Simply Sewing

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July 23, 2012

Breathing, Learning and Sewing for Blythes

Posted by kkhymn under Blythe Love, Living with Chronic Illness, More Crafts, Simply Sewing | Tags: blythes, Living with Chronic Illness, simple sewing |
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Blythes are in New Dresses

So, last week was the longest week ever. Every day was a long day at the doctor’s office. Saw my physical therapist, my rheumatologist, my pain doctor and did a 2.5 hour breathing test. I am completely drained, my body is not happy with me at all and I think I will need a month to recover!

I am still coughing in the early morning and evening. Almost wheezing as I cough. My doctor thinks that I have a touch of pleurisy where my lungs are a bit inflamed from the bronchitis/whooping cough/cold and cough from hell. I am taking anti-inflammatory medication and hoping I can breathe normally again some day. My new heart doc had me take the breathing test to see if I might have asthma; thinking that maybe that is why I am having trouble taking baths, breathing in humid weather, and in stuffy crowds. I see her next month to get the results. So maybe my conditions of the year are now asthma and bursitis; starting at the beginning of the alphabet, I guess. I love the doctors I have right now, but I am kind of “sick” of seeing them all. I need a vacation from all this chronic crap.

Right now I am keeping distracted by learning all about the world of Blythe dolls. There are millions of Blythe lovers around the world, and they do such amazing things with these dolls. They customize their face, make-up, hair and sew, knit and crochet some amazing outfits for them too. I am slowing learning what I can do with my Michelle and Katie Blythe dolls. I have not had the courage to customize them yet. But, I decided to learn how to sew by making Blythe doll clothing.

Enjoying the Summer Sun

I have spent the past couple of weeks just trying to figure out all the sewing lingo, the tricks to cutting fabric, and then sewing them magically into a dress. Sewing is a lot more time consuming for me than knitting right now. There are just so many things to learn, and lots of steps to take before you even make that first cut of fabric. The good news is that most of the doll clothes can be made with just a fat quarter of fabric, a little bit of velcro or set of snaps, and some scraps for embellishments like lace, ribbons or buttons. I am hand sewing my doll outfits as it seems easier on such tiny pieces of fabric. It is slower and takes more patience, but the end result seems to be worth it.

I have learned many lessons in sewing already:

You have to pre-wash and dry cotton fabrics. I am washing my fabric in hot water, rinse in cold, and dry on high heat. This helps shrink the fabric, and get rid of any color bleeding the fabric. You don’t want the color stains to stain and damage your doll.
Some pattern pieces need to be enlarged before they are printed to get the right size dress.
You must have a sharp pair of scissors to cut the fabric well.
Have your iron hot and ready to press, press, press!
If the pattern piece has the word “fold” on it, it means that side needs to be placed on a folded piece of fabric.
There is an order to sewing the seams together. You have to pay attention to the order of where and when to sew.
Hand sewing takes patience and practice.
You can not glue velcro onto fabric, even with fabric glue.
Fabric glue stains cotton fabrics.
Velcro needs to be sewn on.
Sewing velcro hurts the hands.
There is a lazy person’s velcro called Velcro Fabric Fusion! You can iron on the velcro to the fabric. Yay!
Sewing snaps take patience.
Sewing takes lots of practice!

Below are some links to some sewing patterns for your Blythe dolls. Most of the patterns assume some sewing knowledge. The two patterns for purchase from Dolly Delicacies on Etsy are written for beginners, and includes photos – a life saver for beginners like me. The basic wardrobe pattern from Etsy is not a PDF file, but is sent to you on paper with all the pattern pieces ready to cut and use, which is great, but the instructions are not for newbies and does assume sewing knowledge.

I am still breathing, learning and coping with my chronic crap. And, now, I am actually learning how to sew thanks to my Blythes. They are styling and ready to go anywhere to enjoy the summer sunshine. Just taking my life one stitch, and one breath at at time right now. And, getting used to my bifocals too. They sure do make a difference when I am knitting and sewing. Oh well, so I am old. What else is new?

