Wondering how you’re going to handle your hot caldron this Halloween? How funny…so was I! Witch, I mean which : ), is what inspired me to design a couple of quilted caldron/pot holders. Follow along for a quick tutorial.   materials: 4 assorted fabrics (9″ x 9″ top; 9″  x 9″ bottom; hat and star according to pattern; 40″ x 2″ binding; 6″ x 2″ loop hanger); batting (3-10″ x 10″ squares); fusible web; iron; sewing machine; thread; needle; embroidery floss. 1. Use my free pattern (click here) to trace the hat bottom, middle band, hat top and star onto the smooth side of the fusible web, leaving a 1/4″ allowance all around each shape. Cut out the shapes just outside the marked lines. Press the hat shapes and star onto the wrong side of each of the chosen fabrics. Cut out the shapes accurately along the marked lines. Iron the shapes to the quilt top.   2. Make a quilt sandwich with the bottom/back fabric, three pieces of batting and finally the top/front of the potholder (a.) Pin together with safety pins. 3. Use a variety of machine stitches to quilt your block together (b.-c.) Use hand stitching to quilt the twirly line connecting the star to the hat. 4. Trim the excess batting from sides to make a perfect square. 5. To make the hanger loop, fold a 6″ x 2″ fabric strip in half lengthwise and press. Open out and fold each raw edge toward the center fold. Stitch along the long edges (d.) Set aside. 6. Cut a 40″ x 2″ strip of fabric for the edge binding. My new favorite way to machine attach binding is courtesy of my quilting instructor, Heather. She has a fabulous picture heavy tutorial here. Attach the loop hanger into the  left hand corner of the binding.

For an alternative design, I attached a spider to the end of the hat rather than a star. The spider consists of two fused circles and hand-stitched legs and eyes.

Enjoy creating a funky piece of functional decor just in time for Halloween!

 

 

 

 

Maybe it’s that time of year or the weather or something, but I’ve recently caught myself starting to google, half-seriously, “What should I do now?” If only I could bing the Internet to provide a personalized step-by-step artistic path…what to prioritize and/or what to let go. Cold, dreary weather is a creative drain. Fortunately, I was able to snap out of it this weekend to organize my studio. In the process, I realized a thing or two.

I’m pretty sure that one of the best cures for a muddled and disorganized head, is a neat and organized work space. Messiness is distracting.

I marvel at design, craft and sewing books that manage to keep a single focus from beginning to end with beautifully, illustrated step-by-steps along the way. This is not possible in actual life.

My girls and I went for a fall walk the other day. Crunching under our feet were hundreds of little acorn hats. We stopped to inspect them closer, loving their tiny details…an absolutely gorgeous crafting material. We collected as many as our pockets could hold and brought them back to the studio for some acorn brainstorming. While my daughters dreamed up a family of acorn people, I worked to create an acorn frame with a hanger.

When I entered the scene of a particular yard sale a month or so ago, I almost turned around and walked right back out before doing a thorough investigation of the goods. At first glance, the sale seemed to have an abundance of overpriced Tupperware and plastic novelties. But since I had taken the time to stop the car, I figured I’d at least check out the pile of books on a back table. And that’s when I saw it. A small box shoved to the side. I gulped. Vintage scrabble?! My heart skipped a beat. There wasn’t a board, but the letters and letter racks were enough for me. With the asking price of 50 cents for the set, I realized that some people value Tupperware, while others prefer vintage letters. Absolutely nothing wrong with that.

I knew those little blocky letters would be great in a mixed media piece, but I also realized they were cool enough to stand on their own. So I spelled out our name and let them rest on the light switch plate in our entryway. Hubby please stop reading…

(actually they are attached to the wall with a little dab of hot glue. Yes, I was aware that the painter of the house would not be happy with the decision to take a glue gun to the walls, but at least it’s not hay or plastic flowers, right? …anybody see those Trading Spaces episodes??!)

