Sewing - three sets of potholders for my Christmas stash

 I stitched these three sets as well today!!  I used scraps of the Budweiser fabric with coordinating solids for the fronts of two of them.  One of them was backed with red and the other with navy.  The center set features birdhouse fabric and yellow scraps on each side.  I added several rows of stitching to each side of the center strips to keep all the layers together.  The birdhouses were backed with black.  These are going into my personal stash.  After my Mom passed earlier this year I decided I would be the one to take over making potholders for the family for Christmas.  She had made potholders for many years now and everyone gets to choose a new set at Christmas.  I am looking forward to adding a few more to this stash in the next little while.  Therese

Large all occasion card featuring a flower with fussy cut petals and stems and bright background

I have no cards in my stash!!  The last of them went out this morning so I decided to find a new technique and give it a go!!  I used a petal stamp with a couple flourishes and a little floursihed round stamp.  I stamped them in black ink on scraps from my red scraps bin.  It was fun to just stamp on all sorts papers and get as many as I could in each scrap.  Once they were dry, I fussy cut around them and stacked them with all the same paper in one pile.  Next, I started combining petals to see what I could invent for shapes.  A flower was a no brainer so that is what I started with.  I used a punched circle on the back and adhered all the petals points to it and then added the little flourished circle to the center.  I did manage to invent a few more shapes which will show up here once I get them blog.  I assembled all my fussy cut pieces into shapes and then started making cards.  

For this card, I started with a deep yellow card and trimmed a bright colour printed background for it.  I trimmed a stem and two leaves from green scraps.  I paper pierced these with my pattern tracing wheel and sanded the stem a bit then added watercolour.  I adhered the stem to the back of the flower and then played with placement on the background before securing the flower to the background.   Decided to add some layers between the stem and the leaves.  Prepped a torn piece of vellum, a red strip and a yellow strip.  They all got some paper piercing too!!  I added double sided tape to the back of the leaves and positioned them on my card without removing all the release tape.  I was then able to slip the strips between the stem and the leaves and secured them in place.  Finally, I removed the release paper from the back of the leaves and adhered them to the layers.  

It was fun to challenge myself to something different.  I have played with this technique before using magazine pages.  Scraps of paper provided more predictable results though I do like the scrappy collageness of the magazine pages.  Looking forward to making cards with all my little creations!!

Therese

 

Sewing - a variety of potholders - Budweiser and red, blue and floral, quilted red and beige

I worked on potholders today.  These have been sitting for quite a while with everything cut and ready to be sewn together.  They went together very quickly.  I made four sets with the Budweiser fabric on the outside and the red inside.  I quilted them all differently and added navy loops for hanging.  

The blue ones feature a floral blue fabric on the top and they are back with solid navy blue fabric.   I added an X in a square to keep the layers together.  

The dark red set have a solid deep red backs and quilted fronts.  To keep the layers together I did stitch in the ditch following the quilted pieces.  

These are going to the Everything Rhubarb event as well. 

Therese

 

Sewing - a little pouch with a rhinestone zipper with fun fabrics

I made up another little sewing project for The Everything Rhubarb event for the Gramma Link Africa group.  I found a tutorial on line @ erinerickson.com.  I did not do it quite like she did.  I cut three pink polka dot circles and folded two in half for the front.  I stitched them to each side of the black rhinestone zipper to make my top layer.  I did add a layer of flannel inside them.  I also put a layer of flannel between my third polka circle and the zebra lining circle to make up my back.  I did add several lines of stitching in pink on both the back and the front and a little black tab before stitching it together.   I laid them good sided together leaving the zipper open so I could turn it inside out.  Worked out really well!!  I trimmed the front to be even with the back (there was a bit extra fabric because I added the zipper) and then clipped  the seam allowance a bit to assist in giving the outside edge a smooth finish.  Once I had it turned inside out and pressed I added a row of stitching to keep everything well lined up and capture the seam allowance on the inside.  It is a sparkly little pouch that would be great for carrying earbuds, money or a spare plastic bag for your next shopping trip!!  

Therese

 

Cards for a prize - all occasion cards from my stash in a metal tin

I put together a group of nine cards to package as a prize for the upcoming Everything Rhubarb event for the Gramma Link Africa group coming up in a couple of weeks.  I just took a good variety of cards from my stash.  They are examples of the cards I have made it the last little bit.  When it came time to package them I decided to add one to make an even ten.  I wrapped them in cellophane and put them in the metal tin which has been around for a while.  I printed a visual of all the cards and added it to the inside of the tin.  It can now be displayed open and then easily closed.  I added an organza ribbon to make it pretty.  

