Thursday, January 7, 2010

sew stupid

So . . . I chose the crayon roll as my first of twelve crafts till Christmas on the premise that this is a craft that "anyone with a sewing machine can make".  Now, in theory I did make and finish the crayon roll.  (I used the pattern and directions from Cindy at Skip To My Lou.)  Of course, I use the word "make" very literally as in I picked fabrics, cut them, pinned them, did some sewing, undid some sewing, did some more sewing and came up with a finished project . . . finished not necessarily polished.  This picture does not do my many mistakes justice!  However, I also learned some valuable lessons along the way.  Here's four for those of you who would like to learn along with me.

1)  It might be a good idea to have all the recommended supplies.  I didn't have this thing called lightweight fusible interfacing.  Not only did I not have it, I have no idea what it is.  It appears to be used to add some weight and stiffness to the fabric, so I figured I would just use some extra flour sack material that I had on hand.  I think that complicated the sewing process and added some extra bulk that I didn't need.

2)  Using a rotary cutter is not as easy as you might think . . . or maybe I'm just rotary- cutter challenged.  For the life of me, I could not get that thing to cut straight - as you can see from these photos.  All of these fabric pieces were supposed to be the exact same size.  Clearly that is not the case.    

3)  Measuring is important.  So . . . in my life outside of sewing and crafting, I am incredibly Type A.  One of the reasons that I decided to start sewing and crafting was to allow myself to be more creative and not so focused on some ideal of perfection.  Because of this goal, I typically don't get too worked up about measurements when I sew.  However, apparently in many instances measuring is super important.  Who knew?  This particular crayon roll was supposed to have 16 inch-wide slots for crayons.  I, on the other hand, had to modify my crayon roll to a 15 slot roll due to some mismeasuring.  This unfortunately displaces shag-carpet orange from the box of retro colored Crayola crayons I am going to use to fill this crayon roll.  As you can see I just cut off the part that didn't seem to work for me.  That was clearly not Cindy's intention.

4)  Fabric glue is a sew-stupid crafters best friend.  Due to the above mentioned rotary-cutter mishap, I had some edges that needed to be glued shut.  I'm grateful for the invention of fabric glue, and I have a feeling that I will be using it frequently in the year to come.
Well, I have finished my first of twelve crafts; however, I think I'll be taking a couple more shots at this before the month is out.  First on my list of things to do before try number two . . . track down the elusive lightweight fusible interfacing.
Craft on!

4 comments:

Kristin said...

I love your honesty! Ask at the fabric store for interfacing. They will know exactly what you want. It is usually white and kind of see through but has some stiffness to it. As for the rotary cutter, do not line things up to the mat. The mat does not necessarily have straight lines (strange and disturbing the first time I heard that). I see a plastic cutting guide in your picture. You need one that is long and thin (like 20+ long and around 6 wide)and that will help you get straighter lines. I think it looks great in the picture but I totally understand the hidden mistakes. I tend to have those too!

Anonymous said...

Oh, you're a riot! Your narrative is the kind of things I experience ALL THE TIME, but am too embarrassed to admit - love how you roll with it and help others learn right along with you!

Anonymous said...

I make my color rolls without interfacing...never used it actually and they turn out fine! It intimidates me! Just an extra thing to buy....maybe I should try it sometime? Or maybe not?!

Dana said...

Ok, first of all I'm in the hospital. I don't know why I had to tell you that.

However, having said that, I found your blog and have read every post! Love it! If I wasn't in the hospital, I would never have had the time to read without interruption. I have two young daughters so I know you know what I mean.

I started seeing your crayon rolls at the bottom of posts from the beginning. A few years ago I made over 100 of them using the Skip to My Lou directions. Yes, over 100! I was crazy.

I'm going to read the rest of your blog now. Keep up the good work!

Blessings--
Dana

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