Almost Another Quilt

This is my take on the Craftsy Block of the Month 2013 with Laura Nownes

Still a work in progress ~ hope to finish it soon!!

My Latest Quilt

Twelve months later and this little quilt is so close to being finished but I've still got some work to do, namely squaring it and binding.  Anyway I just have to post it here and now, the other will happen later. [I hope]

I learnt how to make this spread by enrolling in  Craftsy Block of the Month 2012.   All up I made twenty blocks and I love the final result.

There is no way I could do the machine stitching, I had to call in the experts for that.

Loving the quilting stitch, it's super cool.  For a quilt made out of scraps it sure did turn out to be expensive. I had the machine stitching done by the professionals and  it was worth every last dollar.  I'd like to give a shout out to ladies at The Sewing Bee Cafe for the beautiful heart machine quilting.

SHADOW BOX TREASURES

 From Around the World

What do you do when your mother-in-law hands you a dusty, dirty cardboard box and says, ‘Here, do what you want with them.’ 

Well, I gingerly opened the box and carefully removed the old newspaper packing and behold I found an interesting treasure trove of assorted items. 

I think these two might be Greek.  They are so well made with heaps of attention to detail and they are in perfect condition only slightly browning on the costumes which just adds to the character.  They are close to fifty years old.  They make me jump with joy they are so beautiful.

Hand painted miniature wooden jugs from Peniscola in Spain and tiny dolls from somewhere around Germany [I’m guessing].

Sweet little birds made from felt with hand painted tails and felted bodies, just so cute.  I have no clue where they may have originated but I’m guessing France because they were originally gifted from an aunt from France.

Miniature hand carved and painted wooden clogs from Holland.

Finally an old cow bell from Tirol deep in the Austrian Alps.

There was no way I going to put them back in the cardboard box so for the time being they are mounted on the wall in my front entrance. 

I used 12 inch canvases turn wrong way out and decorated them with paint, paper, stamps and washi tape, keeping to the colour scheme from the dolls clothes.  

Hearty Arty Inspiration

Life Book 2013 with Tamara Laporte is my favourite place to be at the moment.  I'm getting so much inspiration watching all the videos and 'having a go' using all kinds of mixed media.  This piece was inspired by Effy Wild's tutorial in Life Book 2013.

But there's more, Joanne Sharpe of Whimspirations is amazing and her art work inspires me just as much and it's such a great way to unwind after a tough day or two.

I've taken several of Joanne's on-line classes last year and recently I came across these wonderful prints which Joanne created and here's my spin on her work.  I just love using Nicholson's Peerless Transparent Watercolors ~ Joanne Palette.  I discovered these when taking a class with Joanne.  I'm also enrolled in a class which Joanne is featuring in with Strathmore Art which starts next week.  Looking forward to getting heaps more inspiration from Joanne Sharpe and of course the Life Book 2013 is a whole year course with lots of great artists showcasing their many skills.  

Four Little Elephants Sitting On A Wall

Meet the recent addition to my family. 

From left to right

Henry, Etta, Kit and Caboodle

The pattern for these cuties was designed by Jodie Charlton from RicRac and you can find her and her patterns here.

Not sure what destiny has in store for these guys yet but it sure will be sad to say goodbye.

H is for Handmade - A to Z Challenge

Today is about my involvement with handmade crafts.

I'm always short on words because I know anyone who may visit and take the time to read this doesn't have time for a lengthy post, therefore this will be short and sweet.

I've been making handmade items for years, since I was fourteen ~ make that many, many years I've been making handmade items! 

Handmade by me

I give all my work away, I've never sold anything. Too scared mostly and everything I do has been done before, so who would want to buy my stuff.  I love giving my stuff away and I would never give anything that I wasn't truly happy with.

 

Sewing is a breeze for me and not much of a challenge, so I find I'm moving more towards drawing and painting (Oil) and I know that the only way I'm going to improve is to practice and one day I hope my paintings will be as much a breeze for me as my sewing is now.

Like I said in my post yesterday, I am very grateful to have found so many clever internet people. I have paid for and mostly enjoyed hours of tutorials on painting and drawing and I've enjoyed sharing my efforts ~ however humble they may be.



Handpainted by me

 

So for today, my point is all things handmade make me happy, especially if I'm the maker.

 

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