The Lights Project - Christmas Tree Nightlights

Welcome back from the break - if you're looking for the One Yard Wonders book and fabric giveaway, here it is!

Well, it's Day #3 of The Lights Project!

Aaaaand you're stuck with me today. We're making a Christmas Tree nightlight. I mean, it's the advent season, after all. And as the girls' old egg night lights were recently retired (so I could poach their innards), I thought we'd make them some new, festive ones.

I used the same string of STRALA lights, some festive cereal box cardboard, a random circle of corrugated cardboard and some green paper.

First, cut a segment of a circle to roll into a cone, out of cereal box cardboard. Glue that onto green paper.

Cut that out and do two things to it. One, snip the bottom (curved) edge. Two, poke holes in it for the little lights.

See?

Now, you don't have to do this if you're lazy, but kids seem to like this, so make a star. I cut two small stars out of paper and stuck scotch tape over both sides, then trimmed the excess off, so only the border of scotch tape holds the two star layers together. Sort of like a star-shaped pita pocket. Insert the endmost light of the string into the star 

so that most of the light shines through the middle of it

and stick it (we used masking tape) to the top of the tree but on the inside of the cone.

Poke the other lights through the holes, sticking them in place with more masking tape.

See? It already looks like a Christmas tree.

Then glue the ends of the cone together, shove all the wiring into the completed cone, cut a radial slit in the cardboard base and squeeze the wire through that

so the battery pack (with the switch) remains outside, hanging on a short wire.

Then glue the cone onto the base (this is why you made slits in the bottom edge of the cone earlier).

They look gorgeous as is

but kids will want to decorate them, so break out the gems and tissue paper and let them go to town.

On the tree with the white lights, we crushed tissue paper around the lights and scotch-taped them down.

Preeeeeety. Almost like jewels.

The girls have them beside their beds each night now.

Katie will be here tomorrow - see you then!

One Yard Wonders Book and Fabric Giveaways!

Hello everyone!

We're taking a short break from the Lights Project to do a giveaway!

Remember this post about the launch of that new Fabric-by-Fabric One Yard Wonders book? It's now on sale everywhere, and I'm excited to be reviewing it for you here today!

I sew a lot but I don't buy a lot of sewing books. At least, I don't buy a lot of the glossy-color-photo-gorgeous-projects types of sewing books. I buy drafting books written in the previous century by European and Commonwealthy folks, on which pages are hand-drawn black-and-white sketches of basic blocks and darts and general pattern-drafting stuff. Technical, not particularly inspiring as far as specific projects go, and any gratification from reading such books would definitely not be instant. Want to read my rave review of such a book? Here you go.

When I'm in the sewing aisle of bookstores these days, however, I do like browsing the modern sewing books - the ones with the beautiful, beautiful photos and quick-finish garment sewing and the simplified pattern-making. They are gorgeous books and, unlike the drafting books, very easy to read. They are full of tips and tricks that I've never heard of and am very excited to discover and file away in my brain. They are also informative in how they reveal current sewing trends and the primary market of the modern sewing movement. It's all hugely fascinating.

And then there's the new Fabric-by-Fabric One Yard Wonders book.

It's just been launched, it's available for sale, and you want to know all about it!

Here goes, then!

First, it's huge. It contains more than a hundred projects, spread out over 9 pattern sheets. 

The book is organized into different fabric sections, each with projects made from those fabrics that showcase their unique qualities. The fabric categories include

• Lightweight cottons
• Quilting-weight cottons
• Home-dec weight fabrics
• Flannel 
• Woven Pile (as opposed to pile knit) fabrics
• Coated fabrics
• Fleece
• Knits
• Wool

Each fabric section begins with an introduction to that category of fabrics, and how to work with them.

Over all the specific chapters is an introduction to the basics of fabrics, including general sewing techniques, stitch knowledge, lists of must-have notions and equipment and a very useful fabric cheat sheet. 

At the end of the book is an illustrated glossary of many common sewing terms.

Beginning seamstresses will especially appreciate this information - it covers what everyone takes for granted that everyone else knows (and therefore might be too shy to ask about) but in reality might not. More experienced seamstresses will enjoy having all the stuff they're supposed to know, organized for them in ways they can actually access, and discover many gems of new tips and terms in the process. 

Now for the projects themselves - I am aware that some of my readers are seamstresses with considerable experience, and who have therefore sewn enough different kinds of projects to now have a preference for certain kinds over others. There are (I counted and then rounded the numbers up/down)

• 30 bag and bag-like projects
• 20 household items, including aprons
• 20 toys (including dress-up items and costumes)
• 20 accessories (including shoes, hats, scarves, blankets)
• 16 garments for children (not costumes)
• 8 garments for adults

Given the premise of the book - that each project can be made with one yard (or less) of fabric - all the projects are accompanied by a layout diagram,

in addition to the usual materials list and cutting/ sewing instructions. The instructions themselves are detailed and illustrated by clear diagrams. The level of difficulty of a projects is commensurate with the number of pages it spans - some books I've read attempt to pack projects into quick bites, regardless of how simple or complicated they are; this book does not, and is all the better for it.

