Crafts on the Road

As I try to put my vacation thoughts and pictures together i thought that i would share with you a few projects that i worked on while i was gone.

I like to have some hand sewing with me when i go away....and this time it was primarily bindings that i wanted to complete....so packed up and off they went with me.

The first one that i finished was this retro potholder/hot pad. My wonderful aunt had brought me one that she found and wondered if i could figure out how to make it...well, honestly, i had no clue how they did it and then one day i ran across a tutorial for one from Going Sew Crazy. It was easy to follow and i learned a few new things. It is not perfect but my aunt loved it and that is what counts.

I also made a matching/coordinating dish rug for her, and another for the owner of the cottage where we stayed. The tutorial was from Jennifer at That Girl...That Quilt. She gave great easy to follow instructions. I modified it a little by using a old bath towel instead of a dish towel...consequently that made it too thick to turn out so i put a traditional quilt binding on it instead of top stitching the outer edge..

i hope to make at least 2 more of these to use the other recycled towel pieces that i have left.

i will catch you soon with more projects and vacation pics!!! it is good to be back!

Leslie

Escape

Hello to all my blog friends...I have been a bit quiet lately for a excellent reason. Summer vacation...slow lazy days at the beach soaking in everything wonderful that Maine has to offer(most especially, the cool weather). The pace of days on vacation changes in the most wonderful of ways...I don't even know what day it is most of the time. I have had chances to take naps(sometimes twice a day), and work on some quilts and other handwork/crafts that I wanted to take some time on. I promise pictures of all the fun things when we are home...crafts, and the vacay pictures! In the meantime, I miss you all. Hope you are having a wonderful summer too!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Wordless Wednesday....Confetti!!!

Leslie

Friday Finishes in Paint and Fabric

My modern barn quilt canvas is finished! I am really pleased withh ow it came out and with the colors i chose. I had originally intended to do some accents in hot pink and yellow but now i am glad i did not. I could have changed and modified it a hundred different ways...another strip here or another color there... but at some point i had to choose to just walk away and let it be what it was.

I really enjoyed the process. It sat on my counter and periodically over a couple days i would just walk back and forth and tend to the next part of the project. Peeling off that painters tape was always a thrill. I think there might be some companion pieces in the future...perhaps a wonky star or something like that.

My fabric finish is for one of our wee little friends. There seem to be many babies being born, and shouldn't every one have a quilt of their own? i hope to mail it out to the intended family soon. i hope they will love it as much as i do.

You can read a little more info on this quilt here. I finished it with some fairly random straight line quilting and bound and backed it in a fabric from my stash that just happened to be the right blue. Another reason to have a stash!!

Leslie

Wordless Wednesday...Progress

Leslie

Recycle Sewing...and Plushies for the People!!!!

I am on some kind of sewing roll....getting small things done for some instant gratification. Love that!!

This past few days i have been making some new things out of old things. I cut into some old t shirts that have been lying around the house to make a softie for Delilah and this awesome headband for Avery. It is 5 strips of t shirt and then those are braided together. I will be honest, figuring out how to braid 5 instead of 3 took me a few minutes, but i got it.

Best is that it fits her and she likes it!!! She is wearing it as I type! The tutorial that i followed can be found here.

This bunny tutorial has been marked in my bookmarks for so long....it was about time i got it done! It is the Mooshy Belly Bunny from Chez Beeper Bebe blog. SO cute right? The old shirt is so soft and that little face i stitched on turned out adorable.

And bunny has a little friend, sunshine plushie. This tutorial was also form Chez Beeper Bebe. Such well planned and easy to follow directions for both softies.

The best part of the sunshine plushie is the story behind it....you have got to go to the link and read it. Basically some large company would not allow these to be sold because of some patent nonsense from a large toy company that they feel gives them the exclusive rights to sewing ribbon to toys!!! This plushie is a protest against that....she asks that many be made and shared!!!!

Leslie

Small Sewing

I finished some small sewing recently that i wanted to share.

