Abbey and I did a trade and my part was making her draft blockers.
She gave me some retro upholstery fabric to use.
I used my Draft Blocker Pattern. I think they turned out well and she likes them too.
Draft blockers for Abbey
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Category Archives: Sewing
More grocery bags
I sewed up some more bags for my friend Helen:
These are to promote her farm Lady Bug Farms.
Everything but the sewing machine thread is recycled. I utilized the pockets on the jeans this time.
Making the lady bug is my favorite part.
New bag design
I sewed some more bags for my friend Helen. In the midst of that I came up with a new design.
The strap was a bit tricky at first but I like how it turned out.
The lining came from an ill fitting shirt. I like how girly it turned out.
New grocery bag
My friend Helen has a farm called Ladybug Farms. She sells her veggies at local farmer’s markets. I made her a cloth grocery bag for promotion.
I think the buttons are a cute touch.
All of the material except for the thread is recycled.
She liked it and I’ve made her some more. It’s nice to be sewing again.
Flying ant season has started so we’re sleeping under our mosquito netting for the next few weeks. Prana sleeps under it too. Doesn’t he look spoiled?
Fun mending
I’ve been working on my mending pile. Normally it’s not that thrilling. But sometimes it’s fun.
I got this teddy bear for Sieben from the free pile. He chewed the nose off so I patched it up.
Sieben was happy to get his teddy back.
Though normally he looks like this while playing:
Dog Bed
I finished Sieben’s dog bed. The crochet and knit versions didn’t work but the sewn one turned out great.
To challenge myself I decided to use as much recycled materials as I could. Everything but the the sewing thread is recycled.
I cut up sweatshirts for the top.
Jeans were used for the bottom and sides.
Scraps of linen and muslin fabric were used for the pillow lining. I wanted to make the outer layer washable so the stuffing needed to be made into a pillow.
Old pillows are great to reuse for stuffing. I figured Sieben would like it if his doggie bed smelled like his humans. Prana helped out.
The pillows weren’t big enough for the bed. I pulled them apart to puff them up.
To prevent the stuffing from shifting I sewed in some dimples. This was the hardest part.
The stuffed pillow:
All done. It’s nice and thick and very comfy.
I put a zipper on one end to easily take off the cover for washing.
How does Sieben like it? Very much!
Pattern: Sieben Dog Bed
Source: custom
Materials: recycled sweatshirts, jeans, linen, and muslin fabric, recycled pillows and zipper
Size: custom
Started: April 2010
Finished: May 2010
Frances G’s draft blocker
Frances G wrote me to share the draft blocker she made from my tutorial. Check it out:
She did a great job!
Patchwork sewing machine cover
I love my Singer sewing machine but the plastic cover was boring and was starting to wear out.
I made a patchwork cover to replace it:
This is some of the last of my upholstery samples. That box of samples has served me through so many sewing projects.
It fits really well and I think it looks adorable.
My favorite part is the opening I made for the thread spool. That way I can leave it on when I put the machine away.
Swift cozy
I made a cozy for my Swift out of a pair of old yoga pants. Prana wanted to be in the photo shoot.
Basically I cut the pants in half and used one leg for the cozy. I sewed up the bottom and made a hem at the opening.
I sewed a little tie for the end.
The pants had cute embroidery on the bottom. The flowers are on both sides.
Cat Shelf Tutorial
This one is from 2004. Prana was a youngster back then.
This winter I put plastic over the windows to keep out drafts. Prana wasn’t too happy about this since it meant he couldn’t sit in the windows. So I made him a cat shelf. Everything’s recycled except the brackets.
I started with some scrap plywood, quilt stuffing, salvaged upholstery squares and shelf brackets. Upholstery worked best since furball has razorlike claws.
Sew the upholstery squares together big enough to wrap over plywood. (Prana is already showing interest.)
Next staple quilt stuffing onto plywood with staple gun.
Wrap upholstery around plywood and staple underneath.
Screw brackets to bottom of shelf and to wall.
Cat tested and approved!
