Quote

"Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best."
Tim Duncan (born 1976);
professional basketball player

Design Wall

After struggling to get a good view of the art quilt I'm working on, I decided to create a design wall.  Before reconfiguring my office, I didn't have any wall-space to do this.  I took a scrap of grey flannel fabric and stapled it to the wall between my office windows.  Now I can design and view works as I'm creating!

In the center is the quilt I'm working on.  The fabrics around it are being used to enhance it.  All but the blue fabric are hand-dyed.

Stitched Cork Coasters

Here's a cool and EASY tutorial from the blog Crafting a Green World

Tutorial: Stitched Cork Coasters

Mom always said, “Get your feet off the coffee table!” and “Use a coaster!”  Why not give her some new coasters for that precious coffee table this Mother’s Day?  These stitched cork coasters are an inexpensive and super easy gift.  Read on for a complete how to for making your own.

Supplies

• 3mm thick cork coasters
• Heavy Duty thread (multiple bold colors)
• Sewing machine with decorative stitches
• Water-soluble fabric marker

Step-by-step:

1. Choose a decorative stitch setting on your sewing machine.  The stitches that work best on cork lay down a lot of thread, doubling over most stitches.  Thinner more delicate stitches will sink into the cork and disappear.  Make sure you switch out your presser foot to one that is appropriate for the decorative stitch.
2. To stitch a circular pattern (like the pink and blue ones shown above) draw a circle about 1/2 inch in from the edge of your coaster using a water-soluble fabric marker.  This will be your guide while stitching.  (Note: While stitching it is easiest to concentrate on keeping this guide line in line with the center of your presser foot.  Don’t focus on the needle because it will be bouncing around a lot.)
3. Place your cork coaster under your presser foot.  For the circular design line up the center of your presser foot with the guide line.  For straight random lines (as shown on the green coaster) start your stitch a little bit in from the edge so your presser foot is level with the cork under it.  If you want the stitch to start right on the edge you will need to prop up the back of your presser foot so it is level when you start stitching.
4. Stitch!  With decorative stitches it is best to let the feed dogs do all the work.  If you push the cork through you will mess up the stitch.  For the circular designs you will have to guide the cork to stitch around the circle, but guide it gently and do not push.  For straight lines you could almost walk away and the machine will do it all for you, but you should stick around to stop the stitching when you reach the end of the cork.
5. Trim loose thread ends.
6. Use a damp cloth to gently blot away the fabric marker lines.
7. Enjoy!  Everyone is sure to love these.

Indoor/Outdoor

We're teaching Kit Kat to be an indoor-outdoor cat... so far so good.  She comes when we call her and meows incessantly when she wants to go out.  I swear she thinks she's a dog... she even drinks out of Gracie's water bowl.

Yesterday we reached a new hight in "outdoorsness".  Kit Kat became a hunter!  After tossing it around for a while and getting no response at the front door, she deposited her prey at the backdoor mat.  We praised her as she paraded, purred and preened in all her glory.  I then proceeded to document said "kill" for posterity's sake:)

Christmas Advent Shoe Organizer Calendar

Awesomely easy idea!  Borrowed from the Eighteen25 blog.

{Christmas Advents} Shoe Organizer

i'm excited to say that this countdown will be hanging in my home.

it was so fun to get all of our creative juices a flowin' and see what we could come up with.

you'll be happy to know it's so simple to make +

you'll be able to stuff each day with practically whatever you want!

you'll need:

a shoe organizer with 24 pockets (i got mine at target)

the countdown downloads...

(Download Shoeadvent1, Download Shoeadvent2, Download Shoeadvent3, Download Shoeadvent4)

24 clothespins

spray paint (we used krylon's blue ocean breeze)           

white cardstock (to back your numbers in)

kraft cardstock

* * * * * * * * * *

1.  hang your shoe organize
2.  spray your clothespins (or leave them...whatever you choose)
3.  punch out your numbers with the famous 3" circle punch
4.  we backed ours with a 4 1/4" scallop
5.  cut your strips 4.5" x 7.5" out of the kraft paper
6.  adhere your number
(we centered it from the bottom of the clothespin to the bottom of the paper)
7.  clothespin it to the front of the pocket
8.  stand back and admire your work!

as the days go by and santa's visit gets closer, 

you remove the number and clothespin it inside the pocket.

doesn't this just make you so excited for the holidays?
(and not to stress you out but you only have about 19 days to get your advent calendar done.)

Selvage Edge Pin Cushions

Here's a quick tutorial utilizing your scraps from the fabric edges!

Selvage Edge PincushionsBy Cindy Wiens(Finished size 4½" x 4½")

Materials Assorted fabric selvages, approximately 1 ½" × 5½" (You will need about 4-6 selvage strips for one pincushion.) Scrap fabric for the foundation, 5" × 5" Fabric for the back, 5" × 5" Bias tape piping, 25" length Zipper or piping sewing machine foot Approximately 1 cup of crushed walnut shells, rice, or sand (Walnut shells are often used as bird litter and are sold at pet stores or online.)

