Free motion quilting

My free-motion quilting foot finally arrived today. AND I figured out that the machine my sister passed on to me has a switch to keep the feet dogs down. It's a babylock 6200 and I don't have the manual to it. I was looking online for anything that had to do with a feed dog cover. And couldn't find anything. I had looked on my machine and didn't see a switch either. Until I looked at the back today. Woohoo! I told my husband all my problems were solved. Then he inserted "about my sewing machine". Yeah yeah....

Luckily I saw this video below on youtube earlier before I purchased my foot and it gave me hope 
that even if I got a kind that didn't work well with my machine, there were ways to fix that.

So now I'm adjusting to working with it. I think I will make the modifications that the lady in the  video makes. It is NOISY otherwise! If you are new to free motion quilting or want to get into free motion quilting, her videos look like a good start.

All states should be square

In progress:

Don't you think all states should be square shaped. No really. Then when you're sewing them up, it's just easy straight lines. OR I guess I could get a free motion quilting attachment for my sewing machine...and the plate. But really, the first would be easier. Would it? Cheaper for me.

Note: I just bought a free-motion quilting foot! Squee! And since I had some gift card left over from Amazon I only paid about 85 cents for it. Price it's was at: $6.79. And free shipping. Naturally, they've changed things in the past 4 hours...price is up to $6.85 and only free super saver shipping. Weird.

I had started on my fabric map many MONTHS ago. You might even say a year ago. You might even say a little more than a year ago. It was a LOOOONG time ago. Then this summer I brought the project with my on vacation and ironed on all the states sans Hawaii and Alaska...they made it on there tonight. Good job guys me!

(I'm not sure what was going through my mind when I picked out the fabrics. I might have been tired. I might have been cheap. As terrible as it might look on screen, it looks better in person. Not best, but a little better.)

So tonight I decided to start finishing the map. My daughter asked about it. I told her it was a map. She said no, it's not a map. ("Who do we ask for help when we don't know which way to go?" Yep, it's a map.)

I had originally wanted to frame it with a picture frame...but I'm not so sure what I'll do. 

I'm pretty sure my inspiration was from

 .

I don't know...but the scrapbook map would have been easier. Try 2? If I started, I just might finish before a year's time.

Mod podge kid's clock

This next is one of my favorite turning out crafts. A few years ago (yes I have done more recent crafts...wait...have I?) my son had destroyed a Richard Scarry library book. ARG! And then later I tore it up more (good example huh?) and mod podged it onto a clock we had.

 I'm not sure the glass part came apart so I protected it with some paper from getting mod podge on it. And below is the result. My husband even said it turned out better than he thought it would. Wait, what does he mean by that!

 

I paired the clock with a mod podged picture frame for a very cool Richard Scarry theme.

If you have old loved children's books that are falling apart, don't despair. Reuse it. And let it last longer! I only wish it was out of storage states away. I'd also suggest going to thrift stores and finding the perfect book to tear apart. Think of the possibilities. Winnie the Pooh decor? Oooh Pixar movie decor? Too bad I was just at the thrift store yesterday and didn't think to get any books to use for crafting!

And here's the frame I did. I put in some red paper too to add some border to my black and white photos of my hubby and my son.

Nativity Advent Calendar

WAIT! Before you leave, let me explain...I'm not a photographer. =( So this is as good as you're getting now. Please stay!

I present to you my Nativity Advent Calendar. I made this about two years ago and have used it twice so far. I love advents. Counting down (or up I guess) to that special date and the anticipation is just fun! I like fun stuff! But I couldn't find the perfect advent for me. I really wanted a nativity one because otherwise Christmas is too much about the gifts or gift-giving and not enough about Christ. I saw fun Christmas tree ones that were tempting to make also. But this was what we ended up with.

It's part fabric, part buttons, part plastic-shrink film style. It took me 5 pieces of shrink film to make. And once it was done, it could all fit on one piece of 8.5 x 11 paper. It shrinks to 20% its size.

I free-handed all of them, except for I believe two of the stars which I probably traced from a star I created on a Word doc. But I love how they turned out. I traced my freehand onto the film with a sharpie. Painted the backs (because you'll want the sharpie outline to show up on top), punched a hole at the tops, then put them in the oven to shrink. That's the fun part. 

Below is my pieces of shrink film traced and cut out, ready for painting.

I painted it with regular acrylic craft paint. This is what happens to the backs. A bit crusty. A bit smooth. Maybe a different kind of paint would work better or painting afterwards is an option. Or coloring with markers.

Don't worry if they start to curl crazy in the oven. 

It'll flatten out!

And if they don't flatten all the way, you can take them out carefully (it will be hot) and use something round to flatten, such as a marker, sideways. If it messes up and cools too quickly, put it back in the oven and it'll soften up. You'll have maybe around 10 seconds after taking it out to really be able to bend or unbend.

Remember to hole punch before placing in the oven. Use embroidery thread to hang on buttons. Or those sticky velcro circle dots could work for a cleaner look-but not sure how it will hold up with paint on the backside.

For the wall hanging, I cut out pieces of felt to create a stable, trees, hay, water bucket, a nest, and a manger. I sewed on buttons for hanging the ornaments. But make sure you check to make sure that when the pieces hang there's space for the other pieces so they're not in each other's way and you'll want to make sure the birds that hang near the nest can rest perfectly on the beam beside it. And of course the baby needs to lie perfectly in the manger.

I know there's printable shrink film (for ink jet printers..don't put it in your laser printer unless you aren't afraid of breaking it) but the files I've uploaded to google docs has some darkening spots. If you want a clearer copy, let me know and I can email them to you as I haven't found the perfect doc sharing program I want to use yet.

The PDF file comes with 10 images on it. That's because about half of them show the pictures facing one way and the others the other way. In case you want them looking a certain way. Sorry the first image is missing eyes and such, but image 2 will show you how I drew it in.

Please give credit if you make one and post it online by linking back to this website. You may not use the template to create a work to sell.

Download template here! Bear with it. It's a bit slow.

Welcome to Make Do and Create!

Let me tell you a little about myself. I'm TamTam. I'm co-owner of www.zombiemommies.net and www.littlezombies.net with my sister. Those are both book review sites. One for the YA/teen book fans and the other for the littler ones...or at least the little ones at heart.

So I love reading! There's nothing like stepping into another world! But I do love crafting and sewing too, so it's only natural I'd make a sewing/crafting and whatever else blog too right?

Disclaimer: I don't have fancy camera skills. I don't have a fancy craft room...or a not fancy craft room for that matter (unless you call the family/play room a craft room, then yessireebob I do). I don't have a fancy Silhouette. I don't have a ton of fancy tools. But I do have the desire to craft and sew and create stuff. I make do with skills and stuff I can afford. I hope you'll enjoy the ideas I share!

Disclaimer 2: I wouldn't mind having a fancy camera, fancy craft room, fancy Silhouette, more fancy tools. So please, gifts are accepted.  ;)

So welcome! Let's get this party started! Make do with what you have, whether it's fancy tools, or old school tools, and let's create some beautiful (or not so beautiful) crafts!