Snap Bags

I just recently heard about snap bags and I thought it was a great idea.  They use metal measuring tape inside a pocket at the top which makes the bag open and close with a snap.  I looked at videos on youtube and there are a number of them out there so, if you are interested, check them out.  I decided to make a mens' toiletry bag for my husband.  I picked masculine fabrics for this project.  He travels lightly so, a small, long bag works for him.

The sewing method I picked was make a quilting sandwich.  You have the inside of the bag (solid brown in this example), a layer of thin batting and the outer fabric of the bag (brown stripes in this example).

The inside layer is made 1 1/2 inches longer then, folded over the front and sewn down to make a pocket.  The pocket side could vary depending on the width of your measuring tape.  Here are some pictures:

Layers

Completed bag

  I think this youtube video does the best job in explaining how to make them.  I basically used her technique but varied the size of the bag.  Give this a try, it can have many uses including a pencil pouch for back to school.

Swaps

I've been finishing up some things for swaps.  I'm hosting a Snowman ATC swap on Swap bot so, I finished those 2 cards and also, I have the Halloween Dotee swap going.  I traded the Mummy dotee doll so now, I've made a witch for the swap.

I'll be taking a short sewing break now because I want to do some scrapbooking.  I printed a ton of pictures about a week ago when Walgreens had there 50% off print sale now, I'm anxious to get them into albums.  I'll post a little of that but, will pick up more when I get back to sewing.

I have another Dotee swap coming up sponsored by Cindy Andrews.  It's the 12 days of Christmas swap.  I've got a couple of ideas for that swimming around in my head.  It should be a fun one.

Here are my snowman for the ATC swap and the witch Dotee

Gingerbread dolls

As promised, here are the new gingerbread dolls.  The body pattern is one piece.  I leave a small opening at the side for turning and stuffing.

Gingerbread doll/ornament

I'm cutting 2 dolls here.  The material is doubled, right sides together

Stuffed but not decorated doll

Pattern for body and vest

To make this

1.  Cut out the body pattern
2. Trace the body pattern to the wrong side of brown fabric.  I used 100% cotton fabric and a white chalk marker for tracing
3. Sew the doll along the chalk line leaving an opening on the side for turning
4. Cut out the doll about 1/4 from your seam line.  Clip the curves, especially at the neck, armpit and crotch area.
5. Turn and stuff the body.  I stuffed the feet, lower legs, lower arms and head firmly.  the rest is stuffed a little lighter to give it more of a rag doll feel to it
6. Sew a line from the shoulder to the armpits and another straight across by the crotch area.  This will make the doll feel more flexible
7. Sew side opening closed and now decorate your doll!

Here are just a few ideas to decorate the dolls but, use your imagination and whatever supplies you have on hand and have fun

Beads for eyes and nose

Straight stitch embroidery for the mouth

Trim around the wrists or french knots

Buttons on the chest

Bows on the neck and/or feet

Beads on the feet

Clothes (I included a vest pattern which is made using felt)

Sew on a string for hanging

 

Enjoy!!

Gingerbread Man doll or ornament

I'm finalizing a pattern for an easy doll that is a mini gingerbread man.  I should wrap that up tomorrow and I'll get a pattern posted for you.  I've already made a prototype but have not completed a doll since I adjusted the pattern.  It's a fun pattern that is easy to make and a great way to use up small scraps (especially brown scraps for the body).   Tune in tomorrow.........

Here is a quick idea though for a gift bow on a package.  This is especially fun to give people that like rustic things or enjoy sewing.  You take an old tissue pattern that you are not using anymore and fold it multiple times.  You want about 10 layers of tissue.  Take something round, like a glass jar and trace around it on the folded tissue paper.  I used my paint jar which is 3 inches in diameter.  Cut out the circle with decorative scissors, punch a hole in the middle and insert a brad.  Randomly ink the tissue paper then, begin to separate the layers and scrunch them up with you fingers.  You should have a rosette/rose type bow at the end.

Tissue pattern rosette

Baby Burp Clothes

Here is a fun small project for that special baby in your life.  You can get 2 baby burp clothes out of 2 quarter yard pieces.  Mine measure about 10 inches by 21 inches.  I just used my ruler and rotary cutting blade and cut two 10 by 21 inch front pieces, 2 back pieces and 2 thin batting pieces.  I like to use flannel on these because they absorb nicely and for the batting, I use 100% cotton.

