Fabric bowls

I've been making fabric bowls for everyone this Christmas.  I even added coupons for a bowl of their color and size choice to some!  These green bowls are for the kid's teachers (green and white are the school colors).  I just cut 1" strips of various prints, sewed the ends together to for a long strip and then wrapped it around clothesline, folding the trailing edge under so it hid the raw edges.  The wrapping is what takes the longest, but it's easy to do while watching TV!  Then I coiled the rope, sewing it together with a zigzag stitch on my sewing machine.  Presto!  Bowls for everyone!  I did Christmas prints for the other presents.  It's interesting how the prints look so different once they're wrapped.  I had some red and green large design fabric that I thought was cool, but it didn't lend itself to small projects easily.  Cut it into strips, wrap it and it was a perfect blender between more red or green prints!  I'm really hoping they take me up on the coupons, so I can try different colors.

 

I sew, I sew...

Still trying to get Christmas presents done.  The good news is I seem to have stopped breaking needles (yeah!).  As always, I have way more projects than time will allow.  I'll have to see what gives - projects or my sleep!  I am finally doing a little bit of beading, a crocheted bracelet that was ordered.  It's a bit more bling than my usual, but I like it - it has AB finished faceted beads,amethyst triangles and pink and blue seed beads (all AB (AB=Aurora Borealis, a shiny multi-colored finish)). The large beads I'm using have a clear base- I might feel the need to try the black based ones in a bracelet for me! 

Diversions

I think part of the reason I've postponed blogging is I hate dealing with the pictures.  I know they really help you see what I'm doing, but they just take so long to upload and get placed.  So, I'll try when I can, but I'm giving myself permission to do posts without them sometimes, because otherwise I don't post at all.

I've been busy working on Christmas presents lately.  I'm sewing a variety of things, including my finger (just the tip, through the callous thank goodness!).  That's what happens when you sew without the presser foot in place, and trying to get things in place as the needle's flying!  I really need to remember to take my lead foot off the pedal.

 I'm recently hooked on the clothesline basket fad.  I don't have the books, but I have perused the net, coming up with some good info.  It's pretty straightforward - you cut fabric in strips, wrap them around clothesline, and sew it together with a zigzag stitch in a coil.  There are some options - cutting the strips on the bias vs selvage to selvage, turning down one edge of the strip so it covers the raw edge (which I favor) or leaving them exposed so they ravel slightly.  You need to use cotton rope, which I've found locally at our Fred Meyer in the laundry section at the cheapest price - they have the same rope, different brand, in the hardware section for more $!  I'm using up some of the prints I've had stashed for years (probably decades) and it's totally functional.  Flat, they make great coasters and trivets, or you can angle it as you go and make bowls.  I've figured out how to turn the bowl and sew it backwards to give a nice flat rim.  Yes, I can hear you saying, "Where's the pics?".  I haven't even taken any yet!  I'll try to do that before I ship them out.

My other projects are hero dress-up stuff for nieces and nephews.  Mask, belt, gauntlets, capes and shoe covers.  Lots of satin, and satin stitching.  I'm sure DH would love to have the dining room table back!

Bead work has suffered seriously.  My July BJP needs finished, let alone the other months I'm behind, and I already signed up again!  A few pieces I've been wearing, and decided they need some flaws fixed, mostly involving clasps.  I've been inspired by Silver Parrot to make the length adjustable with links (also has me wondering about links made from shrink plastic).  Now I just need to find the time, and my desk, to work on it!  I also have an order for a crocheted bracelet, found the beads I want for the outside curve ( I usually use 15/0, 11/0, 8/0 and 6/0 or 4mm to make it squiggle), now to pick the rest and get it done! Along with the at-least 20 something other things I need to do - like feed the cats and fish!

Trying... Feb, March take 2

Ok, so here's the pictures, in a form that should enlarge. I was trying to play around with uploading the pictures in html and then typing, but guess whatever I did didn't work! I've tried typing and then adding pictures, but it still adds them at the top, so I have to move them around. Sigh. That means the other post I've got ready to post won't enlarge either. Crud. At least I checked these, they should enlarge.

March projects

I've finally gotten whatever glitch my pictures files had taken care of. It's frustrating when the computer freezes when I'm trying to upload pictures! Now, I've learned they won't enlarge. It seems to have a problem with the pictures I took that month - when I go to load them, it makes IE freeze. Sigh!



