turkey feathers

Back in the Saddle

I'm thrilled to be back in the studio.  Finished up several things. My sewing machine was humming along all weekend and so was I.  After I stitched up the Redwork piece, I wanted to do something with it and this is how it ended up.  Behold: my "Hugs and Kisses" bag.   I think I'll leave this hanging around, just in case someone wants to surprise me and drop something sweet in there.  Anyway, what makes this bag fun (besides the gift potential) is that it's constructed almost entirely from pre-cut jelly-roll strips; that means, no measuring or cutting.  Not to sound lazy or anything, but time is often a deciding factor with a project like this and short-cuts are most welcome.  The whole thing went together rather quickly too and that made me immensely happy.  I'm discovering you can do so much with these pre-cut strips.  Even cutting out diamonds and other shapes with relative ease for quiltmaking.  I know.  Everyone probably already knew that, right?  I'm slow, but I catch on eventually! 

Here's a sneak-preview of the Woody Alphabet I used here, which will be available Wednesday, on my website, along with the new bonus transfer set for Jan-Feb.  Also, another blog give-away, and a freebie pattern for all, so be sure and stop by for some XOX from me to you!

Mixed Bag

Here we have another big roomy tote bag, and just in time for a sweet little girlfriend who turned eight years old; the party was yesterday afternoon, so time was of the essence you see.  Which accounts for these less than stellar photos.  I can also blame the weather, because it's been a wee bit stormy and dark these past few days and I've been way too busy to rig up some decent lighting.  I'm happy with how this bag turned out though; especially the mix of patterns and colors. Right now I am concentrating on getting my house back in order... prompted only after the sun came out briefly and shined a light on the crumbs, cobwebs and dusty corners, and reminded me that a little sprucing up is in order.  But if I wanted to I could always revert to plan B:.If your house is really a mess and a stranger comes to the door, greet them with, "who could have done this?  We have no enemies."           ~Phyllis Diller

Winding Down

Well, sort of...I'm almost to the finish line.  For the time being anyway.  No rest for the weary.  I say that in jest though you know, because we do have choices here.  I'm happiest when I'm productive and busy I guess.  Company is gone (miss you guys already) and now we have THREE birthdays coming up, one right after another.  What do you give a child who just had Christmas?

A tote bag to tote all the treasures around in, that's what.

So, I reaquainted myself with my trusty sewing machine again (it's been way too long baby!) and whipped up a bag for a special little friend of Ginger's who just turned nine years old yesterday.    Personalized it with her initials in wool felt.  Very fun handwork while watching "Meet Me In St. Louis" (Judy Garland).  The little "tag" on the side is message twill that reads: adventure.  And so with that in mind, I'd like to wish everyone *happy adventures* in the coming New Year!

Keep On Truckin'

There's been so much going on around here (August is always a busy month!) that I forgot to show this bag I made last week for a little birthday guy who turned 5 years old Sunday.  It was really fun making something for a boy this time.   This whole project was a trip down memory lane for me too because it reminded me of my son Aaron when he was little and how we stenciled a border of Marimekko boboo cars on the walls of his room (to match his sheets).  It was a lot of work, because store-bought borders weren't available at that time and I had to make my own stencils, climb a ladder, dob paint until I thought my neck would break and my arms would fall off, but it all turned out very cute and colorful.  Now I see they have come up with an easier way to decorate using this wallcandy.  I still love how all this looks, it's such a clean timeless design.  Anyway, I took my cues from the toy shop trucks and a puzzle we found for the birthday boy, and designed a little carry-all using the same primary colors.  I'm probably the last one to get around to the freezer paper stencil.  I've used it for years for applique, and this was the perfect opportunity to finally try it out and like everyone else, I love how easy it is.  Just like magic when you peel off the paper and a perfect shape appears.  Here's a nice simplified tutorial if you missed it.  And look what else you can do with them here, here and here.  Who knew you could have this much fun with freezer paper? For the "road" I used a chain stitch down the middle of one side in one inch intervals marked with chalk.  The ruler twill tape added a nice touch too.  You never know when he might need to measure something, right?  Found that here.  The little tab on the side says, travel.  That just seemed fitting somehow.  I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out and he liked it too.  Started filling it up with all his new toys right away.  More pictures over here.

Summer Twins

The cooler weather this weekend was perfect for getting out in the yard and catching up on gardening chores.  We got a lot accomplished but I'm definitely feeling it today.    With August only a day away there's suddenly that "lost summer" vibe in the air even though I'm not necessarily feeling that way.   There's just an awareness that the season is nearly over and I should make the most of it.  Which accounts for my sporadic posts anyway.  It's a busy time, I tell ya!

So, going back to Friday, I finished this pair of seasonal dolls, (formerly known as 'thing one and thing two') in the nick of time; one's for Ginger and the other was a birthday present for a little friend.  I thought it would be fun to make matching dolls, and it was, but after wards it was kind of hard to break up the set.  Especially after I saw this picture, with them looking so sisterly and all.  Kind of like separating twins at birth or something.   In the end I added a flower to one (to tell them apart) and made a little bag to go along with her.  I used rainbow colored embroidery floss for the name patch.  Love how it turned out.  The birthday party was a lovely morning affair; a brunch with delicious homemade strawberry shortcake.  We rode over there with friends who live nearby and after a couple of hours, Missy and I left the kids bouncing on the trampoline and headed up the road a ways to a farm stand and found fresh picked peaches, corn on the cob, and cucumbers waiting.  All of which ended up on the menu this weekend. On the way back, we stopped at a quaint Mennonite bakery, to find the most heavenly cinnamon rolls, soft raisin cookies, and homemade noodles.   The bakery doubles as a home, or vice versa, with the front part of the house set up as a little shop with handmade quilts, plain and simple dresses, needlework, teacups, books, and that sort of thing.  The kitchen was sparse with a table and a rack of bakery goods. Out in front, a collection of wooden patio furniture caught my eye.  Swings, picnic tables, benches, all beautifully made.  Definitely going back for more of those cinnamon rolls.  They disappeared rather quickly here this weekend. (ahem.)

