Scribbles & Bits

Food! Glorious Food! And Floss! Portable Floss!

Woohoo!  The hummingbird cross stitch is progressing nicely!  I've actually made significantly more progress since this picture, but I didn't have a chance to photograph it because I was fiendishly stitching, determined I would finish it last night.  I didn't.  Isn't it amazing how long it takes to cover a small space.

I haven't been able to work on this piece during breaks/lunch at work like I normally do, so it's taking longer than normal.  One reason is because so many of the floss colors are so close together that I just laid them out on the table in the order they are listed.  This morning, I finally got a fairly decent idea.  Take a bunch of sandwich size Ziplocs and staple them together down the side (zips at the top) like a book.  Then just throw each floss color on a bobbin and pop each bobbin in its own bag.  They're all in order and they're all portable.  Too bad I didn't have enough time to execute this idea this morning....

But now it's time to inflict my lousy food photography skills on you (accompanied by a recipe, naturally).  These are Origami Fruit Pies.  It's been a while since I made them, but I sure did get an urge for them this past weekend.  I made up the name.  They looked like little pieces of origami to me, but maybe that's just me.  And, just because it bears mentioning, my cookie sheet is not as dirty as it looks in the picture.  I guess that's the cooking spray after coming right out of the oven.  Anyway....

Origami Fruit Pies

1 can of Pillsbury croissants

cream cheese

jam

Preheat oven according to package directions.  Unroll the first two croissants, leaving the two triangles together so they still for a long rectangle.  Squeeze the perforations closed so all the filling doesn't come out.  If you're using the brick of cream cheese, put a 1/2 oz. pat of it in the middle.  If you're using the spread, just put a healthy spoonful in the center and spread it a little bit, keeping it away from the edges.  Then spread a healthy spoonful of jam on top,enough to cover the cream cheese and be sort of thick but not ooze out when you close it.  Keep it away from the edge as well.  Then pull in the 4 corners and pinch.  Pull in the long sides and pinch.  The short sides will naturally poof out.  Pop it onto a greased cookie sheet.  Repeat all of this 3 more times (a can of 8 croissants makes 4 pies).  Bake according to package directions.  I like these hot or cold. 

Have You Hugged Your Cell Phone Today?

This weekend brought a new cell phone that seems so small I don't know how I'll listen and talk at the same time.  It also seems really delicate to be bouncing around in a pocket in my purse.  Hence the quilted cell phone case in the picture.  Yes, it's OK to laugh.  I even laugh a bit.  BUT if you would also like to swaddle your cell phone, I offer a brief tutorial.

Quilted Cell Phone Case

Materials

Fabric (a fat quarter should more than cover it)

Quilt Batting

Your favorite fastener

Needle and thread or sewing machine 

1. Measure your cell phone.  Length, width, and depth. 
2. On all sides, be sure to add the depth of your cell phone.  Add enough on each long side for 2 sets of your favorite seam allowance (one set to hem the sides and 1 set from when you sew the sides to themselves to make the pouch).  Add enough on the bottom for a seam allowance.  Add enough at the top for a seam allowance plus enough for a flap (if you're so inclined). 
3. Cut out 2 pieces of fabric if you would like a different lining fabric or cut out one pattern piece on the fold of one fabric. 
4. With right sides together sew up the sides, leaving one open to invert it and shove the batting in.
5. Invert it and shove the batting in.  I did one big piece folded in half lengthwise.  You can do more or less.  Whatever feels nice.  Too much more and you might want to consider cutting a larger piece of fabric.
6. Sew up the last side.
7. Quilt the whole thing using your favorite stitching pattern.  In my case, I just followed the diamonds printed on the fabric. 
8. Place your cell phone onto the side that will be on the outside of the case (long sides of the fabric rectangle should be parallel with the long sides of the cell phone).  Gradually pull the fabric over it until you have a pocket as deep as you would like.  I made mine so it completely covered the cell phone.  You may wish to see the cell screen.  Whatever works for you. 
9. Pin those sides together, slip the cell phone out and sew up the sides.  Invert the pocket.
10. If you made a flap, attach your favorite fastening device (snap, button, Velcro).  Hoorah!  You are done!

What I like about this is you can do a lot of variations.  Since it only uses a little bit of fabric, you can use a special fabric on the outside and a less precious fabric as the lining.  It uses up scraps.  You can try a new quilting stitch.  Always wanted to learn sashiko?  This would be a small, non-threatening project to learn it on.  Love buttons?  Use that to close it.  Want to add a pocket to the side for lipstick or a pocket to the back for a notepad?  Easy enough.  Want to skip the quilting and embroider it instead?  Or make a case for your glasses?  Turn it into a gift bag?  Bead it?  Knit the whole thing?  Well, there you have it.

Randomly, I also cooked this weekend, but I think I'll post the recipes tomorrow.  This post has really gone on long enough. 

