A Graduation Gift

My daughter made this pillowcase as a graduation gift for a friend. This was the first time she sewed a pillowcase. She did a really good job.Of course, I guided her by washing the fabric, showing her how to zigzag the edges before washing so that it wouldn't fray too much, I also cut the fabric and taught her how to finish the seams. I don't know if her friend liked it, but it came out really nice.

Tote Bag

This is a market bag that I made using a pattern from Joanne's. As you can see it came out huge. The pattern didn't call for a lining, but I wanted to line it because I thought it would be stronger and sturdier, since I would be using it for grocery shopping.

I was disappointed in the pattern because I had to make some adjustments. The sides didn't match. I had to add a few inches to get it to fit, so it is patched on the side. I also didn't anticipate that the handles would be so short. I would have liked it to be a little bit longer, maybe just an inch or two. Oh well, maybe I'll try another pattern.

Quilt Fabrics

These are fabrics I bought last summer to make another snowball/nine patch quilt. I haven't started it yet because I am not quite satisfied with the colors...something's not quite right.

The second picture is for a Japanese Buzzsaw quilt. I am taking a class to learn how to make it. So far it has cost me about $100 to take the class and buy the fabric.

Paw Print Shorts

These are a pair of shorts I made for my younger daughter. I was practicing to make her another pair for running, but she said it is too baggy. We need to find another pattern. She wears these at home.

I had this fabric in my stash. I bought it some time ago. It took me 2 days. I cut the fabric one day, then sewed it the next.

Small Red Duffle

This bag is for my oldest daughter. She loves red and happy faces. It is a MaCalls pattern that some of my students made. I wanted to make the pattern because their bags came out so cute. This was the first duffle bag I ever made. I had a difficult time understanding how to make the straps, but now I know how to make them and can better help my students when they need help with this part of the pattern.

I do have to make another one in blue for my younger daughter, hopefully that one won't take me as long.

Satin Lei

This is a satin lei that I made for my daughter's graduation on June 7, 2008. I'm not sure if I'll ever make another one because it involved so much time and work.

It was very labor intensive. I had to cut the fabric into 2-inch strips by pulling the thread to make a cutting line. After the strips were cut, they needed to be shredded. I left a 1/2" of unshredded fabric down the center where I sewed a 1/4" running stitch. After sewing the running stitch, I pushed the fabric together and twisted it.

I started the lei in January and got done with it right before graduation in June.

Craft Blog

I have been wanting to start a blog for some time and finally decided to do it. I may not be able to post on a daily basis, but will try to do so as often as I can. I have been making leis for quite some time now and have recently started sewing again.

I started sewing during elementary school when my mother would enroll me in sewing lessons during the summers. I decided that I disliked it because each summer I would have a different teacher, who would teach me yet another way to do a zipper. It was so confusing.

Later, I went to college and majored in Home Economics where I needed to sew items for class. Needless to say, I discovered Vikings and Berninas, which I liked much better than the Singer that my mom had at home. I ended up purchasing a Bernina, which I love and still use. I stopped sewing when the children were born, then recently took it up again because I had to teach sewing classes for school.

This blog is just a way for me to journal about my recent sewing or craft projects. These are a few of the projects I have already made.