Sewing Project - Thread Catcher & Mini Pin Cushion

I made a thread catcher bag and a custom fit mini pin cushion for my grand niece.  She is a sewer and she is joining the tradition of the women of our family.  We all have sewing machines and make projects.  Mom and several of her girls quilt. Another makes wedding dresses. Some just do mending and the like.

I chose bright and punchy colors for this bag.  Multicolored plaid print in cotton and a bright green cotton twill for the liner.

You can check this post for the detailed instructions for the Thread Catcher Bag.

I used a scrap of the left over print fabric to make a mini pin cushion which lives at the machine. I placed a piece of cardboard in a piece of plastic packaging to ensure the pins don't damage the sewing machine.  I sewed a sleeve, turned it good side out, placed the card board, added batting to fill then sewed the ends of the elastic into the side seams. 

Voila!

Sewing - Car Litter Bag

I decided to make a new car litter bag holder.  The one I have been using was the very first one I made.

I used some really nice blue butterfly cotton fabric on the outside and some of the leftover black from the car blanket.

You can check the instructions in this post.  I originally designed them as thread catchers for the craft room.

This fabric bag has 2 ties to secure it and holds a used yogurt plastic container.  I store extra bags in the bottom.

It`s been a full week of sewing.

Car Litter Bag & Scrap Sack

I've created a page on this blog for sewing projects I have for sale.

Check the page out to see what sewing projects are available.

Share Your Cup - This Week

I've made some more tea cup coasters because they are fun to make. You can find the link to the pattern in this post.  I'm not sure how I made one facing the other direction.  It was not intentional so I will have to work on the process to figure it out, then write it down.  These feature subtle and bright fabric.

I have decided to include some relaxation into my life regularly.  The tool I have chosen is coloring so I bought my self a small book. 

I used watercolor pencils on this fish page.  I bought them for a class I am giving in the spring and I wanted to try them out to see how they worked.  I colored them just as I would with colored pencils. 

Once done, I used a paintbrush with a bit of water to blend all the colors.  It makes the image well colored as any white space is given color with the water.  This paper is not the weight needed for much water and you can see the wrinkled edges.  I had to iron it flat once it had dried. 

I am happy with the results.  It took longer as the design was quite a bit more detailed and the water color added some time.

I spent some time viewing art with my aunts. 
One of the most interesting pieces was an art piece with with this kit designed by Victor Vasarely (French/Hungarian, 1906–1997) Planetary folklore Participations no. 1 , 1969. Mixed media sculpture edition plastic, paper, metal 20 x 20 in. (50.8 x 50.8 cm.)
The plastic pieces are held in place by magnets in a black metal box frame. The pieces can easily be re arranged to create a new piece of art.  I loved the concept.  I found these images on line as photos were discouraged.

I have been sewing too.  

Car Litter Bag

The piece of fabric on the left with the marbling pattern was too small to make a litter bag. I combined it with red fabric for the outer bag and chose solid red for the liner bag. 
I have been trying to decide how to design the way the bag is held in place in the car.  I have decided to make fabric ties of 12" as well as include a loop in the center.  Some cars have a hook in the foot well which is works nicely to hold this type of bag.  Again, it holds a produce bag placed inside a plastic container which makes the opening always open and the litter in the produce bag can just be tossed when it is full. 

 

Scrap Sack

This one is made of turquoise butterfly fabric with a pale yellow liner. 

Sharing with Jann at Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson - Share Your Cup #233.

Share Your Cup - This Week

I've been at the sewing machine a bit more this week. I've made 2 more Scrap Sacks for the sister who got the pot protectors and my niece who did not want to move the bag from the paper crafting area to the sewing area.

I'm working through the stack of fabric and I have bought a few pieces of solids in order to create coordinated pieces for sale in the spring.

I am working on a car litter bag as well.  More about in a later post.

I have been going through my book on Photo Elements and doing some of the suggested exercises.

This is an exercise of laying a texture image over a photo.  The texture image was very subtle but by using the color option in the layers menu with a percent between 65-80 percent I was able to create vintage looking images from very vibrant and colorful photos of flowers.

The image was too subtle for the look I was trying to achieve so back to the camera to take more shots.

This is a book I read over the holidays.  It's a true story about a man who decided to write 365 thank you cards - one for each day of the year.  It did take him over a year to do it because at times life got in the way.

It changed how he looked at things.  When you start looking for an opportunity to be grateful many good, happy, wonderful things come to you.  I'm sure they were there all along but looking for them brought them into focus.

