Arts and Crafts Thread
- Thread starter thestrangequark
- Start date
Thanks! Yeah, if it's not apparent from the photos, my general style motto is "More is more."
Picture I finished colouring in yesterday. I used several brands of pencils and six gel pens.
My mom bought me a sewing machine for an early birthday present! I haven't sewn much since I was a teen, but I'm having a blast. I bought some vintage fabric off eBay and I've been sprucing up the home décor.
eBay for fabric has really been a dream come true. This kettle cloth with velvet flowers cost less than $10 for about nearly two fat quarters. I made new pillow covers for my bed. It was my first project on this machine and my first project in about 15 years, so I had some issues relearning tension and stuff, especially when it came to the decorative stitching. It's evident in the square pillow, but by the time I got to the neck roll I had the hang of it. (And yes, that's a sexy Dean and Sam Supernatural pillow. I told my mother I was depressed and she sent that to me. I laughed so hard I cried.)
But the real find was this fabric. This fucking '70s gem! It didn't come in a standard FQ, but the pieces were of workable size and the condition superb, and I paid only about $15, shipping included. It just makes me happier than I can say, and really complements the Golden Girls picture my roommates and I have up in the living room. I made pillows and a runner.
I don't know why there are pandas in the jungles of Africa. I suppose because it was the '70s:
You're a cushion hoarder.
So many cushions. So crafty.
I know it's not much to look at but I made my own box. Why make a box? Good question, it's part of a larger project. When I get further along on it, I will disclose what that is. I'm hand making some presents for different people in my life, my wife birthday. My brothers birthday, My sisters graduation from Grad school. I wanted custom made boxes to put these gifts in. This is a test run, to see how it would come out. Overall I'm very happy. What's in the BOX?!
I know it's not much to look at but I made my own box. Why make a box? Good question, it's part of a larger project. When I get further along on it, I will disclose what that is. I'm hand making some presents for different people in my life, my wife birthday. My brothers birthday, My sisters graduation from Grad school. I wanted custom made boxes to put these gifts in. This is a test run, to see how it would come out. Overall I'm very happy. What's in the BOX?!
"What's in the box" is an often used tagline in many procedural TV shows..
Especially when there's a head or body part in the box
"What's in the box" is an often used tagline in many procedural TV shows..
Especially when there's a head or body part in the box
I was quoting Seven for fun, because... it's a box.
I showed you a test box yesterday, well here is another test one.
This time in a different weight paper, this is 65 weight paper. Yesterdays was in 110 weight paper, which is the weight I will be going with for the project. The 65 weight paper just isn't sturdy enough, however the paper sure is pretty.
This is the main project, I'm going to make a leather computer bag for my wife for her birthday. So this is my test for how it will look, also done with the 110 weight paper.
Its going to be a basic two pocket computer bag. The back pocket will be for her 13" Macbook Pro, the front pocket is for her iPad. She has other computer bags but they are all very large, this is just big enough for the computer and iPad. When she goes to meetings, this will make it easy to carry around. I'm a little unhappy with the cut out for the front pocket, I want something with a little more angle to it. Think I will do another test pattern, I need to check to see if her computer fits inside of this one first.
This time in a different weight paper, this is 65 weight paper. Yesterdays was in 110 weight paper, which is the weight I will be going with for the project. The 65 weight paper just isn't sturdy enough, however the paper sure is pretty.
This is the main project, I'm going to make a leather computer bag for my wife for her birthday. So this is my test for how it will look, also done with the 110 weight paper.
Its going to be a basic two pocket computer bag. The back pocket will be for her 13" Macbook Pro, the front pocket is for her iPad. She has other computer bags but they are all very large, this is just big enough for the computer and iPad. When she goes to meetings, this will make it easy to carry around. I'm a little unhappy with the cut out for the front pocket, I want something with a little more angle to it. Think I will do another test pattern, I need to check to see if her computer fits inside of this one first.
@Tom Hendricks That is an awesome idea -- I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished product! I've never done anything with leather before, it sounds really difficult to me.
@Astra I love the little fireplace, it's so creative!
I've still been working on my sewing. I'm enjoying tailoring, because having jeans that fit is a freaking novelty. I wish I'd taken before photos of these garments, but I didn't think to. I will next time!
My first project was to get rid of the dreaded gap in these jeans -- I think a lot of women can relate: when you find a pair of jeans that fit your butt and thighs, they're inevitably between 3 and 6 inches too big around the waist. I brought the waist in 4 inches on these and it's so much more comfortable not to have all that extra fabric bunched in under a belt. It looks so much better too. At the risk of blowing my own horn, I think I have a knack for tailoring! Getting a good shot to show off the fit was tricky, though...
