Tutorial: I Love You Messenger Bag Pattern for Toddlers

January 17, 2011 by NY Handmade Collective in "tutorial", "valentine", "valentine's day"

Last year, while coping with severe sleep deprivation due to the birth of my second daughter just a few months earlier, I came up with this Valentine-project-worthy pattern during the 3am feeding. This is a sweet, fast project that can serve as a fun gift for the little toddlers in your life.

I Love You Messenger Bag Pattern for Toddlers
© 2010 Windows of Agate

Materials

Outer fabric, enough for 2 hearts
Inner fabric, enough for 2 hearts
Interfacing, enough for 2 hearts
Button
Thin string or ribbon, 6 inches long
Thicker string or ribbon for shoulder strap, about 28 inches long

Instructions

Draw a heart pattern on card stock or stiff cardboard and use the template to cut 2 hearts from outer fabric, 2 hearts from inner fabric, and 2 hearts from the interfacing.
Iron interfacing onto the wrong side of the outer fabric.
With wrong sides together, place one of the outer fabric hearts on top of one of the inner fabric hearts. Sew around the heart leaving a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Leave 1 inch unsewn toward the bottom of the heart - this gap will allow you to turn it inside out.
Repeat step #3 with the second set of hearts, only sew the thin string or ribbon in a loop at the top of one side of the heart (where you want the loop to fasten to the button). The loop should be sewn in between the two hearts with the loop on the inside of the two hearts.
Cut notches along the curved part of the hearts, being careful not to cut into your sewing line.
Turn both hearts inside out through the one inch gap and iron.
With inner hearts facing each other, sew the two pieces together starting at the bottom of the two curves of the heart with a 1/4 seam allowance. Sew along the curved part of the heart that does not have the loop and insert one side of the thicker string or ribbon for the shoulder strap. Continue along the bottom and up along the other side of heart and stop where the heart starts to curve again.
Sew on a button so that the loop can close over the button. This serves as a clasp for the bag.
Sew the other shoulder strap on the inner heart that has the loop.
Stick a fun gift from the {NewNew} team in the bag and give it to your favorite little friends! Type "newnewteam" in the search bar on the Etsy.com website to find a great variety of cards, toys, prints, jewelry, and other fantastic Valentine-themed items from your very own New York metro area artisans.

Karina Glaser

Windows of Agate

Book Lovers Unite with the {NewNew}

October 21, 2010 by NY Handmade Collective in "pop-up shop", "tutorial", "weekend"

I admit. I'm a book-a-holic. You know you're a book-a-holic when you've memorized your 16-digit library card number but when asked what day you were born there is a good ten second pause. For all my fellow book lovers, there is an event going on right now that I know you're going to love. Blurb, an online program that gives you the tools you need to create your own beautiful photo books, has opened a pop-up store in New York City where you can stop by and take part in a series of workshops, speaker sessions, and events starting today until the end of the month. On Saturday, the {NewNew} is hosting a workshop from 4pm - 7pm with four different artists providing tutorials for handmade gifts for the book lover.

Jen of McFlashpants.etsy.com will turn everyday potatoes into book plate stamps to ensure non of your precious books go missing. Norder of NordeaSoaperie.esty.com will show you how to knit a decorative bookmark, keeping you on track during your subway reading. For the sewers out there, Cory of Sansmap.etsy.com will show you how to create a tote bookbag while Nguyen of KnitKnit.etsy.com will lead you in appliqueing book covers.

The pop-up shop is located at 60 Mercer Street between Broome and Grand in SoHo. We hope to see you on Saturday!

Karina

Windows of Agate

Marvelous Mosaics to Do with Kids

September 21, 2010 by NY Handmade Collective in "crafting with kids", "tutorial"

Living in NYC, my children and I are always in awe of the mosaic tiles in subway stations. There are some beautiful ones to look at, and a few of my daughter's favorites include:

81st Street B/C line - American Museum of Natural History Station

N/R Prince Street Station

8th Avenue and 34th Street Station

No matter where you live, there is sure to be creative inspiration for your own mosaic creations. It's a fun (and cheap!) activity to do with your kids and offers lots of wiggle room for creativity and experimentation. And what an assortment of materials you can use for a mosaic! Here are just a few ideas to get you going...