Therese

Large all occasion card featuring a pieced background and leaf element with hand stitching

For this card I used the same paper piecing technique I used on my previous one.  I used red scraps which I cut into strips this time.  I added a stitched collage strip layered onto an orange one over the background and added three eyelets at the top to help keep it in place and add some interest.  I mounted this large element to my red card front.  For my focal element I used a leaf image (CLKER) which I watercoloured.  After it was dry I ran my pattern tracing wheel on all four edges.  I layered it onto a dark maroon piece of cardstock leaving more space on the right hand side.  I used a border punch to trim the edge and then added one embossed line which I created using my score tool.  I embellished the border by hand stitching with yellow heavyweight thread in and out of the holes in the border.  It was fun to take a bit of a break and sit with small project.  I mounted this focal element to my card using 3D foam tape.  Therese

NOTE: I just realized that I forgot to stamp stitching on this one!!! OOPS!
 

Large all occasion card featuring a paper pieced background with faux stitching and a cute ho air balloon

I used orange scraps to create the background for this card!!  I cut them into strips and then glued them within an X which I created with the first few pieces I glued down.  It was then quite easy to finish by just adding strips butting the ends to the X and the side to the one next to it.  I stamped "faux" stitching zig zag lines over the joints which gives a more interesting effect.  I added a length of wide orange organza ribbon before adding it to a large orange card.  I chose this fun hot air balloon (Digital Graphics Cafe) which I watercoloured to coordinate with my background!! I layered the image with green and blue cardstock and then added it to my card using 3D foam tape overlapping the ribbon and putting it at a bit of an angle to help it look like it was floating in the sky!!  Therese
 

Large birthday card featuring a cute cat and a black and white background

I have been having fun with paper scraps!!  I have been paper piecing backgrounds for cards and for this one I used black, gray and white scraps which I cut into strips and glued to a bond paper substrate starting with a X pattern near the middle.  I simply butted the scraps to the leg of the X and trimmed them off at the edge.  I used the zig zag stamp to add faux stitching to my background.  I adhered it to a large black card.  I watercoloured the cat (CLKER) to coordinate and when it was dry ran my pattern tracing wheel on all four edges.  I mounted it to a black rectangle of cardstock and added a variety of coordinating ribbons to the right hand side using double sided tape.  I like the little pop of orange on the cat which I echoed  with the ribbon.  Therese
 

All occasion cards made from kits - embossed mesh, sanded white core layer and fun images

I had a few card kits leftover from May Card Club so I made them up to add to my stash.  It is always fun to emboss and sand white core cardstock.  I then added colour embossed mesh for a pop of colour.  After adding the ribbon I added these backgrounds to my coordinating card fronts.  The images  a fun too!!  A little robot (Cre8tive Hands), candles (SU), dragonfly (SU) and little flower doodle I created.  I added paper piercing to all of them and yellow cardstock to the flower because it seemed to need " a bit of something" more.   More cards for my stash!!!!  There will be some for sale at the Everything Rhubarb event later in June.  Therese
 

Large all occasion card featuring a watercoloured swan over a paper pieced background in warm blue tones

I have started on my cards for next month's special occasions for my family.  I started by creating a paper pieced background using scraps of warm blue papers.  I trimmed all of them into stripes and glued them next to each other in an X pattern on a scrap piece of bond.  I used a zigzag stitch stamp and light aqua ink to add lines of "stitching" to each joint in the pattern.  Love how it looks!!  I added a length of light green ribbon across the trimmed background before adhering it to a large warm blue card front. I chose a beautiful swan image (CLKER) which I laser printed on white cardstock and then watercoloured.  I ran my pattern tracing wheel around all the edges and then layered it onto an extra wide coordinating layer.  I added a scalloped border (SU) on the right and then used my score tool to emboss four lines.  I used a 1/16" hole punch to add holes to each scallop.  I adhered the image over the background using 3D foam tape.  I have used this technique before and it was nice to revisit it!!

