Feline Friday

A cat of shirt buttons.  Originally I was going to machine sew them on, but my son got sick and wanted me to watch TV with him, so I hand sewed them on.  This will probably become a pocket for one of my many tote bags.  I use totes for everything- library books, sewing guild meeting,

Sunday School lesson plan, Boy Scouts, when I go to teach sewing, play tennis or volunteer at school.  I hang them all on hooks in the closet and just grab the correct one.  Alice really wanted to be in the picture.  See her tail, above left. 

Her she is again, trying to be photographed.

Alice wins.

Alice, caught snooping in the rat cage.



Free Motion Quilting

Here is my April Free Motion Quilting exercise from sewcalgal.  This month's expert is Don Linn.  He showed us how to make and transfer your own (or from a book) quilting design using net and a marker.  This was all new to me, but I feel like it turned out ok.



Feline Friday- Cat Love

Alice and her bean bag friend.

Emma licking Alice's head- how sweet!

Alice relaxing with Leopard.

Look very closely, Emma is sticking out her tongue!

Here she is doing it again!

Tangerine Tango is Hot!

Tangerine Tango, Pantone's Color of the Year 2012, is taking fashion by storm.  I have always loved this reddish orange hue.  Want to get in on the excitement? 

Accessories are a great way to add a pop of color to your wardrobe. 

Purses are quick and easy to sew.  My sling bag pattern includes a pieced version (shown) and a whole cloth version that takes even less time to sew!

My weekend bag (named because of its casual attitude) has touches of orange here. 

Want some tangerine for your house?  Try this crazy cabin pieced table runner in a toned down paprika shade.

 

Super Easy Skirt

My daughter needed a tie-dye skirt for a special Spirit Day at school.  I had dyed this fabric a couple years ago so I made her an A-Line skirt.  I used McCall's pattern #7777 for the basic A-Line shape.  Measuring, I determined that if I didn't sew the darts or put in the zipper, I could just add an elastic waist and be done with it!  She loves it and it was so quick and easy.

Feline Friday- Cat Pins

This is a pin with coconut fish button eyes that are really old because my Great Aunt had them, 1910-1940 maybe, just guessing here.

Sleeping kitties.

This is a work in progress.  I thought I'd try to turn her into a cat woman.

I sewed fabric around her face and then flipped it out of the way.

Not sure where I'm going with this...

Framed Matisse Fabric

It all started when my cats knocked over a picture frame and broke the glass.

I had this beautiful fabric from Quilting Adventures of Matisse ladies.

I rounded up a few more unused frames.  For the lattice frame with the missing glass, I added some machine stitching and just framed the fabric.  The other 2 frames are those plastic ones, so I basically pieced and sewed a pillow and didn't add the stuffing.  I slid the open end down over the frame.  This way the back is pretty fabric too. 

Feline Friday- Japanese Knot Bag

This is an unusual bag in that the two straps aren't the same length as you can see.  It is carried by slipping the long strap through the short one.  I sewed this Japanese Knot Bag (with colorful cat faces on it!) using a tutorial from Helen Heath but when I tried to find it again, I couldn't.  Sorry!  

It is a really neat bag and very easy to sew.  It is actually reversible also.  I changed the side seams, slightly curving them out to make it easier to sew.

Book Review: Pot Holders, Pinchers and More

Pot Holders, Pinchers and More 20 Colorful Designs to Brighten Your Kitchen by Chris Malone is full of kitchen accessories I could see sewing as gifts, hostess presents, teacher thank yous etc.  I had a difficult time deciding which project to do first!  I love chickens, so I did a pincher, and I made the cherry pie pot holder.  The instructions were easy to follow with diagrams and photos.  There is also a section on general sewing instructions.  I will definitely be sewing more projects from this book because everyone has a kitchen!   Available from Clotilde. 

Priest's Stole

I was asked recently to sew 2 stoles.  One would be decorated by the parish children and one would remain plain.  They would both be sent to another church in Africa.  Those children would decorate the stole and send it back here.  The stoles are ecru cotton twill.  

The back has a seam and is shaped so it will lie flat against the back of the neck.  Some stoles I've noticed have a point in back.

Here is one received by a different church.