Wednesday, December 29, 2010

GreenStitch Episode 18 - Fleece and sergers

Haven't heard this episode yet? Link up right here.

Won't some sweet little baby be warm and snug heading home from the hospital in this fuzzy wrap?Above, you can see the little hood looks before finishing. You just stitch straight across (conventional machine!) about four inches down from the top, and cut fringe down to that stitching line. Cinch a little ribbon around it to bunch up the fringe, and you're done.

You can also see in these photos in how the serger makes quick work of the finishing. The pattern (get it here or here) also suggests finishing with a colorful binding, which would be really cute. In this case, I wanted to get them done and donated quickly!



Here's the stuff about the hat I was trying to describe. First, cut a 12-inch-wide strip as long as the circumference of the head you're trying to fit -- make sure the stretch goes WITH the circumference. For a newborn, make the strip between 12 and 14 inches long. Scale up the length and the depth for larger sizes.

Above, you can see, along with my charming and non-manicured thumb, how I've serged the ends together and pinned the tube so the seam is in the middle back.



Now just poke the side seams inward to form little pleats. No special measurements necessary. Stitch across the top to hold the pleated seam in place.

Turn a very deep hem to the inside of the hat and machine-stitch in place, using your conventional machine (i.e., not the serger.)

Here's how those cute little pleats look from the top.

The lighting, obviously, was bad when I took this shot, but here are some of the little hats in a row.






And, I went a tad overboard on shooting photos of the catnip mice, but gee, they turned out cute! My cats just love theirs, which are similar to these. I'm keeping these particular models up on the shelf, as I might put them on the much-neglected Etsy shop later.

I must tell you about the whiskers. When I made the set for my cats, it was Christmas Eve and I was scouting around for black embroidery thread or something similar so the mice could have whiskers. Of course I was out...but right on the kitchen counter was one of those plastic net sleeves they put around wine bottles. Imagine something like that sitting around my kitchen! :-) A few snips - instant whiskers!

As always, thanks very much for listening! Please leave a comment or e-mail me if you have suggestions - I always love hearing from listeners.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

GreenStitch Episode 17 - Crispina ffrench interview (and more!)



Merry Christmas! Thanks for making a little time during this busy holiday season to listen to Episode 17!

I've learned so much about felting and recycling sweaters from the Sweater Chop Shop, so it was terrific to have a chance to visit with author Crispina ffrench. Here are a few links that can tell you more about Crispina.


UPDATED 12/23: Here's a shot of the felted wool stocking, made from a recycled Old Navy wood sweater.


Also mentioned in this podcast:

Here's the cute Christmas ornament from the clever gals at my quilt guild party. There are tons of fun things happening out there with fabric selvages. These were foundation-stitched to a thin piece of batting and a solid backing fabric. Outside edges are raw, with just one row of topstitching about a quarter-inch from the edge. Everyone loved them!

Listener Valerie (scrooquilt) sent these photos of tote bags made from cleaned-out birdseed bags. That heavy-duty plastic will make for a durable shopping bag - great idea, Valerie!

Finally, here's the link to the great fabric gift wrapping (and tag-making) ideas.


This link came to me from Darla at the Scientific Quilter - thanks, Darla! (and if you're not a fan of Darla's yet, please get yourself over there and listen - she's great!)

Sunday, December 5, 2010

GreenStitch Episode 16 - I felt like it

I was all over the map in today's podcast! Tune in to the episode here.


OK, so my reconstructed sweater vest really looked a lot cuter on than it does here! It really was so warm and cozy. I think I'm going to add a couple of buttons and loops for front closure. I've made one more but I haven't taken a photo. Can't wait to make more!

Other links from this podcast: