Stuff and Nonsense

UPDATE

Where have I been?  What have I been doing?  What am I doing now?

1.) I've been more or less right here, battling a certain amount of fatigue for months now and not quite feeling like doing much of anything at times. 
2.) Not a lot on the creative front.  Although we did do some bread baking last week, and will probably be doing some more tomorrow if I can get the kitchen cleared up!  I haven't made many cards or much jewellery or done any sewing, ooooh, yes I did.  I made a tiered skirt.  I'll have to take some photos and show you!  LATER!
3.) Intending to spend more time blogging, dieting (yes AGAIN!), exercising (bought myself a treadmill), etc.  Tomorrow I will venture into the lair that is my craft area.  I had a lovely time with a friend today and want to send her a card to say thank you!

There's No Place Like Home - Day 2

Today's class on Shimelle had me searching online for photos of my home town.  I had fun with those.  And have actually just realized that I am heading over there tomorrow with my boys for some shopping.  Hmmmm, wonder if I can snatch time to take one or two photos while we're there.

I also had to find and bookmark my favourite home and decorating magazines web sites.  Those and some of my favourite photos are all in my Delicious account marked "shimelleclass".

And then we got hands on with paper, YEAH, and I made my first layout in months and months!  I printed out the questions and answers from yesterday and cut those up.  I used photos from my collection, 3 of our house and one of somewhere I'd love to live, along with 8 tiny photos of a front door I made out of salt dough years ago.

I pulled a few pages out of a "Once Upon a Time" stack I have been saving for just the right project.  And Shimmelle's right about that one, why not just use it!  Heeheee, there are two copies of each paper design and I am only using one of the designs I pulled out and some of them I didn't even pull one out, so there's plenty left for that "special" project, SOME DAY!

There's No Place Like Home - Day 1

Today's challenges were all about preparing for the class.  I got my tripod out and hubby found the camera instruction manual for me.  but there is also a piece of writing to do.  So here goes:

De?ning Home :: A Few Questions
What do consider your hometown?  How long did you live there? 
I was going to say tht these days I consider our current town HOME, but then I looked down to the 4th question and decided I should answer this part with the town that I grew up in.
Birmingham, England.  I lived there from the time I was born, to when I was 18 and moved away for university.

How would you describe your hometown?
Birmingham is England's second city, after London.  It's part of the West Midlands, and is a huge urban area.  It has access to all the facilities you could wish for, museums, art galleries, theatres, cinemas, all sorts of leisure facilities and all sorts of industries.  It has a fantastic history.  I suppose by the standards of some of my readers it is not a large city at all, with a current population of about 1,006,500, but to us, that's big!

How many places have you lived in your life?
Let's see,

1. the maisonette
2. the newsagents shop, Small Heath, Birmingham
3. house in Bournville, Birmingham
4. house in Plymouth when joined Uni
5. girls hostel when moved back from Uni
6. Acocks Green, Birmingham around time first son was born
7. Flat in Kings Heath, Birmingham.
8. First house in current town
9. House we live in now

What town feels like home to you now?
Where we live now easily feels like HOME now.  I used to find myself saying "We're going home" if we went over to birmingham to visit, but I don't any more.  I've been here less time than I've been there, but THIS IS HOME!

How long have you lived in your current home -- house, apartment, etc?
Let's see, youngest is 13 years and oved here 2 weeks before he was due, but he ended up being 2 weeks late.  Hmm, that would mean we've been here  13 and a half years.

Does your current home feel very temporary, quite permanent or somewhere in between?
This place feels fairly permanent.  I know hubby would like to see us move "up" a bit, but I don't know when we are goign to be able to afford to do that, and for now, this is where we are!  And we have a roof over our heads, and we are BLESSED far more than many many people.