He looked up teachers from high school in order to write a note about how he was encouraged by them when he was younger.

He was doing the exercise in 2007 and I would say that greeting cards have fallen quite out of use in the last decade.  The idea is still there.  Exercise gratitude and express it in whatever form works in this day.

Check out my Blog Give Away in my Featured Post.

Sharing with bloggers at Share Your Cup #230 hosted by Jann at Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson.

Share Your Cup - This Week

I received this Scentsy Silent Night wax warmer for Christmas.  It features the nativity, the wise men and the shepherds.  A light bulb provides the heat to melt the wax.   It`s navy and white which totally fits into my colors.

Several years ago I changed from candles to wax for adding scent to my place.  Safer and I can set a timer for only a certain amount of time so I don`t forget to turn it off.

I placed my favorite scent -Scentsy Cinnamon Vanilla into it and enjoyed it all day!!  It added great atmosphere to my place.



I`ve decided to add some meditative coloring to my life in the new year.  I`m starting out with a small coloring book and my pencil crayons.  I loved, loved coloring when I was a kid and look forward to applying some creative juices to these pages.  I will post my efforts as time goes by.



I made some of these Thread Catcher Bags as Christmas gifts this season.  Several of the ladies in my family sew and quilt.  My Mom has sewn most of her life.  I had to sort out a pattern for these and you can find instructions on this post.

I made these soft fleece pot protectors for my sister.  These are designed to be placed between fry pans when you stack them so they don`t get scratched being moved around.  I chose the deep charcoal color based on the colors in her kitchen.
This is a very simple design based on a circle measured with a dinner plate.  It is 2 layers thick and I sewed the seams with zigzag around the edge then trimmed any leftovers off.  I ran 3 seams across the center and you can see I did not get perfectly in the center but the frypans will not notice.   This is very washable which is important for anything in the kitchen.


I am enjoying the decorations on the trees in the homes I visit over the holidays.  My sister`s tree on Christmas day was spectacular.  Done in clear lights, mostly clear, white and silver ornaments with a few red ones.  It rotated all day but I`m not sure how that was accomplished.  This is a silver snowflake that was on her tree.


Sharing with Share Your Cup #229 hosted by Jann at Daily with Mrs. Olson.

How To: Thread Catcher Bag

I did a bit of sewing for Christmas gifts this year.  I received one of these bags as a gift sometime this summer from my friend Ada who is a great quilter.  I just love it and purchased a couple of more from her at the craft sale. This bag is great and the best feature is that the top of the bag is always open because the top is stiffened.  I move mine around to catch my trash whether I am paper crafting, sewing or just doing paper work.
I generally give my Mom and sisters something small for Christmas and this bag is so useful whether you sew or not that I decided to make a few more so I could give each sister one.  In the end some nieces received one too. 
It can be a remote control holder or lined with dog waste bags it becomes a trash bag for the vehicle.

After reviewing several instructions online and taking a look at the bags I had purchased I created a How To instructions for this bag.  I used the one I made for myself which features yellow and blue and tea pots. If you follow this blog you will see these are my favorites.

If you need more pictures I would recommend this tutorial.  The overall design is similar.
Thread Catcher Tutorial  

Share Your Cup - Spring is Here

I captured these images on my walks this week.  This kids are out playing soccer and the leaves on the trees are budding and soon they will have a crown of green to display.







This is a cool tool.  It was gifted to me by a friend who sews.  It is very handy.  It sits at the edge of your work space and as you work it holds your discards.  At the end of the session it is easily dumped and the mess is quickly cleaned up.  This works for paper crafters, quilters, and other crafters.  The rectangle at the top is filled with rice or walnut shells which provides the weight and can be used as a pin cushion.  I understand it makes a great remote control holder on an arm of a chair or sofa.  Great idea.  Thanks Ada.

I hosted our women's fellowship group today.  The sun was shining, tea and coffee was made and a few healthy snacks were put out.  We spread the responsibilities around so it's not a burden on any one person. The hostess provides the beverages, another brings the snacks and another does devotions.  The devotion was on Seeds of Peace based on the life of Henry Kissinger so Joan brought cilantro growing in a navy blue pot. I will endeavor to have it thrive.  I did a bit of a talk on connecting women.  I share a post shared by Podso this week on Tea for Two.  The idea is to always be ready to share tea with a friend who needs encouragement.  I asked if I could share the concept with the group. She included a couple more ideas in her email and I really liked this one.  Hospitality versus Entertaining which is a blog post by Jen Wilkin.  We need to be real, authentic, and put ourselves aside to serve another.