Archive for Sewing

Thrift Shop Thursday 5/16/13 – Tie Dye Dress

// May 17th, 2013 // No Comments » // Art Groups, Blog, Kids Crafts, Mixed Media, Journals & Papercraft, Needlearts, Stich, Felt, Sewing

HELLER :D

Oh my goodness, I have got something super cool to show you this week, but first, I have to tell you about my shopping trip.

I needed some plant pots this weekend, so I stopped by the thrift store to see if they had any. Unfortunately, they did not, but since I was there, I figured I would look around.  Keep in mind, this was not my regular day to record Thrift  Shop Thursday, so I did not have my camcorder with me!

Normally when I go to the thrift store, I have a system. I start with the candles, move to the craft section, head over to the books, followed by the housewares, furniture, clothes and finally finishing at the boutique. This week, however, I veered from my normal path. It was like something was pulling me to work with fabric, so I listened to my instincts and headed straight for the clothing section.

I was just looking through the clothes for some unique fabric when I discovered this weeks item. It was a plus size (5 X) dress and even though it was entirely too big for me, I KNEW I had to have it! Luckily I had my phone with me and I was able to whip it out and shoot the video footage of the find!!!

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Fast forward to this weeks regular (recorded) T S T  trip – I got NUTHIN’! I searched the ENTIRE store and didn’t find a single thing that inspired me or even had any potential for altering! I am sooo glad I had my phone with me when I found that dress because if I hadn’t I would have probably created something I wasn’t really happy with… and that wouldn’t be very nice, now would it Precious.

I have already finished making the skirt and I can’t wait to share the video with you on Mixed MEdieology Monday!

*Another little behind the scenes tidbit – You can’t tell it, but since I had already found the dress (and altered it!) by the time I shot this weeks footage, I am actually wearing the finished skirt in this weeks Thrift Shop Thursday Video! Sooo, it’s kind of like I time traveled… I am wearing the item to FIND the item ;) *

Please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel.  Don’t forget to share it with your friends ;)

My blog will be changing within the next couple of weeks, so keep watching for some big announcements.

That is it for today.  I will see you on Monday!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT4AK4sg67s&w=560&h=315]

Thrift Shop Thursday 5/9/13 – With Special Guest Robyn Couillard!

// May 9th, 2013 // No Comments » // Art Groups, Blog, Kids Crafts, Mixed Media, Journals & Papercraft, Needlearts, Stich, Felt, Sewing, Thursday Themeday

I have just finished editing this weeks video and I am STILL cracked up laughing!!!!!

My dear friend Robyn Couillard flew to Norfolk from Minnesota for a visit. While she was here, we took a trip to the thrift store and she was awesome (and brave) enough to make a special guest appearance on the show. This was the most fun I have ever had at the thrift store and I have NO idea how I am EVER going to top this one!

Be sure to stick around after the talkie bit to see some behind the scenes footage ;)

2013-05-09 10.16.12

 

Mixed MEdieology Monday 3/25/13 Hand Painted Tyvek Bag

// March 25th, 2013 // Comments Off // Art Groups, Blog, Kids Crafts, madeitmonday, Mixed Media, Journals & Papercraft, Needlearts, Stich, Felt, Sewing

This weeks project was sooooooo simple to make! I was able to complete the entire bag in less than two hours (including drying time) which is some kind of record for me! LOL!

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I picked up a few Tyvek envelopes from my local post office and cut them apart. My bag is made with three envelope, but you could actually make it with just two. I just chose to not use the seamed side of the Tyvek envelopes. For the handle, I cut the ends off of the belt I got from the thrift store last week and stitched them to the inside of the bag.

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I didn’t know it at the time, but I should have sealed my paint before sewing the bag. When I flipped it inside out after sewing, some of the paint started to chip. If you make one of these, be sure to let it dry completely and then seal it before sewing.

I have already used this bag to carry some art supplies to a friends house and it works great! The Tyvek is extremely strong, so I don’t have to worry about the bag tearing or falling apart if I put heavy items into it.

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I love that I now have a personalized bag that I can use over and over again. I’m sure it will be a conversation starter!

I hope you enjoyed this project and I would love to see YOUR hand painted Tyvek bags. Leave me a comment with a link to see your finished projects. If you liked this post, please share it and tell your friends :)

Until next time,
BIG HUGS!!!!!!

Christmas for the boys

// December 23rd, 2012 // Comments Off // madeitmonday, Sewing

So, you’ve decided that Christmas gifts this year will be hand made.  You can find plans/patterns to make the perfect gift for everyone on your list – Mom, Dad, your 4 year old niece, your 25 year old sister-in-law, your 16 year old niece.  Things are going along fine until you come to a HUGE road block.  The dreaded teen-age boy.  What in the world do you make (that will be appreciated) for that surly, video game playing, sleep-till-noon creature called an adolescent boy?