How would you describe your current home?
Our current home is a 3 bedroomed terraced house.  I think that's what you would call a "row" house.  We have a very small yard, which is only 5 yards along each side.  We have no front yard, our front door opens onto the footpath that runs across the front of four houses.  Then there is a row of bushes, then the road,with all the cars being parked on the other side at right angles to the road, in parking spaces.
Downstairs we have our hallway which has my craft desk under the stairs, our living room, kitchen, dining room/computer desk space, and the downstairs shower room.
Upstairs we have the 3 bedrooms and the bathroom.
There is only 1 built in closet, which we use for linens as it is next to the hot water tank, and the rooms are not large, so all other storage has to be furniture we bring in.  we live a cluttered lifestyle,  and this place is rarely tidy.

Is there anywhere that you would really love to live but havenít -- a place you would like to make your home some day?
This is where all my W@H friends expect me to say "America."  I know that I know that I know that I want to visit sometime, and an extended visit at that. but living somewhere is a much more permanent deal, and I'm not sure I want to do that. 
Really I can't think of a specific PLACE, but I would love to live near the sea, sometime, with easy access to the beach, but not so close that I would be at risk of my house falling into the sea sometime, (heehee).

If  you could change just one room in your current home (and money was no object), what changes would you make?
Hmmmm, although we redecorate the living room a year or two ago, I would probably make changes in there.  There is a brick built in, FALSE fireplace!  EUGH!  And it has tiles around the base that are concreted to  the concrete floor.  I would rip that out, which will obviously damage the wall plaster and the concrete floor.  I'd get all that repaired, redecorate and put solid wood flooring in.
It would give us so many more options for the way we arrange furniture in that room and although it would not add that much physical space the effect would be more.

Share one happy memory from your current home.
Hmmmmmmmm, ?   I'm struggling with this question.  Not because there aren't happy memories, but that I struggle to pick one out without something to give my memory a nudge.   I'll have a think over the next couple of days and might come back to this one.

Share one happy memory from anywhere else you have lived along the way -- your childhood home, family you stayed with, a family holiday that felt like home, your college dorm room, anywhere but where you are right now.
Heeeheee, when I went away to university, I lived in PLymouth for a few months.  Now although PLymouth is a coastal town, there is only one very small beach, the rest of the seafront is cliffs and the main area of the sea front is known as Plymouth Hoe.  I shared a house with two other girls on my course and the one night one of them was pretty hyper.  No drinking or anythign liek that, just that she was in a hyper mood.  And late at night we deicded to walk down toe the Hoe, which was nearly an hours walk, but we went, getting down there after midnight, and we had an awesome time, and then walked back home again.  I doubt I attended morning lectures the next day!

There's No Place Like Home

OOOOhhhh I get so excited when one of these comes around.  Shimelle is doing another class.  This one is called "There's No Place Like Home".

There’s No Place Like Home is an online class that starts on Monday, the 24th of March. Starting that day, participants will receive 25 prompts by email—a prompt every day Monday to Friday, with weekends free by popular request.

This project is all about our many definitions of home, from our hometowns to our current neighbourhoods to the very buildings in which we live. Four fabulous guest artists have joined me for this project, so you’ll get to see projects from Allison Kimball, Barb Novak, Kate Bucci and Beshka Kueser. And projects from me too.

Each week’s prompts will feature two major renovations and three smaller quick fixes. The major renovations include no fewer than six full albums (with worksheets and resources for each one) and other large scale projects for home display. These projects take a few hours to a few days to complete, depending on your style and speed. Quick fixes include single and double page layouts, journaling prompts and little exercises that tie in with the bigger projects. Some of these will take just a few minutes, while the longest quick fix takes a little over an hour.

The balance of the major renovation projects and the quick fix projects means you can decide how much you want to make during this course. You can go all out and complete all of the five tasks each week—perfect if you want to create a little something every day plus have a bigger project for the weekend. You can just complete the major renovations and you’ll have plenty to show for it from two or three scrapping sessions each week. Or even without much spare time you can complete the three quick fixes each week, then choose one or more of the major renovations to complete in your own time. Lots of flexibility and no pressure to complete anything by a deadline, but at the same time there’s plenty to be doing if you want to create every day.

