Some Summer Bee Blocks

Cross or Plus block made with black and white fabrics for the cross.  We were told we could make the cross part any size and any location within the block.

These blocks are called a digital pinwheel block and were inspired by one of the quilts in Amy Ellis' book Modern Neutrals.

This flower block was from a tutorial from the bee member's blog.  You have to pay attention to what you're doing, but the end result is lovely!

I'm sure you've seen these Japanese + and X blocks popping up all over the internet.  This one is the 7.5 inch one made using the Badskirt Amy tutorial.

A pinwheel block made using the Sew Mama Sew tutorial.

This block was called Ring-Toss and I used the tutorial on Woodland Cottage Designs.

Please accept my apology...

To those who were following along for the sew along, I completely apologize for the lack of a follow up post!  I had written a skirt tutorial for you that just needed photos....and then life got majorly in the way.  So, I will be catching up on posts for the Sew Along shortly, as well as, showing some bee blocks, tutorials, etc.  Please have patience.

In the between time, know that it is really good to have hot water, working kitchen faucets, toilets that flush, medicine for sick canines, and most importantly, family and friends that help when life gets crazy!  So, count your blessings.

Etsy Shop Prep

Sorry to those following along for the long pause in blogging.  I have been unemployed for a few months now looking for a job--no, still haven't found one--but, I do have a plan.  I decided to give my Etsy shop another go! 

I actually had opened one quite awhile ago and had a few things listed, but my job and life took up too much of my attention to really get things going properly.  Now that some of that is out of the way, I've been working on getting things set up.  I also talked my mom and sister into trying a few of their items too, so there'll be a bit more variety.

So, what's taking so long?  Well, mainly the CPSIA details.  The federal government has added a few new huge regulations for those making children's toys and products which complicate the berjeebers out of it all.  (I know, I've been watching videos and reading documents until my eyes want to bleed from all the legal talk!)  It also can make things very expensive unless you very carefully choose your toy components because everything has to meet the new lead and phthalate level requirements, as well as, the safety standards.  That means expensive third party testing.

There are many things like fabric, thread, Velcro, wood, pearls, etc. that are exempted from testing because they've already proven that there's no lead (and not being plastic, obviously no phthalates) in them.  BIG sigh of relief there!  But things like plastic safety eyes, buttons, rhinestones, zippers, snaps, etc. all still need testing.  Fortunately, for small batch makers like myself, we can use the General Conformity Certificate (GCC) of the component's company.  Unfortunately, many manufacturers are simply avoiding testing by saying that their products aren't made specifically for 12 years or younger and so they won't test according to CPSIA requirements.  This makes it a bit frustrating when you want to use something like say a plastic button or maybe a cool vintage glass button on a doll or something as simple as a sew-on snap.  I think the least expensive lab I saw was charging around $45 for one particular lead level test.  Add to that lead in surface coatings (such as paint on a wooden block) or phthalate totals (such as certain plastic parts) and you can see how costs start to rise.  And, this is for each item.  So, if you start seeing these items missing from handmade toys, don't be surprised.  (Although, I know there are many handcrafters who are just ignoring it all.)

My solution is to separate my handcrafted creations into categories for children (3 to 12 years old) and the "adults" (older than 12 years).  I will continue to make my heirloom and art dolls and creatures for those who are old enough to not put their buttons in their mouths, but I will also make "child safe" versions without untested items.  So, for example, a doll dress might have Velcro or wooden or mother-of-pearl buttons for closures for the child's version while the heirloom version might have sew-on snaps and resin buttons instead.  Animal type creatures will have felt or embroidered eyes instead of my usual button eyes (although I do embroider many of the heirloom/art faces too).  So, for now, there will simply be some items not available in a child's version.  As I get testing documentation in place, I can add these components to my child versions.

Don't worry, I have some lovely dolls and toys in the works for children---they'll never miss the rhinestones!  For now though, I've revamped my shop look, designed labels and cards, drawn up new patterns and gathered my old ones, picked out fabrics and begun cutting away.  Now, I'm just waiting for my CPSIA regulated woven labels and contact cards to arrive.

So, if you buy handmade toys (and I certainly hope you do), support those crafters who have gone to all the effort to meet the requirements of CPSIA---it really is a huge effort.

I hope you'll come visit my shop once I get some of my creations in there for you to see!

And now, I have a skirt to finally make...

RATZ and Super Swaps

Just a quick post to share some swap items I sent out. 

The first is a coffee cozy (which, incidentally, also fit around the individual sized Ben & Jerry's ice cream containers...just sayin') made for my secret partner in RATZ (Rapid and Tiny Zakka) swap.  She had lots of likes to work off of, which somehow makes it harder, including red and white combos.  She also seems to have a liking for the French General style fabrics. (Warning:  lousy inside-at-night photos to follow.)

I really liked the button (a tulip) on this.  Also the added bit of satin ribbon.

Just love the feminine feel of this softly colored fabric!

