The Scrappy Clutch

So I was asked by my Mother-In-Law to make a case for her newly acquired iPod Touch.  I dreamed up this  little number.  No mistakes, nicely sewn.

It totally fits the iPod and is great for when it's thrown in your purse and you don't want to damage the screen...or lose it in there. But, her iPod came with a silicone case which I tried to account for in my measurements but it was the first time I made this thing so it wasn't big enough.  So, I set out to make the Scrappy Clutch from "From an Igloo." I figured it'd fit the ipod (in it's grippy case) and all the cords and plugs that go with it. I thought it was super cute...until I tried to make it.  Ok, probably if I made it again I'd make it bigger (at least 2" on either side) and it'd go a lot smoother.  But I'm not going to be making it again anytime soon or else I'll gouge my eyes out with the seam ripper.  The problem lies in my sewing machine.  The free arm part of the machine is bigger and longer than the clutch. So sewing around the opening was challenging. I honestly stopped several times and took deep cleansing breaths.  And I did yell (not yell (no voice raised) but made it clear to leave me alone) at my husband. (Sorry, Dr. G Medical Examiner) But I had to finish the darn thing TODAY! Or else I'd have to deal with it tomorrow and I was totally done with it.  And here it is.

I don't know why the picture is sideways but I can't fix it. I'm sure it's just because I had such a hard time making it so why shouldn't I have a hard time blogging about it!?  It will fit all of the iPod stuff my Mother-In-Law has and it has a nice little strap (the only perfect part about the stupid thing) for comfort. The best part about it is IT'S DONE!  I was thankfully pulled out of my bad mood by watching The Proposal. If you've never seen it, watch it. Hilarious. Bound to cheer you up after a bad day of sewing. I made it. I didn't admire it. And now I'm giving it away. Forever......and going to finish my movie.

Team In Training

    My husband, Craig, is a chiropractor in Monterey, Ca.  He's newish to the area and is always looking for new patients! I'm a little biased but I think he's a great chiropractor because he treats more than bones.  A big part of his practice is rehab.  I do believe that adjusting your bones alone can make you feel a lot better but when you put a little soft tissue work and exercise in there....the results are 100 times better.  Well, if you're lookin' for a great chiropractor in the area, check out Gonzales Chiropractic. It's a pretty sweet website, even if you're not from the area.  There's health articles, games, general chiro information...a lot. You can even have stuff emailed to you from the site. Check it out. For new patients, there's a coupon for a free exam! Free stuff is always good. Support his business so I can support my crafting obsession.
    Anywho, Craig has recently decided to run a marathon. No, he's not what you'd call a "runner." He can run but the other day he said, "I think the most I've ever ran is 4 miles." Sorry, Dude, that ain't gonna cut it.  So, he's been running almost everyday, increasing a little at a time.  The marathon is in June in San Diego and he's going with a group call Team In Training. If you've never heard of Team In Training (TNT), it's an organization that helps people get ready for marathons, triathlons, bike rides and the like but also gets the participants to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. For more information go here. But Craig needs to raise  some moola in order to go on his trip to San Diego. Specifically, he needs to raise $2500.  Yes, I know it's a lot, but the money really does go to a good cause! Anything helps! Please visit his site and see what you can do for cancer!  THANK YOU!

Zucchini Bread

My awesome friend Sarah was looking for a delicious zucchini bread recipe the other day and I told her I had one.  It's sooo delicious...especially if you use homegrown zukes.  It's moist and delicious and just thinking about it makes me want some. Mom, thanks for a delicious recipe! Sarah, this one's for you!

Zucchini Bread

2 C sugar

1 C oil

3 Eggs

1 T Vanilla

3 C Flour

½ t Baking Powder

1 t Salt

1 t Baking Soda

1 T Cinnamon

2½ C Grated Zucchini

Preheat oven to 350.

--Grease and flour pans well. Preheat oven to 350.

--Cream oil and sugar.  Add eggs one at a time.  Add vanilla.

--In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients together.

--Add grated zucchini and dry ingredients alternately to oil/sugar mix.

--Pour into 2 standard loaf pans or 4 mini loaf pans.

--Bake at 350 for 50 min for large pans and 40 min for smaller pans.

--Bread is done when a skewer comes out clean. Don't over cook it or you'll be sorry!

Let bread sit in pans for at least 5 min before moving to a cooling rack.

Reversible Hooter Hider Tutorial

The Hooter Hider (AKA a nursing cover) is a fantastic gift for a new mom. It doesn't take long to make and making one is $20-$30 cheaper than buying one (depending on what kind of fabric you use).

