Hello Tokyo Panel Dolls (for the Fluff Project)

I got a surprise in the mail about a week ago.

Kristy (from Hopeful Threads) sent me a fabric gift.  Inside was the Hello Tokyo doll panel (and two cuts of fabric, one from the line and one from another line).

I was THRILLED.

Not only have I been wanting to get and make these dolls for the Fluff Project but this month has really had its way with me so I hadn't even thought about what I was going to make (if anything) for the Fluff project this month and this fixed that problem.

I got sewed them up immediately but didn't finish them up until a day or so ago.  Then I had to wait a day or so to get some half way decent pics (natural light is so fleeting this time of year!).

SUPER CUTE!!

I backed two with the ballerina fabric (which is really a light yellow/beige--this pic doesn't do it justice) and two with the blue fabric from the Hello Tokyo line.

I think the gal in the green is my favorite.

There are also cats on the panel (one is just a face, the other is a full body doll) but those are for ME.  I haven't sewn them up or anything yet.

I'm so dropping the ball on this month's sewing challenge.  It was blankets/quilts for kids and I just ran out of time.  Really, it's been a long time since I've had a month just whip by like this but November just disappeared in front of my eyes.  I do have a quilt I can donate (I won it and it's fabulous but I have never used it and it seems wasteful to keep it when I can give it to someone who will use it) so I don't feel super bad about crapping out on the quilt challenge.  I'm sure it will come up again.  NICUs will always need blankets for the bitty sproggen, so. . .

These cuties (along with the quilt) will go off in the mail (hopefully) next week.  I should have boxed them up last night to join the pile of stuff I'm mailing out this morning but I just didn't do it.  I was lazy last night and just had pizza and watched t.v. (and my cats chasing each other, they're so cute!).

Progress Report: Little Portraits

Oops, forgot to do this yesterday.

So here it is now.

I think this just might be on the way to being DONE.

I've just been blending and blending and futzing and. . .yeah, nothing super exciting.  Though looking at it now I think I need to clean up the line on the background.  It's looking kind of bowed instead of straight.

Now I just need to add the mouth (I'm nervous about that) and then add some of the wisps and threads on the surface of the felt (especially on the mask).

We signed up for two extra classes in December, so this little monster should be done then.

That means. . .oh no. . .I have to come up with a new idea!

Crafty Day: Quilt Blocks Galore

Yesterday I took off work to burn a vacation day (they collect so fast, I get to the point I have to use em or lose em) and I got my sewing ON.

First, I cut up four yards of fabric into fat quarters.  But that's boring so no pics.

Then I got some quilt blocks sewn for a few swaps.

First up, a round of crazy 9 patch.  The swaps call for two blocks to two partners.  These are the ones I shipped out (each set makes three, I keep one set).

I really like both sets but the lighter colored one is my favorite.  It's so low volume and modern.  I really like these blocks in general, too.  They're fast and easy to make and make a nice finished product.  It also helps me use up some fabric I otherwise would have turned my nose up at.  Like the brown blocks.  I really didn't like the floral print or the checks but together with that pastoral print and they work.  And using them in these blocks just about used them all up, so it's a win/win for me.

Next up. . .

Polaroid blocks.

The swap was two partners, two blocks each.  But I made an extra one for each partner.  It's really not that big a deal to make an extra, and I liked all these fabrics and wanted to use them for polaroids.  (they look really crooked in the pic but that's just the way I have them siting on the table, they really aren't made poorly).

I really love the opossum one.  That fabric still makes me laugh.

I'm still not sure I'm making this block right/well.  They always seem a little warbly.  Not exactly crooked but just wavy at times.  I think it's a combination of the white strips stretching a tiny bit when sewing and my seams no being pressed quite right.  But the more I make them the better I get so that's good.

Yesterday I also pulled fabrics for a set of green Teesha patches (and started figuring out what I want to do with them) and finished up some panel dolls (I'll show those off in a separate post--it was too dark to get pics once I had them done yesterday).

What's next?

Well, the set of green teesha's and then I HAVE to get the Teesha comic at least started.  I think that swap is stumping all involved since the hostess decided to move the ship date out to January.  I have a good idea but I really need to plan it out so I do all the steps in the right order to get a nice finished product.

Sadly, I don't think I'll get a baby quilt sewn for Hopeful Threads challenge this month.  November just zoomed by.  BUT, I will have something for the Fluff Project and I have a quilt in my craft room that I can re-gift to this month's challenge (I've been looking for a new home for it and this is perfect).

I also need to decide if I'm going to make something for my sister this year or not.  I have an idea but I'm not sure I've committed to it just yet.  I need to think about it a bit more.

OH, and I won't be having a giveaway this month.  I just ran out of time.  But I will have one in December (and might even participate in the Sew Mama Sew giveaway thingy).

For a swap: Sock Hammerhead Shark

Oh yeah!

I've been wanting to make one of these for a while but since I didn't have a reason to make it, it just fell to the wayside.  But the minute I had a reason (in the form of a sock creature swap) it was ON.