While I was making coffee cozies, I also made one for my Super Swap partner.  (I used the pattern and tutorial found at InColorOrder by Jeni Baker for guidance.)  For my partner, I had Michelle (a.quilter.2) who is quite talented and based on her favorites reminded me of my younger sister--lots of fun, whimsical, modern likes.  She also likes giraffes, but more on that in a second.  So I made her a bright kind of silly cozy with a cute little worm in the center (you know...early bird gets the worm...okay, maybe its only hilarious when you're up really late).  The center is made in log cabin block style only using folded strips of fabric (think iris folding only not as complicated).

Isn't that a cute little worm?  The button is actually two buttons stacked.

I had some gray houndstooth, which coordinated with the gray on the front, plus houndstooth is just fun.

Now to the actual swap item for Super Swaps---this round was pincushion or small animal.  And, as sort of mentioned earlier, I made a giraffe for Michelle.  When I saw that she liked animals, particularly owls and giraffes, I knew I had to make her a little creature.  However, when I decided on a giraffe and went looking for a pattern, there were almost none out there!  The few that did exist were more floppy or child styled or were out of print.  Mmph!  I did find another cute one, but the etsy seller was on vacation.  Left high and dry, I was.  So, I made a pattern myself (go me!) and created my very own giraffe!

Hello there!

I used felt for the ears, regular quilting cotton for the body and for the antlers I made two tiny French knots out of wool embroidery yarn.  I used variegated DMC perle cotton floss and wool embroidery yarn for the mane and tail. 

Isn't this little guy a cutie?  I did the mane in loops, but it would look cute as fringe too.

Michelle likes Tula Pink which is what I used for the body---which worked out perfectly as I had all the color coordinating flosses, yarns and felt.  It was meant to be.  :)

Figuring out the gusset (underneath belly part) was the hardest,  (I think I might tweak it just a touch more) but after three test ones, I got it to where I liked the results.  This giraffe is just the right size to be either a fun little shelf sitter or a pin cushion, so Michelle can use it either way.

You can see the tail here--it is braided and matches the mane.

I need to write up some instructions, but then I'm going to have the pattern available for others to enjoy.  I think I may make a larger size too that would be more child toy size.  We'll see how the pattern translates to the larger scale.  Anyone interested?  First though, I need to make me a giraffe--this one was hard to give away!

Could you stick a pin in him?

Blogger Problems--Stay Tuned for Part 3 of Challenge 1 in the GBSB Sew Along

Blogger keeps trying to log me out as I type, so rather than log back in for the 20th time (literally), I'm going to just say have a great day and we'll pick back up later on our sew along progress.  (You could always prewash and iron your fabric while you wait.)

I've also got a little trouser tutorial coming and some crafty goodness, so hopefully Blogger will behave itself tomorrow!

Lulu the Elephant and a String Block

Just a little peek at some of the things I've been working on...

For April, Deanna (aka Spongebobette), a member of Bee White Black, requested a string block.  She asked us to use the solid gray for the center string and then towards the centers use the red solid.  The red was to be lined up as closely as possible.  This was harder than it would seem as the strips of fabric are different widths, so you have to plan carefully to get near the same point for sewing on the red!  Each square of is 6.5 inches, making a 12.5 inch block when sewn together.

I like the bold red in the center!

I also completed this little elephant softie for my younger sister's birthday.  (I don't know what she'll name it, but we'll just call her Lulu for now.)  Lulu is made from an upcycled dress that was one of my sister's favorites.  In fact, I did a makeover on the dress once changing it from a V-neck swing dress to a cross-over faux wrap A-line dress with white piping down the overlap while also widening it at the waist.  I think she wanted to try and remake it again when that didn't fit, but I wasn't game so the dress went into the thrift shop pile.  Later, I got to thinking about it and snuck it out of the pile for repurposing into the elephant.  I've been hiding this for almost a year now!

Lulu goes well with the miniature quilt on my wall, hmm... just kidding!

Lulu is made from Simplicity 2613 like Marvin.  She's sporting a lovely 1 inch wide white satin ribbon.  Don't you love the flower around her eye?  Yeah, that's the power of fussy cutting!

The GBSB Sew Along Challenge 1 A-line Skirt, Part 2 Fitting

Wait!  What?  You're not shaped like a fit model with an exact ten inch difference between waist and hip?  Me neither.

The whole reason for a sew along is to make something usable, so unless you are built like the fit model used by the pattern company...deep breath...you're going to have to adjust the pattern to fit your real life body (or whomever you're making the skirt for).  Now, before you start weeping and wailing over the thought of trying to fiddle with a pattern that was obviously made for some industry ideal shape (which, by the way, is so not realistic for most women), let me assure you that a skirt is one of the easiest things to fit----really!

So, big deep breath...and exhale.  Better?  Good.  Let's get started.  I'm going to show you the basics of how I fit a skirt.  But, if you need more help, better instructions, or just want a more indepth fitting reference, I can recommend the books Fit for Real People by Pati Palmer and Marta Alto, Pattern Fitting with Confidence (used to be Fitting Finesse, I think) by Nancy Zieman, and The Complete Photo Guide to Perfect Fitting by Sarah Veblen.  I've had classes from Marta and Sarah and both are very knowledgeable on this which totally shows in the books.  I've also enrolled in Craftsy's Sew the Perfect Fit class with Lynda Maynard, which so far is quite good.  There are also fitting classes on Pattern Review from time to time, although no skirt ones at the moment.

