I can make that...

I'm still selling my diaper clutches.  I really need to get into the sewing room and make some more.  But mom and dad were here and I haven't been very motivated. 

I make most of my clutches from laminated cotton.  I got to wondering if I could make it myself.  So I did what any other person would do.  I googled it.  Sure enough, there it was.  How to laminate your own fabric.  I did some research, looked around and ordered this.

It's an iron on vinyl in gloss.  It came in the mail last week and I got right to it.  I decided to try and laminate some new chevron fabric. Isn't it pretty? 

First things first.  When you take your roll of vinyl out of the package, here is what you get.  It looks a lot like contact paper with a grid on the back.

I cut out my fabric and the laid it on the grid to get the same size vinyl.  Make sure you trim any excess off the edges, other wise it will stick to your iron and make a mess. (Trust me, I know...)

Next, you peel the backing away from your vinyl and place it on the right side of your fabric.  It has a sticky backing so the vinyl will stay in place on your fabric.  You can also reposition it pretty easy, so don't worry if get a bubble.  Pull it back and re-stick it.  

The paper backing you just removed is going to be what you use to iron over.  Place it, shiny side down, over your vinyl and iron.  Now, the directions say to leave your iron in place for 8 seconds before you move it around.  Maybe my iron was too hot, I don't know.  But after I did that I got pucker-y looking laminated fabric.

  You can see it on the fabric and the paper.  So I just re-ironed it.  That seemed to help.  

  

DIY laminated cotton is tricky.  I liked the end result, but it's not so easy to work with.  If you don't ever have to turn or manipulate the fabric it will look great.  But as with most bags, there comes a step in the process where you must turn the bag right side out.  After doing this, there were creases that weren't going to smooth out.  I was pretty disappointed with that.  I'm going to try a matte finish one of these days and see if that makes a difference.

Happy laminating!

Things

Since my last post we've been plagued with sickness in one form or another.  I was the last to get sick.  Thankfully, David managed to escape the germs.  For about 6 weeks the boys and I took turns.  I had to call in the cavalry (aka the mother-in-law) to take care of the boys.  I can't remember ever being so sick.  

Anyway, I've had it with the bugs that have entered and wreaked havoc on our lives and I declare our home germ free.  

On another note the parents will be arriving in the morning and I'm frantically getting the last and final touches on the house cleaning.  Pray for a safe travels,  good weather, and good moods.

Also, here's the latest in my photography and editing practice...

it helps when the subject is pretty stinking cute.

It's a party

I threw a friend a birthday brunch last week.  I really enjoyed trying to make it a special time for her with some little extra touches here and there.  I know an amazing lady who is the queen of scrapbooking and stamping and pretty much anything paper.  So I commissioned her to make a few little party favor things.  They really did add an extra something to the table.  I've never hosted a brunch before, so it was fun.  I've also never made a quiche before.  Not sure what possessed me to try that out at such an important party.  Thankfully I didn't have to throw it in the trash.  I had several eggs for back up and an extra package of bacon.  So I figured I could always whip up some scrambled eggs and bacon in an emergency.

Here's what we came up with.  

Mini cupcakes, with cream cheese frosting.  

Notice the paper wrappers.  

The paper lady also made an amazing fruit dip for the fruit.  I dipped it in my fruit and pretty much everything else I ate.  It tasted excellent on top of those muffins you can see in the back ground.  

Thanks to pinterest, I made little name cards for our glasses.  

 Aren't they cute?  They make me smile.

It was a pretty fun morning with some pretty amazing ladies.  

Thanks for having a birthday friend!

Hot Cakes!

I've been making those little diaper clutches.  They have done really well.  I've sold a few from the Etsy shop.  I also have a shop on a Swiss version of Etsy.  It's called Ansalia.    And shockingly, they are selling like hot cakes!  Okay, maybe not like hot cakes, but they are selling.  I've sold at least one a week for the past month.  I really need to get with it and make some more.  Here are a couple of my favorites.  

I'm pretty sure this monkey fabric is my favorite.  

This week I've been substituting at the local international school.  As soon as this week is over it's back to regularly scheduled sewing sessions.  Looking forward to it.  

Photography

Thank goodness the pinkeye has left the building 
and it hasn't seemed to take anyone else with it on the way out.  

Recently I have started experimenting with my camera.  I have a rather nice one and I've been trying to  learn how to use the settings to take some better pictures.  I'm concentrating on taking pictures on the manual setting.  I haven't had much opportunity to try any outside pictures because I'm wimp and it's cold out there.  Maybe when the weather warms up I'll get with it.  However on Saturday, I bundled up and went outside where the boys were playing on the street.  I shot some pictures here and there.  But they were difficult to catch moving and I'm not quite good enough to capture them flying down the street on a  scooter just yet.  Any way, I managed to get one that I liked.  

Hopefully there will be more to come.  

Exiled

I've been home bound this week.  I woke up Monday morning with extremely swollen and red eyes.  Yes, I have pink eye, conjunctivitis, or for you German speakers out there, Bindehautentzündung.  I learned that this week.  

Been washing my hands, using paper towels to dry and generally trying not to spread it to my husband and children.  I'll be glad when this is over and I can join the rest of the world.  

On the flip side, I've been sewing and have sewn some more diaper clutches.  Have a look here.

Have a good day and remember to wash your hands.

Etsy Things

I've recently added a few things to my shop and thought I'd share them with you.

The first is this pretty nifty bag.  I like it.  I'd carry it.  Maybe someone else will think so.  Some one really ought to buy it or I'll keep it and I don't need any more bags...

or so that's what David says.

The next things are diaper bags, or a more trendy name, diaper clutches.  I started out with only a couple and I sold out of them.  It didn't occur to me to make more. Duh.  Seems a few people liked them.  I've made more and we'll wait and see what the results are.

This polkadot one is my favorite.  It's made from a laminated linen, so it's a little more sturdy than your average laminated cotton.  

I like it.  

That's all for now.  Working on a few more bags with repurposed belts for handles.  Stay tuned.