ring

I recently finished up work on a feature for Family Fun about New Craft Products on the market and the gal who tests them for the mag- ME! Trying to get over my vanity (read: not in love with the pictures of me)I invite you all to check out the September issue and see the projects I created for the piece- there are some good ones! One thing I tested was the new Mod Podge Dimensional Magic, which is a 3D glaze that you use like resin, only it isn't toxic and tricky. I liked it a lot and made some rings for my sister-in-law and myself. Here's the tute. Easy and satisfying with great results!

What you'll need:
-ring blanks with a bezel (I actually got these at Michael's Crafts and they claim to be lead free, so...)
-fabric
-embroidery thread and needle
-Mod Podge Dimensional Magic (in stores now, I believe)
-Mod podge

What to do:
1) Cut a piece of pretty fabric to fit into the bezel cup thingy.

2) Stitch your initial or a design on it with contrasting embroidery thread.
3) Use mod podge to stick the fabric to the bezel. It should fit snuggly and have no wrinkles.

4) Rig something up so you can make your ring stand up and have a flat top. This is important for the next step. You also will need to leave the ring to dry without moving it for a few hours, so be sure it's in a good place out of direct sun and dust.
5) With the application tip of the Dimensional Magic pointing down, fill the bezel. To avoid making bubbles, try to make a continuous stream. Fill to top of bezel so it domes slightly. If there are bubbles, wet your finger and touch it to the bubble. It should pop.

6) After the gluey stuff is dry (a few hours) you may need to apply another thin layer as the stuff sometimes sinks when it dries.

A book!

Enough with the hints and announcements of big news to be announced! Enough, already! I am so very excited to tell everyone that I have been offered (and you better believe I have accepted) a book deal from the fantastic Storey Publishing. Do check out all of the great books they have published because if you are here, then you probably lean towards the kind of lifestyle that Storey publishes books about- DIY and the love of making stuff. When I looked through the shelves in their office I realized that my husband and I have tons of books they have published- from animal care and carpentry to food and crafting. They are a creative bunch with a keen vision and I really couldn't be happier to be working with them. They are located in the MassMoca complex so going to meet with them means a visit to an excellent museum in the hills of Western Mass. It isn't that I don't love going to NYC, but I do love the less hectic drive and destination of North Adams on most days.

So, you must be wondering, just what kind of book is this going to be? Well, I think it is the book most people who sew or dream of sewing want. It will have 101 projects that you can make in anywhere from 15 minutes to a day. So you can whip up a cool and creative gift right before heading to the party or you can set aside an afternoon or two to make something quite substantial- like a quilt or throw rug or a new fancy frock. On top of that great promise, what you make will be super original because I am going to explain how to embellish simple fabric and add interesting and unusual elements to really put you name on the piece. I love designer fabrics (so much) but I do feel like they limit how original you can make something. Of course, all of the projects can use whatever gorgeous fabric you want, I'll just show you how to transform cheap muslin and canvas and decorate other fabrics to make them stand up on their own.

So, I have been a busy gal- lots of first run sewing going on in the steamy studio. It is tricky to find time to post here, but I will be giving sneak peeks of projects that will be included in the book, and tutorials on extra projects that you might like.

fortune cookies

Uh, it seems that someone working in a fortune cookie factory reads my blog. Really, I am so excited for every comment but when I google translate some of them, they are like this:
Can impart knowledge, wisdom can not. Each person must be his own.

and this:

Happiness is not everything, people have a responsibility.

They don't seem to actually relate at all to my crafting and posting and I do wonder what the story is. My daughter loves it anyway, though sometimes when I hit translate I hope it isn't porn (and it has been).

camp

Our annual camping trip to Cape Cod with our dearest friends was last week and it was great. The amount of relief I felt when we pulled in to the same site we have been at for years now was nearly overwhelming. It's a spot where all the regular routine we can get mired down in vanishes (replaced by another routine, but the change is refreshing, indeed)and we can just smell the woods and the smoke and sing and eat and swim and laugh and debate and bike ride and scooter and wonder if today will be a day that we will successfully poop (tmi? sorry).

Food: Probably the biggest consideration when planning our trip and we have gotten it down to a science. Of course we eat out for the fried seafood need, but at the site we also eat seafood purchased at a nearby fish shop and cook it over the fire in foil packets- oh yum! But my favorite meal for it's decadence and ritual is Raclette night. Apparently there is a Raclette cheese shortage right now, so says the cheese girl at Whole Foods, so we brought Morbier this year instead and it was soooooooooooo good. We stick the wedge of cheese on a log next to the flames of the campfire and allow the fire side of it to melt.

Meanwhile, we boil new potatoes and set out little cornichon pickles and olives.

