Handmade Yoga Knee Pads #2

Knee, back or head long pad 5 ½” x 24” 

Knee or heal pads 5” x 7” 

I’m feeling generous. So, someone will be receiving these as a  gift! Anyone out there do yoga?

I notice that there are some people in my yoga classes who either fold their yoga mats or use blankets for their knees.  I’ve made these before and bring them to class. Sometimes, I will go over and let someone try these out if I notice them having some trouble with their knees, or I hear them tell the instructor before class that their knees are bothering them. Luckily, I don’t have that problem—yet.

These are so easy to make. So far I’ve used cotton fabric with cut up yoga mats inside. The next ones I make, I think I will try other things inside, like quilted muslin stuffed with thick plush batting or fabric scraps.

(See MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2013

“Yoga Accessories: Small & Long Yoga Pads” for the first yoga pads I made.

Theses don’t just have to be used for knee pads. I will use them for the soles of my feet when my feet have to be on the hardwood floor. I will also use them to cushion my head when we do a pose where we stand with out feet spread apart, then bend down and sometimes my head can touch the floor! Or they can be used as a pillow.

Theses don’t just have to be used for knee pads. I will use them for the soles of my feet when my feet have to be on the hardwood floor. I will also use them to cushion my head when we do a pose where we stand with out feet spread apart, then bend down and sometimes my head can touch the floor! Or they can be used as a pillow.

The small pads are made envelope style. The mat can also be taken out to was the cover

Here is the cut-up mat that goes inside the envelope cover

This is how it looks when the cut-up mat is inserted

On this long mat, I sewed one end and tucked the other end, it can be taken out for washing

Pretty cotton fabric from JoAnns

See 

Mini Art Quilt for a Dear Adult Daughter for Her Birthday

A couple of weeks ago was my oldest daughter’s birthday. I decided at the very last minute to make her a mini art quilt using my favorite picture of her. She’s about twenty-two months. (I’m the bigger one on the right.) Of course, it took me over a week to make it. I have an excuse though. I am also trying to finish two other small art mini quilts for a very dear niece. I’ve been working on them for—what, almost a year?! That’s why she gets two of them!

Anyway, the size of this very small art quilt is 11inches x 13 inches.  I used three matching home dec fabrics, decorated with small green ribbon, along with very tiny silver glass rocaille seed beads attached to a light almost clear ribbon. I made roses out of the ribbon also. The picture was scanned, then printed on a transparency sheet using my color laser printer. Pretty.

Mini Art Quilt - Yoga Sticks Sun Salutations #1

I really like my yoga instructors at FreeSpirit Yoga, here in Long Beach, Ca. They are my friends now, because they are so wonderful!

I am in the process of sewing gifts for each of them to show my appreciation. So far, I’ve made this Mini Art Quilt - “Yoga Sticks” Sun Salutations for one of them, Jenni Brandon. As well as being a wonderful yoga instructor, she is also an award-winning composer, conductor! Please go visit her website .

Now, I am not an artist at all. No. No. No. No! I leave that up to my Childrens’ Book Illustrator Daughter, Christina Forshay, who certainly didn’t take after me in the art department. In fact, I can barely draw stick figures—really! But I used sun salutation stick figures to make this 11½”x 10” small art quilt for Jenni B. As usual, it took me far too long to make it. 

To determine what type of “Yoga Sticks” I wanted, I drew a few on the back of an envelope to see how they would turn out to see if I in fact, could draw stick figures.

Not bad, but if I wanted them to look more consistant, I had to use a Mac drawing program, Pixelmater to help draw my “Yoga Sticks.” Hey, for someone like me, who literally cannot draw, I need all the help I can get. Period.

I tried three different methods of using the drawings of my “Yoga Sticks” to see which one I wanted to go with, as far as designing the mini art quilt. I’ve used all three before.

One was to print a mirror image from my laser printer, then transfer the printed image onto fabric using a blender pen or Citra Solv. It works really well!

Second, was to print an image from my laser printer onto a transparency sheet, then place it on top of fabric.

Third—and this is the one I used, I printed the “Yoga Sticks” from my laser printer, then placed the printed sheet under white muslin and traced my “Yoga Sticks” onto it. I then sewed over the tracings a few times using the regular utility straight stitch set at 2.0. I didn’t do any free-motion, as I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to sew staring lines. I did have a hard time sewing the traced oval/circle heads on my “Yoga Sticks,” so I filled in the heads and tried to make them better shaped using a Sakura Identi-Pen Dual-Point Marking Pen. It is permanent and works well on fabric. It didn’t bleed at all on my muslin.

After I sewed over the tracings and filled in the heads with the marker, I dyed the white muslin. It came out a greenish blue color.

I put the rest of the mini art quilt together with home dec cotton and cotton ticking with extra firm stabilizer sandwiched in between.

Items I used to decorate this mini art quilt were: a vintage earring piece, different size “pearls,” ribbon, buttons, and a couple of decorative stitches.

