Happy Sunday everyone! I'm so sorry that I missed my usual Monday entry, but busy-ness took over. I'm still trying to get my gym visits into routine so I can manage to get all my tasks done during my allotted week. I subbed again last week so my health took priority over my crafting. It turned out all right because I had quilting group on Saturday. I was able to get some cutting and sewing in. Well, I got some cutting in at the group and then I came home to sew a little.
I picked up a new pattern for a table runner since I didn't do well with the Simplicity pattern. This Piece Tree pattern looked easy enough and I consider myself a beginner when it comes to quilting. It is such an art! One of the gals at my group, Mary, was hand quilting. I liked it a lot. Quilters are so creative! The actual stitching reminded me of the embroidery work that I've done. The embroidery work is very satisfying, so I'm considering hand quilting one of my quilts - probably not my king size (Haha) - maybe on this table runner.
Okay, so moving on. Here is the Piece Tree pattern for my new table runner. It looks pretty basic and interesting. With the choice of fabrics, it could be marvelous!
These are my cuts. This is all that is required to put the table runner top together. The backing and batting isn't pictured so I'll need those too. I think I'll use the black for the backing since the black strips are my border.
I'll sew some more of the blocks together today. I should be able to blog again on Tuesday so you can see my blocks. (I go to the gym Tuesday evenings, so I have a time slot open between shifts.)
This next photo is of me wearing my scarf. It was 50° yesterday so I didn't need a jacket, but the scarf was nice in the AM. Sorry it's blurry, I didn't want to go into a big photo shoot with my mom during quilting. Sort of a slouch too - I'll work on that next time! :)
Well, the table runner project is off and running. This one will be finished before I start another. Actually, I think my next project is going to be to finish my king size quilt. I'll close with that. I'd like to get started on my day so I can get some seams in. :)
Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll see you next week!
Happy Mid-March! I'm a bit later in posting my entry this week because I've had a small life-change that needed to take place. Can you guess? Can you guess with all of my complaining about weight gain? Tawnya has joined the gym! I couldn't take it anymore. After I learned that my insurance pays a percentage of it, there was no reason to NOT join. I joined Friday and have gone each day since. I know, 4 days, big deal right? It really IS a big deal though - I've recommitted to a healthier lifestyle. So that's why I'm later today.
Now on to my crafting! My girlfriend, Korrina, is getting married this summer and asked me to help her make her bridesmaid's jewelry: earrings and necklaces. We did that this weekend. I haven't made a necklace that gives the illusion of floating beads around the neck but I've always wanted to. It was a lot of fun figuring out! Korrina was very pleased with how the pieces turned out. She has other craft ideas for her wedding and I've offered to help do whatever I can.
I had some time to work on my art doll. I was stuck on her shoes and finally decided to go with a blue cotton with lace trim and sequins for buttons. After I got the shoes completed, I got creative and finished her lace sleeves with some blue lace trim and gave her a blue bow-tie necklace.
Here's a close up of her shoes.
And here is a close up of her sleeve trim and bow necklace.
I said that I was going to post my colorful scarf last week, but I didn't want to pose quite yet. I will mention that I have worn this scarf several times and received some really nice compliments. I'm not gonna lie, I was slightly worried that I looked like a clown! Haha... Women just loved it! They mentioned it looked so fun. (Thank you!!)
And because I loved the frilly or ruffly look of the scarf, I decided to make one out of this really pretty white yarn that my ma gave to me. It's a very soft 100% acrylic with tinsel woven through so that it reflects light and looks sparkly at a glance. I'm a sucker for sparkles. :)
Maybe you can see the tinsel a little better here.
I also had some time this week to work on some quilt squares of my own design. I debated if I should continue making random quilt squares and make another quilt blanket, but I decided not too considering my king size quilt isn't even finished yet! I DO, however, need another tote that is a small size for carrying things to the gym in. :) (I love mentioning that I "go to the gym"!) Anyways, the photo below is one side of the tote.
