learning to ride a bike at age 32

Okay, I'm not actually learning to ride a bike at age thirty-two.  (Yikes, now you know how young - or old, depending on how you look at it - I am.)  But I am learning - teaching myself some basic stitches I probably should have learned about the time I was learning to ride a bike.  Since I'm a crafting and sewing novice, I've been learning as I go.  Thank goodness for the internet with its wealth of tutorials, videos and step-by-step instructions available at the click of some keys and the push of a button! 

Last night, I confessed my supreme success at procrastination and re-committed myself to working on my tenth craft till Christmas which involves fabric scraps, Heat n Bond, a photo frame and some embroidery thread.  Last night I learned to use Heat n Bond - not so successfully at first . . . hence the backwards "R" that a few of you guessed right last night and this morning.  Tonight I learned this . . . 

That's right at the age of thirty-two I finally learned to do a backstitch.  I also learned how to do a stem stitch - which, by the way, is now my new favorite stitch.  Of course, since I now know a total of only three stitches, I guess being at the top of the list isn't that great of a success for the stem stitch. 

So . . . I'm excited to be making some progress on my tenth craft till Christmas, and at some point I can't wait to share even more pictures of it with you.  In the mean time . . .

craft on!

my middle name is procrastination

Okay, that's not really my middle name, but I've been really, really, REALLY good at it for . . . well, my entire life.  (This probably isn't news to some of you - like my high school Spanish teacher who recently began following this blog.  Hi Mrs. Maxwell!)  And my utter success at procrastination has been really shining through on this tenth craft till Christmas.  After all, perhaps you've noticed that it's March 21, and I have yet to post even once about this elusive craft since my initial tenth craft post the first week of March. 

I've had a few people ask me how it's going, and I have reluctantly confessed my lack of motivation.  But it's true, ever since I posted about the tenth craft, I've had zero desire to actually work on it.  I've turned to wood and paint and anything with the word "roll" in it, but I just couldn't muster up an ounce of excitement over something called Heat n Bond . . . maybe it reminded me too much of my rocky start with fusible interfacing.  

Well, tonight I got over it.  I looked at the calendar, realized that I had only ten days left until the end of the month, and got to work.  I wasn't jazzed about the idea of working with a towel, so I decided to create my own little craft that involves fabric scraps, Heat n Bond, and a picture frame.  I'll post more about it later this week.  

However, in true Elizabeth-form, my initial experience with Heat n Bond did not go according to plan.  There were many flops and flubs and failures tonight.  This picture is case in point.  

If you've been journeying with me since January, you know how I love to play guessing games.  So . . . here's another one - this one is eeeeasy!  What's wrong with this picture?

Craft on!     

saturday spotlight - rolling pins aren't just for baking

This is a first for Saturday spotlight . . . I'm highlighting the craftiness of someone I don't know.  Although I didn't plan it, my posts this week had a common theme.  See if you can guess the theme.  On Monday, the girls and I used toilet paper rolls to make rain sticks and binoculars.  And on Thursday, I finally made a craft for myself, a friend and a giveaway - a travel roll-up.  

Yep, that's right.  Both posts find their common bond it some kind of roll.  I felt compelled to use my Saturday spotlight to continue the theme, and I found this amazing idea Amy at Craft Chi for making a unique print with a rolling pin.  Super creative!  Actually, I plan on trying this tomorrow night for our kids' craft night.  I'm going to make it a bit simpler for kids to do by using foam stickers that we have on hand.  I look forward to posting about our attempts tomorrow night.  Stay tuned and . . .

craft on!

make it: a make-up brush travel roll tutorial and giveaway

I've been making a lot of stuff for kids lately, so I thought it was time to make something for the adult friends in my life.  Okay...the truth is that I wanted to make something for myself.  Yes, that's right, this little project was born from completely selfish motives...although I did make three of these little roll ups - one for myself, one for a friend's birthday and one for you...or at least one of you.  Leave a comment below by Monday, March 29 at 11:59 PM (give-away is now over, but stick around and learn how to make your own), and my oldest daughter will randomly pick a number to determine who is the super lucky winner of a super amazing travel roll.  (I figure if I use the word "super" enough, you will start to believe that this travel roll is indeed super.  Did it work?)  So let's begin.  

