Happy New Year! and Jan. Goal

Happy New Year to you & yours!
Here's to a prosperous, joyful & full of love 2014.

A goal of ours here at home for 2014 is less eating out, its only allowed on a Birhday, Holiday, Anniversary if we (or birthday person) so chooses.

One goal of mine here at Noguchi Designs is to link up monthly to A Lovely Year of Finishes with a goal & finish.
Second goal is an item a week. Its not set in stone as life seems to always through me curve balls but a goal is something in the right direction, an item can be a toy, dress, bag, swap piece etc.

Now for my January Goal-

Get the top done on my Penny Patch from last years QAL at Stitched in Color.

Whipped cream would be to sandwich it and the cherry on top would be to start quilting it.

Office chair makeover

You ever see that fabric that you "must have"? 

Buy it by the yards, then it sits and sits and you never use it.

I figured out a solution.

Office chair makeover 

That's right, with just a few items you can have a new chair in just an hour or so.

Take an old ugly (free in my case) chair, 2 yards of "must have" fabric, a few nails and hammer (or staple gun could work to), scissors, pins, allen wrench (or screwdriver depending on your chair) and the ability to do straight line sewing.

Here's my fabric that has been sitting, I love purple and green! This was gifted to me by my mom but I could not figure out what to do with it.

Here's my free chair from a neighbor


Here's a picture to show the hardware on the arms, super simple, 4 screws each side, no fussing under the seat at all.


This particular chair required an allen wrench
(I keep everything that has ever come in a box of furniture that needs building, so I had a few on hand)
Once you remove the arms the back is also disconnected


I placed the back on a small table, standing it straight up as if it were still attached and ready to be sat in. I then took my fabric, print side facing chair pad, tucked the back under (towards me) about 6 inches


I worked the right side first, with about 3-5 inches available to work with, I tucked and folded the top corner until I liked it, pulled the back side around and pinned it.


I then followed the side crease of the chair pad straight down, pinning along the way, stopping a few inches away from the bottom


Repeat the above to the left side

Once both sides are pinned I then trimmed the piece I tucked under earlier, I left about 3 inches, both on the back that tucked towards me and then tucked the front piece towards the back and trimmed.


Heres the back side all nice and flat, adjust your pins if needed, then pull off the "slip cover"


On to the bottom seat.
I took the remaining fabric and laid it over the seat to measure, I was short on both sides, just a few inches, so I took the trimmings of the top that I had just cut off and placed and pinned along both sides as needed



I didn't get a picture of the sewing but I'm sure you can imagine. I took both the top and bottom and straight stitched along the outside of my pins, trimmed any access fabric, turned the top right side and headed back outside, fabric pieces in tow.

Heres the fun part, no really, I wasn't thinking before I started this project.
I swear we have a staple gun..... oh where oh where can it be........
If you have one, great! These next steps will fly right by.
If not, well then get to digging for teeny tiny little nails and a hammer.
(see, I said dig and dig is what I did)

just for these little guys


Here is another option, not mandatory at all, but helpful, yes.
Basting spray (my new favorite "tool")
I sprayed the bottom seat before placing the fabric to help stable it while I pulled and tucked and nailed.

see how nice and flat and clean that looks


Time to flip and get to work,
I pulled folded and nailed in the center of each 4 sides


Then at the corners I tucked and folded left and right and nailed them in place, creating this triangle extra piece around the corners


I cut off a few inches


Then tucked and nailed the corners
(yes I know my nails are bent, the under side of the chair did not like me or my nails)


Repeat all 4 bottom seat corners and...wala...



Don't forget to make and puncture the holes for the arms


Back to the top, slip on the cover and adjust the folds around the top corners, making sure the back is flat to



Lay top on its back, tuck the back under and inside

If you have the basting spray, you can spray the top down now for a little stability while nailing the final tucks in


Pull the top down nice and smooth, tuck and fold and place over the bottom tuck, nail in the center



On the two bottom corners I pulled and folded similar to the top corners, not worrying to much because they will be hidden, I didn't even cut off any extra I just tucked it in and nailed


Again make the holes for the screws (I just stuck a pencil in them)


Add your arms back on,
TADA!!!

I most fabulous looking office chair ever, J/K :-P

Remember September

My first go at one of the ereader covers thats being collected for Remember September is the following Kindle cover. I followed this tutorial and tweaked it to my liking /stash.

I pulled out 3 coordinating fabrics I had, cut 2.5in by WOF and placed out 5 strips to be used.

I also QAYG (quilt as you go) so that the inside was also quilted and its a plus that it helped with the time of project start to finish.  Under an hour.

On the plus side, I got to work on the proper way to bind, maybe after a few more of these I'll try it out on a quilt.