Now For Something Completely Different

My first painting on canvas EVER!  It's acrylics on a 9x12 pre-prepared canvas.  And it's an abstract peacock.  I've had this picture inmy mind for a while.  I'm glad to finally have it committed.  Bonus: I feel like a real artist now!  Now on to the dog quilt.  Since she has to be outside while I'm at work, I wanted her to have something nice and warm and soft.  I looked at dog blankets in the store, but I knew I could make something equally sturdy (and quite a bit less expensive).  I found this fun fabric for $1/yard. I bought 2 yards (I really have a bad habit of overbuying on fabric) and ended up only using 1, so yay!  I have enhanced the fabric stash!  The 2 other pictures of it are just close-ups on the quilting.  I kept it simple on this - I just folded the fabric in half (right sides together) and sewed up two sides, turned it out, popped in the quilt batting, and seamed the last side.  Then I just did vertical quilt lines along the color columns (does that make sense?).  Anyway, this was a nice way to start to get back into the swing of things when it comes to quilting.  I haven't made a quilt since I was in elementary school (approx. 8x10).  That one was very simple - squares  hand-sewn together and stitch-in-the-ditch quilting.  I really enjoyed the process, but never made another one for some reason, I think largely because I have this "thing" about wasting supplies.  I'm pretty thrifty with mine, but if I'm using someone else's, I go into uber-thrifty mode to the point where I just sort of block up and can't do anything because I'd just feel terrible for wasting some else's money, essentially.  Yep, I've got issues.  Anyway, while I had all my sewing supplies out, I went ahead and made a cover for my serger!  I found this fabric when I purchased the other, so I picked up 2 yards of this as well.  I love the ice cream colors and retro feel.  Don't remember how much I paid for it (not much.  See "thrifty" above), but I have about a yard of that left as well.  It's basically just 5 squares sewn together to make a box without a bottom (thanks, Cap't. Obvious!). 

Of course, all of a sudden, I've really started having this problem focusing on one project at a time (holidays are not a good time for this to happen), so with the other projects I started the other day, I worked on these.  They are knitted squares of wire (currently on stitch holders).  I'm using 28 gauge artistic wire.  This will become a necklace this weekend.  The pattern is from Alterknits by Leigh Radford (ISBN 1584794550), another book I'm loving!  The photography is so lovely!  Well, the whole book is lovely, actually!  There's this thing with the binding - a wavy detail that I can't describe.  Maybe I just need to take a picture of it.  I don't know - I'm just charmed by this book!  And soon I will be working on some arm warmers from it.  I have the wool, I have the ribbon, I have the needles, now all I need is the time and my Bob Newhart episodes! 

Welcome to the Broke Season

Every year right around this time is when I go broke.  It seems everyone I know was born in October, got married in November, and celebrates Christmas.  I developed a brilliant equation:

more craft=less broke

For the impending birthdays of 2 grandparents and an aunt, I am going the toiletries route: various liquids in bottles I've etched.

For those of you playing along at home, here's what you need to etch glass:

Some sort of glass (Thanks, Cap't. Obvious!) 

Stencil OR excellent drawing skills OR stickers OR sticker silhouettes          

Contact Paper (if not going the sticker route)                                              

exacto knife                                                                                          

Paintbrush (see picture above.  See?  Nothing fancy!)                                  

Armour Etch (Re: picture, again)                                                                                                

gloves (because Armour Etch is caustic)                                                                                  

timer                                                                                                                                    

paper towels

And, if your making bottles to fill:                                                                                        

funnel                                                                                                                                     

the liquid                                                                                                                              

ribbon to tie tags on and decorate

1. Grab your stencil and a pen (or just a pen, for the uber-artistic) and draw your design on the back of the contact paper.  If you're using stickers, then cut to step three.

2. Using your exacto knife, cut out the design you want etched.  Remember, wherever there's no contact paper, the Armour Etch will eat your glass's spicy brains.

3. Apply the contact paper/stickers to the glass.  See that pretty picture?  That's what it'll look like.

4. Put on your gloves, grab your paint brush and apply  the Armour Etch in an up/down, side/side motion.  Ooh!  The right side got a picture this time.  If you look close, you can see it's already a little etchy.  Do you feel tingly?  That means it's working!

5. Set the timer for 15 minutes.  Yeah, the bottle tells you 5 minutes, but I've never had any luck with 5 minutes.  Now go entertain yourself.  Go on.  Your glass will be fine.

6. *Ding*  Good!  Put on your gloves and go wash that glass off under running water.  It doesn't have to be too hard.  You don't want this stuff splattering.  Also, I suggest doing this in the bathroom. You really don't want this stuff where you prepare food/eat.  You may have to remove the contact paper/stickers to get the last bits of etching cream off.  If you work fast, this shouldn't pose a problem.

7. There you go!  Look at your handiwork!  Show it to everyone!  Let them ooh and aah!  You deserve it!  For the record, the one on the left is etched with a rosebud and is filled with rosewater.  The one on the right is filled with after shave. 

*Please note: These are guidelines.  While I consider this an easy craft, I would not recommend it for children due to the causticness (causticity?) of the cream. 

Want to see what else I'm working on?  Sure you do!  Here's the start of it.  Any guesses?  I'm not sure this one will go out as a gift when I'm done with it.  I may have to keep something for myself for a change. 

Also, just out of curiosity, is it wrong that, while watching the Kids Week of Jeopardy yesterday, my overwhelming thought was, "I know all these answers!  I could totally beat them!"  Of course, they do have that fast reaction time....