One Yard Wonders Made

I must say I was inspired by "One Yard Wonders".

Many of the projects are very simple and often things you might "just figure out" (such as the ironing board cover where you trace your ironing board and create a shaft for a chord) or even patterns you would find on line. However, they are inspiring. So much so that I made three of these projects in one week. Sometimes I love long projects, where the finished products will last for years. Other times, I want some quick fixes, things I can start and complete in a day. "One Yard Wonders" satisfied my quick fix need.

So, I finally recovered my old table-top ironing board.
Hooray! Now ironing is beautiful.
I think this took me one hour. My 2-year-old son even helped.

And I made the folklore bag.
I love it!
I must say it felt like it took a long time to cut out the pattern, cut out the pieces and all the interfacing. But now I have a cute summer bag.
It is bigger than I imagined, but a perfect size for me, since I am used to carrying around heavy diaper bags with too many supplies. This will hold all my essentials and not get too weighty.

I lined the inside with the same material as the outside, since that is the instruction of the pattern and I have a yard of this Denyse Butler fabric. The magnetic clasp, which is very useful and neat, cost me $5 at my local sewing shop, which was disappointing. After purchasing it, I found an old purse my mother gave me that is falling apart; it has three of these lovely magnetic clasps on it. So, I plan on re-purposing them into a new bag. I like the pattern so much, I'm going to make a winter version.

The winter version sneak preview:

I found a pair of wool Gap pants at the thrift store.
I cut them at the outer seams into two large pieces of grey wool.
I cut out the outer pieces of the pattern. (No pictures...I did this while hanging out with some friends and wasn't thinking about documenting the process). Then I made a stencil from some freezer paper.
And painted it on with black Permaset fabric paint.


What follows will be in the next post.

I also made a cute toddler apron that folds into a bag. I made it for my niece, Anna Scout, but since her birthday was yesterday, I packed it up immediately after making it, and forgot to take a picture. I'll see if my brother can take a picture of her wearing it for a future post.

Bottom line:
I like the book.
Some items are super easy.
Some items are dorky. (What are those boot cover things??? And how many Moms out there want matching halter tops for themselves and their daughters?)
The childrens' clothing section is all for girls and I have two boys...
BUT...
There are many amazing patterns that are easy, useful, and beautiful. Out of 101 projects, you will find ones you really like.
You will make them!
I have several more projects I know I will make soon.
The book is worth it!
And I look forward to the next edition.
I may even get One Yard Skeins, projects for knitting.

One Yard Wonders

I just picked up One Yard Wonders at my local sewing shop, Glenwood Sew. This book looks amazing. It has 101 different projects that you can make with only 1 yard of fabric! The instructions seem very clear, the projects are fun and practical, and they use some super cute fabrics. Sections of the book include Dwell, Household, Craft Organization, On the Go, From Head to Toe, Carry It All, Outfit Your Small Wonder, Accessorize your Little One, Playtime and Your Furry Friends. My only disappointment is the lack of little boy clothes in the Outfit Your Small Wonder chapter. As a mother of two boys I am always searching for fun things to make them. But, perhaps I'll start with the messenger bag. Two-and-a-half year old Sol would love it in the robot fabric. Here are some of the most intriguing projects to me:

The folklore bag.

Ballet neck Toddler Dress.

Child's Messenger Bag.

Pet Bed.

Tabletop Ironing-Board Cover.

(This I desperately need, as my little ironing board accidentally got paint on it from a stenciling experiment).

Each project shows you exactly how to lay out the pieces for one yard of fabric. This is very helpful to a visual sewer like myself.

I realize this book was published a year and a half ago, so I am way behind the times. But it is never too late to get inspired and crafty. It looks like Storey Publishing is working on a follow-up book, so I better get started now on these projects.

Fabric Baskets

I'm on my way to my first line of products to sell. This is a very exciting endeavor for me. I'm making fabric baskets for storage. These baskets are great for gathering children's toys, hats and gloves, yarn, holding diapers in the nursery, etc. I'm using a small one as a catch-all for my keys, cell phone, wallet and checkbook in our front hallway. I took another small one and put a plant in it to cover up the basic pot.

I'm hoping to have these for sale in an etsy store by August 1st.
Here I am ironing and painting my hand-made freezer paper stencils on the front of the bags.

Here are some of the first fabric bags I made. My new line is a little better, with suede handles and all original designs on the front.




More on this subject in the near future.

Images of Western Colorado

The drive from Carbondale to Ridgway, Colorado is one of my favorites. There are so many quirky towns and signs along the way. Here are some images I snapped with my camera in my potentially dangerous practice of point-and-shoot photography while driving.

Uganda Six Panel Skirt

My amazing mother-in-law went to Uganda last summer. She visited a market place and bought some fabric for me. At the market booth, she asked how many yards it was, but only got "two pieces" as a reply. It turns out that two pieces is quite a lot of fabric. This fabric is thick, with rich colors. The printing layers do not always match up, giving it a beautiful, organic, off-kilter look. I had been lusting after this for months, wanting to transform it into a skirt. She gave it to me just after my second son, Oliver, was born. I wanted to wait until I knew I could actually try the skirt on as my non-pregnant size. Finally, I finished it.

I used the Kwik Sew pattern 3337. A six-panel skirt takes awhile to cut out, but it was really easy to sew. This is a great pattern for anyone relatively new to sewing. It requires putting in a zipper, but otherwise is straight sewing with little technique required. It is such a fun, flowing skirt that I am sure I will make more in other fabrics.