Leather Baby Bib

I got the idea from a website I visited and almost had a heart attack when I saw the price. $30.00 I thought it was a bit excessive. So I decided to make my own. I purchased a whole bunch of leather scraps from lens mill. Although I have since realized that they aren't the cheapest for leather scraps. I think that Tandy leather factory might be the cheapest and best of all they are located throughout North America. I think that they were about $5.00 or so per pound for scrap leather. I can't wait to check out their selection.

So anyways I embroidered the fish on it using the hoopless method with two layers of tearaway, the first layer was hooped and the second layer was attached to both the backside of the leather and then to the hoop tearaway using spray adhesive. The design was not very dense so I had no issues with it popping away from the leather. I then sewed with right sides together, the two layers of the bib (using scotch tape to hold it together in some spots as you can't use pins with leather). I then turned and topstitched it and added a snap. Voila! It turned out really nice. I think that my topstitching would have been better if I had a teflon foot. I found leather a little more finicky than any other material I've used but hey it just might take more practice. I might invest in a teflon foot in the future as I love the way my leather sewing projects turn out. This also would be a great project if you have a used leather coat that has seen it's day in some spots! I think that the project cost me about $1/$2 so well worth it. Oh and I got the bib pattern for free by doing a google search.

The best part of this bib is that it's wipe-able! here's the pattern.

Newborn diaper stash

I have been busy sewing up our soon to be newborn son's newborn diaper stash. 26 fitteds using the ddu patterns are shown here plus 10 more ready to be snapped. I used cotton knit for the outer layer a hidden one layer of hemp fleece and topped it with bamboo valour. I then attached a snap in soaker made up of 2 layers of hemp fleece and topped with matching bamboo valour. The knit fabrics that I used were different weights. The black red and brown one is a heavy weight knit (my favourite), the green polka dots a medium weight, and the blue polka dots was a light weight jersey. I would never use a light weight knit again unless I was to put two layers of it then then an inner as it is just to thin for my preference. I knew this making them but loved the print so much that I couldn't resist. Next on the list covers, covers and more covers!

Sister-in-Law's Birthday Present!

I decided to make a photo book cover for my sister in law for her birthday. I embroidered her name (blurred out) and the design on the front and took the measurements of the photo album plus my seam allowance of 1/4". It was made out of leather that I had left from another project. It turned out pretty nice considering I really didn't feel well when I was making it.

Cloth diaper bag finally done!

Yay! It's finally done!. I was planning on making a tutorial for this bag but have decided that I have to make a lot of adjustments before I can let others enjoy it.

The far right picture is that of the lining (at the unfinished stage as it's difficult to get a good picture)

If anyone has suggestions for alternative ways of attaching the lining it would be greatly appreciated. I wanted to turn and tuck it but the stiff stabilizer that i used was really stiff so I applied binding instead but because of the zipper closure it made it very difficult to sew.

How To Make Bias Tape

You will need:

1. Patience; if this isn't available a punching bag will also help :)
2. a ruler
3. scissors
4. marking tool; Chalk preferably as it won't set in with ironing
   
5. iron and ironing board
   
6. fabric & thread
7. sewing machine
8. bobby pin/safety pin (long enough for the size that you are using ie. 1/2" double folded bias tape- you will need a bobby pin that is 1" or longer)

Bias tape has a wide array of uses. So what the heck is it? It's fabric that is cut on the diagonal (45 degrees)

It bends with the curves unlike if you were to use the straight grain of the fabric. It's used in finishing edges, cording and such. I needed some bias tape in order to complete my diaper bag so I thought that it was the perfect opportunity to try and make it myself. I can tell you it's not that hard to make. The main reason why I wanted to make it was because the hubby said "just buy some". Bias tape only comes in very basic colours, so if you want it to match your fabric or you want a pattern fabric, you will have to make it.

I had a lot of black cotton that I got from the 1.97 bin at Walmart. So I hit the net to research and came across a tutorial on how to make a continuous bias strip found here. This is a really good tutorial especially if you need a lot of bias tape. Make some and save it for later. I really liked how simple it was to follow.

After my strip was a long piece of unfolded bias tape, I needed to make it into double folded bias tape. So I again set out to figure it. I did have a 1/2" bias tape maker. However I needed a 1/2" double folded bias tape when completed. After spending more time trying to figure that out I finally realized that a 1/2" bias tape maker will make a 1/4" double folded bias tape. I then realized that the procedure was really simple and all you really needed was a bobby pin or safety pin equal to the single folded bias. Confused yet? Keep reading it will make sense.

I needed a 1/2" double fold so my bias strip was 2" to start (your bias strip is equal to 4 times the amount needed ie 1/2" x 4 = 2") So take your ruler and mark 2 dots so that the distance between them is 1 inch (which is a single fold in my case). Take your bobby pin and insert it before the lower dot and very quickly insert it again up through the dot (where my finger is) then insert the pin into the next dot and back out through the fabric of your ironing boarding and close it. You should now have a gap between the two dots that you marked.

Now insert your bias strip underneath the gap. It will start to fold inwards creating a single folded bias strip.

Take your ruler and measure the fold before pressing (should be 1" if following my measurements) then press. Once you get enough fabric through you can take your other hand and guide the fabric while keeping the iron down. Then if you need it double fold, fold in half and press it again.

Now take an empty piece of cardboard or a toilet paper roll and roll it up. Your done!

I also found a really great gadget on the market now made by Simplicity. Once you've completed making the bias strip you roll it around a wheel then insert it into the machine. It then goes through the bias maker and through a iron creating a single fold bias strip. It costs about $79.99 + US for the machine. I really can't imagine spending that much for this machine but if you make a lot of bias tape than it would be worth it as it would eliminate one step.

Modern Diaper Bag: tutorial (in progress)

With the arrival of our second child coming up, I decided to make a diaper bag as a lot of the ones available are fugly! Only when I tried to find a pattern I found them so bulky and babyish that I decided to make my own. Eventually I plan on making a tutorial of how to make this diaper bag. I haven't yet finished it as I have been really sick through this pregnancy. Please check back again soon to see if I have finished the tutorial.

Placemats

Okay what do you buy for that someone on your list that has or can buy anything or who may re-gift the present? Well make them something that they can't find or give away :). I made these great placemats for my sister-in-law for Christmas. There are an array of tutorials on the net for great placemats. I made these off the top of my head as they are pretty easy. I used black broadcloth I got for $2.88 a meter and a quilter's cotton print for added dimension. I then added a lightweight interfacing I got at fabricland for $1.00 per meter as it had dirt marks from falling on the floor. I then embroidered her and her family's names on each placemats. I also made 2 other tiny placemats for the bar that were half the size of the normal sized placemats. Okay so yes I shouldn't have gone to all the trouble for someone who may not appreciate it but you have to look at it this way. It cost me about $7.00 for the supplies and I get more experience sewing! So that in itself makes it seem worth it to me. She opened them up on Christmas and loved them. Then my brother-in-law said to me "She dragged me everywhere for bar placemats and couldn't find them anywhere!"