A Burlap Crate Cover

My daughter thought it would be great to have a cover for her dog Bella's crate. The purpose is to limit distractions, give Bella a chance to calm down, to protect her from cold and heat (when outside). Note: the crate is never used for long periods of time. She also thinks of it as her own space, her little retreat, because positive things usually happen for her when she is inside (she gets treats).

So my daughter asked if I could make a cover for the crate. We went to a fabric store and she liked burlap because it breathes, can let air through yet provide some insulating qualities, and because the fabric is inexpensive. I had never sewn with burlap before so this was a learning experience for me.

The cover design is as simple as it can be. It covers the top and three sides. I cut out pieces for each of the sides, larger by two inches than the actual size of the parts, and sewed them together.

Two things about burlap: it is loosely woven and therefore shrinks, and it ravels easily. Did you know that "ravel" and "unravel" mean the same thing?

Washing burlap: My first goal was to prevent later shrinkage if the cover has to be washed. Normally this is no deal. You just wash it and then cut it out. But I wasn't sure what would happen to burlap if I washed it. I looked online and found conflicting advice. I finally went with advice that mirrored my own guess: washed with cold water, dried on a gentle setting. This worked. The fabric shrank but was still clearly burlap.

I realized then how uneven the weaving is and wondered how best to cut it straight. Of course there was some raveling that happened in the washing process, too. Good to make sure you have a bit more fabric than you think you need.

Cutting burlap: I managed to cut it fairly straight, essentially ignoring weaving lines, with scissors. If I sew with burlap again I think I'll use a rotary cutter for straighter lines, however.

I marked the pieces with a nonpermanent marking pen and began to sew. Of course it was quickly apparent that the seams would ravel and I needed to do something about that. So I used an overcast stitch on all seams, which quickly used up more thread than I had expected, of course. An alternative would have been to use bias tape.

Seam width: I planned on 1/2" seams because that's what I normally use (when not using a paper pattern). I soon realized that the rapid raveling is good reason to plan for generous seams. I'd suggest 5/8" or larger.

Finally, I finished the raw edges with double-fold bias tape and that was that. A very simple cover, no fancy touches. Some options we considered: velcro removable front piece, air vent on top. Didn't seem to be necessary in this case. The cover seems to be doing the job and I learned enough about burlap to use it again, so it was a success all around.

Embroidering Christmas Stockings

I decided to make two things for my loved ones for Christmas: new stockings and little portable sewing kits.

I found an easy pattern for stockings - not that you really need a pattern, but for me it was helpful. I made six of them and it seemed to take forever, even though I am betting each one took a total of less than an hour! Just a matter of procrastination. And I got tired of cutting. I had to cut six stocking-size pieces (four fabric, two craft fleece) for each stocking, plus the two little trim pieces and the cuff pieces (two of fabric, two of fleece).

When I got to putting the names on the stockings I initially wanted to use iron-on letters. The first one came out well (see the "Paul" stocking, above" but the second, not so well. So I thought of alternatives. My friend Maryann suggested simple embroidery, which is something I have not done since I was a child. But I thought, maybe it would actually be faster and easier than some of the other ideas I had. I went to the store and bought embroidery floss and I looked a bit online about how much to use. Three strands seemed to be typical, so I tried that.

Embroidery can be a real pain. I had a lot of trouble threading the needle. I did my best when I followed recommendations I had also seen online, to cut the thread cleanly, then hold it between thumb and forefinger, very close to the end. "Saw" the needle onto the thread. Although this was better it was still a pain, though. I mentioned it to Maryann, also saying I did not do so well with the first two stockings, one of which is shown below:

The stitches are too loose, almost floating above the fabric. Not a great look. I wasn't about to rip it out and it does have that homemade funkiness to it, so okay. But I wanted to do better. I looked online for more tips. Discovered a better way to do a line, and applied it on the next stocking:

Cleaner, more compact. This is what I wanted for the remainder. Somehow, though, I didn't achieve it. Thread knotted up and got twisted frequently and the strands were just hard to manage. So the next one was acceptable but not as good as the Mary one. I mentioned this to Maryann. She suggested using heavy-duty thread. Now why did I not think of that?? Well, I'm new at this. I am not used to thinking beyond standard yet.

I tried it for the last one, the "Elaine" stocking. Threading was easier but I still had difficulty with twisted thread and knotting. When I was done I mentioned this to Maryann and said maybe I should try a single strand next time instead of double and she said yes, that is what she does. She also lets the thread untwist occasionally by holding the needle up and letting it dangle, untwisting. I will do all that next time! My stockings are far from perfect but I did learn a lot from them.

Strangest fabric store ever

A few weeks ago I decided to check out a unique fabric store in Solvang, named Shelbi Ranch. I learned about it from other members of my sewing class. What they said is that the fabric is cheap and that you need to bring your own scissors because you cut your own.

At the last minute I called friend Maryann to see if she would be interested in joining me. She was. Maryann has been sewing forever but had not heard of this place. We were both very interested. What else I learned from the class members is that the store is only open three days a week - Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

The pictures begin to tell what it is like. It is three or four large rooms, each with tons of fabric and one with notions like zippers, buttons, and other odds and ends.

All fabric is one dollar a yard. Zippers are five cents each, buttons one cent each. To pay for the fabric one brings it to the cash register, which is in a cafe in the same building, up a little ramp and across a hall. The woman at the register asks how many yards of each, jots it down, totals it up.

The woman was happy to tell us a bit about the place. It's a nonprofit. The proceeds go to the Shriners to help with children's issues. The workers are volunteers, which is why there aren't many of them.

In addition to the fabric there is a floor full of clothing, much evening wear and western wear along with things like sweats and t-shirts and other casual clothes. All very inexpensive and much apparently has been on the rack for a while (I bought some sweats and the elastic was gone; still worth five bucks).

And the cafe. One places an order and waits for it to be brought out from who knows what kitchen. One-dollar drinks and hot dogs and other cheap items. Not only can one eat cheap but one can get the food in odd dishes:

A woman at the table next to ours was brought these interesting dishes. The "burger" dish had condiments; the hotdog had the mustard and ketchup.

I bought about 15 yards of fabric of several kinds, many zippers, a few buttons. I didn't get any lace trims because I couldn't think how to use them. Later I thought about it more, about how I might approach this strange and wonderful place the next time I visit.