toddler sewing basket - cable ties

*

the other day i mentioned cable (or zip) ties. now some of you might be thinking um kat? cable ties in a toddler's sewing basket? i know! here is what happened:

in many toddler activities i had noticed the presence of pipe cleaners. the sweet tots string things upon them, weave them onto other things, & poke them through still other things. the last was my worry.

elfling does enjoy poking. he also enjoys quickly finding more mischievous uses for things. sure, poking a long fuzzy thing, with a sharp pokey bit at either end, into a colander/strainer/etc is great fun for a few seconds. but why do that when there are eyes/brothers/etc within poking distance? exactly.

recently manlyman asked me to buy him a pack of cable ties, only the ones i bought were the wrong size, so i tossed them into the studio, & promptly forgot about them. a few days later i saw them & had an epiphany - cable ties in place of pipe cleaners! oh the cleverness of me.

here you can see the cable ties woven into the acorn thingamajig.

& here they are poked into the acorn thing. a colander does work, much better in fact, but i was too lazy to get ours.

here you can see using a cable tie to strengthen a stack of spools & wheels.

& more of the same.

here the spools & wheels are strung onto the tie, & other ties are poked into the wooden bits.

we lucked out in that the bag in which the cable ties came is a resealable one. another activity!

it took elfling nearly as long to put each tie into the bag, as it took to play with everything. i am going to enjoy this while it lasts, as i am sure he'll eventually realize he can shove in many at a time.

so that is the why & how of it. weaving, poking, stringing; it's all a first step in mastering the skills needed to sew. sans bloody brothers & missing eyeballs.

~peace.

pure genius!

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on our recent road trip i needed something in which to store the various cables. (gone are the days of the most important thing to remember being your toothbrush.) in poking through my studio, i came across this terribly photographed bag that i had altered a bunch of years ago. it worked wonderfully! so much so, in fact, that i now use it as a camera bag.

in the main of the bag sits the camera, as well as the little pouch i use when i just want to toss the camera into my diaper bag. the large pocket to the left holds the cables, with the smaller pockets on the right holding batteries, & miscellanea.

the bag was meant as a travel case, i believe. it was a sponsor gift at one of manlyman's tournies. the outside was black, with callaway written in large white letters. ever so sporty, & ever not so kat. knowing i could find a use for the bag, if only it was not so sporty, i sewed a slipcover for it.

it wasn't all that hard to do. i traced the case on kraft paper, adding an inch extra at the top, a bit more for the sides, & a bit more than that for the bottom. you'd need to take into consideration the shape of your case when deciding how much extra to add. for instance: if yours had a flat bottom, or wide sides, you'd need to allow for that. mine did not, so i did not.

one i made the pattern, i cut out two pieces of fabric. i used samples, & they being small, i needed to use two different designs in the same colors. you can just fold your fabric in half, & cut once. does that make sense? let me know if i am not being clear.

i then sewed the sides & bottom together, right sides facing in, on the machine. no need to do anything fancy, they'll be on the inside, & never seen.

next i folded the opening twice, & ironed it flat. then came the fun part; hand-stitching. i love to sew by hand.

as you can see, i stitched the cover to the bag itself, making sure to give the zipper enough room to work properly. oh, & i used embroidery floss, with a larger needle. i no longer recall why i did, but i am sure there was a reason :)

that is all there was to it. of course, it is not perfect, but i like a bit of imperfection.

the buttons are not an option; they are an integral part of the function of the entire bag. or something like that.

this idea is not limited to travel bags, you know. you could do the same thing to those ugly lunch bags, actual camera bags, & so on. heck, i even made damask sleeves for my freezer packs. happy sewing!

~peace.
ps :: the genius button was from a museum outing, eons ago. the other two (insanely adorable) buttons were found in seattle last month. they are, of course, the work of miss emily, she of black apple fame. i do not see any buttons in her shop currently, but you can ask her yourself if she plans to add any.

in which i misbehave

*

on the way home from a long day of homeschooling adventures, i announced that i would be sewing whilst the menfolk (all three) indulged in a nap. we arrived home, snacks were had, a diaper was changed, & off they went. 

i walked into my sewing nook & faced the basket of long-overdue mending. 