Materials
-Mosaic items, ideas include:

Colored beans
Pasta shells that are painted and dried
Cut or torn pieces of paper (magazines, wrapping paper, catalogs, old photos)
Buttons
Colored paperclips
Small pieces of yarn
Tissue paper

- Craft glue
- Cardboard (use scraps from mailing boxes, cereal boxes, shoe boxes, etc.)
- Pencil

Directions
Draw an outline of an object on the cardboard with a pencil (start simple - first try doing a large heart, star, or rainbow). Use craft glue to adhere the various objects to the image, using different colors of mosaic items to fill in the image and the background. Experiment with different textures and colors of objects to create interesting art! Once you get the hang of it, try using smaller pieces to do more detailed images.

Karina

Windows of Agate

Catch and Release Fishing - Governors Island Inspired Craft for Kids

June 29, 2010 by NY Handmade Collective in "Crafing", "children and crafts", "craft instructions", "governors island", "tutorial"

Since the advent of the {NewNew} Treasure Chest on Governors Island, my daughters and I have taken a few trips on the Governors Island ferry to drop off product and work at the store. My older daughter (2.5 years old) loves the ferry - her only regret is that the boat ride is too short! She was so enraptured by the boat that she is now pretending that everything is a boat - she swings her legs off her bed into the "ocean" and sits in shipping boxes that she calls her ferry. I decided she needed a fun activity to do on her sailing adventures.

It is very easy to made a simple fishing pole and fabric fish. I used one magnet at the end of the fishing line and one at the mouth of the fish so my daughter can catch fish and take them off of the line.

1. First, you'll want to draw a pattern of a fish onto paper or cardstock.

2. Next, trace the pattern onto fabric and mark where the eyes will go.

3. Sew eyes using thread or yarn. You can also cut eye shapes out of felt or use buttons.

4. With right sides together, sew along the edges of the fish with a 1/4" seam allowance. Leave one part unsewn and turn inside out. Insert magnet at the fish mouth, stuff lightly, and sew closed.

5. For the fishing pole, I put a magnet in the middle of a triangular piece of fabric, brought up all the edges, and stitched the sides and top together, capturing the magnet inside the fabric. Make sure the magnets are positioned so that positive meets with negative so they will attract instead of repel. I tied a big knot at the end of the fishing pole string and put the knot inside the fabric before sewing up the top. That way the line is held securely inside the fabric wrapped magnet.

6. Wrap and tie the end of the string to the fishing pole. You can use a stick, twig, or chopstick for the fishing pole.

This activity is great for building coordination in young children! Before giving my daughter this new toy, I read her "Curious George Flies a Kite" because the story has a part about Curious George observing a man fishing and then trying to fish for himself. I think this helped her understand how fishing works since we live in NYC and have never gone fishing ourselves!

I put a piece of blue fabric down as a "lake" for the fish. You can also make a bucket using an old yogurt container, punching two holes on each side, and tying a piece of stiff string through the holes as a handle. This also acts as a nice storage case for the fish and pole. Now enjoy a lazy afternoon fishing!

Karina

Windows of Agate

* Please note that magnets and buttons are choking hazards!

Small Worlds, or How To Create a Snow Globe

June 15, 2010 by NY Handmade Collective in "how-to", "snow globe", "tutorial"

To make some cash for the team, The {NewNew} came together to make snow globes that are being sold at the Treasure Chest, our boutique on Governors Island. If you would like to create a small world of your own, here are the instructions:

Materials

Glass jar with tight fitting lid
Pretty things (broken jewelry, small toys, beads)
Soda bottle cap or piece of baked polymer clay to elevate the contents
Water
Glitter
Trim to decorate the lid of the jar
Glue

Steps

Thoroughly clean the jar and the lid.

