Roll Up Tote Market Bag

I pulled out some batik fabrics I had stored away in my stash to sew this very versatile Market Bag. 

 

Roomy for standard size magazines, books and a few other miscellaneous items! Great tote to take to the flea market for those extra special finds! It rolls up and fits in your bag! Has a tie closure to keep things snug as well as handy when you roll it up when not in use. And it's reversible!

Birdbath Planter

This is our birdbath converted into a planter. I've planted some Wingpod Purslane (aka Portulaca) that's blooming. Right behind it is an Elephant Bush that is an evergreen succulent. To the left and below is a Dazzleberry Sedum that is beginning to bloom and will have huge, brilliant raspberry colored flower clusters. They may outgrow the planter and I'll have to replant.

 

Our cast iron hummingbird rain gauge is staked in the ground and perched over our planter which sits atop a tree stump.

Succulent Planter

I feel I hit the jackpot when I picked up the Succulent Combo from the Garden Center! I planted them in our concrete planter and they are thriving!
 

 

 

 

 

 

The plethora of plants from Left to Right, Top to Bottom are:

Paddle Plant Kalanchoe, Coppertone Sedum, Topsy Tury Echeveria, Rainbow Bush, Pencil Tree Spurges (Sticks on Fire), Leatherpetal, and String of Pearls. I love my Plant ID App!

Summer Canvas Tote Bags

I sewed these Tote Bags and used outdoor canvas for the exterior and natural cotton canvas for the lining all of which I had in my stash.  Each has 3 interior pockets. Measure 13' H  (with 9" handles) 15" L x 5" W. Very spacious and durable bag. 

Versatile tote. Great to pack for summer day trips. Use it to go shopping, head to the beach, use as your book bag when you visit the library or to store your knitting.

 These tote bags were inspired by Laura over at Sew Very Easy. She offers a free downloadable pattern that's easy to follow.
 

This Morning's Trail Hike

 Spotted these on my walk this morning. Learned this is Golden Ragwort (Packera Aurea). 

A weedy perennial that's a member of the aster family and makes a beautiful golden groundcover.

"The ragworts, growing up so straight,
Are emperors who stand in state,
And march about, so proud and bold,
In crowns of fairy-story gold."
              ~ Frances Darwin Cornford

     (Frances was the  granddaughter of the well known and respected naturalist Charles Darwin.)

Flowers In All Forms

I used a petal template from Clover to create these fun fabric flowers. Works well with fabric that's the same on the 'wrong' side which was why I chose burlap and batik fabrics. 

After cutting out your petals you fold them in quarters (essentially you're cutting out circles for the petals) and through the center or the pointed part of the petal you insert a threaded needle as you stack or gather the petals. 

Once you've stacked enough petals, secure by knotting the thread. Pull apart the folds to create a nice full flower! Stitch your button of choice into the center. I used brooch pin clasps to stitch onto the backs

I've seen this done with hot glue instead of stitching including hot gluing your button and the pin on the back. Plenty more tutorials on the web!

 

Hobo Shoulder Bag

I sewed this Hobo Shoulder Bag using vintage floral fabric from my stash and denim for the lining. This also makes the bag reversible! 

 It has a tie closure to keep your belongings snug.

The bag folds up and wraps with the tie so you can toss it in your purse, quite handy when you run across those unexpected tag sales!

Thread Bowls

 This was a fun project creating Thread Bowls using water soluble stabilizer. I made bowls but you can create other 3D sculptural shapes.

Place fabric snippets (or ribbon, leaves lace, etc.) between layers of stabilizer then Free Motion Stitch while its in the hoop. Wet your creation just enough to melt the stabilizer and drape over your choice of bowl and let dry.

First time ever trying this so my attempt was rough and rather random but I was pleased with the interesting result!

More detail instructions are available online.

Throwing Pottery

Spent some time throwing pots...need lots more practice! Nothing ready for the kiln yet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking forward to the new season of
The Great Pottery Throw Down!

Boho Tote Bag

This is a reversible Tote Bag that I made using Double Sided Pre-Quilted Fabric. I have never used this type of fabric before so it was a bit challenging at first. As always though, never a lack of info on the internet!

I liked the fabric, it was a bit "boho-ish" :)

The pattern I used was an easy pattern by Butterick See & Sew and adapted it for the double sided pre-quilted fabric.

