Valentine Purses

I just finished these Valentine's Day-inspired purses, and not a moment too soon!  The ladies who own these will only get about 3 weeks of use out of them this year.

I made these at the request of a regular customer (Debbie, who also ordered wintery blue bags from me).  She and her daughter, who is a school teacher, both like to carry seasonal bags.

I made four for them to choose from.  Debbie's daughter specifically asked for something with chocolates on the fabric.

I know which ones are my favorites, but I don't know yet which ones they chose (they will pick them up at the store where I sell my bags and other things).

When I called Debbie to tell her the bags were at the store, she concluded the conversation by saying "We will be wanting St. Patrick's Day bags too."  Luckily, I've already ordered that fabric!

Pincushion Parade!

I came upon this CUTE idea today at Love Laugh Quilt--Beth is hosting a Pincushion Parade, and anyone who wants to show off their pincushions can participate!  I want to play!  Take a look at my pincushions:

The only one I made is the square watermelon-looking one on the left.  It is actually a Japanese ote-dama (juggling) ball, but it makes an awesome pincushion when filled will plastic pellets! 

The other four pincushions came from talented crafters in swaps I participated in on Craftster.  This cute purple cat is from wendiek in The Netherlands.  She made this for me because I love cats!

This lovely pincushion was made by alwaysinmyroom in Pennsylvania, using Japanese kimono fabrics.  There is a lot of  detailed beading and embroidery around the sides.

Unsuperb made this pincushion.  She hand-painted the design on the cup it sits in!

This little cupcake is from Amifriends in Mexico.  I love how realistic it looks!



I use pincushions every day (I have several others that are too scruffy to show)--I have three in my sewing room and these are all in the family room, near my sewing chair.  I plan to keep adding to my collection!

Amazing Amaryllis Part 1

I'm posting this non-crafty event because it is so amazing!  I want to show you the progress of my pot of amaryllis bulbs.

About 10 years ago I bought an amaryllis bulb in November.  I planted it and watered it, and it bloomed beautifully!  The next year I got a second one and added it to the pot.

The pot sits on my front porch all spring, summer, and fall.  It's a terrible plastic pot which is now cracking and breaking; I really MUST get a new pot!

While it's on the front porch, the bulbs get rainwater and the occasional glass of water when I remember it. I usually give them plant food once or twice during the summer.  I only did it once last summer.

A few years ago, one of the bulbs sprouted another bulb, so now the three of them are happily squeezed into the pot!

Right around New Years Day, I checked the bulbs, and I was thrilled to see the first evidence of the flower buds emerging!  I get so excited about this every year!

This series of pictures is following the main flower shoot, but there are actually four shoots coming up!  Yes, one of the bulbs is an over-achiever, and is giving me two stems of flowers this year.

The pot is in the back of my kitchen dining area, in the corner between the big window and the French doors.  All day long it is bright, and it does get a little direct sunlight.

All these pictures were taken 1-2 days apart.

This was yesterday, January 14th.  You can see two of the other stems in this picture.

Isn't it beautiful?  There are four buds on this stem; you never know if you will get two, three, or four.  Each one is a surprise package!

 In a week or so I will show you my amaryllis in full bloom!

A Little More Lavender

Well, I sent the lavender cat from the previous post to my friend Susan; it happened to arrive on a day when she was suffering from a migraine, and it managed to cheer her up (which is no small accomplishment at a time like that).  It's wonderful when something I make gets a great reception!  Her daughter liked it too, so, being a good mom, Susan gave it to her...and then asked me to make her another one...which I did today!  As long as I was making one, I went ahead and made two:  one just like the first one, and one in a different fleece fabric:

And, since I had the lavender out, I went ahead and finished this sachet that I started last month.  It's for my mother; her birthday is in February, and she dislikes the shorter, darker days of winter.  This seems like the perfect sentiment for her:

This sachet is made of all cotton fabrics and the details are hand-embroidered (except the words, which are written in ink).  It is filled with dried lavender buds (just like the cats). 

We haven't had much of a winter yet, here in Virginia, but being engulfed by the scent of lavender today has made it feel like spring!

If You're Lavender and You Know It...

