jane's apron

tiny dresses

I've been wanting to get back to some small-scale projects and to use my favorite stamps to make some cards.  My injury on Mother's Day gave me a chance to do it...I sat and cut lots of tiny dresses.   I have a stamp with a row of four dresses so I just stamped (in brown ink) on some paper scraps and then cut out all of the dresses.  I stamped the image again on a scalloped note flat and added one of the paper dresses to each.

I also made a few note card sets using another favorite stamp (the one that started the whole sewing pattern idea).

So now I have a few things to add to the empty "handstamped notes" section of my etsy shop.

My house is a complete mess but I'm using the broken toe excuse...and making pretty stuff is so much more fun.   

McCall's Patterns

I've worked with enough sewing pattern envelopes and drawings to say that I have a definite favorite.  McCall's patterns have the cutest most vivid illustrations...the best fonts, colors, and graphics (love the spool of thread).  I also love the Park Ave. New York, NY address on the back of the envelopes.  I can just imagine the graphic designers drawing illustrations...probably really quickly, probably lots of them, probably very old school.   

Most of the McCall's patterns I have are slightly wider than other patterns and I didn't think they would work on a small clipboard.  I changed my mind.  Now, these are my new favorite clipboards.

clipboards & buttons

Just a quick post today to try out the new Firefox browser (that allows rich text editing in TypePad)....so far, so good.

I am in the mood to make clipboards so I'm just going along with it...running to the store for more supplies before I lose my clipboard mojo.   I talked before about how I have used buttons to cover the manufacturer's name on some clipboard hardware.  I dumped out my small vintage button stash looking for a black button and had one on its original little card...so I just threaded the whole thing with checked ribbon and put it over the clip.  I love stumbling on a new idea that way.

I added two of these legal-sized (big!) clipboards to my etsy shop yesterday...

robin's egg train case

I finished the cool robin's egg blue train case that you might have seen in the vodcast at diystyle.net and here.

I love to see and hear about the process of making things so I thought I'd share a little of that for this project. Of course, the train case is the base of the design...robin's egg blue with silver specs, perfect inside and out, a tray for holding lots of goodies and, as an added bonus, it has its original key. I didn't want to completely cover the case and chose oranges, reds, and yellows to contrast with the blue. My favorite pattern images are very 1960s...not too kitchy...kind of modern...kind of cool. Just look at the image on the side of the case...the red patterned blouse and gypsy earrings are straight out of an Anthropologie catalog.

I cut out the images I might use and then arrange them until they look right to my eye. I added a few extras...paper edges and cutouts and such to define spaces a little more. I cut out the "It's Young Fashion!" statement for the front of the case.

There are sometimes images of the back of a sewing project and I love to use those on the back of the case.

Finally, the train case had its original tray but it was a little stained. I covered the tray in sewing pattern tissue...so cute for what might be used as a sewing kit. I used a small scrap to make a tag for the key (tied with black and white baker's twine).

I am listing this case and another fun "patchwork" one in my etsy shop today. With Mother's Day approaching quickly, I hope to list lots of new stuff throughout the week also.

On the technical front, the Mac or PC decision was made and I'm waiting on a new MacBook...also waiting on a new Photoshop Elements (in the mean time, all I seem to have is "edge blur" in iPhoto so be patient with my photos over the next week or so). For some reason, I'm only getting an html editor when creating a post in TypePad (had a choice on the PC)...this is little too irritating so early in the morning...am I doing something wrong?...looks like TypePad does not support rich text formatting on Safari...oopsie.

art case

When my daughter turned 7 a couple of months ago, all she wanted for her birthday was a pink Nintendo DS.  No problem, I thought, I just saw those at Target.  Whatever I may or may not have actually seen at Target was nowhere to be found again.  I spent a good two weeks making the rounds at the usual stores (yep...online too).  When I finally found one, I was very happy.

