Need:  A lunchbag for work
Requirements:

• Large enough to accommodate the storage containers we use in our kitchen, which are wide, shallow, and stackable.
• Does not need to maintain temperature.
• Needs to have sturdy handles
• Whimsical design

Issue: After checking local shops and online, I did not find a bag meeting these specifications
Solution: Make the bag myself using materials on hand

Materials
Bubble wrap (a ton of it came with Christmas packages!)
Scrap yarn (odds and ends from the bottom of my yarn basket)
Ribbon (formerly tied around a box of cookies)
Transparent nylon thread

Tools
Iron
Ironing board
Parchment paper
Sewing machine
Scissors

Guidance from: Etsy’s Fusing Plastic Bag tutorial

I fused 4 layers of bubble wrap total and sandwiched it with scrap yarn to make the fabric for my new lunch bag. I used three shades of scrap yarn to give it a “hip” look.  The iron was on the highest setting possible, but because I did not pop the bubble wrap ahead of time it took a lot of time to iron it flat.  Parchment paper kept it from sticking to the iron or the ironing board. I love the cellular look the bubble wrap gave the bag.

The main body of the bag is one large rectangle, and the sides are two smaller rectangles.  I used transparent thread to attach the handles (reinforcing as much as I could) before sewing the sides together. The transparent thread allows the focus to stay on the bag  than the edges.

I’ve been using it for a couple of weeks now and it has worked out brilliantly.  Just the right size!

Lessons learned

• Pop the bubble wrap ahead of time
• This was really fun and took less time than expected
• I might fuse additional plastic to the base of the bag next time to give it additional stability

Slipper mods! The left pair features a fabric sample from a local shoe company — hooray for iron on adhesive! The Batman patches were originally on the left pair of slippers, but I accidentally bought a size too small for Aaron so I had to buy another pair, move the patches, then cover where the patches were on the original pair because my brother-in-law just happened to
a) be in town
b) need a pair of slippers
– and –
c) wear that size

I picked up a couple of very fancy candle molds at SCRAP to try out.  The vintage style really appealed to me, and since they were entire kits I figured I had a fighting chance of getting it right.  My last candle making experiment (close to 15 years ago) ended badly, but I think enough time has passed where I can do a better job of it. During the craftfail first time out, I used crayons for coloring (DO NOT DO THIS – IT IS AN EXPLOSIVE MISTAKE) and clumsily dropped my swiss army knife into the wax.  To this day, I can still see wax in it. I vowed not to make these mistakes again!

Did I make mistakes?  Sure.  Just not those ones.  The first picture shows the fancy latex candle mold suspended in a dishwasher detergent container.  Great idea, yes. The problem is that wax is heavy and the plastic lid was not sturdy enough hold that much weight.  What is not pictured is the lid failing when it couldn’t support the weight of the wax, and me trying desperately to reinforce the lid while preventing the mold from falling and oozing wax to every inch of my kitchen.

Eventually I gave up and poured the wax back into the double boiler so I could reinforce the collar on the mold.  What I should have also done was clean the mold out completely as well.  I learned this later after the candle had set.

The first candle (purple jasmine!) turned out pretty well, all things considered.  The mold was a PAIN to wrestle off, but the end result looks like I know a lot more about candlemaking than I really do. Definitely needed to hang the wick higher, though, because the rod was too close to the candle base and malformed it.

I decided I needed a smaller double boiler because putting a saucepan in my canning pot is not a terribly efficient way to melt wax.  Aaron picked up some cheap pots from the thrift store for me to use, I picked up more old candle bits from SCRAP, and I was ready to try it again. BTW, melting down old candles is totally the way to go when you are learning how to do this and don’t want to break the bank paying for materials.

Instead of using the dishwasher detergent to suspend the mold, I worked *with* gravity instead of *against* it, and placed the mold in a container of dried beans.  This gave it support and made it much easier to get out.  I also tried making candles in Mason jars, too. This is really handy when you have leftover wax that is already colored and scented.

As with anything I try, patience is a virtue I lack.  You are supposed to poke the candle wax periodically after it is poured to break the surface tension.  Key word periodically.  Every five minutes is not periodically, but I did it anyway because it is fun to watch the wax.

The candles burn well, smell yummy, and have not exploded.  My kitchen floor is wax free and no swiss army knives were harmed during these DIY experiments.  I’m chalking this one up as a success.

Project:  Sparkling up a thrift store skirt then designing a handkerchief skirt to wear with it.

Starlight Parade

After finding a pretty pink and purple skirt at one of my neighborhood thrift stores, I used my sewing machine to attach sequin trim.  Use sharp needles and be prepared to swap in fresh ones!  Attaching the trim was time consuming because there was a lot of hem to bling-ify, but it was pretty straightforward to tack it on with a zig-zag stitch.  Some of the tutorials I reviewed called for a straight stitch, but it was too tricky to keep the sequins lined up under the foot for me to use a straight stitch.  The zig-zag stitch casts a wider net so as long as the stitch made it over some part of the sequin I was happy.  I am seriously considering getting a sequin foot for my sewing machine because I know I will have future projects that call for sequin trim.

