I'm Still Here

Hello!

Oh, it's been a while since I last posted anything real here...just finding the time to sew has been hard, so I am not surprised I don't have much going on with the blog! But now that hubster is working later shifts, I have free time to sew at night, although I'd rather be spending time with him. :(  Such is his life in retail!

I am currently working on a handbag project for a dear friend. I will post pics of it when it is finished, which should be this week if all goes well. 

In this pic, I am installing a recessed zipper. I am really loving this technique and would like to try this on the small satchel someday. It is 100% handbag security since there is no way anything can fall out.

Here is a random picture of a jar of buttons I got today at Ross. I had no idea I would find anything useful there when it comes to crafting, but these buttons are PERFECT for what I have in my sewing plans. They are big, colorful, and fun. Yum.

In other news, I have changed the look of my shop (again). I really like this design! It is sweet and fun and totally me. The redhead with the bird on her hand is just so perfect! A graphic designer from Brazil made this banner, and it is quite different from anything I've had before. She did an awesome job!

So I hope to start some new things for the shop once this custom order is finished. I want to incorporate some children's stuff as well as *big girl* stuff.

:)

Attempting Some Art Talk

This is kind of random, but I came across this book from my childhood today. I had bought my son a McCloskey collection book before he was born, and thought there was something very familiar about the style of illustrations, so I finally got around to googling the author and found this book I loved so much.

It was such a neat book with a real flavor of Americana from the 1940's (I think?).

Anyway, a point I want to make is this book and its illustrations really impacted the way I think about art and design. I even took up cartooning when I was a kid because I loved the look of these illustrations. I really liked the old-fashioned cartoon art.

I am not an artist by any means, but the things that inspire me to choose certain fabrics are built from past experiences with art. I love McCloskey's illustrations because they are very simple and cartoonish, yet realistic at the same time.  I love that sort of look in the fabrics I choose. This blogger writes exactly what I am trying to say about his art:

"What I love most about McCloskey’s work is how expressive and fluid his drawings are. They straddle the line between lifelike interpretations and actual cartoons and are so utterly clean, despite depicting complex scenes."

- Inkypenline.wordpress.com

I have always LOVED printmaking and screenprinting art. His drawings remind me of those mediums. I did a little printmaking after college and enjoyed it very much. I love black on white, bold and simple representations of nature, especially. Again, these looks are what draw me to picking out certain fabrics as well, as you can see here:

Many New Englanders remember Blueberries for Sal. This was his most famous book, I believe. This is a great book, too.

So that was me trying to talk about art! I hope that you enjoyed this post and learned a little more about what makes me tick. I encourage you to check out McCloskey's books at your local library or maybe pick one up on Amazon. They are worth the read and a look.

Art Quilt Vs. Free Motion Quilting

My sister was wondering about the difference between these two things, so I looked into it a bit and wanted to post about it. One is a type of quilt and the other is a technique of quilting. But they are both very creative and flexible in terms of not having really any rules and it is up to the crafter to take it where they want to go. Sounds fun!

Studio Art Quilt Associates's definition:
SAQA defines an art quilt as a contemporary artwork exploring and expressing aesthetic concerns common to the whole range of visual arts: painting, printmaking, photography, graphic design, assemblage and sculpture, which retains, through materials or technique, a clear relationship to the folk art quilt from which it descends.

An Art Quilt

"Free motion quilting is all about practicing...playing really...with your sewing machine, thread and fabric. "

Free motion quilting

So there you go! You can make an art quilt that features free motion quilting and have it all in one! :)

Free Motion Stitching: A New Birdie Pouch

Woo! Something I've been wanting to try for a long time. This is a relatively new method of sewing applique--kind of an artistic way of doing it...very modern. I saw a birdie that had been stitched free-motion style by someone online and wanted to try my own version. What came from it was a cute linen zipper pouch with an appliqued bird on it and some free style stitching applique.

(The back of the back exterior piece. Thought it looked neat from this side)

Pieces ready to be sewed together.