You’ll receive the daily prompts by email, and they are also archived in a private web forum. (For those who participated in the Christmas Journal forum, we have upgraded to allow us to archive everything in full PDF format, not just plain text. Hurrah!) The private forum hosts discussions about the class projects and you can participate as much or as little as you like. You can also share your work with the other participants on that forum, so you’ll end up seeing even more than the projects presented in the prompts as everyone brings their own ideas and photos to the mix. (Another upgrade for alumni—you can now upload your photo straight into the post, so no more confusing linking from elsewhere.) You’re also invited to participate in an online chat party midway through the course.

None of the projects require special shopping—you can customise each project with your own supplies. We’ll talk about that idea specifically with a few projects.

There’s No Place Like Home, in summary:
...class starts Monday 24th March
...there are 25 prompts delivered Monday to Friday for five weeks
...each week has a theme with two bigger projects and three smaller projects.
...all prompts are permanently archived online
...participants are invited to a private discussion forum and online chat party
...in total, you’ll receive detailed instructions for ten large projects and fifteen smaller creations.
...all twenty-five projects focus on the many definitions of home in your life.

Just click on the image above and that should take you to the sign up page.  It's not too late to play catch up!

 

Sewing Class - Lesson 7

Oh yes, things are coming along nicely and I really HOPE to have this finished by the end of the 10 weeks course. 

Last week, at the very end of class, we did a fitting for my blouse.  We worked out where the blouse is not quite hanging right and added in some adjustments, to the pinned line.  My homework for the week was to take those adjustments and change them from pins to tacked seams.  And to tack all the other seams.  I didn't quite get them all done but I think there was only one left to do when I got to class this week.

So, I finished that seam off, and then popped the blouse on, oh that is so much nicer without all those pins!  still inside out, still with all that huge seam allowances hanging everywhere.  And we did another fitting.  Hmmmmm, it seems that my hips are slightly lopsided.  Even though my seams matched perfectly, the blouse was hanging right on one side but not on the other, it was just catching on my hip, and creating those lines across the fabric.  So we pinned a alteration to the seam, which of course, I need to add to the other side, because when you try something on inside out (as I had it then) the left is on your right, etc.

So for homework I get to unstitch that tacked seam, restitch it along the new line, and that's it.

Next week I should be able to start on the sewing machine.  WOW.  It's only taken me 7 weeks to get this far!  I am really hoping to be able to continue with the class next year, but at £70 for 10 lessons that won't be easy.  Of course, next term I'll get to go buy my pattern before the first lesson, and may even be able to start on some of the marking out, if I think my measurements are correct.

How to make an 8 *8 scrapbook binder

What do you do when you need a scrapbook bider, but you can't afford the one in the shops?  Any of them?

Simple, you take an ordinary A4 (near enough letter size) binder and you chop it up!

WATCH!

See?  Ordinary folder

Mark lines just about 1 1/2 inches in from each end.

Cut along those lines using a craft knife.  Obviously this needs to be a cardboard binder, and not a plastic covered one (that stuff rips), or a chipboard one (you wouldn't be able to cut it with the craft knife).

See?  Cut that flap off with scissors.

Do the same to the other side and you are left wtih this.  Here, you can cut through the spine of the binder with the same craft knife.

and you are left with this.

Do the same to the other end.  Cover with fancy papers, decorate the front and you get this.

This is more or less the size of the 8*8 scrapbook binders that you can get in the stores.  Because it is a ring binder and not a post bound, if you use scrapbook page protectors you might need to punch a set of holes in the spine of the protectors, but that isn't difficult.  And pages you add that don't go into protectors can just be punched and inserted as you would with a normal ring binder.

Check out my Food and Fitness Blog for the contents of this binder so far.

