Little Hearts

So cute!! I love these little crocheted hearts. When I was little, my grandmother made crocheted wreaths for us to wear on Christmas, and now I've put my own spin on the hand-made gift with a Valentine's Day present. I just have to sew a pin on the back and they're ready for gifting. Every one I know will get one--we'll see if they wear it!

Here's the link where I got the pattern AND a youtube tutorial!

Organizing, organizing...

I love organizing my stuff!! Then I love reorganizing it!! Sometimes, actually, that's all I feel like I really do. Move paper from this file to that folder, or move markers from this tote to that box. Even though I do not generally make New Year's resolutions, after working on yet another paper file, I firmly resolve to NOT purchase any more scrapbooking stuff in 2012. I am sure my CM consultant is not happy about this, but enough is ENOUGH! I have a ridiculous amount of paper, kits, stickers, and embellishments that I cannot even hope to use in my lifetime, let alone this year. So this year is going to be all about using what I have and not even looking at new stuff. Well, okay, maybe looking at it, but not purchasing it!!

My latest project is working on an album of my history with the piano, starting from when I was a baby and my parents took my picture sitting at a friend's piano, up to last month, where 9 of my students performed in a Christmas recital. There are lots of holes in between, but I was able to find a surprising number of photos and newspaper articles of my high school years. Thank goodness my grandmother saved that kind of stuff!

DIY Christmas Ornament

I saw an example of this ornament on Miss Mustard Seed a couple of weeks ago, and when I was thinking of the little gift that I'd be giving to my piano students after the recital, I thought this might be cute. I hope it's something they will keep and put on their tree year after year. I have a couple of special ornaments that I've had since I was a child, and I hope this one becomes special to the students as they get older.

I got some antiqued music scrapbooking paper and shredded it into 1/4-inch strips (or so--I started out cutting it on my paper trimmer, and it doesn't much matter how exact the strips are). Then I curled them on a dowel and slipped them inside the glass ornament until it looked pretty full. I wrote on the ornament with black glitter glue, put a music note sticker on the back, and tied a bow to the top. I'm pleased with the prototype, although I may try something different with the lettering.

My Creativity Cycle

So apparently all my creativity stops when school starts in the fall.  I have just done nothing since we started back to school, oh, three months ago.  That's not totally true--my creativity just goes in a different directions--focusing on lessons for the kids.  When I realized this and talked to one of our library volunteers about it, she said it's exactly the opposite for her: she does nothing all summer while she's home with the kids, but when they go back to school in the fall, she has the time to be creative again. 
Today, I cut out bunting.  Tons and tons of bunting.  Check out this pile (don't mind the wine glass):

I went through my Christmas fabric (of which I obviously have a LOT) and just cut of 7-inch strips.  Then I cut and cut until I had fabulous little triangles ready for sewing.  Here's what I ended up with:

 With the fall bunting, I didn't match up patterns, but I am going to do that with the Christmas fabric--I have so many different designs that it might get a bit crazy if I don't try to make the same design on front and back.

This stack looks totally out of control. I mean, really, how much bunting does one household need?!?! I know that I'll be making some for my sister, and I plan to make some for our library volunteers, but I know there's quite a bit here.  Maybe I'll give it as hostess gifts when we go Christmas partying this month.  I guess I'd better get sewing.  That's the next step.

DIY Bunting--Part 2

So here's some bunting I gave to my sister for her cute little fireplace--it looks like she could use one or two more triangles in length.  It's surprisingly easy to put together after it's been turned right-side-out and pressed.  I love that seam binding--double-fold, extra-wide.  It's perfect, and comes in great colors.  I bought orange and light brown, and they both look great.  I also picked up green and red for Christmas, so that'll be another project.

DIY Bunting--Part 1

I don't know why I love bunting--it's some kind of nostalgia thing, I think.  Not that I ever had bunting growing up, but I suppose it evokes a simpler time, something old-fashioned.  The hurricane did no damage here, we didn't lose power or anything, so today was a great day to sew! I first had to organize the sewing closet.  The fabric was out. of. control. 

I sorted it by rainbow colors, as I do most things in life (thread, scrapbook paper, construction paper at school, markers), except I added a holiday section, since I have a ton of Christmasy fabric.  As I sorted, I kept thinking about the bunting I wanted to make, and I just had so much autumn-looking fabric that I decided to concentrate on those colors.  I certainly have enough fabric to make special bunting for Christmas, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and anything patriotic, so I might just stick with the seasonal themes.

I used the tutorial on Joyful Abode, and it worked out great.  I followed her measurements, as I really had no idea what size I wanted my bunting.  Once I hang it on the wall, I'll decide if I'd rather it bigger, smaller, or longer, but for now, it's looking pretty good.

I started off assembling autumn colored fabric from my stash: (ooh, by the way, you can see my DIY pressing table under the fabric.  I love, love, love it!)

Then I made my template the same size and way she did, and cut a bunch of strips of fabric into 7-inch lengths. I didn't actually cut it--I tore it like she suggested.  Can I say how therapeutic that feels?!?! I love tearing fabric!!

Then I used my rotary cutter to cut out as many triangle shapes as I could:

When I was finished, I matched up two complementary triangles for some sewing.  I am not sure why I did two different fabrics, except that's how Joyful Abode did hers.  Since it's going against a wall, this first one, I think I could use a plain back, or the same fabric as the front.  Either way, it's going to be great...

Altogether, I had enough fabric for 41 triangles.  Can you believe I still sewed one with NOT right-sides-together??!?!? How many years has it been?!?! Oh, well.

I used the serger to sew the long sides together.  I lover that serger, except for threading it.  Which is why it still has black thread in it.  I just can't bear to rethread it.  I don't think you can see any threads, though, so no worries.

When this part was all finished, here's what I had, a happy little pile of bunting:

Part two tomorrow--turning the bunting right-sides-out, ironing, finishing the top edges, and hanging.  I think I'm going to use zig-zag for this set.  I'll let you know later this week how it goes!!

Irene's Plans

I had plans for this weekend, and none of them involved sitting at home listening to the wind buffet the house, the rain pound the windows, and the electricity flicker on and off.  Hurricane Irene has her own plans and I am at her mercy.
I got a surprise in the mail today, a package from a seller on Ebay.  I bought this to put in that little curio cabinet thing I worked on last week:

I took off the thread from most of the spools and put them on the cabinet bare.  They look so cool. 
And now I have two needle cases...is that an official collection?

Then I worked on finishing some paper piecing that I started about seven or eight years ago.  I found the leaves sitting among a bunch of scraps, so I thought about putting them on a wall hanging.  Jenny helped me pick fabric for around the piecings, and as I worked on it, I decided to make a pillow instead of a wall hanging.  I ordered a form from Jo-Ann's, so when it comes in and I get it together, I'll post a picture. But here's the casing of the pillow:

I'd like to work on some bunting for one of the walls in the sewing room, so I've been studying lots of bunting examples online.  I think I need to get some seam binding to use across the top of the bunting.  I have some bright green quilt binding (who knows why!!), but that's a little too wide for the bunting project.  So I'll work on the pieces tomorrow and put them together next weekend.

Just in case Hurricane Irene takes out our power (the worst is yet to come, we're being told), I've been thinking about some power-less projects I can do tomorrow.  I'm listing them so that I'll remember what I want to get done someday:
1.  organize the fabric in the sewing closet by color
2.  cut bunting
3.  put together the scrapbook paper files
4.  cut out the valences for the basement
If only I had an old sewing machine with the treadle, I could sew all day tomorrow!!