Alcohol ink progress

 I added to a couple of the colors.. a pack of markers from the dollar tree.. so definitely not high end .. 

Had two colors i didn't already start so they got added to colors already in the works.. 

Added the orange to the yellow .. as it was pretty weak looking.. 

Purple went in to the brown..  

This is less than a full day later..

Tried a couple of colors out on some plastic beads.. the bottom beads are what I started with.. 

The center is the original color in this photo.. I am very happy with the results so far.. 

Homemade alcohol ink

Giving alcohol ink a try ... Saw a few posts about using it to spruce up buttons and beads.. 

Went to buy some but they didn't have the colors I was wanting.. 

After checking on YouTube and realizing it was doable at home..  

Old marker innards and isopropyl alcohol 91% in glass jars

 Only been a few minutes... 

Looking pretty good so far .. 

Going to let them set overnight.. 

Reusing Ribbon

Just finished a batch of cloth scrubbers for an up coming event.. 

Want to add easy to see labels for both pricing and item description 

Playing with different ideas on wrappers and such ... When I thought of how much I like the look of the simple tied ribbon like on these fat quarter packs .. I like the ribbons so much I have been saving them for awhile now lol 

   they are really nice just need

a  quick iron .. on low .. just a couple of seconds later.. 

and they are ready to use 

Now I just need to print up a tag or two  

Ugly test glasses case

More than a year ago, I was trying a stitch I came across .. Planning on a cowl.. 

by the time I got a few inches in I was more than over wanting to try any further rows.. it did make a nice dense fabric 

I have issues "wasting" anything or frogging if I can turn it into something else..

.... a pair of reading glasses were sitting there ...

So ugly test glasses case was created

 Been playing with the idea of making eye glass cases for awhile.  How would a crochet one hold up, would it protect the glasses enough to be useful... I get mine from the dollar store so it's not a big expense if it doesn't work.. 

Test results ... 

they were definitely easier to find in bag... the crochet held up well... and did keep some damage from happening... but let some dust and sand in. 

 I have been keeping it in my ugly freeform test bag... that's a whole nother story lol quick take away.. very hard on bag and everything I put in it or attache to it ... been great for seeing how well things hold up..

The case needed to go to"next level" testing.. 

I want to see how well some embellishments would hold up .. ribbon, fabric and acrylic beads.. specifically on a crochet item in heavy use.. 

Got out a few pieces of scrap fabric for liner and yo yos .. 

  

Should help with the dust and sand issues

Quickly found out a template is worth making

Went to my scrap ribbons next

I save ribbons from fat quarter packs and such... these are just long enough to make a small "woven" rose and over stitch line

This piece actually has writing printed on it from the manufacturers of the item it came on.. after making it into roses you can't tell... 

Tried a few different techniques in both creating them and stitching down... added the acrylic beads to the centers.. 

I decided to fill in the whole thing.. how well does a yarn applique hold up being carried inside of a purse or bag.. how about lace flowers.. 

This is definitely a one of a kind item LOL 

The added thickness will definitely add protection .. the textures are a definite plus to easy finding in a large bag lol

Let the testing begin 

Fabric Bowl update

Late last year I made a fabric bowl cozy thinking my dog could use it as a soft sided kibble bowl...  he loves it.. so much so I made him another lol...

( first post )

I decided to thoroughly test these before considering them for a new item in my shop.. they will be sold as bowl cozies not dog food bowls but the thinking is if they hold up to being a doggie dish they should be a decent cozy right

 

these are the original photos, taken before washing     

 

 

 

These photos are after almost six months of daily use.. washed and dried without any special treatment .. cold water and medium heat.. with anything from towels to jeans..

 

They did shrink a small amount, not enough to need to resize the pattern .. the cotton batting fluffed up a bit but held its placement well.. they did fade some but fabric still holding strong.. I didn't use any fabric softener  even though we have very harsh water.. laundry soap is not what one would consider high end... so no added fabric protection .. all in all I'm very happy with the test run.. now with a sturdy sewing table/desk I plan on moving forward with these and a few other items I've been testing.. no set date yet so stay tuned ;)

New Old Desk

Found a great deal on an old office desk.. large enough to use as a sewing table and super sturdy .. metal sides and drawers with easily an inch thick top .. had to grab the van to get it home .. 107 degrees in town no AC in van .. even though the van is extra long we still needed to remove both rows of seats 

An almost complete rearrangement was necessary to one room .. well worth the effort.. had been planning on changing a few things around any how so worked out wonderfully .. definitely happy with this thrift store find .. now to add those liners to the crochet bags 

 

LIGHTS

One of my biggest issues with everything online has been the ability to get decent photos

When I started writing knit patterns I had issues with battery eating cameras and funky flashes...

Since those days I have improved the camera but now use my phone more lol

Lighting has become my biggest problem.. use natural light they all say.. 

Not when you live in a desert that has very bright sunshiny days to the point of washing out the photos along with pretty regular winds.. 50 mph winds are fairly common.. more so if I dare take out a yarn item for phones.. 

I end up with washed out colors of blurriness... dozens and dozens of photos to get one or two ..

With the indoor lighting even if bright,  always full of shadows  

Wanted to try selfie lights but price and space were an issue.. didn't have an area to set up in big enough.. and didn't want to pay a high price on something I wasn't sure would work for yarn and beads items..

