Sewing, Painting, Cleaning

I'm not right on top of this blogging thing. Perhaps some day I'll get the hang of it. I have done a lot of sewing and painting in the last several months though.

My friend and I went out east to Connecticut to a 5-day painting seminar with Ros Stallcup in early October. We spent 8 hours a day painting projects on wood, canvas, or tin and finished the project each day. I learned different techniques and had to try very hard to get my brain to let loose so I wasn't painting so rigidly.

From Connecticut we drove Massachusetts to another 5-day Decorative Painting convention, New England Traditions. I took about 6 different classes there from various teachers and again learned different techniques. I also entered a piece I painted into a competition against other hobbyists. My piece was about 3-feet tall, an old spindle onto which I had put wood putty to look like Santa's face and arm. I added a wooden base onto which I painted a scene of a living room with windows and reindeer looking in at the Christmas tree and presents. Onto the top of the spindle I added a table top and painted Santa and his bag of toys with holly leaves and a faux finished circle around Santa. I'll have to find a picture to upload so you can see it.

To my surprise and delight, I took first place in the Holiday Division and then I was really delighted when I won Viewers Favorite in Hobbyist Division! There were many wonderful pieces in this division so I was really thrilled to receive such an award.
I've also been in a few swaps in the last few months on Art4Mail and I would love to share pics of these. Back in July we had an Animal Pincushion Swap. My swap partner loves hippos so I had to make her a hippo pincushion! Couldn't find a pattern for a hippo so I had to create my own. It took a few attempts but I came up with one. What do you think? She love it

We also had a needlecase swap. I decided to make a pattern I've had for years from Crabapple Hill, called Wild Rose Sewing Wallet. It turned out well, although somehow I got the front of it backward. I haven't been a great paper piecing fan, but I decided to try to again. Since it was only a small bit of paper piecing, it was doable and turned out pretty well.

Then we had a Fall pincushion swap. I received a wonderful Acorn pincushion from my swap partner and I sent a round felted wool pincushion with a 3-dimensional mum on top in fall colors.

For October we had a Halloween pincushion swap. My swap partner sent me a great coffin pincushion! It's covered with fabrick and decorated with creepy things. She found the coffins at Michael's.

I made a "Great Pumpkin" pincushion for her. On our trip out east we found a wonderful Gourd Place, that had laser cut gourds that were painted or dyed. I found a sweet little jack-o-lantern with a handle and put it on top of the felted wool pumpkin pincushion I made.

The rest of the time I've been organizing and re-organizing rooms and getting rid of 20 years of saving things I thought I might have a need for someday.  I've run out of room in the house! I need to get control of my house again!

Finished Pincushions

I've worked on many different pincushions in the last few weeks. I finished a few bunnies, worked on a turtle, found a great thread prince, finished a trio of painted and felted pincushions, and made some teacup dolls. Want to see them all?
First, here's the pincushion bunny I made. It's a Tilda Finnager pattern I downsized a LOT to get it to be this small (pincushion size). I made it for a pincushion swap on Art4Mail and liked it so much, I had to make one for myself. And someone else wanted to swap, so I made another one yet. So after making three of them, I think I'm done making these bunnies for awhile....

I swapped with a friend in England and she sent me this lovely bunny pincushion in exchange. She designed Ms. Bunny herself and appliqued the sweet little flowers and pink ears. Looks like Ms. Bunny is searching for carrots and is very hungry!

One of the online groups I belong to had a challenge for a turtle pincushion, so I quickly made one up and posted it for the challenge. Mr. Turtle turned out ok, but not as well as I would have liked. I'll have to work on him later. My friend brought me a kit of three pincushions that needed to be painted and made into the pincushions from Rhode Island painting convention last year. I couldn't attend the convention with her but she knows how I love pincushions and she couldn't resist. It took me a while to get these painted, but I did! They turned out cute I think and now that they are done I'm planning on perhaps making some more to give to other friends who have admired them (not as a set of three, mind you. . . just ones they've really liked!)
I found this wonderful Thread Prince at a Quilt Shop I visited. I don't know who made him but he is made out of repurposed pieces, such as an old salt shaker, some tatting thread and old laces, along with an old spool of thread, buttons and beads. His head is formed out of clay or wood putty and painted. He is really a lot of fun to look at and can really be used as a pincushion!We cannot forget the little teacup girls I've worked on. These are such fun to do. The patterns are from Happy Heart Patterns and can be bought and downloaded from her site. I have plans to make several more of these. The body is basically the same pattern, you just change what she is wearing and then embellish her differently each time. I've made the garden fairy and then used ideas from the various patterns I bought to create the gardening fairy, based on the teacup I used. What do you think? My sweet granddaughter has turned 6 months old. Time flies so quickly when we get older! She can sit by herself now and she babbles all the time. She is the perfect baby. She only cries if she's hungry or wet or absolutely wants attention! Other than that, she's smiling and laughing. Who could ask for a better child? We definitely have been blessed with her.

Welcome to a Brand New Year!

So much has happened since I last blogged about anything. So glad it's a brand new year. I'm going to keep positive thoughts...this will be a good year, this will be a good year!

The sweetest two year old around got a guitar for Christmas from her step-daddy. She used to watch him play and would try to help him pick the strings. When she opened her present and saw she had her very own guitar, the look on her face was priceless. She patiently waited for him to try to tune the little guitar and then sat right down and held it properly and tried to play a tune. She sang, "Down on it" and the faces she made were perfect. Do we have a future SuperStar in our midst?