After I cut my rectangles, I like to round the corners.  I found that an easy way to do this is to take a saucer and put in on the corner, draw a pencil line and cut off the excess.  The picture below shows this.

Once your pieces are cut out, you can put trim on them if you like.  I think ric rac looks nice on baby things so, I basted that in place.  This is extra wide ric rac.  Once the trim is in place, place the right sides together (one of the backing and one of the front).  Put the batting on the wrong side.

Now that your sandwich is in place, sew around the edges about 1/4 of an inch.  If you are using the ric rac, you want the seam to run up the center of the trim.  Leave a small area open for turning.

Turn the material, iron, sew opening closed and finish off with quilting.  I used free motion quilting on this sample.  I've also done others where I did decorative stitching around the edge and that looks nice also.

If you don't like to do free motion, you can pencil in straight lines and quilts in rows, diamonds, or whatever you like.

Rounding the corners, please note the glass saucer for the template

Basting on the trim

Finished project

I'm almost finished with the box for my Halloween ATC cards.  It needs a little more touch up paint plus, I'm still working on the cards that go in it.  Once I finish that, I'll probably decorate the outside also but, the project is on it's way at least.   Any shallow box will work for this.  The rim on this was a little over 1/4 inch.

To make the dividers, I used balsa would which was cut to length and hot glued in place.

I also completed another Halloween Dotee doll.  The one I posted the other day got traded so, this is a new one for the swap I'm hosting (unless it trades too!!).  This one's a witch.  I used felt for the hat again similiar to the cone doll that I did.  I made a cape for her out of velvet and used silver thread with decorative stitching along the bottom outside hem.   The cape is just two rectangles of the velvet sewn together and gathered at the neck.

Witch Halloween Dotee Doll

I have not been sewing for a couple of days now.  I will be working on some projects in the next week or so though.  I have another Dotee doll on my list and some baby burp pads.  After that, I'll probably go to another big quilting project.  Right now, I'm working on Artist Trading Cards (ATC's).  I'm hosting a Halloween Paper Collage swap on a Facebook site I belong too.  I'm also making some for myself.  I want to make a group of them and make a picture with them.  I've seen boxes with small compartments in them that people use for this purpose but, I also had the green box in the picture below.  It had a book inside of it and it's made of chipboard so, it's very sturdy.  I'm working on an idea of trying to use that instead of purchasing something new.  I'll see if that works out!!

I love to reuse items as much as possible and, I enjoy going to thrift shops and garage sales looking for bargains.  I found a quilt hanger this weekend for 4 dollars and it only needed a little cleaning and it was ready to go.  What a deal :)

Displaying Dotee dolls

I ran across one of those expandable peg hangers at a thrift store for .99 cents.  I went ahead and bought it then, spray painted it black.  It turned out to work pretty good for displaying my Dotee doll collection

I think I'll need to make some more trades!  It's looking empty.

I finished up the latest Cone doll.  As mentioned yesterday, I painted the whole thing black first then, I lightly penciled in the witch doll.  I'm not a great painter but I think the thing about the witch cone doll is the hat.  The hat makes the doll cute.  After lightly penciling in my shapes, I filled them in with acrylic paints and did some outlining with black ink.

Doll with painted body and head - the hair comes next

Next is the hair.  For this doll, I decided to do torn, thin pieces of fabric.  They are about 5-6 inches long then folded in half and hot glued above the hat line.

  Gluing on the hair.  Fiber looks cute too

The hat is made in 2 parts.  The cone part is somewhat of a triangle but, as you can see from the edges, in has a curve to it.  I placed it against a ruler so you can get the general size.  I think the key here is to cut it bigger than you need and then make adjustments with your scissors.  Be sure to leave a little overlap so it can be glued closed into a cone shape.

The brim

The brim is cut like a donut and I cut it slightly small.  first I put the cone of the hat in place then I slide the "donut" brim over it.  Since the middle hole is cut slightly small, it makes a tight fit.  By the way, I'm using felt for this which has a little stretch to it and works perfect (plus it's cheap).