I was even happier when I stopped at my pink thrift store on my way home and found one of those small hard-sided "going to grandma's house" little suitcases.  I covered the case in red and white patterned paper, added a red gingham ribbon, vintage buttons, and a tag at the top tied  with baker's twine. Ellen is not really wild about my sewing pattern stuff (a small form of rebellion I'm sure), so I added a transparent "Every child is an Artist" quote.  The suitcase is now Ellen's art case...almost as good as a Nintendo DS.

desperate crafting

For me, there are lots of types of crafting.  There is thoughtful crafting where you have an idea, maybe make a few sketches, and then turn the idea in your head into something.   There is inspired crafting where you really don't have a plan but just start making something until it looks "right" (this is my favorite kind).  Then there is desperate crafting...

This is the kind of crafting when you remember that you need to donate something to the school auction and the deadline is today.  I had been hoping that the "inspired" crafting thing would happen but it didn't...and then I ran out of time.  The collage pictured above has been sitting in my etsy shop for over a year.  I always liked it but decided to pull the little wall flower from the shop, give her a new spin, and donate her to the auction.  I punched holes in the collage and used vintage buttons to hold the twill ribbon.  Now she's a pretty wall hanging that I hope someone loves. 

 

vintage va-va-voom

The interview I was telling everyone about with DIY Style is up and ready to see.  It is really hard for me to see and hear myself but I think they did a great job of showing my stuff and who I am (bad haircut and all...ack!).   

I have been lucky to find some great new vintage train cases and the next one I want to work on is shown briefly in the vodcast.  It's the coolest sparkly robin's egg blue color...perfect for a nice "spring-y" project.  I'm thinking of adding touches of red and orange...should be fun. 

The vodcast is here at DIY Style.

a different kind of pattern

Part of my spring cleaning has been the crazy idea to use some of the stuff I have stashed in my craft cabinet.  I had cut the covers off a vintage sewing book and, while we were all home for a recent snow day, I made two wall hangings from them.

My usual sewing patterns just weren't working for me...I guess the real-ness of the book cover had something to do with it.  I decided instead to use a couple of photographs from one of my pattern books and then cut them to "fit" into the book cover.  I snapped the big eyelets in the book cover as usual but I think next time I'm going to try using buttons.

   

diy style

Today I'm going to send you to a fun place...but I'll be there too.  Last year, the creative group behind a locally produced sewing site saw my work at the Rock & Roll Craft Show and contacted me.  Was my train case still available?  Could they buy it to use as a sewing box for the studio set?  Could I make a clock for the set? 

DIY Style is a sewing site for young, hip, creative chicks (no matter what your age) and they offer sewing projects, tips, and vodcasts with all kinds of good stuff.  Their new season started this week and you will see my train case and clock featured in the vodcast.  And, while I'm not sure of the date, an upcoming vodcast will feature a little interview with me in my studio (i.e. my kitchen)...I'll let you know.  I know they also taped an episode at Mary Engelbreit's new studio right after they were at my house.  This is enough to make me hyperventilate...seriously.

DIY Style

new vodcast (the cute little dog bed!)

sewing kit

As I watch the vodcast, I probably should be looking at the sewing box but really I'm looking at the sewing machine.  How in the world does Allyce sew so fast?  Why doesn't her machine make the funny noise that mine makes?   Why doesn't her bobbin thread stop working and have to be fixed...every five minutes?  Why doesn't she look physically exhausted after sewing something?  I'm thinking I need a new sewing machine.  While you're at the site, join me and sign up for the sewing machine giveaway...a Babylock Creative Pro.   

   

mad men

I get my ideas for projects from all kinds of places...movies, advertisements, a good pile of stuff from the thrift store, different colors and patterns....and TV.   I've already talked about how much I love Project Runway.  Mad Men on AMC is another favorite.  It's slightly funny, slightly creepy...very entertaining.  When I finished this train case, I showed it to my sister and she described it perfectly saying "Oh, that's so Mad Men". 

The opening credits of the series shows a man in silhouette against a background of advertisements.  I wanted to try the same type of image and created silhouettes from sewing pattern images and layered them on a paper collage created from a vintage home decorating book.  I created these two on clipboards (with the cutest scrapbook paper on the back...chalk drawings of space ships).   I'm adding these to my etsy shop this week too (I promise!).