Craft Haul: Quick Trip to SAS

This post may contain affiliate links, please check out my disclosures page for more info.  Thanks!

I needed just a few supplies for some upcoming crafts. So I stopped by SAS in Tempe, Arizona for the first in what felt like years. Of course, the day I chose had to be one of the few days in Arizona that we got a major storm. I still managed to get my purchases home dry. I can't say the same about myself. 

Anyway, here is my little haul of goodies. 

I needed a little bit of black tulle for a Halloween piece I am sewing. So, luckily I found the perfect amount in this discount baggie for a whopping $0.99. The pink tulle is a bit of a bonus. It might come in handy too.

I needed some ribbon, which SAS sells by the yard. However, I found a bin full of random embellishments. It was a "fill a bag" for only $0.99 each. I found the exact the ribbons I needed, plus some extra ribbon, elastic, and bias tape for future projects. 

I needed a small amount white fabric as a backing for a project I am planning for Christmas. These fat quarters were perfect, and they were only $0.99 each. That seems to be the price of the day.

What wasn't $0.99 was this yard remnant of black satin. It was $3.99, and it will work well with the tulle for my Halloween project. 

I got some thread and elastic, always useful. Also some fake flowers to have on hand. They range from $0.49 to $1.49, and are handy for making hair accessories. 

These long glue sticks are also handy for making hair accessories among other things. And they're only $0.15 each.

I couldn't resist browsing the wall of sewing accessories. I picked up some more pins and these bobbin buddies. 

They're similar to these ones I've been eyeing on Amazon. You use them to keep loaded bobbins with their matching spools of thread. Keeps things nicely in place, and at least gives the illusion that I am a neat and tidy sewer.

That's all for this craft haul. Now I need to use it all. In fact, I am almost done with my next sewing project, and I should be posting it soon.

Look forward to it. 

Read More »

A Sewing Machine Review, Because…

The bad news is that my beloved sewing machine of eight years died on me during one of my projects.  :(

The good news is…

I got a new one!

I bought it from Overstock.com, which is where I got the old one too.  The great thing is that it’s a model with more features and stuff, but a smaller price.  They were having a deal on it that made it about $10 less than my old sewing machine. 

And I got free shipping, shipping that took longer than normal though.  It took two weeks from when I ordered it to receive my package.  I think this was just bad luck because it normally only takes the usual 3-5 business days.

I bought a refurbished Brother JX2517 sewing machine, on sale for $49.99.  Brother is the same company that made my old machine, and my mother’s sewing machine, and my sister’s sewing machine, etc.  Yep, we have a lot of their machines running around here.

It’s been my experience that Brother sells a wide variety of sewing machines that are quite affordable (some more so than others), well built, easy to run and last a good long while.  Which is why I love them. :)

Anyway, here is my new sewing machine!  Isn’t it pretty?

As you can see, it comes with an instruction book, a DVD, the foot peddle and plug…

…and some accessories!

Extra bobbins, extra needles, zipper foot, a buttonhole tool, etc.  Plenty to get you going.

My old machine was a very basic model and didn’t have many built in stitches at all, but this one has several.  I’ve already tried out a few of them, with good results.  The instruction booklet has a list of all the stitches and their use, very helpful.

What I wasn’t expecting was the deal with the bobbin, it’s a top loader.  I had never used one before, but thankfully, I found it really simple.  The instuctions and markings on the machine made it easy. 

Both threading and running this sewing machine is a breeze.  It runs really smoothly and seems quieter than my old machine too which is a real plus.  I find I do my best sewing at night and a quieter machine is less likely to wake people up.

But, speaking of my old sewing machine…

Here is the poor thing. :(

It’s a Brother LS-30.  As I’ve mentioned before, it’s an extremely basic machine.  Good for a beginner or for someone who does very minimal sewing.  Though it can work wonders in the right hands, I made this dress with it among many others.

It served me well for over eight years, but it’s time to go.  I will probably donate it or something.  Hopefully somebody else can still get some use from it if they can repair it or just use it for parts.

Goodbye old friend.  You were very useful to me until the very end.

