Handkerchief Wedding Programs

8/18/13
My co-worker -- I won't say who, in case I FB post this and her auntie so-and-so doesn't know yet -- is getting married. Every day she's got a new idea, a new brainstorm, a new scheme for this wedding. Somewhat out-of-character for her, she's been planning this wedding since before they were actually engaged. But some of her ideas are SO cool! (Again, no spoilers, in case I FB post this later).

A few months ago she sent me some Pins (oh, Pinterest is the new Wedding Planner, in case you all have been under some very boring, un-bedazzled rocks for the last 2 years and hadn't noticed) of some very sweet handkerchief favors; they had "For Happy Tears" embroidered on it, or a message to Mom or Dad.

 

"Can you do this?" she asked. I went home and tried out a few things, but since I'm only a beginner at the sewing machine (and I'm not hand-embroidering 200 wedding favors), it didn't turn out too well.

 

But never fear, because while I may be a novice at the sewing machine, I'm a Black Belt in figuring out work-arounds. I came across this:


The invitation PRINTED on a handkerchief. A little more digging and I found THIS:


HOW TO PRINT ON FABRIC WITH YOUR INKJET PRINTER!!! WAAAAAHHH!?!?!?!?!

And guess what? It totally works.







I used a piece of cotton bandanna fabric I found at Michaels, and while it printed fine, it's a little rough on the cheeks should someone actually attempt to dry some tears. Also it didn't press well, and I had to pin down the edges before sewing, which was a pain. So the next step was to pick out what kind of fabric we were going to use.

I found some good deals at OnlineFabricStore.com and ordered a yard each of a few things.




Product ID: BATWHI
Product Name: 118 Inch White Batiste
Price: $6.10

100% Polyester
Width: 118"
Fit 10x4 per yard (40) = would need 5 yards (for 200) = $30.50

Meant for draperies, but the internets said Batiste might be good for handkerchief-type favors.
First impression: Soft but very Thin.

Product ID: CLWHI
Product Name: White Cotton Lawn
Price: $4.35

100% Cotton
Width: 58"
Fit 5x4 per yard (20) = need 10 yards = $43.50

Meant for clothing and lingerie.
First impressions: A little thin, but might be fine. Not super soft.



Product ID: VITIVO

Product Name: Ivory Broadcloth
Price: $3.30
80% Polyester, 20% Combed Cotton

Machine Washable. Meant for clothing, crafts, and home decor.

Width: 44"
Fit 4x4 per yard (16) = need 13 yards = $42.90

First Impressions: Thick and sturdy, but not soft. Maybe a wash would soften.



Product ID: K001-1339
Product Name: Snow White Kona Cotton Broadcloth
Price: $5.48
100% Cotton
Width: 44"
Fit 4x4 per yard (16) = need 13 yards = $71.24
For clothing and crafts.
First Impressions: Thick and sturdy, and softer than the Vita broadcloth, but still a little rough. Feels just like the bandanna material.



Product ID: HLNIVO
Product Name: Ivory Irish Handkerchief Linen
Price: $13.65
100% Irish Linen
Width: 57"
Fit 5x4 per yard (20) = need 10 yards = $136.50
 For clothing.
First Impressions: Expensive. Thick and smooth, but not super soft.



Product ID: VLN126
Product Name: White Polyester Linen
Price: $6.30
100% Polyester
Width: 57"
Fit 5x4 per yard (20) = need 10 yards = $63.00
First Impressions: Rougher and more textured than I expected. May not print smothly.



Product ID: IMP419
Product Name: Rice Imperial Cotton Batiste (Spechler-Vogel)
Price: $5.60
65% Polyester, 35% Combed Cotton
Width: 60"
Fit 7x3 per yard (21) = need 10 yards = $56.60
Meant for lining clothing (and wedding gowns) and bags, and making night gowns.
First Impressions: silky and soft, thin but not transparent. May be the winner!