So, melted cheese all over the spuds with the sharp olive and cornichons and wine and we are truly happy campers- happy campers who anticipate the dreaded cheese ball that inevitably forms in our bellies. Totally worth it.

Market Produce Bags

We can buy just about anything we need for cheap, cheap, cheap- I know. But still, if you have to get in the car or have it sent in the mail and you have 20 minutes and some muslin, why not get off the computer and just make these? We all know it will be satisfying, and if your sewing machine is working well, it will be easy and fun. Ok, enough of my preaching, since if you are here, then you are the choir.

These muslin produce bags can be whipped up very fast, but if you want to spend an extra 5-10 minutes, you can also make them super cute by doing a little thread drawing.

Here's the tute:

What you'll need:
muslin
thread
cotton string or ribbon
chalk

1) Cut a piece of muslin to your desired size. I made this bag big for bunches of chard and leeks. It measured 13" x 19".
2) Create the cord case (where the drawstring will be) by folding the top edge over a half inch and pressing.

3) Fold over again and make a case that is at least 1" wide and press with iron.


4) On the right side of one side of the bag, draw a design with chalk. Using a straight stitch, stitch the design on the bag. I went around the design 3 times so it really has a hand drawn look to it.

5) Fold bag so the right sides are together and sew up the 2 sides (one is a fold, which is intentional because it allows for an unbroken cord casing). I used the kind if stitch that is a combination of straight stitch and zig zag. It sews a seam and seals an edge so it won't fray. Look here:

6) Attach a safety pin to the end of your cord and push it through the casing. Knot the ends together. All done!

the kids love to sew!

Just finished my second week of art camp, this week being "Super Crafty". It was a ton of fun and the kids were truly into the projects, which, of course, makes me easy and happy. The best day was Wednesday, when we did sewing projects. They were unstoppable and didn't even want to take our mid-morning popcorn break. They worked straight through until lunch time on the most adorable and varied collection of stuffies. Some finished more quickly and got busy on hair elastic decorations, bracelets, and even a hat made from a felted sweater that turned out beautifully.



If you are interested in knowing how to make the bracelets, head here- I developed and made these for Family Fun last year and they are so pretty and easy to do.






What you'll need:
felted wool sweaters
paper and pencils
scissors
embroidery thread and blunt needles (we used tapestry needles)
pins
chalk

1) Draw your design on a piece of paper. I told them to keep everything simple and to avoid small arms and digits since they are tricky to sew and stuff by hand and still have them be the way you meant them to be. I encouraged them to think of their stuffies as really cute pillows. A couple kids chose to add felt arms and legs that weren't stuffed and they looked fantastic. Also, many kids tend to draw things that are smallish when given a regular sheet of paper. Encourage them to use at least half of the sheet- it just makes it easier.
2) Cut 2 pieces of wool that are a little bigger than the cut out pattern. Turn them so the right sides are together and pin the pattern to one side so it doesn't shift. Trace around the pattern with the chalk, remove the pattern piece, re-pin, and cut the pattern.
3) Remove the pins again and use felt and buttons to create the face and other details on one of the pieces- be sure to stitch them to the "right" side (the side you would wear out if wearing the sweater). If adding felt arms and legs, cut them out but don't stitch them on yet. When you sew up the stuffie, they will be sewn into the seam.
4) When you are ready to sew up the body, turn right sides together and pin in place. If you are adding arms and legs, sandwich them in place so they are facing in between the 2 "right" sides. The edges should touch the edges of the body so they will be stitched into the seam. Knot the end of the embroidery thread and use a running stitch all the way around the body, leaving a gap of a few inches for stuffing.
5) Turn right side out and stuff with fluffy filling- polyfill, wool, cotton balls. Stitch the hole up.
Cute!

Next time, a whole week of sewing projects.

Printmaking- Part 2

Despite my planning and testing, the silk screens were not the most successful things in this printmaking camp so far. I bought cheap embroidery hoops and it was very tricky to get the fabric stretched tight enough. The girls seemed a little discouraged at first by the results but, I swear, they really began to embrace the imperfections and the feeling was contagious. Today we made stencils out of vinyl sheets and then the girls made furoshiki gift wrap on muslin. Now, this was successful and everyone had fun and loved the results.



And they made little cinch sacks too. Cute!



We also printed on muslin with hot beeswax this morning. I used my vinyl stencil to apply the wax and some of the girls used cookie cutters and the cake decorating tips to stamp the hot wax on. I think it worked, but we will see when it comes out of the dye bath tomorrow. The beeswax smelled so good simmering in the double boiler but the tips and cutters sure got hot.

At the end of the morning, one friend headed out the door to California with a pile of handmade postcards to send back this direction. Here are Ava's:



These were made by using the foam stamp cube we made on Monday.