Christine's DPN Case:

If you think way back to last month, you may recall the birthday contest. Well, I finally got my act together this weekend and stitched up the promised prize. Christine (who, I might add, has the patience of a saint) chose this yummy lotus print:

Specs: fabric by unknown designer, vintage button, black ribbon (helpful hint: if you paint the end of the ribbon with clear nail polish before trimming it keeps the cut end nice and neat.)

Thunk is on the way to the post office to mail it off as I type!

Gnomatic DPN Case:

This one was finished way back at the beginning of August, and has already made its way to Philippa as part of a swap package.

Specs: Munki Munki fabric, vintage button, white rickrack.

Both cases followed approximately the same recipe I used for the original toothy dpn case.

p.s. If you're looking for your very own dpn case, go visit Megan!

Posted by Elli at 12:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)

For those of you who are big on Amy Butler but think your sewing skillz might need a little boost before you're ready to drop 12.95 for a pattern...check out her free downloadable pattern selection here (click on the link in the lower right corner). There are a few patterns of the simpler variety, including that pillow pattern there, and one retina-frying quilt pattern for the more advanced sewists. All patterns are 100% guaranteed to make you want to run out and buy her fabrics.

In knitting news: the minisweater has been done for days but I’m having a bit of a button crisis. Button shopping is scheduled for Tuesday night. In addition, the rain and general gloominess have sapped my crafty powers. The extended forecast looks like at least five more days of the same. Anybody want to invite me to come and stay with them in some sunny corner of the globe? Perhaps someone out there has a spare tropical island? I am willing to swap yarn.

Posted by Elli at 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

The bag, it is finished!

The Specs:
-Pattern: Weekender Travel Bag, by Amy Butler
-Start to Finish: April 24 to May 3
-For: me (sewed along with the Sew? I Knit! crowd).

My opinion of the pattern? The pattern was all you could ask it to be: cute, and well written. I was a little surprised at how complicated the whole operation was (lots of shopping, measuring, cutting, basting, pinning, ripping, resewing, and hand stitching involved there) but it was worth the trouble. I’d recommend it for any of you sewey types out there. Just watch out for that piping. It’s a doozie.

How did I do? The finished bag is a bit lumpy, but in a charming way. I'll be the first to admit that it was filled with laundry and pinched and prodded into submission before its photo shoot. In real life it’s a bit more schlumpy and casual. I was right in thinking that the pattern was a little above my skill level, but I learned a lot and I’m really glad I tried it…sometimes you just get lucky and things work out.

Final Verdict: Yes, oh yes, we like it!

And for those of you who want to know...

The Damage:
-Sewing machines required: 2 (sometimes you just need a different zipper foot).
-Number of times I cleaned and oiled one of the above machines hoping that it would magically improve my sewing skills: 3
-Sewing Machine needles sacrificed: 2 broken, 1 bent, 2 blunted.
-Spools of thread: 3.5 (by the end it wasn't even coordinating).
-Number of times I said "Ow!" while making this bag: 2,541 (pins, rotary cutter, needles, iron...sewing is a dangerous sport)!

Posted by Elli at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (41)

I'm back at work after a nice long weekend with the family. I didn't take a single picture the whole time I was in Michigan so you'll just have to conjure up your own images of familial easterly bliss. We shopped, we crafted, we watched movies, we ate lots of yummy food...all the important stuff.

Over the weekend I located the last few things I need to make the Weekender Bag for the sewalong. I finally decided on some coral fabric to coordinate with the bird fabric I want to use. It isn't what I'd originally envisioned (I thought I'd go green), but I think it'll look pretty cool for the piping and the lining.

Once I got home and looked at the pattern a little closer, I realized that I need to go out and buy yet more stuff (heavy duty sewing machine needle, fabric marker, different pins, a yardstick...). I've never seen a pattern that called for so many materials! Who knew these bag things were so complicated? I see in the instructions that there is even a "false bottom." Geesh. I may have gotten myself in over my head here.

but it's so cute...

In knitting news: I finished the sleeves for the Apricot Jacket. They are blocking contentedly on the living room floor and should be dry by the time I get home tonight. And yes, I am fully aware that I messed up one of the eyelets on the right sleeve there. You can chalk it up to Mr. Darcy...I was knitting that bit while we watched Pride and Prejudice.

The next question is...should I seam the sweater or start working on the bag?

Posted by Elli at 12:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)

There are exciting things afoot at Chez Elliphantom including, but not limited to:

-The Indiana Fleece Fair is on Saturday! Plans are to meet up with Wendie and (try) not to spend too much money. It's not Rhinebeck, but it's ours. Anybody else going to be there?

-I joined the Sew? I Knit! bag-along. Yes, making the needle case woke the sleeping seamstress within. Don't worry. I'll be making a knitting bag. Well, technically, you could argue all my bags are knitting bags. I'm sewing the Weekender Travel Bag by Amy Butler. Hugely ambitious, possibly disastrous, but oh so cute!

-I bought some vintage grosgrain ribbon at the thrift store this weekend (see pic above) and want to make something cool with it. Anybody have any ideas? I may possibly make a belt, but (horizontal stripes about the midsection not always being the wisest fashion choice) I'm open to other possibilities.

-Progress continues on the Apricot Jacket. Unfortunately I don't have anything to show since I had to rip out two evenings worth of knitting today. It should be noted that, when one copies down errata, one should copy out ALL of it. Not just some of it. Bah.

But I am very upbeat about it. Yes indeed. Over and out.

Posted by Elli at 9:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

I’ve been planning to make myself a dpn case for a while now. Saturday morning I came across some nice heavy green cotton at the thrift store and it was just the nudge I needed to get things going. Always a fan of dental hygiene, I decided to pair it with some tooth fabric that I picked up for a dollar a yard last fall.

I spent more than an hour trying to figure out how on earth these things are constructed before I got smart and did a little research. I ended up loosely following the instructions for the “roll-your-own needle case” from Stitch ‘n Bitch (resizing it to be shorter and wider) and, taking inspiration from the Organized Knitter, I decided that mine should fold, not roll.

Being a “collect all five!” type personality, I stitched the pockets in my case to fit exactly one complete set of dpns with an extra pocket on each end in case of dpn emergency (are there size 1.75 needles?). As I am not yet the proud owner of a set of size 11s, I’m using that pocket for my needle sizer.

Final Verdict: I love it. Love it, love it, love it.

Posted by Elli at 2:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)