Printing and Stitching!

Yep, 2nd blog post in as many months, nothing unusal here folks. But this doesn't mean I haven't been having fun in the Juicy Zone. I finished the first of a 2-skirt-commission for my great buddy Amanda (although I like to call her "Eumundi" because it sounds a bit like Amanda, and thats a good enough reason for a nickname here in Aus)...I'm hopeless at taking photos of completed garments. So I opt for the pic that shows the personalized message attached to the final product and the interfaced bits in fun fabric that no one else sees, but when you are putting on the garment, you see it and it makes you smile!
Hope it fits her. Skirt #2 is under construction. More about that one soon.

And I made this VERY easy lined pouched, my first ever experience with French seams, I found the tutorial here. I needed a home for my new set of pastel pencils that I take to my art class each week. It turned out cute and very practical. I love a quick sewing project. That's why I've never made a quilt. I'm getting quilting urges though. They have been percolating for a while now. Anyway. Pouches! Here it is:

Speaking of art class, I decided to dabble in some printmaking after many many months of merely thinking about it.  I've been gearing up to do some silk screening for what seems like FOREVER and I'm pretty sure the fact I have nothing to show for this desire apart from a giant pad full of scribbles is because a) I can't decide with any certainty what to print and probably more debilitatingly b) I'm dreading the troubleshooting I will have to tackle when I start experimenting with emulsion and my lightbox. So when I was in our local art shop and spotted a piece of LINO...I thought "awesome!" no muss, no fuss, just a piece of lino with some ink and carving tools. Get busy, girlfriend. So I did. I literally scribbed a rough design on a bit of paper and FORCED myself not to obsess over whether or not the design was worthy....off I went to art class and printed half a dozen or so of these:

Yes there are things I'd do differently design-wise...but maaaaaaaaan printing is FUN! The only reason I stopped is because I ran out of paper. I remember doing a lino print (the one and only!) in high school (we're talking 20 odd years ago, sheesh!). I dont remember what I drew, but I recall the lino being hard and brittle and not very easy to cut. My how things have changed. The lino was super soft and cutting was very manageable in comparison. These days the inks are water soluble too, so the prints dried quite quickly and the clean up afterwards was a breeze. I'm hooked. I'm working on another design, finally fiddling with some creative words that my talented friend Christina sent so many moons ago. I'll keep you posted. I promise! xo

Lined Pouch

One of the (many) things on my 'to do' list before the Stitches and Craft Show is post a project on the Living Creatively website. I've been tossing around some ideas for this: a tote bag, a cushion cover, an apron.....but I think I've decided to put together a project sheet on how to make a lined pouch. I love lined pouches! I've made a few as gifts and they are always well received. Here are some pics of the one I made for my friend Gina (alias 'Genius'). The zipper can be a bit fiddly truth be told....but they are worth the effort!




This fabric turned out to be perfect for lining: thanks Catriona!

Lined Pouch

What do you get when you cross a vintage zipper bought on ebay, a piece of lovely Echino fabric and salvaged denim from an old pair of jeans? A perfect home for a handful of Prismacolor pencils! I'm still trying to master the art of these lined pouches, there is one tricky part when inserting the zipper. I made one a while back that turned out to be the perfect pouch for my digital camera.