Deb had doubts, I prevailed!

For Christmas I received a phenomenal book from my mumsy.  She gave me the book Fabric-By-Fabric: One Yard Wonders (Get your copy, its AWESOME).  I love this book!  There is another one yard wonder book that was printed first, but I must say, that while I wanted to love it, I didn't quite.  Upon thumbing through this book I was instantly hooked and needed so many of the treasures inside.

One of the first projects I lusted after was a set of bicycle panniers.  They are SUPER cute and I instantly wanted them.  I am going to be biking to work everyday when I take my job in St. Louis so clearly I was going to need a holder for my stuff as a go.  Deb shot me down hard.  She having been a hardcore cyclist treated me to a lecture on how irritating poor panniers are and about the fact that we could just buy them.  I tried to instill upon her that the point was not to buy them and that if she wanted to "help" she could give me advice on how to improve the design.  She was not receptive, so I sought out to prove that I could make some awesome saddle bags.

I thought that they were so cute, but the deal was truly sealed when I found this laminated houndstooth fabric at my local Joann's and it was a remnant, I got it for a song.  

The original pattern is not lined because if it were you would need more than a yard thus contradicting the title, One-Yard-Wonder.  However for me and my purposes I was going to need to have my panniers lined.  I purchased a matching amount of purple heavy duct cotton.  We need webbing and buckles, and I was thrilled when I found reflective iron on banding as well.  Safety first ladies and gents.

So my Fabric is cut and my supplies collected!

Another thing that the original directions doesn't call for is something to stiffen the back and bottom of the pockets.  I had a feeling that I was going to want something really stiff and sturdy.  I could not find a heavy weight stabilizer that felt hard enough for me, so I am using book board.  What I did was to go to my local interior designer (i.e. my place of employment) and asked for a discontinued wallpaper sample book.  I cut the book all apart and traces the back pattern piece and cut it out.  

*** This ended up being too long so I cut the book board down after trying it in the pocket.  It also left me a big enough piece from what I cut off to put a piece in the bottom of the pockets.

 I have high hop for this it is very firm.

My dear great dane puppy Orson (8 months old 90+ lbs.) though ever the delightful companion, is all paws with a seam ripper or needle.  While I appreciate the offer, I told him he couldn't help.

 Here are a couple more of my additions.  The directions asked for only the two strips of velcro across the center seam, but I added the two extra velcro pieces down the body of the panniers.  The velcro helps to keep the panniers fastened to the bike.

I also added the reflective tape that is not explicitly called for in the pattern.

Since I added the lining, I had to figure how to make it clean finished and pretty.  I am pointing to the center seam, I have already stitched the hounds tooth at the center seam, and I am going to leave the lining pieces unstitched because that is where we are going to turn the fabric for a clean finished edge.  I pressed that edge of the lining down a half an inch.  Next I stitched around the outer edge, clipped my corners and turned the fabric right sides out.

 *** If you are using nylon webbing what I like to do is to burn the ends to avoid fraying.  Now don't go pyro, just let it melt so the won't put little fibers all over the place.

  

I then pinned the webbing to the flaps (which I turned just like the back of the panniers).  They call for the webbing to be stitched only on the center seam.  That felt conservative to me so, I stitched it to within four inches of the hem.

I know it's clear but let me just reiterate what help Deb was, dispensing all her knowledge.  Obviously that's a joke.  She slept in a similar position all day with a great dane draped about her.

I initially was going to have the handle be a piece of the hounds tooth, but the purple just looked sew dam good!

Pinning is crucial.  Nearly as important as Ironing.

Life is so Hard!

I then out the pice of board for the bottom in before I attached  it to the back piece.

Just as we had pillow cased the flap.   then topstitched the fabric to keep everything looking completely delicious.

Next, just drop in your book board!

I also decided to tack the corner of the exterior fabric to the corner of the lining to hold the the book board in the bottom in place.

Another one of my little improvements was to add grommets to the side so I could tie the pockets closed to keep the contents in place and dry in the case of inclement weather.

 There we are, our pretty finished project.  I also added my New Mass label.  The label just makes all the projects look finished and professional.  Love it!!!

Deb took a look at the panniers and let's just say she ate her words and then as a result I put her to work. Because hello, I won!

My baby pumping up my tires and getting my bike ready to ride, now that she's so stylish!

I am SO thrilled with the panniers.  They were so satisfying.  If you're looking at them lustily, let me know, I'm willing to take custom orders!

Projected Forecast:

1) Purse

2) Wallets

3) Grammy's Skirt

Extreme Crafting requires an Extreme Studio...Here's to the remodel!

