Thoughts

Snooping

Rachel — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:33:19 GMT

Now that the kids are older I have them clean their own rooms and organize their own stuff. Today, however, we are having a new friend come over and as I walked into Rosemary’s room…well, let’s say I could barely walk. I started folding laundry and putting toys to one side and I saw this.

There were scraps of fabric everywhere, thread knotted up, pins scattered and a needle just waiting to be stepped on. I saw a little book nearby and I just had to flip through.

My daughter, the secret designer! I have to say, as I sat in the middle of her mess, tears of pride came to my eyes.

Sometimes you have to sit back and ignore the mess around you to be able to see the gem right in front of your eyes. Have a fantastic day.

Love,

Frustrated

Rachel — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 22:44:19 GMT

I’m going to post about the drapes I’ve been trying to make…notice I say trying. I bought fabric from Spoonflower to make them and when it arrived I was very excited. The fabric looks great. I’m extremely happy with the design and the printing.

I ordered 5 yards because each panel needs 2 1/2 yards. The first thing I needed to adjust and figure is that the printing starts at the left side and however it ends on the right side with the repeating is just how it is. This caused a slight problem in that when you put both cut panels together, they aren’t uniform. The right side of panel A is the drifting repeat pattern and the left side of panel B is the clear starting pattern. Does that make sense? I needed to cut the fabric down so that both panels look uniform when they hang next to each other on the rod. Cutting down the fabric makes it necessary for me to use another fabric to make the panels wider to fit our windows.

The next challenge is that I need to use sun-blocking lining which for any of you that have used it know that it’s a pain to work with. It’s thick and rubbery and it so difficult to keep smooth. We have a projector screen TV and it’s important for optimum movie viewing to have the light completely blocked.

The final challenge is that my husband thought it would look nice to have a solid red border around the 3 edges of each panel to bring out the red flowers and I agreed with him. However, this third fabric is yet another weight and all three of the fabrics are fighting against each other and look just horrible. Yesterday I was so frustrated I took the drapes down and folded them into a pile in my office with intentions to just start over with something else.

THEY ARE JUST STUPID RECTANGLES! WHAT IS THE DEAL???????

Drapes open. Right drape is not finished on bottom because the sides are already pulling.

Left panel drape with side pulling and bringing left corner up off the floor. I measured the hem with them hanging and the length should have brought the corner right to the floor.

“Oh, why don’t you just bite the bullet, pick it out, smooth all the layers and put it back together again? They could look really nice and you already put so much time into it.”

I DID!!!! This is what it looks like after I picked it out, laid it on the floor, put a million pins in it to keep it in place, and then sewed it back together.

So, now you can see why I haven’t posted and what my latest endeavor has been. I did finally decide today that it’s actually human to show the projects you work on that just look like CRAP.

Love,

I Want One

Rachel — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:59:45 GMT

Esther might steal it though.

Love,

All Is Beautiful In California Land

Rachel — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:24:52 GMT

Hello everyone! C’est moi, Rachel! Just a quick little blog post to let you know that all is well. We have sold our house and have been living in limbo for almost 2 months now. Our first house fell through and we are currently in Escrow in a new house WHICH IS EVEN BETTER! Is that even possible? Ahhhh…the life of living with no permanence really gets your priorities in order. We have relatively no stuff because it’s all in storage and it’s amazing how freeing that feeling is. Just you and a couple of clothes on your back that you wear over and over again.

Living each day as Today and not looking for happiness in tomorrow is quite a challenge, but it’s been an amazing time of stretching and growth as people. I can honestly say that in my (almost) eleven years of marriage this entire experience has brought me the closest to my husband than we’ve ever been. You can fight it, or go with the flow. Since we don’t really have a lot of control over things, I thought going with the flow was the best option.

Miss you guys and I miss all my projects which will resume in due time. The ideas keep piling up in my head, but for now I just need to store them neatly away in my brain. Oh, and by the way, my new sewing school/studio is going to be 3 times the size as it was in the old house! So, no crying for me…I am only laughing with joy.

Love,

Amy Butler "Birdie Sling Bag" Review - Just Read It

Rachel — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 02:28:50 GMT

Well, it’s done and I really like this bag. It’s just CUTE! How can you not like a cute bag? I’m expecting my sister Megan to send some fabric my way asking for one of these for herself. But down to business. In this post I’m going to go through my experience making this bag, point out things I really liked, and things I decided to change.

All in all, I give this bag a thumbs up.

Pattern

First of all, I really like the weight of the paper they used for this pattern. It can be used countless times without the annoying rips and tears. Since this is a bag pattern and there is no need for fittings (yay!) I would hope that the paper would be nice. Well, it is.

Materials

The materials to make this bag cost about $43.00. I had to buy the pattern which was $13 so the fabrics and interfacings were about $30. That does not include the magnetic snap that I added which was another $5.00. I need to get all the pattern pieces together and lay them out, but I do feel that they asked you to get way more material than you actually need. I ended up with a lot of waste. If your fabric is $8/yard, having an extra half yard here and there is really wasteful. Like I said, I need to lay out the pieces to be more accurate with that opinion. That being said, is this $48 bag plus time worth the effort? Hmmmm…you could really get something cute from Macys on sale for that money. Just sayin’.

Directions

This pattern has been said that it is a great one for beginners. I agree and disagree. Sometimes I feel that patterns which are catered for beginners spell things out in such an exaggerated way that it’s actually a bit more complicated to follow. I feel that this happened for me in several places. Since I’m not a beginner, I don’t know if the manner of instruction is actually helpful for people just learning how to sew. I liked that they did have some very clear illustrations to show some steps that may cause someone to think twice. Sometimes those drawings are more confusing than anything else. In this case, they were helpful.

