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 :)