Mini Pottery Wheel

This was my first attempt at using this mini pottery wheel. I chose to use air dry clay. The tiny pot is about the size of a thimble! I didn't seal the clay and left it in its natural state after it dried. I actually like the wonkiness and rough texture :)

Vintage Hankies

The Handkerchief. Who knew this little square of fabric had such a history! Suffice to say I learned Handkerchiefs are believed to date back to China circa 1000 B.C. They've been used as a means of flirtation to hailing a chariot! They've been a status symbol and once prized possessions bequeathed in wills. Hankies have served a practical purpose such as dabbing the brow or wiping a sniffle. Oftentimes made from silk and lace and used as decorative accessories. Hankies have been considered treasured possessions that also held great sentimental value.I've had these few hankies stored away for years. Just ordinary cotton hankies dating back to the 1940's and 1960's. Even then the flowers and colors spoke to me. 

Hobo Shoulder Bags

Two Bags in One! Actually this is a reversible Hobo Shoulder Bag. Shoulder strap is long enough to fit comfortably as a crossbody bag. 

 Another bag with a tie closure that snugly secures your belongings in your bag. 

The polka dot fabric is a cotton fabric and the other side is a cotton canvas. Durable and versatile bag.

Easily folds up and wraps with the tie to toss in your purse whenever you might need an extra bag for those unexpected flea market stops!
 

Early Morning Walk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On my walk early this morning spotted this flowering plant which is a Redring Milkweed. They grow about 3 ft. tall and bloom from spring to summer with clusters of waxy white flowers with reddish rings around the center. Another bee and butterfly attractor!

Decided to get a Plant ID App...much easier when learning about plants!

Date and Time

Two wonderful little treasures! A little battered but for me that's their charm :) And they work!

The West Clox Baby Ben is a mechanical wind-up alarm clock circa 1930's - 1940's.

The brass desktop perpetual scroll calendar is probably circa 1950's - 1960's.
 

Bohemian Notepad

I constructed this little Bohemian Styled Notepad using a downloaded digital from Heart and Soulful and used it as my cover. I toned it down and printed it on thin linen fabric to make my cover and designed my version of this little notepad. The papers I used were handmade ivory paper with Aster flowers with deckled edges which are printable. Great for a little pen and ink! The little notepad measures 4.5" x 5".

Mini Rope Bowl

I've been wanting to try my hand at making a rope bowl...finally!

I used some synthetic cording I had for my trial run. Wish I had used some cotton cording that I have instead. Will have to make more! Wasn't as daunting as I thought!

Definitely plenty tutorials online for this project!
 

Art Deco Glass Inkwell

Another great find and an amazing piece for my desk! The inkwell was a small reservoir for ink. It has a lid to preserve the ink from contamination, evaporation or accidental spillage.

Earliest forms of inkwells date back to the times of Ancient Egypt. These early inkwells were stones with round holes that held the ink. The writer dips the pen or quill into the inkwell as needed.

Machine Embroidered Line Art Note Cards...few more

Here are several more machine embroidered line art note cards I made.  I did a post on 12/9/2022 explaining my process in creating these if you are interested. 

 

Japanese Knot Bag

Had fun sewing this adorable 'knot' bag. A small open tote bag with a twist. A tote with asymmetrical handles. It's designed so that the longer handle slips into the smaller handle to close the bag and form the 'knot'. An easy to sew pattern from 'Motif Studio Patterns' available on Etsy.

More Accidental Dried Roses

More of my lucky happenstance...more dried roses.

Few years ago I received these when they were lovely fresh roses. They sat in the vase, water evaporated and voila! Lovely dried roses! They now have a spot on my windowsill.

 

Diagonal Pocket

 

Diagonal Pockets are another handy structure designed by book artist Hedi Kyle using classic origami techniques. In her book The Art Of The Fold she covers the height to width ratio of 3:4 to increase or decrease the size of this structure. I made mine using the dimensions provided in the book which required a sheet of paper 9 x 12 inches. This created a finished pocket measuring 4.5" x 3". I had some lovely watercolor papers in my stash called Peaceful Meadows by the Paper Studio which I used to construct my Pockets.

Makes an amazing booklet with pockets for notes or cards and a mini journal. Lovely enough as a gift on its own or add a gift card! Just a really neat fold constructed out of one sheet of paper and no gluing necessary. A pamphlet stitch for your notepad or use a simple elastic band to secure your notepad as in a midori style travelers notebook.

Mini Watercolor Book

Made this mini watercolor book using 140 lb watercolor paper.

The pages were made using one 9 x 12 sheet and folding it accordian-style.  

