chick chick sewing: October 2011

Handmade iPhone covers in my shop

Ever since I began using my iPhone (which was a fairly recent event), I've been wanting to make my original iPhone / iPod covers using my favorite fabrics... and I finally made them :) I just listed these covers in my etsy shop.

These covers are made with a combination of Japanese imported cotton and linen. The flap with velcro closure securely holds the valuable gadget inside. They are fully lined with 100% cotton and padded with fleece batting throughout.

The convenient front pocket holds earbuds, credit card, ID card, cash, etc. inside. And these covers are designed to fit iPhones and iPod touch WITH additional protective covers, such as incase Sliders, Speck candyshell and other slim covers.

I attached a side tab with a nickel ring for keys and key chains.

The pattern of these iPhone / iPod covers is my original. After several trial and errors, I came up with this pattern. The image below is one of my sample cover made earlier... but failed :(

This one is another sample cover that I made earlier. This one was a bit too small in size...

These handmade covers fit not only the iPhone 3G/ iPhone 4 / iPhone 4S and iPod touches, but they also fit other popular smart phones and gadgets, such as blackberry, Samsung galaxy, Droid, and more. (I brought it to our local electronics store to see if they really fit... and it really did :)

I plan to make more of these covers in different fabrics.

Thanks for looking and happy sewing iPhone covers! (lol)

Knitting again

This is something that I've been enjoying working on lately, while I wait for our kids after school classes (e.g., ice skating, gymnastics, math classes...) Yes, I picked up knitting again, and my goal is to make a cowl scarf / neck warmer for myself.

I self taught how to knit when I was a teenager (which is about three decades ago, by the way... lol), and back then, I did not know how to crochet, so all of my yarn work involved knitting. But ever since I learned how to crochet a few years back (yes, I self taught crocheting, too), I've been a crocheter more than a knitter. But in truth, I love to both knit and to crochet, so I decided to knit again!

Here's the close up of my knitted work so far. This is called "seed stitch" or かのこ編み in Japanese, and it has a bumpy look and feel. Basically, it's a simple stitch made of repeating single knit and purls.

I carry my knitting work in this Hello Kitty repurposed drawstring bag, which is made of our girls' old PJs that they no longer fit.

I keep this bag in my car, and in my car at the parking lot, I just knit, knit, knit, while I wait for our girls... which is a very fulfilling and happy moment for me!

Thanks for reading and hope you're enjoying your happy moments in your life :)

Making yarn wreath in autumn colors

Here in Southern California where I live, we had steaming hot days over a couple of days last week, with temperatures reaching as high as 100F or 38C in October, which is above 20F above normal weather! (And even hotter in some areas...)

In a weather like this, not so many people are feeling *autumn* around here yet (how could we?), but I still managed to make this yarn wreath with my sweaty hands... lol :D

Do you remember this fabric wreath tutorial that I shared last holiday season?

Well, this time, I wanted to try something new, so I followed this tutorial to make a yarn wreath with felt flowers.

These are the supplies used: a yarn ball, few sheets of felts, straw wreath, and a glue gun (not shown).

This wreath requires no sewing, yet the end result is beautiful!

Fortunately, the weather is treating us better for the past few days (no more boiling temperatures!)

Whether you live in a hot weather or a chilly one, you may want to try making one of these yarn wreaths for your home. It's fun, quick, and addictive!

Matryoshka love

I don't know why, but I love Russian matryoshka dolls so much. Especially the fabrics!!

I just listed these large zipper pouches in my etsy shop, in three different colors, which are made of my favorite matryoshka and dala horse fabric. These are corduroy print fabrics imported from Japan.

The zipper pouches has flat bottom which adds more room to the pouch. Small wood beads are attached to the zipper pull.

Because these pouches are fully padded with fleece batting, they're safe enough to carry small gadgets such as cell phones and digital cameras inside.

Just to tell you how much I love matryoshka prints, I'd like to show you some of my other handmade items made of matryoshka prints...

This one is a reversible everyday tote bag, featuring large matryoshka dolls and mushrooms. This fabric is also a Japanese import.

The reversible side looks like this... Can you see the tiny matryoshka tape tag attached to the side of the pocket? This bag has been already sold in my shop (thank you!), but I may relist it in my shop because I personally loved it so much :)

Here's another handmade item of mine made of matryoshka prints, also imported from Japan. This item is currently listed in my shop.

In the past years, I remember making few other items featuring matryoshka, such as these fabric covered button magnets.

Aren't they adorable???

And you may also recall these sachets, too. Sometime ago, I made these lavender sachets using my hand carved eraser stamp of matryoshka doll. Here's the post about these.

Maybe I was a Russian in my past life... Or maybe I was just a nesting doll collector... lol. No matter what it is, my love of matryoshka does not seem to stop!

Happy matryoshka and happy sewing! Hope you continue to enjoy your week :)

My first amigurumi

Hello my dear blog friends and crafters :)

Today, I'd like to introduce to you this little amigurumi guy!

As you may already know, ami-gu-ru-mi (編みぐるみ）is a Japanese term for a crocheted or knitted stuffed toy. This one is a crocheted version made by me.

To make amigurumi, I had to begin by first crocheting these small body parts... a pair of hands, feet, and ears, as well as the large head, body, and an oval shaped mouth area.

I then stuffed each body part with a poly stuffing.

The body parts are joined... But he has no face yet (scary, huh?)

BTW, to make this amigurumi, I basically followed this Japanese book to make this bear guy.

Title: Cute Animal Amigurumi

ISBN-10: 4834729443

ISBN-13: 978-4834729443

Images from the book. Teddy bears and friends...

Cute pigs and meerkats...

A cat relaxing with his friend...

Finally, creating his face was the fun part :) I got his eyes from our local Joann store, and I carefully handstitched his nose and mouth.

With his new face, now he came to life!! Doesn't he look happy??

And here's a message from my little guy...

Happy crocheting and happy amigurumi making!

Hope you have a relaxing weekend filled with crafty moments...

***Love, amy***

Patchwork mini zipper pouches in my shop

I just listed eight different designs of these zakka style mini zipper pouches in my etsy shop. I patchworked pieces of small fabrics to make one of a kind pouches. I enjoyed mixing and matching fabric bits to make my original creations :)

The width of the pouch at the opening is approximately 5 inches or 12.5 cm.

The length is 4.5 inches or 11.5 cm.

It has a flat bottom. The depth is approximately 1.5 inches (3.8 cm).

The pouch is safe enough to carry gadgets such as digital camera, as it is fully padded with fleece batting.

Matryoshka, linen, and gingham check combination.

The wood bead is attached to the zipper pull with cotton cord. These attachments to the zipper pull not only adds that special touch to the pouch, but it also makes it easier to open/close the zipper.