I hit that a while ago, but after some web searching I decided to make some messenger bags. I made the bags of a cozy flannel that would look more rugged as it was worn and used.  I did not use a pattern, but sized it to be large enough to be used for an overnight bag.   On the cover of the bag I made two different game boards – a checkers board and a board for a game I have never heard of, chebache.  I made the game pieces from polymer clay, embedding a watch gear into 4 of the solid game pieces for the ‘kings’ in checkers.

Of course, because I had never played (okay, heard of) chebache I included directions to play the game.  The only thing I didn’t make were the dice.  I wanted to make sure they were balanced, functioning dice.

    

Fingers crossed that the surly creature known as a teen-aged boy is thrilled with this gift, or at least not sulkingly glum.

Merry Christmas!

Nikki

 

Head In A Bag – Drawstring Purse

// October 26th, 2012 // Comments Off // Blog, Mixed Media, Journals & Papercraft, Needlearts, Stich, Felt, Sewing

31 Days of Halloween – Day 17

Today’s post was inspired by a picture I saw on Facebook. The picture was of a girl walking down the street with a drawstring bag hanging from her wrist. The bag looked as if it was carrying a severed head because there was a face protruding from the inside out. As soon as I saw it, I KNEW I had to make one!

You can watch the video walk through below.

 

The outside of the bag is burlap and the lining is green cotton. I created my pattern and sewed the outer bag and lining bag separately.

I added more prominent features to a paper mache’ mask that I had by adding paperclay to the lips, cheeks and nose.

I inserted the face in between the outer bag and liner and glued it into place. I stitched the top of the bag and added champagne colored ribbon for the drawstring.

I have to admit I am thrilled with how it turned out and I LOVE the looks I get when I carry it around. It is a full size purse and since I sewed it on the sewing machine, it is extremely sturdy.

If you are interested in purchasing a head in a bag, please leave me a comment and I will get in touch with you.

See you tomorrow!!!!!!

 

Making a Wall Hanging With Yarn

// October 25th, 2012 // Comments Off // Crochet, Sewing, Uncategorized

I have had a bunch of yarn hanging around for quite a while now with no idea of what I wanted to do with it.   I have been playing around with the idea of making a wall hanging and finally decided there was no better time to do it.  I decided to make it out of yarn because I love the idea of a wall hanging that both looks soft and feels soft to the touch.  I am a very tactile person so I wanted something I would be able to touch and not have the oils from my skin completely ruin it.
I started out making simple crocheted circles.  I used the same technique you would use to start the center of a Granny Square.  If you’ve never made a Granny Square you can find some really good basic videos on YouTube to get you started.  I found a couple here and here.  I think I made about 40 in various colors.  You can make as many or as few as you’d like depending on the size of your wall hanging.
I also added 3 woven circles to my wall hanging.  I used an embroidery hoop for my loom.  I cut 8 pieces of yarn and laid them across my hoop.  When you put the outside part of the hoop back on it will secure your yarn and will allow you to pull it tight.

 

I tied another piece of yarn around the center with a square knot to secure it.  I made sure to cut off the tail close to the know before I started.

 

Then you just start weaving over and under your base yarn. (not sure of the technical terms)
Once you’ve made the center as wide as you want it, tie of the first color.  To do this just tie the yarn to one of the base strings using a square knot and cut off the tail.  Tie your next color on to one of the base strings and cut off the tail to start your next layer.
Now you follow the same process going over and under your base yarn.  For the second layer I switched the strings I was going over and under.  So if you were going over one string and under the next, for your first layer, this time you would go under then over.
I added layers of yarn until it was the size I was looking for.  I like to add decorative yarn as on of the layers to add some extra texture.
When you are done tie off your final layer and cut off the tail.
To removed your woven circle from the hoop and tie off the ends, you cut two of the base strings off at a time and tie them together using a square knot.  This will keep your circles from seperating.
This is what it will look like when you are done.  You can either cut off the tails or leave them to add some extra texture.

 

To attach all of the pieces together I use a simple basting stitch and embroidery floss.

 

While you want to attach all of the pieces on all sides, I have found it is easier to attach and entire row across the bottom first.  Then you can stitch up the sides.
To finish off the edges I used a simple single crochet stitch.  I found that this helped to keep the edges flat and hold everything together.
I added some beading around the center circle on the finished piece.  Remember you can make your wall hanging any size shape and color you’d like.

 

Elphaba – Mixed Media Art Doll

// October 16th, 2012 // 2 Comments » // Blog, madeitmonday, Mixed Media, Journals & Papercraft, Sewing

On my personal blog, I am doing a 31 Days of Halloween series. Today is Day 15

Today’s post was two and a half months in the making, but I think it was well worth all of the time, effort, restarts, errors and triumphs!

Elphaba is a 3ft tall mixed media art doll and she was inspired by the play “Wicked.” You can view the full video walk through below.

