Saturday, January 24, 2015

Moving on to Felt penny creations!

So.....this past Friday, I headed out to the Textile Center in Minneapolis for their exhibition: Common Thread 2015, and got some fresh inspirations. One of them, I decided to try out right away...It was their felt coasters/ candle mats with a beaded edge. So here is my pair
Pin keeps/ pin cushion seem to have reached collectible status :) plus they are fun projects to make, so here's my first felt one:
I just did the outline of the paisley shape with chalk, and made all the details free hand. I'm sure I'll be making a ton more of these. I have a lot of felt, and two garbage bags full of good quilting cotton scraps to use up!! Haven't broken my pledge to not buy any more fabric at the stores for several years now, but of course, I still go shop for yarn which I seem to consume by the ton :)
Next on my list of felt adventures is a felt penny rug! How about all you crafty souls, what have you been up to??

Sunday, January 18, 2015

One more painting framed, and a pattern for a laptop bag!






I'm sharing with all you super talented people some of my glass paintings. I made these during my 2012 trip to India and framed most of them after I got back to Minnesota. The bottom Krishna one, however, just got framed this week though, mainly because I am too cheap to go buy a frame at a store and would rather keep scrounging around at garage sales and the like till I find one that fits just perfect :) Oh well....more money left over to buy yarn, that's what I like to say :)
I would also like to share a new laptop bag I ended up sewing for myself, again with materials sourced mainly from church sales ( I made a commitment to myself to not buy fabric full price from a store anymore, since I don't really find time to sew too much anymore!).


I used this faux leather fabric and embossed suede fabric for the appliques. I cut 2 pieces 15 X 13" for the shell, and 2 pieces the same size for the lining. The middle strip is 43" x 3.5" to give a boxy width to it. I meant to put a button in the middle of the flower, but upon digging through my treasures of appliques from India, ended up loving how this one looks instead.

I just free hand drew my pattern out, cut the pieces and drew around them on the suede fabric, even though I could easily have used freezer paper instead. I love my new bag, and am glad I did not cave and use a store-bought bag to replace my previous one which lasted a good 6 years. That one was my first experiment with felt penny embroidery, which I intend to get back now.....
Hope life is treating all of you crafty (in a good way :D) souls well! I would love to hear what you think about my bag :) Stay strong, and keep on crafting :)

Sunday, January 4, 2015

c2c blanket completed!....and don't take crochet hooks when flying to Mexico :(

We had a nice family vacation, flying from Minnesota (USA Midwest) to Cozumel, Mexico for 6 days. Sun, sand and scuba diving :) It was great. Before leaving, my husband warned me to pack enough yarn so I wouldn't run out!! (Last time, we took a road trip to Yellowstone Park and ran out of yarn. Had to drive 22 miles to find a Walmart in Montana!) 25 years of marriage, and he's finally starting to get it. "You won't be able to find a Walmart in Mexico", he says. So yes, I packed a LOT of yarn (3 crocheters worth- both my girls crochet as well)..I almost finished a c2c Corner to Corner or diagonal stripes blanket, but on our flight back, the Mexican airport authorities wouldn't allow me to bring my hooks back on the flight!! My options were either to give them up or pay $25 to get my bag (with the hooks) checked in. Either way, I wouldn't be able to crochet on the flight... I ended up giving them my hooks :( How much harm could I inflict with a Sz 6 hook, I wonder? So PSA here....Don't take hooks or knitting needles to Mexico, because US TSA rules don't hold.
Here is my c2c blanket, with a nice wide lacy border, and 3 flowers sewn on....

And finally, I leave you with a peek into an intertidal pool from one of the beaches at Cozumel...sea urchins!
Happy 2015, everyone! I go back to school tomorrow in frigid sub-zero temps, to look forward to Spring break now :) Hope all of you enjoyed time with family, regardless of whether you got an extended break or not....I would love to hear about it!