linen, again...

linen, again..., originally uploaded by * a n i t a *.

I love the look of linen with hints of soft color. I was searching for something like this on Flickr, and was thrilled to find it -- and that it included my linen bulletin board (bottom right).

Don't you love linen?

You may have already won....

I got notice yesterday from the Singer Sewing Machine Company that my bulletin board won their "Sewing With Nature" contest.

I made the bulletin board earlier this month so it was fun to have almost immediate gratification. The "Sewing With Nature" contest, run jointly by Singer and CRAFT Magazine, asked for a single submission per person through their Flickr group. The rules were easy but written loosely for individual interpretation. The project needed to include machine sewing and "integrate organic elements."

I'd been wanting to make some bulletin boards for a long time. They're a great way to use beautiful little bits of fabric. This particular bulletin board (my first), entitled "Promise of Spring," was made with a patchwork of linen and some cotton fabrics stretched over a magnetized corkboard. I sewed several dried salal leaves on as decoration. And then made two magnets by sewing more leaves between layers of Tyvek and then gluing to a magnet.

I love the combination of fabrics. Several were from SpicedCoffee for a recent swap. They give a sense of winter with a hint of spring to come. And, of course, I'm always a fan of natural linen paired with other beautiful fabrics.

What do I get for winning, you ask? A Singer Confidence 7467 sewing machine and a set of Singer sewing books. Quite fun, eh?

Show & Tell

It's been a while since I posted photos of some of the things I've been making. So I guess it's time for a little Show & Tell.

As you can see, my love affair with sewing on paper continues. The new paper patchwork cards are themed: tea, knitting (made from recycled yarn/knitting catalogs), and Halloween/autumn. I made prototypes of them for various swaps and extras to sell in the shop.

What else? Several little rubber stamps with a Snail Mail theme. I'm hoping to do more stamps to sell as I have time.

I made a sister of the bag pictured for my swap partner in the "Starbucks and Yarn" swap. The fabric is coffee cups and coffee beans. This one's up for sale. Great for small knitting projects (like socks) or as a handbag!

Chickens on the Couch

I made a version of this pillow for a recent swap. It was a very fun idea -- you send your partner a book she'd like (I sent two vintage Gladys Tabor books) and make a few things to accompany the book, based on the theme of the book. In addition to the book, I sent a little needlebook with roosters, goatmilk soap, and a few vintage chicken goodies.

I love working with patchwork fabrics and papers. It allows me to work with all sorts of different patterns and textures. I'm constantly amazed at how compelled I am to work with these materials.

Whenever I make something new for a swap, I try to make at least one extra for the Etsy shop. So the 2nd pillow is now in the shop waiting for a new home.

Coasters

It started when I made some coasters for Holly (my sister) for Christmas. They matched the pillows I made for her... which matched her new Ikea sofa.

They were lots of fun to make. A little patchwork project that goes pretty quickly.

Since then I've made a few more sets. Some for swaps, and each time I made some extra to sell in the Etsy shop. The ones at the top feature some very cute Japanese robot fabric. The ones below were originally made to match someone's kitchen. I always think of the combination of rusty red and gold as being a bit Tuscan in flavor. The dark blue polka dot fabric adds a nice punch.

They're filled with flat quilt batting then I quilt them in a concentric square pattern. They should do a good job of protecting your table from hot liquids, and absorbing condensation from cold liquids.

The part I love the best is working with several fabrics -- piecing them together to bring out more from each color, pattern, and texture.

Fishy, fishy, fishy!

Made three of these fishy pouches for a swap I organized -- the theme was "water." I loved the challenge of it -- trying to think of all sorts of little goodies that fit the theme. I made a few water-colored things, but everything else said some form of water or something you find in water... ice, rain, mermaids... and fish.

I've never made a pouch like this before and had to figure out how to fit the lining and the zipper and keep everything precise and crisp. I love this sort of modern patchwork -- gorgeous fabrics pieced together in a casual (rather than precise and quilt-like) fashion. And I'm a huge fan of natural linen mixed with clean vibrant color.

The fourth pouch is now in the Etsy shop.