Next was to have the Bride design the program. I sent her a MS Publisher File with the basic layout I had used for the test, which included the margins needed for the hem.

Next was to test all the fabrics for how they would print.

8/21/13
Co-worker's mother is visiting this week, so I had to get some samples for them to see by tomorrow.

Last night I cut 8.5X11" sample pieces of each fabric, ironed on the freezer paper, sent them through the printer, peeled off the printer, and ironed them flat.












Here's how it went:

White Bastiste: as suspected, it's too thin. The ink bled a little and when the handkerchief is folded, you can see the designs through all the layers, which makes it look muddy and messy. The text is legible, but very light (since so much ink passed through the fabric onto the paper backing). It's also so delicate I doubt it would go through the sewing machine very well (for the edging). It pressed flat and the edges pressed pretty well (if a little finicky, because it's so delicate).

Cotton Lawn: After pressing, this fabric turned out much softer than out of the package, which is a plus. It printed pretty well, without much bleeding. It pressed very well, especially the edges, which stayed nice and straight. It's a little thin, and when open the Program side you can see the front and back designs through the fabric.

Ivory Broadcloth: The funniest thing about this fabric is that it SHRANK when I ironed on the freezer paper. About a 1/4" on each edge! It got a little softer with pressing, but not by much. It printed nicely, with no bleeding. It pressed well (though seemed to drink just a little bit again). The thicker material makes it so you can just barely see the patterns through the fabric, but it's not super distracting.

Kona Cotton Broadcloth: This printed very nicely, very clean and sharp lines. You can JUST barely see the designs through the fabric. The fabric is smooth but not soft -- more of a keepsake (because I think it will last) but not really for dabbing at one's eyes. Big Downside: this will NOT press flat. It wrinkled in the package and those wrinkles are still there! That means the edges will NOT press flat! Such nice printing, but not being able to press the edges would be a big problem when it comes time to do the edging.

Irish Handkerchief Linen: This was so pretty when printed. The text is not as clear as the cotton, but because of the vintagey-looking fabric, the slight fade in the text really fits. This has a very different "feel" than the others, as it feels country and vintage, not necessarily "crisp" like a wedding dress. We'll have to see what she wants. This fabric also does not press flat, which would be tricky for the edging.

Polyester Linen: This was a complete disaster. It was too thick to run through the printer and jammed it several times. The parts that it did print were smudgey and gross. Fail.

Rice Imperial Cotton Bastiste: As expected, I like this one the best. It printed as well as cotton broadcloth, but is much softer and smoother, and presses nicely. You can see the design through the fabric, though it's no super distracting. It's the more "crisp" look that the Linen is lacking.

So I'll show these to co-worker and her mom tomorrow, and we'll see what they like. I still want to run all of them through the sewing machine to try out the edging.

Update:
Met with D and her mother, and they both loved the Rice Imperial! Winner! We agreed at the Irish Linen was nice, but a little too expensive and not quite soft enough for "tears". I think maybe I will make a few on that fabric for D to keep or give to her parents, as a keep-sake, because they are REALLY pretty. But the Rice Imperial is going to be GREAT!!!

Stay tuned for more on testing and printing (in the Spring).
... to be continued ...

Childbirth Ed Kit

I'm a birth nerd. Since college. You can thank the Reproductive Rights conference, and my roommate, Maggie, for first telling me what a Doula is. I'm been obsessed every since.

At the beginning on this year, I finally registered and started my training to be a Childbirth Ed instructor. It's been so awesome, and I'm so excited to start teaching.

And with every new life project comes one inevitable question ... What can I make myself? There are great instructional baby dolls and pelvises, but they're pretty expensive.


This kit costs nearly $200. blah. A little much when I'm just starting out.

And what do I say for everything?  .... I CAN JUST MAKE THAT!!! So I'm designing my own!

Challenges:

The correct proportions.

