Pin 6: making ornaments from cd's

Disclaimer, I didn't actually make this pin, but a friend of mine did on a craft night I recently hosted, so I'm including it.

Pin: DIY: Mosaic Ornaments 
Pin rating: TERRIBLE

It is very difficult to cut the cd's, and the chance of cutting one's self accidentally is high. The end result pictured on the website, even for talented artists, is difficult to achieve, and the reward (even when it does look great) is not worth the time or risk of injury.

It may work better if you have heavy-duty scissors and can cut very small pieces, but overall I would NOT recommend this pin. :(

pin 5: bird seed ornaments

Pin 5:  Holiday Birdseed Feeders
Pin Rating: Excellent!

This pin was super fun, easy, inexpensive, and kid-friendly. I loved it!  Sticking with the holiday theme, I used Christmas cookie-cutters, but you could do this any time with any shaped cookie cutters. So fun!

pin 4: draft dogers

Pin 4: Sock it to Your Energy Bill

Pin rating: Excellent! Easy & Economic. Best for homes without dogs.

My front door currently lets in a lot of cold air. A LOT of cold air, so I decided to try to make some draft dodgers. This tutorial on Pinterest seemed easy enough, so I gave it a try.  

Materials:

Fuzzy Socks - Because I would have these draft-dodgers up longer than the Christmas season, I tried to find some fuzzy socks that were not red and green, and I found two pars of blue and green extra long fuzzy socks for 2.47 at Target or Walmart.   One pair of these socks is long enough for a normal door width, so if you can find them, they would be more economical and require less sewing than having to buy 2 pairs of normal length fuzzy socks.

Popcorn kernels - This project took MUCH more popcorn than I anticipated. I used more than a 45oz jar for one dodger.

Stuffing - you can get this at any craft store, and this will be the most expensive item. Hobby Lobby and Michael's almost always have 40-50% off coupons on their website, so I would use those to keep this pin ultra cheap.  You can buy a small bag; you really don't need very much of this at all.

Needle & Thread - any scrap thread you have around the house should get it done. Anyone can do this - you just making a few stitches to close up the socks.

So, I followed the direction exactly, and sewed up my socks. Perfect! I love my little draft-dodger sock snakes & made two.  Unfortunately, so did my dog,but I probably should have seen that coming...

my etsy shop

After going to a few craft fairs and selling my bags and clutches, I decided to create an Etsy store to sell my current inventory  I couldn't have done it without the help of several friends  including Amy Schawlbert, a very talented graphic designer, who created the logo for me. Please check out my store, the Bewildered Bobbin!

the owls are not what they *seam*

Okay, if you've been reading my blog for any period of time you know I love Twin Peaks. I also love owls. While my love for these things are unrelated, they do overlap, so when my friend D suggested we make owl pillows I jumped on board. Then I made a Twin Peaks inspired owl.

This project was really fun, but not easy (navigating the curves with Walter took some practice). In the end our efforts were totally worth it, and I have several people who already want to order some owl pillows from us.  YAY! Here is what we made:

D & I made this couple of owls together.  D was the mastermind with the pattern, & stitched the eyes; I sewed and stuffed them! :)

Using D's pattern, I made this Twin-Peaks inspired owl (adding buttons for eyes). I like to think David Lynch would be proud.

In case you don't know why the black and white is "Twin Peaks;" it's classic Lynch. The zig-zag floor has been used in several of his project, most notably Eraserhead and Twin Peaks. I know my zig-zags should have been wider, but I couldn't find black and white that was wide and thick.  My search will continue, but I'm still happy with my owl!

sewing for an evening out

I love clutch purses. I used to crochet them, but that takes quite a bit of time, and then I always had to hand sew in the lining. Sew, I thought (heh), why not try sewing my own clutch.  This was my first ambitious solo project. It meant lining, interfacing (which I had no idea what that was), and fasteners. This time, I kept the vodka in the cabinet, and began this project with nothing but Diet Coke to help me.  I know some things I' will do differently next time, but over all, I love it! Super cute. :)

I pined the embellishment so I can change it depending on the occasion. :)

totes, totes, and more totes!

My second sewing project: tote-bags. Everyone loves tote-bags, so this seemed like a great project. I enlisted the help of my friend S. After some troubleshooting, and perhaps more vodka than was prudent, we made some beautiful bags!

How did we do it? Well, we didn't have a pattern - just directions. You will notice this happens a lot of you are scouring the internet or Pinterest for sewing ideas.  To make our own pattern, we used brown paper bags. We just cut them to size, and viola! instant pattern.  I've since also used large heavy (but not quite card-stock) paper, and that works even better because there are no pesky creases.

Here's what I noticed about totes: they are a perfect beginner project.  I love making them, but anyone who says a beginner can whip them up in an hour is wearing crazy pants. Maybe I'm just slow, but because I like all my edges to be finished and I wasn't lining the bags, it meant I had a lot to fold, iron, fold again and sew. Since my material is rather sturdy, I haven't wanted to line the bags, although this may be a better (adding sturdiness and saving time) option for the future. I'll have to play with it.

Here are a couple of the totes I've made since getting the hang of it:

adventures with walter, the sewing machine.

I received a sewing machine for Christmas a little over a year ago, and it was wonderful  My mom used my sewing machine to make me all sorts of curtains for my home.  This year, I decided I should probably try to figure out how to use the thing for real.  This resulted in my mom and I making a skirt. This time, however, I paid attention to what my mom was doing, and afterwards, felt brave enough to go out on my own. It took a little while for Walter and I to get used to each other  but with the help of YouTube sewing tutorials and an understanding about which bobbins Walter prefers, we've found a way to work together.  The result has been several little projects that probably take me longer to make than they should, but it is great fun. I highly recommend it!

This (Twin Peaks inspired) pillow was my first solo project:  :)

If you are thinking about sewing, this is a great video about how to thread one's bobbin; it saved me a lot of heartache.

fun with clay!

When Panda was home for Thanksgiving, we got out the sculpies and made ornaments of ourselves. It was ridiculously fun; I suggest everyone do it!

nikita and scarves

Pretty much all my spare time lately has been spent crocheting and watching La Femme Nikita. My roommate Timotio can often be heard saying, "You're sill watching this show?!" or "What are you knitting now?" (to this I reply, "I'm CROCHETING!," and he responds, "whatever." Anway, I started the show from the beginning a week or two ago, and now I"m in season 2 (I've skipped some of my least favorite episodes as I've seen them all a million times). The other night I put in a disc and crocheted this scarf as I watched Nikita and Michael kick ass. I'm pretty impressed with myself. Now...if only there were a covert anti-terrorist crocheting organization I could join...

Next up: Gloves!

i made this!

My moose Simon is sporting a pretty snazzy scarf, if I do say so myself!

check it out!

My first crochet project.