Friday, May 15, 2009
Mail Art
I don't think my friend Julia reads this blog, so I'm probably safe in showing you this before it's put in the mail.
So I might be in the middle of an upheaval with all my life/art/sewing supplies, but I can still find time to make a little something.
I had so much fun just going over the top with this. Sometimes it just feels good to let your mind wander....like what happens if I add another element? I guess I'll just use a plain envelope...oh wait, I don't know where those are....I'll have to make one....This stamp is going to get lost on the envelope....I could make a little label for it....and on and on. I used a page out of a magazine for the envelope.
I probably spent an hour on this, and it was the happiest thing I've done all week.
Labels: a little something
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Just a little quilt project--FREEZER PAPER APPLIQUE
This is a little quilt project called IMPROVISATION. The first non-scripted, non-deadline oriented project I've done in literally 9 months. It felt great just to know that I had the head space and the calendar space to start a really big project.
And it's coming right along! I piece the back tonight and am well on my way to quilting.
I used the freezer paper piecing method for machine applique--meaning this:
1)I drew the pattern on freezer paper
2) ironed it to the wrong side of the fabric
3) cut a 1/4 inch seam allowance outside the edge of freezer paper
4) cut tiny slits perpendicular to this edge.
5) used a washable glue stick to fold this edge cleanly to the edge of the freezer paper
6) pin to background fabric
7) stitch onto background using a blind hem stitch or similar
9) Turn onto back side of fabric and cut out excess backing, then tear away freezer paper (helps to wet it first!)
10) press and you're good to go!
I have more detailed instructions in this tutorial for perfect circles, but you can do almost any shape!
Labels: a little something, quilts
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Another little obsession
Here' something I should have written on my list of "6 weird things"from a couple of weeks ago: I Like Really Tiny Things. For those of you reading this who have had the pleasure of being in my physical presence, you know I am not a tiny or delicate person-- I always longed to be dainty, but ain't nuthin' dainty about a 6 foot tall girl. No way round it. So I guess maybe I love really tiny things because I myself long to be tiny. I loved miniatures when I was a kid. you know, like a 2 inch tall gum ball machine that had actual sprinkles in the globe. Oh! I wish I knew where that thing was.
I recently got the 3rd issue of Adorn Magazine and it featured a necklace with Shrinky-Dink beads. Of course, I have a packet of shrink-sheet in my collection of obscure craft supplies. So I whipped them out and drew my favorite designs--leaves, swirls, my logo, and of course farmlands. 2 minutes in the toaster oven (as a side note: I ditched my regular toaster for a toaster oven. Why does it take 13 minutes to toast toast? I don't really get it.) Anyway, I watched it curl up, and sure enough, it shrunk to about a quarter of it's original size right before my eyes! Amazing! I have my very own little tiny landscape. I'm thinking about maybe a small metal framed pendant---Oh Freshie....Maybe you could help out here? 
Back to work. 2 days till the big switch over.
Labels: a little something, obsessions
Monday, October 09, 2006
Painting with Friends
I've finally completed my commission painting. it's of the last mountain in the Appalachian Trail in Maine. I did it for a co-worker whose 10th wedding anniversary is coming up. According to legend, he carried the ring with him the entire time they were on the trail, then proposed at the end. I'm not sure if my sources are correct, but it's a great story none-the-less.
I realize that this is supposed to be a blog about sewing, so I promise the next post will be about sewing. I'm running around in circles to say the least lately. My fab friend Julia was in town for the weekend to see John Mayer (OMG!!! He is so...so...so... indescribable!!) and Sheryl Crow. Here's hoping I can pull off a completely leather outfit and a "stop draggin' my heart around" duet with Keith Urban when I'm 44. Wait, i can't do either of those things now! Well, a girl can dream. i can tell you that much.
Now my middle sis and her friends are here for a few days on their break from med school. They're going the fall tourist route and going to the Jack Daniels' Distillery, which is about 1.5 hours from here. It's my favorite fall activiity. A beautiful drive and a great country town. Love it there. Let's all take a field trip!