Here is the other side of the tote. I'm not sure how I am going to do the handles yet. Time and creativity will tell.
Well, as you see, I have three projects to finish. I don't think I will start any new ones this week. I'm taking my ma's cats for two weeks, beginning Thursday, so I am not sure how much time I will get for projects this weekend. I have a gym date this weekend too, with a gal from work - she's invited me to Zumba session. Since it's so popular, I thought I'd give it a try. Although, I'm terrible at keeping tempo or anything that requires memory to movements. :D So again, I don't know how much crafting I will get to.
Okay, my Sweety is in the kitchen ready for dinner...waiting for me. Have a great week everyone. Thanks for reading! :)
Edward and I took a drive down south this weekend to see if the eagles were migrating yet. There were several eagles soaring but not many perched.
For this shot, my lens was racked out and I still didn't get a clear image. You can tell it's an eagle though. The weather was beautiful - sunshine and no wind. We plan on going down again in a couple weeks. It's so neat to see them perched along the river ice to fish.
Weather now? Minnesota is getting a ton of snow - I suppose over a foot by now. Snow plows have knocked down garbage and recycle cans all down the block. I've only gone out once today and that was to take back my Redbox movie. :) I think it's great for skiers and snowmobiles. Moving on to jewelry...
It was my jewelry week, but I didn't make any. The original plan was to make girls jewelry, but I didn't get around to it. I had a 40 hour week so that took up most time. The next two photos are of some earrings that I made a few weeks ago. These are an antiqued gold pair - faceted crystal for the focal bead.
I used the wire jig for these next earrings - I love using wire more each time I work with it. I like hoop earrings too. There are more complex designs out there, but I wanted to start simple and work my way up.
Since I was busy with work, only a few nights this week was spent working on my colorful scarf. I hope to get it done soon enough to wear it before the season is over. I actually was going to sit down and start stitching and then I remembered that I should update my hobby blog. So here it is!
This week is a sewing week, according to my hobby schedule. I feel like starting a dress to wear this spring, but I've gained 8 pounds. I feel a little discouraged because of that. Maybe I won't feel so pretty in it. Maybe that's a good reason to make a new dress! I'll have to see. I'm just gonna go with my inspiration - no matter what hobby I work on. :)
Happy Valentines Day everyone! I hope you're seeing hearts everywhere... :) I got a Valentine from a little girl at work that said she was glad to see me again. I'd worked with her at a different site in the district. I thought that was too cute. Valentines is a great day for kids to practice edifying one another. I like it.
Moving on to crafts and such! (Sorry, no Valentine projects.) Last week I mentioned that I sewed up an adorable item - well, the item was this cloth diaper. I had to put some hook and loop tape on it before I could photograph it. I used a diaper cover pattern for this cloth diaper so it's a tad large for a newborn. It's a decent enough prototype. I'll have to experiment and cut the pattern down. The pattern is nice for older babies. Like everything I do, I need to tweak it for its purpose.
Next, I sewed up this make up bag. I had the idea to apply a cute gingham ribbon before installing the zipper. I've had this project sitting in my sewing room for several months now. Isn't this fabric so colorful and fun? This fabric reminds me of spring and fall. Make up bags are easy, but I sure procrastinated on it. Typical behavior for Tawnya. I'd fail as a true wizardess. :)
Moving on to crochet... If you look back at my previous entry, you'll read that I really was uninterested in crocheting this week. I really want to stay with my plan to switch my hobbies up every week so I don't get bored and to stay up to date with my projects. I started out small. I found a pattern in one of the last crochet magazines - Baby Booties! They are adorable and cozy, but THEY DON'T MATCH! I asked my ma to come over and help me with the pattern. I did just fine on the bootie I stitched up while she was here, but the second one got a little funky. She'd mentioned getting a new pattern, so I thought I'd do the same. Maybe I'll try that next month.After I get a pattern down, I thought they'd be cute to sell at WizardGir1.
