I may or may not have told you I bought the Bend the Rules sewing book. I really like it, but I'm not sure why. It's not like she says anything revolutionary or earth-shattering in the book, but she makes it all sound so do-able and unrarefied. And I think that's where I get stuck with sewing sometimes, that it's all got to be perfect and done a certain way (though goodness knows I don't actually follow through with that). And there are lots of neat little tips in it--like how she never prewashes fabric for quilts because then when you wash the final product it gets that neat wrinkly old look. Who knew?
All that to say that the book was my friend this weekend. Stacey, my friend Deb's sister-in-law-of-bug-quilt-fame, had her baby a month early so I was totally unprepared. Not that it's likely I would have been prepared if she'd gone on time, but.... So I whipped up 2 bibs from the bug fabric, with white-with-red-polka-dots flannel on the back.
What refused to be photographed were the snaps--they're set-in snaps, not sewn on. The book convinced me this was not hard to do, and lo and behold, it wasn't, so look for more snaps in the future.Another project in the book was little zipper bags. I improvised and made a big zipper bag (12 x 14") for toting around knitting projects and broke out the zipper foot for the first time. Pretty nifty device! The bag also features the other new thing I've found--printable fabric. There's the fabric I printed before, as well as an ee cummings poem I just did this weekend. Both were washed and they held up fabulously!
It's even lined.
Who knows, at the rate I'm going, I might even break out the button holer in a few weekends!
And then hell will freeze over.
4 comments:
How wonderful! I love the bib --of course, but the zippered, lined bag is totally fab. I haven't done a zipper in years but now am feeling inspired.
After the fabric is printed, did you sew it onto the bag? Sounds like a dumb question but I think I printed on fabric once and it was ironed on whatever I was making.
Do try a buttonhole. I love making them but admit I forget how to do them in between times. So I always have to re read my instructions!
There is life! I was getting worried!
You can get iron-on stuff that you can print on, but the stuff I'm using is fabric, so I needed to sew it on. You print it, wait 60 seconds, peel off the paper backing, wash it and Voila!
I got mine at Joanns.com--if you get some, read the instructions. Apparently there are some brands that you can't get wet (?!?!?).
How's your shawl coming along?
Erica,
You are awesome for telling me what "monster" means in Swedish. I feel greatly relieved now! :) Seriously!
I love your quilts, too, by the way. I have begun quilting recently and it is a lot of fun. I can't imagine how crazy I could go with quilting AND knitting both in my life (though not necessarily simultaneously).
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