If you have read this blog very much, you will know that I mention Susan quite often; she is kind of a cross between a crafting muse and a mascot.  I putter around all day, alternating between my sewing room and computer, and she regularly e-mails great ideas my way--links to cool projects, pictures of things that might make a good swap on Craftster, or just crafty ideas that have occurred to her.  She constantly inspires me and challenges me. 

Here is one example:  Susan likes to take a lavender sachet with her when she travels (which she does several times a year), and I made one for her last year.  It was my standard "pillow"-type sachet, like this:

Once I get something perfected, I get stuck doing the same thing over and over--so this is the only kind of sachet I have made in quite a while.  But Susan is a thinker.  She suggested I combine a stuffed plush toy (something we both love and enjoy making) with a sachet; that way a busy traveller could enjoy the calming scent of lavender AND the comforting presence of a little animal friend.  Brilliant!  Introducing:  Lavender Cat!

Lavender Cat taking a walk

Lavender Cat taking a nap

This stuffie is 5" tall and is made from fleece.  The face is hand-embroidered, and he has a button heart.  He is entirely stuffed full of lavender buds I ordered from Prairie Lavender Farm.

Thanks, Susan, for being a constant source of inspiration; but even more, for being my friend.

The AIDS Memorial Quilt

Today would have been my brother David's 51st birthday.  He passed away at the age of 33 from AIDS.

Since I've been quilting since I was 14 years old, it was natural that I would make a panel representing him for the AIDS Memorial Quilt; in fact, before he died, he asked me to do so.  I finished it during the year following his death, and sent it to the Names Project, where it was sewn into a larger piece with 7 other panels.  This is the official picture from The AIDS Quilt website; David's panel is in the lower left corner:

Here's a closer look at the panel I made; this picture was taken in 1995, right after I finished it.



When we were teenagers, our family lived on 10 acres in Virginia, and David and I each had a horse.  In this panel, I have depicted him on his quarter horse, Miss Virginia.  Under his arm is a photo album, with pictures streaming out of it; they are actual  photographs from his life, transferred onto fabric.  The panel measures 3 feet by 6 feet, which is surprisingly large when viewed in person.  I saw a display of sewn-together panels at a library in Las Vegas many years ago; it was a moving experience and it felt very much like visiting a cememtery.

Leslie and David Larson, Christmas 1961

We miss you, David.

Make Your Own Cutter Quilt Fabric

Back in November I talked about cutter quilts--old quilts that are too damaged to be useful as a quilt any longer, so they are  upcycled into other things, like pillows or stuffed toys.  If you don't happen to have old beat-up quilts lying around, but you want to make something with a vintage look, why not make your own cutter quilt fabric? 

I like to make stuffed heart ornaments with the pieces of  old quilts that my friends have given me, like these:

Look at the picture again, and see if you can tell which three hearts I made from old quilt pieces, and which one I made from a new piece of "cutter quilt" fabric?

(If you happened to read the post on  my other blog yesterday, you already know the answer!)

I hope you think they all look old.  The new one is on the far left, with the darker button.

I had a spare block from a quilt I made years ago, that I used to make my cutter fabric.  It was perfect because the reproduction prints had a lot of beige in them, so the fabrics looked old to start with!  I simply layered the block with batting (I used "Warm and Natural", which is a cotton batting similar to what you will find in old quilts.  Don't use polyester batting for this, because it won't shrink much when you wash it...and you WILL be washing it...that's how you give it an "aged" look) and backing fabric.  Then I hand-quilted it.  Since it was only 10" square, the quilting didn't take very long.

Here is the block right after I hand-quilted it:

Here it is after about a dozen washings.  It looks really old now, doesn't it!  I just threw it in the washer every time I ran a load of clothes, and then into the dryer.  It shrank a lot, but none of the fabrics showed any "wear and tear", so if you wanted it to look very worn, you might have to run it with your laundry for a couple of months!

I decided to use my cutter fabric for both the front and back of this heart, so it looks nice--and different--on each side.  I hand-sewed it with the raw edges exposed and the batting showing.  Here's one side:

Here's the other side:

These ornaments can be used in a lot of different ways--tied on gifts, strung onto a garland, hung on a Christmas tree, fastened onto a wreath...if you want to see what I do with them, check out my other blog, 365 Sewn Hearts.  I've started my one-year challenge over there, and this heart will be #8!