Brighter Fusion Blog

Here’s a case I made last night for the new car radio’s faceplate. I wasn’t happy with the choice of two ugly, plasticy, bulky black cases at Car Toys, and I couldn’t find anything other than pencil cases at Target. This is simple enough a deal that I decided to make my own.

I found some really nice remnant quilting fabric in turquoise and brown for less than $1.50 for a quarter yard — the perfect dimension for this project. I ironed the fabric to fusible polyester batting with a felted sweater wool remnant underneath, which it did not stick to. I then folded the piece in half, batting together, and ironed down a seam with hem tape. I turned that doughnut inside out and sewed down one end and turned it back and sewed down that taped seam. So now I have a flat, fluffy piece with one end open with raw batting sticking out. I folded it in half again and sewed down the raw end and trimmed off the extra length.

Here comes the highly annoying but professional looking part — the turned tube loop on the side. I took the piece left over from the extra length, flattened it out, ironed it folded lengthwise in half the wrong way, and sewed it down the length about in the middle. Then struggled for way too long to turn it inside out to make a fluffy, round ribbon. I folded a section of it in half and sewed the ends together and then arranged it into the side seam. I sewed a very narrow edge up the long side to make the rectangle closed on three sides and then squared off the corners on the closed end and turned it right side out.

It occurred to me after all this that I wanted to put magnets inside the fabric to hold the opening closed, so I cut the threads at the seam that was originally taped (see the beginning of the project) just enough to allow the magnets to pass through. I maneuvered two magnets in on each side, with the batting in between. Then I repaired the opening in the seam.

I plan to hand sew circles around the magnets on each side, as soon as I’m bored enough. Just one magnet on each side might have worked, but this way there’s more magnetic power, and there’s incentive for the magnets to stay where they belong.

In the close-ups you can see evidence that The Doctor was helping me. The cotton holds onto fur more than I would like, but OTOH, it’s non-allergenic for me, unlike the plastic cases. Here is the finished case with the faceplate inside.

More fun with fusible batting. Took a medium size bulletin board from Savers ($3), tore off the fake-wood frame, ironed a half fat quarter of Amy Butler’s Midwest Modern fabric and the batting onto the board, moving from the center out to the edges. Wrapped the fabric and batting around the edges to the back and trimmed the batting back to a centimeter shorter than the fabric. Since I can’t find my electric stapler, I just used iron-on hem tape to glue the fabric edges down to the back of the board. The corners are a little messy, but they’re really not noticeable enough to bother me. Someday I’ll probably tidy them up with a little bit of hot glue.

Check it out:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Thread-organizer-box-for-skinny-spools—-Sulky-G/

More craftiness.

I bought some Dickensian fingerless gloves from “jmillen” on Etsy. She cut the sleeves off of a wool sweater, felted them, and sold them to me for $6.

When I got them today, they needed thumb holes cut, as advertised. They were also pretty ill-fitting, being felted and lacking the sexy curves my wrists naturally have.

So, I made thumb holes, created an angle on the wrist, and tailored the arm seam. I’ve had them on for hours now, and they are indeed quite relaxing!

^_^

Here is the finished product, with before-and-after pics after the jump

(more…)

Speaking of vintage sewing patterns, if you like to sew (or just look at funny fashions), stop by the new Brighter Fusion Etsy Store.

I’ve got patterns from the 1940s through the 1980s for sale, and will be putting up more.

Yesterday I made a tote bag from a vintage style bath towel that I bought at Savers.

I got the idea in general from the Indygo Junction pattern, but I did everything differently than the pattern said. I didn’t take a “before” picture of the towel, but you’ve all seen this kind before. It had fringe on the ends.

I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. In these pictures, the tote is filled with vintage sewing patterns. As a result, it looks more structured than it really is. I assure you it’s quite floppy with non-rectangular stuff in it. It’s very lightweight and super soft. I love it.

More pics after the jump.

(more…)

I picked up a nice pale mint green Wards Signature sewing machine from a thrift store a few months ago. It took me a long time to fix it (needed to turn it upside down and hit it with a hammer, as it turns out). It seems to be working pretty well now, with a few odd quirks as you would expect from a $10 sewing machine made around 1962.

I started with zig zags. I bought some giraffe jeans from the same thrift store (”Savers”) and cut them to be capris and zig zagged the edges, with enough extra length to roll up my calf, 50’s style. Then I butchered some old towels and made some nice small size rags for house cleaning. I even made some money “hemming” a massage therapist’s halved sheets by folding over the edge and zig zagging. I have yet to use the iron on a sewing project.

Now, I think I’ve turned a corner. I’m nearly finished with a knit wrap dress from a Butterick pattern, designed by Maggy London. I need to sew the waist on a bit more (and I’ll sew a vintage nylon slip to the dress while I’m at it) and put the sleeves on, and then I’m all done! I’ll try to get a picture for the blog when it’s done.

Here’s a question. If a pattern is only appropriate for matte jersey knit, why on earth does it have ironing instructions all over it? What good does attempting to iron jersey knit do??