Things to grab before you begin:

*2 - 11 x 8 inch strips of fabric (one for the front and one for the back of the main body of the roll)

*1 - 11 x 8 inch strip of fusible interfacing (this will be sandwiched between the front and back strips)

*1 - 11 X 9 inch strip of fabric (this is for the pocket)

*1 - 20 inch length of ribbon

Step 1-

Iron on fusible interfacing to the 11 x 8 piece that the pocket will eventually be sewn to.  This is a great project to use up that jean material you've been saving from a pair of jeans you no longer wear.  However, I did use a really thin dark jean material.  (My relationship with fusible interfacing got off to a rocky start in January when I first worked with it, but now I've grown to appreciate it's unique role.  If you are unfamiliar with fusible interfacing or how to use it, click here for a little more info.)  

Step 2- 

Fold the 11 x 9 piece in half wrong sides together (the sides that you don't want to show are touching one another) to make the piece 11 x 4 1/2 (or almost 4 1/2).  Iron this piece.  This is the pocket piece.

Step 3-

Use a disappearing ink pen (find this at your local sewing or hobby store . . . LOVE IT!) to mark the lines you will sew on the pocket.  If you are someone who can sew straight lines, then you can skip this.  If you, like me, couldn't sew a straight line if your life depended on it, then the disappearing ink pen is your best friend.  You will want to vary the width of each space based on the brushes or tools (i.e. nail clippers, tweezers, cotton swabs, etc) you plan on putting in this travel roll.  I used a variety of widths - 1 1/4 inches to 3/4 inches.  Make sure the two end widths allow for the seam.

Step 4-

Sew this pocket piece to the bottom half of the front, or inside 11 x 8 piece that also as the fusible interfacing ironed on it (this is the piece that you will not see when it's rolled up) by sewing over the disappearing ink lines you marked on the pocket.  Make sure to backstitch at the beginning and end of each line.

Step 5-

When you've finished sewing the various-sized pockets, take the ribbon and fold it in half.  Pin the ribbon to one of the sides of the pocket piece at the half way point so that the ribbon lays on top across the piece with just a little bit of the fold hanging over.  Well, that was as clear as mud.  I clearly didn't explain that well, so check out the picture.   

Step 6-

Take this newly constructed pocket piece with the ribbon pinned to it and put it right sides together with the other 11 x 8 piece. (This means that the sides you want showing when the piece is finished should be touching so you can't see them.)  Pin these two pieces together.

Step 7-

Sew these two pieces together with a 1/4 seam, but leave about 2 inches unsown for turning.  (First picture - notice the 2 inch gap.)  I highly recommend leaving the 2 inch gap somewhere at the top of the roll - in other words, not where the pocket fabric is...although the roll is upside down in this picture so it looks like the gap in at the bottom.  Clip the corners to take of the point of the corner.  (This is a wonderful suggestion that I had no clue about until an expert sewer told me about while working on one of my first sewing projects.  This takes the bulk out of the corners.)  Turn the roll right sides out.  (Second picture - again notice gap in top left hand corner.)

Step 8-

Fold in the two inch gap and iron.  Then sew around the roll 1/4 inch or less from the edge, closing the 2 inch gap up. 

Step 10-

Immediately plan a trip to some exotic place...like Des Moines, Iowa...so you can use your travel roll to keep your brushes, nail files, clippers, etc. in order.  (If you have no idea where Des Moines, Iowa is, then this joke will be lost on you.  I can assure you that it is not an exotic destination, but it is a place I've been often.) 

It's highly likely that something in this tutorial doesn't make sense or is unclear.  Please let me know if anything could be more clearly explained or if you have any questions and...

craft on!

**I'm working on a little bag to go with this.  That's been a little more difficult for my non-crafty hands to figure out though, so it will probably be a week before I have that tutorial done.