Wait, first let me share the link to the pattern and tutorial.  HERE.

(I'm so putting the book that pattern comes from on my christmas list)

Basking on a towel on my porch.  It had snowed so I didn't wan him/her to get dirty (or cold!).

Jeepers creepers, where'd you get those peepers!

From Wheezies Cove (aka "the best thrift store ever").  They are perfect for this pattern.

Swimming in the air.  Is that technically called flying?  Wait, I thought this was a hammerhead shark not a flying fish?  Oh, the confusion!

You can see I added one little extra to my shark (that wasn't in the pattern).

SMILE!

The original pattern didn't have a mouth but COME ON.  Sharks (of all creatures) need mouths.  And it's super easy to just stitch one on at the very end.

I love this shark.  So much so, I almost don't want to give it away.  But I know I can make others and they'll be every bit as cute.

The pattern/tutorial isn't one of the best written I've ever seen.  It's not very beginner friendly.  It kind of assumes you know what you're doing or that you'll just figure some stuff out.  And it's not very clear or accurate in spots.  Like the step where you make the head you make it from the toe portion of the sock but there's not a lot of info about placement of the pattern piece or any of that.  It also has you cut out two pieces then sew them together but I've found that's a pain in the butt when working with really stretchy fabric like socks.  It's better to trace the shape onto the whole toe piece and then sew around the traced line instead of dealing with all the rolling that will happen if you cut each piece out and then sew them back together.

But all in all the tutorial worked because I got a great finished product.  But it would be better with a few asides with tips and tricks (like the trace and sew method).

I have a feeling I'll be making more of these.  It gives me an excuse to buy more knee socks (I just love buying them!).

For a swap: Christmas Tree Dotee

I was very productive yesterday (took a mental health day off work).  So I'm spamming the blog today to show it all off.

First up, the dotee doll I finished for a swap.

I'm on a tree roll lately.  First the autumn tree and now this Christmas tree.

How festive is this little tree?

Close up of the front.  It's all wool blend felt with some charms sewn on.  I've had these for a while.  I scored them on sale back in the summer knowing that Christmas themed dotees would be right around the corner.  The candy canes are embroidered using baker's twine.  I tried to make some using stiffy but they were pretty fragile even after totally drying and this looks good so I'm going with it.

The tail is just beads with a bell at the end and the hanger is three strands of ribbon (red, white, and green, each trimmed in gold glitter).

The back has more lights and some little jingle bells.

All in all it turned out very well.  I'm a little irked that the stump is not quite centered but I didn't notice it until I had stitched just far enough that I didn't want to pull out all the stitches and fix it.  Yeah, I'm lazy like that.

This little tree is all packed up and ready to head off to the Netherlands.

Upcycling: Human sweater to cat sweater

Yes, I'm officially one of "those" people.

The crazy people who make clothing for their pets.

I'm not even going to try to hide it because I'm not ashamed.  My cat needed a sweater.

I hear your eyes rolling.  "Cats don't *need* sweaters, they have fur!"

Well, smarty pants, my cat doesn't have fur.  *sticks out tongue*  Well, technically she does but it's super short and curled to her body so she has very little hair compared to other cats and she is always cold.  Always.

My cat, Olive, is a Devon Rex.

And now she has a sweater that I made for her because I love her and I'm a freaking nut.

She is a very tolerant cat, which is good or me because she has all her claws and very "grippy" toes (I swear, her toes are like little monkey paws, it's a Devon thing).

She's trying to pretend that I didn't just wrap her in what used to be the arm of a thrift store sweater and take her picture that I will share on the internet for everyone to laugh at.

But while her face says "Oh for god's sake." she didn't do the typical "it's crushing me!" thing cats normally do when you put something on them.  She sat there for a bit, giving me a range of looks from "disgruntled" to "pathetic".

Then Eugene photo bombed us.

HAH!

That's Olive's older brother, Eugene.  (he's 2, she's 1, so they're both still very kittenish behavior wise).

Then she jumped down onto the floor.

Where Gene had to get up in her business (quite literally) again.  He definitely thought the sweater was odd but after sniffing it a bit (and Ollie's butt) he wandered off (lest I be able to get a good picture of him, the brat!).

Ollie then gave the chest strap a good biting which I reprimanded her for.

Which led to a bit of pouting behind the space heater.  I call this "toasting".  She likes to sit between the heater and wall, like she's in a toaster.

Once she was toasted, she took a few steps out but then had to sit again.  While she was walking normally in the sweater, she had to sit frequently (probably because it's made out of lead and crushing her delicate skeleton, dontcha know *eyeroll*).

The sweater is made from the sleeve of a felted wool/angora blend sweater I got for about $5 at the thrift store.  I used some of the super cool "all in one" velcro I got for the super hero cape project for the closures (the straps are the collar edge of the sweater).  I just eyeballed it for measuring and considering it was just a random one-of thing I made, it turned out pretty well.  And if she really does hate it, I can always use it for craft projects.

