A set of cards as a gift with decorative paper backgrounds and coordinating butterflies

I made this set of cards as a gift.  I used white card bases, added a variety of backgrounds using decorative papers and then stamped this butterfly image in a coordinating colour on white as the focal element.    The first one has a full size purple background with a sanded purple stripe of white core paper. I mounted the butterfly image (SU) which I fussy cut after it was dry to my card using 3D foam tape.  The second one has three layers of this fun green paper with a little stripe of blue in between on a white card basse.  The butterfly was stamped in Ochre, fussy cut and mounted with 3D foam tape.  The third one is very much the same except in purple!!  The next one has a piece background with the butterfly layered onto yellow.  I embossed a line with my score tool, used the scallop border punch (SU) next and then used a 1/16" punch to punch holes in the scallops. Mounted it to my card with 3D foam tape.  The next one has a full background of green with white polka dots to which I added a length of white vintag seam binding and then tied on a short length to simulate a bow.  After adhering the background to the card I added the butterfly using 3D foam tape. For my last card I trimmed a piece of decorative paper a bit smaller than my card into four and adhered them neatly spaced on my white card front.  I stamped the butterfly, fussy cut its edges and then adhered it to a yellow layer which had distressed edges.  This element was adhered to my card front using 3D foam tape.  Happy with how all of these turned out.  It was quick and easy to choose one set of design elements and then change up the colours and embellishments to make them all unique.  Therese

 

All occasion card featuring a large fussy cut gift, embossed vellum and brad embellishments

Another pink and green card!!  I really love this one!!  I trimmed the swirly pink background, added a swirly embossed (CB) strip of torn vellum across the middle and then the three silver brads before mounting it to my green card front.  The gift (Artful Stamper) was silver embossed and fussy cut.  I watercoloured it to coordinate with the rest of the card!!  

Therese

Slow Stitching - cat squares

 I started this slow stitching project earlier this year.  The cat fabric was donated to me and I thought they were so cute it seems overkill to put them all in the same place.  I cut all the cats out  - they were randomly distributed on black with gray cat paws in between.  After cutting them all out I decided to apply them to black squares which I would then assemble into a quilt.  Turns out there were enough with some sashing to make two quilts.  I took the time to arrange them all so that like ones were not touching and to distribute colours as best as I could.  I think there are 7 different cats and they were not in even numbers so it took a little to get a good layout in each quilt.  I layered and marked them as to which quilt (1,2), which row (1-8), and then their place in the row (1-5).  I then cut some black squares of fabric (6.5") to stitch the cats to.  Very quickly, it became apparent that all the time I spend organizing these cats could easily be lost by mixing up the squares as a stitched.  I decided to pin the cats to the squares and then mark the back to show their place in the row.  I kept my original markers for which quilt and the row number ( to the left in the photo).  Once I actually started stitching I found that it was difficult to keep the fabrics well aligned as a stitched so I decided to stitch the cats to the squares using black thread and my sewing machine.  This ensured that none of them got mixed up and that they remained flat to each other as I stitched.  Glad I did!!  I have been using embroidery thread in colours from the cat images to stitch them to the squares using a variety of stitches.  It has been fun to experiment with colour combinations and different stitches.  The funky edges were created as I cut out the cats without wasting any fabric.  

You can see that in some I rounded the corners a bit because it worked better for the stitching I was doing.  So they will all be different and I am hoping will end up making nice quilts.  I am not sure I will be able to wait to include 40 of these into one quilt.  I am already thinking of putting one row into a quilt using some bright fabric scraps in much the same way I have been working my other quilt - a row with hand stitching as a focal point and rows of stitched scraps and lengths to make up the rest.  We shall see!!  Therese 

NOTE:  Detailed photos of each square will show up in following posts a row at a time!

Care bear quilt top

 I worked most of the day yesterday and managed to get this care bear quilt top finished.  I had only pieces to work with so I made sure all of them were standing up and then added pieces where necessary.  I had one long strip and the goal was to make the  pieces into strips of the same lenght so that no Care Bears had to be sacrificed to the trimming of this top.  I ended up not needing to add to the right hand side row - the pieces as they were cut were long enough so I created some strips of white cotton coated with fusible webbing and joined the pieces as they were.  I found some pink seam binding which was just the right width once opend to cover the front an make the joint secure.  I had two in this piece.  On the left hand one I had to add two strips of yellow to make two of the pieces wide enough and again there was no extra fabric for the seams so I applied the same treatment.    Next, I did up both of the left hand pieces joining the bottom two and then the top two.  I had just enough of the yellow fabric to fill in the middle section of both of these strips so I used the same techinque to join these pieces into two strips.  I used white seam binding because I did not have any more pink.  It trimmed out pretty good. I had measured and sewed carefully to ensure the best results in getting the ends to align.  It is not perfect but no care bears had to be sacrificed!!!  I will be slow stitching some hearts in the yellow strips before adding batting, backing and binding.  Pretty happy with how it worked out.  

Therese