Supplies:
1 Yard**--Fabric A
1 Yard--Fabric B
2--1" D-Ring
16" of 1/4" Boning
Some sort of marking pen/pencil/chalk
**A yard of each of these will give you enough left overs to make a few pacifier clips, burp clothes and other little baby things.

Cut your main pieces:
Fabric A = 1 piece 35" x 24"
Fabric B = 1 piece 35" x 24"

Cut the straps:
Either A or B = 1 piece 3" x 10"
Either A or B = 1 piece 3" x 24"

 Set the main pieces aside and work on the straps. Fold them in half, right sides together and iron flat.

 Sew a 1/4" seam across the open edge of each. Don't worry about leaving the ends open. They'll be hidden so there's no need to finish them or make them look nice. On the long piece, curve the end.  I drew a line on mine as a reminder.  Curving the end makes it easier to put it through the d-ring later. Don't forget to backstitch on the ends to prevent your sewing from coming undone!

Trim the curved end so it's about a 1/4" seam.

Turn the pieces inside out and iron.  For the 10" piece, I put the seam in the middle because it will be hidden. The 24" piece will have the seam showing but it's ok. You can go ahead and try putting the seam in the middle...let me know how it goes. (That's sarcasm. Don't do it.)

Then, take your D-rings and put them through the 10" piece, fold it in half and sew a 1/8" seam around the perimeter.  This piece is done-zo!

Sew a 1/8" seam around the 24" piece and this piece is also finished! Set the straps aside and grab the main pieces.

 Make sure the pieces are ironed and lay them right sides together.  Pin on 3 sides, leaving a 35" side open.  For the open side, take the boning and place it in the middle (on top of the fabric) and mark the ends. There's probably about 9.25-9.5" on either end of the boning depending on how well you cut the fabric and boning.

Take your straps and place them BETWEEN your fabrics with the edge of the strap against your mark. It doesn't really matter which strap goes on which side because this this is reversible. These pictures are actually a trick because the picture on the left shows you the left side of the cover...the mark is towards the center.  The picture on the right is actually of the right side but I was just trying to show you the strap inside...you can't see the mark in this picture but it's on the left side of the strap...towards the center .

In this picture you can see mark and the white and blue pins are holding the strap in place.

OK! Now, sew! It should look like the pic below when you're done.  Oh, so you're leaving the one side mostly open.  Just sew over the straps and stop.  I started sewing on the left side at the strap and went around (left and right according to the pic below) and stopped just after the other strap. Don't forget to backstitch!

Trim the corners (as in the pic above).  Turn the project right side out and iron flat.  I find that if you spray the fabric with water, it's easier to get the seams to pop out and you get better results.

All finished ironing!

 Sew a 1/4" seam around the outside of the 3 closed sides.The top will be done later.  I like to do it this way so when you're putting the boning in, you don't have to worry about stuff moving...you already know it's finished and in the right spot.

 

Now for the tricky part. Put your boning on the inside lip of the fabric that's on laying on the table and fold both fabrics in about 1/4".  Secure it in place. I used binder clips and hair clips because pins don't work very well.  The ends of the boning should be right up against the straps.  

Sew a 1/8" seam to secure the boning in place. I usually sew from the outside edge of the straps just for extra security on them (but I forgot).  Make sure you're catching the boning when you sew.

 

Last step!  Sew a 1/4" seam on the top. And the rest if you didn't earlier. Guess what...you're done!

My first model was handsome but he moved a lot was was trying to lick the product.

 **Special thanks to my husband who reluctantly posed and wore a breastfeeding cover for me.

Please let me know if something doesn't make sense. Post some pictures of your nursing covers...I'd love to see them!

This nursing cover was adapted from Freshly Picked. I don't take credit for thinking of this...I just make them for friends and this is my way of doing it.

Sharing is Caring

So, I decided (with 90% of my own brain power and 10% of Sarah's) to start a craft blog and share the stuff that I make (the 10% comes from her asking me to blog on her site). I have no expectations of what it will look like or what I'll put on here. I suppose I won't put my photography on here because you can see that here.  If you have any requests or ideas of what I should post, just let me know and I'll consider you idea. My schedule is kind of funky so between driving to work and driving back home 3.5 days later I'll try to think of something to make and blog about. There is one thing, however...my brain doesn't usually function that well after my 3rd day of NOC shift so we'll see how long this bloggy lasts. My other blog is suffering greatly.  I guess I'll start with a tutorial. I'm a firm believer that if you're going to make a tutorial of something, try to take as many pictures as possible. Words are great, but pictures can explain sooo much more.