Art, Craft and Needlework, August, 2013

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Harriet
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Art, Craft and Needlework, August, 2013

Postby Harriet » Thu Aug 01, 2013 8:51 am

As July passes and we consider choosing a holiday plan, it's a great time to revisit CEO's idea of making August... (drumroll, please)

UFO Month!

She says: "Every hour that has gone into an unfinished project is one hour closer to a completed gift or decor item."

CEO suggests a "Round Up". Gather all the Unfinished Fabric Objects that have the potential (once finished) of being part of your holidays. These may be decor items to make your holidays bright, or they may be gifts you hope to give others.

This is also the right time to TOSS (or possibly donate) those that don't measure up.

To choose between those that are good candidates for completion and those to toss or set aside, ask yourself these questions:

1) Is there an intended recipient, and if there's a size, is it right?
2) Will there be time to complete? Time for how many?
3) Can you honestly say it is not out of style?
4) Will you enjoy working on it?

This is a great exercise to help us feel we are on top of all our creativity and really know what we have in the way of projects. It also makes us reassess what we will enjoy doing and what won't be much fun. Hopefully, we'll have neater, more organized creativity spaces, too.

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Harmony
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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, August, 2013

Postby Harmony » Thu Aug 01, 2013 8:42 pm

I have creative juices running through my brain these days, but that's as far as I've been able to get. Someday.

Pleased that my 2 dGrandsons traveled a few hours in the car with the quilts I made them and put them on their bed here to sleep under. I'm told they sleep with them every night and I know from fb pictures they drag them out to the couch when they're watching stuff on tv. When we packed them up to go back, the quilts were folded and put with the suitcases and both asked for them to cuddle with on their trip back. DGS9 showed me how he holds his up in the light and can see the fish from the backside!

I am also pleased that none of the quilts have fallen apart yet! DGD3 is using hers in her crib nightly also. I'm glad DD brought hers out of the "keep it nice" storage!

I'm a very pleased Grandma.

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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, August, 2013

Postby Ivy » Fri Aug 02, 2013 11:10 pm

:lol: This is just too funny! :lol:

I crocheted dgd 3 halter tops. She's 6.5 MONTHS OLD! Ddil told me Dson felt the halter tops showed too much skin, were too revealing, but Ddil says they're really cute on her, as she's tried them on, they fit, and will email photos later. I emailed Dson to let him know these halters can be worn over t-shirts or long-sleeved knit shirts for that cute summer, yet modest look, too.

Also, I told him I'd seen a pattern for a baby girl with scallop sea shells for the bra and they tied on with string, which were VERY revealing and I'd NEVER crochet something of that nature for dgd. Isn't it cute how Dson is "protective" of his little girl? ;)
Touch the earth, love the earth, her plains, her valleys, her seas. Rest your soul in her solitary places. ~Henry Beston

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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, August, 2013

Postby Ivy » Sat Aug 03, 2013 11:34 am

I ran across a craft, which I sent to a pen pal. You cut yo-yo's with a Clover yo-yo maker, then put a little bit of fiberfill inside the yo-yo or a cotton ball. Then, you cover the cotton ball up, glue it into the flat parts on a pine cone to make a Christmas tree with ornaments. I think it's a good idea for decorations for Christmas or for Christmas gifts, too.

Also, I got to thinking about a yo-yo maker. It would be so fun to make yo-yos from my scraps, attach them at the N, S, E, W spots, then somehow, attach the flat yo-yo quilt on top of a solid background color quilt I can make myself, to keep cozy and warm. OR I could take fleece or a fleece blanket and tack the sewn-together yo-yos to one side of it. :idea:
Touch the earth, love the earth, her plains, her valleys, her seas. Rest your soul in her solitary places. ~Henry Beston

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Ivy
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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, August, 2013

Postby Ivy » Sat Aug 03, 2013 9:57 pm

I crocheted dgd's hoodie pocket today and am currently crocheting the hoodie hood. Hopefully between Sunday - Monday, sometime, I can assemble it. :D :idea:
Touch the earth, love the earth, her plains, her valleys, her seas. Rest your soul in her solitary places. ~Henry Beston

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Harriet
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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, August, 2013

Postby Harriet » Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:16 pm

A trip to Hobby Lobby was so pleasant. I bought the fondant that another company said they would send me and then could not provide. So I add gas and tax to the cost, plus my time. Oh, well. They had every color of a certain cupcake paper except the one I would have bought, but I can make do. I also bought a cardboard cupcake 3-tier stand. Now I will need to paint it :roll: probably, because it is the perfect shape but garish colors (which should be quick work I hope). If it won't take paint, at least I found out cheaply how one is made.

Somehow dd managed to enjoy the whole store and not ask for a thing. Amazing to me, since they of course have all the pencils, pens, pads, erasers, etc. that sketch artists love. But I had just bought her a new pack of pencils, and she is doing so much work on the computer now. All their holiday decor is out - wow, big aisles full. I will say that if she gets any money for her bday she certainly knows a fun place to spend it.