The cover was made using silk-screened Nepalese Lokta paper featuring gold
brush strokes on turquoise paper.

The little book measures 3" x 2.5".
Fun size to paint some trailing branches with leaves and perhaps some pretty
tiny blossoms

Fabric Notepad & Card Holder

I sewed this fun and convenient little notepad holder that measures 4.5” x 6”.  I decided to make 4 small notepads made of parchment and handmade papers to insert into the pockets. It  actually has 6 tuck spots (2 pockets along each side of the pencil) handy for cards, cash and even your iPhone mini! 

And a spot for your pencil! 

Upcycled Old Books

I created these journals from old books. I retained the covers and gutted the books of their original pages. Using a pamphlet stitch I added a variety of papers to create aged, vintage looking journals full of blank pages for journaling or sketching. Perhaps a travel diary, garden journal or even a place to jot down favorite recipes!

 Fun books if you like a bit of grunge! If interested, you can find many tutorials online showing this method of repurposing old books. Check out Nik the Booksmith, she has a variety of videos demonstrating how to turn old books into journals.

Accidental Dried Roses

I received these when they were beautiful fresh roses a few years ago. Through sheer neglect I ended up with these lovely dried roses! They sat in the vase, water evaporated and voila! Lovely dried roses and I think the few years of dust add an interesting shade of red :) So there you have it, the accidental dried roses!  The sweet dish was a fun flea market find!

Blizzard Book

 

This Blizzard Book was created using a single sheet of paper that is folded in such a way
that each page becomes a pocket.  Neither sewing nor adhesives are required. Hedi Kyle a book artist, designed the Blizzard Book on an unexpected day off from work due to a blizzard, hence the name! The card carrying size featured in her book The Art Of The Fold conveniently holds a business card 2” x 3.5”.  I constructed this one slightly larger and finished dimensions are 4” x 6”.

 The handmade Lokta papers I used are screen printed with beautiful life size golden ginkgo leaves on black background creating a serene simplicity. 

 I have added pages onto the spine of the book. The tabs on the tops and bottom of the Blizzard Book neatly hold folded handmade deckled edge papers suitable for pen and ink and watercolor. A simple slipcase encloses the book.

Mexican Aster Flowers

Also known as the Sulphur Cosmos, another daisy-like flower. Leaves are feathery and thread-like.

Sulphur cosmos. “The story of this name is that Spanish priests grew the flower in their missionary gardens in South and Central America. Native to this region they appreciated the perfect placement of the petals on the flowers. They named them the Greek word cosmos, which refers to an ordered universe or universal harmony.” According to Gardening Know How.

 

  Another easy to grow plant even in poor soil and thrives on sun and heat, offering glorious color in return!

A Single Flower ...

“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly our whole life would change.” ~ Buddha

Greek Penne Pasta Salad

Quick and Easy

     Greek Penne Pasta Salad!

Cook Pasta - Drain, rinse with cold water
Slice: Cherry Tomatoes, Black Olives
Chop: Romaine Lettuce
Crumble: Feta Cheese
2/3 Bottle of Greek Salad Dressing
(add remainder when serving)
Toss Together! Easy Peasy!

 

 ...or add other ingredients of your choice!

Every Apron Tells A Story

Well, maybe these don’t have a story to tell just yet...

I used a McCalls Pattern when sewing the BBQ apron and used a cotton canvas and made it reversible

The cute black apron is a trendy retro style by Butterick. I used a black cotton batik fabric for this and added white trim.

 

 

 

 I’ve had a soft spot for aprons ever since I inherited my husband’s grandmother’s apron. Here is a photo of me 25 years ago wearing one of her handmade aprons preparing Thanksgiving dinner (thank you Mrs Smith for lending a hand!) It was already thin and a bit threadbare and I wore it out till it was in tatters and no amount of repair would salvage it but I still keep it safely stored away in the drawer. I love a bit of nostalgia :)

 

I found this delightful and engaging book about aprons titled The Apron Book by EllynAnne Geisel. It’s loaded with fabulous photos of the author’s vintage apron collection.

 

Cafe Aprons

A few years back I made these Cafe Aprons using Amy Butler's Reversible Cafe Apron Pattern. For the two on the left I chose cotton fabrics.

The one below I used a light cotton canvas and one of Amy Butler's fabrics. The aprons are reversible.

(excuse the poor quality of the images...made these few years ago so resolution wasn't as sharp)

 

 

 

 The Amy Butler fabric I used was from her line called "Charm" for Free Spirit Fabrics which is now discontinued.