DIY Paper Lanterns
I love this idea, and it’s so darn easy. This is going straight on the “This is what you do in MN when it’s zero degrees outside” list.
Posts from the ‘crafty’ Category
Sep 12
Sewing Frenzy: Book Tote, Place mats & Apron
The days leading up to Christmas were literally humming as my sewing machine aided in some fun and simple sewing projects: a tote for Frank’s sister Natalie, an apron for Betsy and place mats for Aileen. All projects took their inspiration from Lotta Jansdotter’s Simple Sewing book. Read more
DIY Art & Coasters
I wrote a while back that I was in the market for some coasters. Well…I took a lunch break and popped over to Patina in NE Mpls and came across this Charley Harper Memory Game that consisted of small 2″x2″ tiles of different Harper prints and paintings. I thought to myself, “Putting the tiles together in a large frame would be kinda cool!” So, I purchased and this Monday started putting it together:
I ended up with a few leftover tiles, so thought putting four tiles together and making coasters out of them was pretty clever. So that’s what I did. It’s a little on the cheap, somewhat creative but really, really practical.
Pretty simple: take the four tiles, scotch tape the back to secure the lock up, then wrap them in packing tape.
Felt Wreath: Cheesy or Awesome?
Winter Felt Flower Wreath, via Purl Bee
Earlier this year, The Purl Bee posted about making a winter felt wreath, and I loved it – sophisticated yet whimsical, crafty meets I want that. The great thing about crafting is seeing something, learning to dissect it, and make it. The even better part about crafting, is realizing there is an art to it, and that you have to work towards awesome.
I went to Treadle Yard Goods in St. Paul and picked up some felt squares, decided on my color palette at home and started to draw flowers. Picking out the better drawn flowers, I cut around the shapes, and started to assemble the felt floral composition. Now, what I love about the Purl’s wreath is the neon thread the holds the pieces to the backing, and accents the colors. No neon thread in my drawer, and running out of time, I grabbed a frame and hoped it wouldn’t fall apart as I tried to assemble it. First criticism: though the matte color should change, I hung it, and am living with it until I figure out a new color. Second criticism, sewing the flowers to the backing will actually give it a nice touch. Until then, this may hearken to Edgar Leeteg and the American black velvet kitsch.
Mar 21
First Finished Quilt
After making my first quilt, for my mother, I got to thinking about the second quilt. Over the last couple of months, I began picking out fabrics and sought out other quilts (as previously posted) for design ideas and inspiration. Though I hadn’t really planned on finishing it (and in retrospect, shouldn’t have though it was a learning opportunity), I finished it today. All in all, about 20 hours for a decently enough made quilt, but not a gold star standard. Quilting without a pattern, real experience and perhaps a class or two taught by a quilter, is frustrating. I think it’s due to the sheer amount of fabric when you have the top, bottom and batting to get together.
In a word: overwhelming. So, I may return to my favorite part of the quilting process – picking out fabrics, and designing/assembling the top.
The top of the quilt, in pieces
Or, I could take a quilting class at Glad Creations in South Minneapolis, or at Crafty Planet in NE Minneapolis and learn, perhaps, an easier way to finish a quilt. Until then, here’s the latest addition to Luda’s favorite sleeping spot.
Make! Paper Craft Elephant
Thank you to How About Orange for posting, and Curiosity in Portland Oregon for making. Watch the video “From Flat to Flight” and download your very own easy-to-assemble-highly-cool elephant (download on the right hand side). He looked a bit lonely, so I added in the zebra from the back of the latest Anthropologie catalog.
Jan 29
Make an Ottoman Cover
I recently pulled over the ottoman from the sitting area into the living room, as part foot rest and part work station. It’s about twelve years old and looks it. With no desire to spend money on reupholstering it, I did have extra material from the day tote I made and thought it would make an interesting statement next to the other furniture. I took the dimensions, went to the sewing machine and voila!