Anyways, I kept on crocheting. I found this amiguruami turtle pattern on one of the yarn websites and wanted to give it a go. It was really fun stitching up. The instructions directed that the feet be sewed on after the body is stuffed, so that's what I did. However, (get ready for a little story here) while I was sewing them on, FIONA swiped one off the sofa and scooped it right up. She brought it to her secret room in the basement. You know the one? The room that cats store everything in which they steal. Yeah. that's the one. I thought it was gone forever, but then I had an idea to wait it out. Twenty minutes later I went down the basement stairs and there the turtle foot lay on the last step. Fiona had come through for her wonderful master! :) Good Kitty.
After I finished the turtle, I grew excited to begin a new project. I have been eye-balling this wonderfully colored yarn for about two months. I finally decided to throw it into my cart. It's called "bikini". I know, it's a dumb name. It's a dumb name just like the bag pattern from Janome. It was also called a "bikini bag." Whatever. But the color isn't less exciting because it has a pathetic name! It's so fun! I'm looking forward to wearing this scarf on cold spring and fall days.
Along with my colorful yarn, I threw in some acrylic beads that I intend to use for making children's jewelry. This next week is my jewelry making week. Woohoo! I'm looking forward to that one. My friend says making things for children is a must because they enjoy the smallest treasures. I'm also going to try to make time to finish the colorful scarf too. I welcome you all back next Monday to see how far I've come on the scarf, if I haven't finished it.
It's been one week since I last posted and it's been 11 days that my online store has been open. I am currently in the process of designing new business cards to help in the advertising department. I'll put my order in on Friday. Then eventually, I'll advertise in a couple news papers in the Twin Cities.
I've sold a few items thus far, and I am even more excited to share with others and see where this little business leads. I'm also taking a trip to Garden of Beads this weekend. Garden of Beads is located downtown Anoka, MN. Anoka is right on the river so it's a pretty old town. Before my cold took a toll on my energy bank, I designed some pretty jewelry. All items posted are for sale, minus two; however, I will take orders to recreate the piece - or take suggestions for changes in design. :)
"Under the Sea" badge lanyard is made with coral and purple freshwater pearls.
This badge lanyard can be custom ordered.
Elegant Pearl and Glass Bead dangles.
This piece is made with faceted crystals and cat's eye glass.
I know this next item isn't beaded, but I mentioned in a post or two back that I had another crocheted item to post, so here it is! This is a Primrose Daisy washcloth or potholder. :) Country blue isn't readily available in too many stores nowadays, so I am going to stitch up a few of these.
I am working on the Flying Geese table runner - after my cold, I plan on getting back to that project. ...I had a vision of a a thick-walled tote that was embellished with beads. It might be a great idea that never forms into reality, but then again, it might be the inspiration I need to create something really special! :) Time will tell.
Can you believe it, Christmas is over?! It came and went so quickly - aside from stores setting up for the holiday. They start that in July. :| I'm okay with the holiday passing by because goodies come around less and less. However, I will mention that I am going to begin baking again! I've asked my Ma over to bake - you know, these are activities that we enjoy doing together. Is it all that insane? :D
All right, I'll move on. Ed liked the beret that I crocheted up for him. it was part of his Christmas gift. I would show the hat with a photo of him instead of my model, but he is burned out from me taking his photo so much. I doubt I'll ever get a decent one of him again! LOL When he has the beret on, he looks like a fella in the military. It looks nice and he claims it's comfortable. Whew!
As some of you know, I try to crochet after dinner to keep me from eating. Well, I eventually put down the hook and took up the fork and spoon. I've been eating so much ice cream that it's crazy. I thought I would try switching up my hobby to keep my interest and my body out of the kitchen! So, beads it was. I made this beautiful bracelet with glass bugle beads, seed beads and semi-precious amethyst stones.
These pretty earrings also have the semi-precious amethyst stones as accents. Both of the pieces can be considered "green" since I used the beads from pieces that I took apart. The vintage tear-drop green beads were also from a piece that I took apart. When stones and glass become too heavy to wear around the neck on a string, it's nice to break it up and make smaller pieces from them.
