste if this beautiful hand embroidery was never viewed (which was definately the case when it was a 1/2 complete tablecloth). So after about 2 years of nagging, Grandma suprised me with it for my birthday!

The photo is of Robin about the age when she did it.

Summer wardrobe

2006-10-21T09:45:00.000+10:00

Well, week 2 of Sponky's crafty holiday was as productive as week 1. Summer wardrobe was the main focus of this week and I was able to complete:

2 drawstring skirts (here and here). These are basically big sacks that I can get over my hips, with a drawstring made of the same material. Very quick and easy and good for days when I am lazying around the house or at the beach
2 wrap-around shirts (here and here). These are made with McCalls pattern 4384, altered to be slightly longer in the waist to account for the fact I am not 5 foot 7. I originally thought the ties at the front where too fat, but they are actually a good width when you go to tie them. I also like the gathering on the fron yoke (you may or may not be able to see it in the pictures. Will have to see how the V neck goes in real life!
I have also ALMOST completed 3 small quilts (well, tiny quilts) to go on my wall (made to document some of the materials I have used in existing quilts). These need binding (and I can't find an 18mm binding maker) so will post some shots when I get to these.

cats in buckets

2006-10-17T13:02:00.000+10:00

cats in buckets
Originally uploaded by djbebe.

Thank you, sponky, for all your donations. I am even finding a use for your leftover batting. I still plan to have that bag you asked for to you by Christmas... Did I say which Christmas?

booties: grey

2006-10-17T12:42:00.000+10:00

grey
Originally uploaded by djbebe.

I need never shop for baby gifts again. I've made a stack of bitty booties - pattern available from: http://www.heatherbailey.typepad.com/

Swap item: new tablecloth

2006-10-14T13:23:00.000+10:00

Swap item: new tablecloth
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

I took this swap item not really knowing what I was going to do with it (beyond it being cool) but when I got home I realised it matched the dining suite very well. It wasn't quite wide enough so I added the black border. It looks great , even co-ordinates with the orange wall.

ARRGH

2006-10-13T17:44:00.000+10:00

ARRGH
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

While telling my mother about my new exciting birthday teacosy from Betty Sue, she went upstairs and found this... thing. It's apparently a Dutch Doll teacosy, made by my grandmother. And when I when to see my grandmother today, she had another 2, exactly the same. Hrm. Do you think our granddaughters will look at stuff we made with equal amounts of humor and distaste?

P.S. My mother loves this thing. I'm sorry that I don't, Mum.

Indian Quilt

2006-10-13T17:41:00.000+10:00

Quilt Mosaic
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

The first big test for my quilting frame has been completing. After 30 hours, alot of procrastinating and quite a few hiccups, this is DONE!
(Well done in the sense that all the threads need tying off and the edge needs doing, but DONE mostly). It's queen-sized, and has a summer weight batting in it so my parents can use it in summer. The centre panel was a piece of material my mother got in India many years ago, and we added some sheet material (yes I know, cardinal sin) on the edge, and also as the backing.

Some lessons learnt
1) While the Gutterman site says you can use the waxed thread in your machine (and you can) it tends to require a very high tension on the needle, and has the unfortunate habit of making a big knot when you run out of bobbin thread, rather than having the thread just spool out. It is nice and shiny though, so if you want that effect, it's quite good.

2) You should pull the bobbin threads through to the top. Otherwise, they get sewn over and get knotted up etc.

3) Change your needle every 4 hours

4) Wind on a couple of bobbins at a time as you go through thread faster than you would think!

5) If possible, I would cut down the backing and batting ALOT more than I did on this one. The ends of the frame are the only place practical to change threads etc, and it would be much easier to do if there wasn't material in the way when I was doing it.

The frame in itself is excellent, and works as designed very well. No pinning required - although it could be worth putting some weights on the batting for the last 1/2 a meter or so as gravity no longer pulls it flat.

The major frustration I suffered on this was not having a sewing machine to do bits and pieces on while my machine was in the frame. If I was doing ALOT of quilting, I would seriously consider a 2nd machine to stay on the fram permanently.

neapolitan

2006-09-14T13:03:00.000+10:00

neapolitan
Originally uploaded by djbebe.

