Easy Hem Tutorial

I love to buy my daughter's jeans at the thrift store cause they are far less expensive and she tends to trash them pretty quickly. Unfortunately, they need to be hemmed and I do not like to hem. My poor child has been seen wearing jeans for an entire year that I have just cut off and left to fray. This is a very grunge look for an eight year old. Granted the new look is very goth. What is a mom to do?

This method of hemming is painless and quick. You only need a small amount of cuff fabric, and a few minutes and it is done.

Pictures Only;-) (see the PDF for all of the the steps)



For the full scoup here is the PDF tutorial.

Felt Sugar Skulls

Not as super sweet but loads of fun.



Ready for the one of the best celebrations of the year? Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), a two day celebration, that corresponds with All Saints and All Souls Day, November 1 & 2, is a celebration meant to honor loved ones who have passed on. How will you honor the ones you love who have gone on?

How about making a sugar skull. I have never made a real one but I have designed a cute felt bag from the ones we have at the store.

Here is the tutorial.

The bag is cute and small (4.5 x 5.5), just the right size for a change purse or a cell phone. These are made with Kunin Eco Felt which is made by recycling plastic bottles.

Want to put them on a tee shirt or tote bag? A set of 4 (one of each color) with 4 black backs is also available.

Don't sew a lick but love them all the same. Finished pouches can be made to order.

Artistic interpretation by the number 2 child.

Creating Repeat Patterns with Photoshop

School is back in session and I really want my students to get excited about the textiles class I am trying to get started. Sew my photo / graphic students are using Photoshop to make fabric. Cool trick right!

The kids started with a simple logo, for the example I used this heart peace symbol. We use the free transform tool to take the single logo and make different sizes and different tilting angles. When we tiled that in Photoshop it was kinda boring, and there was too much negative space (which is not the space that makes you fell bad about yourself).



So I found a better tutorial and this one ROCKS!(tutorial site was hacked I will relink ASAP We followed the instruction and .... here it is.



Now I need to call Kinko's and see how much a large color copy on acetate is. That will determine if we have to keep it small or if we can print the maximum size for our screen. We will not be creating continuous yardage, the kids will only print this once or twice, we may even have to do additional cropping to incorporate a number of students designs onto one screen. Hopefully, they will make a pouch or pencil case.

Stay tuned, we will not get the screens burned until next week, I am working on a tutorial for using the Yudu Screen printer with wood frame screens.

Introducing Sloth Craft

Drum Roll Please!

Sloth Craft: the division of Some Art that is all about the crafty things we make.

Last year we designed an ornament to give to friends and family and it was a huge hit. Fueled by the success, I designed a few more and they are ready to go PUBLIC. (Although if you were at the last Kraftworks you got a sneaky peek).


The Sloth Craft elves are ready to get the holiday season started with a beautiful line of repurposed, reclaimed and reseen holiday ornaments that you can feel good about giving and of course keeping for your holiday heirlooms.

Each ornament is made by hand in the USA using a variety of materials with an eye towards unique and creative misuse.

Featured Exclusively at SomeArtFabric.com

Santorini is IN!

Lila Tueller newest line is in ...

Santorini

This collection was inspired by a tiny Greek island in the Aegean Sea, rich with ripening olive groves and lush tropical gardens. The colors of this collection are warm, fresh, and welcoming; just like the island sunsets, the coastal resorts, the fabulous local fare, and the island people that greet you while you stay.

and her older lines are on sale!

Woodland Bloom

Soiree

Panache is IN!

New from Sanae, one of Moda's super cool designers:

Panache

Flamboyant confidence and bold style infused with the rich red of pomegranate create this modern interpretation of buds and blooms. Panache is teeming with movement, energy and warm, vivid color. Sanae’s newest works are modern enough to satisfy the most discerning urbanite while maintaining a sense of elegance and serenity.

Crochet TRIVETS

The blogs has been fairly quiet this summer, I was busy being a full time mom. WOW, I am glad school is back in session. I get more done working half a day than I do when I have the whole day off.

One of my new bad habits is crochet, not with yarn, with fabric strips. I saw an article last year showing you how to make continuous yardage for strips and I tucked it away. They were making rugs for a fundraiser.

