Newest Jewelry

These are my latest fused glass jewelry. I made most of them a couple of months ago. I can't seem to find the time to put them up on my Etsy shop, but I won't be home in Colorado for most of the summer, so it would be difficult to get them to buyers. I don't know if I could trust my husband to take over. He's busy, too. Anyway, I did sell the top three sets last week, so that was nice. I have a devoted customer in Syracuse. Once I start creating more in Aug. or Sept, I hope she will buy some more.

Gimme your old jeans!

I'm almost done with my recycled jeans kitchen mat. I have 6 pairs of jeans already into it and the last pair is in the ball next to Cezanne. I'll hide and trim the ends and then I will replace the disgusting, Walmart mat we currently have.

I cut the seams off the pants to reveal as much material as I could (4 panels). Then I cut up and down, turning around at each end. I made a long chain and used single crochet back and forth. Pretty easy. One thing that was annoying was the fact that the "yarn" would get twisted and I had to keep untwisting it as I crocheted.

I'll finish tonight and will present my results tomorrow.

Kimono PJ's and an Appliqued Dino

Check out my latest sewing project!
I managed to finish the pj shorts I was planning for Clayton. I bought the fabric originally to make him a banner for his birthday. I bought a little extra, but I wasn't sure what I would make out of it. I revisited my kimonos thinking about summer pajamas for my boy. The ties/trim were some bias tape I bought at the thrift store. I used a thrifted pattern for the shorts and cut out the pieces last week. Being the airhead that I can be sometimes, I didn't realize they included pockets (not really important for pj's), so when I went to sew them today, I had to cut the pockets out of an old t-shirt. Plus, I used my serger for the first time! I did pretty well, and now I'm motivated to take it to more adventurous projects. Oh, I used the blind hem stitch for the first time using my regular machine. Stay tuned for some more pj's and a robe, too. (I've started them.)

The dinosaur shirt was a 75cent find at the thrift store. I added the applique. You can see a pretty lame tutorial I did for them here. Fun! And, they're great for covering up spots on your kid's clothing.

Also posted at Thrifty Garde Robe.

Yummy, yummy!

I made a yummy bread pudding last night!

Things I Can't Wait for in NY

1. Seeing my family
2. Hiking in the Adirondacks
3. Hanging out on the beach at Piseco Lake
4. Going to Jazz Fest if we're not on our way to IL
5. Getting my haircut by Erika
6. Sewing projects with my mom
7. Mowing the lawn
8. Playing outside with Clayton
9. Taking Clayton to the beach
10. Getting a Job, teaching again
    
11. Looking for a house and getting one
12. The cross country reunion
13. Running down the dirt road like I used to do regularly
14. Seeing my friends again
15. Going back to Geneseo and visiting Letchworth
16. Picnics
17. Visiting NYC for museums and shows
    and I can't think of anymore right now
    

Machine Sewn Quilt Cards

I made some quilted cards out of fabric scraps. I'm working on several more. It's really easy and fun.
1)I stitch the pieces together,
2)iron them flat,
3)trace a rectangle template onto the wrong side,
4)cut out roughly,
5)then sew all around 2 layers of organic, washed baby wipes (my batting) to the back of the rectangle,
6)cut excess off all layers at about 1/4 inch from the stitch line, trim corners
7)slice a hole in the middle of the "batting,
8)turn inside out, poke corners out carefully,
9)finger press flat,
10)position onto card stock, pin in one or 2 places if you desire (I didn't)
11)sew around edge and keep going inside shape to give quilting effect, overlapping at edge when you want to move to another area
12)and trim threads.

If you have questions, please let me know. I don't know when I'll have the time to add photos.

More Applique Shirts

I made a couple more applique shirts in the style of the Mini-Boden shirts. I got these shirts at the thrift store for 75 cents a piece. Clayton loves them, and we think it's a skidder on the left. Brandt could tell me. He was big into skidders as a kid. (they are used for logging).

Felt Chinese Food

Here is the project I made for Madeline's birthday. I didn't want to post it before she received it. It's been a few weeks, and I remembered it. The pattern is from Bugga Bugs.

Changes Coming

Matt got accepted at Syracuse University for his Ph.D. He wanted to go to Cornell, but didn't get accepted. He hasn't heard from his other top picks: U Mass and U Michigan. So,.... we are going back to Syracuse, NY. That's fine with me! And my parents are really happy about it. Now I have to get a teaching job and find a place to live!

Kimono Dress for Olivia

I used leftover fabric from a shirt I made last year. I love the fabric. I ended up taking apart the original shirt to make alterations. I have never worn it except for the time I took the picture. Maybe I'll fix it this week. I adapted the pattern I got here.