 

She started as a wire armature covered in aluminum foil, then I sculpted her entire body using Creative Paperclay®. Her hair is individual sections of wool roving.

Her dress and hat are both handmade using fabric scraps, ribbon and lace.

Her base was made using a wire armature, covered in masking tape, covered in Spackle, covered in MORE masking tape. I painted and stamped inside the base, then I added chipboard gears and stitched in the chipboard clock.

There is even a light up inside her base that shines down on everything inside.

The flying monkey is a hand sculpted polymer clay face with a Creative Paperclay® body.

The shoes are plastic cake toppers coated in fine, iridescent glitter.

The crystal ball is a clear glass Christmas ball that has been painted with layers of glaze and alcohol ink. The base was once a candle holder that I painted black, then I created the holder with an old earring.

The Grimmorie is a wooden block from a stamp that I covered in tissue paper and painted.

The green glass bottle was also painted with layers of glaze, then I added a glitter flourish and alcohol inks to distress it.

 

I am very proud of how she turned out. I never thought in a million years that *I* would be able to create something like this.

Elphaba is for sale, so if you are interested in purchasing her you can leave me a comment and I will get you my email address.

See you tomorrow!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVUj9A6pUbk&feature=youtu.be

 

 

Made It Monday: Protecting Car Seats from Dirty Feet

// October 15th, 2012 // Comments Off // Sewing

With winter rolling around, and wetter, dirtier weather coming along with it, I needed to find something to protect the back of my front seats from little dirty feet…  After much searching, and not much finding, I decided to make something to fit my needs.

I simply followed the shape of my seats, sewed some buttonholes in the top to let the headrest poles hold it in place, used elastic at the bottom which wraps around the front of the chair (but hides in the crease) …and added pockets for the kid’s stuff.   Everyone is happy, and my leather is spared from dirty shoes!

I will be sharing a little more info on this on my blog later this week.  Feel free to stop on by!

Weekly Wednesday Linky Party 3

// October 10th, 2012 // Comments Off // Art Jewelry, Beads, & Glass, Bath & Body, Crochet, Kids Crafts, Knitting, Mixed Media, Journals & Papercraft, Needlearts, Stich, Felt, Sewing, Wednesday Crafty Links

It’s Wednesday again so time for our Weekly Wednesday Linky Party #3.

We want to see all of your recent projects in any medium but this week we especially can’t wait to see your spooky and creepy Halloween projects.  Upload your Halloween wreath, polymer clay bat necklace or mixed media haunted house project.  We want to see it all.

 

How to be a great party guest:

1. Be sure you are uploading ONLY items HANDMade by YOU.  That means no Etsy shops (specific items you are selling in an ETSY shop are fine), giveaways, contests, sponsored posts, or even recipes- although this a Halloween party so a really cool party project would be terrific.

2.  You must upload a specific project rather than your entire blog or FLickr set.

3. Please be sure to mingle with the other party guests by click on a few Links that catch your eye. Leaving a comment on those blogs is always nice.

4.  Link back to our party in your post so your readers can find us.  We can never have too many party guests.

5.  Grab our button and place it somewhere on your blog.

6.  The party will run until Monday at 8 pm.   Leave a comment here anytime this week and tell us what projects YOU enjoy the most then stop by on Tuesday to see what projects WE thought deserved special recognition.

 



Weekly Wednesday Linky Party #2

// October 3rd, 2012 // Comments Off // Art Jewelry, Beads, & Glass, Bath & Body, Blog, Crochet, Kids Crafts, Knitting, Mixed Media, Journals & Papercraft, Needlearts, Stich, Felt, Sewing, Wednesday Crafty Links

It is Wednesday and time for Weekly Wednesday Linky Party #2.   Last week  was full of growing pains and beginners bad luck.  We had trouble  that I believe came from the provider so this weeks brings a new provider.

We want to see all of your recent projects in any medium but this week we especially can’t wait to see your spooky and creepy Halloween projects.  Upload your Halloween wreath, polymer clay bat necklace or mixed media haunted house project.  We want to see it all.

How to be a great party guest:

1. Be sure you are uploading ONLY items HANDMade by YOU.  That means no Etsy shops (specific items you are selling in an ETSY shop are fine), giveaways, contests, sponsored posts, or even recipes- although this a Halloween party so a really cool party project would be terrific.

2.  You must upload a specific project rather than your entire blog or FLickr set.

3. Please be sure to mingle with the other party guests by click on a few Links that catch your eye. Leaving a comment on those blogs is always nice.

4.  Link back to our party in your post so your readers can find us.  We can never have too many party guests.

5.  Grab our button and place it somewhere on your blog.

6.  The party will run until Monday at 8 pm.   Leave a comment here anytime this week and tell us what projects YOU enjoy the most then stop by on Tuesday to see what projects WE thought deserved special recognition.

 



 

 

 

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