cute storage

i've been a little nuts to find some cute storage solutions. i'm striking out. am i going to have to (shaking and nailbiting here) "make my own pattern??? here's a little catalog of things that i've found and like! but they don't work for what i want right now...
first, let me say that i'm kinda ticked that a lot of times, the pictures on people's blogs do not show any kind of frame of reference. we should keep this in mind as we post. when i'm looking for the perfect thing, i find myself with my head tilted, fractions and inches soaring through my head, and i think "for heaven's sake, just put a penny in the picture somewhere, just give me a little clue!"
for example, i set out to make these last night... cute suckers, aren't they? well, turns out, that they're like 8 measly inches or something. you have to translate from centimeters. i still think they'd be super cute to put a little gift in and give to a friend - but, they're not gonna hold anything that i want to store currently.
so, on to this idea... i found these patchwork fabric baskets... her photos show the sewing machine, so i scroll down to see a finished one, and what do ya know, but they're on the smallish side as well. very adorable, though, "keep these in mind," i say to myself.
so then i found these boxier fabric rectangles, which is much more like what i think i'm looking for.
but deep down, i think i want squares. something much more firm. not so basket-y. much more box-y.

are you wondering why i want this storage yet?
i've been trying to figure out a way to organize my growing stash of fabric, supplies, etc. here's a little peek at how things are looking these days... (don't judge me, girls).


now i need your brains... how do you store your stuff? your stashes? your craft supplies? i want to see all of my fabric. that's problem number one. i put most of my shelving underneath my workspace, but i think i really need more shelving on the walls. i've currently got the fab compartamentalized in to sizes (i'm very technical here, now watch out) like "big," "solid," "scraps," and my personal favorite, "crappy scraps." they're in rubbermaid, ikea boxes, and the ever so fancy ziploc bags.
also, can you add some links to this post with other cute storage solutions? not just for crafting stuff, for anything - i love the idea of giving a gift IN something i make.

Bag Addiction

This is my first post and I don't know what I'm doing! Ben has been traveling and so I've been up LATE sewing.

This is my new favorite. It's called the "Charming Handbag" from a book Sarah got at the library called "Bend-The-Rules-Sewing". It's written by the woman from the Angry Chicken blog. It was easy and quick!

I've experimented with fake patent/black vinyl which was difficult but cool.

The two patent totes are varitions of the fat quarter purse tutorial from sewmamasew.

I used the enlarged template for this dresden petal bag and it looks like a banana. I think I'll only do 5 strips per side instead of 7 next time. I don't think I'll cut off the top to make the pockets either. I'd rather have a bigger bag.

This is the "Sweet and Sassy" bag from the class I took at Quilting Adventures. The final step is learning how to install grommets which I'll do this Friday night. Exciting! : )

lazy skirts?

i tried the lazy skirts. thank you, sarah, for posting the link! i love these, and hope to do a bunch for m and a.c. to slip in to throughout spring and summer.

i'm curious - are they called lazy skirts because they're meant for a lazy day, or because it's a lazy way to sew a skirt?

i've never made a skirt before - and i knocked out four of these babies for my babies.

they are so fun to make! i had fun playing with patterns, ribbons, even making my own ribbon out of fabric, and ric-rac!

the mary-had-a-little-lamb skirt for a.c. turned out to be like a mini-skirt (oh, me and my seam allowances), but hey, we like leggings in this house, so it's all good.

what do you think of turning these in to an adult version? i'd love to make myself some skirts, but not sure i want the elastic. also not so sure that i want to get in to buttons and such. anyone have a good grown-up (simple) skirt?

AH HA!
so, i was walking down my hallway and saw this little beauty.
i asked her "have you ever considered modeling?"
she grinned.
i quickly pulled out the mary had a little lamb skirt (and the tune, we sang it together, of course - how else do you win over a diva like this?)... slipped it on her, and heaven behold!
now, the next day... my model coerced her big sister to get in to the modeling act.
but they decided that there was a much more fun (though unwilling) body in the house...
cooper, next time you run away, i will know you've gone to vogue.

The joys of working with burlap...

Here's a peek at what I worked on today:



Kelly - these are coming your way! I only finished 7 of them - the prep was brutal... I washed the burlap coffee bag first, and it softened up a bit and shed all over the place. Then I moved it from the laundry room to the kitchen, and it shed all over the place. I made some templates based on a cardboard coffee jacket I got from BCC, and the burlap shed all over the place. Then I started cutting. Guess what? it shed all over the place. Moved it into the dining room to press some wrinkles out and sew it to the felt I cut out as well... still shedding. I've hermetically sealed all the burlap in plastic bags, and I bet it's still shedding all over the place. I actually took a shower after sewing today, because the little burlap pieces were cutting into me - you know, like the little hairs after you get a haircut? But this I think is worse - the burlap fibers go airborne.

