Quilted House Trivet

For some reason I really love making hot pads. 

That's weird, right?

Maybe it's because I bake so much... or maybe it's because they're useful. 

Don't know. Just know that I enjoy making these silly things an awful lot.

So, obviously, I made a house for my Hearts and Houses challenge.

It's pretty cute, right?

And this quatrefoil on the back... swoon!

Paper Pieced Quilt Blocks

I've always been curious about paper pieced quilt blocks so when the Creative Bug block of the month was this  Whippper Snapper (paper pieced) block by Anna Marie Horner I couldn't resist trying it.

Fun stuff. I really like not having to fret about lining things up as I just put my fabric on the lines I drew on the paper. Drawing lines on paper is very much my jam... lining up fabric... not so much.

I always try to do something new at least twice so I can commit the process to memory. So I made this one. Much faster and far more confidently. Yay

And being me, not knowing the first thing about leaving well enough alone, I decided to convert the blocks into circles. Because... why not?

Stay tuned as I actually have a plan for these cuties.

Nature inspired Circle Weaving

All the wildly creative weaving projects I'm seeing online are making me drool all over the keyboard.

So I decided to give it a try. This is project #2 (the first one I'll share soon, it's just these photos turned out, the others were dark).

I was aiming for eye-of-God reimagined as a bird's nest or flower... my mind... this is how it works. LOL

The leaves are hand-painted on canvas and attached to branches.

And the big leaves are also hand-painted canvas backed with batting. The copper wire and beads are a nod to the shiny bits and pieces you sometimes find in nests.

Mixed-Media French Press Cozy

My husband's coffee kept getting cold so I made a cozy for our French Press. It's a great way to use up smaller pieces of painted fabric.  It's quilted and the closure is made from a large button and a (new) fabric covered hair elastic.

Hand Painted Fabric Flip Through

As part of the #28 Patterns I made in February, I painted a bunch of fabric.

Here's a quick 15 second flip-through:

And some stills:

Thanks for visiting.

Gelli Printed Fabric Tool Tote

When I saw decorated tool totes from Harbor Freight Tools on the Gelli Plate blog, I know I had to make one (or a dozen. LOL)

My first one (not pictured) followed their directions more closely, I matted my prints in black felt and sewed down the layers. Then I used hot glue to attach them as I didn't think redline tape was a good long-term fabric-to-fabric solution.

I liked it, enough, but I did not like the behavior of the felt over the week it kicked around my studio. It kind of frayed and shed... not in a good way. 

So I made another one hot gluing the gel-printed fabric directly to the canvas bag.

Much better!

The fabric molded around the curves of the canvas much easier than the stiffer felt.

I added a little bit of waterproof pen outlining and hand writing and some white paint in the darker spots.

So cute! And these bags are intended to carry power tools so they're really sturdy. Perfect for carrying or storing projects.

Thanks for visiting :)

Wire Love Stitched Wall Art

  

Here is a project I made back in December. I was goofing around with wire trying to get the hang of bending it fluidly. 

This was a lot of fun in a very strange way. 

The wire I'm using can be found in the rebar section of Home Depot, I think it's called tie wire - but don't hold me on this.  A large roll is about four dollars. Be careful though, it's lubricated so you need to wipe it off as you uncoil it. It looks like this:

I followed Jen Swift's tutorial to bend the word 'Love' and then went off and did my own thing with it. 

It's a little bit on the cutesy side of things for my taste but I kind of love it. Wire+fabric has really captured my heart.