Fabric dyeing - braided trivets, floral fabric, a few cottons and some poly cottons

I played with dying fabric this weekend.  I started with these braided trivets which I made a while back.  The original fabric was multicoloured with red, blue, black and white and I upcycled it by tearing strips of about 1.25" and braiding them into long lengths.  I used navy thread and a wavy decorative stitch when I sewed up these round trivets using a heavyweight brown and navy floral fabric as the substrate.  So the colours were off in regards to coordinating so I dyed them with Navy Rit Fabric Dye!!!  They turned out well in colour but in hindsight I would have preferred to have a finished substrate as the dying and washing frayed it quite a bit.  I will trim off the long pieces and use blanket stitch with navy embroidery thread to finish off the edge of the substrates.  I really like how the front of these look with the original colours providing some variety in the colour and the braiding giving them nice texture.  I have one more length of the braid which I dyed and so will see about sewing that up into a trivet with a more suitable substrate fabric.  I did dye some of the brown and navy floral so I may use some of those pieces.  The two lighter ones were only left for a few minutes and therefore the pattern shows quite nicely.  As the dye became diluted I continued to add pieces of fabric - white cotton, blue cotton with a printed white zigzag pattern, the peony fabric (cotton) had a white background, several pieces of white poly cotton which did not take the dye as easily and lastly a pair of light coloured jeans which are now more a medium tone.  I rinsed them until the water ran clear and then washed and dried them.  New fodder for getting creative with!!!!   I always enjoy dying fabric and am looking forward to doing some red and maybe brown as well.  Therese

 

Cardmaking - small slim cards featuring focal elements from used cards

I made up some slim cards as an experiment and they turned into Father's Day cards and a birthday card!!  I cut the cardstock from 8.5" x 11 cutting two strips about 3 3/8" wide and 11" long.  I used the scrap that was left over to add pieces to the bottom of the fronts to make them the right size.  I used regular tape on the front to keep them in place.  The tape will be covered by the decorative paper.  I added decorative paper to each of them  - had to piece together the one for the flower card.  I added little fishing images from another card on the three cards and added a greeting as well.  I added a strip of rose cardstock to the pink one to which I had added a bit of white seam binding folded over and secure with a flower and brad.  This element was positioned below the focal element to finish off the card.  

I was really glad to find a way to make slim cards with 8.5" x 11" cardstock!!

Therese

 

Cardmaking - a dryer sheet flower with a brad and sequin over an arty background

A card for someone special on one of their special days!!!  I made a dryer sheet flower and painted it blue and yellow.  I embossed a strip of vellum which I embossed with a plaid embossing folder.  I mounted the flower with the gold brad and then found some green yarn to make the stem and leaves.  I pierced the vellum with a needled about every half inch along a very lightly drawn  pencil line on the back and then used a piece of green embroidery thread to couch the yarn to the vellum.  I used the remainder of the yarn to make a leave on each side and a bit of greenery on the bottom also stitched in place.  I like it!!!  I found a green and blue decorative paper which I cut and then tore in two pieces.  I adhered them to my yellow card after adding paper piercing all the way around the outside edges of the two pieces.  I used double sided tape to secure the vellum to the front of my card which is discreetly hidden by the flower and leaves.    Therese

 

Sewing - a set of three little chicken pin cushions

 I worked on these little chicken pincushions this week.  I found some quilt squares which I have acquired over time and chose several to make these cute little chicken pin cushions.  They are constructed from two squares of fabric with some flannel (batting) which I stitched to them following the stitching lines on the squares.  I did peruse several places on line to find instructions and settled for ones with beaks, tails and combs.  The bottom is stitched with an opening for stuffing later, the front is where the beak goes (prairie point), the comb goes on the top and the tail (larger prairie point) in inserted in the back.  You stitch starting with the bottom, then the front and the top.  Then you line up the side seams, insert the tail and stitch this last side. It creates a very cute little triangle shape.  I stuffed them with my "stuffing" and it worked really well.  I did add about an 1/8th of a cup of rice at the bottom before hand stitching the opening closed which gives them a bit of weight.  They sit very nicely - about 3" tall!!!  I stitched on two black beads for the eyes which worked perfectly!!!   A fun experiment which I will likely try again with squares of my own creation next time!!  Therese

Stuffing created using lofty fabrics which I trimmed out for cardholders

 I acquired several pieces of fabric while checking out our Trash to Treasure event.  Items you no longer want but are still useable are set out near your front walk with FREE sign and people can come around and see if there is anything there they want to take home.  We put out a variety of items and all were rehomed.  We had put out 3 toilets but because they are ceramic which if broken would present a danger to workers were not allowed to be picked up by the city after the event so those were brought to the landfill the following week.  I used two little pieces of fabric I picked up and washed to make batting for my card holders!!  I cut up the scraps into bits to use as stuffing!!   No waste!!  Therese

Quilting - four blocks for a memorial quilt for my Mom

I made these quilt blocks a while back and had set them aside so I could hand stitch the little yellow hearts to the houses.  I finally got to that task today!!  It was suggested at a get together last year at my sister's house that we should make a memorial quilt in memory of our Mom.  There were several suggestions and ideas were presented by several of us (I am one of six girls) and it was finally left with these parameters - blue, yellow and white and any quilt block would be fine and that anyone who wanted to do hand stitching could.  It was revived by one of my other sisters recently as we are having a family reunion in July this summer and we have invited everyone who wants to make a square to contribute to the quilt.  Several of my sisters are experienced quilters and several of us seriously dabble and quite often are less than traditional with our approach.  In the extended family the same situation exists - some more serious than the others.  So we are hoping that many will take on the task of remembering our Mom in the making of a quilt square.  These are the four that I made.  My flying geese instructions make four flying geese at a time so I made four of them.   They become the blue sky and white roofs of my houses.  I added yellow and blue strips in a log cabin (generally - but not precisely) manner around the houses until they were 11" square.  Our Mom was the heart of our home and the most important square in the log cabin block is the central block - the heart and hearth!!!!  The blue swirl fabric came from one of my Mom's blouses which I acquired when she passed away.  I am so looking forward to seeing what my family members will be making for squares for this quilt.  One of my sisters provided the quilt block information to be passed on to all of the family through email.  She will be collecting the blocks at our reunion in July and then putting them together into a quilt top and then finishing it.  It will be returned to our next reunion as a silent auction prize.  

Therese

 

Art Date - Dying fabric with paint with my sister

 My sister, Sylvia, was here for a few days and we played with dying fabrics with paint.  We tried a variety of different mediums and techniques which all worked out well.  We washed our fabrics and found that several did lose colour while others did not at all.  It seems more connected to the fabric we used rather than the paints.  We used a variety of white cotton fabrics.  It was a very fun experience and Sylvia is looking forward to using some of these for hand stitching for handmade cards and as background for artwork for shows.  Therese

Cardmaking - embossed pearl backgrounds with butterflies and greeting for IWIN

 I have incorporated some of the pearly backgrounds I made last week into cards for IWIN.  I got the butterfly diecuts at a garage sale a while back thought they would complement each other well.  I dusted the pearl background with a bit of powder to ensure they would release well from the embossing folders and then added fiber or cardstock strips then adhered them to coordinating card fronts.  I then added the butterflies with 3D foam tape and the layered "Thinking of you" greetings with double sided tape.  They turned out really beautiful and I know they will bless those who receive them.  IWIN  rescues persons from human trafficking and gives them a chance to start a new life.  Therese