Reveillez vos sens

I've started a few sewing projects, but as it warms up, the great outdoors keeps calling "yoo-hoo" so I've been slow to actually finish anything.  This dainty bag is one I started over a week ago and have been working on, bit by bit, in between all the real-life stuff that always takes the wheel.  My starting point for this was an old pillowcase, part of a set my grandmother gave the Mister and I, as a wedding present after we were married.   At first I stored these away wrapped in tissue, inside the scented box they came in and just admired them from time to time because I was afraid to use them.   Eventually I succumbed and the cases are now shot with holes from years of use, bleach, and time, but I've managed to salvage the little 'Hers' monogram here for remembrance.   The faded cotton toile worked beautifully with this I think.   The rick-rack, daisy trim, and eyelot lace add a bit of confection to "tempt your senses" (hence the post title).  And that candle, from Bistro, has sent my head spinning...this cranberry citrus has been my favorite for awhile, but they also come in an array of other fragrances too. 

 

Yellow Bird Bag

Orange Friday...and using what I had. . . .I just put the finishing touches on this dainty little bag that's going out to Didine who's been waiting a very long time (and very patiently I might add) to do a swap. Used this same bird motif again, but did the embroidery in different colors to blend with the warm golden yellows here. I'm really having fun making these little tissue pouches, which are making the rounds again on lots of craft blogs. The super talented and generous Cassie aka Bella Dia had this tutorial for one. And I thought I saw another one on craftster too. They're quick and fun, and make use of scraps left-over from bigger projects. I've made about a dozen so far. This one's going along with the bag, that will have a few more surprises tucked inside. Now, off it goes to the shipping post.

Matching Bag

If this bag looks familiar it's because it was made in the same image as this one I'd made for Grace, but with a different color palette.  It went to one of her sweet pals who had a birthday last week.  (She sometimes peeks at my blog so I couldn't show it off until now without spoiling the surprise.)  I used all the same details, including rick-rack and another of those fabulous buttons from LK.   I had a bit of fabric left and made a matching tissue holder too.   She really loved it, and that made me so happy! 

Make-Believe

My goodness, I do seem to be on a roll lately with making bags and lots of other crafty stuff and it's all coming directly from my stash, with the exception of the new polka dot fabrics, which I'm finding out have a magical way of perking up even the dullest old patterns & prints. As Cassie suggested, I do believe there must be a magic wand waving around in here somewhere. I actually made two bags this weekend, and this is one of them. Now I've had this dreamy cotton chintz for umteen years, and originally had used it to slipcover some cushions on my white wicker porch chairs. I saved the scraps, but never thought of using them until now. Funny how when you bring something out that you haven't seen for a long time, you suddenly see it differently; for better or worse. Or, of using it in a way that you hadn't thought of before. I love when that happens. Well, I was looking at this, and got to thinking that maybe, just maybe I went a teensy bit overboard on the front. I do this a lot because I just don't know when to quit sometimes and I go off in my own little fantasy land. Does it look a little too precious to you too? I was going back and forth in my  mind, liking it, then hating it, when Ginger (who is a very girly 8-year-old) hopped into the room and saw it. She stopped cold in her tracks and her whole face lit up and then she said, in a faint whisper of delight, "oh. this is just my style!" I was kind of like, taken aback, because normally she doesn't pay much attention to what I'm working on.  I think it was the little bird that did it though. She had been pretending to be a bird named "Rose" just prior to this discovery, and seemed to have a sort of epiphany while gazing at the bag. Now I'm sorry if this is getting a little too deep for some of you, but I swear this is exactly how it went down and I'm not one to scoff at synchronicity no matter how surreal it seems.  So. There's only one thing to do now. Put it away and fill it with paper grass, candy and trinkets for Easter and give it to her instead of a basket from you-know-who. Which will also serve to kindly reveal the awful sad truth: that the Easter Bunny and all his fanciful pretense, indeed has *helpers*.

Updated to add:  source for bag pattern.

Use What You Have

My sweet friend Toni, over at simple sparrow, has declared April Use What You Have month and has invited others to join in. This bag qualifies so I'm sharing it now to bring attention to the challenge: not to buy anything new, but just use the materials you have on hand for one month. Not really that difficult for me because I have an embarassingly huge amount of stash here from years of sewing and crafting. Plus it really makes me happy to use what I have. That, and the fact that often times it results in bringing originality to a piece, because it forces me to experiment and look at things differently. I rarely know what I'm going to end up with because it all just sort of evolves out of trial and error. Sometimes, things don't turn out how I had envisioned; but I still learn through the creative process. Usually though, I'm happily surprised, like with this bag. Yet another use for a yo-yo. I love this old flower button too.  So absolutely perfect for this bag. I went a little smaller and softer with the colors on this one. Yummy lining fabric that I found while rummaging through my stash. And of coarse a little vintage rick-rack in a "robin's egg blue".  The back is one glorious print. Naturally I fell in love with the bluebird. Cassie might recognize this fabric. It was part of the vintage swap we did last year that also just happened to be organized by Toni.  Funny how this all came full circle.