Read More »

Catching Up: Bags and More Bags

The last few projects on my list were bags so it seems fitting to put them all in the same post. Plus I just wanted to get them over with so I can focus on the next big project, Christmas.  So here goes.

First up is this purse.  Some may notice it bears a great resemblance to a certain lace covered purse I made years ago (see It All Started with Goodwill).  There is a good reason for this.  A certain individual I know really likes my white lacey purse and sort of requested one just like it except for a few differences.  I figure it would make a excellent gift, maybe.

Second up is this pretty purple tote bag.  I have been badly in need of a new everyday bag as my old one was about to kick the bucket.

I used some pretty fabrics I got from SAS (see The Biggest Craft Haul Ever) and trimmed it with the same lace as the purse which also came from SAS.

At first glance it may seem like a normal tote bag, but if you look on the sides you can see a zipper.

Two zippers running all around.  These are what make this bag truly special.  Because when unzipped…

…The bag is much bigger with nearly twice the capacity. That’s right, it’s a convertible bag.

I’ve found that on some days I carry considerably more stuff than others, so much so that my old bag was being overly stuffed.  Plus on my “lighter” days, my bag seemed needlessly huge.  Having a convertible bag solves this problem.  It goes small when I travel light, and grows larger when I carry more.  Much more in fact, it can hold noticeably more than my old bag.

Another problem I had with my old bag was trying to find things in it.  With a big bag full of stuff it can be easy to lose important things in the void.  This bag solves that problem thanks to the many pockets on the inside.  Perfect places to stash my wallet, phone, lotion, pens, compacts, tiny notebooks, etc..

And there is a larger pocket for things like my tablet and such.  The lining of the bag is actually made of vinyl to make it easy to clean.  I frequently carry food or water bottles and other things that may spill.

My third bag project is a little pouch made to match the tote bag.  It has lace along the zipper and some lace for a handle to make it both pretty and easy to grab and go.

Of course it is lined with vinyl too for easy clean up and actually has a vinyl divider inside.  One side I use for makeup and the other side I use for other supplies like cough drops and tissues.  Basically things that would be handy to toss together in any purse or bag.

Here’s the updated list:

• Purse
• Bag
• Mini-bag
• Dress
• Vest
• Fleece

Six down and out.  Now time to get started on Christmas. That list will be up by tomorrow for sure.  Look forward to it.

Read More »

The Biggest Craft Haul Ever

This post may contain affiliate links, please check out my disclosures page for more info.  Thanks!

Over the last couple of days, I managed to pay a visit to almost all of the stores I typically shop for craft supplies.  Everywhere except Goodwill and other thrift stores and Bookman’s.  My bank account took a hit, but I’m happy with the goodies I found.  So happy that I wanted to share them all.

At Michael’s I got various jewelry findings including jumps rings, crimp beads, and ribbon clamps.  There was deal where if you bought three of them you would get 22% off, couldn’t pass that up.  I also got a chain I’ve really needed and a bottle of possibly the best glue known to mankind, Aleene’s Jewel-It. 

It’s an embellishing glue intended for gluing things like beads to fabric, but I use it for so much more.  It’s really useful for making hair accessories.  So many times I’ve glued flowers and bows to metal clips and combs using the glue gun only to have them pop off with use.  Never happens with the Jewel-It.  I’ve also used it to glue magnets to things, it lasts for years.

At Joann Fabrics and Crafts I got this jewelry making tool kit.  I was in need of a pair of pliers as well as other items for jewelry and this kit had everything I needed and more for only about $10.  Works out well.  I also got a spool of stretch cord and found a string of glass pearls that are the perfect size for making doll sized jewelry.  The best part is that I found it in their “Treasure Box”.  It’s a special area for beads and stuff where everything is only $1.99.

Speaking of bargain priced glass pearls, I found these beauties at Wal-Mart for 97 cents each.  I got two each of both white and off-white.  I’m hoping they will work with some pearls I already have.

The bulk of the my craft shopping was at SAS.