& the overflowing back-up basket of mending.

i stood for quite some time, if truth be told.

then i thought screw this, & made myself a new pouch instead.

the damask came from a textile swatch book, the lining from a torn skirt, & the bow from my box of saved ribbons. i love creating new things from old. 

the pouch i use for a wallet had seen better days, so it's not as though i didn't need to make a new one. i just didn't need it today. ah well. the mending will just have to wait for another day. perhaps a day in which i feel more like behaving ;)

~peace.

show & tell

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did you miss me? did you even notice i'd been away? let's pretend you answered yes to both questions, shall we? i've been freakybusy since my last post: creating things for theshop, deep cleaning thebelfry, homeschooling, & doing the mama-thing. ok, one of those bits of busyness may or may not have actually happened. can you guess which?

the above photo is of my new squeaky-tight needle case. i have unstained ones too, but they're not yet photographed. these cases are perfect for storing extra needles, or for an on-the-go sewing kit. i've kept the prototype for myself, & have already filled it. (i use a needle book, so am storing the machine needles in mine.)

there are also two new pagan people in theshop: summer & winter. please ignore the fact that the dolls are out of focus & the fence behind them is not.

my favorite new item?

love shacks! i love, love, love these. you have to click on the link, so you can see how big each shack is.

it feels good to be back in the swing of things. there shall be a few more heart-themed items for theshop, most of which will be made from fabric. hmm. maybe i should get sewlie serviced? a new year, a clean machine? i refuse to tell you how long it's been since sewlie's last servicing.

also keeping me busy: projects for thebelfry, others for my sweet boys, & still others for you! yes, the long ago promised tutorials!!

the main reason i've been so busy has just informed me that naptime has come to an end. i'm off to snuggle. you go off to have a lovely day.

~peace.

wonkylations make me smile

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i know i go on & on about my love of the japanese nearly2dollars store (yes, they raised prices!), but can you blame a girl for gushing? recently we were in need of birthday prezzies for a mini who loves the store as thehobbit & i do, so off we went!

one thing that i love about the store is the wonky translation to be found on packaging - it is always fabulous. this time there were notebooks sporting wonkylations (real word), so i took photos of my favorites, just for you!

a sewing theme:



a bear, with balloons:



are they not the most wonderful things? what is making you smile today?

~peace.

tutorial, thwarted

*

i created a fabulous toy for elfling, & photographed the process to share with you. no woohooing though, because blogger isn't allowing me to upload photos today. i tried for quite some time, it just isn't working. stupid blogger.

have no fear, my one & only reader, for i shall try again tomorrow! assuming i do not forget, that is.

until then...

~peace.

crowns & drawing kits

my hope is to get a bunch of birthday crowns, & drawing kits completed (& in theshop) by the next weeks' end. they've been high on my to-do list for quite some time. of course that would be the same list my house-cleaning chores are on, so, yeah.



the crowns are half-done at least. with the exception of the blue, this bunch is made from darker hues of wool felt. they aren't colors i'm drawn to, but they were included with the stack of lighter felt i was given. seems a shame to not use them.

doesn't the blue one look a tad where-the-wild-things-are? these little starry buttons are adorable - they came from a jacket thehobbit wore when he was teeny. i get such a kick out of reusing things.



as for the drawing kits, i have enough fabric to make a dozen, but i don't know that i have enough time to complete that many. wee elflings do greatly reduce a mama's free time. still, a few is better than none :)

i've long wanted to stock theshop with these kits. the thing is, every time i've made a batch,
they have sold before i could list them. there's no show on the books, so no danger they'll be snatched up.

you can see what they'll look like here. with different buttons though, as i use ones i've saved from thrifted clothing. that was the only kit that ever made it into theshop.

the colored pencils come from my beloved japanese dollar store. they don't always carry them, so i buy them out when they do. i'd love to find this brand in bulk, so i can decrease the packaging waste. until then i'll continue cutting-up the thin boxes for thehobbit's atc (artist trading cards).

keep your fingers crossed that i find the time to get all the to-dos, to-done.