June 21, 2012

There Should Be a Rule …

Posted by kkhymn under Living with Chronic Illness, More Crafts, Simply Sewing | Tags: Living with Chronic Illness, sock monsters |
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I think if you have chronic crap, the universe should exempt your body from colds, coughs, body aches, sore throats with a headache and fever. Yeah. I am officially sick now, and it sucks. I feel like death warmed over, slowly being killed one symptom at a time. Life is definitely not fair. But, this too shall pass. I just want you to know that it just sucks.

At least I have some crafting mojo back. My knitting needles are still on vacation, but hopefully they will start working as this medication leaves my body and gets me back to my normal, chronic self.

Monster Love

The past couple of days, I have been in a monster making mood. So, I decided to try my hand at sewing a sock monster. I ordered the Make Your Own Stupid Sock Creatures Kit just to get my hands on the awesome rainbow socks. And, there was a great sock monster pattern or two in the kit as well.

I started to follow the directions in the kit, but stopped halfway through. My brain cells blew up and died, and the words and instructions got all mixed up in my head. I blame this stupid cold/flu. I just started putting all the remaining pieces together a little differently to create my own version of a sock monster.

I used a plastic button for the lips, glued on some googly eyes and sewed pieces of cut felt for the cheeks. I did not sew on the head into the body properly, and the head ended up flopping all over the place from “no neck” syndrome. I destroyed an old umbrella and placed a plastic stick in the back of the head and body to stabilize the head, and them covered it with leftover sock remnants to make the appearance of a neck. She is still far from perfect, but my hand sewn stitches are getting better.

Right now this colorful monster is keeping me company as I continue to recover (or slowly die) from this cold/flu. She just makes me smile. I still have to name her, and hopefully I will keep her. Still waiting for my knitting mojo to return, and hoping to come back from the dead.

Keep sharing the monster love, and practice a random act today.

April 26, 2012

Mixed Media Monsters – Sew, Knit and Create!

Posted by kkhymn under Knit and Crochet, Living with Chronic Illness, More Crafts, Simply Sewing | Tags: Knit and Crochet, Living with Chronic Illness, mixed nedia, monsters, sewing |
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So, I am still busy making monsters for random acts. I hope to have some updates with photos of some recipients soon. The weather has been crazty here; summer heat one day, and winter rains the next. It is doing a number on my pain levels. Some days I wake up feeling like an entire fleet of trucks have run over me and left me for road-kill.

I am still trying to figure out how to sew. Sewing has so many more steps in the learning process, and is definitely not portable. I was going to try and learn how to sew an apron, but so far, it just has not happened. Then I thought I would try to sew a handbag or tote for my knitting projects. Still too challenging for me right now. Sewing and skyrocketing pain levels do not mix. Knitting is definitely a better option for me when my body is screaming.

Mixed Media Monster

But I did manage to sew a monster. I did not have a pattern and this project took me all day to figure out. First I killed an old throw blanket, cutting out two rectangular pieces. Then, after sewing the thick fabric together and stuffing it, I made patches out of cotton fabric, felt pieces, thread and lots of glue. I used fusible interfacing to back the cotton pieces and prevent fraying. By the time I figured all this out, I gave up on sewing cotton fabric for the arms and legs. I ended up knitting them and sewing them into the fabric instead. I embroidered the mouth with yarn too.

The end result? A mixed media monster. A lot of experimental sewing, some knitting and lots of glue. If you have the talent of sewing, you can make monsters too! There are several books and patterns out there to choose from – Including the items below:

McCall’s Monster themed patterns # M5826, M6337 and M6411
Stupid Sock Creatures: Making Quirky Lovable Figures from Cast Off Socks
Closet Monsters: Stitch Creatures You’ll Love from Clothing You Don’t
Invasion of the Plush Monsters: Wickedly Weird Creatures You Just Gotta Sew
Make a Monster: 15 Easy to Make Fleecie Toys You’ll Love to Sew
Me Make Monster: A Mish-Mash of Monster Craft

So, go ahead and make some monsters. Sew, knit, crochet and create them in any way you choose. And, remember to save a few for some random acts. Share the monster love!

December 9, 2009

NCIS Abby Cat

Posted by kkhymn under Simply Sewing | Tags: Abby, kitty cat, NCIS, Pauley Perrette, Simply Sewing |
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Abby Cat

Meet Abby Cat. So far, my best sewn kitty yet! I made her as a Christmas gift for my friend Becky who helps me moderate the Fiber Artists group on Ravelry. Abby cat is inspired by the Abby character on NCIS. Abby is brilliant, artistic, kind-hearted and goth cool. I just love watching her on the show.