Hubby continue reading…

I also came to the conclusion that my fabric covered studio switch plate could benefit from letter additions so I “attached” more tiles. I love spelling out the obvious.

Less daring I suppose is choosing to display a word on one of those charming, old wooden racks. The X is on its side on purpose. You get it right?!

This also spells what to do when you discover how your wife attached scrabble letters to the walls. XOXO : )

Here’s a summer project that’s been on my list. I’ve had a quart of chalkboard paint in my studio closet for the longest time. My original intention was to add some chalkboard real estate to the basement/kids area. However, my recent read of Jen’s blog about her chalkboard paint tray transformation inspired me to do something similar, but I changed my chalk tray up with a button twist. (disclaimer: please don’t worry as the poor children weren’t left out of the quart…this tray was in addition to giving them chalk space, but that’s another post.)

I decided it was about time I signed on to be a vendor at an art fair. It’s one of those things that I knew I wanted to try on for size sooner or later to see if we were a fit for each other. So when opportunity knocked, I answered and signed on for what I felt was a good fit for novice me (good fit for my first show = one day, inside, laid back yet professional, whimsical vendors with a humorous, friendly organizer.) Now with a little over a month to go, I’m working on my booth design. If you’ve ever peeked over at my etsy wares you know I’m all about bright colors and fun. The goal is for my booth to match, yet not overpower the goods. My vision includes a pennant garland to add to the festive atmosphere I’m working to create. I didn’t use a specific tutorial or anything to make…this wasn’t wheel invention. I just created a triangle shape from cardboard for a pattern, then cut, interfaced and pinned together more triangles than I ever cared to count.

i admit it. winter is getting to me. At least there are no signs of a monochromatic landscape on the inside. After getting my new toy for Christmas, it occurred to me that I didn’t have to settle anymore. Settle for the ordinary curtain pickings I was finding in stores. I might not be ready to take on zippers, but I can certainly sew a square panel. And so I present…my first long panel curtains made from six yards of Anna Maria Horner’s Garden Party fabric. What you’re seeing above is our second floor landing space. If I land anywhere, I think a garden party would be a nice spot to do so.

With my sewing machine on fire, I also took the time to whip up some funky flowers. These are sewn from muslin with a wooden dowel stuck in for the stem. Then I poured out the brightest, happiest paint palette I could and went to work. No more winter doldrums here. Have a bright Monday!

I’d been looking for the perfect pin cushion to celebrate my return to sewing. Of course I went right to Etsy where I knew there would be endless options. I ended up purchasing this handmade pear from retro mama. I absolutely love it. So much in fact that I’m having a hard time bringing myself to actually stick pins in it.

A month or so ago, I was lucky enough to win a vintage wall chandelier vinyl decal from another Etsian. Scribble It sells a large variety of custom vinyl lettering and wall art for home decor, businesses and vehicles. I “hung” my prize over one of my computer stations. If you haven’t tried vinyl art yet, check it out. It’s really easy to put up and surprisingly affordable.

Speaking of giveaways, if you head over to Simple Finds and leave a comment you will be entered to win one of my 8″ x 10″ ‘My Kitchen’ prints. Be sure to enter before Thursday, February 19th.

Hope you’re having a relaxing President’s day. I’ve managed to fit in a hair cut & color and after all of that beautifying, a much needed snooze. Back to work tomorrow.

I feel like I’m waking from a long, dreamy nap…you know the kind that makes you question where you are, what happened and what time is it already?! The past week flew by like that. Actually, I’d say right after Thanksgiving things were on fast forward and haven’t stopped since. Our family had a great time celebrating the holidays with friends and family. The above was one of my favorite gifts. A very modest, beginner-style sewing machine. Perfect for someone who said to her helpful mom…“You mean thread comes down from the top AND up from the bottom?! At the same time! WOW.” And that would not be my daughter talking to me, but me talking to my mom who guided me through my very first sewing project.

disclaimer: I did have a Holly Hobbie toy sewing machine way back when, but that couldn’t really be classified as sewing could it?