Friday, November 27, 2009

Patchwork and my first zipper!

I wanted to make a grocery bag as a Christmas gift, and I thought it might be fun to make it in patchwork. I am pleased with the result, but I have learned several things:
  • when working with patches, the final product comes out MUCH smaller than the sum of it's parts. I forgot about seam allowances!
  • it is hard to make all those little seams match up. Boo.
  • Interfacing is cool, but hard to put on the back of a patchwork piece. I think if I were to do this again I would interface the lining but not the patchwork - it came out a little wrinkled because it didn't lie completely flat.
So, although the final product is pretty, it's too small to put groceries in!
Then, I attempted to make a bag with my first zipper! It was easier than I thought it would be.


Last weekend I went down to Providence to spend the afternoon crafting with Carole Ann (you can see her cool stuff here). I am working on making a braided rug, and after several false starts, I think I've figured out how to work it so that it's really reversible. I'll write more about the process and post pictures soon...but I haven't had too much time to work on it since I've been thinking about/making Christmas presents! (Yes, I know...Thanksgiving was yesterday...but if I want to be done on time, I have to get started soon!)
I have been making several snowmen as gifts for my grandparents, and I'm going to make a paintbrush holder for my brother's girlfriend, who is a painting major at RISD. In my immediate family, we pick names from a hat and buy presents for just one person...and this year I got my dad, which means I have some serious thinking to do. I'd like to make him something, but he's a hard guy to give things to...any suggestions for brilliant gifts for the man who has everything? I think I will make him a set of microwaveable handwarmers...he teaches skiing in the winter, so that should be handly for the ski lift.

Happy crafting!

5 comments:

  1. First zipper! Woo hoo! The bags are super cute. Hope you had a great week. :)

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  2. Yay! Your bag is so cute (even if it did end up tiny)! Next time you come visit, we'll talk interfacing. Hope you had a great holiday!

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  3. Hi Erica, thanks for visiting. Your bags came out very cute! Even though you might not fit all your groceries in it, I'm sure you'll get plenty of use out of it. I just made a patchwork bag with a student and I agree that when we fused the heavyweight interfacing to the patchwork it tended to wrinkle. I think I'd fuse a slightly lighter interfacing or simply line it and put the heavier interfacing on the lining. (That project is here on my blog: http://maidenjane.blogspot.com/2009/11/my-sewing-student-makes-bag.html). Also, regarding the scrabble tile necklace, I have only made scrabble tile charms (http://maidenjane.blogspot.com/2009/10/scrabble-tiles-and-practical-matters.html). There are many scrabble products on Etsy - many of them are painted, which I haven't tried yet. I hope that helps!

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  4. Nice work! Love the colors and now that you have mastering the zipper, the world of sewing is your oyster! :)

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