Beautiful…

Apparently, I’m A Little Blue…Part Deux…

I made myself a box.  It’s sort of like a camera case.  I got the pattern from youcanmakethis.com.  First let me say I LOVE how it turned out.  Having said that, it was very labor intensive. The instructions were fantastic!  There were just a LOT of steps.  As they say, though, nothing worthwhile is ever easy! I don’t recommend this for a raw beginner, but it’s easily finished by someone with moderate sewing skills.

I added a felt square for needles for when I use it as a craft case and there are removable dividers that Velcro in.  I used foam core board for the sides and bottom so it is nice and sturdy.  I am sure this is destined to become our camera case! I also made a pincushion with the extra material!

   

Giveaway!

You have to check out this sewing machine giveaway over at The DIY Dish!

Apparently, I’m A Little Blue…

Many of my projects lately have been relying heavily on the color blue! First up, a bracelet I made.I used some denim from an old pair of Baby Girl’s jeans from when she was little. The denim is so nice and soft and easy to sew. I added some vintage lace on top and pleated down the length of it. Then I embellished with ribbon, Swarovski pearls, Swarovski crystals, sterling silver beads and seed beads. I couldn’t find my snaps (big surprise! I’m so organized!) so I used Velcro dots that I also reinforced with Fabric Tack glue. I just don’t trust the adhesive on the Velcro to stay. I lightly frayed the edges and then used Fray Check to keep it from fraying further.

I love the way it turned out! It’s comfy and looks great with my jeans!

Stay tuned for part two of the blue…

And The Winners Are…

Here are the results on the “Felt Smack Down” contest!

Pretty cool, huh?!?

Illene’s Quilt…

Lyn over at “Welcome to Bluebird Quilts” has come up with a wonderful idea! A friend of hers, and a bloggy friend of mine, has been going through a rough time of it lately.  Her daughter has cancer and has been very ill at every turn.  Every time that something looks promising, something else comes up.  Needless to say, Illene could really use a hug from all her friends.  The blogging world being what it is, we have all developed friendships with others all over the world so, a friendly hug is not necessarily logistically possible.  This is where Lyn’s idea comes in.  She is making her a quilt.  What does that have to do with you and me???  Well, you can contribute to the making of the quilt and send Illene your own hug!  Check out all the details on Lyn’s blog!

My “Felt Smack Down” Entry…

Well, here's my entry for the "Felt Smack Down" contest! I really enjoyed making this. I have loved working with felt now for quite a while and have been inspired by Salley Mavor for years.

It was a learning experience for me as well as a fun project to make. I tried some techniques on this piece that I haven't employed before as described below. My piece is a wall hanging that is 8" x 9", mounted to foam core board and finished along the edges with ribbon and pearl headed pins.

My “Little” (doll), as I call them, measures 1 3/4", including the little tip on her cap. I painted her face (no easy feat being as she is so small!) and embroidered her tunic and skirt. Her hair is made from yarn.
The pot of hydrangeas measures just over 3/4" and is sculpted and then painted using watercolors for extra dimension. Each flower was made individually with a single strand of embroidery floss worked in colonial knots, gathered and then sewn in place.

The apple tree measures 3" and is sculpted and painted using watercolors as well for extra dimension.

I needle felted the clouds then stitched them down to the sky.
The wisteria vine is actually a couple of different colors of floss that I dipped in a 50-50 mixture of white glue and water, then wrapped around a paintbrush to dry before stitching in place with some silk fleurette's. The clouds ended up being my least favorite part of the project. I need to experiment more and come up with something more satisfactory and realistic.

Overall, I am pleased with my end result. There were times that I was feeling dissatisfied with it, but as I added more detail, the picture started to match what I had in my head. I can see making more along these lines in the future.