I got this vintage denim vest at a thrift shop (well, everything else in the outfit too...). It was $5 but it's a men's so the fit was all wrong. Amazingly, it was small enough, but the back was big and square, so I added darts to tailor it. I also added hidden darts inside the pockets to give the front some shape (the uneven hem was original to the garment):
I used to make a lot of my own clothes in high school, but mostly stuck to hippie skirts and things. I'm looking forward to sewing my own clothes again, and trying more challenging patterns!
@Astra I love the little fireplace, it's so creative!
I've still been working on my sewing. I'm enjoying tailoring, because having jeans that fit is a freaking novelty. I wish I'd taken before photos of these garments, but I didn't think to. I will next time!
My first project was to get rid of the dreaded gap in these jeans -- I think a lot of women can relate: when you find a pair of jeans that fit your butt and thighs, they're inevitably between 3 and 6 inches too big around the waist. I brought the waist in 4 inches on these and it's so much more comfortable not to have all that extra fabric bunched in under a belt. It looks so much better too. At the risk of blowing my own horn, I think I have a knack for tailoring! Getting a good shot to show off the fit was tricky, though...
I got this vintage denim vest at a thrift shop (well, everything else in the outfit too...). It was $5 but it's a men's so the fit was all wrong. Amazingly, it was small enough, but the back was big and square, so I added darts to tailor it. I also added hidden darts inside the pockets to give the front some shape (the uneven hem was original to the garment):
I used to make a lot of my own clothes in high school, but mostly stuck to hippie skirts and things. I'm looking forward to sewing my own clothes again, and trying more challenging patterns!
I'm a little scared myself, I'm working on two side projects first. I'm making a leather project for my brother birthday and my sisters graduation from Grad School. However these are not original ideas but kits from Tandy Leather. However I'm using them to learn and get the leather crafting knowledge I need. I'm almost done with my brothers, I just need to dye it. Then I will work on my sisters, which I'm really looking forward to. Her favorite Disney villain is Maleficent. I will post pics when I get a chance.
I've started to upgrade my Barbie sofa with fabric tape. Best stuff ever invented! I got the sofa used, and the pink has lost its color. Which is especially a problem if you change it into a bed. I also don't like the cushions that come with it, they look cheap and when someone is sitting, they slide down all the time. I intend to do new cushions with this tape as well. Maybe I'll use a sponge or something.
I plan to do them in beige with white dots, to liven it a little bit up. Would have liked to do the armrests in a darker color but they only had either beige or red and blue. First roll already is empy just for the two sides, so I just bought some more today. If you look closely you can see the lines from the tape but I am sure in pictures from far away they will blur.
I plan to do them in beige with white dots, to liven it a little bit up. Would have liked to do the armrests in a darker color but they only had either beige or red and blue. First roll already is empy just for the two sides, so I just bought some more today. If you look closely you can see the lines from the tape but I am sure in pictures from far away they will blur.
Here is my first solo leather project, a baseball wrist band. I've seen people take the leather off a baseball and make a wristband from it. However that's what they exactly looked like, I wanted to make something a little nicer. This is one of three different baseball themed leather projects I'm working on, I'm templating the other two. These are the prototypes, which one do you like better? I used the same leather used to make baseballs. The version on the left is with the lacing at the same distance as a baseball. The one on the right is with the stitching closer to the opening. I have a plan to make two different versions, this one and a wider one with two rows of laces on it. I'm also planning on offering team colors for the leather and laces.
The second project will be a baseball wallet. I will try and post the prototype made out of cardstock tomorrow. The third project will be a baseball Messenger Bag, I'm not anywhere close with that one. I'm just in the design phase.
The second project will be a baseball wallet. I will try and post the prototype made out of cardstock tomorrow. The third project will be a baseball Messenger Bag, I'm not anywhere close with that one. I'm just in the design phase.
Nice, Tom! It sounds like you're planning to sell these?
I'm thinking about it, but I need to be able to produce them in a timely manner. For right now it's part of a birthday gift for my brother. Do you favor one over the other? Just was wondering.
^ I like the stitching a little better on the one on the right.
Here is my latest prototype.
Now is this cheating? I took my last prototype and mocked it up in Illustrator and cut it out on a Laser Cutter. Here are the two next to each other.
I cut it smaller for the test, didn't want to waste leather. I'm loving it but feel like I'm cheating a little. However this really makes being able to produce multiples easier. I would still hand stitch and finish.
Now is this cheating? I took my last prototype and mocked it up in Illustrator and cut it out on a Laser Cutter. Here are the two next to each other.
I cut it smaller for the test, didn't want to waste leather. I'm loving it but feel like I'm cheating a little. However this really makes being able to produce multiples easier. I would still hand stitch and finish.
