Caftan

 I bought these fabrics  in May with intentions of making three caftans. I prefer a cotton blend of fabric for this type of project since it's for comfort  around the house during summer. However, I will wear caftans in colder weather with a sweater. 

 How hard could it be? Who needs a pattern for that? 😶 I do.

Folding, cutting a neck hole and at the last minute deciding I wanted pockets didn't work out as well as I would have liked.

Sewing and drinking coffee. My Home Ec. teacher 
would be appalled. NO FOOD OR DRINK WHEN
SEWING!!

Since the front and back looked the same I decided

to add these beads I had in my stash. The dental

floss is to make sure they stay in place. The only

problem is that the white floss shows. Sooo, I used

a turquoise marker on the  white floss.

Front

This shows the finished caftan to
the waist. I was later told that this is 
a tunic and not a caftan.

It is now the middle of October so I'll put the idea of two other caftans to the side until warmer weather, the same way I did last fall 2021 for

    this 

          project

Bleached flannel

But, that's a story for another time.  

That's it***

Plastic Bag Keeper

 I had leftover fabrics from previous projects that I had not done anything with. I decided to make plastic bag holders and give them away to friends. I was not going to buy any fabric,  only use what I had on hand. Notions such as elastic and thread I was willing to buy if needed  to complete the projects.  

A short video of seven of the nine I made

There are more to come.

That's it ***

That's How I Roll

 

I'd been wanting to try  decorating a roller shade using acrylic paint. The design would show only from the outside.  I consulted YouTube to watch several videos of a simple sunflower. One thing I did learn is that you can't mix the methods of different painters. I liked this one best by  DIY Crafty Creator

I wasn't expecting the calming glow from inside the bathroom, but I like it. And yet no one can see inside, even at night. ( I know because I tested it.😊)

Very pleased with the results.  

But, Wait There's More!

This is my back door.  I wanted a tree for this one. Consulted YouTube again. Settled on  Jay Lee Painting. Seems simple enough.

I am pleased with this result also.

I'll let you in on a secret. I couldn't get either shade to roll properly 😯but, I'll consult YouTube again and if that doesn't work out, I have another method in mind.  Still, I'm okay with the turn out.

That's it***

Mask Making

This is an N 95 mask.

I wanted to do what I could to help during the COVID-19 crisis especially, those on the front line. I offered to make masks for a relative who works on the front line at the hospital. At first, he said no, then he asked me to make 6. I was thinking these were for him so that he’d have a clean one for each day. But it turns out he wanted to give one to each person on his team. One of his teammates had distributed homemade masks to them and he wanted to return the favor.  This relative is a good guy that's selfless and giving. He has always been that way. For privacy purposes I won't reveal his name.

He offered to pay for materials, but I declined. Sewers and crafters keep a “stash.” Sometimes it’s left over from previous projects or we buy items not knowing what we’re going to do with them but assume they’ll come in handy at some time or another. 😊 I just wanted to help in some way possible and was honored to do so.

I asked if he wanted the tie masks or elastic behind the ear? I was told, the elastic behind the ear.

I viewed several videos on YouTube and decided on  Leah Day. 

You see purple, flowered and off white. All were a cotton blend with a good weave. Sometimes after having things for so long you forget what or why you bought them. The purple I’d planned to use as a lining in a lace dress that remains half finished and probably will never be finished. The flowered I’d planned to make a bed pillow. After keeping it two years I don’t think it’s going to happen.  I couldn’t remember why I had the off white but, finally I remembered. I’d used it at the bottom of a shower curtain (the cloth one) to make it longer.

The black and white rolled elastic I had for whatever reason. 😶 The pipe cleaners were left over from a 2017 Christmas project.  They'll be used in the mask near the nose allowing the person to bend it to fit and to keep glasses from fogging up. The marking pens I bought on Amazon after watching a sewing program and getting all fired up to sew. They're needed to mark where I'll make the pleats in the mask.

The marking pens worked great on the off-white fabric, but when it came to the flowered, I had to rely on a black marker because the pen colors were blending in with the flowers.  

There’s a lot of debate on what’s being used as filters. I’ve seen suggestions for paper towels, feminine products with the plastic taken out, disposable diaper material, AC filters.  I’d  say to research carefully whatever you decide to use.

I didn’t stop with the six masks; I made more giving some to my relative and his wife and some elsewhere. By the time I’d finished I’d made 21 masks. (Not shown).  Someone else asked me to make three for her and I said I would.  I had to renege. I’d masked out.

I was glad I was able to help out .

That's it😷

Fabric Covered Boxes

      At one time storing your record albums, LPs, vinyl, (or whatever YOU want to call them) in a milk crate was the thing. I've had these since I don't know when. There's also another box underneath the ones you see here on a lower shelf.

      I had the living room painted and spruced up, so I decided to replace the crates with decorative boxes similar to the ones I've seen in home and craft stores. I first consulted YouTube to get some ideas on how to cover the boxes. In the end, I did my own thing.

