Art, Craft and Needlework, January, 2015

[FelineFriend]

Am working on DGD-2 dress #2 now. It's an Intermediate level pattern, but I've carefully read through it, and know how I can manage it just fine. I feel it is a lot like using a new recipe for the first time; you follow the instructions, and if you do that, you should make out just fine.

[Twins' Mom]

I got in some stamping time late yesterday afternoon. Wasn't completely happy with card for upcoming bat mitzvah which we will miss, but was going to bling it up a bit and live with it, then discovered it was upside down to the fold! So it was time to quit for the day (dh had just got home) and try again another day. Was wonderful to use stampin area. I need to do so much to get it "together" that I am overwhelmed.

[FelineFriend]

I love blinged up hand-made cards, Twins' Mom. They're fun to make; fun to receive, too.

I can hardly wait to receive my first installment of my quilt kit-of-the-month club order. It's hard to wait. I don't know when it'll arrive. It's almost as though I'm awaiting a package in the mail; oh, I AM waiting for a package in the mail: THE KIT!

I'm looking forward to finishing the current Empire dress I'm crocheting DGD-2. It's going to be a "challenge", but very, very cute. And well worth the time.

[Nancy]

I am out of blank cards.

Super excited to get some spinning fiber to play with. In an oatmeal color. It will need another was wash from a coated sheep.
I have mohaur to blwnd with it that could use another wash I see my out door kitchen being put to good use in the near future? I made up cloth bags to hang fiber in to finish drying.

I will get so colored silk roving to blend with it too.

Got one batch of fiber ready to spin trying to make up some chunky size yarn.
doing sweaters this year.

Yarn meeting today. I have one yellow sleeve done on toddlern`s sweater & have started the last one.

[Harriet]

Twins', what if you cut away the back of the card and mount the front work you have already done to another card blank? If there's room on the design area, you could cut it slightly smaller and recess it.

[Twins' Mom]

Harriet, I was able to spend a little time on it yesterday - I pried the stamped images off and put them on a new darker base which I decided looked better anyway, then added some faux pearls and ribbon and called the front done. I also added a white panel inside with a decorative stamped image in the lower left corner and the rest blank for a note to the recipient. Also stamped that image on the envelope - both in the same ink as on the front panel.

Would like to make a habit of spending some creative time daily.

[FelineFriend]

Twins' Mom , Your card project wounds so nice & unique-looking, to me!

Harriet , You sure have a LOT of GR8 ideas!

Nancy , If you have printer paper, you can fold it twice, to make your own blank cards, but then you'd need to decorate them with stickers, calligraphy quote, or something, like rubber stamping or lace or something. I like making collage cards, the most. Oh! Sometimes, if you have card stock, you can make 2 blank small cards, out of 1 sheet of card stock. If you have fabric, with a design on it, like flowers or butterflies or hearts, sometimes, if you cut them out, you can glue them onto the card stock. After the glue dries (I use Elmer's Glue), you can take a magic marker or a colored pen or black ink pen or Pigma pen, and draw broken lines, around the design, you just glued, to emphasize the design. It "sort of" makes it look like you're mimicking stitching lines on it; running stitches. I've seen it done, I've tried it before, and it's really cute.

Currently, I'm working on facecloths for a dear elderly friend, who turns 100 years old , on August 12th!!! She has so many things, so it's hard to know what to get her, but I felt if she had a nice stack of crocheted soft cotton facecloths, for her DD's and caregivers, to use on her, when she bathes, etc... it'll be a good gift. I'm thinking about perhaps, crocheting a little square basket, to put them in, for the counter or buying a little basket. But if I get "into" quilting projects, perhaps I'll be able to sew a small quilted basket. It's just a thought, right now. I'll get the facecloths done first, I'm on #2, and then I'll decide what to put them in, at a later date, since her 100th b-day's in August. That's several months away. She's as sharp as a tack! Wow! She has a better memory than **I** DO! She brings up things, she remembers doing with me, years ago, and I've totally forgotten all about these things, too! It's so fun to reminiscence when we're together. Since we're so close, have known each other for 43 years, or so, it's sort of like we're saying our "good-byes" in person together, before she finally goes, when she passes away. We sit there, almost crying, as we laugh at our remembering together. It's hard, but it's so bittersweet and nice, too. She's always been such a love. I've crocheted her many things, over all of these years, too. Lap robes, neck rest pillow, etc... A lot of kitchen items, too. It's been a fun run.

[BookSaver]

I'm working on things for the library's Fancy Nancy Tea Party, mostly paper crafts.

I was asked to find a coloring page for 1 of the activities. Then the group decided we won't have room on the dining tables for coloring pages as well as placemats, so they asked if I could find a combined version that would be designs to color as a border on the placemat.

I spent a lot of time looking at border designs online but didn't think any of them were close enough to what the group discussed, so I started to search for individual images to be combined. I found a good clipart version of Fancy Nancy that we are legally allowed to use, and then started looking for other things that are either mentioned in the Fancy Nancy books (butterfly, hummingbird, tiara) or are generic for a tea party (tea pot & cup, cupcake).

I also have a cd of clipart Mehndi designs. It has several pretty flower designs and a peacock that I like -- what could be more Fancy than a peacock?

This weekend I will work on combining all of these on a placemat page with several of Nancy's favorite fancy words like splendiferous, glamorous, and dazzling.

Then, since I am assuming that the placemat might not stay clean enough for the guest to keep, I will make a PocketMod booklet with as many of the images as I can fit on 8 pages.

This little project is taking many more hours than I thought it would, but I'm having fun with it.

[Nancy]

I have the yellow sweater project assembled needs zipper put in still.

I have the set of various shaped sissors and some card stalk no stamping stuff lets decluttered it all. Not much lace in the house decluttered it and trims as well.

[Harriet]

Sounds like you kinda had to get more perfectionistic with the project, BookSaver - not your fault that needs changed to something so specific. I can see how you just decided to spend the time, and it will be very satisfying I imagine. Love both the designed border spaces idea and the pocketmod idea. Fun.

Certainly thought of our yarn crafters here today! Sad article in our regional paper today is about the closing of two long-time area yarn shops, one 12 years old and one 6 years old. They interviewed those owners, another owner who is still trying to hang on, and other experts. Not a surprise that they tend to blame "big-box craft stores" like Michael's and JoAnne's, who offer supplies so inexpensively that local merchants can't compete. But they ALSO blame online sites like Ravelry and Craftsy, who offer the ideas, encouragement and help with projects that used to come from neighborhood stores and groups meeting at the stores.