Under Construction

Tote bag tutorial--make those freebee totes beautiful

If you end up with ugly canvas tote bags from work or conferences, here's the perfect way to turn them into beautiful, personal holiday gifts.  This quick project takes less than an hour and the results are great.

Supplies:
I tote bag (with an ugly logo is fine--the idea is to cover it up so you'll want to use your tote for your groceries or as an oversize purse)
A piece of contrasting fabric (dark fabric for a canvas tote) about 12 x 12 inches
A piece of fusible web (like Heat and Bond) about 12 x 12 inches

Tools:
Scissors
Iron
Computer and printer
Sewing machine (optional)

Start with your ugly tote.

Choose a letter and print it out to create a monogram. I used 550 pt Liffey Script SF to type the letter "L" but any font will do--print out your monogram letter nice and large. I printed mine in outline form and then outlined it on the paper using a sharpie so it would show through on the back.  Measure the logo on the bag you are trying to cover and make sure you can cut out your monogram without the logo showing.

Once you decide on the right size square to cover your logo and fit your monogram letter, draw the square onto the papery side of the fusible web. My square was 8.5 inches wide 

Now is the tricky part--remember that what is the sticky side of the fusible web will actually be the top of the final project. Basically, you need to use a mirror image of the letter.  See photo above. I've got the fusible web paper side up and the letter is reversed underneath and ready to trace. When I trace it and look at the sticky side of the fusible web the letter will be the right direction. Sorry if this step is confusing--it's late.

Once it's all traced, cut out the fusible web outside the square line (leave a little around the edge) and fuse to the back of your fabric using the iron. At this point I also scribbled in the inside of the letter so I could keep track of what part of the letter to keep and what part to discard.

Once the entire thing is cut out (including the letter) peel the paper backing off everything EXCEPT the letter (the scribbled in part).

Now reassemble your puzzle on top of your tote. I used the letter (with the paper still on) as a guide to arrange all the bits and pieces perfectly.  Then iron to affix the fabric to the tote. Once it's tacked in place, you can pull out the letter and then iron the whole thing securely.  One thing to note, after you lay it out but before you iron peek under the letter to ensure none of the logo is showing through.  I failed to do this and some of the logo shows in the letter :(

It's hard to see in the photo but the entire cutout design is on the tote with sticky side down. The letter is in place but since the paper is still on the back it won't stick when you iron it.

Ideally, if you didn't start this project at 10 p.m., you may want to stitch around the edges of all the pieces of fabric to make sure this is really secure.  Alternatively, use Heat and Bond Ultra which is a pretty sturdy fusible web.

The tote isn't super washable but have you ever washed a canvas tote bag? They shrink like nobody's business anyway.

If this design doesn't float your boat, an alternative is to just sew a giant pocket to the front of the tote.

Iron the edges under on a square of fabric

Pin to tote covering logo and then just stitch it in place. A few tips on that, if you can, expose just the arm of your sewing machine. Then, as you sew, basically turn the bag inside out. Run your left hand inside the bag to ensure you aren't catching the back of the bag as you stitch.

You may also want to use interfacing to stiffen the pocket fabric depending on how stiff your bag is. My pocket is a bit floppy.

Once you've stitched it on, you're done.

This photo is awful but this is a nice, simple bag with the raw selvedge edge of the linen pocket as the only embellishment. If I had time I might have embroidered on the pocket. Free embroidery patterns can be found here.

Let me know if you embellish a tote! I'd love to see a photo.

Tutorial: Interfacing applique technique

Does everyone already know how to do applique using fusible interfacing? I can't recall when I learned this great technique, it's certainly not my original idea, but I thought I'd share a quick tutorial.  Disclaimer: all photos taken with the flash leading to poor quality and weird reflections but I think you can handle it!

I'm working on a mini quilt, applique on chenille, as one of my cozy items for Handmade Parade.   Without further ado, on with the tutorial:

Draw the designs you want to applique on the back (non bumpy) side of a lightweight fusible interfacing:

Pin designs to the fabric you want to applique with the bumpy (fusible) side of the interfacing toward the good side of the fabric:

Now sew on your drawn lines (or just inside since you don't want the pen marks to show like they do on my project).  Stitch all the way around your shape without leaving a gap:

Then cut out your image pretty darn close to the stitch line. Clip corners as needed to reduce bulk and make curves smooth.

Now cut a slit in the interfacing through which you will turn your applique piece right side out (thereby tucking in the raw edges:

Carefully turn your piece right side out taking care not to tear the interfacing (too much).  Poke out the corners as needed:

Arrange your applique pieces on the fabric you are appliquing them to and iron to lightly fuse them in place:

We interrupt this tutorial programming for me to comment on how much I love my dorky little hand sewing kit. I made this little pouch and added a needle, a spool of thread, a leather thimble, a few pins and embroidery scissors and it's a perfectly portable kit for a perfectly portable craft (hand sewing or hand quilting). I have another one for embroidery. I love this simple kit so much I'm going to make a few to sell at Handmade Parade. I think they would be a cool gift for someone who enjoys sewing or wants to learn.  The ones I'm making will come with a needle case and without a wine stain (oops).

So, hand sewing, you need to hand (or machine) sew around the edges of your applique pieces. If you hand sew, use a coordinating thread and a blind stitch as you would use to sew binding.

