Projects | FabGrandma

The New Sewing Machine

April 30, 2012 By Fab Grandma 5 Comments

My new baby

I know I teased y’all with some new sewing projects in April, but then life happened and time got away from me, and I just packed them up and brought them with me when we came back to the Canyon. I am hoping to get started on some sewing this week, before I have to go back to work on Monday.

Quite a while back, I think it was in December, I bought a new sewing machine. I had it delivered to my daughter’s house in Georgia because I didn’t have a place for it. I picked it up from her after we closed on the house, but I have not used it until today. The old one I had, a White 970, was a good little machine and I used it for 12 years. It was showing signs of wear though, and on the last backpack I made, it was skipping stitches quite a bit and caused me to have to use the seam ripper A LOT. So, when I was getting ready to come back out west, I packed up the new one to bring with me. Today was the first time I used it, and I have to say, it is a MUCH better machine than the other one ever was.

This new machine is a Singer Scholastic 5523. It is a little heavier than the White was, and because of that, it doesn’t jump around on the table like the White did. It is so much easier to sew with than the other machine! The best part of was the price: I got it in a Woot Deal for $284, which included shipping AND a Singer Serger. It sells for around $250 just for the sewing machine, so I think I got a really good deal on the pair. I have never used a serger before, so I didn’t bring it with me on this trip.

This is the patch on the inside

The reason I got the sewing machine out today was because I had to repair my pajama pants. I made them back in 2010, and have worn them almost constantly since then. They developed a little hole in the seat a couple of months ago, that just got bigger and bigger as time went on. Last night, Fabgrandpa said to me, “I wouldn’t wear those outside if I were you, because people would be snickering about seeing your hiney.” I took that as sign that I really needed to fix them.

The patch from the outside. You really can't sew it from a distance

I decided that I needed to re-enforce the seat because it was wearing really thin, so I got a piece of fabric to stitch to the inside, then did some zigzag stitching randomly on the outside to hold the patch in place. These ought to be good for another few months now!

Filed Under: Sewing

Girlie Girl Backpack

March 27, 2012 By Fab Grandma 13 Comments

Here it is, the first of the Girlie Girl backpacks I am making this week. This one is green and hot pink and white polka dots and plaid and floral. It has one large pocket on the outside, and several pockets on the inside. It would be good as a tote for a little girl, or a big girl, or even a diaper bag.

This backpack is big enough to hold a small laptop computer, a nook or kindle, and all the accessories to go with them. It is quilted and has very stiff Peltex interfacing so it will stand up by itself. It is for sale. The price is $45 and that includes shipping in the United States. I will ship to other countries, but you will have to pay shipping if outside the US. Send me an email or use the contact form found in the menu above if you are interested in purchasing this cute bag.

Handmade girlie backpack

Pockets inside

A view from the front

handmade back pack, diaper bag, tote bag, girlie tote bag

And from the back

I love this one!

Filed Under: Crafts, Sewing

A Sneak Peak On The Next Sewing Project

March 26, 2012 By Fab Grandma 3 Comments

As soon as the company left, I got out the sewing projects. Five projects have been cut and made ready to sew, so today I sat down at the machine and got this much done:

The back of a girlie girl back pack

It will be finished tomorrow, and is going to be so freaking cute! I can’t wait to see the finished product.

Filed Under: Crafts, Sewing

As If I Needed A Reason To Sew

March 20, 2012 By Fab Grandma 4 Comments

My granddaughter, Amelia

This morning my sister and my daughter in law issued a challenge of sorts:

Not being one to walk away from a challenge, I got to work right away, and this is what happened:

a cute ruffled handbag

It is not very big, just big enough for a not quite two year old girlie girl.

It's not much bigger than my droid

I am sure she is going to love it!

It’s National Craft Month. What are you making?

Filed Under: Granddaughters, Sewing

Thinking About The Craft Show

March 19, 2012 By Fab Grandma 2 Comments

Getting ready for the show!

I was too busy to get to a craft show in the fall because we were tied up with buying the house. Now that I am thinking about taking my sewing projects to the craft show in April to see if I can sell some of them, I need to think about what I am going to do for a booth! I had completely forgotten about that part of doing a craft show. Back it seems like a hundred years ago, when I went to craft shows all the time, I had a display booth that was made like a tarp but with a metal frame. It was heavy and hard for me to set up if I went by myself. I also had a wicker bassinnette that I filled with teddy bears, and an antique rocking chair. I used both of those pieces to display things I made and my show booth looked so cute.

Now, though, I don’t have anything except for a folding table. I could make it work, but I want something that looks good. A couple of lengths of fabric yardage that draped over the table all the way to the floor can do wonders for a beat up folding plastic table. I think I still have my change box, too.

I have been thinking about making a shelter type booth out of PVC pipe, that I could just pop together, then take it apart to store it, sort of like the one here for This Little Piggie. There are several places online that have plans and lots of pictures. This site has some good ideas. It seems like it would be an easy thing to make. And since PVC pipe isn’t that heavy, I could do it all myself. Then again, I could just take my table and some clothesline rope and tie it around a tree if it is outside. At any rate, it is still worth thinking about what I am going to do for the show.

Filed Under: Projects

March Is National Craft Month! What Are You Making?

March 19, 2012 By Fab Grandma Leave a Comment

To celebrate National Craft Month, I made this cutie cute backpack for my grandson using Dinosaur Train fabric from Quilting Treasures®. This collection of cute fabrics is perfect for making things for your child who loves Dinosaur Train.

dinosaur train backpack, dinosaur train fabrics

What a cute backpack!

Another view:

The front has a large zippered pocket

If you aren’t into sewing like I am, you can download projects sheets to make a bulletin board, a picture frame, a lampshade, and book covers that are soooo cute and require no sewing at all.

They are very simple to make, and would transform your child’s room into a Dinosaur Train Nature Tracker Club Room in no time at all! Click here to get the project sheets at Quilting Treasures®. Here is a link for a Dinosaur Train inspired quilt. You can also check out the March challenge from the Dinosaur Train Nature Trackers Club: This project shows children how to make a windsock, a tool to help identify the direction of the wind! Cover it with Dinosaur Train fabric, too!

If you have a Dinosaur Train fan in your household, they can join Dinosaur Train’s Nature Trackers Club! This is a FREE community for young children, their families and educators who, like Buddy, Tiny Shiny and Don, enjoy exploring,having adventures, and respect their environment. There are lots of fun activities, games and craft projects each month! Register for Nature Trackers Club today.

Once registered, parents can download and print out the Nature Trackers Guide Book, filled with tips and challenges for collecting things from nature, tracking and observing plants and animals, and just getting outside to make exciting new discoveries every day. At the beginning of each month Nature Trackers Club posts new challenges for you and your young explorers to complete.

Just take a look at the cute fabrics in the Dinosaur Train line from Quilting Treasures®: