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Helping Hands, Touching Hearts: Act 3 Scene 2

24 Feb

Sewing women’s and children’s clothes has been a primary mission of Helping Hands, Touching Hearts.  This is year 3 for Elfcroft to give to the cause.  2012’s shipment has rolled into 2013 with a shift in travel plans for Sidney, Wayne and C.J.

http://www.clotheavillagenow.com/clotheavillagenow/Welcome.html

I jump started this shipment with boy’s shorts from Target clearance sales and rounded out with 4 pairs of shorts made from the last of former curtains.  (Think of the movie “Sound of Music”.)

Simplicity 5218….four pair, size 4

Also in 2011, I had long narrow bands left over from making girls dresses with Simplicity 2228.  I sewed those bands together to make dresses with See and Sew B5592.  Yeah!  four more dresses out of last years stock.

See and Sew B5592

Sidney sent photos of her sewing which included skirts with crop tops.  That seems a better use of the fabric I have in stock.  An envelope with her patterns arrived this week…..made from thick fabric and instructions in permanent marker.  Great idea!  I need to do the same with my favorite and well used paper patterns.

New patterns

New patterns

2 each in each size

2 each in each size

Six girl’s dress are complete.  Four pairs of girl’s tops and skirts as well as four pairs of boy’s shorts are ready for sewing.

Shipping to South Africa in May!

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Yoga Mat Bag Project

27 Jan

“synergy |ˈsinərjē| (also synergism |-ˌjizəm|)noun

The interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations,substances,

or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than

the sum of their separate effects : the synergy between artist and record company.”

I believe synergy is the word I am looking for to explain this project.

Several times a year I try to take one yoga class a day for a week or two.  From earlier posts, Elfcroft sews for a couple of causes (making more than a few items on several occasions).  The texture of a couple of fabric selections in my stash were too coarse  to use for dresses (what to use it for?).  I had a purchased a yoga mat bag for myself as well as read instructions in One Yard Wonders by Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins.

Last year yoga mats were left unsold from a holiday marketing promotion, until I came along buying multiples in blue, green, purple, pink and gray.  Then, bolt ends of beautiful light weight canvasses were added to my inventory and shown the Elfcroft header.

After consideration of experience with my purchased bag and my fabric selection, I modified the instructions

  1. No lining
  2. Plain strap
  3. Draw string instead of elastic

Yoga Mats + Fabric + modified pattern instructions + sewing = Yoga Mat Bags

Yoga mat bag Project

Yoga mat bag Project
First three bags with mats

First three bags with mats

Bags include new mats

Bags include new mats

His and Hers

His and Hers for Valentine’s Day

 

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Repeat: 100th post from March 2012

21 Jan

 

This post features another evolving project inspired by an e-book Art Journal Ideas by ClothPaperScissors.com which includes a chapter by Tracie Lyn Huskcamp @ thereddoor-studio.com titled “A Year Captured in Fabric”.  What I have so far are 11″X12″ pieces of muslin with themed collages from remnants and fabric photos from Spoonflower.com.  This is a great opportunity to prepare custom “quilt squares” that do not have to stand washing and wear.  A few unfinished projects are getting closure and inclusion in the “journal”.  Beads, buttons and trim are embellishing layouts.  I have 11 squares completed and 11 squares with concepts.  My intended scope is 48 squares which will finish the bolt of muslin that Mam-ma Tuggle left with her sewing accessories.

Fabric Journal under construction

As much as I have enjoyed knitting and sewing lessons as a change of pace and producing “a product” (after all, I am a career Manufacturing Engineer.), this project is about the ideas and rules that I make up along the way.  Liberating:)  I’ll keep you posted!!

Update January 2013:

19 squares are ready for trimming.  My cycle of projects has taken about-face.  I have changed course from freestyle creative to repeat pattern which is fun to see results quickly.  Photos in my next post.

 

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It’s a wrap.

24 Dec
Fabric sample

Fabric samples

There are many fine 18″ X 18″ fabric samples that regularly come up on sale.  Here are a couple of ideas for wrapping.

Wrap jewelry box

Wrap jewelry box

Envelope bag

Envelope bag

The envelope bag was not only made as gift wrap but also as long-term storage for a chunky African necklace.

