Tag : sewing

149 posts

I don’t know about you but I love it when I am able to barter for something. It truly is becoming a lost art. People now days just go buy or hire someone when they need something. I feel it stems from our lack of community. People don’t know their neighbors. They come home, park in the garage and never step into their yard except to perhaps finely manicure the grass. We are lucky here as we DO know our neighbors and have a good sense of community at least on our block.

So with that in mind, a friend is finishing off their basement and is starting to buy accessories to match the rustic style of the decor they’ve chosen. She’d been telling me about wanting feed sack pillows for the couch but was overwhelmed by the price on Etsy. She purchased feed sacks at an antique store but then was stuck. She was afraid to cut them plus she didn’t have a sewing machine. I told her to bring them on over and we’d get it figured out.

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Marvin decided he really needed to “help”.

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After getting him interested in some toys we were able to cut them down and stuff the  pillow forms inside. I left the hand stitching to my friend to do at home.IMG_5348

Look how awesome they look!!

So what does this have to do with bartering…well they had leftover stone veneer from their fireplace. I got to take it home.

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I’m hoping that I’ll have enough to build a fire pit. The rain is supposed to clear out tomorrow so then I can lay things out to make sure before buying the materials to complete my project.

Secondlook

Since it’s April and this month is Earth Month I thought I’d share a second look at a bit of upcycling from a few years ago.

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Oct 6, 2013

Upcycling Projects

 

We all know how to recycle and I’m sure most do it daily. Newspapers, cardboard, glass and plastic are all readily recyclable in most cities, at least across the USA.

This is wonderful! But I’ve been really focused on upcycling lately.  Finding a new use for something that would ordinarily be tossed out.  Wine corks, bottle caps, worn out clothing, stained linens, broken plates…you get the idea.treesI showed a sneak peek of these a while ago. I made a wine cork tree last year but this time I decided to change things a bit. I used a Champagne cork cut in half for the trunk.  I think they turned out really cute.

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I’ve also been using some scraps from previous projects such as the denim remaining after completing a quilt or two.  As well as the remainder of the dress shirts that I made wine bottle gift bags from.

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In addition I’ve been making a bunch more cards. I’ll show more of these last two projects at a later date. The cards have much less upcycling in it’s truest sense but I am still attempting to include elements that might otherwise be considered unusable such as tiny scraps of fabric and yarn. As well as photo trimmings. I have a cigar box full of photo trimmings…they have such vibrant colors that it’s a shame to toss them out.

It doesn’t have to be Earth Day to be a little “green”. Do a little more every day to be kind to our planet. Last time I checked…it’s the only one we have. :)

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If you’d like to see more recycling and upcycling projects please use the tag cloud on my sidebar.

Secondlook

Let’s take a look back at a post from 2 years ago. Typically I go back further for Second on the 2nd but as I was looking back through posts I remembered how much I liked (and still do) this journal page. I also remember that my creativity was running in high gear at the time. I was loving every moment of it.

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4/24/2014

Productive Wednesday

I had so much fun making the first journal spread yesterday, I went back for another.

Wednesday

Once again I worked in my white journal.  Boy, I just realized that I have 4 journals going at once. And I have an idea for yet another. I should probably wait on that idea at least until I fill one of the currents to capacity.

Wednesday texture

Tissue paper was used as a start for this page as well. It had been crumpled over and over again. Lots of tiny little creases. It started out very purple…or maybe violet. The color was a little too “in your face” for my taste. I used a couple of mists around the edges to tone it down to a dull roar.. The aqua washi tape begged me to use it with the new deeper shade of purple. The black and white just helped everything else pop on the page. I have this thing about circles…I use them all the time. They just make me happy I guess.

So last evening I still hadn’t had enough creativity for the day. My sewing machine was still calling me.  I grabbed bits and pieces of fabric, paper, fiber and trims to sew together for collage cards. I didn’t give it much thought…just went for it.

collage card marathon

I made 21 mini collages that will eventually become greeting cards. Some will be left blank…others will have sentiments…some collages may not make the cut. Who cares…it was all scraps and bits laying around.

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Some of these mini-collage cards led to being asked to write an article for Sew Somerset magazine. That could be another reason I like this post so much.

Thanks for taking a walk down memory lane with me today. Do you have a favorite project from the past?

Good morning and welcome to T stands for Tuesday.

T stands for Tuesday

I finally caught the cold/virus that Big J was suffering with all last week. Bummer! Hopefully we won’t continue to pass it along to the rest of the family.

Before I started feeling cruddy I was asked by Mr. G to make a cover for his new gadget…a 3D printer.

T Tuesday pattern maker edition | Halle's Hobbies

More on that in a future post.

T Tuesday pattern maker edition | Halle's Hobbies

Measurements in hand I went about drawing and figuring out how to make a cover that had a special feature…an opening for the carry handle.