I am up to my ears in pink bibs. I've sold 6 to some nannas at work, got 6 more in stock for craft days etc. Now I need to make some in other colours - what's the opposite of pink?

Sponky's weekend output and future plans

2006-08-27T18:43:00.000+10:00

Having finished my quilt top during the week, I wanted to get through the other side (not calling this the BOTTOM as I want it to be reversible) and also the binding for the edge this weekend. Pleased to say I got through both, and very happy with the other side (see here). Also happy I got through the binding, but 10m looks very unimpressive when all tided away...

So, I need to get some wadding, and also wait for my fancy device to arrive (at LEAST another week, so they tell me). In the mean time, I am going to get through my backlog of clothes sewing. I want to make:

another two mistake shirts out of this and this. Very easy to wear, and it just looks funky. Get alot of compliments on the first one, but wasn't sure if it was the pattern or the material. Guess I will find out.
Some sarong style skirts from this and this. Loved the concept of a sarong last summer from a coolness perspective, but honestly, they are FRAUGHT WITH DANGER. Always coming down/loose, and I am perpetually hooking material into my undies to prevent disaster. So they are going to be turned into long skirts with side slits and a drawstring waist band. Comfort of the sarong without the impending danger. Really happy with the stripey material - it was cheap and when I bought it, though, hrm, metal threads, not sure, - but they came up much more shiny and interesting when I washed them. And the batik is a gift from DjBebe from last Xmas!

Crafty Spurt

2006-08-21T22:00:00.000+10:00

Apparenlty an increase in my stress levels at work also increases my crafty output (also, 2 days enforced leave from work helped too!)

In the last three weeks, I have finished

A snorkelling bag for myself like Husband-persons
A summer bag for myself (and since the pattern worked so well, one for Betty Sue's birthday as well)
Irish flags pillow cases for my crazy irish boss
In a blatant copy of one of Betty Sue's presents last year, a reusable voodoo doll for a stressed friend (front and back)
The top of my queen sized quilt. The back will be stripes in 5 of the colours shown here. Will post later in the week with any luck!

My circle quilt

2006-08-07T22:21:00.000+10:00

My circle quilt
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

This is another circle quilt, slightly more muted tones that Kathryn's one. I made this to use up the squares that I had made for Kathry's quilt that didn't go with the overall scheme, but as these things always turn out, ended up having to buy about 1/2 the quilt again!

Quilting also done as curves with a walking foot, but I think the curves were TOO curvy or short or something, because this quilting had ALOT more mistakes thatn the first one, but I am keeping this, so who cares. I think the lesson learnt here is there is a limit to what you can do with a walking foot.

Still in two minds about the backing fabric. It mostly goes with the front but the green is kinda wacky.

This was pinned with the cool new table Paul built for me to do pinning on. It sits on top on a card table and is made out of craft wood, with lots of overhang to clip the layers to. It much much better than just a card table - only had to pin the entire thing once (rather than the two stage pinning I had to do on Kathryn's quilt)

Baby quilt for Kathryn

2006-08-07T22:14:00.000+10:00

Baby quilt for Kathryn
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

This quilt was made for the baby expected by Kathryn and Matthew. This was finished a while ago but I wanted to keep it a secret until I had given them the present.

The quilting was done with curves done with a walking foot (not a darning foot) which was easy to do and for the most part hides a multitude of sins.

This was a very quick and easy quilt to do - 1 day to cut and piece, and probably another day to quilt. Pining took an AGE for what it was, but I am getting faster with practice.

You can see the groovy signature I did with my sewing machine letters here

Fiveo (as in Hawaii)

2006-08-07T22:08:00.000+10:00

Fiveo (as in Hawaii)
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

Made by request for Rachel, the missing link between the Pussycat Dolls and the IT industry. Rachel, I'm keeping him hostage until you have lunch with me :)

Fiveo likes moontanning, crackers with vegemite and cheese on, and making things with pipecleaners. He is held together with string, and should be kept on a high shelf away from sticky children and husbands.

baby quilt

2006-08-02T12:38:00.000+10:00

I like the colours
Originally uploaded by djbebe.

Finally finished (although this photo is from when it still had the tacking in) - more photos over at flickr.