Ugly Zelda

I finished my first stuffie last week. A stuffie is a homemade stuffed thing (not necessarily a stuffed animal, it really could be a stuffed anything. A stuffed tree. A stuff lemon wedge. It just needs to be anthropomorphic.)

That being said, my stuffie is actually a stuffed animal.

But not your standard stuffed animal. Zelda is an Ugly Stuffie. I made her for a swap. Yep, we're swapping uglies.

Of course, I had a difficult time making her truly ugly. I'm a wimp. I admit it. But I think she's moderately ugly (in a cute way).

Zelda is a zombie kitty/kitteh. She started with some ugly acrylic fleece in a camo print. Then I added another print that didn't quite go with the first. She has a zombie face and stitched black fabric where her heart used to be. And that scarf -- bordering on "novelty yarn," I'd say.

"Cool. Love zombies," said the teenagers in the house.

Roses in January

I love all kinds of felt, but my favorites are felted knits and felt made with recycled materials.

My newest felt projects are roses made with recycled felt. At this time of the year it's pretty easy to find 100% wool coats and sweaters at thrift shops. A tired winter coat is transformed into fun felt treasures.

You start with a long strip of nice felt. Edge it with machine satin stitch (I do about 3 layers of stitching) in machine embroidery thread. Do the same thing for the leaf, then straight stitch veins on the leaf.

Roll up the strip of felt starting with a wider end. Double it back upon itself and gather bits along the way. Hand sew it all together, sew on the leaf, and then end up by sewing on a pin on the back.

Ta-da, roses in winter! Aren't they fun? They'd be great pinned on a winter hat, coat, or to soften a suit or to individualize a little black dress....

Look for them in my Etsy shop.

Morsbags

I love the idea of Morsbags. They're homemade bags used for shopping. The idea is to use them to replace the nasty plastic shopping bags you get almost everywhere.

I'd love to make a bunch of Morsbags.... sew all day long and churn out a pile of them. But I know that's probably not going to happen. For one thing, I never have a day that's completely open like that. But I've joined two Swap-Bot swaps (one completed, one just beginning) for them. And... knowing how fixated I am on deadlines... that has really helped me sit down and make some.

For the first swap I made six. Less than I was hoping for, but my sewing machine started making nasty noises toward the end of the 6th bag. And that was the end of my sewing until it returned from the repair shop. The ones pictured (above left) with Henry are some of the first I made.

Since the first swap closed, I've made three more. Any time there's a swap where I think my partner would like one, I make another. The purple one is one of my most recent bags.

Now I just need to make a few for myself!

Sewing Again

I've made fun of my dad becoming obsessed with his hobbies -- after all, that's the origin of our winery. But I am probably just as bad. Or maybe worse?

Last year I became obsessed with Artist Trading Cards. My garden didn't get planted and my knitting sat idle.

That obsession has now evolved. I've branched out into all sorts of arts/crafts as long as it's all about swapping with other folks via Flickr, Swap-Bot, or any number of private swaps. In fact, now I seem to enjoy doing lots of different things: paper arts (ATCs, artistamps, other mail art), homemade magnets, notecards, hand-carved rubber stamps, knitting... and I've even gotten back to sewing.

Actually, sewing was another obsessive craft I practiced long, long ago (in the dark ages) when I was a teenager. Almost every week I'd make something new to wear when I went out that following weekend. As is with SOME of my obsessions, I got burnt out on sewing. And I basically stopped doing it until now.

After getting into sewing on paper recently (I love it), left, and hand-sewing with felt, I've finally gotten back to sewing something with fabric on my sewing machine. Last week I made a tote bag for a swap on Swap-Bot called "Farmgirl at Heart." The swap called for four (or more) items with a farm/garden theme such as ribbon, buttons, or a tote bag.

I found some great fabric to make the tote bag: a heavy cotton printed with gardening tools like spading forks and shovels, another fun yellow cotton fabric printed with red roosters, and a very heavy yellow cotton canvas.

I've never sewed with a heavy canvas before, but my ancient machine performed well. I was feeling swamped because I'd committed myself to too many things that were due at the same time. But I still enjoyed making the bag. Because of the canvas bottom and handles, it ended up very sturdy. And, of course, I'm already thinking of the next thing to sew!