It took me no more than an hour and the binder cost less than £1 instead of £10

 

Check Out the ladies over at the Sew, Mama, Sew! blog.  They are starting 30 days of handmade gifts projects.  Here's what they had to say:
It’s started. You know what we’re talking about: Christmas trees in department stores, not-so-subtle ads everywhere, a deluge of catalogs and the nagging feeling that you should get to work and at least thinkSew,Mama,Sew! Handmade Holidays: 30 Days of Gifts to Sew! about holiday gifts. We have the answer for holiday gift-giving this year, or at least the inspiration and a few (100+) tools to help you get it done. We’re thrilled to present, starting tomorrow, our

Each day in November focuses on a particular theme; we will provide great resources and inspirational ideas for sewing holiday gifts. Every week throughout November we’ll also offer two $25 gift certificates to Sew,Mama,Sew! Winners will be randomly selected from all comments posted on the blog in the previous week.

Please help us spread the news about Handmade Holidays. Feel free to add our button to your blog or website (see below) and please enjoy our sneak peek at the themes below. Visit daily, find your creative muse and enjoy Handmade Holidays!

Sew,Mama,Sew! Handmade Holidays: 30 Days of Gifts to Sew
November 1 ~ Aprons
November 2 ~ Pincushions & Pins
November 3 ~ For the House
November 4 ~ Lunch Bags
November 5 ~ Tote Bags
November 6 ~ Blankets for Baby
November 7 ~ For your Purse or Pocket
November 8 ~ Whimsy
November 9 ~ Fabric Ornaments
November 10 ~ Ties and Belts
November 11 ~ Reading & Writing
November 12 ~ For the Table
November 13 ~ Placemats
November 14 ~ Kids’ Clothes
November 15 ~ Warm those Toes
November 16 ~ Gifts for the Crafter
November 17 ~ Purses
November 18 ~ For Baby
November 19 ~ Tech Gifts
November 20 ~ Gifts for Organization
November 21 ~ Pillows
November 22 ~ Fun for Hair
November 23 ~ Soft Toys & Games
November 24 ~ Sachets
November 25 ~ For the Kitchen
November 26 ~ Embellishments
November 27 ~ Gifts for Warmth
November 28 ~ Drawstring Bags
November 29 ~ Fabric Boxes
November 30 ~ Gift Compilations

We respect the copyright of all crafters.
All links and photos from blogs on our Handmade Holidays posts are used with permission.

I love their projects usually an figure some of these will be worth printing out and adding to my gift making folder even if I don't get to make them this year.

Sewing Class 6

I have to miss my sewing class today!
Have both my kids home, because they did not get home from a youth group trip to Northern Ireland UNTIL 2am this morning, and apparently there was throwing up on the ferry on the way back.  Ho hum!

Sewing Class Lesson 5

This week we used every available space and still had to fetch extra tables.
Most people were either laying out their pattern, or pinning it or tacking it!  So we were all spread over a number of tables.

The first thing I did, was re-pin a couple of the pattern pieces from last week.  I realised that on one piece I had forgotten to measure to see if I had it on the straight grain, and it was off!  And then I realised, that the two pattern pieces that need to be cut on the fold, but twice, were small enough that they could be done once on one side of the fabric (by folding each half in half), and again on the other side of the fabric, so, moving everything up a little and saving as much fabric at the end in one chunk as possible for another future project.

That done it was time to start tacking.
We have three colours of tacking thread, white, yellow and pink.  The rules for which colour thread are as follows.

• pieces that are on the front of the garment are tacked in white.
• pieces that are on the back of the garment are tacked in whichever out of pink or yellow stands out best.
• The seams, when we come to do them are done in the third colour, which hasn't been used yet.
• Darts, triangles, dots are all marked in whichever of the first two colours, you are not using to tack the lines.

At the bottom of a garment, the hem line (i.e. the length you want the garment to eventually be) is marked in the opposite colour to the one marking the lines, and the cutting line (further down the fabric) is marked in the main colour.