Choosing a Size

I think this part stumps many people, especially those just starting into sewing clothes.  Pattern sizes do not coorelate to ready-to-wear sizes.  For skirts, I fit into size 6 at most stores (we all know how varied sizing can be between brands), but in patterns I usually range around a 14 depending on the company and cut of the design.  Huge difference!  So first thing to do, toss out of your head any preconceived ideas of what "size" you should be.  You are the size you are, the only reason we care at all is to know how to cut our fabric. 

This pattern gives two sets of measurements--one for your measurements (to choose a size from) and one for the finished measurements of the garment (so you'll know how loose the clothing fits).

To choose a size for skirts, ignore all that fluff about bust measurements, not needed here, go straight to the waist and hip measurements.  Remembering that this is just a starting point, find the ones that are closest to yours (they may be different sizes!) and mark that.  When I'm working with a simple skirt, I usually will opt for the hip measurement even though my waist would indicate a larger size (if your waist is bigger than your hips, you'll want to go with the size which matches closest to your waist measurement) otherwise, I'd find myself swimming in fabric around the hips making an A-line skirt more like a full skirt!  I'm no curvy girl, there's not a huge difference between waist and hip (and there's less now than used to be, lol), so I find it easier to simply adjust the waist area rather than fiddle with the shape and drape of the entire skirt. 

Maybe you fall in between "size" measurements or your waist is bigger than the "size" for your hips.  This is not unusual.

If you want to be able to keep your original intact, then I recommend tracing the pattern pieces first.  I like to use the Tru-Grid by Pellon as it is sewable, drapes more like tissue and fabric, and can be seen through for easy transfer of marks.  (Other great options include Swedish tracing paper, medical exam table paper, tracing paper...)  Once I get the originals traced off in my chosen size, and add seam allowances if needed (hello, Burda--yes, I like to pre-add the seam allowances, because I tend to forget that Burda doesn't have them already in and that makes for some very unhappy discoveries of having cut the sewing line instead), I cut generously around my tracings at the side seams (usually I leave a couple of inches extra).  Then pin along the sewing line.  (If you're using a pattern with seam allowances included, you'll want to mark this out with a pen so you have a reference line to follow.  I like to use a different color just to distinguish it from my cutting line.)  Also, pin any darts or pleats.

Now, carefully try this on over your undergarments (including slip and tights/pantyhose if you wear them normally).  You'll want to have a clip or two to hold the zipper area together so that your hands are free.  Standing in front of a mirror will help you to see any areas that aren't fitting.  Simply unpin those places and repin so that the fit is better.  Around the waist, make sure you unpin and repin in equal amounts for each side.  If the front darts are poofing funny, try taking them out or making them smaller in depth (leave the length as is).  Maybe your back darts need to be deeper (I don't have much of a booty so this is never my problem)  Also, take a look at the side seam and hem--are they straight?  If not adjust by pulling up the front or back a bit.  (By wearing a "belt" of elastic at your waist over the pattern, you'll have a reference for marking a new "waist" when done adjusting.  Mark with a pen prior to taking off the pattern.)  You may need to add width to only the front (or back) rather than both.



Here's a view of some basic adjustments (from Painless Sewing) that you can make.

At this point, I carefully take off the pattern and make a pen mark over each pin that was adjusted.  Now, make these changes to your traced off pattern.  You may need to smooth out the transition from waist to hip or the curve of the waist.  If you made your waist area larger or changed the curve of the waist, don't forget to also adjust the facing to match.

Here's a quick view of the pivot slide method for adjusting skirt width (also from Painless Sewing).

Your adjusted pattern may look a bit Frankensteined with it's additions and adjustments, but that's okay.  The point is to have a pattern that fits you perfectly which you can then use again and again.

You can see that I've added to the width at the side seam once since the original tracing and adjustment and made that same addition to the facing.  Once you've got a pattern that fits you, little adjustments for weight gain or loss are easy to make.

Once you've made your adjustments, you are ready to make your skirt.  If you still aren't sure of your adjustments, you could always make a muslin to test the pattern with real fabric.  This could be necessary if you were using something stiffer to trace your pattern on.  A muslin is also handy if your weight changes (or you're planning to change it) as you can test adjustments to that before making permanent changes to your already fitting pattern.  (I have Crohn's Disease, so regular weight change is a part of life.  Sometimes I only take in or let out a side seam a smidgen, but sometimes I need to make bigger adjustments.  And while I plan on getting into a more toned shape {aka flatten that tummy somewhat} after finally gaining some much needed weight...there's nothing wrong with having a few new skirts in the mean time.)



After some weight gain, I adjusted the pattern and tested those adjustments on my old muslin.  You can see that I still chose to leave the front darts off, but needed a bit more room at the waist for my front piece.  Much easier than doing sit ups!

While fitting the pattern adds an extra step to the process, it is well worth it to have a skirt that is fit at the waist and hips properly and already has the length you want.  Once this is done, you can focus your attention on the fun parts like choosing fabrics, embellishments and style changes!