Coffee Sleeve Bonanza

Look what I did yesterday! I was very busy. I am a bad Aunt and always wait til Thanksgiving to deliver my niece's birthday presents.(Their Birthdays are in September and November) I had so much fun that I made one for my daughter my sister-in-law and one for me.

This is a shot of the fronts, then the backs. I use a cardboard sleeve as a pattern adding about 1/4 inch around for a seam allowance. I add some fusible batting in between the layers of fabric.

I use buttons from my stash to hold the ends together.

They are all reversible with embroidery or applique on one side and decorative buttons or charms on the other.

I sew the two sets of buttons on at the same time.

I think they all turned out great and I can't wait to give them to the girls with gift cards from their favorite coffee shop. I also can't wait to use mine.

Have a great weekend.

Pam

Halloween Project

So here is a preview of my latest project. Its time to start those Halloween projects.
I have beaten the Chaos in my life down to an acceptable level and have moved on to more creative endeavors. I had a brain storm about a pillow collection for my home and the Etsy store, so I ran down to my local quilting store for some fabulous fabric.
I love decorating for Halloween. We don't really do any thing for Halloween. My kids are to old to Trick or Treat and my country location has never attracted any Trick or Treaters,(I do have plenty of candy on hand just in case) but I love the decorating. My tradition has been to put in the classic Bell, Book and Candle and fill my home with Fall and Halloween decor. Harvest decor also part of this farm family's traditions.
Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the crisp weather, making soup,changing leaves and the end of a busy farm and summer season. Fall is my down time before I gear up for tax season. It is the time we take family vacations, do home improvement projects and the time that my husband and I have the most alone time.

So here I sit sweating at the sewing machine, remembering to enjoy the last busy days of summer and looking forward to Fall, Harvest and Halloween.

Pillow Cases & a Chickadee

Whew! It is HOT here. A good excuse to stay inside and sew! Pam & I wanted some more summery pillow cases, so last time we were together we went to the fabric store and picked our favorites. Pam likes the brighter colors and the retro look, and I went for muted and the garden connection. I love doing these with a contrasting fabric for the ends. I did two cases for Pam and two for me, plus a travel-sized case for me as well. They turned out great. Mom says she wouldn't mind having some more as well... back to the fabric store; love that place.

I caught this cute chickadee resting on my tomato cage in the garden. I love the birds, and have two feeders out. One has niger thistle in it and the gold finches love it. The other has a no-mess mixture, which means the seeds don't sprout in my lawn. We get a good variety of birds to this one, including red-winged blackbirds, brewer's blackbirds, sparrows, chickadees, house finches and doves. We also have ground-feeders... robins, grosbeaks, and the occasional quail. There is something very relaxing about sitting on the patio with an iced tea or coffee, watching and listening to the birds. Once in awhile O'Reilly will half-heartedly give chase to the ones on the ground, but he's only doing it for show.

New Bag for Me

Here is my newest creation. I love it so much I am keeping it for myself. This bag is made from a vintage curtain panel that I got at my favorite haunt the Goodwill-as-is Store.

I love the vintage turquoise and oranges, and I even like the way that some of it is sun faded. All of the fabric, clothing and linens are sold by the pound, so I figure the fabric for this bag was less than .50. What a steal. I did have to buy some fabric for the lining, but I got it on sale at Joann's for less than 2 dollars. It is a beautiful turquoise and white floral print. I also put a pocket inside the bag.
The second photo is truer to the colors of my fabric ( I can't afford a better camera yet ) and shows a close up of the pin I made to decorate the outside of my bag. I did put a pin back on the flower so it could be removed when I wash the bag. The center of the pin is a vintage button that I do not want subjected to the washing machine. My husband says it id camouflaged, but I believe that it is subtle and very cute.

Play Time

I found a little time to play today, so this is what I did.

These are some before, after, and incorporated into my decor thrifty finds.

I knew that I wanted the small urn for my silver leaf ball, and just loved the shape and size of the small silver pedestal dish, this may not be its final resting place, or even its final color, but for now I like the two pieces together.