All of this is done with relatively small stitches in a single thread.  Fastening off with a double stitch at the beginning and end of each side of each pattern piece.

Marking of triangles, dots, etc is done with a double thread, and is just a double stitch in the seam allowance.
Darts are marked, by sewing with a single thread along the lines through the paper pattern, leaving big loops (at least an inch high) between each stitch.  Each of these loops is then cut, leaving tailors tacks.  Then you can carefully remove the pattern.  On the reverse of the fabric, you can see the straight lines of the tailors tacks stitches clearly, using this line as a guide, sew that line neatly in a single thread of your markings colour of thread, with smaller stitches to accurately mark the line, removing each tailors tack as you go. 

I managed to get 2 of my largest pattern pieces marked tacked up and marked, although I got the colours at the hem line wrong and need to do those again.

We do not have a lesson next week, it is mid term break, so we have much longer to get our homework done.  So she's asked us to really get going with this and try and get all our tacking done!

If we feel confident with that we can then move onto cutting out. BUT we don't cut out along the pattern cutting lines, we cut between the pattern pieces leaving as much space as possible between pieces.
I doubt I will get as far as cutting out, but I really do want to get all my tacking done.  I'm taking ti down to church papercraft club with me today, pinching two tables to work on, and one of the wheeled office chairs so I can slide up and down along the length, and I'm going to work there!  I can leave my fabric out and spend some more time working on it tomorrow, but have to clear it away for Thursday morning's art class.  Sunday is kids groups in there, then, on Monday I can lay it back out and leave it there all week (since there will be no art class next week either).  That should give me enough time to get it done.

Oh and another thing she said in passing but didn't explain why, so I shall have to remember to ask next time, was when pinning the pattern etc, to pin at an angle to the line you're pinning along. 

Sewing Class Lesson 4

OK, so last week I did all my homework.  I marked 5/8 of an inch in from the cutting line on ALL the pattern pieces I was going to be using to make this garment.

One of the parts had a very difficult corner and we weren't sure how we were going to get all the lines to intersect.  But the teacher and I sat down with the pattern pieces and held them against each other to see what shape the garment is meant to make and worked it out!  Hallelujah!

With all these 5/8 lines marked, we now needed to fold back along those lines.  Simple right?  NOT!  A straight line is ok to fold back, no problem, but curved lines?  Oh my goodness.  So we had to clip the pattern pieces, through the seam allowance, at right angles to the sewing line, to make a more flexible edge that we could turn back.  That took the rest of the 3 hours!  I am not kidding.  So now all my pattern pieces have their edges folded back so that the edge of the paper is on the sewing line, NOT the cutting line!

Homework for this week is to get our fabric out, decide which is the right and which is the wrong side, to fold the fabric in half along it's length and to work out FOR OURSELVES where the pattern pieces should go.  This is about learning for ourselves how garments go together, and not relying on what the pattern instructions say.  We're to make a sketch of how that goes, leaving plenty of space between the pieces, at least 2 inches, preferably more. and then we're to open the fabric out and pin them to JUST one layer!  That's right, even when a piece says "cut 2", we're to pin it it just one layer.

THEN we are to take out tacking thread.  We have three colours of tacking thread, white, yellow and pink.  White is used for the front, whichever of the other two stands out the best is used on the back, the third colour is kept for tacking the seams later.  And all marking of darts, dots, etc is done in the opposite colour of the one you're meant to be working in on that side.

Are you confused yet?  I AM!
Anyway, we're to tack small running stitches closely along the edge of each pattern piece.  Each side of the pattern piece must get a separate length of thread, so you fasten on with a double stitch, sew along the side and fasten off with a double stitch, then cut the thread, fasten on for the next side, etc!

So far I have the pinning out done.  I MIGHT get started on the tacking before Monday but I don't hold out much hope.