Surprises Are Wonderful

I inherited a few more quilt tops from my mother.  I will post them in the coming weeks.  I finished this beauty for my brother.  My mom's sewing on this top is so precise and exquisite.  I varied the distance between the rows in my straight line machine quilting to create a pattern, but it's not highly noticeable.  I just did it to make the quilting fun.  I really wanted the piece work to shine.  The fabric and overall simplicity make it beautiful.  

Best of all, my brother and sister-in-law absolutely love it.  They were very surprised when UPS delivered it, and surprises are wonderful.

Be Creative and thanks for stopping by. 

Dresden Plate Quilt

I inherited some vintage pieced dresden plates.  I think they were pieced by my grandmother, so they are very special.  I made the quilt for my beautiful daughter.  

Two of the plates had a pale yellow center, but Lisa loves white, so I replaced those.  I appliqued the plates on a white background, added a bright backing, and scalloped the edges.  Hand quilting is too slow for me, so I straight line quilted it on my machine with a walking foot. What a great experience.  I loved making the quilt and we both love the results.  I was happy she wanted to show it off in the photo.

Be Creative and thanks for stopping by. 

New Sewing Room

It’s been a month since I’ve posted, but I've been very busy.  I got some cabinets and an oak table top for Christmas.  I was so excited.  After we got the furniture all set up, I was able to sift through some boxes that I inherited from my mom.   

I have lots of tools and thread that I store in the IKEA drawers.  My fabric stash is not huge, so it fits in the corner shelves.  I have a huge closet behind this view to store white fabrics, yarn, and other supplies.

I have IKEA shelves to store projects that my mom had started.

I also inherited a craft table for cutting and ironing that I move next to the oak sewing table to layout and baste my quilt layers.

I have a linen texture on the walls, which I laugh about now, because its' not new, but I love it.  I do need more artwork for inspiration.  I love working in my new space.  

I have finally started quilting and have 4 completed.  I hope you visit to see how they turned out. 

Be Creative and thanks for stopping by. 

Jewelry Dish

I have one more gift item that would have spoiled surprises by posting before Christmas. I made jewelry dishes from air dry clay. I got 6 small dishes from one block of DAS clay. 

I kneaded the clay until it was workable and rolled it out directly on my granite counter top.  Then I used a craft knife to cut around a scallop die that I pressed onto the clay. In the center, I pressed a Hero Arts rubber stamp to make the lace impression.  Then I laid and formed the shape in a small cereal bowl and let it dry for about 2 days until it released.  I let it dry for 2 more days, painted it with silver water based paint, and sealed it with Krylon Triple Thick Glaze.

The little bracelet is from a pattern I saw on Purl Soho.  I used some cord from my card making stash and vintage buttons from my mom’s button box.  The knots can be adjusted to fit each person comfortably.

Who said you can’t use card making supplies for other goodies? 

Be Creative and thanks for stopping by. 

Knitted Scarves

I am posting this after Christmas because some surprises would have been spoiled. It’s getting to be a tradition that our girls all get a newly knitted scarf for Christmas and I love making them.  This pattern was a simple 12 row repeat that was easy to do in front of the TV, with just enough variety to make it fun to knit.  The pattern is included in “6 Simple Scarves” knit pattern book that I purchased from Annie's Craft store on-line.  I love that I can download my patterns and get right to work.  I used Caron Cakes yarn, which creates fun stripes. I added some matching wrist warmers and the gifts were a big hit.

Be Creative and thanks for stopping by.

Knitted Gloves

Our guys are all getting knitted wrist warmers this year.  These wrist warmers are a great way to use up stash.  I found a simple pattern on Yarnspirations that I adapted slightly.

Inspiration for the wrist warmers came from a recent trip we took to Franklin, Tennessee.  It was a windy crisp day, but we found our knitted wrist warmers to be a great solution to keep our hands warm while we snapped photos of the grounds. 

A major Civil War battle took place at the Carter House in Franklin.  The family, servants, and a few neighbors took refuge in the cellar while the battle raged in their yard.  I would not have been able to imagine their plight without visiting the site.

The Carnton Plantation, in Franklin, was used as a Military Hospital during and after the battle.  After the war, the owners of the plantation donated ground for a Confederate Cemetery.  The soldiers were buried by State, and curators of the estate still escort family members to individual graves when they visit, just as the original family did so many years ago.

Our trip was an eye opener for us.  You can read about things that happen historically, but the stories of the historians at the sites, brought it all to life.

Be Creative and thanks for stopping by. 

Christmas Cards for Shut-ins

I host a group of friends at my home every other month or so to make cards for our All Saints Parish Shut-ins.  We like to make them feel included all through the year.  I picked a tri-fold design this year with a peek-a-boo ornament cut out and die cut sentiment on the front.  The middle fold completes the ornament and the sentiment.  We will write a nice message on the inside.  I embossed a super fun stamp set and used Copic markers to add color.

Be Creative and thanks for stopping by.