Abby on NCIS

I am thinking of sending the actress who plays the Abby character, Pauley Perrett, a link to the photo of Abby Cat and offer to make her one if she likes. If only I knew an e-mail address to send her the note – do people still send stars fan mail? Maybe Abby cat would be on the show some day 🙂

The weather has been winter cold and the sewing and knitting keeps my mind off my ever increasing pain levels. But, it is feeling a lot more like Christmas now with the cold weather!

December 4, 2009

My First Sewn Doll

Posted by kkhymn under Living with Chronic Illness, Simply Sewing | Tags: Living with Chronic Illness, Simply Sewing |
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My First Sewn Doll

Meet Violet Rose. I finished her this morning. I really loved making her, although I am learning that sewing is as much about cutting fabric and hand stitching as using a sewing machine. I still have a lot to learn and I definitely need to practice my hand stitching. But, imperfections aside, I still love this first completed doll.

I have had three days of headaches this week, and I am exhausted. And, the weather changes from warm days to chilly nights have done a number on me with pain in my back and legs. Plus, I seem to be having a never-ending stomach ache. I wonder if my body will ever stop aching, and I will stop envying 80-year-olds for walking and moving around better than me, or when I will stop relating better to their daily woes than those of my healthy friends. If I did not have my creative crafts, I don’t know how I could survive all this craziness. And, without the love and support from Tony, and my friends on Ravelry, I would feel so alone in the world.

My Second Sewn Kitty

If you are struggling with anything in your life, I highly recommend starting a creative venture. Any hobby that will allow you to work with your hands and create something beautiful out of simple items. Jewelry making, scrap booking, photography, knitting, crocheting, sewing, writing or playing music, gardening … it is a wonderful way to help you work through your pain and bad days and can bring healing to your life without you even realizing it.

December 3, 2009

Sew Darn Cute! Doll Patterns …

Posted by kkhymn under Simply Sewing | Tags: doll patterns, etsy, Simply Sewing |
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Suddenly, I feel like sewing some handmade dolls. And, I found some great patterns from some Etsy sellers that I can not wait to try! Both provided quick delivery of the PDF file patterns, and their instructions were clear and easy to understand. Their Etsy stores can be found at the links below, and I have included some photos of their patterns:

Of course, my first attempt at doll making will be the Violet, the cat, doll. Sewing is a dangerous craft. Now I have a fabric stash and a yarn stash, but not double the budget needed to go with it . 🙂 I am loving all of it though. I just wish there was a Ravelry-like sewing site so finding patterns and keeping track of projects could be easier.

Bit of Whimsy Jane Doll

Bit of Whimsy Violet the Cat Doll

Oh Sew Dollin Sarah Ann Doll

November 18, 2009

Cover Me …

Posted by kkhymn under Simply Sewing | Tags: sewing machine cover, simple sewing |
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Sewing Machine Cover

Well, it has been some pain filled days and nights, and I have gotten very little crafting or sleeping done. But, I did manage to make a sewing machine cover for Amelia Anne. This was only after attempting to make one without any pattern at all, pain levels interfering with my success and wasting some lovely red fabric.

So, my anti-measuring brain came up with a new idea. Take the ugly, paper sewing machine cover that came with my machine and break it apart so I can use it as a pattern template. That way, I know exactly how to make the hole on the top of the sewing machine cover for the handle. And, the cover will fit perfectly for my machine.

Well, it did not come out as square and perfect as the original paper cover. But, it still fits! And, now Amelia Anne will be protected from dust and other airborne dangers.

Things I learned along the way:

Don’t be afraid to break apart what you have to create something new.
Failures and first attempts are learning experiences for the next project.
Breaking a sewing machine needle can be traumatic; you have to find all the broken pieces and take it out of your machine to avoid more serious repairs.
Frayed edges on fabric can be solved using a glue called Fray Check on the edges, gluing on ribbon to the inside edges, cutting the edges with scalloping shears, adding a zigzag stitch to your edges or having a serger. (So that is what a serger is for!)
I really wish there was a Ravelry for Sewing! Finding patterns the old way is too much work.