I think she might get used to it.  I don't leave it on her when I'm not around to supervise because I know she'll try to destroy it.  It is in her nature to destroy stuff (so says my tattered curtains and the spot of wallpaper behind the space heater that she is peeling off the wall).

"Gene, help me get this thing off!"

"I can't. . .she's right here. . .looking at me. . ."

HAH!  Finally got a decent pic of you, Eugene.  I swear, that cat never sits still (and for the record is every bit as destructive as Ollie. . . we got him one of those cardboard scratch boxes and it's half destroyed after only a few weeks--he LOVES tearing it up).

Linking up to Lily Pad Quilting.

Charity Sewing: Super hero dress up set

I'm totally tagging this with the FY14 Charity Sewing Challenge even though none of the fabric came from the scrap box.  Hell, none of it even came from my stash at all.

BUT. . . that doesn't mean I spent a ton to make this.  I was working with some other super charitable and fabulous folks (through the Regretsy forums) and they funded the fabric panel and I provided the notions and sewing time.  And I didn't fall into my normal trap of "oh, I'll buy extra for me".  I bought just what I needed (with a tiny bit of wiggle room).  Though that did mean I ended up with a butt load of elastic.  I couldn't find a tiny pack, so I have a few YARDS of elastic on hand now.  Guess that means I need to find uses for it now.

But I digress.

Show the pics for crying out loud!

Up, up, and away!!

It's the Riley Blake My Mind's Eye super hero cape set (in green).  It's a yard sized panel that includes the cape front (the horizontal stripe), mask, arm bands, belt, and the "decals".  Oh, and instructions printed on the fabric.

True confession, I love cut and sew panels like this.  They are a lazy person's DREAM.  Just buy the fabric, wash it up, cut and sew.  Yes, I pre-washed this because I figured if it's going to go to a kid it's going to get dirty and need to hit the laundry at least once.  Best to shrink it up a bit before hand so it will hopefully last a good while.

The only thing you need to provide is:  backing fabric if you want the cape to be reversible (you could just cut the cape out and serge the edges and move on with life but that would look cheap as hell), elastic (for the mask), velcro (for the belt and wrist bands).  Totally optional items:  batting (for bands, belt and mask) and fusible web.

You can totally make the set without fusible web but I had some light weight Heat and Bond on hand so I used that for the patch on both sides of the cape.  I didn't want to sew it down because it would leave stitches on the opposite side which would look bad.  I suppose I could have sewn the patches on before assembling the cape but I didn't think of that ahead of time and the instructions didn't mention it, either (for the record, the instructions are only "meh". . .but what do you want for instructions printed in the leftover space of a fabric panel?).

While I'm discussing the directions, they had typos in them which made me laugh but was also annoying.  They also had you make the bands and belt in a kind of dumb way.  They wanted you to attach the decals in the same spot where you put the velcro which would mean having ugly stitches on the decals.  Also, I think it would have been more wear on the decals.  If they're right at the fastener, I'd bet kids would pull on them to open the bands/belt which would lead to ripping (eventually).  So I put the decals opposite the fasteners so the stitching wouldn't be as ugly.

The instructions also fail to mention that if you're using a backing fabric or the cape (to make it reversible) you can use that same fabric to make a reversible (and matching) mask.  The mask pieces in the set are stripes on one side and black on the back (so technically could still be reversible but BORING).

I had to get something snazzy for my backing fabric so I went with green and shiny silver zig zag.  Not for the low profile hero, that's for sure.  Hell, I wanted to wear the mask just for shits and giggles (and I did model it for my hubby and I tried to get him to model it for the pics but it was cold out and football was on and he was not putting on pants for my crafty shenanigans--he did smirk at the set, which for him is big approval).

(oh, the instructions call for 5/8 yard backing fabric.  I upped it to 3/4 since I was going to pre-wash and it gave me plenty to make the mask back and left me with a bit of scrap which made me happy.  I love obnoxious shiny fabrics).

I decided to skip using bating on the belt/bands/mask (even though I had some on hand).  I was worried it would shrink and make everything get funky and I didn't want to wash the whole big piece I have (lazy!).  The items aren't as rigid as they would be with bating but they aren't droopy and cheap looking, either.  I had that mask on my face and it definitely hid my true identity.

OH. . .I also found THE BEST VELCRO.  I've only worked with velcro a tiny bit and from that limited experience I HATED IT.  You had to sew the loops onto on side and the hooks on the other and the hooks were always grabbing the thread and it was a big ole pain in the butt.  BUT. . .they have this version (velcro brand) that's hoops and hooks all in one.  The hooks are short and hidden below the hoops so you don't have two separate pieces and the thread doesn't get all caught up in it YET it still holds together great.  I used it on this project and on my cat's sweater (posting that next!).  Really, it was worth the price (it was a tiny it pricey but all velcro is. . .this was worth every penny).

Ok, so that's the super hero set.

Next up. . .my cat and her new sweater.