Therese

 

May Card Club - Card #3 - all occasion cards featuring a punchy balloon with a string over a decorative background

This was our last card for the evening.  I punched these little balloons from a decorative strip of watercolour paper to which I had applied a variety of liquid acrylic inks in very vibrant colours.  I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to fairly easily punch the watercolour paper.  After, punching a good little pile in a wide variety of colours I decided to mount them to coordinating layers of cardstock.  I choose a variety of sizes and colours.  I embossed the smaller one and sometimes trimmed or embellished the larger one  - added paper piercing on the middle card.  I tied the black thread to the balloon with a double knot and then mounted it to my layered cardstocks with 3D foam tape.  I adhered my backgrounds to my card fronts and then added my little balloon as suited my fancy.  We had a fun creative evening!!  This group always makes these kits their own and find ways to combine the pieces to make their cards unique!!  We will be back together in September after a summer break!!  Therese

 

May Card Club - Card #2 - a butterfly, postage stamp, ribbon and a doily combined to make a fun collage

For our second card I started with the little postage stamp stickers.  I have had these quite a while and have several times tried to incorporate them into my cards with not much luck.  This time around I am very pleased to have found a great way to include them!!  I added a coordinating butterfly sticker, a coordinating punchie of decorative paper, some ribbon and a small paper doily.  These elements were all collaged to a piece of coordinating decorative paper to create our cards.  It was fun to have so many different colours and textures with the papers and ribbon.  We started by gluing the doily to the decorative paper, added the ribbon and then the circle punchie.  We secured the ribbon ends to the back of the background paper and mounted this large element to our card fronts.  Then we added the postage stamp stickers and the butterflies.  We tied a short piece of ribbon to the one on our card to simulate a bow.    Really like how these worked out!!  Therese
 

May Card Club - Card #1 - all occasion cards featuring embossed and sanded background with ribbon and a small image

It was great to get back with my friends for a cardmaking evening!!!  For our first card, I started with  some embellished mesh which I created a while back using stamps and a variety of different colours of embossing powders including yellow, blue, pink, and metallics.  It was a fun creative time and I had quite a few pieces when I was finished.  I cut them up to make an accent layer on the cards for these kits.  I combined them with a coordinating piece of white core cardstock which I trimmed to layer nicely on a regular card in a coordinating colour.  We trimmed the outside edge the white core cardstock in a wavy pattern and then embossed them.  Next we sanded the embossing which reveled the white core and then added a bit of distressing to the outside edge with our sand paper or the distress tool.    We trimmed our mesh to have a wavy edge as well.  We used double sided tape to adhere the mesh to the white core piece and then added our ribbon which we tucked to the back and secured with double sided tape.  This large element was adhered to the front of our card.  I had provided a wide variety of images - both embossed and printed and let them choose the ones they wanted.  For these two - on the left a silver embossed flower which was fussy cut and then watercoloured to coordinate.  For the right one, a stamped bouquet of roses (SU) which I watercoloured to coordinate, trimmed with a wavy edge and then added paper piercing with my pattern tracing tool.  Might have been better to use a push pin to get a more even line but it worked out reasonably well.  I mounted my images to my card fronts using 3D foam tape.  These cards are colourful and have a lot of texture!!  Therese

Sewing - Black and turquoise casserole carrier for a 9" x 13" pan

This is the other casserole carrier I have been working on.  It also has cotton on the outside and a cotton/poly batting on the inside.  I had originally thought I would add two zippers to this one and reconsidered and added only one opening zipper on the top instead.  The zipper is a bit offset and to secure the casserole inside I added two black ties on each end with enough length for them to tie with a bow which makes them easy to undo.  I added turquoise handles which nicely complements the outer fabric.  The inside fabric is all colourful bottles and jars on a black background which worked really well.  I will be donating this casserole carrier to the Gramma Link Africa merchandise table at the Everything Rhubarb tea.  

Therese
 

Everything Rhubarb - a Gramma Link Africa event

 

The Gramma Link Africa group is hosting a tea on June 24th celebrate Everything Rhubarb!!

It will be a fun event and I look forward to seeing many of you there!!

Therese

Sewing - Brown, yellow and taupe gray casserole carrier for 9" x 13" pan

 I finally finished off this 9" x 13" casserole carrier which I started a while back.  It has an all around zipper which opens wide which easily allows the casserole to be put into the carrier and then the top flap is brought over and the zipper done up to keep the contents secure.  It took several goes for me to get the zipper installed properly but luckily I discovered my mistakes before getting all the way around which was less time consuming.  Two layers of cotton fabric with a cotton/poly batting which I quilting together before adding the brown handles.    I will be donating this carrier to the Gramma Link Africa merchandise table at our Everything Rhubarb tea in June.  Therese

Slow Stitching - handmade cards embellished with hand stitched elements

A few cards created with some beautiful fabric that found while sorting for the Gramma Africa Link fabric sale.  I trimmed out a few embroidered elements for hand stitching to the same interfacing I have been using for my other little pieces of stitching.  The fabric is very lustrous and it was easy to stitch to the interfacing.   I mounted the elements to embossed dark brown layered and then mounted them to ivory cards.  I have several yet to finish - they will show up here in time.  

