DARE TO BE CREATIVE!

Sunday, August 30, 2009

I'm a Winner


I am the lucky winner of a wonderful gift package from Martha of Destinations Unknown blog. Martha and I have participated in apron trades and I love to check her blog. She is a talented artist and early childhood educator. Thanks Martha for the great prize. So nice to be the winner.

Seaside Bunting


This is for a trade on Fiber Art Traders (FAT). Heather from Scotland is the hostess of this trade. Evidently these little flags are called Buntings in Scotland. We are making a set of 3 for the trade.
I found this "lovely" crocheted bikini in an old crochet magazine and thought it was perfect for my buntings. I added some color with pencils.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Brown and Pink Dress


Just finished this little brown and pink dress for my youngest GD. She is going to preschool this year. JoAnn's had patterns on sale last week and I decided to begin sewing for the two girls. I bought 10 patterns and they each selected one to make the first dress. We'll use these to determine any alterations that need to be made to the patterns.

This little dress is Simplicity pattern 2874. I used fabric from my stash. This fabric is Timeless Treasures. Buttons are vintage from my button box. She hasn't seen the dress yet but I'm sure she will like it. She wanted pink flowers and this has pink flowers.

I even got out my serger that hasn't been used in a few years to finish the seams. Next up is a dress for the older GD.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Barnyard Quilt


I purchased this farm print some time ago. A friend's daughter and her husband are expecting a baby boy soon so I decided it was time to make the little quilt. The barn and animals are a panel. There were also smaller blocks of animals on the panel but I will use them in a later project.

I auditioned a number of fabrics for the inner border and decided to use the rock print. The browns are perfect with the panel print. Outer border is the matching small farm animal print. The quilt is machine quilted using a walking foot.

I've been away from my blog for the past few days. My sister had surgery on Wednesday. She is back home but I'll still spent time with her each day for the next few weeks.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Faces on Fabric Quilt Draft


This is a sketch of the quilt I hope to make for my project in the class Faces on Fabric. The size is 16" square. Next week we will make templates for the quilt. I am really enjoying this class. Fun to sketch the faces. Today I also sketched the flower and butterflies.


Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Two More Faces



I'm now experimenting with hair. I had difficulty sketching hair last night so I decided to experiment with ways to do hair. I think I worry too much about how I will make a template for the hair when we do the quilt. Tomorrow I hope to decide on a face to use on my quilt. We can add other elements if we wish. I'm thinking of maybe adding a flower. I'll see how it goes. Next week we will take our sketch and make the templates.



More Faces





I worked on these sketches last evening. The top sketch is my first attempt at having the face look to the side. I guess I need to keep working on this. I'm really enjoying creating these sketches.
Terri has complimented me on the drawings and asked if I have an previous experience. I, on the other hand, think it's pretty obvious that this is my first attempt at sketching.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Faces on Fabric

I began on on-line class with Terri Stegmiller this morning. The class is Faces on Fabric offered at Two Creative Studios. We will eventually make an art quilt. This week we are drawing faces. This is my first face. She encourages us to sketch at least 15 minutes each day. We will then choose one of the sketches for our project.
I'm excited about this class. I've admired Terri's work for some time. Click here to she her work.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

August Postcard from Kathie

This is my August fabric postcard from Kathie. Isn't the fabric great! Love the bathing beauties. I really enjoy receiving these little fabric postcards each month. The ladies in the Fabric in Altered Arts 2 group are so creative. It's always a pleasant surprise when the card arrives. You can see my August postcard here.

Friday, August 21, 2009

July Postcard from Norma


I've been away from my blog for most of the week. Busy week with many activities. Great to see friends and family. I realized that I had not posted the wonderful card I received from Norma. Norma is a very creative member of the Fabrics in Altered Arts Yahoo Group. I love getting her work. She is also the fabric postcard swap hostess. Isn't the card lovely?

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Autumn Wind Quilt Completed




Back in July, I posted on the progress of my Autumn Leaves Quilt. Each leaf is machine appliqued with the embroidery machine. The blocks are then sewn together to make the quilt center. The pattern is from Lunch Box Quilts. The pattern includes instructions for a larger quilt and this smaller version. Iused a blue leaf print for the borders. It will be used as a wall hanging in my dining room this fall.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Feedsack Tablerunner


Recently I was the winner of a pack of vintage floursack pieces. Today I made a tablerunner from the pieces. I'm really pleased with the runner. Doesn't it look great on my table with the vintage pitcher of flowers. Thanks to Vintage Cottage Home for the great floursack pack.


