* Laptop bag (or sleeve)

I'm moving my blog; the new location of this post is: Studio Paars - Laptop bag (or sleeve)

Mijn blog verhuist; de nieuwe locatie van deze post is: Studio Paars - Laptoptas (of sleeve)

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Recently I made this laptop bag for myself. I'm calling it a prototype since making it was a real learning experience and I made several mistakes. But I do like the results: it's practical (I use it everyday) and I LOVE the fabric (Ikea).

To make it I just cut a large rectangle out of outer fabric, batting and lining. I sewed up the sides, finished the top with matching red bias tape, sewed a pocket onto the front and sewed on the strap. That's it, really.

If I make another one I will take photos along the way so that I can post a tutorial. I think anyone with basic sewing skills could whip up one of these within an hour or two in the fabric of choice and to the exact size of your laptop or other gadget.

Laatst heb ik voor mezelf een laptoptas gemaakt. Ik noem het een prototype omdat het maken ervan nogal een  leerervaring was en ik een aantal fouten heb gemaakt. Maar toch ben ik tevreden met het resultaat: de tas is praktisch (ik gebruik 'm elke dag) en ik ben wild van het stofje (Ikea).

Om de tas te maken knipte ik simpelweg een rechthoek uit buitenstof, vulling en voering. Ik naaide de zijkanten vast, werkte de bovenkant af met bijpassend rode biasband,, naaide een zak op de voorkant en naaide de draagband erop. Dat was eigenlijk alles.

Als ik er nog één maak zal ik foto's maken van het proces zodat ik er een tutorial over kan posten. Ik denk dat iedereen met de basisvaardigheden van het naaien er eentje kan maken in een uurtje of twee, in de stof naar keuze en perfect passend voor je eigen laptop of andere gadget.

Someone needed to inspect...

Iemand moest even de boel inspecteren...

And outside the signs of spring were everywhere. I couldn't resist taking some pics.

En buiten was overal de lente al te zien. Ik kon het niet weerstaan wat foto's te nemen.

linked at these parties:
A To Zebra Celebrations {Link Party Tuesday} ~ Blossom Heart Quilts {Sew Cute Tuesday} ~ ChrisW Designs {Bag Brag Tuesday} ~ Creative Jewish Mom {Craft Schooling Sunday} ~ Fort Worth Fabric Studio {Fabric Frenzy Friday} ~ I Have To Say... {Show And Tell Tuesday} ~ My Quilt Infatuation {Needle and Thread Thursday } ~ Quilt Story {Fabric Tuesday} ~ Sew Can She {Show Off Saturday} ~ Straight Grain {Sew + Show} ~ Threading My Way {Threading Your Way} ~ Wondermom Wannabe {This Is How We Roll Thursday}

* WIP wednesday - Little Brother's patchwork quilt {update}

->I'm moving my blog; the new location of this post is Studio Paars - WIP Wednesday – Little Brother’s patchwork quilt {update}
->Mijn blog verhuist; de nieuwe locatie van deze post is Studio Paars - WIP Woensdag – Kleine Broer’s lapjesdeken {update}

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I did not post regular updates as I had planned, but here finally is one on my second patchwork blanket (or should I call it a quilt?).
I'm in the final stages of quilting: maybe about 30 minutes of sewing left. Then it just needs binding and a label like my first one (I started the embroidery last night).
I'm so excited to be finishing it! I had sort of lost my enthousiasm for it, but then a few weeks ago my sister visited and I showed it to her, and in telling about it I started feeling happy and proud about it again. So as soon as she left I pulled out my sewing machine and started working on it again!
And now Little Brother keeps asking if it's finished yet, so that's nice too :)

Almost finished!

Eigenlijk was ik van plan om regelmatige updates van mijn tweede patchwork deken (of toch quilt?) te posten, maar dat is er niet van gekomen.
Ik ben nu bijna klaar met het doortstikken (of quilten); misschien nog een half uurtje te gaan. Dan is er alleen nog het afwerken met een biasband en een label op de achterkant (gisteravond ben ik alvast begonnen met borduren).
Ik kan niet wachten tot 'ie af is! Ik was een beetje mijn enthousiasme ervoor kwijt, maar een paar weken geleden kwam mijn zus langs en liet ik hem aan haar zien. En terwijl ik erover verteld voelde ik me weer helemaal blij en trots erover, en zodra ze weg was trok ik mijn naaimachine tevoorschijn en ging aan de slag!
En Kleine Broer vraagt alsmaar of zijn deken al af is; dat helpt ook :)

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* Jellyfish

I'm moving my blog; the new location of this post is: Studio Paars - Jellyfish

Mijn blog verhuist; de nieuwe locatie van deze post is: Studio Paars - Jellyfish

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Lately I have been having some sort of blogger's block. It's not that I don't have anything I would like to blog about; there is plenty going on around here, both on the crafty front and on others.
No, it's more that whenever there is something I would like to post on my blog, the thought of making (good) photographs, editing them, writing the post, translating it and finally putting everything together makes me tired... It just seems like too much work.
So, I decided that from now on, everything does not have to be perfect. I can make pics with my phone if I don''t feel like bringing out the big camera, and I can just add a few words without having to make a nice story.
I hope this will help. Wish me luck :)

De laatste tijd zie ik vaak op tegen het bloggen, jammer genoeg. Ik ga proberen wat minder hoge eisen te stellen aan mijn postjes. Wens me maar succes :)

Jellyfish!

