The Ballad of Beanie the Pincushion, a poem

Beanie was a pincushion, but that’s not how it starts.

He began his life made up of lots of little parts.

First there was a piece of cloth, just a little scrap.

It came from a ragged blanket that would barely cover your lap.

Another scrap was salvaged from a well worn pair of jeans.

They belonged to cousin Phil until he bent over and burst a seam.

The next was from Aunt Marianne, a bit of her finest dress.

She wore it to a barbeque that ended in quite a mess.

Then Grandma’s scarf, Herman’s tie, and Gramps’ old grey vest,

And Jimmy’s shirt, with Suzy’s sock, created quite a little scrap nest.

This bundle was gathered carefully by our dear old Auntie Jane.

She pinned them together bit by bit, no two being quite the same.

She stitched them lovingly together, stuffed it nice and round,

and finished with her finest ribbon, the nicest one in town.

Behold a brand new pincushion ready to do it’s job.

Made with scraps of life, and a little bit of love.

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Pants Recon Challenge Round 2

For round 2 of The Great Pants Recon Challenge, I decided to concentrate on sewing supplies seeing as that’s what I used the last project to store.  What better to go with a pink drawstring bag than a matching pink…

…pincushion.

First I cut three circles from one leg of the pants.  I took two of the circles and with right sides together sewed all around leaving a space open.  After turning inside out and stuffing, I had my pincushion base.  Time for the third circle.  I made that into a fabric yo-yo and stitched it to the top to decorate.  There was still some of the pants drawstring leftover so I cut a piece to make a little bow.  Perfect thing to finish off my new pink pincushion.

Now up to two finished projects with one pair of pants.

• Pin cushion
• Drawstring bag

And here’s what’s left of the pants.

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Basic Black

So yesterday I went to Phoenix Comicon with some good friends.  Yay!  First time ever too, so I decided to make something special to wear to commemorate the occasion.  It had been forever since the last time I altered a t-shirt.  It took me a couple of days to complete mainly because I did it entirely by hand.  Yep, still no access to a sewing machine. :(

So here’s the before…

…and after.

Both of the photos were sadly taken by my webcam since my camera is currently out of action.  Anyway, I used a black t-shirt I’ve had for a while.  I was getting a little bored with it.  I first chopped off several inches from the bottom and cut off the collar.  I cut the bottom hem and used it to make a ruffle for the neckline.  It was perfect for this since it already had a finished edge.  Some elastic, straps or neckties, and the original collar was all that I needed to finish up the neckline.  And to finish the shirt, I just had to re-hem the bottom and used a scallop stitch on the hems of the sleeves.  I learned the stitch from a vintage sewing book, it’s really easy and super pretty.  Someday I should explain how to do it. 

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My Favorite Things: eBooks

It’s has been awhile since I’ve done one of these posts, I guess I kind of forgot

Something I have almost always enjoyed doing is reading.  I say almost because I’m sure I probably didn’t feel too enthusiastic about it when I was just a little kid learning how to read, though I don’t actually remember.  Anyway, I also enjoy using my netbook and downloading all the new goodies I find.  So naturally one of my favorite things are…

…eBooks!

Most the eBooks I have I downloaded from Gutenberg (for free!), but I have found them in so many different places.  Some include:

• Internet Archive—It’s basically like an online library, you can find tons of free eBooks, videos, etc.
• Open Library—It’s similar to Internet Archive, except not all the books are free, though many of them can be “checked out” just like a regular library.  And there’s plenty of classic books to download for free.
• Scribd—this one blends eBooks and social media together.  You can read and download tons of books and share ones you’ve written.
• CNET—this is actually a place to find software of all kinds including eBooks and eBook readers.  Most of the software is free or free to try. 
• Greater Phoenix Digital Library—this is a local resource for me.  Anyone with a library card for one of 10 different public libraries in the Phoenix Metropolitan area can log in and check out eBooks and videos there.  For those outside the area, check with your local library for similar programs.

Now please excuse me, I’m in the middle of re-reading Little Women.  Happy reading!

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Pants Recon Challenge Round 1

For the first part of The Great Pants Recon Challenge, I went with a rather obvious project.  Our lovely pink pants happen to have a pink drawstring waistband, so what would be better than using that to make a simple drawstring bag?  I can use it to store my new sewing supplies (see Breaking Down).

I simply cut off the front half of the pants so I had a rectangle shape that was about as long as I wanted to bag and twice as wide with the holes for the drawstring in the center.  By the way, I removed the drawstring before cutting.  I folded the material right sides together and stitched down and across the bottom.  I ripped out some of the stitching for the casing first so I could sew the seam without screwing up the drawstring’s path.  After all  that was done I just turned the bag right side out and thread the drawstring back in the “waistband” and tied it off.  I had to cut it since it suddenly became too long. 

Now I have a cute pink bag, that’s one pants project completed.

And here’s what’s still left of the pants.

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A Challenge!!

I mentioned the other day that I would be starting a special project.  I made this pair of pink pants several summers ago (see Pjs and a Long Awaited Photo). I’ve since gotten tired of them, but I still like the fabric and of course the color even it is a little bright. 

I call it The Great Pants Recon Challenge!  The mission: to take these sad lonely pants and cut and stitch as many little projects as I can from them.  My goal is to make at least ten different items.  Wish me luck

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