Here are the cards I made up with the hand stitched pieces I showed you a while back.  I simply used double sided tape to secure my little pieces of hand stitched art to coordinating card fronts.  I have really enjoyed making these up and I will be bringing some to our next Gramma Africa Link event - our Everything Rhubarb tea in June.    

I am linking to Kathy's Quilts.  She hosts Slow Sunday Stitching every week and I will be linking these to her post for today.   I did do more slow stitching today which I hope I will be able to link up next week.  Always great inspiration on her blog!!  Go and check them out!!  Therese

Slow Stitching - some little stitched elements for adding to handmade cards

 I have been working on these small stitched elements which I will be adding to handmade cards.  The butterfly, leaves and bird are images which I traced out with a light gray pigment pen onto the off white cotton scraps and then embroidered with stem stitch in the appropriate colours.  I embellished these with Serwent Inktense watercolours.  I was very careful this time to not use too much water and to start all my applications to the interior of the designs and managed to get very little bleeding of colour outside the designs.  The watercolour becomes permanent once it dries.  After they were dry I also used the iron to flatten them out and they look great.  Really, loving the process!!

The other two are fabric elements which have been cut out of fabric and stitched to the cotton pieces.  The heart has purple stem stitch all the way around and stab stitches in three different colours on the inside.  The other flowers were little half circles trimmed from fun fabrica and stitched down using stem stitch in black floss and then added french knots and then some stems with leaves.  

I stitched all of these to the horsehair interface which very nicely simulates linen fabric.  I will add these to coordinating card front to finish them up. Will post them here once they are done.  You can check out a few more here and here and here.    Therese

Shirt savers - special request

 I have been working on a special request - six adult shirt savers!!  A friend and I committed to making a dozen of these before the fabric sale and decided with that commitment over we would get started.  I had made one of these for Dad when he went into care and had a pattern already worked up after some internet research to establish a size - approximately 36" x 18".  

I had to modify my pattern a little bit because the request specified a soft closure rather than a mechanical one (velcro, snaps, etc).  After a bit of research and some inquiries to some who work in the industry we were able to get a visual of the sort of closure that they had requested.  It entails pulling one of the ends through a hole in the other piece and folding it over to keep the shirt saver on.  It gives a very quick release as well when removing and nothing to worry about when they are sent off to the laundry.  I made up a couple patterns and my partner and I got started.  I passed on the cotton and flannel we had set aside as there was only enough to make six of them.  I dug through my stash of fabric and came up with several different pieces of cotton and a large piece of flannel.  Fortunately, there was a smaller scrap of flannel in what we had picked out and I was able to get another piece from the end of the large one we had set aside.  The piece I had made four so I was good to go!!!  I had cut all six out last week and was able to get all the sewing done today!!  We decided to sew the cotton and flannel with good sides together and leave an opening so we could turn the whole thing inside out.  I added two rows of stitching all the way around and then cut a slot (1.25") in one of the sides to which I added a length of seam binding.  I then stitched the two sides to each other before finishing off the edge with another length of seam binding.  It makes a neat finish and easily identifies where the slot is.  I had cut a 1.5" slot in my prototype but it was made out of different fabric and three layers.  I decided to start with 1.25" because these were lighter and I am glad I did.  I put the cotton on the front and flannel on the back but really these are reversible and can be used with either side to the front and with the colours I chose should be gender neutral on at least one side.  I hope the person we made them for will be happy with our efforts and I am sure they will be put to good use!!!  Therese

Birthday card featuring an origami dress, fun ribbon and background and an embellished greeting

I am really having fun with folding origami dresses!!!  I folded another one for this birthday card for one o of my grand daughters.   Check out Tuscon Happenings for instructions in PDF format.  I added battenburg lace at the waist and embellished it with a silver flower sequin which I adhered with a tiny silver brad.  I tore my fun background paper and backed the opening with ivory paper than added a bright pink ribbon which I secured inside the card with double sided tape.  I added the dress with 3D foam tape and then worked on my colour printed font greeting.  I trimmed and paper pierced the edges, added an embossed line which I created using my score tool.  I added two pink eyelets and then tied yellow cording to it.  I mounted it to my card using double sided tape.  I made the back of the dress neat so that she could remove it and use it as a book mark!!   Therese