T Tuesday pattern maker edition | Halle's Hobbies

I picked this blackout curtain on clearance at Target for my fabric. I have used this material in the past for printer covers…the synthetic lining keeps dust from filtering through.

T Tuesday pattern maker edition | Halle's Hobbies

After cutting my pieces I pinned them inside out around the 3D printer. That way I could take up any slack where needed and make sure my flap idea actually worked.

T Tuesday pattern maker edition | Halle's Hobbies

Tada! It worked just as I thought. The flap overlaps…think of men’s boxer shorts flap…it’s closed but there is still access when needed. :)

T Tuesday pattern maker edition | Halle's Hobbies

It’s a bit wrinkled but who cares…it serves the purpose of keeping the dust off.  See the green gear like object…that was printed with this machine.  I’ll do a whole post about the 3D printer. It’s really cool!

As for today…I’ll be drinking lots of hot tea with honey. Unfortunately the laundry still needs to be done, dishes washed and food made…darn it. I’ll be plugging away at those things today.

What are you doing today?

To start out the year we are looking back…wait…didn’t I say I was looking ahead in the previous post?

Secondlook

We are looking back because it’s Second on the 2nd hosted my my dear friend Elizabeth. Each month on the second she asks that we dig into our blog and reshare a post that deserves a second look.

Sewing is a passion of mine as well as recycling. In this post from August 2008 I share my favorite quilt and a little about it’s creation.

We still use the quilt today. It’s now 15 years old and is very well loved.

Take a look…

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This denim quilt was my very first large scale recycling project.

I carry it in my van for picnics, beach days, a stop at the park or one of those dreaded winter emergencies. After the latest trip to the beach I hung it on the deck rail to dry. I was taken aback by how many memories this quilt holds for me. I love how it has frayed over time. Maybe others would think of this as a flaw but to me, it shows it has been throughly loved.

I made it when my first born was an infant. Oh, to have that much time on my hands again! I wanted to make something that he could lay and play on, that would be durable, washable, textural and colorful.

I had a ton of jeans that were never going to fit again plus my hubby’s worn out ones to cut into circles. I used a plate to trace each and every circle by hand then carefully trim with scissors.


The colorful squares (trust me there are squares under there) were from a stash of fabric I had gotten as a teen when my “grandma” across the street moved from her home to her daughters in CA. She knew I loved sewing and crafting more than her own granddaughter.

My mom had somehow collected tons of small spools of thread in various colors, not sure why since she didn’t sew but did own a machine. Maybe just wishful thinking on her part. Anyway, I figured that I could make the quilt even more colorful by using different spools of thread throughout the quilt. Generally the bobbin thread and the spool didn’t match as I sewed.

If you’re curious how I made it check out this tutorial. I think I got my instructions from a magazine but the tutorial has excellent instructions.

So my neighbor came to me with her daughters favorite coat. She had caught the toggle button on something and ripped it horribly down the front.

(of course this would be where the before photo would go) no such luck here…

Since the mornings have been a bit chilly lately I decided I needed to tackle this conundrum. frugal coat fix |Halle'sHobbiesI went with my original thought of creating some vines or stems to cover the ripped fabric.frugal coat fix |Halle'sHobbies frugal coat fix |Halle'sHobbies

Mini-me delivered it to her just a bit ago and she said “Thank your Mom 1000x”. I think it was a success.

SecondlookSince we are coming up on Homecoming for my kids school I decided to dig up a post I created paying homage to my high school flag twirling days. Our big event was Homecoming. We marched and twirled with the band in the parade and during halftime of the football game. It was really quite fun!

Take a look…

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Last month some of my visitors from the Dress-up Project thought the idea of recreating my flag twirler uniform was a good idea. Funny because it was just something I thought on a whim …not a really great plan in my head. So, I dug out the picture and gave it a whirl…or maybe that should be a twirl.

Most high school mascots are named for birds or tough, scary animals. Or maybe warriors.
Not us…
We were the Skippers. Yeah…I know…
Oh, watch out!!  Here come those big, bad Skippers!  It was a nautical thing that was much more relevant about 50 or so years prior. Although I’m sure it was chosen as an elitist thing. Bunch of snobs….but I digress.

Anyway…we had a sailor theme for our uniforms. I did manage the sailor collar but didn’t even attempt to make a sailor hat or the white gloves.

I’m  pretty happy with the result.

What do you think compared to the real deal…?

Homecoming 1988

Never mind the “woodsy-the-owl glasses”.  Good grief…keep in mind it was the 80’s after all.

Make sure to visit the Alice and Camilla blog to see the rest of the September dresses.

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Here is the entire year of dresses:full year of dresses | Halle's Hobbies

 

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