I made a goal this year to learn how to use my sewing machine. Most of my goals pretty much got thrown out the window when I became pregnant and very sick. But I'm slowly trying to work at them again. Here are some projects I've done in the last few months.
Here is a crayon roll I made for Luke. I saw him playing with one at church months ago and he really liked putting all the crayons in and out of the compartments. Now that I've finally made it, he is less enthralled, but I'm glad I did it anyway. Tutorial is here.
Love that Logan is manly enough to pose with a doll.
p.s. did you know that you can make really easy dolls to donate to children's hospital? The pattern they ask you to use is VERY plain, but they look beyond simple to make. See here.
And of course my sister-in-law's diaper and wipes tutorial was put to good use! This was really easy to make but I couldn't do it in 4 minutes like her.Next on the list...
I really want to make a quilt. Well, two quilts actually. One for baby on the way and one for Luke's bed (when its time for him to quit his crib). I really like something like this for Luke (maybe with more "boy" colors):
And this looks fun for baby:
This also looks cool but waaay out of my league:
To tell you the truth, I'm scared out of my mind to make a quilt. It's so intimidating. I don't think I know of anyone who isn't a very skilled sewer who just decides to whip out a quilt one weekend. Quilters just seem like they are in an entirely different field of sewing dedication. Plus, how do you pick the fabrics? How can you tell that all those squares are going to look great together until they are actually together? If anyone has any tips for a novice...I'd really appreciate it. I have no idea what I'm getting myself into.
By the way, all these quilts were made by this blogger, here.
6 comments:
I love those little dolls! And your crayon roll looks so good- is that rick rack sewn into the seam? Very impressive.
can't wait to see how your quilts turn out!
You can buy precut 4" squares in packs of matching colors \ and you can buy strips of 2 1/2" coordinating fabric called a jelly roll--so you have selected two quilts which could be done much easier than if you cut it all---Need help?
WOW. Are we secret long lost sisters? I was JUST eyeing a crayon roll at my friend's house the other day, and decided that it was high time I made one. Also, your dolls are amazing. Just amazing. I will make one someday.
Also, I just started taking a very informal quilting class that an older woman in my ward started, but EVERYTHING is hand done: she is specifically teaching us the stitch that the pioneers used, and after which the sewing machine was designed to recreate. I've pieced together one square in a pioneer pattern, and I think I'll turn it into a pillow and call it good.
Tips: if you want to make a quilt for Luke's future bed and you want to start with something really easy and cute like that one with the random squares (which would be a GREAT first quilt project), you should keep your eyes out for cheap fabric because material can get expensive. So, you're also talking to the queen of scraps so you can ignore what I say, but seriously, if you want an eclectic look, consider a quick trip to your local thrift store to check out cheap skirts, shirts, sheets, etc. for fun material that will be affordable for a big chunk. Also, if you're making a bed quilt, get thick enough fabric that it won't rip as soon as he crawls and jumps around on top of it. The cutting out of the material will definitely be the most tedious part of your project, but if you decide on a square size that you like, and you have a bunch of fabrics that look cool together, you can just cut a whole bunch of squares, and then shuffle them around on the floor until you get what you want. Remember when deciding on square size that a typical seam allowance is a quarter inch on all sides, so your initial design will "shrink" when you sew it together. That alone will take a while just to assemble all of the pieces. Have fun! Maybe find someone to do it with, so that you have company and support!
I'm not going to say that quilting is easy because I took a quilting class which says that there is a lot to learn. I always recommend following the pattern from a book. I love to go to borders and look through all the books until i find the one i want then I take pictures of it (yes, we are still cheap college students). If you are confused by any of the terminology i'm happy to help. Yes, picking out fabric is very hard- but you can do it! for babies just pick bright and fun colors.
Good luck!
Very cute, you are getting so crafty.
Nice trying to hide your inner crafter... now we all know the truth.
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