Where relevant, multi-size patterns come with referring size charts. Unlike commercial patterns which confuse with a matrix of numbers, none of which are actually recognizable as one's RTW dress size, the reference size charts in this book are happily like this:

Even I can figure them out!

So, do I like this book? Yes!! Not only because my projects are in it (whoo!), but because it's well-organized, covers a variety of different projects, in different materials, for different purposes, in different styles and for different skill levels. If you've just started to sew and want to beef up your projects resume, this is a good book of practical items you'd actually use. If you've been sewing a while with your comfort-zone cotton fabrics and want to expand your repertoire some, this is a good book to step out with. 

Now here are some of the projects!

Fun, huh?

Storey Publishing is very generously giving away one copy of this book to one of my readers! You will need to have a US mailing address to get picked for the book. To celebrate the launch, I am also giving away 5 one-yard (of course) pieces of fabric to five readers (who can live anywhere in the world). So something for everyone, regardless of where you live!

Here are the rules:

1. Anyone can enter the giveaway. All you have to do is leave a comment that answers this question: "What have you sewn recently that challenged you?"
2. Make sure you leave (or provide access to) an email address where you can be reached.
3. Make sure you mention whether you live in the US or not.
4. Leave your comment by Dec 22nd, midnight. I will do a random-number drawing on Dec 23rd before we leave town to be with family for Christmas.
5. The first commentor picked who has a US mailing address will win the book. The next five commentors picked (from anywhere in the world) will each win one yard of fabric.

Sound good?

Fabric-by-Fabric OYW is making its rounds on its blog tour, so check out these other sites for more reviews, photos and more chances to win copies of the book!

12/12/2011 Becka's Project Journal

12/13/2011 Craft Buds

12/14/2011 Patch Work Duck Designs

12/15/2011 Patch Work Duck Designs

12/15/2011 A Spoonful of Sugar

12/15/2011 Nifty Kidstuff

12/15/2011 Becka's Project Journal

12/16/2011 Nom Nom Nom Nom

12/16/2011 Quaint and Quirky

12/17/2011 ikatbag

12/17/2011 Two Brown Birds

12/18/2011 Sharon Sews

12/19/2011 LBG Studio

12/19/2011 Carolina Fair Designs

12/19/2011 Under Construction

12/20/2011 Little Blue Cottage

12/21/2011 Craftzine

12/21/2011 Neuroses Galore

12/21/2011 Emily Steffen

12/22/2011 Jenna Lou Loves You

12/23/2011 Spincushion

12/27/2011 One Inch World

12/28/2011 Sew Sew Etc.

January ‘12 Lu Lu Carter

January ’12 Fiberosity

January ’12 Zuhause

January ’12 Obsessively Stiching

January ’12 No Bad Days

January ’12 Craft & Cackle

January ’12 AfricanKelli

The Lights Project - Space Shuttle

It's Day #2 of The Lights Project!

Today we are thrilled to welcome MaryAnne! Mary Anne blogs at mama smiles and loves spending time learning and creating with her three kids, aged 5, 4, and 2. Her love of cardboard dates back to the many moving boxes acquired by her family, since her parents moved their ten children to a new country every 2-4 years. Now that she and her husband are pretty well settled in Massachusetts, she takes whatever cardboard she can find!

Check out their cardboard astronaut helmet and rocketship, washer and doll armoire! And here's a lovely post on her kids dabbling in electronics appreciation with their Dad. I enjoy MaryAnne's blog for so many reasons - her crafting and sewing, her writing, her beautiful photographs, her quiet grace and immense respect for fellow human beings, and her children! Perhaps my favorite regular segment on her blog is her "kid quotes" - a verbatim record of the hilarious things her kids say. I love how she enjoys her children!

Now, MaryAnne is as mom-next-door as they come and does the multiple-children-juggling-act while never losing sight of the really important stuff. And she has an adventurous streak, besides, so I asked her and her kids to play crazy lights with us. I am so glad she said yes! Here she is:

I love playing with cardboard! I also love seeing people incorporate electronics into their cardboard constructions (like this fully functional traffic light), but so far I’m too chicken to build my own circuits. So when LiEr offered me the challenge of doing something with a string of 10 LED lights from IKEA, I saw my chance!

These lights are flat on top, which makes them perfect for push buttons! My kids are very into space at the moment, and Johnny had just gotten a pair of space-themed pajamas for his birthday. AND my brother had conveniently given me three very large cardboard boxes, one of which looked distinctly spaceship-like to me.

I cut away, punched some holes for the lights to go through, taped the switch to the inside of the box, and we were good to go! All three kids conveniently fit into this box! Here they are admiring the universe!

One of the best things about cardboard creations – besides the fact that you get to make them and they are free – is that they are super easy for kids to decorate. Our space shuttle gets a little bit fancier every day!

Want to build your own space shuttle? Grab a cardboard box and download this tutorial!

Thank you, MaryAnne! And hurrah for your brother (and anyone who gives away cardboard boxes, especially boxes big enough for all the kids to climb into, really)! Awesome! 

See you back soon on Day#3!