~peace.

excellent, with bad photos

in the frenzy of the challenge (getting rid of half we own) i nearly tossed this skirt:


i'd only worn it a few times in years i've owned it, so it clearly was a justified toss. however, i love the fabric, & the ribbon work. the hemline is just a little too stevie nicks for me.

so i made a deal with myself: if i altered the skirt within one week, i could keep it. easy peasy you are all thinking; but you forget that i can procrastinate like no other.

however, this time i did not procrastinate - this time i actually managed to do something within a normal amount of time. hurrah for me!

what makes me shake my head at myself, is how little time it took. i could have spent 5 minutes revamping this skirt ages ago.


the photos are both wretched, but the alteration was a success. i'm looking forward to wearing this skirt. um, once i've had my bebe of course.

***

challenge update: it's going very well. we spent the bulk of yesterday digging through the studio. manlyman moved my bookshelf out to the dining room, then took many boxes & bags to the donation center. ahh it's lovely to have a strong man around the belfry.

i can't do as much in a day as i'd like, so it's taking much longer than i thought it would. still - it is getting done! i'm surprised as all hell thrilled as can be.

have you revamped anything of late? sorted through, or rearranged things? i'd love to hear about it.
~peace.

coffee break

just popped on to say hello. i'm taking a break from sorting through the horrific wreck that is my studio. if you recall from a few months ago, this is the room that has become the drop-off place for anything & everything.

it's going to take quite some time to sort through, but i'm not daunted. i've many bags & boxes at the ready, as well as a hobbity helper. most likely this room shall yield the most items for the challenge.

i'm excited by that, because it means i'll end up with more space in my studio! it's cramped in here, even without the piles & stacks & family of trolls. we're even moving a bookcase out (no yelling at me. by 'we' i mean 'they'), to make way for deep shelves. woohoo - no more fabric stored in bins!

my break has come to a quick end. time for me to get some food into thehobbit (you know, before he starves unto the very brink of death), then back to sorting.

wait! before i pop off, look at what i made this morning:

i cannot show you it in its entirety, because it's a prezzie. it was made from an old skirt, some of my favorite velvet ribbon, & (lined with) wool felt.

have a gloriously happy saturday!!

~peace.

a snail

i don't believe that boys are made of snakes & snails & puppy dog tails; but my number 2 boy shall have a blankie partially made of a snail. i knew once i'd sewn the blankie that i'd need a patch to cover a wee hole i'd not seen when cutting the fabric bits.

enter, monsieur snail:


he was embroidered eons ago; well before getting knocked up; but i never knew what to do with him. this afternoon i trimmed the patch down, & sewed him over the hole. henceforth shall this blankie be known as the snail blankie. (so says thehobbit.)

i still need to sew my diaper bag, some changing mats, a few fabric cubes (with bells inside), as well as some other baby items - but at least i have monsieur snail.

off to get ready for craft night!

~peace.

morning & afternoon

after a morning of homeschooling projects, & studio decluttering; we spent the afternoon creating. it felt wonderful to get things checked off the pesky to-do list.

i got most of the birthday crowns embroidered &/or beaded. then; whilst looking for something in my sewing cabinet; i came across a few labels. this enabled me to finish the pencil pouches that i'd begun the other day. woohoo!

thehobbit didn't want to be left out of the creating part of the day, so i dug out the kit purchased on our last thrifting expedition. other than my hands to steady things occasionally, he completed this project all on his own.

it's meant to hold tools, but he's decided it should be used as a remote-caddy instead. i'm not the least bit embarrassed to say that it will definitely get more use from us watching television, than from us using tools.

i hope your day was as productive & creative! may i nap now?

~peace.

babbling

we managed to drive deeper into the city yesterday; & still we spent most of our time surrounded by nature! i'm glad we did, because i have been feeling such a pull towards mother nature of late.


i want to say that it has everything to do with how far along in my pregnancy i am. most likely though it's because thebelfry is such a wreck right now. between having little time & energy for deep cleaning sessions, & having bags & boxes everywhere i look (the challenge) - it's not the most calm of places to be.

hopefully this round of bags & boxes will get taken to the thrift shop on monday. the challenge is going well, by the way. i find i'm at the stage of trying to justify keepers; but i'll push through.

i meant to work on the challenge today - however i sewed a few pencil pouches, watched a documentary with thehobbit, then accidentally took a little nap instead.

i'm off to do more not-working-on-the-challenge. have a lovely weekend.