The finished product! Love this type of "fiber art". Can't wait to try more!

I love the loose, flowy, sketchy look to this. It looks like someone use a pen to draw the black lines on, but it is actually machine stitching. There are so many possibilities! I will be adding this to the shop sometime this week.

Broken Needle Notes... & A Giveaway?

Ooops...I had quite the morning trying to sew one small simple thing! First, I needed to oil my machine which took a while. But it was worth it. Then, I had to clean my iron with Hot Iron Cleaner (I recommend this stuff!) to get all the glue-y gook from fusible interfacing to come off so it doesn't ruin anything I am working on. Then, I was sewing this zipper on to this pouch and CRACK! It broke right in half! This isn't hte first time I've broken a needle, so I wasn't TOO surprised, but still. I think my needle had been thinking about kicking the bucket a long time before today since I've been doing so much sewing and very little machine maintenance.

So, I replaced the needle with a #11 Universal needle and kept going. Boy, did the machine sound smoother. Huh, should have done that a while ago. I tend to get wrapped up in creating and ignore the "keeping up of my machine" part of crafting. I learned a lot of lessons from today and now have a nicely running machine without having to take it in to the shop and pay $70+ for repairs. Whew!!

This pouch turned out a little wonky because of the zipper. I don't like how the sides of the zipper look and are pinched in, but most people might not even notice.  I don't feel I should put it in the shop because of this. But I love the embroidery I did on the front and hate to throw it away! It is a perfectly usable pouch, but I am picky!

Would anyone be interested in a giveaway on Sweet Sparrow's Facebook page? If you do not use Facebook and are interested in a giveaway, just leave me a comment and I can include you. But I am not going to do a giveaway unless someone says I should and actually wants this CUTE pouch!!

Happy sewing (and remember to keep your machines maintained if you sew!)!!

Best free advice

The other day mother-in-law let me pick through her magazine collection and take whatever I wanted home with me. Well, there was a Quilting magazine that I wanted, and I found some of the best sewing design advice in there I've read to date. I will remember this the next time I am struggling to make a color match.


Everyday Inspiration

"Inspiration for quilts (and anything else to be sewn) is all around. Look for color and balance in works of art, magazine advertising--even cereal boxes and other food packaging. Someone got paid money to arrange these designs, so take advantage of it. For example, when I look at a box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, I see a ratio of two-thirds medium and dark blue, one-third yellow and orange, a dash of red, and a tiny bit of white. I use these amounts as guides to pick a successful color combination from my stash."

I Never Thought I'd Use Algebra in Real Life

While googling to find out how to calculate the size of fabric I would need for the exterior and interior pieces of a handbag with boxed corners 2.5" deep, I came across something that initially made me cringe, but in the end proved to be very useful and dare I say it... fun??!!

A + (B x 2) + C = D
(C/2) + E + F = G

- A = finished width of bag
- B = seam allowance
- C = depth of bag
- D = width of fabric to cut
- E = finished height of bag
- F = bottom seam allowance
- G = height of fabric to cut

C'mon, I know I'm not the only one who just felt their stomach turn at the sight of that algebraic equation and that long list of variables (I think that's what they're called)!! These are the formulas for finding the fabric-to-cut's height and width. I usually just make the bag the size I think it should be, and then box the corners by about 1.5" (I make my own sewing patterns). But this time I wanted to do them a bit deeper and was scared I would mess it up, especially since I only have a limited amount of this certain fabric I am using.

When I first read the instructions, I immediately dismissed the project all together because I thought it would be too hard. But then I went back timidly and tried the formula. A short while of chickenscratch later, and presto! I had the dimensions of the bag and they were close to what I had assumed I would need to cut!

Math is not that bad! I hated math in school. I always passed with the lowest score you could get. I guess I needed the right motivation...sewing! :)

The next time you are going to create a custom bag, give the formula a try! It is kind of fun.

Example of a boxed-corner makeup bag from my store (2010)