Itsumo Mawaru

I’ve been crafting so much recently that it’s overtaken my previous hobby of video games. So it’s time to reset that balance with some serious video game hours.

Yes my friends, Fallout 3 is here, and I intend to get sucked into its deliciously handcrafted story and gameplay.

You can be good or evil or any of the grey parts in between, the story changes based on the skills and levels therein, once you’ve played the game one way, you can come back and play it a totally different way. Oh and it’s set in a post-nuclear radioactive apocalyptic America to boot. This one features Washington DC.

While I did not actually play Fallout 1 or any substantial amount of Fallout 2, thanks to the Internets and YouTube I’ve been able to read and watch the story of those games unfold. It has by far the best story/plot/writing in any video game made to date. It’s the closest thing to actual role-playing available.

Of course, this version of the game is made by Bethesda, makers of The Elder Scrolls series including the recent version Oblivion. They’ve used that same Oblivion engine with improvements in Fallout 3. This is in contrast to Fallout 1 and 2 which were made using the same engine, a 2D-isometric pixel game. This has a lot of longtime fans a bit jilted and worried that Bethesda may somehow ruin the Fallout story, but from everything I’ve seen and watched it’s totally the opposite – the creators are diehard fans of Fallout and have tried their best to make a true-to-theme game using today’s modern technology.

Anyway, enough rambling, it’s time to head out and get my preorder! As with many games nowadays you can purchase a collector’s edition for a few extra bucks, it comes with all sorts of bonuses. This game comes with a lunchbox and a bobblehead. Sweet.

Here are some really cool sewing tutorials I’d like to tackle one day.

Travel Wallet – What a great idea! I know a few people who would love one of these.

Coming and Going Bag ($8) – A neat little bag to investigate once I get into closures. I love adding quilting style into regular sewing projects – you get the quilting fun without the lengthy sewing process

Reverse Applique – A really cool idea for adding designs into items.

Little Shopping Bag (pdf) – Looks really easy to make, and very functional!

Walnut Pincushion – So cute!

Patchwork Notebook cover

Kerri Made has a bunch of tutorials including pockets.

Reversible Tote Bag has an interesting pocket as well.

Note Paper Holder

This page (in Japanese) by DROPS shows a lot of neat projects that could be reverse engineered.

Other good ideas.

Two things I made this past weekend were a fox puppet and a carafe cozy. Here are pictures.

I made the puppet using the Happy Bears fabric I purchased from a thrift store a few days prior. I was able to find good patches of fabric with few happy bears, and it worked out wonderfully for this puppet. At times I sewed too close to the edge and the seam unravelled a bit when I turned parts inside out, so I mended those by hand and learned a lesson!

Here is the coffee carafe cozy I made. I used five different fabrics for the outside and another for the lining. It fits perfectly! I based it on this turoial, but then Tom said he wanted a covered design to further insulate, so I free sewed a cover like object… It’s not really round, but it does the job! I sorta butchered in a hole at the top for the plunger, although I did go over the edges with a neat stitch to eliminate fraying.

I secured the edges with elastic bands instead of buttons. The cozy can be taken off or put on really easily. Tom told me that the coffee stayed warm for two hours after brewing, so its working!

I always try to expand my knowledge base with new techniques and styles, and while online articles and tutorials do a great job of introducing things, sometimes you just have to take it in your own hands and figure out a solution.

I have a great idea for a wonderful quilt in my mind, which involves creating round appliques. I am not a fan of the iron on a stabilizer method, so I’m left with edge turning. Of course circles are super hard to get right.

So I have a theory. I am going to try and create cardboard cutouts in various circle shapes, then tape the edges for smoothness, and use them as a template for the applique folding. We’ll see how it goes!

Result:

Wonderful! I am so happy to have found this cardboard shaping method. Here’s how I did it.

I used my Creative Memory Circle cutting kit to cut out a 3 inch and 5 inch cardboard circle. I used a thin cardboard, cereal box thickness. These are my reusable templates. I then cut out fabric circles about a half inch wider on each side than the template. By hand, I started to sew a simple line, pausing each 8 stitches to pull the thread tight, causing the fabric to wrinkle around the template, and tying an anchoring knot for security. Continue until you have to take the template out, about the stage seen below:

Take the template out and press the fabric to retain its shape. I finished by overlaying the template on top of the fabric and continuing the straight stitch and pulling. The hardest part of all this is keeping the template from moving. I tried to pin it through but I couldn’t get my needles to bend enough. I eventally just held it down with one hand for the tricky parts.

Here is my final result, using a 3 inch and 5 inch round template.

Perfect! The thread is all hidden behind the circle’s edge. While they are not perfect, they are close enough to perfection for my needs.

Since it’s Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, I have today off! I’m already working on a new project, a fox finger puppet, pattern here. I also want to do a quick project I’ve been meaning to do for awhile now, a patchwork cozy for my french press. I also have to finish the bags I’ve started, so today’s going to be a busy day!