twentyeight: last day of freedom

i saw some necklaces at south moon under that i really liked. a lot of the jewelry incorporated different types of chains, stones, and rings. i tried to come up with my own interpretation of this style, making a few asymmetrical necklaces and using some big silver rings i had, but they don't really work for me. i think i like the looks of wooden rings and big beads (like this one), so next time i go bead shopping i will get some chunkier pieces.


i have some ugly throw pillows in my room, so yesterday i recovered one of them.

thirteen: in need of inspiration

my mom asked me to make a couple of pillowcases as a present for a friend, but i am having the hardest time thinking of what to make. the one parameter i was given was that it should be white or cream colored, since we aren't sure what the person's house is like. i think my biggest problem is that i am over thinking what i should be doing rather than just going with the flow (which is what i usually do). i have start to embroider some little designs that i think i will incorporate into the cases once i decide what i am doing. fortunately, i am have until july or so to make the cases, so i will keep on thinking about what i should do...

nine

i finished my favorite pillow case (so far) yesterday. with this one i decided to have a monochromatic look and to do a lot more quilting. I quilted a little design on each of the patches and then I sewed a border around it. i was a little worried that it would look too busy with all of the patches and quilting, but i think it looks great and really ties together well. i am going to try to make a matching blue case, but i am not sure when i will start/finish it. my sewing station is not great, so i have been suffering from a sore back for the past day or two from being hunched over the machine. i am going to try to find a new spot, which should be good news for my back and may allow me to work a bit faster.

as i mentioned in my last post, i have also been playing with some shrinking plastic i had lying around. i am not really sure what i am going to do with it, but i enjoyed making the pieces and watching them shrink in the toaster oven. these earrings are some of the few items i have made with the plastic. i wrote a poem by e.e. cummings (my favorite poet) on the plastic circles before i cooked them. i think this gives an interesting look and texture to the piece. the writing is very small, but you can still read it and from far away it looks look like it has little blue stripes.

six: pillow case

the entire time i was making this pillow case i was listening to music by the band vampire weekend. they really inspired me and put me in a springy mood. i did a little bit of experimentation while i was making this. i got ideas from two different sources: a posting on the blog what if and some nepalese pillow cases my parents have. the pillow cases from nepal have a quilted front which makes it a bit softer and sturdier.

my first step was to sew several different fabric squares together, i then safety pinned batting to the bag and another piece of cloth and then did free hand machine quilting over the patches.

after i did that i made a teal border and used the same material for the back. for the border i folded the fabric and then sewed along the fold.
here is the finished product:










when i was trimming the access fabric, i got a little scissor-happy and made a whole in the pillow case. you can see it on the left-hand corner of the back. i managed to mend it, but it doesn't look that good.