Under a blue moon

Tags

I've gotten a number of questions/comments on the tags so I thought I would break it down.  This is a super quick and easy project. 

Supplies:

Avery shipping tags: 4 3/4" x 2 2 3/8"
Hero Arts stamp:  H2141 Manuscript Background (I've ordered from this guy before A+)
Rubber Soul stamp: SKU 449970 Crown
Lower case typewriter stamp set (this isn't exactly the one I have but very close)
Ranger Distress ink pad in frayed burlap
EAS German die-cut paper scrap roses
Tombo MonoAqua liquid glue
Darice Self-stick gems (or glitter glue)
Vintage seam binding or other ribbon (I ordered my Hug Snug binding from them)

I was going to do step by step photos but I got carried away and forgot to snap pictures of a couple of steps.  So I just broke it down to the stamping part and the embellishing part.

First I stamped the manuscript background on the tag.  This stamp has to be my very favorite.  I can't tell you how many times I've used it.  I left enough room at the bottom for the lower case letters.

Then I stamped a crown image. 

Then I stamped my sentiment on the bottom (biscotti, blue moon or whatever...).

Then I dragged the edges of the tag over the stamp pad.

Then I glued on the die cut roses on the top.  If they go over the edges just cut them flush with the tag.

Then embellish with rhinestones or a few dots of sparkly glitter glue.

Add a ribbon (re-poking the hole in the tag if necessary) and you are done!  Takes about two minutes to do.

If you wanted to mass produce them you could scan them before embellishing with rhinestones or glitter and adding the ribbon.  Print out on card stock, then do your embellishing.  You could probably get four or six on a 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of card stock.

 

Something is afoot...

I sense some Valentine Day craftiness.  I just went to Michael's and started plopping things in my basket with no real plan.  The only thing on my list were the paper mache heart-shaped boxes.

Stay tuned....

 
 

Old quilt - part II

How is that for dirty?  Yuck.  

Thank you for all the feedback and suggestions for the quilt.  I have decided to repair rather than re-purpose. 

In looking at the damage more closely I can see the biggest hole isn't actually missing any pieces like I originally thought.  It has just come apart. 

 You can see the hole went through all three layers.  The back of the quilt had a number of splits in the fabric and just wasn't salvageable.  The batting was beyond disgusting.  I carefully snipped all the ties (all eight billion of them) and then separated the top from the other layers. 

The quilt didn't have a binding - the top and bottom pieces were just folded in and then straight stitched so it was a breeze to take it apart. 

See - the hole isn't so bad after all.  The edges of the quilt are another story.  The fabric is splitting where it was folded under.  I think I can just remove the outer most pieces and bind the edges when I get a new back and batting on.  I might have to replace a few pieces, but not too many.

Meanwhile I'm still in the cleaning process.  After I separated the top from the other layers I filled the tub up with warm water, Biz and Ivory Snow.  The brown water is after 30 minutes of soaking.  I didn't agitate it all - just let it sit there.  I drained the tub and filled it with just plain water and let it soak for an hour.  Then drained, filled it again with warm water and Biz and let it sit overnight.  This morning I drained it and it's now soaking in just plain water (which has remained clear so far, thank goodness). 

I think it will always be too delicate for use but it will be pretty folded at the bottom of a bed.

Edited to add:  Any suggestions for quilting it?  Or would hand-tying it be the way to go?  I've never really cared for the look of tied quilts but that's just me.

 

Question for you quilters out there....

My benefactress picked up this quilt for me - it was stuffed under a table and she paid $2.  

It is quite old by the looks of it.  I'm trying to i.d. how old exactly - to me the fabrics look to be from the 30's but what do I know.  I'm basing it on 30's reproduction fabrics I've seen and used (logic being if it looks like the reproduction AND looks old that perhaps it is the real thing).

The pieces are about 1" and were hand pieced.  Instead of the quilt being quilted it is hand tied.

The quilt has a large hole in it - about eight inches across, and all the way through the layers.  The batting appears to be cotton (and quite old looking too....)

My camera's batteries died right as I was getting ready to take pictures so these are all taken from my iPhone.  

I was thinking of either taking it apart and trying to piece the missing front blocks with reproduction fabrics and remake it into a quilt.  Or take it apart and make something out of the front - like tote bags or something along those lines. 

Is that sacrilegious?  To re-purpose an old quilt?  Or to repair with newer fabrics?

 
 
 

Halloween invite prototype

Invites for the annual Halloween party.  I think I need better black paper.  Maybe something embossed like the background paper.  As long as I can still stamp on it.

I think the invitation part needs to be on lighter paper too - so that it's easier to read. 

This is why I always do prototypes rather than impulsively buy reams of the wrong colored, wrong textured paper. 

I couldn't get a close up that wasn't blurry but the costume contest info is inserted into a slit in the lining of the coffin. 

I need to mail these this weekend so I best get cracking!