~peace.

at week's end

i'm sorry to not have written all week. my mother has been in the hospital, & i'm afraid the only writing i've been good for has been short bits on twitter. she's through the worst part, but has to remain there until they feel she's fully healed.

***

on a completely happy note: i made a teeny blanket. i cut out some parts weeks ago, but couldn't get to my fabric bins to choose the rest. each time i passed the pile of blanket parts i felt a pang - thinking it would be one more wip never completed. after a morning of math puzzles & dominoes with thehobbit, i decided a few hours of sewing was just what was needed to end my week.

most of the fabric i chose came from clothes & sheets i'd saved over the years. i knew i wanted to back the blanket with flannel, so i was able to use thin fabrics that always get passed over when making bags & drink slings. choosing the colors was the easiest part - the center had to be an oatmeal-colored linen.

you'd think with all the years i've been sewing; & with all the books & tutorials out there; i would have researched how to make a patchie blanket before starting out. in usual katness (real word) i just jumped in, assuming it would work out in the end.

for the most part it did work out; but there are a few puckers, & a few places where my quilting wasn't as straight as i meant it to be.

i do love it in spite of the mistakes - most especially because the majority of the fabrics used hold memories of those i love. i think that is a good thing in which to wrap the newest member of the belfry.

it was also a nice way to end my week. that, & sharing chips, lemonade, & a cary grant film with my little hobbity boy. i hope your week ended nicely too.

~peace.

creating despite the weather

one would think i've done naught but complain about the atrocious heat of late; but ah - one would be wrong! though i did complain constantly often, i also managed to pack quite a bit into our days.

something i'm very happy to say i managed to do, is create! it had been ages since i last sat at sewlie, & i was missing her dearly. i could have sewn the aprons i need to take to a local shop, or the blanket i began cutting out for the bebe; but in typical kat form i did neither of those things. first i whipped up a new needle book, then this:


the little purse is perfect for when i'm out on my own. it's big enough for just the essentials: no asthma kit, no snacks, no other peoples' anythings. i still have to stitch on the closure, but that's easy peasy.


my maman sent the fabric to me last year, & the lining is wool felt from soap. the colors are not those i typically wear, but it's fun to have a few items that are out of the norm.

this was yesterday's creation. i was craving a blendie, but hadn't any ice to make my own. just before i'd convinced myself it was necessary to the health of my pregnancy to go buy one; i realized i could make a blendie in my ice cream machine! it took a bit of watching; to make sure it didn't go past the 'blendie' stage; but oh my one & only reader! it was ever so good. all that was missing was an equal amount of whipped cream on top.

& that brings me to my on-going creation:

the ever-expanding kat! please excuse the wretched photo - i'm not coordinated enough to take a decent photo of myself. can you believe how huge that belly is?! a very sweet woman was chatting with me on monday, & asked how many weeks i had left. hahahahaha - months! i told her. everyone assures me my body will keep making room as the bebe grows, but i don't know that i believe them. mostly because it just doesn't seem physically possible, but also because i only keep company with liars. liars, pick-pockets, & loose women.

so what did you create this week? have any favorite blendie recipes you'd like to share?

~peace.

oops

i chose the wrong room to begin tbooan. don't get me wrong; it feels great to have the playroom on its way to becoming a more usable space. the problem is - by not starting with the studio, i'm still no closer to being able to get to my bins of fabric than i was when this whole mess began.

each day i think ooh! i have a fabulous idea!, or hmm i really should get some sewing done, so off to the studio i go. once there i'm thwarted by stacks & piles of things that belong elsewhere - & quite possibly a family of trolls.

being unable to sew is driving me batty. i have a few wips that needed to be finished weeks ago, & project that must be completed before the end of january. other than that, i just really want to sew - mostly because i am unable to. thwart me will you?!

our plans for today were cancelled, so i may try to dig out the bins. i haven't the time to get the whole studio seen to, but that bit i can manage. happily my studio opens to the backyard. with such gorgeous weather, we shall be able to leave the door open during the dig-out.

just thinking about a wide-open door, warm air, & sunshine makes me feel quite lucky. as i type this i'm chatting with my most beloved spryte, who is dealing with 15 below zero. is there even a single word to describe how cold that is?

ooh! i want to know what your weather is right now. leave a comment with your town's temperature (include f or c), if it's day or night, & where in the world you are.