Directions

1. To make the front of the pincushion, position a selvage strip across the foundation fabric, 1⁄2"-3⁄4" from the lower edge, so that the finished edge of the selvedge is toward the bottom. Sew the selvage strip in place, stitching close to the finished edge.

2. Position the next selvage strip on the foundation fabric with the lower edge overlapping the upper raw edge of the first strip. Sew the second strip in place close to the finished edge.

3. Continue sewing selvage strips in place until the foundation is covered. Trim the selvage ends even with the foundation fabric edges.

4. On the right side of the pincushion front, use a zipper foot or a piping foot to sew the piping along the edge.

5. Pin the pincushion front to the back with right sides together. With the front side up, stitch the squares together along the piping stitching line, leaving a 3" opening in the center of 1 edge.

6. Turn the pincushion right-side out and press, pressing under the seam allowances along the opening.

7. Fill the pincushion with crushed walnut shells. Pin the opening closed, then slipstitch it closed. For added strength, sew first in 1 direction, and then in the other.

Pop-Up Architecture

Look what I just made!!

It came from the most wonderful book called Pattern Sheets of Origamic Architecture... of which there are THREE volumes!  I didn't know this even existed, but it is just marvelous.  In the book, there are about 30 different patterns to play with by cutting and folding on the given lines... not too hard.    I've included the page I copied to make the PONT DU GARD in Nimes, France

Here is a link to a cool website featuring Origamic Architecture.  Give it a try and see what you think!

What I've been up to

Quilting and BookMaking and Writing, oh my!

So my 2 online classes have ended... I haven't finished with the material, but that's normal for me and classes online.  I think I need someone to physically keep me on task:)

Anyway, I cannot recommend enough... Cathy Zielski's class, Me: The Abridged Version, through Big Picture Classes.  I learned a tremendous amount about PSE and digital projects.  I also have a bit to complete with Karen Grunberg's Book of Stories... all about how you process, organize and write your stories.  This one was a little more ethereal/thought-provoking, also through BPC.

So I'm half-way through my 2 VCU classes.  Here are some of my quilting samples:

Machine Quilting

Crazy Piecing

Hand Quilting

 I really am having fun with the crazy piecing... go figure:)

Embroidery

Foundation Piecing

My goal with this class is to use fabrics and notions from my ever-plentiful stash!  Tori and I went through all the fabrics a couple of months ago and I'm now down to 5 large bins. lol!  The Foundation Piecing is using fabrics left-over from the first quilt I ever made (for Tori).

I'll have to post pics later about the BookMaking class.  I'm a bit behind in documentation.

YOU

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

—Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel
(1904-1991); Writer, Cartoonist

Destruction and Creation

There's the theory that energy is a constant... it can neither be destroyed or created.  I would have to agree.  In my household this weekend, energy went into both destroying and creating:)  Saturday afternoon, I walked up the stairs after being summoned and saw this:

Yes, folks, that's the view through our bedroom ceiling into the attic after hubby made a wrong step.  It was quickly patched and all is well now... made for a good story!  

Also on Saturday, I decided to recycle a shoe box to use for sewing items in my office.  With a few papers from my KI Memories stash and some trusty Mod Podge, here's the result...

Pretty cute, fun and easy!  Use some of your stash and go green!

What Inspires You?

I introduced a friend to one of my favorite sources of inspiration last week!




She had NEVER BEEN to IKEA!!!  It was a whole new world... one that I love being in (wish they'd bring one to Richmond!)  So I brought my camera along because I love their displays. Here's some of my shots...

I love the colors in these aprons!

SHINEY!

I bought a pair of these scissors...
there were actually 3 in a pack!

Color and Pattern

Needlework... gonna learn this!

Shapes and color again!

Repetition

I couldn't resist buying 3 of these adorable vases!

Cool giant pic of Paris

Love the raised frame around this mirror

Collage

more collaging

not sure what it was about these,
but loved seeing them all hanging!

shape with the
crazy boy!

more color

practically psychedelic!

pattern and calmer colors

What fun!!  Seriously, if IKEA comes to Richmond, I am in serious trouble!  I did make a bigger purchase for my office...

Expidit came out with a new bookshelf!  That makes 4 in my office...   It's laying on it's side in front of my desk.  My sewing stuff will live there!  I really can't fit any more, but would if I could!!

Another One Bites the Dust!

I have been accomplishing more projects since challenging myself to blog on a regular basis!  My latest was a kit that had been started and was just sitting under a pile of crap on my desk.  When I uncovered it, I decided to NOT put it away, but to FINISH it!

So here's my mess on the coffee table that I worked on while watching back episodes of Friends.  Yes, it's a Christmas album!   You've started thinking about Christmas, right?:)

Sorry I don't have any process pics, but here's the finished album.

Pretty cute, eh?