Laundry day

This morning I was looking at a piece of vintage lace and I realized that it needed washing. 

I went to the laundry room and pulled out various jugs of laundry detergent, fabric softeners and stain removers so I could get to my trusty box of Biz at the back of my cupboard.  I was grumbling that this was a totally unsatisfactory arrangement especially since I use the box of Biz a lot.

Then I had one of the aha moments where your carefully planned out day takes an entirely different direction.

I had an old jar in the garage so I dragged it out and scrubbed it then I made a stencil of the word "Biz" and etched it on the jar.   The result is subtle but the addition of a small china mug to replace the plastic scoop and I think it is way more charming than the ugly old box. 

We are having a blissfully gloomy day here in Granite Bay.  Yesterday's 100 degree temperatures have been replaced with cool, rainy clouds and the occasional far off rumble of thunder.  A perfect day to curl up on the couch and read.  Only when I got up to refill my iced tea someone had claimed the couch for her royal self.

Look at that - she has no intention of sharing the couch with me.

Evolution of a pig

 

...and this little piggy managed to get himself painted, silverleafed, painted some more and then antiqued. 

Yet he remains so good natured.

He started out terracotta - which wasn't working for me so he spent a stint whitewashed:

 

He was just too chalky looking.  He didn't like it either.    So late one night (when I seem to find all my inspiration and energy) I silverleafed him.  He looked a bit like I had wrapped him in aluminum foil so I sponged on a couple different shades of grey paint and then finally sponged on some burnt umber ink.

He looks like he's been silver for centuries now.

 

Silverleafing is a lot of fun and quite easy.  It's just a bit messy.  I still have little bits of silverleaf floating around the dining room.

More little sewing

 

Meet Mr. & Mrs. Zebra Finch.  They are my oldest son's feathered companions.  They are just as sweet as they look and like to chatter away at anyone that comes within their vacinity. 

Which is rather charming at 2:00pm but not so much at 5:30am.   My son had taken to tossing a towel over the cage at night but I didn't think that was very attractive so I whipped up a cage cover this morning.

It's super simple but much nicer than an old towel.  I'm thinking it needs something.  Like maybe grosgrain ribbon trim.   I'd slap some lace on it if it were mine but I don't think my son has quite the same decorating esthetic that I have.

(Excuse the cellphone pics - my camera is elsewhere today)

A little sewing was done

 

A little sewing sounds so much more positive than "little sewing", doesn't it?  Just add that one little letter and I feel a better sense of accomplishment.

I still have to sew together 14 more of the 25 patch blocks and then sew the larger four block components, then sew the rows, then sew the whole shebang together.  Hmmm.  Sounds like a lot of work but I bet as soon as the 25 patch blocks are done the rest will come together quickly.

This will be a table topper (like 98% of my quilting projects) and will end up being about 48" square.  I am going to quilt it myself.  Nothing overly ambitious.  I am going to sew diagonally through the light patterned blocks and then I am going to hand quilt a heart in each larger white block. 

Which explains the cookie cutter in the picture.

I've left it spread out all over my eating area table.  I'm hoping that will inspire me to work on here and there when I have a minute.  Since it is my Valentine table topper there isn't a big sense of urgency except that I want to remove it from my unfinished project sidebar.

I hate that it takes me so long to finish something. Rick observed that while I enjoy the end result I really get no joy or satisfaction out of the process. 

I think after this I'll try a different sewing project.  Like a skirt or a tote bag.  See how that goes.

That backing fabric is cute, isn't it?  That's the other part I like, picking out the fabric.

Sewing

 

Pretty cozy sewing at that.  Especially considering it was about 158 degrees outside. 

I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked because we had a little bit of Remy drama on Saturday.  He ate something that didn't agree with him so Sara and I spent the afternoon at the vet with him.  He is just fine now but on Saturday he was a very sad pup.

Nicki was working on one of her projects then jumped in to help Sara with hers.  A Schnibbles pattern called McGuffey.  That is it in the blues, browns and greens above.  I can't remember the line of fabric. 

I worked on my Valentine table topper and managed to get all the components sewn together.  Now I have to cut them apart and reassembled into the blocks.  It is an Irish Chain pattern. 

I started this project in November of 2005.  I am not very fast when it comes to quilting.  The unfortunate part is if I run out of a fabric I am up a creek because who can find it four years later?

Kate worked on a basket quilt done in really pretty colors.  It is going to be fabulous when she finishes it.  She is planning on finishing it THIS YEAR!  Can you even imagine?

 

So no finished projects to share but we did have a good time.  And I ate so much on Saturday night that I still swear I will never eat again. 

I made shrimp tacos with a tomatilla/avocado salsa (it was all about the salsa - it would make a tennis shoe taste great) and I made the corn fritters again.  Nicki and Sara missed out the first time I made them so I promised I would make them at our little retreat. 

Too much food: