Sewing - large hot pad with a removable washable cover with four different looks

I have been playing with this idea for a while and decided I would give it a try.  A hot pad that has a removable & washable cover.  This way you just wash the cover and with the four different fabrics included in the cover it can span several occasions and appeal to a wider audience.     The pad (13" x 16") is made up of two layers of cotton batting with a metallic insulated layer in between.  I laid two layers of cotton flannel cut to 14" x 17" right sides together and pinned them to the "inside" piece. I stitched all the way around leaving a gap to turn it inside out.  After turning it inside out I removed the pins.  I should have counted them because I missed one and had to undo my edge seam to remove it.  I restitched my gap by hand after removing the pin.  I added a line of stitching all the way around at about 1.25" or so.  It will not need much washing if it is always used with the cover.  The cover is made up of four pieces of cotton fabric pieces with an accent strip - two vertical - 2 horizontal.  Just the way the pieces worked out.  There is a winter scene with mountains and a starry sky, one with fun flowers in white vases, a beautiful batik in browns, yellow and orange flowers and a floral with a dark pink strip.  It should cover most seasons and occasions and certainly should provide some options for anyone who is looking for a certain colour or design.  I cut the pieces 14" x17" and sewed  3/8" seams when I was assembling it.  It makes a double sided tube with two fabrics on the outside and two on the inside.  By turning it inside out it features the other two fabrics.  I just folded the pad in half and lined up the two long edges with the seams in the cover and flattened it out inside.  It is a bit snug so will use 1/4" seams next time.  I used cotton thread as well to make it all cotton.  It is a flexible item that is perfect for your table when you have a large casserole dish or two smaller ones.  Protects your table and looks beautiful all the while.   Therese

Sewing - two table runner for merchandise for our Gramma Link Africa - Chili for a Cause on October 23rd

I worked on projects for our next event with Gramma Link Africa - Chili for a Cause.  A table runner (31.5 x 15") which turned out quite nice.  I have not made many table runners before but I really liked this colour combination and theme.  Christmas with white doves and silvery snowflakes and on the other side coffee!!!  For anyone who has red as a part of their kitchen/dining room will appreciate this table runner.  I added polyester batting and sewed it all around and turned in inside out and finished the outside edge with top stitching.  I used my walking foot and its guide to add some quilting about 3" apart at a 45 degree angle.  

 I made this Christmas table runner first!!  Doves on red on one side and a snowy mountain scene on the other side (30" x 15").  Again, polyester batting which I stitched to the red side before placing them back to back and stitching all the way around.  Once I turned it inside out I top stitched all the way around.  I added more straight lines of quilting between the ones I had put in to secure the batting.  I had not yet taken out my walking foot and it might have been a good idea.  

There is always a learning curve.  

These are both not too thick though they do have some dimension because of the fluffy batting.  

Therese

Cardmaking - Card #3 - inked glossy backgrounds with black embossed stamped images and a die cut frame

 For our last card I always create a quick and easy one!!!  These ones feature the backgrounds I was experimenting with before I came up with the technique for our first card.  It was a fun afternoon of playing with ink, water and alcohol!!!!  So I decided to use them for this set of cards.  I decided to stamp black images onto the backgrounds but wanted to highlight them in some way.  I eventually chose to die cut a long tall rectangle from a piece of white cardstock.  I then embossed them with a texture embossing folder (SU).  With this new element I was able to reasonably position my stamped images where the frame could easily be placed to have the image highlighted in the opening of the frame.  It is a little tricky to stamp with embossing ink on glossy cardstock - can easily slip and make a smudged background that cannot be rescued!!  So I chose to stamp all the images for these cards.  So the assembly was quite straight forward.  We embossed our background with a little dots strip embossing folder, highlighted them with contrasting ink and then adhered them to our card bases.  A bit of embellishment to the frame if we wanted to and adhered them to the front to highlight the stamped images!!  Quick and easy!!!  Therese

Cardmaking - Card #2 - fun backgrounds, layered cardstock and watercoloured and embossed images

 For our second card we added ribbon/seam binding to our scrapbook or collaged backgrounds using double sided tape.  Again, we tied the piece to trimmed off to the front using a single knot to simulate a bow before adding these to our card bases.  

The embossed images were ready to go - the black and white (laser printed) ones were watercoloured to coordinate with the backgrounds.  They were then embellished with paper piercing (pattern tracing wheel), and or distressed on the edges.  Their backgrounds were created by placing coordinating cardstock strips next to each other, taped on the back and then trimmed to size for each image.  We embossed our backgrounds and embellished with the pattern tracing wheel and/or the distress tool.  We adhered our images to their layers and then added 3D foam tape to the back and positioned them over the ribbon/seambinding on the front of our cards.  Lots of variations and colour combinations for this set of cards.   Therese

Cupcake - Cre8tive Hands, little flower (my doodle), fall wreath (Beccy's Place), flower wreath (Melonheadz Ilustration), embossed cup with a flower (Cuttlebug).  

Cardmaking - Card #1 - Distress ink background on glossy embossed and highlight with ribbon and black accents

 

It was so nice to see my cardmaking friends again!!!  This was the first card we made.  Glossy cardstock which has been dipped into puddles of Distress ink and water.  We dabbed the ink pads on plastic (packaging) and then spritz it with water one colour at a time cleaning our plastics in between.  It was a fun process of adding colour here and there, drying, and adding a different colour until we were happy with our creations.  Next, we embossed the colourful glossy background and applied a different colour of ink sparingly to highlight the embossed areas.  So fun!!  That was followed by choosing one of our first colours and dyeing our seam binding to coordinate.  Just dabbed the ink on our clean plastics, spritzed water and then placed our seam binding into the puddle and moved it around with a bamboo stick until it was completely dyed.  We carefully dried it with the heat gun.  After auditioning our accents we added a length of seam binding to our background using double sided tape on the back.  We tied the piece we trimmed off to the front using a single knot to simulate a bow.  

The embellishments were all die cut from black because I could not predict what colours each person would use when creating their backgrounds.  We slipped these under our ribbon and added dots of glue OR 3D foam tape depending on how delicate the embellishments were.  All the die cuts are from Tim Holtz.  

It is so great to be creating with others and we always learn from each other and each person follows their muse when they are creating.  It really is so wonderful how one kit with all the same supplies can be used to create such a diverse and interesting cards!!  Therese

Slow Stitching - potholders with the holes embellished with embroidery

 I finished another potholder.  I added stab stitches to the yellow fabric in brown and added small blue french knots in between.  On the edge of the blue fabric I added blanket stitching in yellow and added another line of blanket stitch facing the other way with the long stitch in between those of the yellow line of stitching.  On the brown fabric I added a line of back stitch and the whipped it with yellow once around.  Glad to have one more done.  Two more to go!!  Therese

Slow Stitching - a set of potholders with slow stitched circles

We were going camping last week and I needed a new slow stitching project as I had finished up the little birds the previous week.  I choose some coordinating fabrics and decided to do circles!!  I worked out the size I would need for the circles for the 7" potholders I will be making.  I decided to use the circle and the hole I cut to get the circle so there will two views of these to make a set.  After cutting the circles I cut out a backer for the circles and the stitched the circle to the backer with my sewing machine to keep them in the proper alignment and ensure I don't misplace any.  I started this set with a running stitch which follows the sewing  machine stitching line in the colours of the two other circles - so blue and yellow will be used on the brown circle.  I did a double whipped stitch on the running stitch to get this cool looking stitched line.  It was really easy to do.  I got the idea from my sister, Sylvia, who is following K3N Cloth Tales on her 2025 year long slow stitching project.  Katherine was talking about this technique in one of her videos and after Sylvia description I was able to stitch this line.  I will have to check and see if this ones is similar to Katherine's.  It is a start on this four piece project  - two sets of potholders!!!  Therese

 

Quilting - pink, green and yellow pinwheel quilt pieces with hand stitched stars

 I have been working on this project for a while.  I hand stitched the stars, chose the fabric and it sat for quite a while.  The other day I had a bit of time so I cut the strips I needed from each colour and stitched up the squares.  They are now sitting and waiting for me to have a bit more time.  I will have more time once the garden is harvested and the fall cleaning up is done!!  Therese

All occasion card featuring a napkin layer, punched border, flagged strip with embellished brads and a cute daisy

 I worked up another card using part of the daisy napkin!!! For this card I added a green border to the bottom edge of my card which I had bordered punched with this leafy pattern.   I trimmed a piece of white cardstock and added the daisy napkin (top layer only) by gluing it to the front and then the edges over to the back.  I added some paper piercing (pattern tracing wheel) and then adhered it to my card front on the left.  I watercoloured the little daisy yellow and added paper piercing to it as well.  It fit just perfectly in the bottom right hand corner with the daisy element to the left.  I needed a bit of something to add above the daisy.  I finally decided on a piece of green cardstock paper pierced, flagged on the end with three little embellished brads inserted near the flagged end.  Perfect!!!  I adhered all my elements to my card and added the daisy with 3D foam tape.  Really happy with the way it turned out!!  Therese

Slow Stitching - all the little birds

I have finally finished up my little birds that I started quite a while ago.  I have been working on them off and on and in the last couple of weeks have applied myself more diligently as the repetitiveness has gotten to me and I needed them all finished.  They are half circles of fabric with hand cut hearts for wings.  I hand stitched the beaks and tails and legs before I stitched the bird in place.  Generally, with little stitches all the way around the edge and then a variety of stitches to fill in the body.  I did the same for the wings - all the way around and then filler stitches.  They will be part of a quilt at some time in the future.  Until then, they await in their little ziploc.  

Therese

 

Sewing - potholders with washable removable covers designed as a flip top pouches

I created a rectangle of fabric (22 3/4" x 8 1/2") to create the flip top pouch which will  hold the "inside" of my potholder.  This piece now measures 21 1/4" x 8 1/2" with a doubled over quarter seam folded edge on the right hand side and a half inch double folded seam on the folded edge on the left hand side. My "inside" measures 7.5" square and consists of 4 layers of flannel stitched with a cross and square to keep them all together.  I have folded this piece to fit around it.  I figured out where the folds had to be by simply wrapping this piece around the "inside" and marking the folds.  

You need to fold the left hand side over the middle section.  This piece will be the front of the pot holder and will create a pocket for your hand when using the potholder.  Then fold the right hand side to the center over the left hand side.  It will be the inside of the pocket.  It will come up to about a 1/4" short of the left hand side.  

To finish it you simply sew a seam (1/4") on both top and bottom.  To reveal the pocket for the "insides" you turn this inside out.  Insert the "insides"(below) and then flip the top side over and it encased the "insides" and creates the pocket on the front.  

After working this out and taking the insides out several times I expect that most people will not be willing to remove the cover for washing and put it back on.  The two might very well become separated if the cover spends too much time in the laundry basket.   The construction would have to be very consistent so that any "inside" fits in any cover.  

I think I will reformat the size into a cover for a hot pad instead with a smaller flip top or some other kind of closure.  I would then make the cover different on each side  - one fall and the other Christmas or spring and Easter, etc.  or just two different fabrics.  I will do some research and see what size would be best and make a prototype!!  Watch here for it!!  Therese