DARE TO BE CREATIVE!

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Monogram Tote


This is a tote I made recently. It's for my husband's mother who will celebrate her 90th birthday this summer. She lives in a lovely assisted living apartment and I think she can take the tote along on her trips to the grocery and errands. The pattern is Amy Butler Swing Tote and the fabric is from Granny's Attic. I monogramed her initial using my Janome 11000 and Monogram Wizard Plus software. I'm thinking these would make great Christmas presents. Just have to find suitable fabric.


Matilda is holding the purse on her shoulder. She is wearing her June outfit, a vintage blue lace mother-of-the-bride dress by Halston.


Matilda has a surprise earlier this week. We discovered that her pearls weren't costume jewelry as we thought. They are real pearls. The jeweler wasn't able to determine the exact quality of the pearls but did determine that they are real and not costume. He has arranged for them to be restrung. I'll post more later on this discovery when we get the pearls back form jeweler.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Spring Recycled ATCs

These are the five ATCs I received in a trade on FAT (Fiber Art Traders). The cards are fromMaggie, DAnna, Suzan, Audree, and Mary Lou. We were to use recycled materials in the ATC. One of the cards has recycled watch parts and another a dryer sheet. Recycled trades are always full of interesting "stuff". Cards came from various parts of the US and one from Canada.

You can see my recycled spring ATCs here.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

May Fabric Postcard


This fabric postcard arrived today from Dott a member of the Fabric in Altered Arts 2 group. It is difficult to see all the decorative stitching done with metallic thread. It is a lovely postcard. You can see my May fabric postcard for this swap here.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Pretty Party Dresses





These six wonderful little "Party Dresses" are from a swap on Fabric in Altered Arts 2. They arrived in the mail today. Aren't they wonderful. I have them hanging above my studio door and they look so festive. I think this is one of my favorite swaps. Cathy, the hostess, even included little clothes pins to hang the dresses. You can see my Party Dress here.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Happy Time - May quiltie

This little quiltie measures 6" x 6" and is for the May Swap on Fabric in Altered Arts 2 yahoo group. The embellishments are thrift store finds and the watch is from a previous swap on the group. The little boy is from an unfinished embroidery piece that I purchased from the thrift store for $1.00. It was still in the embroidery hoop. Dated 1979. I attached fusible web to the back of the piece, cut out the shape of the boy, and fused to the quiltie. I'm pleased with the results. It will go in the mail to Penney, new our swap hostess.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Chocolate Cake Pincushion


This Chocolate Cake Pincushion is in a recent quilting magazine. I decided to make one for my friend, Sara's retirement gift. I made the apron in the previous post and thought a pin cushion was an appropriate gift. She is a home economics teacher (now called Family and Consumer Sciences) and of course, cooking and sewing were an important part of her job. As a chocolate lover she can now cook in her "Chocolate Lovers Apron" and use her Chocolate Cake Pincushion in her sewing.
I have not stuffed the pincushion yet. They recommend crushed walnut hulls from the pet store. I'll go there tomorrow.


Happy retirement Sara.

Sara's Chocolate Lovers Apron


Matilda is wearing an apron I made for my friend Sara's retirement. She loves chocolate and plans to take classes on chocolate making in her retirement. I couldn't resist the "Chocolate" fabric and I then found some matching fabric with a chocolate brown background and hearts. So it's a Chocolate Lovers Apron.
I had planned to make a chocolate cake pin cushion but didn't get it finished. My granddaughter was ill last week and had to stay home from school for the entire week. Mema (me) spent a few days with her so my son and his wife could go to their day jobs. Needless to say, I was exhaused each evening when I returned home. No blogging or working in the studio last week. I'm back at it this week.
Oh, yes do you like Matlida's spring dress. It is a lovely vintage double knit dress with a matching jacket. She usually is wearing pearls with this dress. Guess it almost time to find her a summer outfit.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Fiber in Altered Art (FAT) Postcard


This is a postcard I received from Audree today. She was my partner in a recent FAT postcard trade. I love this little "Oriental" card. I have added it to my growing collection of fabric postcards. You can see the postcard I sent Audree here.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Postcard from Norma

Isn't this postcard from Norma wonderful. I love the bright flowers. Norma embellished the flowers with beads and rhinestones. This postcard swap was in Fabric in Altered Arts 2 Yahoo group. We've all moved to the new group now and swaps are starting there. If you are interested in a great little group that trades fabric altered art, check it out. We have monthly fabric postcard swaps.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Birthday Tour




My birthday was in late April and my DH planned a great day yesterday to celebrate. We took the new lightrail into downtown Phoenix, had lunch at the Matador (one of our favorites), and toured Chase Field. We have been season ticketholders since day one (March 31, 1998) but had never taken one of the tours of the ballpark.

It was a great tour. This "SEDONA RED" photo is of the back wall in the Diamondback dugout. After the tour we rode the rail back to Mesa. Later joined our DS's family for dinner. Great way to celebrate a birthday.
Now if the D-backs can just win a few more games! Go D-BACKS!