Tag: sewing

  • Photo post

    Jane failed to stop me buying the most ridiculous fabric ever.

    Jane failed to stop me buying the most ridiculous fabric ever.

  • Plush Hobbes

    Hobbes

    I was just updating my Crafts page and realised that I’d neglected to document the creation of Hobbes. This was my Christmas gift to my nephew Penn. He recently discovered Calvin & Hobbes books, so I thought he would love his very own Hobbes. I’d seen and bookmarked the Instructables tutorial a long time ago. The hardest part was finding the fleece! I was calling all over Sydney with no luck. Then Issy sent me a message that she’d found some in a remnant bag she’d just bought! She brought it over and TOTALLY SAVED CHRISTMAS. Anyhoo, I used the sewing machine for most of the basic tube construction. Then it was all hand sewing: assembling the tubes, sewing on the stripes, and sewing on his face. It took ages, and I had quite a blister on my finger! (I never did get the hang of using a thimble.) It was all worth it when Penn opened it on Christmas morning though. Within 24 hours I had to do emergency surgery on a split that had opened in his tail, but that’s what Aunts do, right? Tigers are meant to Have Adventures, not sit on a shelf. We should also have such a best friend!

    Some construction photos:

    Fleece and thread

    Pieces<

    Basic assembly done

    Sewing on stripes

    Stripes finished

  • Ron Swanson Quilt

    I haven’t seen a lot of Parks and Recreation, but we watched it with the Carbos in LA and they seem to really love it. That’s how I know that they’ll freak out over this Ron Swanson Quilt – complete with actual Ron Swanson!

  • Colette Cinnamon Pattern

    Join Us in Supporting Equality this Valentine’s Day – Lovely idea from Sarai at Colette Patterns. Buy the digital download of the Cinnamon dress pattern today, and all proceeds go to Freedom to Marry. Win-Win! I got me a new dress pattern. 🙂

  • The w-g Oscar Contest 2013

    The w-g Oscar Contest 2013

    My ELEVENTH annual Oscar Contest is now open! If you pick the most correct answers, you’ll win a set of FOUR super-powered Avenger Monkeys! You get Captain America (with shield), Iron Monkey, Thor (with Mjölnir), and the Incredible Hulk Monkey. No, I didn’t do any of the lame human characters. If you want a monkey with an eyepatch or a bow and arrow, you can make your own. 🙂

    And remember, in the event of a tie, the person that entered earlier wins. So don’t wait too long!

    Here’s a body shot of Captain America Monkey. As you can see, he comes with a really sweet shield (painted by Mr. Snook himself!).

    Captain America Monkey

    A close-up of Cap’n’s face.

    Captain America Monkey

    Here’s Iron Monkey. (If you’re handy with electronics, you could make his Arc Reactor light up!)

    Iron Monkey

    And here’s his face. Sorry, Robert Downey Jr. not included.

    Iron Monkey

    Here’s Norse god Thor himself. He’s got a long red cape, flowing blonde locks, and a mystical hammer. (But don’t squish it too hard because it was sculpted out of clay, again by Mr. Snook.)

    Thor Monkey

    And here’s Thor’s close-up.

    Thor Monkey

    And lastly – HULK MONKEY SMASH!

    Hulk Monkey

    You can’t tell from the photos, but he really is bigger than the other 3. (Unfortunately socks don’t really allow for a lot of muscle definition, so I had to embroider his pecs on.)

    Hulk Monkey

  • Photo post

    I wore my new @ColettePatterns Lucky Cats Sorbetto today! Making my own continuous bias binding makes me feel like a total badass.
    I wore my new @ColettePatterns Lucky Cats Sorbetto today! Making my own continuous bias binding makes me feel like a total badass.

  • Photo post

    Christmas craftiness - it's a pear pincushion!
    Christmas craftiness – it’s a pear pincushion!

  • A-line Skirt

    Brown skirtA-line Skirt
    Another finished thing for Sewvember! I made this last weekend based on the hand-drawn pattern I used for my previous A-line skirts. The fabric was a remnant that I bought at Publisher Textiles when my Mom was visiting last winter. I believe it’s a thick cotton. Instead of a waist facing, I drafted my own waistband using this Colette tutorial. Somehow I got muddled and put the zipper on the right instead of the left, but that was the only snag in an otherwise quick and rewarding project.