~peace.

day :: 19

dear hobbit,

you are an amazing little boy, & i love you more than i could ever explain. you are sweet, & sensitive, & loving, & so very interesting. you are also; & i say this with all the love in my heart; some days a royal pain in the arse. today is one of those days. you woke with such a gentle sweetness - how is it that only a few hours later you are stomping out of the room, on the brink of tears, for what has to be the umpteenth time?

did you not get enough sleep? are 10yo hormones driving you mad? are you hiding an evil twin in your playroom? is that why you hung the do not enter sign? please let me know soon. ok?

love mama.

***

yesterday i didn't get as much sewing done as i'd planned. i was having issues with the thread; do not let me get that brand again; & finally gave up in frustration.

here are 2 little pouches i'm trying out. they have flat bottoms, & each has a button attached to the zipper to aid in pulling. what the photo doesn't show is the texture on the grey one, & its red zipper. i'm not into bright colors personally, but it came with a packet of zippers i bought, & thehobbit assured me the red was really really pretty.

the pouches are the perfect size for tossing into a purse or tote: makeup, a small camera, etc. i even made a smaller version for thehobbit's inhaler. ok that was accidental - i measured incorrectly, so decided to find a use for it rather than toss it. but still!

***

these are my newest obsession. i've been wanting to paint these dinky mushrooms since spring, & only just got around to it. i had so much fun that i went & ordered a zillion more (in 3 sizes.) it's hard to tell from the photo; because again i forgot to include something to show size; but each mushroom is only 3/16ths of an inch across. i did say dinky. at first it was difficult to manage, but once i dug out tiny pliers everything went smoothly. kind of zen.

my chatting time has come to an end. a certain hobbity person is in need of a swift ki- snuggle. i hope you have a lovely day - see you tomorrow. will nablopomo ever end?
~peace.

day :: 17

a portion of yesterday was spent chained to the sewing nook. fortunately we had a great book
to listen to, & thehobbit was happy to play & craft nearby as i worked.

these drink slings were a custom order. the blue one is for a very wee child - both the handles & the body had to be altered to fit the size of the child, & the smaller water bottle respectively.

thehobbit was an excellent assistant; helping choose the many fabrics, & oohing & ahhing as each sling was completed. i wish i'd taken a photo of him playing on the floor by my table, surrounded by bits of thread & fabric, & wearing a tie. never was there a more odd adorable little assistant.

i managed to complete this wip - a birthday prezzie for a little friend. it wasn't until i had the photos uploaded that i noticed the foreshortening makes the pencil pouch appear freakycrooked. it's not; the pouch is a lovely rectangle, & i am too lazy to retake the photo.

***

the air quality is better today,which means we can finally open our windows. the reports say it's still unhealthy for sensitive people though, (thehobbit & his all-boy-asthma-circus) so no outside play just yet.

fires are still raging, & hundreds more homes have been lost. mrpaper was recalled yesterday; but i've yet to hear if he has been sent to any of the fires. i hope he stays safe. i hope all the firemen stay safe. ** update :: mrpaper was not sent, & is back at home, safely annoying my dear paper **

***

so as not to leave you on a sad & worrisome note:

~peace.

day :: 11

yesterday the manlyman treated our hobbity boy to a day of male bonding, so i could focus on cutting & sewing. i was able to get 6 drink slings halfway sewn, & 3 birthday crowns completed. the slings take a lot of time, because each is made from 5 or 6 different fabrics. with fabric either donated, or repurposed, it's not always easy to find patterns or colors that look good together.

he hasn't said anything; but i think manlyman has entered himself in a husband of the year contest. you see, not only did he do the solo-parent/playmate gig - he also cooked all the meals! yes you read correctly: i did not have to cook all day. ha! oh wait there is more - manlyman then washed all the dishes! i think we all agree he's well on his way to winning that contest.

taking a cue from his daddyo, today thehobbit helped in the studio. he looked so cute stuffing colored pencils into zippered cases that i had to take a picture. his help led to everything taking vastly longer than it should; but it ended with a proud boy, so was definitely worth it.

how did i get so lucky to have not one; but two amazing men in my life?

hmmm blogger is wonky today. it's not letting me control spaces between paragraphs. sorry if this post looks odd - just blame blogger. then go have a lovely day please.

~peace.