Anyway, here is a jellyfish!
I made him from some scrap fabric and assorted ribbons and trims. He was super easy to put together and looks very cute, especially when the wind catches his 'tentacles'.
Found on Pinterest; from the blog: Sixty One A.

Dussss. Hier dan maar een kwal!
Gemaakt van restjes stof  en wat lintjes en kantjes. Super makkelijk te maken en ziet er leuk uit, vooral als zijn 'tentakels' bewegen in de wind.
Via Pinterest; van het blog: Sixty One A.

Jellyfish in action

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* WIP wednesday - Little Brother's patchwork quilt

I'm moving my blog; the new location of this post is: Studio Paars

Mijn blog verhuist; de nieuwe locatie van deze post is: Studio Paars

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It took me only 3 years to finish it, but I made Big Brother a quilted patchwork blanket. Obviously Little Brother had to have one too, so I have been hoarding collecting fabric for his for a while now.

Ik deed er slechts 3 jaar over, maar ik maakte voor Grote Broer een patchwork quilt deken. Natuurlijk moest Kleine Broer en ook één hebben, dus en ik al een tijdje stofjes voor hem aan het verzamelen.

LB patchwork blanket WIP, a photo by Studio Paars on Flickr.

I decided on a square patch pattern. The squares measure 15 cm, and I need 160 of them for a single person blanket. My cutting mat had died on me (and my rotary cutter isn't working properly either) so I cut them all by hand. I already had some wrist problems so this wasn't helping, but after several weeks of cutting a couple of fabrics at a time I finally finished cutting them all! Now onto the sewing :D

Ik koos voor een vierkantjes patroon. De vierkantjes zijn 15 cm en ik moet er 160 hebben voor een eenpersoonsdeken. My snijmat gaf de geest (en mijn snijmes deed het ook al niet goed) dus moest ik ze allemaal met de hand knippen. Ik had al last van mijn pols en dit hielp niet echt, maar na een aantal weken van elke avond een paar stofjes knippen heb ik ze nu allemaal klaar! Op naar het naaien :D

LB patchwork blanket WIP, a photo by Studio Paars on Flickr.

When I asked Little Brother what colour (or colours) he wanted for his he was very clear: "PINK!". Now I don't mind that pink is his favourite colour (he is the only boy in school who proudly carries his Dora backpack into class every day) and I would have happily made him a pink blanket, but various moms told me their sons loved pink too, until the day they all of a sudden decided that pink was for girls and girls are stupid and therefore, they now HATE pink. And at the speed I make quilts that would mean Little Brother might have grown out of his "pink phase" before I even finish this quilt.
So I decided to make his green (like some of his baby things) with just a little bit of pink thrown in.
So far, he loves it! I just asked which one was his favourite fabric and he says he loves them all :)

Toen ik Kleine Broer vroeg welke kleur (of kleuren) hij wilde was hij heel duidelijk: "ROZE!". Nou vind ik het prima dat roze zijn lievelingskleur is (hij is het enige jongetje op school dat trots met zijn Dora rugzak de klas in gaat) maar ik hoorde van een paar moeders dat hun jongens ook dol waren op roze, totdat ze plotseling besloten dat roze voor meisjes is en meisjes stom zijn, oftewel: nu HATEN ze roze. En met mijn quilt-maak-snelheid zou Kleine Broer al uit zijn "roze fase" zijn voordat ik de quilt zelfs maar af heb.
Dus besloot ik om de zijne groen te maken (net als een aantal van zijn baby spulletjes) met wat roze accenten.
En tot nu toe vindt hij hem prachtig! Ik vroeg hem wat hij het mooiste stofje vond en zijn antwoord was: allemaal :)

LB patchwork blanket WIP, a photo by Studio Paars on Flickr.

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* Bunting

I'm moving my blog; the new location of this post is: Studio Paars - Bunting made for craft market

Mijn blog verhuist; de nieuwe locatie van deze post is: Studio Paars - Vlaggenslingers gemaakt voor marktje

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For the Craft Fair I did in october (for which I still owe you a report - sorry!) I made a bunch of these bunting lines.
I liked them a lot but didn't sell any so now I am offering them for sale through either my etsy or dawanda shop, or just email me if you're interested.

bunting, a photo by Studio Paars on Flickr.

I made them in 2 colourways (well actually my mother helped out and ended up doing most of the stitching on these).
These measure over 2,5 meters in total, with 8 flags each that are about 20 cm long.

bunting, a photo by Studio Paars on Flickr.

I am also taking commissions in case you want one especially made for someone.

bunting, a photo by Studio Paars on Flickr.

