Boxes, Little Boxes

But they're not made out of ticky tacky. Yesterday I got the urge to make some boxes for some reason and here they are. I have to decide what background would look the best. I also may do some re-arranging and could easily add a few more boxes.

Thrifty Tuesday

Somebody must have cleaned out her sewing room. These are mostly rick rack, piping and bias tape with a bit of ribbon thrown in. All for only $5.

Blue Bag

I wasn't feeling challenged enough I guess because yesterday I decided to make the bag that has 8 pages of instructions, again. This time it's made of blue hand dyed fabric with the same color for the lining but different fabric so the colors look a bit different. I must say that it is easier the second time. Also, although there are a lot of instructions, they are clear and accurate. The pattern is called The Trifecta Bag from Studio Kat Designs. It has three inner compartments, which is why it is so complicated to make. I just have a bit of hand sewing on the inside left to do.

Two years ago were lucky enough to catch a Monarch migration. We walked up to the spot a couple of days ago but only saw a few butterflies this time. It has been raining pretty steadily ever since but maybe later today we can go and have another look. In the meantime, here is a look at the beautiful flowers we saw.

Cat Cuff

This one has a little jingly bell on it. It looks different from every side when you wear it.

Australian Cuff

I used some Australian fabric on this one. The stripe that goes around it is much more gold than it looks on my monitor. I used small wooden beads for fasteners.

More Cuffs

Yes, I'm still at it...

A New Obession?

Here are two more cuffs that I made this afternoon. Another addiction I guess. The blue one has feathers with netting over them to keep them in place.


I think I'll move the beads on the bottom one and make them hang the other way. It looks upside down to me but the beads hang free so it has to be this way unless I fasten them the other way. Does that make sense? I'm also debating whether or not to cut off the ends of the red trim...

Cuff

I got this idea from the latest issue of Quilting Arts magazine. It was fun to do and I might have to make more of them, now that I know how they are made. I put velcro on this one to fasten it but may go with loops and beads on the next one. I might also use slightly lighter weight interfacing.

A Finish

I went with the narrower leather strap with silver hooks. I'm not sure about the color of the yoyo. It's only pinned on so I can change it if I come up with something I like better.

Second Peacock Bag

When I cut the strips for the front of the first peacock bag I cut two of each as the directions indicated, forgetting that I wanted the back plain with a pocket on the outside. That meant I had cut fabric for two fronts and this second bag is the result of that. I used green fabric instead of black on the back.


Now I have to decide what handles to use. These are silver and leather from an old purse.


These are plastic and webbing also from an old bag. I think they look too heavy and too sporty for this fabric.



These are a pair of clear plastic handles, more like what is called for in the pattern except those are cloth. I could also make fabric handles...
So many decisions even with a simple item like a bag.

Bag Fever

I got hit with bag fever again this morning and this is the result. There are a couple of mistakes that I have to correct before I can finish it. Mainly, I have the handle on inside out so I have to decide whether to undo the sewing on the ends of the bag or undo the sewing on the handle. Both are rather distasteful and time consuming. The peacock fabric is a big pocket .


This is the front. I want to make a big yoyo in the peacock fabric with a smaller one in black to put in the center of it. This is my favorite bag pattern right now. I like the size and shape. The pattern calls for two handles but I prefer a shoulder strap. The pocket on the outside back is my idea too. I like that feature on a bag for sunglasses, grocery lists, etc.


This is a second attempt at a mandala using a stamp I carved from an eraser and fabric paints from a squeeze bottle. I'm still not happy with this one so I'll probably keep trying...

Mandala

I wanted a mandala for the black and silver Tibetan robe. This is my first attempt. I like it but it doesn't really work on the robe. It's a bit too big and too colorful for it. That's fine because it will work somewhere else. I'm not sure about the black and white around the edge. I also remember that I don't enjoy satin stitch and I am not very good at it. Maybe the practise is good for me. Stay tuned for more mandalas.

Just Jamming

I did a bit of work on the Gold Leaf piece but somehow I couldn't get into it today. So I thought, if musicians can jam, why can't quilters?


