Category Archives: ikea

I Mock You Not.

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It’s a smocked dress!

There is this contest where you can win a (nice and expensive Singer) sewing machine or a (nice and expensive Singer) dress form. All you have to do is sew a “swimsuit cover-up”, and post a picture on the flickr group, and you’ve entered. So I decided to make a summer dress that can double as cover-up and enter the contest. The result:

Front back

I used an Ikea remnant of Bomull (100% cotton, unbleached). Costed me 2,30€ for approximately 2,25m (normal price: 1,99€/m). A spool of elastic thread (3€), and a spool of matching thread (2€).

Yesterday I traced the pattern, loosely based on the Mendocino Summerdress free pattern, which I had to grade to my size (I am, sadly, not an L). Then I decided I didn’t like in-seam pockets, and I had fallen in love with pleated patch pockets. And finally today I cut all the pieces and got to learn how my sewing machine works (new one, cause otherwise I had to borrow one, and it wasn’t that expensive). And a few hours later, I had the dress above!

A Big Bag

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It’s not quite like MaryPoppins’ Carpet-bag, not because I don’t like hers, but because I’m looking for instructions to make one ;) It also doesn’t fit a lamp, or a night stand or an umbrella, but it does fit all the stuff I carry on Mondays to school1.

It’s a simple zippered flat bottom trapezoid bag. Bottom is wider than top and the sides are straight. It has two long wide sturdy straps so you can hung it over your shoulder to carry all the stuff. It’s fully lined, and there is a (giant) hole on the lining to insert a cardboard base to make it stiffer. It also has two small pockets inside, for tissues and other small things that I don’t want to have floating around.

  1. Folder with papers, couple of thick books, pencase, bottle of water, tupper with lunch, fruit for mid-morning snack, and other tidbits. On the way back it also carries my cardigan and scarf ↩

Project Finished!

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It’s been a while in the works, because I postponed sanding and revarnishing for a long while. But it’s done.

Decorated Ikea Fira Decorated Ikea Fira

This is an Ikea Fira. I bought my first one some years ago, and back then, they came assembled. Now they come in flat packaging, and I sometimes wish they still had those nifty plastic nail holders, makes nailing in the right spot a lot easier. Other than that, the chest needed a sanding before the stenciling and two layers of varnish (with sanding in between layers). And it’s a lot smoother and a lot better now. It’s in the bedroom hiding odds and ends, jewelry, hairbands, makeup and other stuff.

I want a second one for my crafting items, but I’m thinking about a different technique.. Or maybe I’ll use some black and red lacquer to give it an asiatic look, with a nice golden design…. ah, the ideas keep flowing!

Two More Custom Stamps

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Today I finished my first custom order for my still unopened shop. CBear will now have a total of four sheepy themed stamps for her shop.

This afternoon I made the two small ones for the set. She can use them for pricetags, or maybe for stamping on small clothing items, who knows. Sneak peek:

Sheep stamps, side and front looking sheep

See the stamping these two make in the gallery!

I have a couple of stamp designs in mind to put them up for sale. Stay tuned.

On other news, I started a small Ikea-hack, but it’s not done yet, so I can’t share pics. Still have to varnish and assemble, that’s where I am! But you’ll get to see pics soon.