Wicked Hot Crafting
June's priorities:
pillow/sham gift completion
stabilize waist of new pants
start making weeples for work training "badges"
plug away at all in-house sewing machines
June started on a Friday. Saturday I wound another ball of yarn, and that night I crocheted it and another ball into two small to medium baskets, start to finish. Sunday afternoon I crocheted a new headband for exercise; Sunday afternoon and evening I cut fabric for the pillow and sham project. I got a late start and then had difficulty fitting my pieces onto the "can't get more" fabric, so I wasn't expecting to be cutting past 9 but I finished... except for one piece in my white muslin lining. I wasn't paying good attention to what I was doing and cut one piece the wrong size (more accurately, cut the wrong piece), and didn't have enough to cut a new one.
During the week I crocheted on three evenings, completing four small baskets total. I also put in an order on CreateForLess, for eyes for a project I'm planning. It was way below their minimum order so I decided I'd spend birthday money to get to the minimum order and let myself get some things that nowadays would usually be fun money. Friday night was more crochet, completing a medium-sized square basket, and by Saturday my order had arrived so I made some new yarn matches and took some skeins to wind while hanging out with friends in the afternoon. Late that evening I started a new basket with one of the new balls.
Saturday I also set up the sewing room for the pillow project, did a bunch of pinning, and zigzagged the new muslin for pre-washing. Sunday there was a lot to do but it was a good (read: long and tedious, but productive) work day for the pillow project. Other than discovering the new muslin was too small for the piece I needed!
That week I finally got back to the weeples and made a few, as well as made a lot of progress on the new crochet basket (and then ripped out all of it because of yarn limitations). With the weeples I ran into a technical difficulty - the printable iron-on transfers don't stick worth a darn to ribbon. I managed to get my sample weeples but I wrecked a few potential ribbons in the process. It will work for one-offs where it's not a big deal to make two or three ribbons for every one that works, but for mass-production for this work thing it will not do.
Friday I'd taken off work, and I went to JoAnn's and bought new muslin and printable fabric sheets, the new thing to try for weeple ribbons. I also got a package of cord for piping, having discussed pillow sham edging with one of the recipients and changed my plan, and a few other things. I got set up for pillow work but didn't do any, other than the beginning of some crazy quilting with the leftovers to make a card. That evening I sewed up two half-made stuffed animals from teaching hand-sewing in March of last year; I'd traced and scanned the pattern pieces for them at some point earlier.
Back to Saturday, and halfway through the month, egad. The weekend was incredibly productive and I actually finished a pillow! The other pillow and the shams ended the weekend in 4 pieces: front, back, piping fabric, piping cord. Well, I guess 5 for the pillow, with its form. It was a huge morale boost. I finished the mini crazy quilt and glued it to a blank card. I also photographed all of the stuffies (2 from Friday, 3 preexisting), so everything I need for their blog post is digital now.
That weekend I also crocheted a little bit, ordered more pom poms for weeples, and used the excuse to buy a little more yarn. Birthday money!
During the week I made a concerted effort to peck away at the pillow project. Monday: pinned two rounds of piping. Tuesday: sewed those rounds. Wednesday: pinned and sewed the remaining round of piping. Thursday I was busy and Friday I took a break, though I set up the room, and as we relaxed in the basement that evening I took care of two small mending jobs, finished a medium-size crochet basket and came close to finishing a small crochet basket.
And the weekend again, the last weekend fully within June. During the day Saturday I was occupied with other things, including a nap, but in the evening I finished my small crochet basket (pot-shaped) and started a larger one.
Sunday was the day of reckoning. I really wanted to finish the pillow project this weekend, even if that meant a Sunday sewing marathon - after my kitchen chores of course! Thankful to say I did it. By 7:15 PM I'd finished the shams and remaining throw pillow, covered the edges of the crazy quilt on the card, and tidied everything up. To finish out my podcast I wound another ball of yarn.
Somewhere in there I printed new weeple ribbons onto colorfast printable fabric and did the colorfast treatment on it.
What did I do for the rest of the month? Well, a lot of not-crafting. I crocheted one evening, finishing a medium sized crochet basket and starting another. I also punched out some more flowers to make weeple feet out of. Then the month was done!
June's craft spending:
needle pullers and a new seam ripper ($6.22 with shipping)
60" copper chain for stash ($3.75 with shipping)
4 skeins yarn for stash ($16.19 with shipping)
big sew-on googly eyes for gift crochet project ($0.66 with shipping)
more white muslin (2x) and more piping cord for pillow project ($12.67)
2 plastic organizers, printable fabric, and more pom poms and googly eyes for weeple project ($39.41, with shipping on some)
pack of 5 rotary cutter blades ($14.39)
June's completions:
crochet headband
2 small plain crochet baskets
medium crochet basket with pocket and wrapped edge
small crochet bulbous basket
small crochet dish/scoop-shaped basket
medium square crochet basket
4 weeples (ongoing project cost)
2 fleece stuffies (mostly made previously)
buttons sewn back onto shirt
bra underwire fixed
medium diamond-patterned crochet basket
small twisted-stitch-rim crochet pot
crazy-quilted greeting card, 2 throw pillows and 2 pillow shams ($79.25 kill me now)
medium moss stitch bordered crochet basket
July's priorities:
sewing machines! in house and in sew-op, including my own
(other) works in progress
stay on top of the weeple situation
pillow/sham gift completion
stabilize waist of new pants
start making weeples for work training "badges"
plug away at all in-house sewing machines
June started on a Friday. Saturday I wound another ball of yarn, and that night I crocheted it and another ball into two small to medium baskets, start to finish. Sunday afternoon I crocheted a new headband for exercise; Sunday afternoon and evening I cut fabric for the pillow and sham project. I got a late start and then had difficulty fitting my pieces onto the "can't get more" fabric, so I wasn't expecting to be cutting past 9 but I finished... except for one piece in my white muslin lining. I wasn't paying good attention to what I was doing and cut one piece the wrong size (more accurately, cut the wrong piece), and didn't have enough to cut a new one.
