Retro Patrio

I am such a patriotic person that I decided to make this banner and hang it year round in my house.
Not really.
The truth is I have had the materials for this sitting on my desk since summer began and never got it done so I finally did it this week. Now it's all packaged up and stored away for a year. Ha! It's the ghetto way I suppose. It was really fun to do, though- and now I want to make more. For some reason I've been in a banner mode and been saving ideas. I kept getting ideas to do more to this as I was going, like adding a star behind each letter or little flag ribbon between the letters, or even flags.... but guess what? It's freakin' August and that stuff is not for sale anymore. Which is good because I do that- I get going and get more ideas which hinder completion in a timely manner. So I stuck with the plan and finished it. Hopefully it will inspire you to make one of your own.
Here is a rough breakdown of what I did in case you would like to copy cat:
-The beaded garland was something I bought at a little shop in the spring- I bought two boxes and joined them in the center.
-Glued paper to chipboard (or matboard would work) and cut down to rectangles, then forked the ends.
-Used crepe paper and tissue paper that I edged with pinking scissors, crimped/folded into circles and glued onto the flags (For the glitter edge on the white- I glued glitter on the pinked edge first, let it dry and then glued to the board flags).
-Glittered chipboard letters and glued them to the tissue/crepe circles.
-Hole punched the corners of the board, cut wire pieces and bent into ovals that could slide along the beaded strand with the beads (but not slide into each other, keeping them in place) and looped them through the holes and onto the strand.

Now for some Halloween! (After I clear other crap off my desk. i.e. finish more projects. :))

Shroom Dreams

Yes. Sometimes I wonder if I am smoking something with the ideas I get. I have wanted to make a mushroom pin cushion for months though I don't know why.... I just liked the idea of a substantial, heavy felt mushroom to place my pins in. And then I got the idea to imitate the delicate ruffles beneath the dome with more felt and uh! I had to make one. It would be so cool, me thinks.
Wellllllll....... let's just say that 'Ghetto sewing by Andrea 101' does not always result in what is in my brain. But I do have enough motivation for more rounds. Cooler colors, taller stems... they could be quite sculptural and interesting. At least, you know, in my brain. But hey-where's the fun if I don't show you my crappy work, too! So here's how to make a goofy mushroom pin cushion. :) Let's get started!
~I made the top- cut out a red circle and started sewing progressive curved seams to create the dome (image uno). Then I filled this with sand and sewed the opening closed (um... do this carefully, making sure you have a good, tight hold on that opening you are closing shut because, you know, sand spilling out into the bobbin area of your machine would not a good thing be ((SEE? I told you- GHETTO SEWING BY ANDREA)).
~ After closing the top, I cut a strip of white felt, hand basted each long side and gathered so the ruffles lined up. Then I hot glued this to the bottom (image dos). Then removed the basting thread. After securing it on there, I tried to pull the outer edge of the dome and glue it to the outer edge of the ruffles. I hope that makes sense. Basically, from the side I didn't want you to see a white thing stuck to the bottom. I wanted the top to wrap completely around the edge and only reveal the white bottom if you turn it over. You know, like a real mushroom.
~I sewed a fat stem and filled it with.... lead shot. Genious, right? I just have to say that this was the one phase that had me stuck for some time. I wanted sand in the dome on top... so what would I use in the base that could possibly be heavy and substantial enough to support that? Cue my dad- Mr. handyman himself acquiring shot for a project of his own. Eureka! The answer I needed to launch the ghetto shroom! Well, it made me so happy. Dorky, I know. Okay, okay- back to the task at hand....
So, you know, just get some of that lead shot you have lying around and fill said husky stem (image tres), fold the top edges down and glue that puppy to the top. "From plus to minus... and minus to plus...!!!!"
~Tada! Aww... look at the fat little guy. He's heavy and happy, pleated and dotted. And he's independant enough to stand on his own. Good boy!

Yoga Bag, This Is

As I was in Utar hanging with family in Joo-leye, my great sis-in-law tells me she wants to make a yoga bag. I brought things to do, see, but when people have something different to try? I'm on board. That sounded way more fun to figure out than my mushroom pin cushion (the next post).
We did a little guess measuring and bought the fabric. Later that week she came over with her yoga mat and we went to work. It's a simple design.... we wrapped the body with one main fabric, added a band of something different along the top. The bottom, shoulder band and pocket are fabric #3. The pocket was a last minute idea as Jess requested it for tossing in keys and sunglasses. After having the mat in there, I would have done it differently... like making it a little gathered or something because it's a bit snug against the mat. But for making it up as we went along... not bad, I say.
I don't really dig yoga (because, you know, it's hard), but I think I'll make one for donuts.