I want to try use this blog to showcase some crafty stuff a bit more. I do not know if that will happen but a girl can dream right? I'm also studying to be a teacher this year as a Post-grad and have a 'learnership' job in a school the whole year, plus the courses I have to do to complete my degree. Add those all up (and add in a few fatigue issues) and you could never see me here again! :)
Back to the business at hand: while surfing the interwebz I came along Merrily We Sew Along: Project 3 Nesting Boxes at a couple of blogs. Firstly at Imagine Gnats (http://imaginegnats.blogspot.com/) (Awesome blog name right?!) then at Casa Crafty (http://casaturtle.blogspot.com/). Double aside - too tired of brackets, I've overused them and I'm only in the third paragraph! - I need to find out how to use/insert//whatever the technical term is/ hyperlinks. It would be much easier to have that than bracketed web addresses all the time. But I'm far too lazy to figure that out. Bleggh. Soooo anyways. I decided to get in on it and make me some little doo-dad holders. The stripey canvas fabric is from my best friend Lindsay. She covered an A4 diary in it at some point. Then when she went gallivanting all over the world she offloaded some random bits and pieces on me. I thought that this would be a good way to use it up and also? Little tiny bit of Lindsay reminder right there! Wham! :)
Next I shall overload you with awful pictures of said nesting boxes. Read blogpost 1 from way back yonder to see my aversion to photography. Although I did think it was fairly impressive of me to have a -mostly- white background. AND I cropped them. I know right? Epic photo editor in the making right here.
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| One two three inside each other :) |
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| Ta Da! Without further ado let me present to you my little boxes |
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| Similar picture. Slight difference. Think the one had flash and the other didn't. |
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| So this was the biggest one. I cut out my square at 8". 4" bottom & 2"sides. I machine embroidered 'Rosie Rose' on the bottom but my thread ended up too matchy matchy so it is difficult to see. I used that colour because I had bobbin thread in it and didn't not feel like winding a new bobbin. The turquoise was also wound already but I probably would have chosen it anyway - it matches the stripy canvas well. |
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| Mr teeny tiny: 2" base, 1" sides. And some really awful hand stitching right there! |
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| Mr Medium, coming in at 6" square. And please look at how beautifully those stripes match up. Carefully planned (cough cough) |
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| Mr big again. Although I think it is probably a Mrs since it has roses in its tummy. |
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| Filled up with goodies. Washi tape and cute ribbony goodness. And poor teeny tiny didn't get anything inside him. |
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| Shall we give him one roll of washi tape? It can't fit any more than that! :) |
Right: couple of points after the photo vomit.
1. I couldn't work out how to change the order of the photo's, thus
having the 'Ta Da' photo second.
2. Haven't worked out tiny caption print, nor how to space photo's and
text etc etc
3. While the stripy canvas is fun, it is, in retrospect, too thick. It was
thick and tightly woven and therefore tricky to work with.
4. Don't start with Mr Teeny Tiny and nearly give up because you can't
work out how to sew it on the machine. It is TOO TINY and needs to
be hand-sewn.
5. When hand sewing because of point 5, don't be lazy and not
go find a better needle. I only had one needle with me that had an eye big
enough to fit three strands of embroidery floss through. I was too pigheaded
to stand up and walk through to the sewing room to try and find a
better needle. So I had a blunt-ish needle and thick canvas. This does not a
good combination make!
6. I preferred top stitching all the edges and then folding the flaps to
one side and sewing them down (See the medium box) to cutting diagonally from
outer to inner corner. I thought it looked a bit neater and was slightly easier
to manhandle. I also liked that the flaps had nice finished folded edges.
7. I think I like more 'planned' improv ;) I don't think I'm that
big on the sortof hemmed edges and the fairly haphazard lines everywhere.
Personal style obviously.
8. I am tired and need to go to bed.
9. It is my BIRTHDAY tomorrow. Happy days.
I'm very impressed if you are still reading this. Actually I'm impressed
if anyone is reading this at all :)
Nicola