During the week I crocheted on three evenings, completing four small baskets total. I also put in an order on CreateForLess, for eyes for a project I'm planning. It was way below their minimum order so I decided I'd spend birthday money to get to the minimum order and let myself get some things that nowadays would usually be fun money. Friday night was more crochet, completing a medium-sized square basket, and by Saturday my order had arrived so I made some new yarn matches and took some skeins to wind while hanging out with friends in the afternoon. Late that evening I started a new basket with one of the new balls.
Saturday I also set up the sewing room for the pillow project, did a bunch of pinning, and zigzagged the new muslin for pre-washing. Sunday there was a lot to do but it was a good (read: long and tedious, but productive) work day for the pillow project. Other than discovering the new muslin was too small for the piece I needed!
That week I finally got back to the weeples and made a few, as well as made a lot of progress on the new crochet basket (and then ripped out all of it because of yarn limitations). With the weeples I ran into a technical difficulty - the printable iron-on transfers don't stick worth a darn to ribbon. I managed to get my sample weeples but I wrecked a few potential ribbons in the process. It will work for one-offs where it's not a big deal to make two or three ribbons for every one that works, but for mass-production for this work thing it will not do.
Friday I'd taken off work, and I went to JoAnn's and bought new muslin and printable fabric sheets, the new thing to try for weeple ribbons. I also got a package of cord for piping, having discussed pillow sham edging with one of the recipients and changed my plan, and a few other things. I got set up for pillow work but didn't do any, other than the beginning of some crazy quilting with the leftovers to make a card. That evening I sewed up two half-made stuffed animals from teaching hand-sewing in March of last year; I'd traced and scanned the pattern pieces for them at some point earlier.
Back to Saturday, and halfway through the month, egad. The weekend was incredibly productive and I actually finished a pillow! The other pillow and the shams ended the weekend in 4 pieces: front, back, piping fabric, piping cord. Well, I guess 5 for the pillow, with its form. It was a huge morale boost. I finished the mini crazy quilt and glued it to a blank card. I also photographed all of the stuffies (2 from Friday, 3 preexisting), so everything I need for their blog post is digital now.
That weekend I also crocheted a little bit, ordered more pom poms for weeples, and used the excuse to buy a little more yarn. Birthday money!
During the week I made a concerted effort to peck away at the pillow project. Monday: pinned two rounds of piping. Tuesday: sewed those rounds. Wednesday: pinned and sewed the remaining round of piping. Thursday I was busy and Friday I took a break, though I set up the room, and as we relaxed in the basement that evening I took care of two small mending jobs, finished a medium-size crochet basket and came close to finishing a small crochet basket.
And the weekend again, the last weekend fully within June. During the day Saturday I was occupied with other things, including a nap, but in the evening I finished my small crochet basket (pot-shaped) and started a larger one.
Sunday was the day of reckoning. I really wanted to finish the pillow project this weekend, even if that meant a Sunday sewing marathon - after my kitchen chores of course! Thankful to say I did it. By 7:15 PM I'd finished the shams and remaining throw pillow, covered the edges of the crazy quilt on the card, and tidied everything up. To finish out my podcast I wound another ball of yarn.
Somewhere in there I printed new weeple ribbons onto colorfast printable fabric and did the colorfast treatment on it.
What did I do for the rest of the month? Well, a lot of not-crafting. I crocheted one evening, finishing a medium sized crochet basket and starting another. I also punched out some more flowers to make weeple feet out of. Then the month was done!
June's craft spending:
needle pullers and a new seam ripper ($6.22 with shipping)
60" copper chain for stash ($3.75 with shipping)
4 skeins yarn for stash ($16.19 with shipping)
big sew-on googly eyes for gift crochet project ($0.66 with shipping)
more white muslin (2x) and more piping cord for pillow project ($12.67)
2 plastic organizers, printable fabric, and more pom poms and googly eyes for weeple project ($39.41, with shipping on some)
pack of 5 rotary cutter blades ($14.39)
June's completions:
crochet headband
2 small plain crochet baskets
medium crochet basket with pocket and wrapped edge
small crochet bulbous basket
small crochet dish/scoop-shaped basket
medium square crochet basket
4 weeples (ongoing project cost)
2 fleece stuffies (mostly made previously)
buttons sewn back onto shirt
bra underwire fixed
medium diamond-patterned crochet basket
small twisted-stitch-rim crochet pot
crazy-quilted greeting card, 2 throw pillows and 2 pillow shams ($79.25 kill me now)
medium moss stitch bordered crochet basket
July's priorities:
sewing machines! in house and in sew-op, including my own
(other) works in progress
stay on top of the weeple situation