Leading up to Christmas was chaotic. So much to do and never allowing myself enough time to finish in time. I vow to start gifts at least in October this year instead of waiting till two weeks before Christmas.

Of course, I was in charge of the HOMDA Christmas Party again this year. It was wonderful as always. Our centerpieces this year were votive globes painted with a blue snow scene. The gifts for all attendees were large clothespins that are used as Memo Holders. We had 24 attendees.

Once that was over I felt I could actually concentrate on my own Christmas needs.

Earlier this year I joined a new (to me) on line group called Art4Mail--Ladies who Share Common Threads. This group is for anyone from beginners to the more advanced who are interested in making fabric postcards, ATC's, Inchies, Quilties, Art Dolls, Dotee's, Button Fairies, and other fiber art to be exchanged through the mail. Swapping is with people from all over the world. I joined this group because they have a pincushion swap also, and I'm addicted to pincushions. Plus I had heard about Dotee's and they have Dotee Swaps.

So far I've been involved in two pincushion swaps, one Dotee Doll swap, one crazy quilt block swap, and two Circle Art swaps. That's in a little over two months. Those swaps have certainly kept me busy! I've loved the pincushion swaps. The dotee was a new experience and taught me a bit about painting faces on fabric. The circle Art swap was also a learning experience but gave me a chance to try new media I've heard about but never tried.

The top block is the one I made to swap and the one below it is the one I received.

This orange pincushion is the one I made for the October swap. It's supposed to be a chrysanthemum on the top and pumpkins and oak leaves on the side.

Here is the one I made for the November swap. A pointsettia adorns the top and snowflakes and beading on the sides. The veining on the pointsettia leaves were added with color pencils. The center of the pointsettia was beaded. I really liked this and should have made a second one for me to keep.

Both of them were made from wool felt

This pincushion is one I received from my swap partner for the November swap from Art4Mail. The silk ribbon embroidery along with the beading is awesome!

The Snowqueen Dotee Doll below is what I made to send to 3 different swap partners in December.

It was lots of fun to design and make this doll and I learned a lot from this experience.

For 2010, no one jumped right in to take on the task of being Pincushion Swap Hostess for Art4Mail. Since I wanted continue the Pincushion Swap, I jumped right in and decided to be Hostess. I can't imagine it will be any problem at all. Yeah! Two pincushions a month. One at Art4Mail and one at Crazy About Pincushions.

I also belong to another list, Crazy About Pincushions, which is primarily a list devoted to making and swapping, what else, but pincushions! I joined this list about two years ago and have made friends from all over the world. They have a pincushion swap about once every month and a half or so. Usually there is a theme to their swap.

Another pincushion related item...the local Sewing Guild has asked me to put on a demo/lecture about pincushions and their history next week. I've known about this for the last month. I plan on having everyone make a pincushion at the meeting. It's one that I wrote the directions to and have shared with the members of Crazy About Pincushions, a flower pincushion. Plus I'll share my pincushion collection and show them how they can re-use some of their everyday stuff, such as cans, lids, leftover linens, embroideries, tatting, etc, and make them into pincushions. I'll definitely let you all in on how it turns out after next week.

Where Did the Time Go?

Time flies when life happens. Children live at home then move out, then move back, then move out, then move back, then .... oh it's just a never ending cycle but we never turn them away, do we. The good news is they both started college classes full time a few weeks ago and found day care for little Mia so Gramma Fluff has time to herself most days.

That means she's been doing more sewing and painting these days. I've been making lots of pincushions and finishing quilts I started years ago. The painting, well, not so much, but I have been finishing lots of things.


Here's a few of the pincushions I've finished lately. The first is one from a pincushion of the month kit I purchased from Quilt Fabric Delights in Australia. Their PC kit of the month program is done now, but they had the greatest kits. They still have the patterns. This pattern also had a wrist pincushion and needlekeep, which I also made. I especially liked the fabric which was in the kit.


I played around with some crazy quilting for pincushions and got a little carried away. The first one was designed with a baby theme with a picture of a baby being carried by a stork as the center block. I did the crazy quilt embroidery by hand on that one. It took a few evenings of sitting in front of the TV to complete, but it looked pretty nice, I thought.



The next ones I crazy quilted were designed around a Victorian Lady center block. The crazy quilt embroidery was done by machine on the majority of the block and some hand embroidery was added to complete them. I learned a little more each time I made another one. I have several more printed designs I want to work up into blocks, but I have so many more ideas for pincushions I don't want to get stuck on doing just one type of pincushion.

I also have been working with friends on a handpainted quilt for a raffle for my Painting Group, Heart of Michigan Decorative Artists, HOMDA. Members of the group painted a square of fabric with a flower of their choice and several of us got together and put sashing around the blocks, along with the borders, which are all batiks. My friend, who has a longarm quilting machine, and I then spent about 20 plus hours quilting the designs on each block, based on how each block "spoke" to us. This was quite an experience for me. Then another member put the binding on this gorgeous quilt. It it very impressive now that it is complete! We are selling tickets for this quilt, 6 for $5.00 or $1.00 each. The quilt will be raffled off June 2010. Take a look at it here:

If anyone out there is interested in purchasing tickets, please drop me a comment and I will get back with you about how to purchase.

Last but not least, I've written directions for a flower pincushion that is sooo simple to make. I have to figure out how to add a pdf file to my blog and as soon as I do that I'll share the pictures and pattern for everyone.

I won't wait 6 months to write again either!