Tuesday, September 1, 2015

HK Travel Bag

I really loved a pattern I saw online but the bag was way too small for me. The original bag tutorial can be found on Sewing Steph blog, here. She gives great instructions until the very end it can be confusing but after a couple times of trying I figured out. I ended up having to read some of the comments on the blog also to help me out with the instructions. The end result is awesome. The size on the blog is about the size of a small lunch bag. I doubled the size and made some other changes and it came out awesome! :) 


This bag can hold multiple outfits, shoes, towel, and more. I stuff this bag with everything I needed for a trip and still had more than enough room for more. I would have gone on 30% bigger if I had known the bag would have been so big. I didn't need that big of a bag for my travels. I haven't mastered the math of sewing and didn't know what the exact dimensions of the bag would be by looking at the pattern pieces. 


I made custom straps for this bag to make sure that they wouldn't break under the load or hurt my arms when carrying my items. Inside the straps are strips of fleece for comfort and I stitched several lines through the straps so when the bag is washed it would not bunch up. I tested the bag after filling it with my things and was very satisfied with the comfort of the straps. 


Unfortunately this bag does not have any side pockets inside but due to its size a toiletry bag could easily be added to the bag with no problems. I think the next time I make this bag I will add side pockets and also a toiletry bag to match it for those little things we all travel with :). 


Overall this bag is wonderful and I plan on making more of these for family and friends when I'm able to. This bag is difficult to make on a small machine and all the corners and turns needed are not for someone who is a beginner. 

Happy Sewing,
Kisha

Monday, June 29, 2015

Custom Minion Made for Family

I made a custom Minion for a friend of mine who is more like family than friend. She wanted a durable stuffed animal for her grandson and I had just made a minion pin cushion using a tutorial I found on pinterest. She asked me if I could make a large one like the pincushion and I didn't know if I could but I told her I would try my best to do so. 


This is the little pin cushion I made using a tutorial that I found Here.


I thought this little minion was just the cutest thing so I can understand her wanting a bigger one for her grandson. So I went to work. I couldn't use the parts for this minion for the bigger one because it would have looked funny with little legs and a big body. In pincushion size it looks adorable but bigger it just wouldn't look right. So using the smaller one as inspiration I made a larger minion. I don't have a tutorial for this stuff toy because everything was pretty much done by looking at it and making changes as I saw fit. I did most of the sewing by hand to make sure it would hold up to the little mans playing. 

My minion stuffed toy isn't perfect but I think I did a pretty good job without having a pattern for it. lol. 


She wanted a one eyed minion and I think I nailed it if I do say so myself. It was the hardest thing I've ever made when it comes to sewing. 


This is the little guy from the side. I made him with fleece so that he would be soft and huggable. He ended up being awesome. So much so that my son stole him and tried to keep him for himself. 


I embroidered the back for her because she wanted something to show the date and his name. 


At the end of the day I made an Minion that he will have for a very long time. Little mishaps can be repaired by his grandma and possibly the toy can be passed down to his kids. Just the thought of that is so worth all the frustration, the pain, and the time I put into this toy for him. I hugged him myself a few times and felt that it was not only durable but lovable. 
I spoke with his grandma and she told me that he sleeps with the minion everyday! It warms my heart that he loves it so much!! I may not be saving the world but if I can make one person happy with the things I make then I'm good with that. 

Happy Sewing,
Kisha


Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Non-Slip Sewing Machine foot pedal pad

I found this awesome sewing tutorial for a sewing pedal pad so that my pedal would no longer run away from me, lol. This tutorial is so quick and easy with a great finished product.

I really didn't want to hand sew anything but I had to end up doing it anyways. This was my first time doing bias around anything. I think I did pretty good if I do say so myself. I made the bias tape myself and it was way easier than I thought it would be. Also a plus is that I'm no longer afraid of attaching bias tape to anything. It seemed like this really hard thing to do and it truly wasn't. I know this isn't a elaborate project but to me it was a big deal. Every project is special to me. 


I now have a pedal that doesn't slide everywhere and I can save time without playing tag with my pedal, lol. It almost matches my sewing machine cover which I haven't taken a pic of yet. So glad I found this tutorial :)

Happy sewing,
Kisha


Waffle Pillow

Made this awesome Waffle pillow for my nephew and he loved it! I did too! lol I got the idea from an pin on pinterest. Prints to Polka Dots tutorial is awesome and it helped me make a beautiful pillow.


I used pillow stuffing for it but it says to use toy stuffing, I don't know what the difference is between the two. He lay with it and fell asleep watching TV so the stuffing I used worked like a charm, lol. 


I wasn't going to put the handle on it at first but I ended up doing it anyways. Which ended up being a very good idea because he can carry it from room to room with no problems. I don't have a pic with him actually on it yet but I'm hoping to get one soon. I got the review from my Mama because she gave it to him for me since he's staying with her at the moment.


I added my label to the side of the pillow. Everything is just so cute on it! :) Her tutorial is awesome and so worth checking out. If you would like to make one of these awesome pillows, the link is 
here. :)

Happy Sewing,
Kisha