Crafting for Christmas

With Christmas approaching, I've been avoiding so many tasks in favor of sewing and crafting. I finally made myself decorate the tree and spend time setting out a few of the many nativity sets while I was putting away fall decorations and dusting around. Christmas cards are still waiting to be sent but I have been sewing as a way to escape tasks I should be doing. So what have I been making? First up is repairs.

A lovely ski sweater was in the by-the-pound bin at Goodwill Outlet and I just couldn't resist such a quality sweater. Although it washed up nice it was still several sizes too big with sleeves that hung down past my hands. Examination of the construction showed that I might be able to make those drop shoulders less of a drop to pull the sleeves closer to my size. The photo above shows my work on just one side but you can see there is a difference of three inches! It was more than just the shoulders but also the sides being taken in about four inches total. I thought I needed to leave the hem width intact but even the bottom edge needs to be taken in.  For this I used my Bernina 1100 serger as well as on trimming the excess from the shoulder. The actual set-in sleeve seam was sewn with a Bernina 217 and steamed with a wet pressing cloth (an old dinner napkin). I think it turned out pretty well so now will tackle the other side in hopes of wearing it in the cold weather to come. Yes, it's coming.

Left side original, right side shortened 3"

For crafts, I've been making trees and pine cones with tiny folded pieces of fabric. The trees came about when I discovered three foam cones that just begged to be covered.  Karen, from First Quilters in Cambridge, MN, showed us her idea of covering cones with folded fabric. Over Thanksgiving weekend we got to enjoy two granddaughters and I asked them if they wanted to make Christmas trees with fabric, no sewing, and they were game. It took way, way too long to get to the top of each tree but with a bit of help they finished before dinner and were happy to take them home:

Sarina and Alexandra showing off their trees

Sample tree

 I couldn't wait to try making pine cones with the same technique, using an egg shaped form and smaller squares of fabric. Although we didn't count the number of three inch squares needed for the trees, I did count how many were used on the pine cone: 65. That's a lot of cutting but rotary cutters make that part less laborious. I love the look of using all one fabric but have seen them with ribbon and folded paper. As you can imagine, I have more fabric than ribbon or paper:

Pine cone in process: folded 2" squares pinned with tiny pins

Although a bit tedious, I liked the end result:

pine cone with less fabric

Finished pine cone in a different fabric using 65 squares

I guess the granddaughters weren't the only ones who thought it was a long time to get to the end of this project.  Up next are the cobbler aprons in sizes XXL to XS. Only the buttons are left so today is the day! Oh, maybe I'll have to finish those Christmas cards first...naugh, sewing comes first!

Start Them Early

I'm not talking about your garden but those wee ones in your household. Today we got out the Singer 99 hand crank sewing machine and let Grant, 7, and Joey, 5, give it a try:

Grant concentrates on a blanket 

Joey likes to go fast! 

We had fun learning how to make it work but what could we make?  Grant wanted to use his practice piece as a blanket but when we made a sleeping bag for a favorite stuffed animal it also needed a blanket with fluff in it:

Sleeping bag on left with "blanket" on right.

Joey has misplaced a beloved tiny bear so he wanted to make a new one. The concept of sewing something inside out was a bit tricky but new bear got done by Grandma with cranking help by Joey:

Bear with green eyes and his bag and blanket. 

Bear would need a sleeping bag and blankie,  too, but this time Grandma cut and Grant did the sewing as per Joey's request. The finished project gave both boys fun in the afternoon making up adventure stories with their new or enhanced friends.

And Grandma got to share something she loves with those she loves.

Let the Games Begin

I'm getting ready for the two days with my grandchildren and have decided that on Saturday morning I'm going to bring out the old sewing machine to tear down and see how it works. Here's the victim model I'm taking:

Singer 418

This one I got from a hoarders house and was found in a corner of the basement. The hand wheel is rusty on the belt-line and when plugged in the motor sparked way too much for me to feel comfortable. This is also not one of Singer's finest moments, although you might have one of these sewing machines that gave you many hours good use. Found in a damp basement after decades of storage? It's a good candidate for learning on.

When the top and bottom panels are removed you can see the gears, cams, belts, and pulleys just waiting to be explored:

Singer 418: note rust on right?

Singer 418 with odd feed dog belts?

Along with the sewing machine in a large cardboard box ("It has to stay in the box!"), the power cord, needle, and light bulb are staying at home but I'm bringing screw drivers, small wrenches, and a plastic box for sorting out their findings:

Made for jewelry or embroidery floss

As you might be able to tell, I'm an educator at heart and always looking for the next teachable moment. This could be the start of an engineer career for these kids, ages 7, 5, and 2 (or learning what they don't want to do) and grandma is always willing to give it a try.

I'm also bringing my trust Singer 99 hand crank

Singer 99 with hand crank

 with fabric for sewing up some items they will figure out they need, like sleeping bags for bunny or a cape for bear. You never know what is needed until you get the needle moving and the creative juices flowing! Tell me what you have done with children that has resulted in unexpected fun or even disaster since we even learn from our mistakes.

Toy Story

As with most collections, there's an element of fun, and even whimsey, in what we choose to find and save. Today I'm going to shave two of my toy sewing machines. The first one I actually purchased via Craigslist, a toy Sears with a vibrating shuttle:

Compact in its case, pink, of course.

All of its goodies!

Bobbin case open with shuttle exposed

 It runs on batteries (AC cord was lost) and makes a fierce noise when you use that miniature foot control but it certainly does stitch! It was a hoot to figure it out and listen to the racket it makes but probably delighted some little girl back in the '60's. I think a 3/4 sized sewing machine would do a much better job and still be small and manageable, but Sears was out to capture a portion of the market with this toy.

A friend gave me the next toy and it certainly does not stitch but is way, way too cute to just set on a shelf:

All closed up with treadle underneath

Top flips open to reveal....

...a tiny hand crank sewing machine!

Moving parts: crank, treadle, 2 drawers

It is only two inches tall and three inches across so this is really miniature. With a hand crank I'm not sure what the treadle is for but it is still pretty cute.

This weekend I'm babysitting three of my grandchildren. As you can imagine, I will need plenty of engaging toys for a 7, 5, and 2 year old. I'm not going to take either of these toy sewing machines but I will take a hand-crank for fun times indoors. Stay tuned to see what they try to sew with Grandma Karen!