Voor de Creamarkt die ik deed in oktober (en waarvan ik jullie nog steeds een verslag schuldig ben - sorry!) maakte ik een stel van deze vlaggenslingers.
Ik vond ze zelf erg leuk maar ze zijn niet verkocht dus nu bied ik ze aan via mijn etsy en dawanda winkels en via marktplaats, of email me als je interesse hebt.

bunting, a photo by Studio Paars on Flickr.

Ik heb ze in 2 kleurstellingen gemaakt (eigenlijk heeft mijn moeder, die me hielp, het meeste naaiwerk gedaan).
Ze zijn in totaal ruim 2,5 meter lang, met 8 vlaggen die elk ongeveer 20 cm hoog zijn.

bunting, a photo by Studio Paars on Flickr.

Het is ook mogelijk een slinger te bestellen die ik speciaal naar jouw wensen maak.

bunting, a photo by Studio Paars on Flickr.

also posted at:
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* DIY: tutorial for an embroidered patchwork pincushion

->I'm moving my blog; the new location of this post is Studio Paars - DIY: sew an embroidered patchwork pincushion
->Mijn blog verhuist; de nieuwe locatie van deze post is Studio Paars - DIY: maak een geborduurd patchwork speldekussen

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Lately I have been making lots more of my little patchwork pincushions (will show them all here soon) and had a lot of fun with them, in choosing the prints, embroidery and buttons for each one. So I thought maybe it would be nice to make a tutorial for them. They're not hard to make at all so they would make a perfect beginners DIY project.

What you will need:

- some fabric scraps
- regular needle
- regular thread
- large tapestry needle
- extra strong thread
- embroidery floss
- ruler
- small piece of thin cardboard
- pen or pencil
- scissors
- filling
- 2 buttons

Pick your fabrics. You will need 9 squares of app. 5 cm2 (about 2") and one larger square for the back. You can use small scraps for this, but I didn't have any so I just picked out some matching colours from my stash.

Use your ruler to mark out a 5 cm2 square on your cardboard and cut to create a template (I already made mine some time ago so there's no picture of this step).
Lay out your fabric, right side down. Position the template on the wrong side of the fabric and trace around it. Now cut it out (don't bother with seam allowances or complicated stuff like that).

Repeat this step until you have 9 squares.

Carefully line up 2 of your squares wrong sides out and pin.

Now sew them together.
NOTE FOR  MACHINE SEWING: position your fabric with the starting point right underneath the needle (no backstitching required) and with the side of your fabric lining up with the side of your foot. This way it is easy to keep a constant seam width.
NOTE FOR  HAND SEWING: the simplest way to keep a constant seam width is to measure and mark out a line over which to sew.

Add another square to the 2 you've just sewn to make a strip of 3 squares.

Repeat the above steps to make 2 more strips so you have a total of 3 (all 9 squares used up).

Lay 2 of the strips side by side, right sides down. Finger-press the seams flat, making sure you press the seams of one of the strips up and the other one down.

Now position the strips right sides together and position and pin very carefully like instructed in the images below:

(this is to make sure the edges of your squares will line up neatly later)

Sew together in the same way as before.

Now you have 2 strips attached like this. Repeat the previous steps...

... and you have all 3 strips sewn together.

Finger press the seams outward like pictured here.

And now for the really fun part: pick out some embroidery floss, choose a stitch pattern and embellish the patchwork squares any way you like! Take a look here to see some of the patterns I've used.

Next, take a piece of plain fabric (for the back) and cut out a rough square, slightly larger than your patchwork piece. Pin right sides together and stitch, making sure you leave an opening for turning.

Backstitch at the start and at the end.

When you reach a corner, stitch all the way to the end of your top fabric as shown here, and backstitch to where you need to make the turn.

Backstitching at the end. Don't forget to leave a gap!

Cut away the excess backing fabric and snip away little squares at the corners.

Turn right side out. This step may be a little fiddly: use a pencil to help push the fabric out if needed. If it looks a bit wrinkled that's OK! It will smooth out later all by itself.

Stuff it! A pincushion needs to be nice and firm so don't hold back on the stuffing. Just make sure you have a little room left for closing.

Thread a needle and close the remaining gap. There are lots of tutorials out there for invisible closings so feel free to use those; however they don't work for me so I just close with a small overhand stitch instead.

This is what it looks like.

Now for the last step: take your tapestry needle, heavy duty thread and buttons.

Position your pretty button in the middle of the top.

And your plain old button in the middle of the bottom. Stick your needle all the way through the pincushion so that you fix both buttons in place at the same time. Make 2 passes, then pull the thread really really tight and secure it with a bunch of knots (hide these behind the bottom button).

And it's done! One pretty little pincushion :)
(I will make some better pics when it's light out tomorrow!)

EDIT: new pics added - since it's so gloomy outside still a bit dark though...

I would love to see what you make with my tutorials so please let me know if you've used any!
Any questions about this tutorial: post them in the comments section and I will do my best to answer.

The small print: do not copy any of my text or pictures and claim them as your own. Do not sell my patterns and/or tutorials. Pinning and linking is fine, wonderful even, but please make sure there is a link back to me.

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