Labels: a little something, obsessions, try again
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Why do I love this?
I'm not sure why, but i LURV this wallet. I made it over the weekend, with (mostly) Denyse Schmidt fabrics. As previously mentioned, Jason nearly had to pry it from my hands because I was staring at it and petting it. Who needs a dog? Well, Jason needs a dog. That's who. He routinely says in a very childlike --let's be honest--baby voice "everybody's got a puppy but ME!"
Anyway. I just winged (wung? wang? whatever) it and sewed this thing together. And so it is. I'm probably forgetting some pertinent information, but I'm zoned out and tired. Nighty-night!
Labels: a little something
Monday, August 07, 2006
Mmmm...
So I'm going to go a little vintage. I mean the bridge-playing, doily using type, not the worn-edges pink and brown vintage.
Here is my favorite recipe for drinks. And it doesn't even involve liquor (although, a little old lady, er, birdie, told me it might be delicious with a tiny hint of Malibu. Just don't tell everyone down at Wednesday Night Supper Club at the 4th Baptist Church)
Pineapple Banana Slushie Punch
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups sugar (or Splenda)
1 12oz. frozen orange juice
1 large can Pineapple-grapefruit juice (good luck at finding this. I used Pineapple-Mango juice which was really tasty)
1 1/2 Quarts water
4 bananas
Directions: Mash bananas in blender. Blend in and mix all ingredients. Freeze for at least 8 hours. (although, you can cheat, because it's good not all the way frozen, too.) To serve, you can either freeze them in an aluminum cupcake cup with a maraschino cherry on top and eat them with forks, or my preferred method--Serve in a highball glass with a little lemon-lime soda poured on top. Or champagne...or malibu...or more pineapple juice, or sparkling grape juice....... This is my Mama Jane's recipe, and I've been enjoying it since I was little, or in my case, just smaller than my current 6' height!!
Enjoy!
Oh, yeah, and here's a teaser for my appliqued garden quilt. I finished quilting it this weekend on my machine. I'm pretty proud of my first large-scale machine quilting effort. I'll shoot more pics and talk about it more when it's bound and I have some better day-time pics of the whole quilt.
Thanks for stopping by!
Labels: a little something, who I am
Monday, July 31, 2006
Primavera?
Here is the monstrous project I've been working on. I guess I was in a very "life is a never-ending circle" kind of mood. Also, I just wanted simply to make something pretty and flowery and leafy and birdy. Without anything having to be its' own self when it comes to color. It's like spring...my way. What is with the way I keep saying "my way" today? I must be having a bossiness crisis. I'm having a birthday in less than 2 weeks, so maybe it's old lady persnickedyesque behaviour sneaking up on me and my normally well hidden internal head-mistress.
It's hand-dyed and printed cotton in the background with cotton digital images printed and cut out and machine appliquedmachine appliqued on the foreground. I found lots of royalty-free images from Clipart, then imported them to Photoshop and tinkered with color and filters, printed them on pre-treated cotton ironed to freezer paper, and voile`. Simple, right? Hardly. I spent 3 weeks working on printing out all the teeny tiny pieces. The entire work is 16 inches by 46 inches. I intend to do some top-stitching and then stretch it on canvas stretchers. I've been thinking about this work for a while. It feels good to get it out of my system. And although I really love the way it's turning out, I can't think of any other ideas in this same vein. I think I'll go back to farm scenes for a while. Well, first I have the following things to finish:
1. Baby quilt for Elizabeth Catherine Newell
2. Circles quilt (It's a full-sized monster that I haven't touched since I don't know when)
3. Quilt blocks for my round robin quiltt
4. Screen printing with all the expensive supplies I just bought
updating my website before my magazine article comes out
5. Updating Etsy shop. (Not sure it's really worth my time, but who knows)
6. Write my proposal for classes that I want to teach at the aRThOUSE on 12th avenue.
7. Make a present for my parents' 30th wedding anniversary before it's their 40th, or they kill each other, whichever comes first
I'm too tired to type anymore. More soon!
Labels: a little something, sharing