Cone witch doll

For the finishing touches, there is ribbon tied around the base of the brim and plastic spiders glued on the hat and body.  I got the spiders at JoAnnes Fabrics.  Maybe I need to buy a plastic cauldron since I now have a cone witch collection.  I can place them all around it.  Halloween is such fun!

Have fun crafting.  If you make one, send me a picture and I'll post it below with your name

Cone Doll

I'm going to start making the Cone Witch doll which I promised you on 7/26.  To start with, I used a cardboard cone which is from an empty roll of cotton yard.  My mother in law makes crochet kitchen clothes by the dozens and always has a bunch of these cones.  To start with, I just paint the whole outside in a solid black.

Cardboard cone for doll before paints

 While that's drying, I finished up a small box I did a paper collage on.  This is an old plywood box that was simply painted black and, I thought it needed more love.  I use it to store my postcard collection.  I cut papers from old greeting cards, magazines and even some used stamps I collected.   I used paper glue and applies them to the box.  Most are just ripped pieces of paper but some are cut.  I finished up by adding decorative ribbon to the top and bottom.  I wish I would have remembered to take a before picture.  I think the box is much more interesting to look at now.

Finished collage box

Tomorrow, I'll publish the rest of the cone doll

Mummy Dotee and Water Dotee

I've been working on a couple of Dotee doll swaps and finished them up today.  I have an upcoming swap with the theme of mother nature.  I picked water and choose a material with a water theme then added beads and fabric to depict what I interpret as flowing water for the doll.

Mother Nature/Water Dotee Doll

On the second one I did a Halloween Dotee.  I'm actually the host on this swap so, if you are a member of swap bot, I would love for you to join.  There are still a few days left.  If you are not a member, I would consider doing private swaps on Dotee dolls.  These would not be the ones you get but, I'm open to any themed item or just pick your own.

On my Halloween one, I tea stained muslin fabric then tore it in long strips.  I wrapped the Dotee in the rags and then added a Baby Dotee.  This doll is named "I'm her Mummy"!  I made a little sign that says that and hangs from her neck.

"I'm her Mummy" Halloween Dotee doll

Update:  The Mummy doll is being traded in a private swap so whoever gets my name on the Halloween swap through Swap bot will get another one so they will be surprised.

Annie is completed!

I finished the Annie doll tonight.  Here she is:

I thought I would add a comment about how I did her hair.  I have used this technique on other rag dolls including Raggedy Ann (which was the traditional red yarn).  I take a hanger and bend it into a long rectangle shape.  I then wrap the fiber around it and sew it on the machine up the middle.  I release one end of the rectangle and slide off the hair.  I then stitch the hair to the head.

I added a little apron to her which is just a square of white fabric which is doubled and sewn together on 3 sides, right sides together.  I then turn it inside out and fold over the fourth seam and sew in it down.  To make it thinner at the top, I added 3 dart.  A little ribbon sewn across the top with long tails is used for the tie.  Finally, decorative stitching from the machine gives it a little extra touch.

Here are some pictures of the hair being sewn:

Wire hanger folded, yarn wrapped then sewn up the middle

Slip off the yarn and you have one long tail like piece which is hand sewn to the head

This doll will be on it's way to another doll lover in a Annie doll swap I'm in.  I hope she enjoys her as much as I enjoyed making her.

Annie Doll continued

It's a beautiful day here so, I did enjoy the sunshine this afternoon.  I also had a chance to work on the doll.  I completed the painting and and her bloomers.  I had some problems with the face so, I had a couple of re-dos there but, in the end, I was happy with the results.  The shoes and socks are also painted on and I embellished the top of the "sock" with ric rac and put a little button on the shoe to represent the closure.

The pattern had a button for the black part of the eye but, I liked painting it instead.  Of course, that's just a matter of preference.  I also added an applique heart on the chest because it seems to me that all rag dolls need to have this.

Still looking like ET though but the hair will come shortly

Halloween Coasters

I'm still working on the doll from yesterday's post but, it's taking a long time for the paint to dry for the shoes.  Maybe it's the weather or something.  Rather than just sit and watch paint dry, I switched to another project.  I'm making Halloween coasters.  I finished one so far and will have to do more but, you can see what I'm up to here.

