Create 365 - Day 86

I didn't get a ton of sewing done today thanks to the epic battle with my slightly ancient (but awesome!) sewing machine. The hubby was kind enough to brave Wallyworld on his way home to grab me some much needed machine oil.

I have managed to finish one, of two, pair of chibi skinny jeans and the JAWS applique for one of the shirts though.

Other than that I've been fray-checking, trimming seams, pinning, and basically doing everything but machine sewing. We shall see if princess Pfaff will now cooperate since she has been thoroughly cleaned and oiled.

xx ~Static

Busy Batling

Apparently this busy Batling has been too busy to update her blog! Which is odd because I don't feel like I've been getting a whole lot done but then I look back and, huh, look at that, I did.

A dreaded birthday was last week. A handful of projects that were in the talking/thinking phase shifted into the "get sewing, biotch!" phase. I've kept up with the custom orders along with these other projects so it must be the birthday putting the fog in my brain.

Yeah... I'm determined to get past this draggin'-ass --Not to be confused with "dragon ass", I don't have a tail. Yet.-- feeling today!

Here's my current, slightly chaotic view:

In the back is a bag of batting, a canvas bag stuffed full of felt. Then a box of finished small projects, a spool of tulle (where's the purple one?!), tools of the trade, ribbon and beads. Trash bag in the middle for tidiness, as much as can be had anyway. In-progress headbands, fabric waiting to be transformed, fabric and more fabric. Never mind what I still need to retrieve from my workroom.

Well, I'm off and hopefully my next update won't be so far away!

xx ~Static

Part 3 - LushPunk's Custom Zombie Head Bag

You know when you make something and you contemplate making up some elaborate story as to why it will no longer be for sale? Yeah, I love this bag as much as LushPunk does! The listing couldn't have been up for more than 15mins before she pounced so here's some images for you to drool over and descriptions to chuckle about:

 

 

Are you ready for impending zombie attacks? Well you should be. Whether you're a Zombie Hunter needing to carry supplies & Zombie deterrents, or a Zombie on the prowl you need this awesome bag!
This Black/White Striped Cotton Messenger Bag is lined with a super soft Red Vinyl that has a faint Black "rub". Vinyl makes for easy clean up for Zombies & Hunters alike! It's also a great match to the Cranberry Felt of the Zombie's eyes and blooooood *ahem*.
♦ approx 14" x 14"
♦ 48" long padded strap
♦ Hand cut Felt Zombie Head with hand stitched eyes & bloody mouth
♦ 2 inside pockets! (Not shown in pics)
♦ 3/4" magnetic snap
♦ Red top stitching

 

So what do you think, should I make more? :D

Part 2 - LushPunk's Custom Zombie Head Bag, Magnetic Snaps

Something you don't get to see in most of my pics are the interior pockets which can be seen here on the left since the lining is inside out. The outer half of the flap is on the right with the hand stitched Zombie Head applique waiting to be edge stitched.

 

And here's a close up of the Zombie Head after I finished edge stitching:

Once that was done I got ready to measure, measure, measure for the snap. I work it out on paper first then I transfer it all to the fabric in chalk. I'll even pin everything together, and take it apart again, to be sure it's all where it needs to be. Yes it's a bit anal but you can't unpick & redo stitches on vinyl because it will start to tear.

As I mentioned before, the magnetic snap request was something new to me so rather than trying to reinvent the wheel I hunted the interwebs and found Primrose Corner's blog. She has some great tips on how to install them. The only thing I did different from her description is that I recycled some leftover canvas as backing & cover for the snap parts and I used fabric glue instead of stitching. The reason I passed on the stitching around the snap is because too many holes tends to weaken the vinyl and around the snaps will be a stress area with all the opening and closing. But it's definitely a nice touch on any other fabric!

 

Next post will be of the completed bag... ooh aah.

LushPunk's Custom Zombie Head Bag, Magnetic Snaps + My New Favorite Toy

So my team mate & buddy LuskPunk asks if I can make a her a Zombie Head Messenger Bag. Can *I* make a Zombie Messenger Bag?! Sure, why not, I say. Then she says, can you put a snap on it. Oh yeah, snaps are a breeze. A magnetic snap, she says. Oh, hmm. I, uh... sure?

I took it as a challenge. Mind you, I've never used these things before now, they do not come with instructions and it involves math *shudder*. The math part's not really that bad just be sure to double/triple check your markings before you start cutting! Once those slots are cut in the fabric for the prongs on the back of the magnetic snaps there's no turning back (You'll see what I mean later). This is where my new favorite toy comes in, a handy dandy yet very simple slide ruler!

I knew they existed but never thought to pick one up until now. I'm glad I did. It's a lot easier than trying to use a soft tape measure by far and definitely easier to wield than one of my 16" or 24" rulers! Yes, as I keep saying, I'm amused by the oddest things.

So somewhere in the middle of this project I had this wee mess going:

The Zombie Head is all hand cut felt and the eyes & bloody mouth are sewn onto the head by hand. I then edged stitched it to a Flap piece with my trusty ole Pfaff 360 in a bright red thread. The above pic was as far as I could get before having to set the snap halves but unfortunately I had to wait a couple days because I couldn't find the locally. At a reasonable price anyway. Don't bother with Michael's is all I'll say on that. I wound up ordering the magnetic snaps from CraftsEtc along with some other supplies I needed.

 

More to come later!