Harmony, what a wonderful report on your 2012 projects.

Ivy, my last project with yo-yos was pincushions finished at the top with a yo-yo under a smaller decorative button. I think yo-yos are beautiful in calico fabric..

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Ivy
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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, August, 2013

Postby Ivy » Wed Aug 07, 2013 11:26 pm

Harriet, :D I've been looking on-line at free yo-yo projects to make. I notice how you can either make your own template, cut around it yourself to make your circle in fabric OR you can purchase a yo-yo maker. What do you suggest is the best way to go? :?: It doesn't seem that a yo-yo maker would be very expensive, but on the other hand, it may make a project more worthwhile if you used a template to cut out your own with.

Would one use a fabric template or paper? :?: Or would a compass and pen, drawing a circle on material be a good idea? Or just taking a cup or mug and sketch the circle and cut it out? Any ideas? :idea: I want to do what's less time-consuming, easier, quicker, but still cheap. I have the scraps, needles, thread, etc.. and buttons, too.

I've been bookmarking good pattern idea sites and there are videos at YouTube, too. ;)


P. S. (Edit here) Harriet, (and others who happen to maybe be reading), I went to YouTube and saw a demo video where they said you can use anything round as your template, such as a round cookie cutter, a round lid, I have a hamburger patty thing, you can use a glass, or anything, really, which is round. They said to trace the circle onto fabric with a pen or pencil, then explained how to make them. There are oodles of great :idea: ideas on-line for free, too. I think I'm going to enjoy my Autumn and Winter! :D
Touch the earth, love the earth, her plains, her valleys, her seas. Rest your soul in her solitary places. ~Henry Beston

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Harriet
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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, August, 2013

Postby Harriet » Thu Aug 08, 2013 8:41 am

Ivy, when I did mine I happened to use a yo-yo maker from the fabric store. I think it was BookSaver who had mentioned them. Here is my post about the pincushion and from the measurement and photo maybe you can see how large the "small" size yo-yo maker yo-yo turns out - probably too small for most projects and the "medium" or "large" would be better for them.

As I remember, using a yo-yo maker gave you the feeling you had something substantial in your hands to work with, and your fabric didn't have to be perfectly round because the gadget kept you sewing in the circle. But I've made them the regular way before and it was no problem. You just have to try to get your stitches even around the circle. When I make homemade templates, I like to make them out of plastic if it's possible. Those are probably best. But cardboard from a cereal box works, too. You can print out or draw out the pattern onto paper, with information on it, and then glue onto your template material and then cut out.

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Ivy
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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, August, 2013

Postby Ivy » Thu Aug 08, 2013 1:07 pm

Harriet, :D I might use a glass or ring to a jar to draw a round circle, then make a yo-yo, to test the size it turns out to be and take it from there. I think I'll wait until after the grandsons go home, too. :idea: ... for the summer at Aug. 24 being their last day. I bookmarked the pin cushion pattern directions, too. I have the perfect dfriend, who sews, who would love a pin cushion like that. I collect buttons, too, so I can put a pretty button on it. Also, I thought perhaps some eyelet or other lace, gathered and sewn beneath the button would be pretty, too.

I need to finish crocheting the hood for dgd's hoodie, assemble all the pieces and get that blocked soon. I'd sure love to send it home with dgd's big brothers on the 10th. It's coming so soon, but if I don't make that deadline, 2 grsons will be here Aug. 17 - 24, so I can send the hoodie home on either of those days, too. :idea:

I can't find my plastic for templates right now. I have cereal box cardboard in my rolling card drawers, so I can cut templates from them, too. Being able to write onto the template is a great idea, too. One cute project I saw was an embroidery hoop used as a wall hanging. They had light blue fabric in it with a ribbon hanger for it. One the fabric inside the hoop, they made some yo-yo flowers. I thought it'd be cute to make a pot and add some leaves, as the plain stems and yo-yo's looked bare to me. Thanks for your help, too. :D I saw on-line where you can make a yo-yo using contrasting fabric in the middle of it and another site quilted their yo-yo's for quilts. Very pretty. I have pillows I can embellish, a denim shirt, a white t-shirt, black t-shirt, and navy t-shirt. They're old and faded, but fit well and could use some spicing up. ;)
Touch the earth, love the earth, her plains, her valleys, her seas. Rest your soul in her solitary places. ~Henry Beston

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Harriet
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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, August, 2013

Postby Harriet » Thu Aug 08, 2013 2:07 pm

Well, the cardboard cupcake tier layers/shelves are surfaced in simple white on the opposite side - you'd have no idea from looking at the package. So it's much more versatile than I thought and I probably won't need to change it much. HRH notices, though, that the top shelf will be tipsy when only one cupcake is left on top. So I'm thinking up a remedy for that - maybe a small white box on top to weigh down the middle and make one more perch for a top cupcake. The other items I had to order arrived today, so I could make the decorations in advance if I want. Probably no time today, though, and tomorrow have a lunch date.


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