Tuesday's Treasures: Cutting, Cutting, Cutting

As you know (if you read yesterday's post), I spent most of my weekend cutting, cutting, cutting fabric, so I thought a scissor-y theme would be perfect for today's Tuesday's Treasures.

Carribean Blue and Green Beaded Scissor Fob by TJB Designs

In The Hoop Scissors Holder by Digitized Creations

Handcrafted Birthday Card by Cards by Lynelle

scissors, orange by Cusp Studio

SNIPPY (CREATE) Metal Scissors Necklace by Airzinnn's Artwear Jewelry

Monday's Marvel: Did I Do Anything This Weekend?

Some Mondays I look back on the weekend and feel like I wasn't very productive at all. This is one of those Mondays. I don't feel like I was productive because I didn't actually MAKE anything this weekend (though I did create and test a new design - more on that on Wednesday). These seemingly unproductive weekends are all part of my process. Especially when I am preparing for a show, I pick one or two designs and spend the weekend choosing all the fabrics and cutting all the pieces for however many of those designs I want to have for that show (or for the shop.) That's what I did this weekend.

So, this weekend I:

• Coordinated, measured, and cut 36 sets of fabric for Gettin' Down to Business Card Wallets
• Coordinated, measured, and cut 28 sets of fabric for a surprise new design (number three to be launched at MayDay) which I will show you on Wednesday
• Measured and cut 64 pieces of batting
• Made 64 labels
• Cut 36 1" pieces of velcro

By the end of the weekend I wanted to throw my rotary cutter out the window! But now I have everything cut for these two designs and can just lose myself in the sewing and quilting. My process may start out with all the tedium of cutting, cutting, cutting, but it ends with the glory of the sewing, so I can't complain.

I love nice, neat rows of fabric all cut and ready to sew. Thrilling!

Friday's Fresh Find: Upstate Herb Works

My awesomely creative and wonderful friend Karen alerted me to this wonderful herbalist right here in Upstate New York: Upstate Herb Works. By every stretch of the definition, this shop is definitely a fresh find! I'll get the opportunity to meet the owner, Catherine, at MayDay and I really cannot wait! For now, though, I just enjoy looking around her shop and reading the wonderful descriptions she writes for all of her products - you know immediately that she loves each and everything she creates. Take a look through her lovely, wholesome offerings and you will know what I mean. Upstate Herb Works is definitely a shop you want to visit soon and visit often!

Double Calendula Vegan Body Butter

Rosemary Relief Chapstick

Himalayan Pink Salt Body Polish

Thursday's Thoughts: Inspiration

Flame - Fine Art Photograph
by Honey Tree

I'm often asked where I get my inspiration for some of my creations, so I thought I would share what inspires me in this Thursday's Thoughts.

1. Images in nature.
The combination of the gold, scarlet, and sunfire leaves against a cyan blue sky will drive me to include those colors in a quilt or small work of art. Natures pallette is amazingly inspiring.

2. Floor and carpets.
The geometric patterns on tile floors and the scrollwork on Oriental carpets really get my creative juices flowing! I love creating piecing patterns based on tilework and doing free-motion quilting inspired by the intricate designs in beautiful carpets.




The Sewing Room II
Fine Art Photography Print
by Peaches Pictures



3. Necessity.

Whenever I think, "Oh, I wish I had one of those." or "I wish this was reusable." I write myself a note and work on creating whatever it is. I love making functional and beautiful items that make someone's life easier.

4. Friends.
Friends and customers (who quickly become friends) often have suggestions and requests that inspire me to create something new. I love these suggestions because they are often for things I would never have thought of and challenge me to think outside my little box. That challenge is inspiring, too!

Graphic Arts Valentine

5. Randomness.
Sometimes just a random image or thought will drive an urgent need to create something. This happened just recently. A friend posted a new profile picture on Facebook. It was a black and white image of a boardwalk with a vibrant scarlet heart drilling into the center of the wood. The image was so striking that it inspired my design for this year's Graphic Arts Valentines.

Inspiration strikes from many different directions and not only helps me find new ideas, but gives me the energy and drive to face new challenges and work out difficult patterns. I love seeing something go from fleeting thought to completed design. Inspiration strengthens me for the middle time: the hard work of getting the design to actually work the way it does in my head.

What inspires you?

Wednesday on the Worktable: Mug Rugs Galore!

I'm busily creating things for my shows this month and today I focused on a collection of my new Mug Rugs. I truly loved making the two I made for a recent swap and adore using the two I received in the swap, so I thought I'd make some for my shop and shows! I have one on my desk at work and one on the corner of my cutting table and love to use them both: whoever thought of a mug mat is absolutely brilliant!

Tuesday's Treasures: Gray Skies

Anyone who knows me knows that gray and I are not friends. I truly do not like the "color" and am of the opinion that gray is the unhappiest color. Since today is very gray here in Rochester (and we have had snow flurries), I decided to compile today's treasures to prove myself wrong. Enjoy these lovely and HAPPY gray offerings:

fuzzy grey felted wool bowl with yellow flowers
by the fuzzy monkey

iPad Sleeve - Wolf in Natural Grey by Boutique ID

Joining, Limited Edition Bird Letterpress Print
by Pistachio Press

Storm Cloud Necklace by Ordinary Mommy



You Make Me Happy When Skies Are Gray Print
by ecce prints

Monday's Marvel: Upcycled Denim Bookmarks: A Tutorial

Boy, did I have fun making these this weekend! These earth-friendly marvels are for MayDay swag bags - the first fifty attendees at MayDay get a free bag of goodies! They are SO easy to make. If you 1. can't make it to MayDay, 2. don't make it to MayDay soon enough to get a swag bag, or 3. want bunches more for your loved ones, here's how to make your own:

1. Get some used, but clean, denim. Use old jeans, pre-spandex if you can find them so the fabric doesn't stretch a lot. Utility fabric or home decor fabric would work just as well. Your piece of denim should be between 6 and 8 inches in height and 2" by however many bookmarks you want. In other words, if you want five 6" high bookmarks, you need a piece of denim 6" by 10" (2" x 5 bookmarks = 10").

Step 1: Old jeans

2. Cut a piece of cotton fabric and a piece of batting the same size as the denim.

Steps 1 and 2: Denim, cotton, and batting cut to size

3. Adhere fusible webbing to the wrong side of both the cotton fabric and the denim.

Step 3: I like to use Heat n Bond fusible webbing, but any kind will work.

Step 3: Follow the webbing manufacturer's directions
to fuse webbing to fabric.

4. Make a quilt sandwich: cotton backing fabric (with fusible side up) + batting + denim (with fusible side down.

Step 4: Quilt sandwich

5. Using an iron, fuse all three together - you will probably have to iron on both sides of the sandwich the be sure that both the cotton fabric and the denim are fused to the batting.

6. Quilt away! You could skip this step if you wanted to. It doesn't alter the function, it just add beauty.

Step 6: Random all-over quilting stitches

Step 6: Completed quilting

7. Measure and cut at every 2 inches to make your individual bookmarks.

Step 7: Cutting individual bookmarks

8. Finish the edges with a zig zag or other decorative stitch.

Step 8: Zigzagged edges on finished bookmarks

To make a no-sew version, make sure to use ultrahold fusible webbing in step 3 and skip steps 6 and 8. Have fun!