Happy Halloween Coaster

To complete the coaster, I machine embroidered the Happy Halloween saying.  I used one of the free patterns from Embroidery designs.  Here is a link if you want to use the same design

http://www.embroiderydesigns.com/

After the embroidery was completed, I cut a circle around it plus, the same size circle for 2 pieces of batting, 1 piece of backing and 1 piece of flannel backed vinyl (I happened to have some left over vinyl from a baby changing pad project).  The vinyl is optional but I think it would help protect the furniture from a glass with a lot of melting ice.  The circles are all 4 3/4 inches in diameter.  I just rummaged around the kitchen until I found something about the size I wanted.  In this case, it was the top of my flour cannister!   I basted these layers together as follows:

Backing (right side out)
1 layer of batting
1 layer of vinyl
1 layer of batting
Happy Halloween front design, right side out

After the basting, I attached wide ric rac to the front.  On top of the ric rac I put the binding which is cut on the bias and is 1 3/4 inch wide.  When sewing on the binding, I place the seam directly over the middle of the ric rac.  The final step is to flip the binding back and hand sew it down.

Layers ready to sew to assemble

It may seem odd talking about Halloween already but, I like to complete these type of project early so I can enjoy them in plenty of time for sending of using.

Annie Doll

For anyone that loves Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls, this next doll that I'm making is for you.  There are a number of these types of dolls and they are called "Annie" dolls.  If you would like to make one, I found a great website where all the patterns are free!!  Here is the link:

http://lilliemaescrafts.com/dollsannies.htm

So far, I have completed the body.  I will not be posting step by step instructions on this as you can get those off the pattern.  I will show you my progress and how I make it my own, plus any tips I can think of.  Here is the doll at this point.  As you can see, the basic body is done.  The only tip here I have is turning tools.  I find them very beneficial in turning small long arms and legs on dolls.  They make quick work of it.  Plus, I used my hemostat tool which I mention in an earlier blog.  That tool worked well on pulling out the little thumb area.

Basic doll.  I think she looks a little like ET at this stage!

Turning rods.  They usually come in packages of 3 sizes.  I mostly used the blue one for this

The next steps will be painting on the shoes and face.  I'll be posting that in the next day or so.

Dog scarf

I have two dogs and we have enjoyed dressing them up every once in awhile.  I've tried various scarves but they usually don't care for them and will pull at them until they finally come loose.  I have found that this simple scarf that wraps around the collar works great.  It's not to big so, it does not seem to bother them and, since they are attached to the collar they stay on.  They are very simple to make and a great way to use up small scraps you may have.  I'm thinking I should make them some more for holidays, various seasons of the year etc.  Here is how you make them

Pattern

I used grid paper and measures 6 inches across, then 3 inches down on each side.  I found the center point on the 6 inch line (3 inches) and drew another line straight down that was 6 1/2 inches.  I then matched up the 3 inch side to the center.  Here is a picture:

 I cut out a single piece of fabric using the fabric and finished off the 3 inch sides and the diagonal  lines by folding it over twice about a scant 1/4 inch wide.  The 6 inch side is folded over 1/4 of an inch then folded down again until the 1 1/4 inches.  A seam holds it in place.  You should now have a pocket to thread in the collar.

Tips:
The pattern can be made larger or smaller depending on the size of the dog and the "style" they prefer.  Keep in mind the width of the collar when making adjustments.  The pocket fold must be wide enough to fit the collar through plus, any thick/wide buckles it may have on it.

Another tip for finishing the seams is to do the 2 three inch sides first and then do each diagonal line.  Prior to the final diagonal line, make a small clip on the bottom to cut off the point.  This will make for a more finished look.  Here are pictures to show the process:

Finishing side and bottom seams.  Note the small clip I made at the point before turning the final side

Making pocket for collar

Collar slipped into pocket

The final scarf.  It's small enough not to bother the dog but adds that extra level of dog cuteness!!

I've gotten back a couple of Dotee Dolls from swaps I have joined.  I'm delighted by the wonderful dolls I have gotten back.  One is a Mustard doll and is shaped like the classic mustard bottle and the other one is created using Indian bead work the artist has learned through her heritage.  Since my collection is growing, I need to figure out a cute way to display them.  Maybe I'll come across something that will inspire a creative display idea