So in my pursuit to get things done and to be creative, efficient, and successful, it was absolutely necessary to change up my work space.  


For those of you who have been to the house you will know that my studio was formerly in the basement.  Now this wasn't quite the awful situation that it sounds like.  There were real windows, plus a good amount of space and storage.  I know you're thinking to yourself, "Those are all good things, this girl is complaining about that? Boo Hoo." But the problem with the space is that it was also home to the dog door to our back yard.  


When wer are at work all day our puppies (all four of them) are loose in the basement.  Naturally surrounded by so much temptation i.e. crafting supplies, they could not resist.  So I would frequently come home to destruction.  ***Side note: I am in no way a naturally tidy person especially in my studio, so despite my best efforts there was always something to destroy or ravage.***


The other problem was the dust and dirt.  With puppies in and out all day the tracked in a lot if dirt with them.  My space and my projects would be covered in a fine blanket of dust with out a significant amount of effort by myself and my lady love.  Thus I began to look for solutions to my problem where we could all win, woman and beast alike.


The first attempted solution was to put up a gate, a tall one.  This solved some of the destruction issues however there were a few downfalls.  
1) The gate did not solve the dust and dirt issue.
2) The puppies did not have nearly enough space indoors, it made them agitated. 
3) Then on top of everything else one or all of them would frequently get through the gate! DAMMIT!


Our next move was to make and mount up a curtain.  Now when I say we, that translates to me.  I made a curtain.  One night my lovely wife Deb, our friend Jen (www.diynamicduo.com), and I went to have Mexican food at Guadalara in Charlottesville, before I was to make the curtain. ***Side note: making curtains BLOWS, as a seamstress at an interior design firm, I dread getting a curtain order***.  To numb the pain from having to make a curtain Jen and I needed to partake in a jumbo (pronounced Yum-Bo) margarita.  Jen was not involved in the curtain making, but she was willing to lend her support through margarita consumption.  


I made the curtain and the next day Deb and I hung it in the studio.  I must admit I was skeptical.  I did not think it would work but Deb was confident.  She may have been trying to make me feel better about having to make a curtain that was a real pain in the but, but that is what a good wife does.  Well, it didn't work, our cocker spaniel Hobbes kept getting through, until finally our great dane Orson tore the curtain down and started on a path of destruction.  When I walk in and see the studio in a state of chaos, I just couldn't handle it, I had to leave or lose my temper.  The choice was made the studio had to move.


Now this was not going to be a small task.  It meant moving a whole bunch of bracketed wall mounted shelving, a large cutting table, a desk, two chairs, a day bed, books, and not to mention a mountain of fabric.  It had too be done, this had gone too far.  


We moved the guest bed into our smallest bedroom/office/junk room, and the studio took over what used to be the guest room.  It took deb and I about 8 hours just to move everything and then it took me another 12 hours to actually organize it and make it workable.  


It was a long, long, road, but at the end the result was beyond my wildest dreams.  I can really work in my space, and while it is not a puppy free zone, it is certainly invitation only.

The view as you enter the den of creativity.

This is Deb's space, a daybed for her to relax on whilst I toil.

I can't believe that my entire fabric hoard fit on those shelves.  That is incredible to me.

My beautiful cutting table, I have so much space to work!

The entertainment set up and my dress form, newly padded down I might add!

I just made these pockets for the wall with my favorite fabric from Ikea and some grommets. My pattern pieces that I made are always all over the place, so it's great to have a place for them that is functional and good looking.

I am SO thrilled with my new space and I have my sweet wife deb to thank for all of her back breaking work to help me move all of that furniture.  Love you and the muscles that you put behind makin' dreams a reality.

It has to start somewhere

This is just a preliminary post to establish a sense of purpose.  I want to proclaim awesomeness in advance even though you have no proof as of yet.  


This blog is out to teach, humor, enlighten, and inform.  I know that sounds completely pretentious, but I want to make it clear, I am not without a hint of pretension.  Basically I've decided that if I don't think I'm awesome, how can I expect that anyone else will.  Long story short, I'M AWESOME!


I am a crafter extraordinaire! My training is in Costume Design and Technology, with a particular focus in Costume Crafts.  I love to sew and I thoroughly enjoying teaching sewing and pattern drafting.


The plan of attack is to do a once a week DIY project with a goal to update as much as possible.  So here it goes.


The Projected Forecast (the project line up):
1) Bike Panniers
2) Pillow for Sean (loves)
3) New Skirt for Grammy!