My first rug took 10 yards of fabric and is about a 40 inch circle, a great stash buster but not great if I want to sell them or gift them. so I though mmm...what else can I use this skill on?

trivets -- easier, faster, maybe sell able at the very least a great gift.

This is my first attempt (really my second, I pulled the first one apart) to make a star. I kinda followed the instructions but my first go had 8 points because I forgot to skip a stitch.



I may really love this, I am not sure how much fabric I used, guessing about 2 yards. I wish I could make it a bit smaller but it only took me a half hour to make, so the real expense is the fabric. Yarn dyed plaids and Batiks work best because the color is solid through the fabric (no right or wrong side).

Here is the pattern, it is supposed to be a 5 inch coaster but mine is a 15 ish inch trivet.

Quick Stitch

This quick to stitch hand towel would make a lovely housewarming gift, birthday present, or new neighbor welcome. Add this to a basket filled with coffee, jams, jellies, and some homemade bread, and you have a one of a kind gift that's sure to be appreciated.

To make: cut your main fabric 18 x 20 and make a double 1/4 inch hem on all four sides. Cut the hem band 18 x 10. Fold the hem band in half long ways and press. Embroider one side. Sew wrong sides (1/2 inch seam allowance) together leaving a hole to turn. Turn band inside out and stitch hole closed by hand. Faggot stitch the hem band to the main towel. I did mine by hand but you could machine faggot stitch as well.

The embroidery is a simple backstitch. I made up my own designs, drawing ideas from the main fabric. You could use a coloring book or embroidery iron-on transfers as well. "Kitchen" in simple block letters would also work. Think of the hem as a blank canvas that screams to be embellished.

Kokka fabric from Japan would look great in a cottage style kitchen. It would make absolutely adorable window coverings, seat cushions, or table linens. It's a lovely stable woven linen cotton blend that is easy to work with and enjoyable to sew. It coordinates well with chocolate brown or natural colored linen.

A Tisket, a Tasket a Beautiful Little Basket

What hangs on the door, catches on all your miscellaneous stuff, and uses just a little fabric? Why this little hanging basket from In Stitches by Amy Butler. I think I shall make one for every door in my house and then maybe my counters would stay clutter free.

Made in a fabulous Japanese print from Kokka with a coordinating Mingle polka dot, this tote is sure to attract attention from all who enter. As all Amy Butler patterns, the instructions are a bit wordy but the pictures are great. My only caveat is the timtex. It is very stiff which gives the bag its rigidity but makes it difficult to turn and stitch at times. The pattern also called for boning which I omitted. I think it would be easier to make and just as effective with craft weight interfacing.

As for the fabric, the Japanese fabrics are absolutely wonderful to work with and the charming prints are so fun to read. It coordinates well with the polka dots and brown cotton canvas. The fabric screams to made into a retro skirt, trendy apron, or tote bag. I think it would make adorable hand towels too. The possibilities are endless.

Scrap Bag Winners

We are sending out 3 scrap bags this month and the winners from the followers are: Ratty, Anne, and mommazilla. I attempted to email you guys but I am not sure if it went through. Please email me at sales at someartfabic dot com.

Thanks!

PUNK Rock Nappy Bag

Happy Birthday Baby Jacob!



I bet Amy Butler never thought there would be such a punk rock version of her Nappy Bag. My little brother needed a diaper bag that was a bit more him. The fabric is from Alexander Henry, Calaveras Bonitas

I really loved this pattern and the bag is so much larger than I expected and I guess it should be since there are 5 yards of fabric used in the exterior and the liner. The construction was very ingenious and I like the canvas used inside as stabilizer, it added a nice weight to the bag. The bag has loads of pocket and was easy to make. I think I may be making one for me, but there will never be any diapers in it (thank god! I am done with my decade of diapers)

Here is the big boy on his first birthday, messy cake and all.



We visited friends who have a salt water pool, very nice. Gotta love the sleek look of swim diapers.


I had to slip this image in cause, well it is my boys: our dad, my brother and then my nephew Hadyn.

One of the best things about all of them. I can always make them something and they love it. For dad it is anything with Santa, for Brent it is tools or skulls, and for Hadyn it is turtles.

Any you know what is ever cooler, they can all sew and they do a pretty amazing job at it.