Of course, after I found my own way to create my sewing machine cover, I found several patterns on the internet:

November 12, 2009

Coraline, How I Love You!

Posted by kkhymn under Simply Sewing | Tags: coraline, sewing machine art |
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Life is One Stitch at a Time

Today I got some Coraline pins from my order on Etsy. There were six pins from the movie and the original book. I immediately went to my sewing machine to add a couple of the buttons on my Amelia Anne.

Here’s how I got the pins on the machine:

I took the pins out using a pair of scissors to twist the wires and remove them.
Then I glued a button to the back of each pin. The button should be the size of the back of the pin so that it closes the gap and makes back of the pin level.
Then I glued the button, with the Coraline pin already secure, on the machine.

No Place Like Home

I realized why I like Coraline so much – she reminds me that there is no place like home. Not a theme that immediately came to my mind. Not My Mother, Button Eyes are Scary and I Don’t Want a Doll that Looks Like Me Anymore are what I first think of when watching the movie, Coraline.

But, as I was thinking of where to place my first button, I realized that No Place Like Home is a theme for the movie. Which, of course, reminds me of another favorite movie, The Wizard of Oz.

Now both of these favorites are on my sewing machine to inspire me. Two completely different movies and novels, but both classics for future generations.

November 11, 2009

Sewing Machine Art – Part 2

Posted by kkhymn under Simply Sewing | Tags: decor, sewing machine art |
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Sewing Machine Front

Well, I have just about finished decorating Amelia Anne, my beloved sewing machine. I just have a few spots left on the back side, and I will be ready to sew again … and to be inspired every day by her retro chic decor.

I wiped off part of the original work that I completed. As I was decorating her, I realized the look was not as artistic as I liked, so I rethought my themes for the decor and started again. Now, Amelia Anne is a definite work of art, and more retro chic rather than retro cute. There is a bitchy side, an artistic side, a childlike wonder, and a hopeful side to her decor. To view all her completed photos, click here.

Amelia Anne Back

Has Amelia Anne inspired you? Here are some tips for decorating your own sewing machine:

Before you start decorating your machine, think about the style of decor you want and any themes that fit that style. Have plenty of glue, paper towels and nail polish remover on hand. And, don’t forget your pair of scissors and a camera to take your completed photos.

Do you want to cover the entire machine, not leaving any white space? Or, do you want to keep the style simpler? Either way, be sure not to cover up any of the natural lines and structural elements of the machine. Keep the model information, screws, and drawers intact so that repairs and normal sewing machine tasks can still be easily completed.

Sew Me

Be sure to keep the area at the front base of the machine (where the needle is) flatly decorated, without 3-dimensional decor. This will allow you to sew your material the same way you have before it is decorated. Feel free to decorate other parts of the machine with 3-dimensional objects such as buttons, charms, magnets and fabric!

When choosing stickers to decorate your machine, select those created for scrapbooking. They are acid-free, will be less likely to deteriorate over time, and are easier to reposition or remove as you change your mind during the decorating process. If you choose the regular stickers, they can still be removed, but it may require more effort and you may not be able to save them for reuse. Nail polish remover removes practically everything – including stuck on stickers. But, use the nail polish remover sparingly because it can remove the smooth top coat of your machine.

When using buttons, choose your glue and buttons carefully. Some glues work better than others, and you may have to try several times to get the buttons to stay in place. A hot glue gun is good but may be harder to remove if you want to quickly reposition the object.

A Bit Angry ...

Clean the area each time before placing the glue and button or other 3-D object on the machine. Use a wet paper towel, or if needed, wipe with nail polish remover, followed by the wet paper towel. Dry the area with a dry paper towel before starting again. Watch for sliding buttons as they dry – you may need to hold the button in place for several minutes. The sliding effect can also occur with other 3-dimensional objects too.

Don’t forget to give your machine a name … you are personalizing her, so why not name her?

November 8, 2009

Sewing Machine Art

Posted by kkhymn under Simply Sewing | Tags: decor, sewing machine art |
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Well, I am still decorating Amelia Anne, my sewing machine. I have been inspired to decorate her with more than just stickers, but buttons and magnet poetry pieces too. The front side is still much the little girl in me; but the back side will be an entirely different part of who I am. More to come as I get that side together.

Here is how Amelia Anne is coming along …