 

From http://www.fibergypsy.com/common/children.shtml

Newborn 5-10lbs
Chest  18"
Waist 18"
Hip 19"
Back Waist Length 6 1/8"
Across Back 7 1/4"
Shoulder (neck edge to shoulder point)  2"
Neck (width) 3 1/4"
Sleeve Length to Underarm 6"
Armhole Depth 3 1/4"
Upper Arm Circ. 6 1/2"
Wrist Circ. 5"
Head 15"

Average Newborn Stats:

Weight - 7 pounds
Height - 19 inches
Neck to shoulder - 2 inches
Arm Length - 6.7 inches
Top leg - 3.5 inches
Bottom Leg - 3.5 inches
Head Circumference - 13-15 inches
Chest Circ. - 18 inches
Hip Circ, - 18-19 inches
Upper Arm Circ - 6.5 inches
Lower Arm circ. - 5 inches
Upper leg Circ - 7.25 inches
Lower leg circ - 5 inches


The correct weight and feel.

You may have seen these "Reborn" baby dolls, dolls painted to look exactly like a newborn (sometimes a specific baby, alive or not). They can be creepily real, and part of the big draw is that FEEL like real babies -- the weight is real and they're properly floppy. There are a few videos online about how the doll-makers create the weight in their dolls. Many use glass beads, sand, or even fish tank gravel (may be a cheap option for my first try - since no one is buying these).



However, I still can't find and to this question: I know a newborn's head is 1/4 of its body (in size). But is it 1/4 of its body WEIGHT too? (as in for a 7 lb baby, 1.75 lbs is his head, and 5.25 lbs is the rest of his body?) I guess I'll just have to play around and see.

Babies are very bendy when newborns, which works to my advantage using yarn and stuffing. However they also tend to be very tightly packed in the uterus, so when they first are born they still hold their arms in tightly and their knees bent with their feet in the air. So my challenge is to keep the arms tight but flexible.

(Fun fact, breech babies tend to still keep their legs up in the air or near their heads. It's freaking adorable.)

All the "Accessories"

Umbilical cord
Cords have two arteries and one vein.




They're spirally and colored (where these is still blood in there). I'm thinking spiraling i-cords in different colors, maybe inside a stocking. There's a special way to make an icord where it spirals on its own.

And attach at the baby by a belly "button" or a magnet or snap.

Placenta



There are two sides of a placenta: the rough side lying against the uterus is made up of small lobes; the side facing the fetus is smooth.



Love this one. Especially the color.

and the spirals on this one.


The smooth side will be easy. The rough side, maybe bobbles?


Maybe Velcro-ed to the inside of the Uterus.

Uterus

There are tons of knitted uteri out there, mostly because they're pretty simple and appropriately stretchy.

I'm trying to decide if I should should the different muscle layers. There are the muscles that go around, go up and down, and spiral around.


I'm thinking overlapping cables?


That may be a little much for the first go, but maybe for a later version.


Stay tuned for the results and possibly the patterns!

Knitted Anatomy

During my lunchtime google-break, I may have uttered the words ... No ... Effing ... WAY!!!

http://knittinganatomy.com/

That is a freaking knitted (half of a) pelvis.

This is EXACTLY what I was looking for!!!

My "knitted Childbirth Ed Doll" post has been in draft for, um, a year a half, but I'm still working on it, I swear. (Meaning that I picked up the pattern after a year, realized I had lost my place, and may need to start over, but that's still "working on it" ... also I lost one of the doll legs. It's in my house, I swear.)

I have plans for a knitted uterus/cervix/vagina, and I would LOVE to do a knitted pelvis (mainly so I don't have to buy one). I was worried it would be too difficult because what sort of pattern could I use?! Who else has done this that I can copy!? Oh, look, there's a whole blog called knittinganatomy.com, and this is what she does. And it's amazing. Check out the spine. I die.



Thank you, Christa, for the inspiration. You're a knitting rock-star!