The skirt was worn in the Starlight Parade, where my troupe had gone gypsy to blend in with the other dancers.  We were asked to be as shiny as we could because we needed to stand out in the night. I wore lots of junk jewelry because I am notorious for dropping things and do not want to lose any of my good jewelry.  We all wore gold streamer belts and wove glow-in-the-dark necklaces into our hip scarves so we could sparkle even more.

Two and a half miles of walking and dancing later, we still shone, albeit wearily.  Confidentially, it is more exhausting to wait for the sun to go down and the parade to start than it is to walk the parade route, as we had to be in place hours earlier.  The great thing about being part of this parade is that it is the closest I will ever get to being in the Main Street Electrical Parade, and the crowds are awesome!

I was so enamored with my new skirt that I wanted something to go with it.  I found a couple of yards of a sheer fabric at SCRAP not long ago, and it was sitting in my stash waiting to be incorporated into a project.  The colors looked nice together, so I went with it. I used this accent overskirt tutorial from Sheikhani as a jumping off point.  Since I didn’t have enough fabric to make 8 equal sized squares as the pattern calls for, I went with squares of varying size.  Here is an approximation of how I cut my 60″ wide fabric:

Both skirts + coin belt

I also cut a casing for the waistband using black fabric leftover from making the coin belt.  Once all of the pieces were cut out, I used my serger to hem the edges, carrying a shiny pink thread along with the regular thread. I sewed a sequin-like banded trim onto the bottom two edges of each diamond, then I arranged and pinned the pieces along the waistband.  I am glad that I tried it on before sewing it together because the larger diamonds needed to be trimmed down so I wouldn’t trip over them.  After the diamonds were sewn to the waistband, I closed the waistband casing, leaving an opening to thread the elastic.

I am really pleased with the effect of the layered skirts!  These were really easy projects to complete, too.  Sewing the trim onto the thrift store skirt took about an hour, and sewing the handkerchief overskirt took a little over three.  Hooray for new costume pieces!  I am really getting into sewing for belly dance costumes – better make room in my closet for more!

My first solo performance!

A couple of months ago my dance instructor issued a “rookie challenge” for our bi-monthly performance at a neighborhood coffeehouse. The challenge was for any dancer who hadn’t soloed yet to choreograph and perform a two minute piece.  I have been belly dancing off and on since 2006, but this is my first year of performing.  I accepted the challenge then took it one step further and designed my own costume as well.

A quick trip to the thrift store yielded a long purple velvet skirt and velvet patterned blouse in similar colors. The blouse was a terrific score because it already had a ruffle and a shiny jeweled button adornment. I also found chains of plastic jewels that were originally part of a chandelier. I seriously considered hacking the skirt to change how it drapes, but in the end laziness won out and I decided it was fine as it was. The coins came from a scarf I already owned but was falling apart and shedding beads and coins every time I wore it. I also had a stash of black plastic beads.

Before

While making the hip scarf took the most time, the blouse was the tricky part.  I banished the shoulder pads, seam ripped under the ruffle to free it, then cut away all of the fabric below the under bust line after keeping 2 inches for seam allowance.  I serged edges on the ruffles then along the bottom of the blouse before sewing a casing for the elastic. The end result was a lovely crop top with a dangling belly-button covering ruffle.

I cut the hip scarf out of polyester, then finished the edges with my serger.  I used tailor’s chalk to outline where the trim needed to go, took some measurements, then started making the crochet trim.  All of the plastic chandelier jewels came connected to each other with split jump rings, so when I separated the jewel chains I left a single jump ring on each one.  The coins were connected to the jewels using the jump ring, which made assembly super easy. It also meant that I didn’t need to string beads ahead of time.

Row 1: Chain until necessary length reached. Turn.

Row 2-3: Half double crochet for entire row.  Turn.

Row 4: *Half double crochet 3.  Thread a bead on the loop then secure a jewel with a Lark’s Head knot.  Re-start the loop from the most recent stitch.*  Repeat between * until you reach the end of the row.  Bind off.

Close-up detail of trim

I made four rows of trim, then sewed them onto the hip scarf with a zig zag stitch.  It makes a very pretty sound when I dance with it!  I also made a decorative hair clip, but it has gone missing since the performance so I don’t have any pictures of it yet.

The music that I danced to was Hely Meli.  Overall I am incredibly pleased with the costume and my first solo.  I remembered all of my choreography, and by the second round of the verses I was feeling really good.  Looking forward to future performances and costumes!