This is a necklace I made for my sister. She showed me a picture in a magazine, I took a picture of the page and this is what it inspired. Not exactly like the original, which is good! It had goldstone chips, copper beads, glass beads in a couple sizes, charms and freshwater pearls. The necklace has 2 extensions, so it can be worn short or long (or in-between). I made earrings to match. I don't normally do stringing, let alone multiple strands, so it was a nice stretch for me. I've got one for myself on my project list now, and maybe one in bluestone for my Mom!



This pendant is made with stone cabs from a local valley. I got them from a mom who's becoming quite the rock-hound, and she gave me some cabs to "play" with! This was her thank-you. I backed the cabs with foil so the background didn't show through the stones. It's backed with grey ultrasuede, and strung on satin cord that's tied in 2 sliding knots, so it's uber-adjustable. Now I know why some of the beaders make pendants like this - they are fairly quick, a nice instant-gratification kind of piece.
She gave me a piece of petrified wood, and lots of clear-ish cabs from the local rock-hound valley, which is near to where she lives. I'm going to have fun seeing what they turn into!

BJP for Feb, March

I have actually been able to keep up with my BJP pieces so far (grin). It helps that they are fairly tiny! My button for Feb started with a red double spiral with a gold dragon charm sewn on top. I love dragons. I even had a big latex mask of a white dragon head, that I put on an armature and displayed like a trophy head! I kept it until the latex started to deteriorate. If I find another one, I might have to buy it to put in my "studio" (that's such a pipe dream!).

March's button started with a small ceramic orca, that I wanted to have leaping out of the water. I'm using my scrap beads (that's my challenge for the year), and don't have many color choices at the moment, so the water is greens and blacks. I did a small (minuscule) section of Ndebele for the "spray" from the leaping orca. What is up with spell check not knowing "orca"? Calling them "killer whales" is like saying a racial epithet for me!

April's button is started. It has a crab claw that I found at Padilla Bay. The girls and I hung out there one afternoon over Spring Break. The tide was exceptionally low, little brown shells everywhere, and we flew a kite that hung out like a balloon, just followed along whoever was holding it. A few days later there was an explosion at one of the refineries across the bay from there - killed 6 people. (Update - it's now 7) It's horrific to think about what those people went through. I will definitely be using the black beads I have left in my scraps.

January BJP

Woohoo, I'm still on schedule! This is still the first month, so that's a good thing! I have 2 months to finish from last year, so I'd prefer not to get behind from the get-go this year.

I have the incredible shrinking BJP pieces - they get smaller every year! First post-card sized, then half that size, now large buttons. In a way that's good, since I wasn't counting on doing this year when I planned how to mount the previous 2 years worth, and I just have room on the outside edges for the buttons!

So this is what I started with - a large wooden button (extra cheap Christmas clearance), a cardboard circle to put over the holes, a circle of felt to use as stabilizer under a larger circle of calico, and a squiggle scrap of felt for on top. My "theme" per se this year is to use up my bits and bobs that need a good home, and perhaps use some of those "I want this for me but I'm not sure how to use it" stuff. This is what I started with - the felt circle is basted on at the circumference of the button, so I know my main beading area.Here the beading is done, to slightly larger than the basted circle (now removed). I have stacked up the button, cardboard circle, and half a cotton ball.This is the back side. I trimmed the felt close to the stitches. I've turned under the edges of the circle and ran a gathering stitch around the edge. The calico edges were treated with Fraycheck, so they won't unravel while I'm beading.This is the finished button, top and side views. The side view is tilted a little, sorry.

This worked up lickety-split, I'm really looking forward to doing the rest!

Quick Ckeck-in

What's new:

signed up for BJP 2010, probably doing largish covered buttons for my pieces - once I get the last 3 done from 2009!

working on the hand challenge from BAD, turning out Way Cool. I need to find a clear acrylic base and rod for the base - this piece would be worthy of a competition.

made more crocheted bracelets, pink and green/white, need to string the next one (purple/red). I gave 10 bracelets for Christmas, got some nice comments.

I really would like to post more regularly, especially with pictures. Of course, I also need to loose weight, eat healthy, exercise and bead on a regular basis - I'm not making any promises on any of it!