The lid will become the bottom of your snow globe.Glue the soda bottle cap in the middle of the inside of the lid to help elevate the contents.

Alternatively you can also shape a custom mound out of polymer clay, bake it and then glue your contents to it.

Assemble your pretties and glue them to the center mound. Be careful to leave enough of a rim to allow you to screw the lid back onto the jar. The mound cannot become too high, otherwise the whole "sculpture" won't fit inside the jar.

Once the glue is completely dry (overnight), fill the jar with distilled water or cooled off boiled water. You can also a drop of glycerin to the water to help suspend the glitter for a little longer.

Add the glitter. You really don't need that much. A quarter to half a teaspoon will do. I know the temptation to add more bling is huge.

Add a substantial amount of glue to the inner side of the lid.

Screw the lid onto the jar and wait for the glue to cure (overnight).

Decorate the side of the lid with trim.

That's it!

Here are some pictures of the snow globes available on Governors Island. I'm sure you'll find similar trinkets in your drawers that you can use for your own globes.

Tutorial Tuesday: Make a Governors Island Backpack

May 18, 2010 by NY Handmade Collective in "drawstring backpack", "governors island", "sewing", "simone", "tutorial"

This summer, the {NewNew} will commandeer one of Governors Island's original dwellings and transform it into a one-of-a-kind boutique of handmade treasures. To celebrate this event, Kimm of KimmChi and I have collaborated on a special Governors Island backpack that will be available in our store. For those of you who won't be able to come to the Island we offer you this tutorial so you can make your own bag for your summer treasures:

Materials

Two 16"x16" pieces of fabric for the body of the bag
One 4" x 7" strip of fabric for the bottom loops
Two 4" x 17" strips of fabric for the cord casing
Two 2' lengths of cord

Step 1 - Make the Bottom Loops

Take the 4" x 7" strip of fabric, fold it in half left sides together and press it. Then fold the edges toward the middle line you created and press this piece.

Fold the strip in half again and press it. You know have a 1" x 7" folded strip of fabric.

Sew the open edge together with a 1/8 seam. Repeat on the other edge.

Cut the strip in half so you have two 1"x3.5" pieces of fabric.

Step 2 - Put Together the Body of the Bag

The body of the bag is sewn together with French seams as follows: take the two 16" squares, with left sides together and the right side of the top piece facing you, pin the sides and the bottom together leaving the top of the bag open.
Fold the two 1" x 3.5" pieces you just made in half and pin them between the top and the bottom layer about 3/4" from the bottom. These will form the loops at the bottom of the bag that you will use to attach the backpack cords.
Sew the sides and the bottom closed with a 1/4" seam allowance while catching the loop strips on the sides in your seam.

Clip the seam allowance to within 1/8" of the stitches.

Turn the body of the bag inside out with right sides together and the left (wrong) side of the fabric facing you. Press the seams flat. With a 3/8" seam allowance stitch down the sides and the bottoms. This seam encloses the raw edge of the first seam.

Step 3 - Construct the Cord Casing

The only fabric remaining now are the two 4"x 17" strips of fabric for the casing.

To construct the first casing, fold over 3/8" of the long edge of the casing and press.
Repeat with the edge on the opposite side.
Then fold over 3/8" of the short edge of the casing and fold it over again enclosing the raw edge. Press. Repeat with the other short side. Stitch down one short side.

With right side of the casing touching the left side of the body of the bag, pin the casing to one side of the bag.
Make any adjustments necessary to match the length of the casing to the width of the bag.
Stitch down the other short side.
Sew the length of the casing to the width of the bag.
Turn the bag right side out

Press the seam down, away from the casing, toward the body of the bag.

Fold over the casing to enclose the seam you just pressed down.

With 1/8" seam allowance, stitch this edge of the casing to the bag's body creating a sort of tunnel.

Sew a second top stitch about 1/4" from the first stitch and 3/8" from the casing edge where it meets the body of the bag.

Repeat this process with the second casing.