Cardmaking - hand decorated paper, a fussy cut bird and some bright chevrons

This card is the one that is going to be late as yesterday was her birthday!!! I started with a warm red card and added a section of hand decorated paper (inkjet ink).  I added paper piercing with my pattern tracing wheel before adhering it to my card.  The bird (colouring page) was laser printed and fussy cut close to the edge.  I watercoloured it to coordinate with the paper but I see that I forgot the eye and the beak!!  I added some bright yellow chevrons to create a bit of motion and to give the branch a place to sit.  She is very artistic and I am sure she will appreciate it even though it is late!!  Therese
 

Cardmaking - layered & collaged napkin on hand decorated paper & hand stitching

I worked on the special cards I needed for the new year a few days ago and managed to get them off to the post office but time will tell when they will arrive.  One is already late due to my inattention to the deadlines!!

This card is for my brother.  I started with a hand decorated piece of paper to which I adhered  swatch of napkin with sailboats on it.  Once it was dry I added orange stab stitches at the top and the bottom to provide some texture.  I added some gold metallic dots on both the left and right edges.  I used a tiny brush but another medium might have worked better for consistency of the mark but the colour was perfect!!! I adhered this large element to yellow card front.  Therese
 

Sewing - another set of potholders for Christmas

I made up this set of potholders for my sister for Christmas.  Her kitchen had navy and yellow as a theme so I found these precuts in my stash and they made the perfect size nine patch for the fronts of these potholders.  The blue is a Christmas patterned fabric but I thought they went so well together I just decided they could live all year round in her kitchen.  The backs were pieced from wide strips of this fan patterned navy and gray fabric.  Therese

 

Sewing - a little pouch with a zipper

I made this little zippered pouch as a back up gift for the crossword game I organized at our GA December social because sometimes there are three in one of the groups.  As it was there was a group of three but they did not win so I was glad I was prepared.  I will use it to package a gift card for my grandson for Christmas!!  Win - Win!!  Therese

Sewing - another set of potholders for Christmas

My oldest grand daughter will be going to university in the fall so I thought it might be good to start a little kit for her for when she is on her own.  I made this set of potholders from stitched squares which I acquired along the way.  They were the ones that coordinated the best with a set of diagonal red squares.  I chose this checkered fabric for the fronts.  Therese

 

Sewing - another set of potholders for Christmas

I made this set of potholders for my daughter to coordinate with this table topper.  I used the same fabric on the back of the potholders and chose the cherry fabric for the middles of the fronts (precuts not the same size).  To find greens to frame them I went digging into the stashes.  So fun as you always discover things you have forgotten about!!!  I have a leftover piece of the fall fabric which I will include.  She has a technique for creating towels for the kitchen which will allow her to make a coordinating set.  Therese

 

Sewing - another set of hourglass potholders

 Another set??  We have a large family!!!  More is better and it leaves lots of choice!!  The triangles for these were precut so I found the brown in my stash - it was a piece that was two pieces with batting in between and then stitched all the way around with two seams.  I unstitched the seams and then proceeded to make the hourglass blocks.  Quick and easy when you have some of the pieces already cut.  I backed one in brown and the other in blue (two triangles sewn together into a square).  I have decided to try to make the loops simply stitched into the corner instead of being under a triangle.  This way the loop is better available for hanging.  I sewed the loop to just the front and batting.  And then the binding process sews it again on both sides so I think it will be secure enough.  It also allows the loop lay flat which I liked about the other process!!  I will get feedback for next time around!!  I love the colour combination - little pussy willows!!!  Therese

Sewing - pennant for hanging with paper clips to accommodate art

I made up this pennant for my youngest grand daughter for Christmas.  She will be receiving OWL magazine (once postal workers are back to work) but I always have a small gift under the tree to open.  I started with triangles (6" wide - 7" tall)  of the pink/green fabric and cut coordinating green ones and made up the pennants.  I cut the green strip and captured the tops of the pennants in the seam.  I hand stitched paper clips (airplanes and hearts) to each side so art work can be displayed on either side of depending on which side she prefers.  She loves to draw - lots of mushrooms lately - and so there is always art to put up.  It was a fun project sewn up from my stash fabric.  Therese

 

Gifts - brownie mix in a jar

I have made up several of these brownie mix in a jar for a few of the guys in our family.  With the directions attached they can make up their own snacks or dessert for a family meal any day of the week!!  It would be nice to have a few of these gifts on hand for any last minute occasion.   I have packaged them in peanut butter jars that I have saved over the year.  Therese

 

Sewing - another set of potholders for Christmas

Here is another set of potholders I made for Christmas!!  The triangles were precuts I acquired along the way and I decided to combine them with two different blue fabrics to make up this unique set of potholders.  I will have a good selection of potholders for my family to choose from when we get together!!  I am really enjoying making them and being creative with the fronts.  Therese

Sewing - a few new ways of storing pins, clips, blades and needles

I have been contemplating how to best store my pins so they can be available and easily accessible when I need them.  I have purchased a new set - the glass headed ones on the left.  The ones on the right I have had a few years and I have had quite a few lose their plastic flower "heads" and I have found no real good way of getting the heads back on once they have fallen off.  They are also susceptible to heat though I have only two who have been deformed because of running them over with the iron.  I am now storing them in little shot glasses.  There is enough weight in the glass that they should stay upright and I like that the heads are all at the top and easily accessible.  Because they are not too full there is room to reach in with a finger and pull out one or a few depending on what I need.  My sister has suggested using silicone wine bottle caps to keep them contained when I am not using them.  I had planned to make them little caps so that should work well.  

My sister gifted me some clips last year for Christmas and they store very nicely in their little bin!!  I have a few more glass headed pins that I have collected along the way in the first blue bottle and little short applique pins in the second blue bottle.  

These two boxes hold my straight pins.  The long ones fit perfectly in this little box in which a little craft punch was purchased.  I created a little pin cushion in the lid which keeps them all arranged when the box is closed and a place to keep them available when I am using them.  The shorter ones fit in a small plastic box so I created a small pin cushion for that box as well to keep them easily available when I am using them.  I have cut a little piece of mat board to keep the pins arranged once I close the lid.  I have used clear cellophane tape to create a hinge on the back side of these boxes which keeps all "the things" together so they can be found and stored away properly.  Below is how they look closed.

I have also used a pill bottle to store a variety of needles so they are close at hand and available when I need them.  

Below, I have sorted my pins on my sewing machine pin cushion as well.  I have a few needles, some long pins and two sewing machine needles which keeps them all handy!!

This pincushion sits on the extra thread pin I have on my sewing machine which is really handy.  It is a wooden spool with a cushioned wrap all the way around.  I had planned to make a more beautiful one if this concept worked well.  So far, I have not made a new one.

I store my blades for unstitching in a little plastic tin in which embellishments were sold.  It works really well and they are always safe and handy.  Therese