here is a little circular knitting needle case that i made out of one of those tea towels i scored friday. there are three areas to store needles and a little metal tag to write the size on too.
then it all folds up nicely~ style and function.
i made this saturday, so that is one craft on day 3 ~for a total of 2.
had a date with a needle and thread on the porch this weekend....all the silks i dyed in a pretty basket-
i plucked them like ripe fruit and let them tell me what to embroider...this one looked just like the ripples on the water so simple little yellow orange goldfish seemed the perfect match....
tiny french knots for the eyes and a little tie for the fins...cute cute cute
finally! i made something this week!!! this is cause for rejoice people. i am really missng my time to craft although creating with the children all week long is incredibly fulfilling. i love it. nevertheless, i miss being able to sit at my leisure and create something beautiful without thinking about what else needs to be done.
i actually sneaked in a visit with Valentine at the farm and she got to show me all the magical things she has created as of late...that girl is gifted i tell you- she is gearing up for her etsy shop so get ready to spend you money folks because you want what she has. we had a great afternoon although it was entirely too short a visit...i did manage to make a gift for a little baby girl had her first birthday party sunday afternoon at a beautiful park and we spent the day outside in the glorious breeze and watched the children play and play and play...i made her a little baby doll that is velour and stuffed with wool...like a little snuggly pillow baby...she was just so pretty. i am fixin' to make the rest that i have all ready to go- this little darlin' was inspiring.
ain't she sweet?
i've been a part of a really fun flickrgroup that does fat quarter swaps for three months now....they are so great and I look forward to them.... every month you get a partner and make up a sweet little package of goodies and receive one in return!
this month came in today's post and was filled with treasures. great fabric, a fan of pretty pins, some homemade tags and bindng....the fq's were gorgeous little prints. be sure to check out jeni's etsy shop to see her handmade papercrafts and little doll dresses! too cute!
thank you partner!
back around my birthday i was showing off my pretty prezzies from all my friends who made me beautiful things and my mom said...well, i hope when you get mine there are lots of oooohs and aaaaahs.
well, here they are:
OOOOOOOOH!!! AAAAAAAAAH!!!
would you just look at this beautiful lap quilt my mama made me? (i can't get the damn picture to turn and i am too tired to keep trying) in my favorite navy and naturals, of course, tiny prints and florals and toile on the back...delicious. so pretty. and the quilting is gorgeous. and 
i just love the way she made the binding so that it changes all the way around AND i love the blue "line" that runs through it all; the strips....AND the back has an embroidered dedication to yours truly from her too. AND AND AND. oh it is just lovely. my mom is an incredible seamstress and amazing quilter, obviously...a really talented lady.
thanks mom. i just love it and i love you. now i can wrap myself up whenever i need a hug.
xoxoxoxox
happy independence day! yippppeeeee! i thought it a perfect day to bust out the only patriotic themed art related fiber project i have ever worked on- my 21st century bullseye quilt- still in progress. we lived in new york city during 9.11 and one month later i was scheduled to take a quilt class out in riverhead at this really cute little quilt shoppe out there called heirloom country collectibles. i went with the patriotic thing as a tribute to our country, a memoriam so to speak. well, at the time my oldest was almost three and my middle was 14 months old....and then i had my son...needless to say i am still working on it and eventually in will go in my son's vintage-y little boy's room with the red dhurrie rug and red dresser.
doing a little research i found that the name of the book from the class handout is called Quilts from Aunt Amy (p.41) you can sort of see the quilt on the cover.... and i even found a link to a quilting website that has sells the book and a kit. It also has color samples of the quilt for your reference, or if you are so inclined to order it. (n.b.: i am not associated with this website)
if you have any experience however, it is fairly easy to grasp-- this is a great looking quilt so i will try to convey the process. the idea is this: you start with a pale background color, a neutral- i did tea stained fabrics. then a range of lights, mediums and darks. so check out the tutorial below and if you need help please email me with any questions. the beauty of this quilt is nothing has to match up except the corners of the squares. the circles can be cut freehand.
