scrappy sock scarf--halloween edition!!

today i am going to emily's halloween parade.  i don't necessarily want to dress up, but i'd like to show some "spirit"...get it, "spirit"...halloween...eh heh heh....

i had purchased a 2 pack of halloween knee socks from walmart a couple of months ago for $5.  then i realized that i got ripped off, but was too lazy to return them.  i have been resenting these socks since then.  until last night...payback.  i turned those socks(plus a pair that i already had, but never wore) into a scarf that now actually feels worth the 5 bucks!!  i found this idea over @ ruffles and stuff a while ago!

i used two pairs of knee socks and one pair of ankle socks.  you can basically use whatever you need to get the length that you like!!  you'll see an extra sock in my pic...that was an old dirty one.  needless to say, it didn't get used!!

cut the socks apart like so...

lay the pieces out in a pattern you like...

then take one piece and turn it inside out, and place it over its neighbor.  line up the edges and stitch together with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

turn right side out and repeat until you run out of pieces! 

i used the elastic ends of the socks for the beginning and end, and just left them open.  when i was finished i gave it a quick press. 

this only took me about an hour to do! 

back to the drawing board

and what might this be?  this is my failed attempt at making an e reader pouch for my mom.  the major downfall with this is that it helps to actually have the item in order to take proper measurements, and to just have an all around visual as you go.

i have the right idea, but i need to tweak a couple of things.  my brother also suggested that i add a piece of cardboard or chipboard for extra stability.  i don't know if i'm feeling that ambitious though!

i'm not sure if these exist for purchase around the interweb, but i really wanted to give it a go myself.

The Things I Learned

Mostly the hard way, while making my first quilt.

1.  Cut fabrics EVENLY!  Then you won't have to lop off most of the boarder to get it to look somewhat square.
2.  Make quilt blocks SQUARE to avoid having to cut off the boarder, 1 & 2 go hand in hand.
3.  Take your time!  It's not a race!

4.  When actually machine quilting, check your tension UNDER the quilt so you don't end up with a mess like this: 

*I had a few of these piles.

5.  Have fun!  I so enjoyed making my first quilt.  And even though it's not perfect, I learned a lot and I have already started my next one.  (I hope to post a mini tutorial soon!)

There are a few other little ones, including:  Don't wash pre-cut fabrics before you're going to cut them (You end up with frayed edges and shrinkage).  I misted my fat quarters with water then pressed with my iron...also, if you don't have an ironing board, make sure the towel you're using isn't on top of your cutting mat.  Yes, they warp...OOPS!

Happy Sewing!

Marie

emily's poodle skirt is finally finished...or so i thought!!

well, better late than never!  i have no "progress pics" from emily's poodle skirt because i thought that my camera was broken.  when, in reality, my darling son had some how gotten into the menu and changed the settings on me!!  stinker.  so now it is complete...

well, it can't be that easy, right?  when i tried it on emily, she was SWIMMING in it!!  so  now i have to take in the waste, like, ALOT!  i also have to cut about 3 inches off of the bottom!  who does the sizing for these patterns anyway?!

at least i figured this out with plenty of time to fix it!  sheesh!