Wristlet

My first sewing project not from One Yard Wonders!! (Oh, besides the capes...) I had been talking to my sister-in-law about what I wanted to make and I mentioned that I wanted to try something *smallish* to try my hand at my first zipper. So she emailed me a couple of patterns for wristlets. (You might recognize the fabric from the Not Ugly Car Trash Bag.)

Here are the pieces cut out, the zipper and the strap already made. Also, each piece has fusible interfacing, to give the bag more shape:


"Sandwiching" the zipper to sew the first side:


First side of the zipper completed! I added the pocket...not on original pattern:


After sewing the second side of the zipper and laying it open to line up the strap:


I pinned the pieces together to sew the entire thing together:


Completed bag, with lining outside before putting it all together:


Lining tucked inside:


All done!


Things I learned:
*How to sew in a zipper.
*How to make a lined bag.
*To make the lining just a few centimeters smaller than the outside so it lays more nicely inside.

Firefighter's Hat

This is the Firefighter's Hat from One Yard Wonders. I made it for one of Liam's friends, for his birthday. He is crazy about anything firefighter, so I thought it'd be perfect!

I didn't take pictures until after I got going...I was really on a roll with this thing! First, I had to cut twelve triangles for the crown of the hat. 6 of those got fusible interfacing ironed on and then I sewed those together to make the underside of the crown:


Then I sewed the other six together to make the top of the crown and sewed on some patches:


This part of the crown is sitting on top of the interfaced part.

The brim was fairly easy. I put interfacing on both pieces and then sewed them together:

I didn't cut the hole out until after sewing the two pieces together. After cutting the hole, that is how I turned the brim right side out.

Then I cut plastic canvas, like you would use for cross-stitching, into the shape of the brim and stuffed it inside:


I cut the hole out of the canvas in order to sew in the crown pieces. This part of the sewing was the most technical part of the project. The book called for hand-stitching it in, but I really, really don't like to hand stitch. So I used my machine and made it work!

The front of the hat:


The back of the hat:


The side view of the hat:


I may have more pictures after I give this to the little guy...can't wait to see him try it on!!

Things I learned:
*To shape a hat using triangular pieces.
*Interfacing plus plastic canvas gives great shape!
*When something calls for hand-stitching, I can make it work otherwise!!
*It's very motivating when I'm making something for someone else, with a birthday deadline.

Travel Checkerboard

I completed this project on July 12, but had to wait to post it because it was a gift for my wonderful sister-in-law! (Don't worry, Flo, there's another gift coming your way....)

I'm not happy with how it turned out, (wrong fabric choice!) but very happy that I completed it! This is the Travel Checkerboard by One Yard Wonders. The pattern called for using one piece of fabric, but I used 2 and sewed them together, just to give it a little more strength/sturdiness.

This is the completed board, laid out flat:


Here is one of the corners with the yarn sticking out that ties it together:


The corners and the entire border are "tunnels" to hold the tie-string. The book didn't have clear instructions on how to create the corners, so mine were just pieced together as best as I could!

The most tedious part of this project was making the checker pieces. Cutting all the squares, pinning them together, sewing, filling and completing. Whew!

Here is one put together up to the filling point. I was grateful I have small fingers when it came to turning them right-side out!


After filling them, I pinned and sewed the last edge. The instructions said to hand-sew them, but I stuck them in my machine. (I really don't like hand-sewing, but understand I'm going to have to do it sometimes! I just chose not to make this one of those times...):


All but one of these are completely done:


The board with all the pieces placed and ready for a game:


The final product, tied up and ready to travel!


This project is not complete. I am changing out the white yarn with red ribbon I have (or possibly a different color, depending on what I decide to use for the pieces. I am changing the pieces because once this was completed and set up, I realize they are way too hard to see on the board.

Things I learned:
*Just because the fabric looks great, doesn't mean the project will look great with said fabric.
*Too much is too much. Crabs, in this case.
*How to make piping to thread a tie to make a cinch sack.
*You can burn yourself with yarn while cinching said cinch sack too quickly.
*Sometimes, simpler is better.