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8/17/2017

Foam Lining Trial

Foam For Lining?
(warning this post has attitude)

Yes, that is the short answer, but its not going to be easy to get to the finish line if you don't have a machine that can handle sewing foam or you just don't know what you are doing. Lucky for me I got one out of two this round. 

Lets start at the beginning. I love making my own unique sewing projects because I can design and use my own flair in each project. This time I wanted to use this amazing fabric by Daisy Kingdom, called "Embroidered Glen Border". I've had this fabric for awhile now and really wanted to show case it in the best way I could. If you google search Daisy Kingdom Glen Border -  beware cute puppies pop up everywhere. Here is what I'm talking about.

As you can see, this fabric is killer with its large and small check print and floral border. Who could resist. Letting this sit around any longer would have been painful for me. 
After designing my purse on paper, I set out to start making it, using this Pellon Foam as the structure that would help the purse stand up. And my first attempt at using this product.

 
I decided to just go for it, no pattern, no Youtube help, no brains, well ok, I kinda know a little about sewing, but I haven't made a zipper purse in a very long time. I've only made large tote bags for the past couple of years. 
That was my first mistake, not refreshing myself to the nuisances of bag making. 
My second mistake was underestimating the thickness and durability of this foam. 
And thirdly, just making it a little too large. "Think big" doesn't apply in this situation. 

Break down: go to this video and learn how to make a bag with this lady, she is wonderful with her video tutorial on bags. Foam Zippered Bag

Read the foam instructions and/or use my tip at the bottom of this post. 
Cut away some of  the foam edge. I left myself a fabric seam edge to sew on with no foam. 

Skip putting in the zipper if you are a relative beginner at sewing, I would also suggest  using a jean needle size 80 as well.

Set your stitch length to 3.5 or 4 on your machine.

And voila, the finished piece. LOL - I didn't take one single photo of the process and for good reason, it was a disaster from start to finish. Now the end result is ok, I can use this, but not as an actual purse, but more of a tote to take to and from work. Its large enough to hold a water bottle, numb chucks and whatever I need to ward off zombie attacks. It won't show blood easily either (bonus).

Look at all those sparkles, those are heat set rhinestones, my latest addiction in the crafting world. Perfect for burning out my attackers eyes. Cause you know I used those good Swaroski Crystals on a practice bag right? 

So to sum things up,  here are my final points to remember when building any kind of a bag.  
Take your time, think things through. 
Pockets get added first, not later, straps need to be measured from edge to edge and centered, not eye-balled.
Foam lining is a pain in the ass. 

If you've stayed with me for this whole post so far,  thank you. And because you are a valued reader, here are my best tips for making any type of bag.

Tip #1 - use webbing inside of the straps, its got a nice weight to it, its waterproof and relatively inexpensive.
Tip #2 - Spray regular felt for a sturdy lining instead of paying the very expensive price you pay for this foam. (there I just saved you hundreds of dollars - you can send me "thread" as a thank you gift for that tip) LOL
Tip#3 - if you are going to use the foam, quilt it to your fabric first. Read all of the foam instructions. This step really helps. (but do it first, not when you're finished)

I hope you enjoyed this little insight into one of my sewing adventures. I work hard at this craft of mine, but like everything we do in life, if you don't practice old & new skills, things will and can take a turn into the twilight zone!






6/26/2017

Silhouette Me!

After some time and research, I finally broke down and got a Silhouette Cameo 2. I purchased this item as a used unit from Swing Design. The service was efficient, but sadly I don't think I got a new blade in the unit, as I've already replaced it after only a few cuts. 
Oh well, that's not the end of the world.

Since Mothers day when I received this item, I have been trying to make things between work and the yard and my son's grade 8 class events, its been hard to squeeze some me time in there. But you know me, never let a new toy collect dust. 
So here is the first project I made using my SC. I love the dress form and I can't wait to make some more. I did feel that as a first project, it was a little ambitious. Learning how to learn a new machine with nothing more than Youtube for help can be daunting. Then I hooked up with a Silhouette Facebook group for some support (I'm just not as clever as I think I am) and I really needed some help with the trace feature for some personal projects.
Anyway, here it is.


I gave it some inked edges, but to be honest with you I didn't go overboard with embellishments and shading on this unit, as its been a while since I've been doing any papercrafting and I really wanted to take my time and ease back into things. Well since this project I'm all eased in and that Silhouette Cameo has created a monster in me. 
Check out this container that looks like a spool of thread.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a lot of use out of this little project. I'm going to make these as gifts for my sewing students. 

And as I mentioned earlier, my son is at the end of grade 8 and going into high school in the fall. 
And now that I have this new fancy machine to make stuff with, I'd be a fool to spend money on cards, wouldn't I? So yes I these teacher cards. 



I've had so much fun making all of these projects, which can all be found https://www.silhouettedesignstore.com/

I hope you are inspired to create today!

5/18/2017

Prairie Sunset

I think its time I got back to my roots and started creating some interest with my blog. Its been far too long since I've done anything with any serious intent here.

So many of you know I own my own sewing studio now, I teach sewing classes and do alterations and repairs during the day. I've recently joined a number of groups in order to get back into the online world, meet new people with my current passions and have some fun along the way.

One of the groups I do belong to is Sweet Pea Embroidery Designs what I really enjoy about this group is the monthly challenges. I find that if I have a deadline, I'm more likely to succeed in my project. The May Challenge was posted and without hesitation I took on the challenge.

This is the link to the challenge - you can still join if you want. May Sweet Pea Challenge

I started with the 5X7 format for my machine. But quickly after the started I realized that this size would be too small for me to do anything with. So I decided to get creative and double up the size and start making these 5X7 pieces into something worthy of a table runner.

Here is the result of my efforts.
One of the things that really helped me when I was stitching out the patterns was a sample piece. I stitched out a sample piece and would use it as a template for the next image I needed to achieve. So I would lay the sample in the correct position and then take it to my machine, I'd make sure my machine was set up exactly as the sample was positioned next to my machine. 

I'm already working on 7X12 but I've had to resize, so far so good the results are coming along nicely.  I will share when I've got them done. 

CreateAlways Lee