I just love the Swarovski crystals too. I'm a sucker for the aurora borealis finish on ALL beads. I just can't stop looking at them! The blue color of these beads are so cheery for spring or summer jewelry.
I mentioned in my last entry that I was going to work on a "flying geese" table runner. Well, I was finally able to get into my sewing room just yesterday. I frantically started cutting my fabric up and I didn't realize that I was following the wrong instructions. I cut up my fabric in all sorts of strip widths! I had to start the project over with some other fabric I had in my stash. This morning, I cut the new fabric choices into strips and I was extremely careful to follow the correct instructions.
What am I going to do with all of my erroneously cut strips? ...coasters, of course. I love making quick projects. In between making the coasters, I plan on working on this "big idea" I have. My goal is to be finished by December 31st, but it might just be January 1st. That wouldn't be bad. Either way I'll be bringing something new into year 2011. I plan on revealing my "big idea" here, next Tuesday. It's very exciting so please check back!
Holiday greetings everyone! So the holidays are coming up and I've been subbing more in the school district. What does that mean for my craft life? It's getting squished - but it's not gone! Attending sewing clubs and groups keeps me motivated to get at least one item finished per month. I like to blog each week so that's another motivation.
So this week, I worked on two more wallets. This time I added a trim to the flap. I used white and cream trim and I like them both the same. I still would like to put my "WizardGir1" logo tag inside. I think I'll have to hand sew them in.
And to keep myself away from food after dinner, I've picked up my crochet hook each night. I'm planning to crochet every night for the rest of my life. :) Okay, it's cool and I want to become really good at the craft. So I have to practice. If I am not crocheting, my other option is knitting or the treadmill! :)
These are coasters for my mother in law. I have no idea if she uses them, but I know she likes crocheted stuff. She crochets too, so I don't know if she'll like them that much. I'll find out.
We had a ton of snow come over the Twin Cities and the Minneapolis Metro dome caved in and then finally collapsed. We drove down to look at it before it collapsed. No photos of that, but I did see other things that were snapshot worthy! I thought the spare tire of this SUV was too cute to pass up. Click on the image if you can't see it that well.
Getting right into town.. there is this big brick guy on the rooftop. It's on the same block of the Utrecht art supplier that I shop at, so I see him at each visit. Isn't he just cute!?
Look how high the snow is! People were crawling over the mounds of snow all over the place. The snow doesn't seem to slow us down! The Old Spaghetti Factory is the best place to eat with it's fun ambiance. It has old cathedral stained glass windows inside. These are gigantic!
I thought this structure was neat to look at. I first noticed the heart pattern and then it drew my eye down the length of it. Some of the patterns look tribal to me. This is by the dome, btw.
That's it for me today. It wasn't too elaborate of an article, but I promised myself I would do this once a week. I have had an itch to play with Sculpey polymer clay so that's what I'm going to do. Of coarse I'll take photos to share. The dishes can wait! :)
Well I can't believe it. Another week flew by! When I looked at my planner this morning, I gasped when I realized it was blog day. I thought "Ah, WHAT AM I GOING TO BLOG ABOUT?!" Then I realized that even though I haven't been sewing this past week, I have been crafting. Yup, I sat down with my mom and we started an amiguruami frog pattern. From the research I did, "amiguruami" is Japanese style of crocheting in the round. Geez, it's a lot of fun! You gotta try it.
This guy is made of 100% acrylic worsted weight yarn - the color is "olive", Vanna's Choice from Lion Brand. His legs are the same brand of yarn, and I think "fern" is the color. He's just an adorably goofy looking froggy. The style of his pupils is my creative edge to give him a Kermit The Frog look about it. I stuffed him with poly fill that the local craft shops carry.
I also finished up my winter hat. When I began, I found extra yarn that I had in my stash - there were no labels on the skeins. After I finished, I realized that it was left over yarn from my felted purse project. It's 100% wool. Do you know what that means? I need to hand wash it unless I want to felt it for a baby! :) The skein is soft to the touch, but it's itchy on the head. Next hat I make will either be a blend or 100% acrylic. (I love acrylic!)