I also whipped up this drink cozy for my Ice Tea glass. I am currently drinking Mango Passion fruit herbal tea from Stash, and loving it.

I used a cardboard coffee cozy for my template, adding an inch to the width to accommodate my larger cup, and a 1/2 inch seam allowance. The charms were purchased at Michael's long ago and I'm glad I finally used them, but I am loving the back with my button (yes from Mom's collection) and stitched closure.

I like to use this recycled coffee house cup, because it is a great size for Iced Tea and it has a lid. My son Daniel's dog Marco will drink out of any unguarded cup he can find. Yes he is super cute and a very good boy, when we got him his was pretty skinny, and now thinks he must eat and drink at every opportunity,but I do not wish to share with the little bugger.

Hope you all had time to play this weekend too.

Purses

Here are my latest creations. I love making purses, maybe I have found my passion.

New Purse

So here is my first attempt to design my own purse pattern, and I think it turned out pretty good. You may recognize the fabric from the field bag I finished last week. I had enough scraps for my new creation. I am really interested in incorporating my embroidery into my sewing and I am happy with the results on this bag, I would like to make a few improvements before I offer this bag for sale on the Etsy site, but for my first ever pattern design I am thrilled.

My Fabulous Husbands Fabulous Uncle is coming to visit us on Friday. He is a retired Priest from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Texas (depending on the time of year). He has not been to our house for at least six years and we are thrilled at his visit. My wonderful husband was an only child and Father Don is his only living relative. Fr Don is only staying for the weekend, but we will make the most of our time with him. It is also a good excuse to do all that spring cleaning I have been putting off. I needed to get the purse done so I could pack up my sewing dining room and use it to eat in, so I will have to wait at least a week to attempt another bag. So I am off to scrub and shine and will check back in soon.

Dishtowels and Cloths

I am thinking "spring", so this dishtowel I embellished, and the hand-knitted cloths (two in each be-ribboned package) seem a good way to perk up my kitchen... or yours, once Pam and I get our Etsy site up and running. I love the knit cloths, which are nine inches square, and could also be used in the bathroom. I never have enough dishtowels, so am always looking for excuses to make more, and spring seems a good motivation.

I must say that our puppy O'Reilly did better in class this week! Not perfect, but better. We will keep working with him. It takes a lot of time and effort, and he is still a puppy. He has grown so much that we decided to get a larger crate for him, and he seems to like being able to stretch out in it for his snooze.

Finished Field Bag

Woo Hoo!

I just finished this Amy Butler Field Bag, and I love it. I started it in a class at my local quilt shop two or three months ago, and I just got back to it. It turned out great, but I think if I make it again, I will leave off the zipper and put in a big snap. The directions and I don't seem to see eye to eye. I love the fabric, Moda for the lining and Heather Bailey for the floral ,sorry I don't remember what the polka dot is. The shape is really fun, and the piping that I have never done before was a snap. I can't wait to go on an overnight trip and try it out. It is fully lined with four giant pockets, and I know that it will pack well. I am sure I will find many uses for this bag, I am a bit of a bag and purse junkie.

I hope every one had a blessed Memorial Day weekend, full of family, fun and thanksgiving for the great county that we live in, and the many brave Americans who gave their lives to keep us safe and free.

Pam

Vintage Re-purpose

My newest creation, a small vintage dresser scarf turned into a lavender sachet/eye mask. I folded it in half stitched up both sides, loosely filled with lavender and rice then stiched all the way around. I love the way it turned out, and will make a nice addition to my bedside table or as inventory for the etsy shop I hope to have up by July.
I picked the dresser scarf up at the Goodwill As Is store, and loved the hand embroidery. My Goodwill As Is store is a great resource for vintage linens, especially linens I can feel good about re-purposing. Linens with holes or stains that can be worked around. One of my passions is vintage linens, but I can only display so many tablecloths, and dresser scarves. I love to find new and creative ways to use more of them in my decore. Its fun and creative and I so love the hunt for raw materials. What have you re-purposed lately ?
Pam