The first project was this turtle softie from Bend the Rules Sewing, by Amy Karol. I confess that dolls and softies are not something i am very good at, but this one turned out well enough...it was the crazy felt eyes that made me fall in love. Best of all Delilah loves it and chews on his legs and head often. Her best sign of affection.

Many moons ago i made a pirate quilt for mitchell....you can see it here. This week i suddenly had the idea to make him a matching pillowcase since that is the quilt he uses every night in bed. I found a tutorial from Ashley at Film in the Fridge. It was so easy. I loved it and would definitely use it again.

The kids recently had a week of VBS. Before it began one of the requests from Avery was that she have a bag to carry her water bottle in. So, google came through once again and i found a tutorial from the Long Thread.

I had seen this one before, but this was my first go at it. I thought sewing the circle bottom was going to be really hard but it actually was not. We embellished with fun iron on patches we found and for straps i made Avery's with some fabric i had about and Mitchell got some army style webbing/strapping. Perfect and heavy duty for that little guy.

I might add that Mitch was an excellent model this afternoon so i could get a couple shots of the carriers.

Leslie

I Love Packages!!!

I have been meaning to share a few new treasures with you for a little while, but seems like life got busy. You know how that goes.

Not that long ago i saw on Erin's blog, Why Not Sew, that she was looking for Flea Market Fancy fabric and she was willing to swap something she had for some of the precious FMF. I just so happened to have quite a bit in my stash. A swap sounded like fun so why not. I went for it.

This gorgeous pile of Denyse Schmidt for Joanns came back to me. I had been meaning to go and get some for myself for the longest time but never made it....so when she offered this up i was on top of it! Erin was more than generous...thank you blog friend.

In the same week that the fabric came i also received a little package from Tara, of Tiny Hummingbird. She, so sweetly, made me some note cards as a thank you for crocheting her little man a gnome hat. It was so unexpected and they are all so beautiful....thank you so much Tara.

I can hardly fathom writing on these and then giving them away, they are so pretty!! I just might need to find a way to frame them and enjoy them for a long time.

Leslie

(semi)Wordless Wednesday

I am in so much trouble!!!

Leslie

Wordless Wednesday, the Sleep Series

Leslie

Summer Sun Tea

I occasionally get something in my CSA farm box that makes me wonder to myself...."What on earth am i going to do with this?". Yup, that is exactly what i thought when i saw the bouquet of mini daisies in my box. I thought that it was nice of them to give us flowers.....

Come to find out that they are chamomile flowers. They smell sweet and like honey. So i got to googling and somewhere came across the idea to make chamomile sun tea. Brilliant! Cause what else was i going to use them for. Then i had to wait nearly a week for a sunny day.

When it was all brewed and strained and sweetened up....it was the best chamomile tea i have ever had. I wonder what strange things i will get in my next box?

Leslie

Modern Monday Finish

This is my first time linking up to Modern Monday at Canoe Ridge Creations. Today i am sharing a baby quilt that i just finished for a good friend and neighbor. I was able to give it to her this afternoon and she loved it(yeah!!!)

I don't usually name my quilts but my 9 year old looked at it and dubbed it the circus quilt. It stuck!! I am going with it. She was also my quilt holder for the photo shoot and she was my design assistant when it was time to lay out all the blocks. She might be 9 but the girl has a good eye.

This was the first time i have used the Yellow Brick Road pattern from Atkinson designs. I was so pleased with how easy it was to follow and how versatile it can be. Plus you can make it in all kinds of sizes, so it really can be whatever you want. I wanted to make this all from my stash, and i was so pleased that it cooperated. I was able to use several vintage reproduction fabrics(my fave!), polka dots(a must) and some yardage i had from IKEA(hippos).

Take some time and go see what the other ladies have made this week. There is so much inspiration to be shared, and lots of pretty things to look at.

Be sure to check out the awesome giveaway she is having as well.....ROYGBIV is my favorite! i am also adding this to this weeks we did it at Sew Much Ado blog

Leslie