i keep my components in this handy dandy sac that i whipped up out of the leftover fabric. now everything for the project is all in one place.
you cut the pieces for your blocks at 9", 8", 6" and 4" squares. the 9" squares are the base and the 8,6 & 4 inch squares will be cut into circles; you may wish to make a cardboard template.
now you will cut these into circles by folding them into a little square and cutting a 1/4 circle along one edge.
next you sew the largest circle onto the square about 1/4" away from the edge. but don't sew the other two on until you go to the next step.
then, cut out the back (which prevents bulk) and proceed the same way with the smaller circles.
soon you will have a stack of blocks that look like this. (and a lot of circles for a yo yo project!!!)
here is the fun part: now you cut your blocks into quarters. so one large block will become four squares.
now you piece your assorted blocks together twosy foursy. (piece two, another two and then sew those two together to make four) and voila, you have a finished block that looks like this...
i love this quilt, because of the texture it lends when you wash it and the edges fray. the completed one that i saw was quilted in a spiral on each circle and it looked great and the border was just stippled. i think it would look fabulous in the great new prints out there, but truly it would lend itself beautifully to any project. great for beginners and it is really fun to do. i think that this would be a PERFECT project for the use what you have challenge.
happy fourth!. three cheers for the red white and blue!
...this post is dedicated to my mom, an amazing creative woman, who inspired and taught me everything i know about quilting and making beautiful things...
yesterday while i was searching for something, i came across a cute blog and she, inspired by angry chicken and tie one on actually had a pincushion challenge. the theme for june/july is summertime; fair enough. there were a lot of really cute photos in the gallery from previous challenges....
the other brilliantly stellar page i stumbled upon was the use what you have challenge of which i will happily join in on the fun...because we all know that anyone who makes anything probably doesn't need anymore stuff because it is not secret that it is a sickness to collect and hoard beautiful materials that we really like to look at. let's see what i come up with...
meanwhile, how about cleaning up the studio and finishing a few items??? what a concept!!!
first up is the silk baby blanket which did not turn out to be grass green at all, it is still almost white. need more dye. waaaah. i hate when that happens, but i tried to cheat and used diluted silk paint trying to avoid mixing up an entire batch of dye...so, it serves me right.
second order of business are the prayer flags. must. finish. the. prayer. flags. i will pray that i can focus and get these done. so many distractions.
third~ the sweet little apron that is all pinned up and waiting for me out of that purple and green vintage tablecloth with some sweet gingham here and there.
fourth is the feedsack cherry apron that is also pinned up and ready to sew and the little embroidered pocket salvaged from a handtowel...so cute. i like the way the red edging picks up the cherries.
fifth...well, lots stop there, because there must be ten sewing projects in the wings. if i could find a way to sew when i am driving then...i will attempt the pincushion challenge. i like pincushions. they are so cute, and useful, and fun. actually, i think everything i am doing is a stashbuster. nice.
here's a patchwork bag we made for a birthday gift today that came out really cute. simple four patch on both sides and then single running all around as a gusset. the strap was made with one square back to back then stitched all the way up and when turned right side out it was folded in half so there were two rectangles of each fabric. wool penny with a vintage button catches a silk cord to close it.
but the whole patchwork thingy made me nostalgic for another show that i loved as a kid. i still know the song by heart...
here's what i found to refresh the memory:
Broadcast out of New York City, The Patchwork Family brought home lessons on arts, crafts, music and more through several individual segments. Holding this patchwork together were a pair of hosts, one human, one puppet. Carol Corbett (the human) was already well known to local kids for her work on earlier New York shows, and her friendly persona brought a reassuring warmth to the show. Her co-host was Rags, a yellow and orange puppet who spent most of his time standing behind a counter (for obvious, puppet-related reasons).
Together, Carol and Rags introduced the various segments for the day, often participating themselves. During any given show, young viewers might find themselves learning how to make a craft, sing a song, or any number of things. One popular recurring segment featured an accomplished doodler who would close his eyes, make random scribblings on his paper, then open his eyes and try to make something out of his scribble (an animal, a toy, etc.)