OK - so that's the bad side of working with burlap. The good side is - it looks REALLY cool! And it actually sews up pretty easily. I'll finish up the rest of them when I can do it all in one shot - that way I don't have so much shedding. Then I'm going to toss them all into the drier to fluff with no heat, so they can get all their shedding out of their system.

The turquoise one on the right is my favorite. It actually says "Yirgacheffe" (or at least, as much as fits on the jacket). And I didn't even plan it that way!

Peace -

Leigh

shall we?

who's up for it?
http://www.spoonflower.com/welcome

patch purse

a finished product!
hip hip.... hooray?
not sure about this outcome as far as size is concerned.
definitely love the bag. love the project. love the fact that i used scraps from my stash.
however...
a little freaked out about the large handles vs. tiny bag.
i should always give myself at least double the seam-allowances, because this somehow is a recurring theme when i sew.
what to do?
repeat this bag, but make it bigger and move handles?
turn this little sucker in to something else? but what?
i'm not totally whining... i'm happy that i got something completed.
and had fun in the meantime.
here are a few pictures to chronicle my efforts (note. must learn to place these pictures better).


oh, yes, and of course - i shall give credit where credit is due...
http://jemimabean.blogspot.com/2008/11/dresden-petal-handbag-tutorial.html

alright, ladies. holler at me.
help me save this could-be-beauty.

Finally finished!

Hi, guys! I'm excited that my first post here is a finished project - it will allow me to get this one off my list and get started on more fun things...

Not that this wasn't fun. Way back in September, Sew Mama Sew posted this tutorial... and I knew I wanted one for my kitchen. Not long after, our kitchen rug finally died - the backing had disintegrated and was sticking all over the kitchen floor. So my Patchwork Kitchen Mat idea started to take place in my mind...

Six months later, it is finished. Voila!

This is my first real "quilt," although I really shouldn't put that in quotes. It is a real quilt - I guess I did that because... I'm going to walk all over it every day, and that feels kind of wrong to do to a quilt.

Here's an up close detail...

The quilt design is nothing fancy, and I didn't even do any hard quilt stitching - just straight lines like recommended in the tutorial. I HAD to use the apple and pear fabric from Alexander Henry in the mat, although I am not so much a pale blue and pink girl, so I went with the browns. And the Farmer's Market apples from Michael Miller make me want to cry they are so cute - so I put them both together so I could enjoy them everyday. Kelly had helped me pick out more prints that worked with these, but I kept seeing this in my mind, so I went with it.

Now I just hope my hubby doesn't think this is too... girly. My 3 year old has already told me he loves it, and apparently he loves laying all over it. Perfect for when I want to do dishes.

I do have tons of links to share - I have a folder in my favorites named "I want to make NOW!" So I'll go through that and start posting the links to get them out there - and you guys can hold me accountable to actaully make them!

my2girls inspire me...

so. my first post.
i guess i should start by dumping some of my "to-do's."
perhaps if they're here, then it will somehow inspire (guilt) me in to getting them out of my head and in to reality.
i want to make these for every little girl i know.
http://sewliberated.typepad.com/sew_liberated/2009/01/childs-apron-pattern-and-other-free-tutorials.html
and these, again, for every little (and big) girl...
http://melissagoodsell.typepad.com/day_to_day/2009/01/felt-hairclips.html
how cute are these for any gift? and, i love love love getting to use scraps.
http://zakkalife.blogspot.com/2008/11/make-gift-tags-with-fabric-scraps.html
and, okay, just to show i'm not totally sexist... i do have things in the back of my head for boys, too. i just hope that my friends' who have boys will actually be the one to do them!
http://juicy-bits.typepad.com/juicy_bits/2008/12/58-space-cowboy.html
okay - here's to my next post actually being something i've completed!

Bunting (a.k.a. Flags)

I've seen loads of bloggers use scraps of fabric to make bunting (or flags for all y'all like me who associate buntings with babies). And just this week, I saw a set being sold at Buford Pharmacy for $30!!

So... now we can make our own! Meghan found this link with a great tutorial on bunting. Perhaps I'll use Logan's leftover football fabric to do something for his birthday. Hmmmm.

The motherload of tutorials

Thanks to a great blogger, lots of tutorials have been listed here!
http://theprincessandthemonkey.blogspot.com/2008/06/tutorials.html

YEAH! YEAH!! YEAH!!!

Lazy Days Skirt

Oliver + S has the sweetest patterns and they have posted the Lazy Days Skirt pattern for free from their blog.

I want to make this for every little girl I know!

Clutch Purses!

Are you kidding me?? How cute are these fat quarter clutch purses? I think this is my next project...

Monsters!

You all with older kids... when are we trying these Monsters??!!
http://littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com/2008/08/its-alive-kids-monsters-brought-to-life.html