Black forest material

2006-07-16T11:51:00.000+10:00

Black forest material
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

Have finally finished the latest quilt (pictures will be forthcoing), so went out and spent my morning waiting in line at Spotlight to buy material for a big (queen sized) quilt for our bedroom. Was aiming for kinda brown/burnt red/cream combinations but ended up with this selection of pinks, reds, browns and creams. So it's going to be the black forest cherry cake quilt!

All colours will be used in equal proportions on the front, with the materials you can see more off to be made into long strips to put on the back of the quilt. Will do some ironing and cutting today, so will post some blocks later on hopefully.

Buddies on the couch

2006-07-01T22:04:00.000+10:00

Buddies on the couch
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

Saturday night with djbebe and sponky: wine, cheese and stupid sock creature workshop. In the tradition of Aborto and Converto, we proudly introduce Perturbo in the pink corner (djbebe's first attempt at sock lips makes him look somewhat perturbed), and in the blue corner, Galacto. These two got to know each other on the couch while watching Grease and eating chocolate. Have a look at Sponky's flickr feed here for a full expose!

My new toy

2006-06-04T16:57:00.000+10:00

circle quilt sample
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

As you all know, I like to be organised, I like to plan, and these people have catered provided an excellent product (Electric Quilt 5) for my quilt planning requirements. The shot you see here is a picture generated in the tool for a quilt I am working on at the moment for myself. What is extremely cool about this is all the fabrics you see here are actually the real fabrics I have worked out I can going to use - scanned in, and then used on my design. I also have a version with the quilted layer over the top, but it is less easy to see fabrics in this version.

This tool has some really good feature (which I won't bore you about here) but for me, it is definately $200 well spent - has some excellent features like printable patterns and rotary cutting charts, yardage estimators etc. I think it will come in very handy for determining overall colour schemes before buying fabric.

The one problem I can see here is that the colors scanned in are not EXACTLY the same colours as the materials, so I will need to work out how to adjust to make them more accurate in future.

Asian Flowers

2006-06-04T16:17:00.000+10:00

Asian Flowers
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

Bought this material today and thanks to my handy new $60 scanner, can show you. It' $5.99/m curtain material, 100 cotton, and while not the finest fabric in the world, would be OK for pants, skirts or bags.

This sample is about an A4 size, so I am thinking either a long skirt for summer or bags (or both). Pants might be a bit odd?

Thoughts?

Converto

2006-06-01T19:52:00.000+10:00

Converto1
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

So, this is the much discussed Converto.

Those are teeth, btw.

You can see the side view here

Black and White Quilt

2006-05-21T08:58:00.000+10:00

Black and White Quilt
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

Have finally finished this baby. Cut my losses as Dj Bebe recommended, committed to an overall quilting design (see here) and just got it done.

I did try variations of quilting on the blocks, but honestly too far too long and in some cases, took away from the patchwork a little too much for my liking. Cheated and did the borders in straight lines but did get a nice little square crossover on the corners.

Definately not perfect, it has lumps and bumps in it, but nice that is si done and no-one will look that close, I think.

Now I just need to make up some pillow cases in the backing fabric and it will live on my spare bed.

New Machine

2006-05-21T08:55:00.000+10:00

New Machine
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

Meet the Janome Memory Craft 6600, complete with extra working surface and knee life (knee lift envy, anyone?). My mother pointed out 'how do you sew sleeves' as the working area is too big to put a sleeve around. Oh well, will deal with that at the time.

Has a superbly strong motor and you can wind bobbins on the 2nd motor while still sewing. Also has a built in walking foot and as many other feet as your could possibly want.

oven_mitts_purple2

2006-04-24T12:48:00.000+10:00

oven_mitts_purple2
Originally uploaded by djbebe.

Second batch of oven mitts and aprons were soft purple and blue. Delivered to Lyssy May's shop on Saturday.

tiny log cabins closeup

2006-04-24T12:34:00.000+10:00

tiny_log_cabins_closeup
Originally uploaded by djbebe.

These were made from 3/4" strips, which is the smallest you can do with 1/4" seam allowances. So the middle square is 1/4" square when you're looking at it finished. My mother's comment was "they're crooked" but I don't care. They're adorable.