Now I gave a Pillowcase a shot too, my Mac was being occupied by my little Miss watching Pocahontas (I actually started it, she came to watch with me :-P )

So I didn't have a tut or pattern available, I improvised, I pulled out a clean standard pillowcase I owned and made one by looking and measuring it, I was a few inches short of the WaterLily print so my top border is a few inches wider than most.

HST BOM progress

I've been following along over at In Color Order for Jens HST BOM 

I don't always get my block done as soon as she posted the tutorial but I am catching up now, 

pictured below is Jan - Aug, Sept is on the table. 

Jens tutorials are very clear and easy to follow. 

Theres also a Flickr group to post projects made with her tutorials or patterns.

A new direction

So I've been thinking, alot, especially since the accident and I feel strongly about a new direction for Noguchi Designs.

I've always sewn, gifted everything in the beginning, then came my Little Lady and I moved on to Dresses and Toys (mostly) and opened shop. I love what I do, SEWING, it is a hobby for me not a job. I don't do well with stocking dates or times, I can function with a custom just fine in a turnaround that's pleasing to both myself and the buyer. I feel I shouldn't stress out over a hobby.

No I'm not closing, I am just slowing down and not committing anything. If I get a stuffed animal urge, then hey, I'll post that new Toys are available, or if I find a totally great Kyoko fabric I just have to make, I'll announce that there's new stock up. So on and so forth.

Now with the Quilting that I'm trying out, I'd love to have others enjoy them, I will try to find places to donate too, gift them as needed or wanted and maybe get lucky and sell one.

Just this month I made and donated 10 dresses to Dress A Girl. Do you know how super great it felt to drop that package off at the PO yesterday?

Oh so wonderful! that's how.

I do hope you stick around here and on FB I do appreciate all of you and your comments :)

Jessica Lee

All done!

Rainbow of Rectangles

Isn't she a beaut!

Yes the Scrappy Quilt from January that I had the love hate thing going on with.

It's 100% complete and ready to be loved.

I am sew happy with how it turned out. The backing is a fun ABC fabric my mom picked up for me 7-8 years ago :-0 I used it to bind as well. The quilting is an echo of the rectangles and straight lines through the smaller framer/sashing/pieces (I'm sew quilt technical :P )

Finished at 35x46

If you'd like to purchase please email for price jessica.noguchidesigns@gmail.com

Please note this may go to donation or be gifted as well.

*Don't forget about the Sew A Dress with me giveaway

10 dresses

Pillowcase style ranging from size 1 to 4.

I had these all precut and stashed away from about 5 years ago. The 4 on the left were to be for my now 5.5yr old daughter. (eecckk) I guess I got to busy to finish them for her.

These will be going to Dress a Girl at the end of the month, Check out the Flickr Group, we are up to 100 or more as of today.

Care to sew one with me? enter in the previous post for a chance to win the supplies to make one.

Swoon!

Another Block I've worked on,
this is from the SWOON quilt pattern,
it's my tester block,
not to shabby for my 3rd ever block if I may say so myself, I did pretty well with my 1/4in seams because .....it came out perfectly 24.5 in just like the pattern calls for :D

This will get worked up into a Doll Quilt with cordinating Birthday Doll.
Any takers on calling DIBS so you can customize the hair & eye color?
shoot me an email if so
jessica.noguchidesigns@gmail.com

Work In Progress (Scrappy Quilt)

What I'm working on.......

A WIP over on my personal blog- its sewing related but for some reason I started the post over there? So I'll keep them over there for now.

http://ourhalfdozenhome.blogspot.com/2012/01/scrappy-quilt-wip.html

mini quilt step 2

Step 2 from the post below done

It turned out to be the perfect size for the doll.

I can't wait to get the set up for yall to see (& buy!)

Thinking of doing another for an ACU doll I have in the works.

Check on back next Tuesday for what it'll look like after step 3.

New things~

Here's a before picture of a mini quilt for a SewAlong I'm following over at FreshSqueezedThe mini quilt will cordinate with a Masako Doll that I just finished up. Should be listed soon









One of my goals this year is to learn more about quilting, here's a picture of my first quilt block.

Whatcha think?

Goals

This year I'd really like to learn more about quilting.
I've set a few goals for myself to help me along.
I'll be trying my hardest (while still sewing for the shop) to follow along with

1. the Challenges over at I don't have a problem, I have a well rounded fabric stash
2. Scrappy New Year Quilt A Long with SassyBlog
3. Sew-along with Fresh Squeezed
4. Craftsy's free BOM

Now I'm even like "wow, hey, hold on" I figure if I pace myself and focus on one a week- theres 4- then it shouldnt be too bad. Right?
I even sent up my desktop calendar for this!
1 project a week.
Plus sewing for the shop inbetween, stock shop once a week (hopefully) maybe biweekly, or once a month. Your input would be great on this.
When? How often? to stock the shop???