I happened to be at Moe's Southwest Grill  and saw one of the workers about to throw away what looked like sturdy,clean, tomato boxes. I asked if I could have them and he said yes. BTW- These boxes also came with lids, but I didn't need those so I took them to the recycling bin. After wiping the boxes down in a bleach solution, drying in the sun, then spraying with disinfectant, I proceeded with my project of covering the boxes in fabric.

 The fabric came from Walmart. We're limited around here as to where we can buy fabric. You can see my blue glue gun in the background.


After a lot of folding, pleating and cutting I was able to hot glue the fabric to the box. It could have been neater but this was my first time trying this.

 I didn't bother to line the inside since no one is supposed to be examining this and it's just for me.

Cutting out the space for the handles wasn't too bad. I made an  "X", then folded the fabric to the inside. 

Folding the edges of some of the material to finish it off and then gluing it on allowed it to come out a lot neater.

Here I am gluing on the folded strips for a clean finish on the handles.

 

You can see the finished handle has no raw edges.  I did this method on both boxes.

 

The box still looked a little plain ...

so I brought out the metal lock icons I had in my stash that I'd gotten for $1 at Michael's some time ago. I didn't know what I was going to do with them at the time but, I knew they had a future in some project I'd concoct. I was able to get 2 rolls of the trim you see below with a gift card I've had since 2016, along with asking for a seniors discount. (Being a senior citizen has it's perks😀. It's only 10%).
 

No, I didn't measure before I put the trim on.

Still,the albums look a lot more dressy on the shelf. The locks didn't show up as well as I'd like and I'll probably go back and dry brush them with a little silver paint to enhance the detail.

Here's a close up of the trim and lock.I'm satisfied with how this project turned out.

That's it***

No More Wristlets

 ...for a while.

I've turned my handbag crafting and sewing to cross body bags. I'm going for a "boho" style or another way of saying Bohemian.

Here are 5 of the eight purses I prepared for a craft show that took place this month.
 In the world of small purses when carrying the merest of essentials, cross body purses seem to be the preference. If I plan to make any sales, I've got to give the people what they want.

Here in Alabama, football is a MAJOR focus. You must declare a team once you step across the state line.  Alabama and Auburn are the main teams.
I've never been a sports fan of any type but, numerous  friends suggested that I make a few cross body bags for the football fans out there. I took their advice.  Here's the first one I did featuring  The University of Alabama.

I didn't use everything below but, some or none.

                                                                 NEXT UP

 BLUE and GRAY and Beige tapestry with beige cording cross body strap, silver button closure, decorative button and stitching on the back
                                                    ***

 ORANGE, GREEN and DUSTY ROSE cross body bag with silver chain strap.
                                                 ***

Another Alabama bag with cream faux leather, hand stitiching on the side, Alabama "A" cheerleader on the back with rhinestone and ruby pom poms, tulle skirt, button and tie footwear. Black chain strap. Black, silver and while beads and trinkets.
                                                ***

GREEN BROCADE with raised gold threading throughout. Gold cord and chain cross over strap. Velcro closing

I have to admit, the green one is my favorite.

Below is my first attempt at posting my own video.  I'm only showing my table of crafts. You'll notice that I also have door/knob pillows left over from Christmas.  I wrote about that in a previous post.

That's it***

Seasonal decorative hanging pillows

I've done the decorative hanging  pillows before. I once had them in my now defunct Etsy shop.They can be hung on a knob, bed post, anywhere.

 

Having an inspirational or humorous reminder here and there can sometimes get me through the day.

I'm doing these for a charity that asked its volunteers to donate handmade items to go in their booth at the Christmas Village exhibit held here each year.

This also gives me the chance to use the fabric remnants I have that are to large to discard yet too small for larger projects.  Each of these pillows is about 8" x 8" (inches)

Off white broadcloth, gloves, water foam brush,  laser printed graphics mirror image, Mod Podge transfer medium. NOTE: The images must be mirrored and laser printed. Otherwise your text will be backwards. Non laser print and the colors will bleed.

I applied the transfer medium to the laser printed graphic, then turned it face down on the fabric and smoothed out any lumps. Though the medium  washes off with soap and water, I prefer not to have to scrub so I wear gloves. The hard part is waiting 24 hours for the process to dry and cure. If you remove it before that time your colors won't be as vivid.

These are the fabrics I plan to use. The back of each pillow will have a fabric that coordinates with the front. Not shown is the fiberfill used to stuff the pillows.

I used warm water in a spray bottle, spraying the square and wiping the paper from middle to edges. That's the discarded paper you see on the sides. NOTE:  I have found that it is better to use a clean soft cloth to wipe away the paper, using a clean section of cloth each time you go to a different area. Otherwise when you piece is dry it'll still look as if it needs to be wiped more.

The finished product
I did eight in all , two of each. No two are exactly alike.               

 

"I'll be as naughty as I want. I have my own credit cards."

 

"Peace on earth will come to stay, when we live Christmas every day."

"Many people look forward to the New Year to renew old habits."

Making charms for pillows.

"Many people look forward to the New Year to renew old habits."

"Love the giver more than the gift."

That's It ***