The Patchwork Family never made it to the national scene, but Carol and Rags influence made a lasting impression on local viewers, many of whom can still sing the catchy theme by heart:
We would like to have you as a member of the patchwork family
There is plenty to do as a a member of the patchwork family
We'll be looking for sisters and brothers
And all sorts of others
Like nieces, nephews, uncles, cousins,
We need members by the dozens
All kinds of people in a patchwork family
Who discover they're happy as can be
Because it's certified and stated
That everyone's related
In a patchwork family.
i really liked that show. a lot.
yesterday evening, i was able to sew the flags that the children had made, a simple hem with a nylon cord that runs through it. 
darling wishes from their hearts that they set out to the wind... imagination, sweetness, butterflies, animals, happiness....seasons, beauty, love, divine, kindness. they are so proud of their work swaying in the breeze from the limbs of their beloved magnolia out back. 
on any given day one can find a plethora of magical remnants from stuffed animals to picnics to capes. childhood at its very best.
traditionally, prayer flags come in sets of five, one in each of five colors. these colors represent the elements and are arranged from left to right in a specific order: blue (symbolizing sky/space), white (symbolizing wind/air), red (symbolizing fire), green (symbolizing water), yellow (symbolizing earth). the tibetans believe that when the prayers fade away to the wind they will soon be answered. 
lovely concept. much like making a wish on a dandelion or tossing something to the sea. (for more information and history of tibetan prayer flags visit www.tibetanprayerflags.com, or for blank prayer flags assembled and ready for your own prayers- or a gift for someone- (you don't have to make your own) visit www.dharmashop.com.) a friend of mine once shared that she doesn't pray because as a child her prayers for a dying parent had not been answered. i got that. others have said they don't believe in prayer because one associates prayer with a god of some sort; this too, i understand. 
in my life, prayer is a means of connecting with oneself in a using the highest and best possible intentions for the most auspicious outcome that is free of any expectations. how can i possibly manifest what i want if i don't know what it is; or if i don't ask for it? for some work is prayer, gardening, handiwork, nursing. for some it is a devotion to the blessed mother and rosary beads. for others it is sailing the vast oceans or painting a picture.
everybody's got to find their own truths.
yet, just when i thought i could stitch my flags together, foiled again. i noticed that am missing some and so i cannot complete the 4 sets of 5. i need two red, one yellow, two green, one white. close, but i am out of fabric. somehow when the children did them i think some ink bled through and it was not able to be used....so i am off to get a few more quarter yards. 
what a wonderful opportunity to ask and patiently wait for the whisper of what else is missing.
om shanti
in addition to assisting me with the beekeeping my talented friend also comes for a visit bearing a deliciously wrapped belated birthday gift; (as if accompanying me on a ny adventure was not enough!) a small scrapbooking kit for our memoirs and what's more- an incredibly thoughtful, beautiful, functional, handcrafted, precious object d'art for the art teacher....
a black and white apron in a new york city landmark toile!!!! i mean, really! it is just too much- to see all the sights that we saw together- st. patrick's, grand central, chrysler building, esb, bridges, guggenheim, fountain in the park, the big lions...there it all was, immortalized evermore in print on fabric fashioned into a darling criss-cross-in-the-back reversible pinnafore just for me- i am feeling a little verklempt here....AND she handstitched the neckline in a blanket stitch and added a button from the met... sigh. the best gift. the icing on the cake. a treasure.
could i possibly wear it in the classroom and get it dirty? i wonder...would i cringe at the first splatter of non washable-ness? or would i happily conduct my lessons feeling an inner connectedness to the pulse that is new york, my home away from home...the city of my heart... hmmmmm.
i would be the envy of all art teachers across the land... maybe even start a new trend...
it is so brilliant, smashing, splendid.... you can just see for yourself. yet another birthday gift that keeps on giving.
