More grocery bags

I sewed up some more bags for my friend Helen:

grocery bag

These are to promote her farm Lady Bug Farms.

grocery bag

Everything but the sewing machine thread is recycled. I utilized the pockets on the jeans this time.

grocery bag

Making the lady bug is my favorite part.

grocery bag

New bag design

I sewed some more bags for my friend Helen. In the midst of that I came up with a new design.

lady bag grocery bag

The strap was a bit tricky at first but I like how it turned out.

lady bag grocery bag

The lining came from an ill fitting shirt. I like how girly it turned out.

lady bag grocery bag

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.

cloth grocery bag

I think the buttons are a cute touch.

cloth grocery bag

All of the material except for the thread is recycled.

cloth grocery bag

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?

Prana under mosquito netting

Fun mending

I’ve been working on my mending pile. Normally it’s not that thrilling. But sometimes it’s fun.

Sieben teddy bear

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.

Sieben teddy bear

Though normally he looks like this while playing:

Sieben teddy bear

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.

Sieben dog bed

Jeans were used for the bottom and sides.

Sieben dog bed

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.

Sieben dog bed

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.

Sieben dog bed

The pillows weren’t big enough for the bed. I pulled them apart to puff them up.

Sieben dog bed

To prevent the stuffing from shifting I sewed in some dimples. This was the hardest part.

Sieben dog bed

The stuffed pillow:

Sieben dog bed

All done. It’s nice and thick and very comfy.

Sieben dog bed

I put a zipper on one end to easily take off the cover for washing.

Sieben dog bed

How does Sieben like it? Very much!

Sieben dog bed

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

Patchwork sewing machine cover

I love my Singer sewing machine but the plastic cover was boring and was starting to wear out.

plastic sewing machine cover

I made a patchwork cover to replace it:

patchwork sewing machine cover

This is some of the last of my upholstery samples. That box of samples has served me through so many sewing projects.

patchwork sewing machine cover

It fits really well and I think it looks adorable.

patchwork sewing machine cover

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.

patchwork sewing machine cover

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.

Swift cozy

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.

Swift cozy

I sewed a little tie for the end.

Swift cozy

The pants had cute embroidery on the bottom. The flowers are on both sides.

Swift cozy

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.

Cat Shelf Tutorial

Sew the upholstery squares together big enough to wrap over plywood. (Prana is already showing interest.)

Cat Shelf Tutorial

Next staple quilt stuffing onto plywood with staple gun.

Cat Shelf Tutorial

Wrap upholstery around plywood and staple underneath.

Cat Shelf Tutorial

Screw brackets to bottom of shelf and to wall.

Cat Shelf Tutorial

Cat tested and approved!

Cat Shelf Tutorial