Sunday, September 21, 2008

Did Couple postcards and an ATC

Been ignoring ETSY in order to get a few ATC;s done for swap, but took time out to get this postcard done for the inventory.

Then finished this one up for the "something old/new/borrowed/blue challenge. This one is different in that the challenger wants us all to mail our goody to her and then she mails them out to the exchange partner she has chosen.
The felt base was the 'old' as I have inherited it from my husband's aunt and it had a 15 cent price tag on it for the 8" square.
New is the embelisher I just got to put the card together.
Borrowed is the lite purple strips cut from a piece removed from the bottom of a dress I hemmed.
Blue is the hearts, flowers in the hearts, and blue lace ribbon.

And last was another ATC with kinda fall colors. Fun to work with foil and a new glue I got to attach the enamel doodad in the middle that was formerly an earring.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

ATC's fun

These cards were so much fun to make on my new felter. Lots of yarns on top of a gold piece of felt made the background. Then I took the dog for a walk to think about how to make each one a bit different. It worked out so well you can see only three of the five, as two have already gone out in the mail awaiting a trade.




Then there is THIS card...

Pure torture, when I decided to use the red mohair I had felted on the pink half circle as a great frame done in the buttonhole stitch around the edge. Well, I get stubborn when I decide something. So I spent very frustrated minutes trying to get that fuzzy end through a regular needle, then a cross stitch needle. Finally did and found I had to pull the needle through with pliers on every stitch.

Then HORRORS, I ran out of yarn before I got all the way around!!!!! And I had such a long one to start!!!

OH NO, I have to thread another needle, as that last stitch broke the first needle. After a small struggle I had a brainstorm, I had once used some kind of glue to firm up yarn on another project, so I thought it might help again. Took a dot of glue to the end of that fuzz and waited.

It worked! Now just a few more tugs and pulls and it was finished.

Note to self----NEVER use mohair to hand stitch again!!!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

ALQS is finished!!!

Amazingly, this started as another challenge piece, "Something borrowed/something blue. I made the blue petals from some strips I had already sewn together from a past project. They were BLUE. Good start, hmmm
But after I cut the petals, I took a good look at my instructions and realized it was not supposed to be more than 6" square!! Well one petal was longer than that!

So lets see what can be done. Oh, Yes, ALQS can be bigger, and I haven't had any ideas for it yet. So off and running I got a whole bunch of bits and pieces and embellished them onto a previously dyed piece that had been sitting around.

What great fun my new embellisher machine is. I like the effect better than fusing. Keeps the three dimensional look. Then I did fuse the petals on and added the fuzzy yar frame for the way to hold them all in place.

Added a yellow circle with more curly yarn and copper ribbon, and quilted windy swirls up towards the top. I meant for bits of the flower to look like they were blown up into the sky.

And that is how "Windy day" was born. Hope my secret partner likes it!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Connecticut River

Took my dog for a ride/walk the other day and got some pretty shots of the water and wildlife.




So I thoght I would share them while I am working on my new "EMBELLISHER-NEEDLE FELTER-PUSHER" I love it!!! It seems so strange not to have to do the fancy threading and cutting off and even just deciding on a color.

It's a Pfaff, and so simple to use. Been thinking about getting one since I started reading FiberNStitch. ANY MORE FELTERS OUT THERE---PLEASE COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW HOW TO FIND YOU. I would love more information, and ideas, and seeing what you do.

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Two more ATC's arrived




These were both purchased at ETSY as I wanted to have some examples of what they look like and how they are put together, etc. actually in my hand. I know it seems basic, but I always have this need to know more, to be sure I do it right and equally put in the effort others have done.

I have four put up at my ATC blog and am about to work on a postcard requested from a customer at ETSY She liked my kitty cat called urban hunter and wanted as close a repeat as possible for a gift. Imagine, she liked it enough to keep it and order another for a gift!! Real upper on a downer rainy day, eh???

Also have three more ATC's in the make, gotta add some pretty beads, and then bind them and take their pics. It never ends!

Saturday, September 06, 2008

Visiting sisters...no quilting time


Here we are...at least three of us. The other two were joining us the next day. As I mentioned to one of my fellow bloggers, we talk and play cards and sun on the beach and ride around visiting each house and we EAT. It shows!!! I'm the one in lavendar and shades, the next youngest is in pink at my side, and the sitting sis is the one from Georgia. She is also a twin to one of the sisters still not here. The twins were the fourth birth after a brother snuck in. The 'baby' is another sis, who as the youngest is 59. I hit 66 next week, so I get the old lady jokes constantly as they are all younger.

This is a pic of one of my first ATC cards. I loved the idea of artistic cards either bought or traded that were tiny examples of so many artists I admire.


I love the details on this little fish named George. He is a 'pretty' fish, yes he is.


Love this one as it is my first TRADE. Which means I must get to work and make some to trade back with. This has a neat little face on it that caught my eye on Kate's blog And then when I received it I was able to appreciate the detail that went into it. Great colors, too.