1st Annual Cyclops— an epic festival of DIY crafts, music, culture & mythical wonderfulness!
When: Saturday, September 17th, 2011 – 10 am – 7 pm

Where: John Bryan Center – 100 Dayton Street, Yellow Springs, OH 45387

Cost: FREE to all ages!!!

Cyclops is a one-day outdoor/indoor event. The festival will include:

• Tons of brilliant handmade artists
• Live music
• Food & beverage vendors
• Kid’s activities
• BMX and skate demos
• And much more!

Apbplications due Aug 24th: https://cyclops.wufoo.com/forms/z7x3k7/

*bump*

I'm all about the scrap yarn hats.

I recently ordered some custom zombie fabric from spoonflower that I designed. Man is it expensive but these babies sell like hotcakes at festivals. The inside is arterial spray maroon 

I really wanted to participate in this challenge because I make market bags all the time. It's something I think many do not realize the amount of waste that is involved that could easily be prevented. I couldn't think of anything that hadn't been done a billion times already though. Then last week my SO came across a computer to scrap that had this really pretty bright purple case. I wanted to make something out of it but couldn't think of anything, so I had it sitting in the recycle bin. This challenge fluttered across my creative conscious again & voila the mammoth computer market bag.





I started with the outer case & an old compaq keyboard.



This picture should be a public service announcement for cleaning out your keyboard. None of this was visible until after I took the keys off. The person who owned it previously must have ate over the keys. Don't click if you are easily geeked out by dirty stuff.

I drilled holes all along the bottom & sides & used zip ties to attach everything. I tried to work with a lot of the existing pieces. (ie zip ties through key holes & enlarging screw holes)


The handle is the cord from the keyboard. I did one continuous loop for support. You can adjust the wires that run across the inside of the bag if you have something larger.


For size reference. I have 2 cereal boxes, a box of nilla wafers, a 3liter of juice & the bread. Which BTW will never get crushed in this bad boy.



This is me. Again for size reference I am almost 6 feet tall & plus size. So you can see it's ginormous.


I had a great time trying to think outside of the box  . I hope everyone likes it!

This is the great loot I received from my partner. Which BTW this was her first swap, I'm impressed.

I'm a huge pin-up fan so I will be making something out of all those images specifically for me.


One half of the fabric


Second half of the fabric. I love the airplane print, it will make such cute bibs.

Thank you for everything. I love it all!

I've had this project in the back of my head for ages & decided to make some for x-mas presents. My first try was a small pink bowl which I didn't get pics of. This I like to refer to as the Rainbow Bowl of Doom. Took FOREVER, I started out using rainbow thread & finally had to switch out to individual colors because I kept running out.




The top is a little wonky because all I had in purple was linen napkins so it was thicker than all the other cotton.


FYI if anyone is looking for the cording & can't find it cheap I used the cheap plastic clothes lines they sell at the dollar tree. Worked great, I just wouldn't recommend it if you are making hotpads.

I have all of these great vintage doily patterns but aside from making a few cool hotpads at x-mas I don't really use them that much. Which really is a shame because some of the detail in them is amazing. So I have been trying to find alternative was to incorporate at least some of the stitches into something I would use (In other words justifying my pattern stash so I won't have to pitch them). One day pure genius struck (atleast I think so). I was thinking you know a basic hat pattern is a circle to a certain point then you stop increasing and it forms a hat so I wonder.......DOH!! If you don't increase a doily you'll get a hat. So I started to play around & it really is pretty simple.

This is the same stitch all the way dow to the brim and then a basich stitch so it wouldn't have a scalloped edge. I'm sure the scalloped edge would look pretty cool too I just like a finished edge.


Same hat in a solid color. I like the varigated yarn better myself, but this shows the stretch more.


This was my first try. I don't like the yarn at all but I always try a pattern in cheap acrylic first so I don't waste my nice yarns.
This version is a little different, I did a doily pattern to a certain point (the blue) then used a basic stitch the rest of the way down.


Same pattern as the last one with just one more increase round at the beginning before doing the basic stitch.



Very easy to do if anyone wants to try.

These are headed off to a festival this weekend. You can see how I canged from the curved flap to a straight one with rounded edges. I like it better now. FYI these are all velcro.


More in tattoo fabric. And the larger are the snap style. I'm not a fan of snaps but they looked classier with this fabric. Ignore the headbands

I make them also. I sell them to a green store because mine are made with recycled cardstock diapers & old clothes. She sells them for $10-$12.


The one on the right was a men's shirt. The middle is flannel & the left is cotton.

FYI the busier the pattern the better for concealing spit up. Tye dye is perfect.

These bags are so simple & fast to make it's almost a crime that people go out and buy gift bags. You can make them any size you need with any style of "ribbon" tie so be creative.

1. Cut 2 squares of fabric. With right sides facing out stitch around 3 sides. This seam allowance must be smaller than the ones further along. I sew this one at presser foot width & the next at 1/2in. If you forget you can always trim after sewing.

**When I make these I don't finish my top edges, I either use the salvage or peking shears. If you want a finished edge now would be the time to fold over one side on each piece & stitch.**



Yes I had in 2 different thread colors, shhhh

2. Turn you bag wrong side out. Iron for a crisp seam. Taking a piece of ribbon, fold it in half tucking it into a seam and pinning it (I usually do twice as wide as the bag for a nice bow). Sew at the larger seam allowance (ie. 1/2in)

I didn't iron, yours will look better


3. Turn right side out, Fill bag & use ribbon to tie closed.



Literally maybe 5mins of work. They are eco-friendly, custom, really cute, and free if you have a crazy fabric stash like me.

P.S. This is called a french seam if you are not familiar & it is what VB uses on most of her purses.