About the Absence

I am terribly sorry I haven't kept up at all with my posts, I know I'm at least a week behind! I promise I will get better about it, but for now I sort of have to focus on my new job so I keep it. As important as my sewing is to me, I also really want to help DH with the bills again, and start saving more for a house (so I can have my own craft room, of course).

This is where I've been spending a lot of time, hanging out with my husband at work

I'm still working on the chess pieces for my chess set, but it's taking forever because we don't have a garage I can work in and I am not going out in 95+ degree heat to cut and sand and work. So I've been limited to a little time in the mornings and a little in the evenings (if the mosquitoes aren't eating me alive). As soon as I finish I will post the rest of that project.

Some of the pieces cut and sanded, preshaping

I'm also planning a pants pattern that I will be sharing with you all once I finish the chess pieces. Although, if the heat doesn't let up, I might just jump into that first. All I can say is that I will probably be splitting that project up in two, as well. One post for making the pattern, the second for sewing it together.

Alright, that's all for the update. I do hope you'll forgive me, and come back to visit when I've got new materials for you to enjoy!


Happy Sewing,
Lea

Chess Set Tutorial -- The Board

Welcome to a very special tutorial on Straight Eight!

The beginnings of a wonderful chess set!

If you guessed that I'm making a chess set from yesterday's post, congratulations! A checker board would have also been correct, I suppose. Yes, I know it's not sewing, but you know what? I haven't played chess in ages and that has to change! What with all the apps and games for phones and tablets and computers, we haven't had a proper board game in this apartment, and I think that's a shame. So, since we've decided we want to do a game night every week, I set about to make a chess set. I know I could have just gone to the store and bought one, but I haven't seen a pretty set that I liked for less than $70. And we're not swimming in money for games (although I guess Xbox games cost about that much new... huh).

We just so happened to have an old TV tray table that hasn't been used much. You can use any piece of wood that's big enough for the size board you want though. And since I planned to finish the board with some kind of sealer or polyurethane, it's not like we couldn't still use it as a TV tray table once it had the board on it. Just put away the chess pieces first!

New Project Coming Up...

What? No posts this week?!

No, no, don't worry, of course there will be a post this week. But it will be a bit different. Let me just explain myself before you decide never to check out another tutorial on this site again.

I just started a new job this week, so I've been trying to juggle that along with my usual sewing and crafting. I'm thinking I'll have to slow down the posts a bit though, maybe to just one a week from now on. DH and I have also decided to have a game night every week now for fun, so I've been working on a whole new project (which I will share here as well, although it doesn't involve sewing in the slightest). It's been a while since I last busted out my woodburners for a bit of pyrography!

Sorry for the poor lighting, it was late by the time I got this far...

So, care to guess what game I'm currently making? Guesses in the comments section, please!

I'm really looking forward to sharing a very different kind of tutorial with you by the end of the week (hopefully), and as always...


Happy Sewing,
Lea

Headband Tutorial with Woven Fabric

I have been seeing these headbands all over Pinterest for weeks now! I love them, they're super cute, and they look pretty simple to make. Problem is, almost all the tutorials I've seen are using stretchy knit fabrics, and well, I had a great woven fabric I want to give this a whirl with.

Love these!

Being a firefighter's wife, I could not resist this silky print (with all those fiery colors) on one of my trips to the local Joann's. It was begging to come home with me. So it did! Well, like most of the fabric in my stash, I did not have solid plans for it when I got it, but I've made a lovely kimono-like robe out of a big portion of it since. It's gorgeous, if I do say so. Since I had some leftovers, and I've been itching to make these headbands, I decided to combine the two. My solution for the lack of stretch? A simple hair-tie. Like the ones you get at pretty much any store in a 50-pack for $5. I'm sure there's a few lying around in every home. So, let's get this tutorial started!

Summer Top Tutorial -- Finishing the Top

Welcome back to the Summer Top Tutorial!

Cute top, huh?

I finished the top yesterday, and if I say so myself, I'm pretty darn pleased with it. Finishing this perfectly breezy top is pretty simple, once the yoke is completed. So, let's continue where we left off, shall we?

Summer Top Tutorial -- The Yoke

Whew, it is hot out here in South Carolina! It's cool having fireflies swarm every evening, but the days are absolutely brutal what with the humidity. So, I'm making a cool new top to enjoy while hurrying from the air-conditioned car to the air-conditioned grocery store. Seriously, I've never been so happy to stand in front of the veggies or milk!

Those summer clouds turn into thunderstorms real quick

If you saw my last post, then you saw one of the fabrics (the main one, really) that I'll be making my top out of. It's deliciously soft and flowy, but as I've been working with it, I can only say it's more fun to wear than to sew. I wanted the yoke to stand out a bit, so I made it with some plain black knit fabric I had lying around. It's just as soft as the woven fabric, so it's a good match!

I've split the tutorial into two parts (making the yoke, and putting the top together) to make things easier and give people a chance to breathe. Now, on to the tutorial!

Sneak Peak!

As you may have noticed, it's taken longer than usual for my posts this week... well, I promise there's a reason!

Hmmm, what is this, you say? It's one of the most wonderfully soft, woven fabrics I've worked with in a long time. I picked it up ages ago at Joann's (always use those coupons!). No, I did not have a project in mind when I bought it. I was just walking around feeling fabrics and admiring patterns after having put the fabrics I needed in my cart (doesn't everyone?) and this one leaped off the shelf into my cart. Well, that's what I tell DH. I couldn't resist, and I still had one unused coupon.

So, this week I've been taking out my lovely impulse fabric and draping it around my dress form, trying to think of what it should become. 

Hot or Cold Rice Packs

Great relief for upset stomachs and sore muscles!

Well, I certainly didn't expect this week to turn out quite this busy! Earlier in the week we had birthdays to go to, and festivals to see, and yesterday (being the 4th of July, and fireworks being legal in the state of South Carolina) DH and I had a party for two ending with a call from the volunteer fire department for help with a motor vehicle accident.

That last bit is pretty normal actually. DH is a career firefighter and volunteers with the county in his free time. Last week we were having some pretty bad thunderstorms, and every time a power line went down his pager went off like there was no tomorrow. Even at 3 in the morning. Yay for sleep deprivation!

Anyway, with all that running around, my knee hasn't been feeling so hot. Figuring that I hadn't completed my second project for this week yet, I whipped up a quick rice hot pad (you can toss it in the freezer as a cold pack, too). It's sitting on my knee all toasty as I'm writing this now. Mmmm, cozy. And it took less than an hour to make! That's pretty rare for me, seeing how even the smallest projects turn into epic sagas with my less-than-stellar sewing skills and techniques. But hey, I'm learning every day!

So, what do you need to make your very own Hot and Cold Pack? Follow along!

Kitchen Towel to Apron

Does anyone else have a favorite kitchen towel? Like, one that you use until it's absolutely filthy and you HAVE to wash it, and you're just waiting for the laundry to get done so you can hang it right back on the oven door? Well, we could just about make a quilt with the number of kitchen towels we have stuffed into our drawers, but I only ever use 3 or 4 of those. And only those 3 or 4. So I'm trying to find a better life for the dish towels that don't get used otherwise.

Now, I also happen to lack a proper kitchen apron. Not a cute, frilly apron that you're worried about getting grease splatters on because it's so beautiful. A real, simple, no-nonsense apron that you can wipe your hands on even if they're covered in eggs or bacon grease. In other words, a kitchen towel! Ah-ha, I did have a point after all, didn't I?

So, how to turn a plain kitchen towel into a handy apron that not only covers your clothes but can withstand heavy use? Easy!

The finished kitchen towel apron