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Stitched Service

29 Sep

 

To Elfcroft, stitched service (the last three years) has meant prayer shawls, aprons for Wheeler Mission and girls plus boys clothes for Helping Hands Touching Hearts.  My late start for this year’s shipment to South Africa was jump started with boy’s shorts from Target clearance sales.  The slow rolling start at sewing uses up the last of former curtains turned boy’s shorts in my first shipment in 2010.  (Think of the movie “Sound of Music”.)

Simplicity 5218….four pair, size 4

Also last year, I had long narrow bands left over from making girls dresses with Simplicity 2228.  I sewed those bands together to make dresses with See and Sew B5592.  Yeah!  four more dresses out of last years stock.

See and Sew B5592

More to follow!

Tea Towels

5 Jul

Having a small collection of tea towels from vacations in the 1980s, my interest was renewed on a trip to London last month.  I brought home three more.  One each celebrates the Queen’s diamond jubilee, Westminster Abbey and Harrod’s (with a peacock).

This morning I found this outstanding example for do-it-yourself tea towels using Spoonflower to print the fabric.  Added to my TO TRY list.

http://blog.spoonflower.com/2012/07/turn-recipes-into-tea-towels.html

Quilt gardens

23 May

I learned about this from a tweet!  Beautiful and very interesting!

http://www.amishcountry.org/things-to-do/quilt-gardens

http://www.tradingplaceamerica.com/quiltgarden.php

http://www.in.gov/visitindiana/tripplanner/TripIdeaDetails.aspx?id=4914&regions=1,&categories=0,

Fascinating 🙂

One thing leads to another

13 May

Could it be that an attraction to cotton print fabrics is genetic?  Both grandmothers made more than a few quilts each.

Once upon a time (several years ago), I found several fabrics featuring black bears.  Maybe there is a project with Dad’s name on it. He is also know as Papa Bear.  With no particular purpose in mind, the fabric ended up in the shopping cart then on my “What To Do With This” list.  Eventually, the fabric was paired with Nature-fil Batting TM.  This batting is 50% bamboo and 50% organic cotton.  With the help of Elfcroft assistants Shelby and Eve, two 48″X72″ quilts were made and given to Mama and Papa Bear.

Bear quilt project with Eve and Shelby

Encore!  By special request, we made a third one with coordinating fabric.  This one was a challenge with quilting due to the long running pattern.  Hmmmmm….a quilting frame would be handy.  Didn’t Mary Ann send me Aunt Mary’s needlepoint frame….20 years ago?  Of course, it was still in the box in the guest room with instructions!  Very helpful although small.

Needle point frame from Merribees Co, Memphis, TN

Eve is missing from the next picture.  She loves curling up in her “tent”.

Eve’s tent

Purrrr!

Travel advisory

23 Jan

Credit for the inspiration of this post goes to Pam B and Pam C.

  1. Travel with a minimal neutral pallet.
  2. Pairs of shoes are best packed in individual bags.

Tomorrow morning I fly out on a business trip (for my day job).  Following Pam X 2 advice, I have black and white separates chosen.  For my long trip next month, I made four black and white checked bags (from my stash) for shoes.  No, I am not wearing the bags.  They could have been any color.  I had five plus yards on hand.  I have not decided on an applique….thinking foot print, shoe silhouette, monogram, so these are not ready to fly yet.  Suggestions?

Shoe cozy

Looking back…

5 Jan

Time for reflection, evaluation and dreaming.  I took time this week to revise my “About” page with highlights from 2011.

It  occurred to me today that two years ago I was sitting in a waiting room and discovered Spoonflower.  Spoonflower.com produces custom fabrics printed with images provided by individual customers.  I did not waste much time to come up with favorite photos to see how the process worked.  They require you order a swatch sample to approve of the results.  My bill was $61.90.  Your designs are designated for private or public availability.

My first Spoonflower order

My favorite sample

My favorite sample image is this close up of tree bark.  Dilemma!  Now what do I do?  The only things I had sewn in the past 30 years were curtains, pillow covers and a difficult slip cover project.

Coincidence?  I had an email from Sidney about the sewing challenge Helping Hands, Touching Hearts made to give a handmade article of clothing to each person in a village of 1200 adults and children.  Win-Win.  I had accumulated a fabric stash that could be put to good use plus I could improve my sewing skills.  Elfcroft shipped one large flat rate box to South Africa in both 2010 and 2011.

Maybe it is about time to get back to Spoonflower.com.  The Jan/Feb 2012 issue of cloth*paper*scissors magazine has an article on printing custom fabric which features Spoonflower.

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