Garr's scarf

2006-04-24T12:29:00.000+10:00

Garr's scarf
Originally uploaded by djbebe.

A scarf for Garr of Garrology. Handed over on Saturday - he liked it almost as much as Calico.

Sponky: Pants

2006-03-21T19:11:00.000+10:00

Pants Front
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

Well, these pants have been languishing on my ironing board for at least a month, but I have finally got up the energy to finish them off.

These are based on Simplicity 4965, modified slightly for better fit using Pants for Real People . And these actually did work. The picture is not fantastic, but I am really appy how these turned out.

They are slightly low riding, synthetic in this incarnation, easy to wear, look reasonably professional (it is Brisbane, after all). I have made another pair in carmel pinstripe with a slight bootcut and an enormous brown button on the waist (for casual wear), and have splurged on some expenseive wool and suiting material from Gardams for the next two pairs.

aprons and mitts

2006-03-09T09:15:00.000+10:00

apron_blue1
Originally uploaded by djbebe.

I sent a friend an apron and some oven mitts for her birthday. (This isn't it - due to technical error I deleted the evidence.) I know she's partial to an apron and I wanted to try making oven mitts. She was so impressed with my colour combination and assembly that she said if I wanted to make some more she would put them in her shop. My stuff, in a shop. A real shop. http://www.lyssymay.com ... So I had a few days of intensive activity and produced two complete sets, and one for me. Mine is the brown one, naturally. This could be the answer to reducing my ever-growing fabric stash.

mos I

2006-02-28T08:13:00.000+10:00

heart_box
Originally uploaded by djbebe.

My first Month of Softies project: heart-shaped box. It has a secret pocket for passing notes, if you're that way inclined.

djbebe: pink scraps handbag

2006-02-02T08:26:00.000+10:00

handbag 001
Originally uploaded by djbebe.

I have several brown handbags (totes?) for when I wear brown - most of the time - but I had no bag for when I wear pink. So on my Australia Day four-day weekend, after the obligatory cleaning and visiting of grandparents was done, and after I did the rounds of every second-hand shop in town, I sorted out a selection of pink scraps and got to work. The creation was turning out a bit too pinkish - so I added some lace to dilute the pink effect - but I'm still not sure that it's really me. I think the bag might work with jeans and a non-pink t-shirt but if you teamed it with any more pink it might make people gag. I might just have to give this one to a small cousin who loves pink (I have several) and make myself another one. Ladies?

djbebe: christmas tree 2005

2006-01-14T16:59:00.000+10:00

christmastree
Originally uploaded by djbebe.

Last year I made a tree out of cardboard and paint (sadly there is no photo and it's since been donated to Lifeline in the hope that small children may play with it - but it wasn't a great craft achievement - certainly not worthy of the Long Range Craft Jamboree). This year, I tried to be a bit more sophisticated: I made different sized flat cushions out of red satin and some black/gold/red brocade stuff I had lying around, with a minimal amount of stuffing. I sewed them together (still a bit wobbly) and topped with a big gold button. It's about 12 inches tall, shiny, sparkly and ever so slightly oriental.

djbebe: tulle star

2006-01-14T16:46:00.000+10:00

bluestar
Originally uploaded by djbebe.

I made heaps of these for Christmas decorations - a good use for satin and other synthetics which aren't much good for anything else. Basically a long rectangle of tulle (the finer tulle worked much better) folded into a star-like shape, and satiny fabrics cut into stars and hand-sewed together. I initially tried gluing them together but it craft glue wasn't strong enough to hold them together, plus the glue came through the top layer of fabric and made an ugly splotch. And trying to push a needle through fabric that's been glued isn't very fun.

christmastree

2006-01-14T16:45:00.000+10:00

christmastree
Originally uploaded by djbebe.

I made my own Christ tree, made out of some stuff I had lying around (seriously, the amount of fabric I have is getting ridiculous) - shiny and sparkly, and ever so slightly oriental. The photo isn't great but it's topped with a lovely little gold button.

djbebe: Dodecahedrons I

2006-01-14T16:43:00.000+10:00

redblackball
Originally uploaded by djbebe.