Things I Changed In The Pattern

There were several things that I changed in the making of this bag. I probably would have made it as they suggested, but I saw/felt/wore a pre-made bag and thus made some mental changes as I tried it on. I felt that the bottom of the strap was too wide and caused the mouth of the bag to gape open. I narrowed it down 3” total on each side and as you can see in the pictures, it’s still pretty substantial. There also was not a closure for this bag, so I decided to add a magnetic snap. The weight of the bag was a bit heavy and stiff for my taste so I altered the interfacings around a bit. I did interface the lining with the suggested fusible fleece, but I interfaced the outer shell with an extremely light-weight fusible and interfaced the strap and the band with a heavier weight fusible but on one side only. On the lining side I did interface where the magnetic snap went to give it some stability. I also changed the depth of the pockets making them custom for my phone and my GPS. Not huge changes, but enough to make this bag absolutely perfect for me.

Level Of Difficulty

I think that this bag is one that anyone can conquer if you take your time. However, it isn’t one that you can whip up in an hour. The prepping of the bag includes cutting your fabrics, interfacings, and fusing them together; this can take an hour or two. The actual sewing will go a bit quicker, but with the curves and gussets be patient and take your time. I also recommend not getting hung up on edges that don’t perfectly match as you go along. As I was sewing, I ended up truing the edges and seams to make things go together smoothly. I did think that the pattern could have been tightened up a bit. But, just go with the flow even if things aren’t perfect—it is just a bag after all!

Irene of Mushroom Villagers gives a review of this bag on Sew Mama Sew and talks about this very thing:

There's something funky with the pleated main panel not matching the top band well. (The main panel is wider than the top band piece.) Each time it hasn't matched up well and the pattern instructs you to pivot at the joint, but it looks funny. I recommend trimming the main panel to fit the top band and sewing a straight seam instead.

At the end of this bag making process when you are attaching your outer shell to the lining, take your time because the bulk could frustrate you as you finish your final top-stitching. I recommend smoothing out the fabric and pinning carefully so that you can be confident as you sew that you won’t be getting any other parts stuck where they shouldn’t be.

Will I Sew This Bag Again?

You know, I probably will. It’s a fun bag, I like the pleating details and the large interior for all my junk. It would be a really great gift to give to someone too. As to the cost of materials and if it’s worth it, well, it is a personal creation and people spend money foolishly on all sorts of stuff. It’s gotta go somewhere, right? And you have a wonderful sense of self-satisfaction that you created something you love and hopefully will use.

Love The Bag But Don’t Want To Make It?

Well, you are in luck because I saw this bag on Etsy and you can buy it. Just type in “Amy Butler Birdie Sling” and a plethora of them will be at your disposal. I’m not sure how that works exactly because on the pattern it states:

This pattern is for personal home use. Projects are not to be produced for commercial purposes, nor are they to be made into items for sale.

Well, happy sewing and happy buying! Buy at your own risk!

Love,

I Love Alexander Henry

Rachel — Thu, 28 May 2009 23:21:03 GMT

Alexander Henry

Love,

Dittany Tights

Rachel — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 01:02:39 GMT

Ever want to make a dress around a pair of tights? I’m totally going to!

Tights by Dittany.

Love,

Parasol Magazine

Rachel — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:09:52 GMT

Just thought I would share this with you. It’s really really cool.

Yasmine of A Print A Day has started an online free magazine called “Parasol” that you can download. Here is a description of it in her words:

Parasol is a downloadable pdf magazine dedicated to featuring established and emerging designers and artists as well as segments on creative lifestyles and small business owners. I am SO excited about this project as it’s given me the opportunity to get to know such wonderful creative individuals who are VERY passionate about their work.

I enjoyed it immensely.

Love,

Outside Inspiration

Rachel — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:30:14 GMT

It’s fun to browse the internet and see what other people are doing. Especially because my sewing machine is currently packed away! So strange. Here are some cool things:

Chairs covered by DanielleLovesColor and the fabric on the right is designed by Mary Brewer of Royal Forest. Here is some amazing Spoonflower fabric that her husband designed.

One Red Robin and the Society Toy Drop.

I’m IN LOVE with the Wonderland Fabric by MoMo. See the full line HERE.

Do you like to crochet? Head on over to Thornberry and be prepared to shake your head in amazement.

Ever have patternmaking questions? Head on over to Pattern-Making.com and get your answers. Really a great site.

Do you LOVE to sew bags? Pick your perfect pattern out at Nicole Mallalieu Designs.

The COOLEST dress in the world make by Jodie of Ric Rac and it is completely made out of selvedge. This dress is INSANE! I’m imagining the man hours put into this thing.

And now I leave you with the coolest picture of my sister Megan. Don’t ask.

Love,

The Rack

Rachel — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:31:24 GMT

As my daughters get older I am becoming aware of the reality that most mothers with older daughters have. There is a HUGE difference between the size 4-6X selection and the 7-14. It’s really quite disturbing. I went to Nordstrom Rack today and was browsing through the girls dresses. I found so many adorable cotton dresses for my middle daughter who is a size 6. Rosemary, who is a size 7/8, was absolutely impossible to shop for. All the dresses on her size rack were made of floaty polyester fabrics and I really did not like them at all. Some were not age appropriate, but most were just UGLY!!! She is after all, only 8 years old. I HATE polyester. I think it looks cheap and it doesn’t feel good. Go ahead, go to Nordstrom online, and look at all the fabric ingredients. I dare you.

So, needless to say, I was grossed out and bummed. I know that I sew the majority of clothing for my children, but sometimes you just want to buy something sweet. After all, there are some other cute designers out there too.

Sigh. My little blog posts will be a little sporadic as we are still in the process of moving.

Love,