When I went to quilting group on Saturday, I learned that my "Flying Geese" ruler doesn't make 2 ½ X 4 ½ blocks, (it makes 2 ¼ x 4 ½) which is the size I need for my table runner project. Needless to say, I didn't work on my quilt project. I'll have to cut strips manually and piece it together. I also need to work a little more on my art doll. I set her aside after I finished her skirt. Like I've mentioned before, I need to get new lace to be excited for the next step. :)
Okay, it's been a week and do I have a treat for you! Well, maybe the treat is more for me, but I think you'll like it, maybe not as much. Sooo, I finished my Victorian Ruffled Afghan! Woohoo! And here's a little story.
I didn't want to complete the entire 4" ruffle around the squares because I thought it would take away from the look I wanted. I wanted a smaller ruffle, just an added softness. So here is a photo of that.
Now ON TO SEWING! This blog entry is really about ruffles and gathers. The afghan had them and now my doll's clothes has them - all over the place! All right, let me interject something here...
So, I'm broke. I'm always broke. Even when I have money, I'm broke. I don't like spending money frivolously. This isn't a bad thing - I've come to realize. It really pushes me to be more creative. I wouldn't classify myself as a lazy person; I'm efficient. My point to this interjection is that if I can get a ruffle for my dress without spending the time it takes to run to the store, match up the fabrics, pay the money and then come home again, I will. I creatively made this ruffle for my doll dress!
First, I sewed 3" wide strips of fabric that equalled the length of two yards. I finished the raw edge of the maroon fabric with my serger, but this can be done with the zigzag stitch and look quite decorative. A cording foot could also be used to finish the edge in a cute fashion. I used crochet thread in my lower looper to achieve the look in the following photo. Then I ran the fabric through my ruffler foot.
Here's a video on how to make a ruffle using the ruffler foot. (I know how everyone likes videos and my last one went over quite nicely! Thanks for watching. Hopefully is was entertaining at the very least. I'll also add the Ruffler Foot video to the "videos" tab.) I purchased my foot from the local fabric store - it wasn't a special order and if you have a 40% off coupon, use it!) I feel a tad awkward making a video but I hope you can follow it with ease. I am not a ham. :)
After I made the ruffle, I added some vintage lace. Even though the light blue color doesn't match exactly, I liked the look it gave to the skirt. I strategically pinned the ruffle and the lace to the skirt fabric so I could sew them both on at the same time. Remember, I'm efficient! :D
I carefully sewed the lace onto the skirt. I went as slow as I needed to in order to get a nice straight stitch.
This was a new method for me to gather my doll's skirt waist. I used a very long strand of crochet thread and zigzagged over it using invisible thread/nylon thread.
After I finished with the gathering cord, I firmly held the tails and eased the fabric into the gathers that I wanted. I used a doll making needle to pull the threads to the front of the doll. I plan on adding beads to the stands and tying it in a bow. I think it will look cute!
Some of you know that I've taken a little over a month to go through some rooms in my home to clean out the clutter. Well, today is the day for the Lupus Foundation to pick it up! Here's the first shipment. Among the lot is a nice vintage Christmas tree. I thought it was perfect timing and someone could have a new tree this year. It's quite nice, but I'm downsizing, cleaning out clutter and creating an easy way of life for me and my husband. Last year, I bought a short Christmas tree that sits on a table. Hopefully, I can find a table the right size to set up in front of our living room window.
Back to the doll for a quick second. I'm not too pleased with the lace I have for the doll's apron, but I might make it work. I don't know yet. I'd like to make a pair of pants soon and I might pick up some lace that I like more when I make a trip to the fabric shop. I crocheted a winter cap and I have to make a flower for it yet too. Photos of that will come soon. I wanted to finish it first. My Sweetie liked my cap so much that he requested one for Christmas! That made me feel good!
It's time for me to close. I'm going to begin my day. I've spent more time here than I intended - how efficient is that?? :P