I made 5 of these, since they took ages, but they turned out beautifully. From a pincushion pattern in a book (The Pincushion Book - mostly ugly coffee cup shapes) I borrowed from the library (I don't think it would make a very good pincushion - it would keep rolling away. The pattern was a small triangle which you cut 60 of, and then hand-sew together in a very confusing flattish shape, and then gradually bring it all together into a dodecahedron.

djbebe: Dodecahedrons II

2006-01-14T16:42:00.000+10:00

pinkblueballs
Originally uploaded by djbebe.

These were sent to Betty Sue because I knew she would appreciate them as much as me.

Sponky: Another over-engineered solution from the House of Sponky

2006-01-04T20:50:00.000+10:00

Husband-person was nice enough to find me a case for my new iPod that was nice and clear and prevented scratches. However it's not very exciting so I thought I would over-engineer a cute little case for the device and it's cords...

It's made of three components - a case for the iPod, a case for the charging cord and a strap to hold it all together. This means I can take the charging cord to work in my laptop bag as required!

It's made from some leftovers from Miss Pauline's Xmas present - it's a nice stretch cotton/polyester (would be great for board shorts), so I could make the cases a reasonable size but there is stretch to get it things in and out.

Sponky: Art not Craft

2006-01-03T09:57:00.000+10:00

Janito the CEO (who works for local government in NSW) pointed me to this: Paint a Traffic Signal Box in Brisbane.

There is a reasonably tedious application process, but the council will provide paint and hi-vis vests etc. 'Artists' need to provide paint brushes, cleaning equipment etc.

I would be keen to get in and paint one (perhaps with DJ Bebe if she can leave the fabulous Toowoomba) but stuck for ideas. And my painting ability is rather limited, so it would have to be simple (like this one).

Suggestions please!

New contributors

2006-01-02T13:19:00.000+10:00

Betty Sue had a fabulous idea that this blog could be used by DJ Bebe, Betty Sue and myself to exchange crafty ideas and projects. So you should see some posts from our two new contributors sometime soon.

Xmas 2005: Mum

2006-01-02T13:16:00.002+10:00

Mum's little handbags
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

Mum requested two coin purses to allow her to easily carry around bits and pieces at lunch time (as she doesn't take a handbag, just her laptop bag).

These two were made of some nice silk (the red stripey one) and some fancy evening wear polyester (the grey one). I hand embroidered the details you see on prior to making them (finally, something to do while Husband-Person watches Survivor). Both are lined, and have a finished size of 14cm x 21 cm.

Xmas 2005: Miss Pauline

2006-01-02T13:16:00.000+10:00

Pauline 1
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

For a present for Miss Pauline, I made 6 pillow cases (2 per color) to go on size 16 pillows from Spotlight (41cm). These were to contrast with Pauline's white bed linen.

The pattern was a square size 47 x 44, cut on the fold (to get a piece 44 cm x 94cm). I also made a template of 41 x 44 cm (width of finished cushion x height of finished cushion + 1.5 cm seam x 2). To make, I folded over each short end and sewed down to neated the edges, then overlapped the long piece with the help of the smaller template and pinned to make the final cushion size. No fastenings or velcro required to keep in shut. All you need to then do is sew the two seams! Easy peasy!

Xmas 2005: Janito the CEO

2006-01-02T13:08:00.000+10:00

Turtle Cushion
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

This Sashiko was made for my brother's lovely girlfriend. She is a mad keen turtle fan, so I took the Kikko (Tortiseshell) design and adapted it for my own use. This enormous cushion had a 67 cm square stitched area. Major problems with this size were:
I marked the design as I stitched, which meant it got a lean on towards the end. Not sure how to fix that, perhaps by completely pre-marking? But then you would lose the chalk marks after a while. Due to the sheer size, stitching the middle was an enormous pain. I also need to make a cushion insert out of muslin so Janito could stuff it - I don't think you can get a standard cushion this size.

Xmas 2005: Ann

2006-01-02T13:07:00.000+10:00

Ann's Cushions
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

These two cute little cushions were whipped up in about 2.5 hours for my lovely mother in law. Given my terrible colour sense, I cheated slightly and purchased some nice pre-matched fabrics. Execution was very simple due to the cutting board and rotary cutter - I cut lots of 6cm strips, sewed them together, then cut them cross way at 6cm and resewed.

Nice and easy, and I think the overall effect is pretty good. Hopefully they go with her couch!

Summer shirts

2005-12-16T07:58:00.000+10:00

Summer Shirt 1
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

Summer shirt 2
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

Thanks to all those years living in Melbourne, and not really needing any summer shirts, I realised the other day that all my collared summer shirts were at least 7 (if not more) years old, dating back to my uni days.

I made these two shirts for $5.99 material from spotlight. Both are 100% cotton. I used a Burda pattern (8673) which was heavily modified for a larger cup size (normal patterns have a cub size B) using the methods described in Fit for Real People, which is a fabulous book that all people's who use paper patterns should have a copy of. I also have a copy of their pants book but have never actually gotten around to making pants, but I am sure it's equally good. I am going to have to make some soon, I think - it's too hot in Brisbane for panty hose and I can't bring myself to wear skirts to work without them!

Millefiori bracelets

2005-12-16T07:51:00.000+10:00

Millefiori bracelets
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

I have always loved Millefiori glass but have never found an easy to wear use for it - pendants I have seen always seem to be too big.

I found these cute little 1cm beads at a shop in town and made two bracelets, one for myself, and one for my Aunt Rainie for Xmas.

December 10/11 2005

2005-12-11T09:40:00.000+10:00

Dress_Dec_11
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

This dress was made of some funky batik quilt material found at Lincraft (yes, flowers, I know), about $12 a metre.

Pattern was McCalls 2401, size 18, with a bit more seam allowance around the waist.

Review by Husband-Person: That neckline looks like something your mother would wear.

Review by my mother: I would never wear anthing with a square neckline.

My review: Nice and cool, easy to wear. Might need to be taken in a bit, and with the colour, shoes are a bit of an issue...

Xmas 2005: Ladies who blog

2005-12-08T17:37:00.000+10:00

Sashiko 2005
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

For the ladies who blog, I have made them both two Sashiko style cushions (and they have been opened so I am safe to post). They are not strictly Sashiko - for Betty Sue (top row), I have got geometric rather than tesselations, which are more traditional. But I was going for something that looked OK, rather than necessarily traditional. And in doing the flowers (bottom right) for DJ Bebe I did not leave a pretty little empty hole in the middle as per tradition. Overall, I liked the effect - I am big on contrast as you see the overall effect rather than the multitude of small sins in the execution.

Some notes on Sashiko:

Hand quilting trashes your fingers. I couldn't work out how to do it with my thimble on, so I managed to gouge an enormous hole in my right hand middle finger
You really need a decent white pencil or chalk to make this work. I tried marking the designs on the back (which was muslin, so easy to see) but at least in my case, due to the multiple layers, I lost alignment between the back and front, so you really need to mark on the front
Masking tape is awesome for the straight lines (removing the need for chalk)
Overall, it's quick and easy, compared with other types of embroidery, but it's not a 2hr job either. I would budget 4 or 5 hours for a 40cm stitched area.

Handyman's new hat

2005-12-03T07:34:00.000+10:00

Handyman's new hat
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

I made this very funky hat for HandyMan's birthday. Material was chosen in honour of his Blog name, having hammers, saws etc on it (found at Ewan Gardam's) Made with Simplicity 9203, size 58cm.

Retro: October 2005

2005-12-03T07:32:00.000+10:00

Mistake shirt
Originally uploaded by Sponky's Modern Life.

I cut this shirt pattern out using stretchy fabric and made it quite OK. However, in my enthusiasm, I also cut out this material, and found stretch satin is NOT quite the same thing as stretch material. Fortunately I realised this REASONABLY early, and intervened with the blue inserts under the arms. To make sure it looked like it was meant to be there, I also added the collar trim, and the cuffs on the arms and hem to make a vaguely Japanese-y shirt. Turned out very well, all in all, and I think I will make another with the same colour contrast when I can find a patterned material I like.

Instigation

2005-12-02T18:27:00.000+10:00

I have made a lot of Xmas presents this year and have taken pictures of them all to post onto my blog, obviously to be posted AFTER Xmas. However, I did want to track what I had been working on and my thoughts behind it, so this seems as good as method as any.