Here’s what I got from them:

• 1 yard purple floral print vinyl
• 3 yards lavender poly poplin fabric
• 2 white zippers
• 10 yards white grosgrain ribbon
• 10 yards white ultra thin satin ribbon
• elastic
• green thread
• Pretty green flowers with pearls
• toggle clasps
• 4 hair clips
• 4 yards white cotton lace
• 16 yards of thin white lace
• lace gloves
• faux pearl necklace and bracelet set (it was only $1)
• 0.19lbs of black lace from the $4/lb. remnant box

It all came to under $30, and around $60 combined.  Not too bad. Best of all, most of it is actually stuff I planned to buy.  The fabric, vinyl, zippers, elastic, ribbon and thin lace are all intended for projects on my current craft list.  And the thread, flowers, jewelry stuff, glue, hair clips, pearls,and other laces are for future projects I’m planning. 

The rest sadly are impulse buys.  It’s something I’ve come to expect when shopping for craft supplies.  It fuels creativity, mainly because some impulse items are so strange that I need to get really creative to figure out what to do with it.

Anyway, I am now very well stocked and ready to get going on my projects.  Look forward to that.

Read More »

5 a Week: Fleece Blankets for Dolls

 

It’s time for week 10 of…

 

…The Five a Week Pledge.

 

If you haven’t been around here, it’s where you pledge to do five things each week of your choice (see the first week for more info).  I pledged to make five small crafts each week.  Feel free to grab a button and join me.  If you already have, post a comment or a link to share what you accomplished.

 

I’m afraid due to a few personal issues and what not, it’s a day late this week.  But let’s not dwell on that.

 

This week’s craft:

 

Fleece blankets!

 

Since I got the idea to finally use that fleece blanket kit (see Fleece Blanket for Christmas?), I’ve had fleece on the brain.  I thought it would be great to make a few doll sized blankets too.

 

The pink one on top I thought would be the right size for my bjd (see Catching Up and a New Friend).  She is just under 18 inches (45cm) tall so I cut the fleece about 20 inches by 20 inches and I cut the strips about 2 inches.  The other two I made consecutively smaller and smaller, I thought they would be perfect for various other dolls and toys.  My niece and nephew have loads of them and many could use a nice blanket.

 

One of the first thing I noticed was that is was necessary to make the strips narrower as the blankets got smaller.  This was both to make them work for a smaller scale and to make it easier to actually tie them.  I also found that it’s better to go cheaper with the fleece.  Thinner fleece works better for making blankets this size, it’s less bulky and more realistic.

 

For the last two blankets, I decided to try to sew them instead of knot them together.  I’m not sure I like how they turned out.  Maybe with a different colored fleece material it would work, but like this I have the strongest urge to turn them into pot holders or something.  The problem with that is that I don’t think fleece is flame retardant. 

 

Overall I’m satisfied with how they came out.  And as soon as it finally feels like Fall around here (I’m in Arizona remember?), there will be some nice and toasty warm stuffed toys and dolls.

Now it’s 10 weeks since I’ve started this challenge, so it’s time for another recap of what I’ve accomplished.

First 5 Weeks:

• 5 Beaded Bracelets
• 5 Lace Brooches
• Plus 1 Lace Appliqué Brooch Tutorial
• 5 Ball Jointed Doll Sized Circle Skirts
• 5 Ball Jointed Doll Sized Lace Tank Tops
• 5 Ball Jointed Doll Sized Lace and Ribbon Sandals

Second 5 Weeks:

• 5 Lace Wrist Cuffs
• 5 Chocolate and Cream Colored Accessories
• 5 Fleece Needle Books
• 5 Fleece Mini-Pin Cushions
• 5 Doll Sized Fleece Blankets

50 plus one bonus is 51 crafts completed in 10 weeks.  Yay!

I definitely plan to keep this up, just hopefully I’ll post them on time from now on.  Look forward to that.

Read More »

Fleece Blanket for Christmas?

I’ve been putting off doing any of the projects on my craft list for so long, it seems fitting that the first one is a project I meant to do months ago.

Last Christmas, I received several wonderful gifts including one in particular.

This kit.

It’s one of those no sew fleece blanket kits you can find in most crafts stores.  Pretty handy.  They usually have really cute prints coupled with a solid color fleece in a coordinating color and they’re pre-measured, packaged and ready to start. 