This is the result. I just took some fabric and added strips. Then I put the stripy green piece on top of a brown piece the same size and started whacking and exchanging strips of green with strips of brown. I'm thinking it might be fun to do some stamping on it now. And maybe add some beads....

Back in the Saddle

It seems that I haven't done anything in the studio or on my blog for a long time. Today I intend to change that...
The fabric , book and yoyo makers were purchased on our trip to Saskatchewan. I have wanted a yoyo maker for some time and when I saw a both where they were demonstrating them, I bought two different sizes.


Whenever I get a new toy I have to try it out right away. These are the two sizes I bought. I guess I should have put something there to show the size. The big one is about three inches across. I thought the two of them together would make nice decorations for bags.

More of Saskatchewan

As we were driving from Moose Jaw down to Weyburn, Sask. on our way home we came across the Dog River elevator. This is where the TV show, Corner Gas was filmed. (Sorry, only in Canada).


This is the gas station and restaurant built specially for the show, I assume as they are on the outside of town across from the elevator. Too bad they stopped doing the show. If they had done another season, they probably would have been filming.


And here is a view of a huge canola field in flower. Some people find this kind of scenery boring but I love the huge sky and the fact that you can see such a distance.

Moose Jaw Quilt Show

In my last post I mentioned the outdoor quilt show in Moose Jaw. This is what we saw as we entered the park. It was my first outdoor show and I was very impressed. The quilts looked so nice in the bright dappled sunshine.


There were a lot of quilts hanging on clotheslines stretched from tree to tree.



This is the back of one vendor's booth.


This Celtic Knot was amazing. This is the front.


This is the back. It started out as all mottled gray. The color is entirely from the quilting.


Here is a detail of the intricate quilting on the background. I think I liked the back even more than the front!

Our Trip

We decided to take a little road trip to celebrate our anniversary. We drove to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. You need to be Canadian to spell that one first try! It's a beautiful city in northern Saskatchewan, the next province west of us. What we really wanted to see was the Crooked Bush, about an hour and a half northwest of Saskatoon.


The Crooked Bush is a strange unexplained phenomenon. There is a small grove of Aspen trees that are very crooked and twisted. The other types of trees in the grove are straight. The trees just outside the grove are also normal. It's eerie and odd looking.






Here is the little write up that was posted in the middle of the grove.
The next day we headed for Moose Jaw (one of my favorite names for a city!) , a few hours south of Saskatoon. Moose Jaw is famous as a location used by Al Capone during prohibition in USA. We wanted to enjoy the Temple Gardens Mineral Spa there and as a huge bonus, I read about an outdoor quilt show that just happened to be held on Sunday. The spa was wonderful and apparently the water contains many of the same minerals as are found in the water at Bath in England.
The quilt show was amazing. I'll be posting pictures of that tomorrow.

Holiday

We will be away for a few days on a short holiday to celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary. Pictures when we get back.

Our "Newest" Machine

This is our newest hand crank machine, from the thrift shop, as usual. It is an odd one. I have never heard of this brand, which looks like Tim or Jim.


This is the name on the back of the machine where you can open it for oiling.


The tension mechanism is on the opposite side to most machines and the needle threads from left to right. It has the round bobbin, not the long one, so it can't be all that old.



Here is the crank end, also a bit unusual. The case has a curved wooden top that locks on, but I forgot to take a photo with the lid on. It looks a lot like the old singer cases but this one is quite a lot longer, partly due to the large area on the end for attachments.
Does anyone know anything about this kind of machine? It's in very good condition with the gold almost perfectly intact. It sews a beautiful stitch.

Another Tibetan Robe

I guess I am working in a series. I started a new Tibetan Robe to work on while I am hand stitching all the facings on the first one. This one is much better. It's not quilted so much easier to work with. I plan to line it with red. It doesn't display very well on a hanger but I'll get someone to model it tomorrow. It already looks very elegant.


These are the two pieces of silk brocade for the shoulder decorations, that I have right now. I am not totally satisfied with either one. I'd like one with red and silver. I'll have to dig deeper because I think I have a couple of pieces that are mainly red.