There were 25 pieces in the pack and the pattern I designed used 24 of them. I decided to use fleece and sew right sides together and turn to right side. I didn't have to finish the edges. I quilted by stitching in the ditch.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Custom Gift Bags


I decided to make gift bags for my friend's gifts. This is a photo of one of the bags. Since I had made vintage inspired aprons and the vintage apron recipe holders, I decided to add a rather sexy apron image from the web to a white bag from the Dollar Store. Total price for each bag 50 cent plus the printed image. Very thrifty! Perfect for my Domestic Diva themed gift bag.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

More Recipe Holders


I've now completed my three recipe holders and they are ready to include in my gift pack for friends. I'm including my recipe for a Crunch Salad that everyone loves.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Recipe Holder


I'm making three of these recipe holders. They will be gifts for friends. I'm putting together a package for three friends with a kitchen theme. I've already made aprons and now I'm finishing up these recipe holders. The clipboards are from the office supply store. I covered the front of the clipboard with scrapbooking paper and the back with pages from old recipe book. I added images from old apron pattern envelopes and stamped the word RECIPE. The entire clipboard is sealed with a multipurpose sealer and then ribbons were added. I will include a recipe enclosed in a plastic holder.
Hope my friends enjoy their recipe holders. I took my inspiration from Jane's Apron. She makes clipboards with the entire pattern envelop but I decided to just use a copy of the apron image and scrapbook paper. Check out her blog, she does some great things with vintage patterns and other vintage items.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

"C" is for Cowgirl Quiltie

This is my quiltie for the August swap on Fabrics in Altered Arts 2. We are doing an alphabet quiltie swap with a new letter each month. This month's letter is "C". I had a hard time deciding what "C" theme to use and finally decided to do Cowgirl. I used two different western print fabrics and added metal and leather embellishments. I decided to finish the edges of the quiltie with pinking shears.

August Fabric Postcard


This is my August Fabric Postcard for Fabric in Altered Arts 2. I used a blue oriental fabric and embellished with Stickles, gold iron-on trim, and an old button cover. I'm quite pleased with this little fabric postcard with an oriental flair. It will go in the mail tomorrow.

Yard Sale Treasures




Here are photos of some of the little treasures I purchased while visiting the World's Longest Yard Sale. I love the vintage pattern. I plan to use it in a fabric book my sister and I are planning. We'll begin the book later this month. There were also three vintage women's dress patterns that I'll post later.
I found two of the crochet pieces with the lovely purple grapes (one is shown here). I love the vintage clip earrings. I was so glad to find a variety at the sale. They have become hard-to-find locally. Earrings will be upcycled into new pieces. I couldn't resist the vintage pins. I'll use them in my altered fabric art pieces. All these treasures fit easily into my luggage for the trip home.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Red, White, and Blue Trimmed Tag

This is my final Trimmed Tag for the swap on Fabric in Altered Arts. I decided to go with a red, white, and blue theme. I used trims from my stash of vintage trims and found this bookmark from Williamsburg, VA in my stash of thrift store goodies. It was the perfect addition to a tag with a patriotic theme. These will go in the mail to Cathy tomorrow.

Another Trimmed Tag

This is my second tag for the Trimmed Tag swap on Fabric in Altered Arts. All the trim is from my stash of vintage trims. Attached to the trim are two vintage goldtone buttons and a clip earring. One more to go before mailing to Cathy, the hostess of the swap.

Barn Sales Along the 127





This year was our first experience along the World's Longest Yard Sale. One interesting aspect of the sale was the Barn Sales. We visited three of these barn sales. They were held in tobacco barns along Highway 127. Some barns had items displayed on farm wagons. Since the barns are open at each end and built for ventilation, they were cool and you could shop out of the bright sun. One barn was filled with a family's collection of antiques. They had antique booths in nearby communities and stored items in the barn. The barn was opened to the public during the sale. Other barns will soon be used for their original purpose (tobacco).

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Trimmed Tag


Fabric in Altered Arts 2 Yahoo Group is having a Trimmed Tag swap. The swap was inspired by an article in the current issue of Somerset Life Magazine. Cathy is hosting the swap. We are making 3 tags. This is my first tag.


The little pin was found in a package of costume jewelry I purchased at the World's Longest Yard Sale. The trims are from my vintage trim collection. I distressed the tag with Distress Ink by Ranger and added stamped images from the Heartwarming Vintage Collection by Clear Art Stamps.


I hope to complete the remaining two tomorrow and get in the mail to Cathy this week.

Vintage Du Barry Patterns







Here are two vintage patterns that I purchased at the World's Longest Yard Sale. They have a copyright of 1943. My sister and I have a collection of vintage sewing patterns. We use them in our altered fabric art projects. This month we will be working on a altered fabric book with family photos, fabric, vintage notions, and vintage sewing patterns. We are collecting our ephemera and photos.

World's Longest Yard Sale







We just returned from 1 1/2 weeks in Kentucky. We spent the time at our vacation home. Weather was lovely. In the 80's each day and cooler in the evenings. Some rain but lots of sunshine.
We decided to explore the 127 Yard Sale. Billed as the World's Longest Yard Sale, it runs through Ky near our home. I had visions of covering many miles on the afternoon we set aside to visit the sale. We were on the 127 for over five hours. There were so many sales to see that we covered only about 35 miles. We met interesting people and saw many interesting items. Also saw much junk but as I always say " One man's junk is another man's treasure."


I was able to find some clip earrings for a braclet my sister and I have planned. I also purchased some vintage patterns and crochet work. Since we were traveling by plane, I didn't check out too many large items. Guess I could have stored the item until we return with the motorhome in the fall. I'll post photos of my finds later.