This one came with this adorable owl print fleece and I really could have used a nice warm throw at the time.  But I put off making it, and put it off some more, and more, etc.  Now it’s the end of summer, and I finally got around to putting the darn thing together.

The instructions are super easy, here they are if you’re interested in making one yourself.  Just click the picture to enlarge it.  I didn’t actually need to look at the instructions myself.  I’ve made tons of these blankets at church, so they are a piece of cake for me, normally. 

The problem I had was finding a large enough place to spread out the fabric.  At church we have these great large tables to work on, I have no such luxury at home.  I had to settle for a large-ish patch of floor.  Even then I had to fold part of the fabric and basically cut and tie half the blanket at a time.

I did have some help.  I got my niece to join in with the tying, this is a great project for kids to do after all and she needed to learn.  Maybe she can make one for herself someday now that she knows how.

Despite a few problems, we manage to finish the blanket in well under an hour.  Makes me feel a little silly about putting it off for so many months.  Now I need to figure out what to do with the scraps.

Here’s the updated list:

• Purse
• Bag
• Mini-bag
• Dress
• Vest
• Fleece

One down, just five to go.  The next one should be up by Monday, look forward to it!

Read More »

5 a Week: Mini-Pin Cushions

 

It’s Sunday, so it’s time for week 9 of…

 

…The Five a Week Pledge.

 

If you haven’t been around here, it’s where you pledge to do five things each week of your choice (see the first week for more info).  I pledged to make five small crafts each week.  Feel free to grab a button and join me.  If you already have, post a comment or a link to share what you accomplished.

 

This week’s craft:

Pincushions!

Little ones made each with a single square of fleece and an extra scrap for decoration.  The method I used for them is a little hard for me to describe in words.  I think I’ll explain it with more detail in a later post, it’s easy I promise.  The decorative flowers were made with just a strip of fleece and some thread and running stitches.  It’s a easy little technique I learned from a book on fabric flowers that I found at the library years ago.  I will probably explain that one later too.  Wow, much to do for the future.

Anyway, these pincushions were so quick to put together.  I could literally whip one up on the train ride to work, and whip up and attach the flower on the ride back.  I actually finished the last couple of flowers while waiting to leave from work.  I kind of stuck around the store for a while longer than intended last night due to a major storm.  Nothing like sewing to keep you occupied when waiting.  Especially sewing something as cute as these pin cushions. 

I kind of thought they would make cute gifts, either for people I know who sew or for people who are interested in learning.  Maybe coupled with the needle books from last week (see 5 a Week: Needle Books) and some other necessary supplies.  For now, I still need to focus on the next batch of small projects as well as my craft list.  You thought I forgot about that right?  Nope, I just hadn’t quite had enough time to get started right away.  I did get one project from it finished, the easiest.  I’ll share that one plus some more things later this week.  Look forward to it.

Read More »

5 a Week: Needle Books

It’s Sunday, so it’s time for week 8 of…

 

…The Five a Week Pledge.

 

If you haven’t been around here, it’s where you pledge to do five things each week of your choice (see the first week for more info).  I pledged to make five small crafts each week.  Feel free to grab a button and join me.  If you already have, post a comment or a link to share what you accomplished.

 

This week’s craft:

Needle books.

Or needle cases if you prefer to call them that.  I say needle books because they look like cute little fabric books until you flip them open.

See what I mean?

The main reason I made them was to use up some leftover fleece.  Despite recent attempts at decluttering, I still had a few fleece squares hanging out in my stash waiting to be used.  Plus I realized I didn’t actually have anything cute to put my sewing needles in.  Just the packaging they came in, which is super boring.

This needle book is my favorite.  I love the cute daisy print fleece.

These books are super easy to make.  All I had to do was cut a couple of rectangle shaped pieces from the fleece for the “pages”, cut a wider piece to wrap around as the “cover”, then sew a straight line along the side as the “binding”.

I chose to just let the fabric do the talking, but if I wanted to I could have actually made them more elaborate.  Maybe add appliques or trims to the covers before sewing, or decorative stitching along the edges.  I kept on coming up with tons of ideas for making these books while sewing them, maybe even for making similar fabric books.  For now I’m happy with these, but I did come up with one good idea.  What’s a cute needle book without a cute matching pincushion?  So that will probably be next week’s craft.  Look forward to it!