And that's it. Good looking applique quick and easy with no needle turning required.

I hope this is helpful--let me know if anything is unclear.

have a great day!

 

A cozy for everything

Mr. H asked me yesterday if I was going to make a cozy for everything in the house. I suggested the toaster looked a bit naked and he just rolled his eyes. In all fairness I have cozified a number of objects lately:

First off, the tv:

This one may not be staying as I entered it in the Sew Useful contest and it's for sale in my Etsy shop. If you want to make one, tutorial is here.

Then the newel posts:

That awesome, knitted newel post cover is from Jacqueline Knits. Her customer service was fantastic and unlike most of my friends and family she didn't comment on the oddity of wanting to make a knit apple jacket into a newel post cover. I guess I gal who knits apple jackets can understand how nearly everything can be improved by a little knitted cozy. Now I just need to touch up the paint.

And finally the coffee press:

This is so my sister can make coffee at her desk (and keep it cozy and warm). She starts a brand new job next Monday. The coffee press itself is a re-gift so I thought I'd better dress it up a bit.

So really, only three cozies two of which are leaving our house. I can totally cozify the toaster ;)

Hope you had a cozy weekend!

Silhouette Tutorial

I know I've seen a very similar tutorial somewhere in blogland but since a few folks asked how I made my Father's Day present, here's the technique I used.

Materials: person to photograph; digital camera; photo editing software; printer; scissors; decorative paper for backing; plain, dark paper (or sticker) for silhouette; smallish oval frame (oddly enough, I only found oval frames at Wal Mart, not at craft stores)

Step 1: get child to pause long enough to capture profile image despite digital camera delay (most complicated step by far).  BTW, do I detect a bit of toddler bershon here?

Step 2: From here you could possibly skip to step 4 but here's a few more steps you could add in for good measure if you are bored (which apparently I was)
Crop photo in editing program and use magnetic lasso to select and erase the background. Clearly I am not a photoshop expert.

Step 3: Make it all black (I found this helpful to visualize which of my  crummy photos was going to  work best)

Step 4: Resize your image in the photo editing program until it's right for your selected picture frame (mine was about 4 inches tall).  Print image.

Step 5: I found an oversized plain brown sticker at Paper Source (I really have no idea what you would need a 5 inch brown circle sticker for but it worked great for this). You could also use plain black paper.  Lightly affix the printed image to the back of the paper/sticker (double stick tape works) and carefully cut out your image removing double chins and adding necks as you go.  Also, look at the way the image cuts off below the neck, it should be longer in front. You may want to test this on extra print outs as it was hard to get right.

Step 6: Choose decorative paper and cut to fit frame. Affix silhouette

Step 7: Write in name and year along bottom of silhouette (done after this photo was taken)

Step 8: Wrap and give to recipient as a cute, personal, easy, $6 gift.

Quilt construction instructions

I have given up on creating a physical instruction book to go with the Zip Quilt Kits. I tried. It sucked. I'm moving on.

I really like the Instructables format so I thought I'd use that online forum to create the tutorial. My focus was not on how to sew but instead how to actually put a quilt together. The process for assembling the pieces.  This stuff is intuitive to some people (but having taught sewing classes I can tell you, not intuitive for everyone). I hope the Instructable is clear and easy to follow. It can be found here.

The quilt pictured above is one of the variations that can be created with the Zip Quilt Kit. It's been fun messing around with the kits and trying different variations starting with the same 20 squares.  I see more doll quilts in my future...

Mmmm, it's mushroom, strawberry, alarm clock soup!

Biscuit has learned to pretend. And she likes to pretend she is feeding the world soup. With a big spoon!  Mmm, soup.

No, she is not wearing a poncho, I've been messing around with a pattern for a hand towel bib.  This one isn't quite right but it might be good for painting (or "cooking").

Speaking of patterns, Sonja asked me to help translate a drawstring backpack pattern she found online. The bag was cute but the directions were terrible so I made an Instructable. Not sure if it's any better than the original but at least there are photos. I think I'll post all tutorials over there because it's such a user friendly format. 

Ok, that was random. Off to bed, I think I'm getting sick :(

Instructables and wine bags

A few folks asked how to make the wine bags blogged about here.  You can find a step by step tutorial here.  The instuctables.com homemade gift contest ends tomorrow so I decided to enter this gift. 

And speaking of the instructables website.  I found directions for making this ultralight, flexible camera tripod and immediately knew it would be PERFECT for my dad. My dad's two major hobbies are photography and backpacking, especially ultra light backpacking.

This $0.75 and 10 minute homemade gift was by far his favorite, beating out many dollars spent at REI. The device looks pretty dorky but works great. If you have any photographers in your life, they might love this. 

I love it when a homemade gift is so well received (I can always count on my parents for that).  Which takes me back to the whole idea I was blathering on about the other day, what to do when homemade gifts aren't very well received.  Well, the gal over at All Buttoned Up (check out my fab new blogroll, over there, to your right, for the link) coined the phrase "Tepid Response Factor" and perfectly summed up my thoughts on that phenomenon.  Tepid Response Factor.  Love it.  And while we're talking about Miss Buttoned Up, did you see Sam's Kitchen in that post? Did you love it?  Biscuit is SO getting one of those.