Before
After
Jan 26
The All-Day Tote
I know I said I would be making the Lotta Jansdotter apron over the weekend, but on Friday night, Frank’s sister surprised me with a gift from her and her mother – you guessed it, an apron. AND it was embroidered! It is very retro cool, and I can’t wait to make stir-fry tonight with such a cute addition to my outfit. So, there was no need to make an apron but an all-day tote? Sign me up. I had already marked this sewing project as one to get to from her book “Simple Sewing,” and had fabric on hand, so I just went for it. No pattern, just lots of fabric squares in varying sizes that some way or another, would get assembled. I love the two exterior pockets (one on the side for coffee mug, and one in the front for just about anything, but good for a magazine), and two inside pockets (see bottom pic). It strikes me as a really friendly way to keep organized, yet act as a catch-all during a mad dash out the door. So, I started sewing away and four hours later, there it was, a really cute tote and a super proud owner. Now, if only my Matt & Nat super sale satchel didn’t arrive today…
Jan 4
A Quilt and Cake
My mother’s birthday was yesterday, and as I had posted previously, I made her a quilt. This is the first quilt I’ve made, and I think it turned out all right, though some good lessons were learned. Lessons like checking the bobbin every so often so you’re not in the middle of a long seam and run out, then having to stop and wind her up again. Or, don’t let the cat and dog be in the same room as a sewing machine, glass of wine and a large quilt. Or perhaps most notably, cut, measure, re-measure, square off, cut, measure again. Sewing is precision oriented, and is something I will practice to (hopefully) perfection. The quilt is the first pattern in Material Obsession, called the Avalon quilt. Simply put, it is twelve 18″ squares of different fabrics, pieced together by the gray pieces, which are of different lengths, but all at 3.5″ width.
Additionally, I made my mother a cake after being so inspired by Molly Wizenberg’s chapter and recipe both titled “Winning Hearts and Minds Cake.” I have to say, this cake really could win over hearts and minds. At least for those who love dense chocolate cakes. And it was easy, with few ingredients and a short baking time. As you’ll see in the picture, I did not have the “best quality” dark chocolate, but I did have Ghirradeli chips (I didn’t bother chopping it up), and though European-style butter was lacking, Land O Lakes suited me just fine. Also, unbleached flour wasn’t in the cupboard, so I used Pillsbury all-purpose.
Winning Hearts and Minds Cake
7 ounces (200 grams) best-quality dark chocolate
7 ounces (200 grams) unsalted European-style butter (the high-butterfat kind, such as Lurpak or Beurre d’Isigny), cut into ½-inch cubes
1 1/3 cup (250 grams) granulated sugar
5 large eggs
1 Tbs unbleached all-purpose flour
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and butter an 8-inch round cake pan. Line the base of the pan with parchment, and butter the parchment too.
Finely chop the chocolate (a serrated bread knife does an outstanding job of this) and melt it gently with the butter in a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring regularly to combine.
Add the sugar to the chocolate-butter mixture, stirring well, and set aside to cool for a few moments. Then add the eggs one by one, stirring well after each addition, and then add the flour. The batter should be smooth, dark, and utterly gorgeous.
Pour batter into the buttered cake pan and bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the center of the cake looks set and the top is shiny and a bit crackly-looking. (I usually set the timer for 20 minutes initially, and then I check the cake every two minutes thereafter until it’s done. At 20 minutes, it’s usually quite jiggly in the center. You’ll know it’s done when it jiggles only slightly, if at all.) Let the cake cool in its pan on a rack for 10 minutes; then carefully turn the cake out of the pan and revert it, so that the crackly side is facing upward. Allow to cool completely. The cake will deflate slightly as it cools. Source: Orangette
Winning Hearts and Minds Cake
Dec 15
Beginning Knitting
For my birthday, Frank bought me my first knitting needles and practice starter yarn after declaring I was going to learn to knit this winter. So, we went to The Yarnery to scope out the goods, and am checking out taking a beginning knitting class there, or possibly at the Crafty Planet (THE coolest yarn and fabric store I’ve been to yet). Of course, I needed to learn just a tad about it before embarking on a class because the beginning classes start with mittens. Yes, you heard me right – Mittens. So, I googled some knitting “how to” videos and learned how to cast but when it came to the actual knitting part, I was lost. So, my mother stops in from time to time to reteach me, and the ladies at work keep showing me, but for some reason, I’m not getting the hang of it. So, I bought more fabric to sew some baby bloomers to blow off the steam (who can’t knit?!), and I’ll get back to it soon. More on this later.
Dec 14
Beginning Sewing
A few weeks ago I received a sewing machine for my birthday (from my dad by my request, as I embark upon the MN winter ’09/10), and until yesterday, have looked longingly at my new, unused machine. My mother, quite the quilter and apparel sewer, suggested I take my machine for a drive by making a double sided flannel baby blanket for my friend’s upcoming baby shower (with her help, of course). We drove out to a quilting shop in old White Bear Lake where I chose two fabrics (my favorite part of the process, I can just tell. I chose an orange focused palette, as my friend seems to love the bolder colors), and purchased any necessary supplies (sewing scissors, thread, pins). When I got home, I washed, dried and ironed the fabrics, then started the assembly (line up the fabrics face to face, get rid it flat, flat flat! and start pinning). It took an hour and a half to get the thing pinned, and then an hour and a half to sew. So, three hours total for a project my mom could have done in 25 minutes, but it’s pretty darn cute, and so soft!
Folded up blanket, ready to Gift!
