Last night, I finished embroidering the labels for my sewing needle case. I looked through my needles and the resources from this post and narrowed it down to sharps, betweens (quilting), embroidery (crewel), tapestry, and cross-stitch needles. (The cross-stitch needles are technically tapestry, but my head was starting to spin by this point so I decided to keep them separate.)
The embroidery was very simple to do. I wrote out the words first on white grosgrain ribbon with a very fine Pigma Micron 005 pen. I stretched the ribbon through my embroidery hoop and then back-stitched the letters with double strands of teal floss. I was going for a subtle gradient effect, so I used three different shades of thread.
I found these metal card catalog labels in my stash and am thinking about blanket-stitching them into place. However, it may make the whole thing feel sort of heavy. I don’t know. What do you think?
Next week: the full reveal. I know this isn’t the most glamorous of projects, but I think it’s going to be so useful. We’ll see…
Hope you have a great weekend!
Filed under Fabric & Sewing, I Made This.
Tagged with Drawing Room fabric, hand sewing needles, sewing needle case.
Yesterday, I gathered up some fabrics for a little project — an organizer for my sewing needles. Today, I rounded up all the stuff I wanted to store so I can get the measurements right, and I started to realize just how much organization I actually need.
I don’t know if I’m the only one, but I always feel like I’ve grabbed the wrong needle for my project (if I can actually find one). When it comes to machine sewing, I have my notions in order. I like to take the time to select the right needle for my fabrics, the best threads, the right presser foot. However, my hand sewing stuff is a jumbled up mess. Nothing is more frustrating than getting started only to realize that a smaller, shorter, longer, bigger, different needle would have worked better.
So I’m thinking I may do some homework first and embroider some labels for the different types of needles I have. I found a list on wikipedia and this post at Craftystylish. I’d like to find some way to include the information about what each needle type is used for, but I haven’t figured out quite how to include that without embroidering a whole paragraph. I’d like to take the time to do this right, but not quite that much time. This was supposed to be my quick little sewing reward this week.
If you know of any other resources out there, please share! Any tips for organizing your sewing supplies?
Filed under Fabric & Sewing.
Lately it seems like everything I am working on is “behind-the-scenes,” and this month, a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff is on the computer. I am desperately in need of a little bit of instant gratification sewing. Something I can share.
I took a break this morning to round up some of my favorite scraps, and I’ve promised myself that if I work really, really hard I can take off an hour or two to sew something this week. I always feel more motivated on Tuesdays anyway, because I want to be able to watch Lost guilt-free.
Although these scraps are all about me, I’m thinking my husband may like this sewing project too since it just might help me keep my needles out of the couch. I’m afraid it won’t do anything about the straight pins in the carpet though. (Sorry dear!)
In the meantime, have you seen this tutorial over at Sew Mama Sew from Jcasa? Cute-cute. When I get some more time… I hope.
Filed under Fabric & Sewing.
Tagged with needle case.
Around this time of year, I always start thinking about grassy meadows, naps under trees, and picnic baskets. We saw this Coke commercial last night on TV and I almost choked up a little bit; my longing to be on a picnic was so intense.
(Some of you will point out that I live in L.A., so I could go sit outside on a blanket right now. However, even here, it’s not quite the same until the sun is really warm and you’re wearing something sleeveless.)
Anyway, I thought it would be a good time to start my spring sewing wish list. I have visions of picnic blankets, summer dresses, and fresh table linens. I love warm weather sewing, because I can really experiment with patterns and colors and worry less about what my husband will say. I can just tell him “this is for outside, not the bed,” and he’ll be fine.
My wish list so far:
- some Spring/Summer bags: I think I need two.
- a library bag (a la Posie Gets Cozy)
- an “adventuring” bag: I want something casual that can go to the zoo and the garden, maybe even Disneyland and Hawaii. (It’s good to set goals, right?) The bag needs to hold a camera, water bottle, keys, wallet, and hand lotion. There should be room for random scraps of paper since that seems to be most of what ends up in my purse. I haven’t quite decided on a shape yet.
- And last but not least: a picnic set. I have plans to fully deck out a picnic basket with the works – a basket liner, matching napkins, drawstring pouches for the silverware. Cute little matching tins and containers. I’m not sure if I’ll get to it this year, but it’s on the list.
Anyone else with picnics on the brain? I might have forgotten some important accessories. I am torn between wanting spring to arrive and thinking I might need another few months to get my sewing list in order first. ;-)
Filed under Fabric & Sewing.
Tagged with picnic basket, picnic blanket, picnics, sewing, spring.
Lately, I’ve noticed quite a few fabric designers sharing some insights into their artistic process. I’m not sure if it’s the time of year (with Spring Market in May) or what – but I am certainly not complaining. These windows into other people’s techniques are always fascinating.
Here are some great links:
- Tula Pink: so, so beautiful, check out these glimpses into her workspace
And of course, True Up is still the best resource out there for round-ups of designer interviews, links to tutorials, etc. This one from Heather Ross is an oldie but a goodie.
Filed under Fabric & Sewing.
Tagged with fabric design process.
By Kelly
February 25, 2010
