Quilt Start

Quilting Convention

How awesome is my hubby!?
He surprised me and took me to a Quilters convention!!
Yup!!
That's love!!

And I didn't break the bank there either.
A real bonus.

I did come away with about 100 quilt ideas though.

Glue Batik

Sewing Up a Storm

Freezer Paper Stencil Tshirts

The girls found and traced images they like online.
Cutting them out was a bit difficult, so I helped but the process itself is easy for any kid.

Iron on the stencils.

Then spray with mildly diluted bleach solution.

I let them dry overnight, dripping into the laundry room sink to save any bleach mess.

The kids loved peeling the stencil off to reveal their creation.
I can see this being a repeated craft.

Lint Craft

Other than fire starter, I was determined to see if there was something else that could be done with all of our lint.

I found a website, actually a few, that told of Lint Clay.

Well why not I guess.

So I set out to see if indeed it could be possible.

I worked in the glue and water.

I chose to wear gloves, for some many reasons, I mean it is lint after all.

Anyways, I found that it was hard to mold into anything.

SO?.. I opted for a square.

A tester, I told myself.

But lets face it, this is about as far as this craft will ever get.

I have to admit it did harden well and stays together great.

Maybe I'll use it as a paper mache project base.

This craft is a GOOOONG!!

Advent Calendar

I filled these hand made pockets and little bags with some of my favourite quotes and of course, some little chocolates.
I want to quotes to be there for years to come and to be able to add a few.
I made this as a heirloom of sorts, to create a new tradition for our family.
A handmade tradition, full of heart and love.

Bantido

E has been having some serious worries lately.

Scared of me dying, her dying, life/death stuff.

No small thing for such a small thing.

I made her a sock puppet, a racoon actually from this book.

She hasn't let "Bandito" go since.

Hasn't let me go either.

Lots of talking lately, and I can see her growing before my eyes.

Nobody said growing up was easy.

Simple Fabric Crafting

Fun fabrics that I never seem to use because I save them for a "special" project.
Well I never have found that "special" project and I always seem to find more awesome fabrics so I decided to put my stash to work.

Cork trivets I bought at Ikea and I covered them with fabric and hot glue gunned it in place.
Using velcro stickers I adhered them to my wall in the craft room without messing up my walls and they are non-commital so I can change them up or get rid of them as I chose.

Then I took all my favourite pieces and cut out, stitched up and stuck on them on the table for napkins.
Perfect way to show off and use my lovely fabrics.
And they wash up perfectly and are just the right size for my napkin holder!!

With the smaller bits in my scrap book I made coasters for the kitchen table.
Love these, they help keep the school work dry from the condensation of the drinks accumulated during a morning session.

Sew Sweet

My little angel E has become quite the sewer lately.
She asked everyday if she can make something.
Of course!!
Pillows seem to be her thing right now.
I let her loose in my sewing room and she manages to cut the fabric, invert it and sew, right it and stuff, then finish off.....all with out asking me for help.
And on my very precious, very expensive sewing machine!!
She is confident and happy doing it and I benefit with all these cute little treasures.

Cheater Scarf

I can't knit.
I've tried and it's just not my thing, probably because it takes forever to get anything done.
I like projects that are quick and productive.
Being a task orientated type of gal this scarf is a perfect blend of easy and quick I look for, so I can get to the next thing I want to do.

I took some yarn that the kids picked out and cut it t=into strips.
I laid the strips out side by side and ran the sewing machine over it, back and forth.
The look is an effective one but next time I will do some twists and add some beads I think, for a little pizazz!

Any-who, the kids love it and I got to us some fancy fun yarn for a change.

Roller Derby Helmet Panties

 Got a call at the beginning of last week to see if I could help out by making some panties for our local scrimmage roller derby team.
I haven't played in so long but I so miss the girls, the exercise and the fun.
I feel a bit included when I get to sew or help out in any way.

These proved to be a bit of a challenge.
First off I was given a pattern and I assumed (and there in lies the problem) they would work fine.
After cutting and sewing the first one I just had a feeling they were going to be a bit tight.
Sure enough they were too snug for game wearing easy transitions.
Poops!!
I really hate not making things perfectly.
However lesson learned and now I can make them better.
I also did some custom stars, starfish to be precise.
I loved working with lycra and the fabric for the stars had little bumps on it.

I just wish i could have worn these this weekend in a game.
"sign"
One Day!!
One Day!!

Bleaching T-Shirts

 I brought this crafty idea to brownies and, with 17 girls, we made bleach resist shirts.
We put on stickers and freezer paper stencils, then sprayed bleach on.
Within 10 minutes the girls could pull off the stickers and then "colour" in with fabric paint pens.

I can see us doing this quite often, for ourselves or for gifts.
I had the clorox bleach pens too but they were forgotten so I am eager to try those out.

Chalk Board Pillow Talk

I was so excited when I found this amazing chalkboard fabric last year.
I have always wanted to make these talk pillows and finally just got to it.

I made one for each girl so I can write sweet notes for them when they wake up in the mornings.

I added a mini pocket with ribbon tied to a piece of chalk so it wont get lost.

Smoking Lily Fabric= Endless Sewing

While in Victoria this past week I stopped by my favouritist store in the whole world, Smoking Lily.

It is no secret my passion for their clothes, accessories and such.

I go gaga for the stuff.

Lucky for me they sell fabric scraps in craft kits, and I bought 6 packages.

Greedy?

Maybe!

...but quite savvy as well.

Considering I was able to make 3 long custom printed cotton scarves right off the hop I feel that I have my monies worth.

In the packages there was enough fabric that my mind is swirling with ideas.

Scarves, pant cuffs, tea cozies, pillow cases, shirt, quilt top, coin purses, totes, neck warmers and arm cozzies....and so on.

I am inspired and am finding it hard to find the time!!!

Although I did find a few moments the other afternoon to refashion a black pencil skirt that had lost its lustre.

I took it all apart and re-stiched the sides with some pink printed linen in the seams.

I put a slit up the back and topped it with 4 rows of ruffles.

On the front I placed a large victorian portrait of a studious lady.

Adding some ribbons and lace for some flare, I now have a super comfy and unique skirt.

Nobody was home to help take my picture and the mirror trick wasn't working in my favour, so this was the best I could do.