I really hope my friend Jenni B enjoys my “Yoga Sticks” mini art quilt. I enjoyed making it.

Pretty Cotton Fabric Pattern Used to Make Things

I just love this fabric pattern!  It’s a very soft cotton fabric. I’ve used it before to make yoga accessories, like a yoga mat and yoga pads. 

Oooh, pretty!

A very small water bottle carrier with insulated batting

Eyeglass holder with fleece lining, plus a travel tissue holder

Zippered bags in different sizes, ranging from the largest 11½” x 10¼” to the smallest is 4 ½” x 6 ½”

I make a lot of different zippered bags. I have them all over the house. And of course, give them away as gifts.

A few years ago, I needed something to take to the gym that wasn’t a purse, yet held my wallet, cell phone, and keys. I came up with a “hands-free neck purse.” They always come in handy when I have to hold my small grandchildrens’ hands without hanging on to a purse where the strap usually falls off my shoulders. I’ve since made several using a variety of different materials. For instance, this one is made with a store bought towel cut in half lengthwise. The  pockets are of course, using this wonderful cotton fabric pattern. Inside one pocket is a key fob.

 

Zippered Pouch Added to Yoga Mat Carrier

While I am working on something special for a wonderful yoga teacher, who is also a composer,  as well as a wedding gift for my niece—so sorry it’s taking so long Sweetie, I sewed a zippered pouch to attach to my store bought yoga bag, to hold more things, because apparently, I like to torture myself and carry more weight than is necessary. I’m always try to add homemade sewing accessories to my purchased items. Why?—I don’t know why. 

First, I made another pair of the small yoga pad covers to put under my sensitive heels when they have to touch the hardwood floor. I used one of my favorite, well-made heavy cotton material. It isn’t flimsy at all, but it also isn’t home dec fabric either. I purchased a lot of yards of this a few years ago at JoAnns. I really wish I hadn’t sold—at a great discount—a couple of yards of this fabric, to a woman who worked at JoAnn’s, as it is one of my favorites, and can’t be found any where anymore. 

 (See Yoga Accessories: Small & Long Yoga Pads.) 

But, the main accessory I sewed, is the zippered pouch I attached onto the flap of one of these roomy yoga mat carriers, to cover up the purple logo—and yes, I bought both of them because I couldn’t decide which one I wanted. It is the Aurorae Yoga Mat Bag “The Mat Sak” 100% Cotton Premium Ring Spun Denim. I bought them on Amazon back in May.

Anyway, here is the zippered pouch I made. Behind the bag is a water bottle carrier that I also made. I  can attach it to the carrier sling.

Inside, the zippered pouch holds my small yoga pads I made, but I can put other things in it as well.

Every time I turned over the bag to empty out the mat, everything came out of the large cargo pocket, like my sunglasses and iPhone. The velcro apparently isn’t sturdy enough, so I added a strong snap that covers both the large cargo pocket as well to the cell phone pocket on the yoga carrier. My cell phone doesn’t fit inside the little pocket because my iPhone cover is too big. But I’m sure I can find something else to put in there. Plus, it will stay closed at the same time the large cargo pouch is closed, since the large cargo pouch flap snaps onto the little pocket.

Note that when the pouch is lifted, the top flap of the yoga bag is also lifted. That’s because I also sewed a stay stitch along the top and the sides above the zipper, as well as inside the back of the pouch through the opening of the zipper so that when the pouch is lifted, the logo still can’t be seen.

Little Blankets for Newborn Grandson

Yes—I have one more grand baby! Thanks, dear daughter Marisa! These are the first handmade gifts I made for the gorgeous little guy.  One blanket is made of cotton, while the other one is made of soft the minky and cotton.

"AngelRose” Black & White Mini Art Quilt

So, here’s one more”AngelRose” or “RoseAngel” mini art quilt. This one didn’t take very long to do. It is approximately 8” x 10 ½”. I came  up with the decorating ideas as I was making this little mini art quilt. 

Again, I used a transparent overhead projection sheet printed in black and white using my laser printer. The “AngelRose” picture is actually on top of a piece of white with black swirls cotton home dec fabric. I then made a window using black and white toile home dec fabric. I sewed crystal seed beads and glass beads to attach the toile fabric to the outer black with white swirls cotton fabric. I added glass beads inside the center of the black ribbon rosette—I made—continuing down along the ribbon. In the center of the bottom of the quilt, where the two ribbons meet, I added more glass beads. Also, I sewed very tiny seed crystal beads about ½” apart along the outer edge of the toile fabric. I took four black buttons and placed them on four corners of the quilt, and sewed little “pearls” into them. 

Finally, I put the front piece and the back piece, (black cotton fabric) of the quilt with the fronts facing each other, (with cotton batting attached to back of front piece), then sewed all around, leaving about a four inch space at the bottom to turn it right sides out. I added ¼” ribbon in the back for hanging.

I might add more things later on. This one I am keeping!

Below, are some closeup pics of this mini art quilt to be able to see the little tiny crystal seed beads.

Enjoy!