As more folks stopped working remotely I came across a pretty good sale, worth the risk .. got a couple

 but still didn't have the space set up

Finally my long awaited photo area is happening.. I am so thrilled .. 

Still needs work .. changes will happen as I see what works.. happy dance time 

                  

 Playing around with my cell phone trying different settings... just to see ..  using a bag I just made for my aunt..  she needs one that will hang around her neck for her cell and a few other items.. keeping her hands free to use her wheel chair so I thought I would take a few shots showing it's features....  I have been doing applique work so added a few.. 

Medium light ..  I just love pansies, I think of them as elegant flowers but also wanted cheery so added some forget-me-nots lol .. not quite enough light to see the details.. 

Switched to a more blue brighter light... you can see the butterfly on the flap really well... nice detail 

Side note.. the butterfly pattern popped up on my YouTube feed .. had to stop everything and give it a go .. quick and fun  .. just look up butterfly applique..

Happy with the stitch visibility .. colors are accurate.. I flat out LOVE that 

Two pockets were requested so I tried taking an inside the bag shot.. this is going to need a better setup.. prop of some kind... however you can see both pockets so counting this as a win 

I added a snap on one side of the strap.. for ease of putting on ones neck ..  wrapping around the handle of a wheelchair or walker.. safety issues.. the snap shows up really well in this shot.. nice 

This one is without the lights on.. a bright shop light .. bright enough to do detailed work with but not a decent photo .. this one actually took longer to set up than any of the others and would have been one of the better ones .. many of my items in my Etsy shop have the same kind of shadows ugh.. my shop so needs an update... soon .. 

So far with just taking less than a dozen shots I can see such a big difference.. with so little effort.. 

This is going to be fun 

Sea Bags

Working on items to restock for next winter for weeks and weeks now... need a change of pace ... decided to do something fun..

I have been gearing up to make bags have ideas for so many it was hard to pick where to start lol.. with my sewing area under works i was able to narrow it down a bit.. 

got a few base bags done and now adding to them..

                             picked up some patterns to start me off on applique work from  Raverly, Etsy and YouTube  ... didn't take long to decide to switch to free form.. got a few really good tips along the way so worth the price and time

I picked up a few cutting mats from the Dollar Tree awhile back for my cutting table.. tapped them together.. works great and was able to fit it to my table.. planning on adding a few more as things move on with my sewing area.. in the mean time I am using one slid into the bag to make seaming down so much easier..

Jean seams door mat

Been putting my guys "trashed" jeans aside for future projects.. I knew I would need a fair amount for what I want to do...  but I also knew I wouldn't be happy tossing a lot of scraps.. 

Been on the look out for ideas.. came across a video on YouTube that got me thinking.. they did a large coaster/trivet,  by rolling and hot gluing the seams not quite what I was after but cool ..

 I use the outer thicker seams for straps but after cutting up a dozen pairs I had a lot that weren't quite good enough for that purpose... 

 belt loops can add interest or have a useful function in many projects true..

however I have something I want to try with the waist bands.. 

The tiny ends are going to find their way into another project.. eventually along with the other bits and pieces.. 

the rest will work for my scrap door mat.. 

Nothing fancy here.. useful definitely.. 

Some of the seams I left larger edges on as the holes were cut around. I do want the "frayed" look after washing 

I used a piece of poly cotton fabric scrap I had leftover for the backing.. didn't measure anything just used what I had laying around.. 

 I didn't want anything thicker than necessary.. the seams are thick enough for a good mat.. no need to add extra stress to the sewing machine.. just enough to hold it together..  after sewing add puffy fabric paint or hot glue lines to the back for nonskid effect..

I simply stitched through the centers of the strips adding another snuggly as I went

At the ends I just turned it stitching the new strip's top in place.. 

Rolling the works as needed to fit through the machine..

You definitely want to use a heavy duty needle.. and sturdy thread.. 

I made one on my Singer Heavy Duty machine going through the pieces smoothly..

Tried another on my regular Singer without issues.. I did have to slow down in places but overall it was smooth.. 

I didn't attempt it on my lighter duty machine.. 

I highly doubt it could handle it, works well for light repairs though and I wasn't about to turn down a free machine lol 

After adding the strips I did stitch from side to side with about one inch in between rows zig zagging a couple of the joins to ensure everything stayed laying flat . and didn't fall apart in the wash.

A few months of use and still holding up well.. perfect for drying wet boots on 

Thimble for knitting

 I haven't been knitting much lately, just a random project here and there.. 

I tend to knit with a snug tension, not overly tight but snug enough to hold dpns in place.. I didn't realize just how much I used my index finger to scoot my needle back a bit until now .. 

I love my Knit Picks needles, their tips are still super pointy after more then a decade of use.. while I haven't been able to use them much recently they have been used for countless projects .. after a few hours I started to feel just how unconditioned my finger tips were.. I have been doing a lot of sewing.. it hit me my thimble from my great grandma would be perfect 

It is open on one side.. so fits on several fingertips well.. also allows for longer finger nails .. 

 

Worked out great.. only used it for a day until my finger was no longer tender.. after a couple of projects I am back to not needing it.. but will definitely keep this in mind if there is another long break in between knit projects