Read More »

5 a Week: Chocolate and Cream

It’s Sunday, so it’s time for week 7 of…

 

…The Five a Week Pledge.

 

If you haven’t been around here, it’s where you pledge to do five things each week of your choice (see the first week for more info).  I pledged to make five small crafts each week.  Feel free to grab a button and join me.  If you already have, post a comment or a link to share what you accomplished.

 

This week’s craft:

Chocolate and Cream.

That is, accessories made with more chocolate brown ribbon and creamy off-white lace.  I got the idea from some of the lace cuffs from last week’s craft.  From the left is a pair of choker necklaces, then a headband on top, a hair clip below it, and a small broach.

The chokers were made by cutting a length of the lace about long enough to wrap around my neck plus a little extra for hemming and breathing room, super important.  I cut a second piece of lace and sewed the two together along their top edges.  The chocolate ribbon covers this seam.  All I had to do then was hem the ends, add some snaps and make and attach a bow.  Then repeat all to make a second one.

For the headband, I did the same thing with the lace as the chokers.  It’s actually two layers of lace pieces sewn together with two rows of stitches down the center.  This created a channel that I could slide a plain metal headband through.  Then I added the ribbon.  I also wrapped ribbon around the ends of the head band to hide the raw edges of lace and to make it cuter and more comfortable.  A couple more bows and it was done.

The hair clip and the broach was made pretty much just like the lace applique broaches I made several weeks ago.  Here’s the tutorial if you missed it.  Again all it took to finish them was a few chocolate ribbon bows.

On another note, I’m going on a short hiatus from blogging here.  Just for the week, I’ll be back in time for the blog hop this Saturday.  I just wanted to mention it so no one thinks I’ve “gone quiet” again.  It’s just for the week and not several months.  I’ll be working on a few projects, including ones for this blog.  Look forward to it.

Read More »

5 a Week: Lace Wrist Cuffs

It’s Sunday, so it’s time for week 6 of…

 

…The Five a Week Pledge.

 

If you haven’t been around here, it’s where you pledge to do five things each week of your choice (see the first week for more info).  I pledged to make five small crafts each week.  Feel free to grab a button and join me.  If you already have, post a comment or a link to share what you accomplished.

 

This week’s craft:

Wrist Cuffs.

Such a pretty accessory, easy too.  All you have to do is cut strips of different laces, layer them together as you like, gather them some how with elastic, then sew the ends together like a bracelet.  Then you can add ribbon, beads, and/or charms to decorate.

For the first pair of cuffs I used two different white eyelet laces and I embellished them with cute bows made from pink grosgrain ribbon.  I actually got the ribbon from Bookman’s.  I’m not sure if they will match anything in my wardrobe though.  I mean I do have a lot of pink stuff, but not necessary this shade of pink.  Of course that could be a good excuse to make some more pink clothing.

The second pair of cuffs uses the same lace but with thin white satin ribbon bows instead of the pink.  Makes them more versatile.  I can wear them with everything, at least with everything that you can wear eyelet lace with without looking odd.

The third pair is just like the second pair of cuffs except I stitched the elastic directly to the cuffs instead of threading it through a channel.  It makes it look pretty good worn but kind of wonky when you put it down.  That why it looks strange in the first picture.

The last two pairs were both made with a creamy off-white eyelet lace and a matching colored polyester lace and elastic sewn directly to the lace.  I had originally intended to layer the laces in a way to cover most of the polyester lace since it looks really cheap.  That idea went out the window, but it’s for the best.  Sometimes the best way to disguise something is to leave it out in plain sight.  I really like the way this came out, even if it does remind me of a garter.

The only difference between these two pairs of cuffs is this one uses brown ribbon for the bows.  I love this ribbon, it reminds me of chocolate.  In face I frequently use it to wrap chocolate gifts.  I think it looks great with the cream color of the laces.  Makes me want to make more accessories using the two together.  Maybe that will be good for next week.  Look forward to it!

Read More »