Crazy Kindle Cover

My mother is permanently attached to her Kindle like my kids are to their cell phones.  So what do you give the woman who has everything for her birthday (especially since the last gift was an Amazon card)?  A crazy quilted Kindle cover!

I researched a few tutorials online and came up with my own design for this thing.
There is a pocket for the Kindle when not in use:

And corners to hold it while you read:

Elastic keeps it all together when in "storage mode."  The elastic I used is not beautiful, but by that point I was ready to pull my hair out and elected to just make do.

I tatted the orange and turquoise laces.  The whole thing is made from quilting cotton so it will wear better than something made from satin, silk, and other fancies.   The colors are much brighter than what I usually use for anything, but are perfect for my mom.

Close-up of lace and silk ribbon roses

I am planning on making a pattern for this cover in general, but leaving the embellishment ideas up to the seamstress.  I will probably also make a few for my Etsy store. 
I've never wanted a Kindle because I love to hold a book in my hand.  I might be tempted to change my mind, though, if I had a cool cover!

The whole thing when laid flat (the butterfly is a pin-no I didn't make it).

Updated 6/13:  See Etsy for the Vintage Lace eReader Cover I have for sale & check back soon for a pattern!

June CQJP

This is my June block for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project (for more info, click the button on the left sidebar).  I am mostly happy with it.  It's just the tops on the left that are leaving something to be desired.  But since I'm not sure what, I'm going to just live with them for now.  They are stitched onto felt and then appliqued on.

I am very proud of the sewing vignette.  The petite spools are 1/4" tall.  The sewing machine I stamped onto silk and heat set.  I drew on all of the notions free hand and then embroidered them using silk mori (Kreinik) and floche and flower thread from DMC.  I just discovered those last two.  Why didn't someone clue me in long ago??

By the way, this is my grandfather.  My nephew looks exactly like him.  The picture is from the mid to late 20s. He is also the gentleman in the uniform in an earlier family block from this year.  I have some really cool pictures of him as a baby and toddler in the requisite boy dress.

The 3" windmill is from an Aunt Martha transfer that I shrank.  I added the tank and fence.  When I was growing up, the neighbors had a tank like this that we used to catch tadpoles from.  Life was so much simpler then.  

I have had a lot of trouble getting the red marks from the transfer pencil to go away, but I will keep trying.

One of the first things I put on the block was the trellis using hand dyed silk ribbon and Lizbeth thread as an experiment.  It looked lonely so I embellished it with hand dyed venice lace and more silk ribbon to resemble grapes. 

I used a different color green thread to attach the leaves with the intention of the change to look like veins, but it doesn't work very well.  I will probably rethink this.

Spool Tassel

What sparks your creativity?  Boredom?  Seeing someone else' creation?  A pile of pretties?  Necessity?  All of the above? 
I have a lot of Stuff.  And I come from a long line of people with a lot of Stuff.  Very creative people, so we have lots of cool Stuff.  Ribbon, fabric, notions, buttons, spools, bobbins, baskets, drawers, lace, silver, pewter, broken jewelry, furniture, pillows, needlepoint, the kitchen sink, etc. 

This bobbin is one of many from my parents and the trims on it are from a tag sale by a local lady who thought she had too much Stuff (gasp!)  The lace runner it sits on is from a friend.  It has spots and such, but will someday be part of something even more beautiful.

I also have very creative friends who have lots of cool Stuff.  Friends and family who like to share their Stuff.  Being the youngest in the family, I get a lot of hand-me-down Stuff.  I also get lots of "so-and-so was getting rid of this, so I brought it to you" Stuff.  

Two of the drawers are from my sewing machine and the other is, you guessed it, Stuff to be used.

So what does a creative person do with Stuff from other creative people?  She creates!  Some things end up on the proverbial cutting room floor, but some things are deemed Cool Creative Stuff.  The latest of the Cool Creative Stuff is this tassel made from a wooden spool (I have lots of those), vintage lace, fabric, and ribbons.  I will be using this one on my favorite embroidery scissors so they are easier to find when I drop them.  It's in my favorite color and has lots of feel-good stuff like velvet ribbon and vintage lace.  It reminds me of a crazy quilt or one of those fancy memory books a lot of people are making now with lace and such. 

I have put several of these tassels on Etsy and will be adding more soon.  They are a nice little indulgence for you or a sweet gift for a friend.  And since they are made from Stuff, you can call them recycled. 

Skulls Abound

The second of the four Dia De Los Muertos blocks that I am assembling:

I must admit, these have proved to be very difficult for me.  I really don't know much about the holiday, and I do not celebrate it, so I don't have the right mind set to be creative.  I am sure these blocks will need more stuff, but I am waiting until they are put together.  That's my excuse, anyway.  The fabrics are too busy for much embellishment.
This is my pinata.  It may still need a stick for hitting.  The silk ribbons at the top are supposed to look like streamers.

The tatted cross is the same one, in a different thread, that I made for my last CQJP block.  It goes together pretty quickly and is a nice little cross. 

This skull is made from an Embroidery Library download.  The velvet ribbon is hand dyed and the flowers are from Offray. 

I am very open to suggestions on these blocks.  Ideas? 

New Old Treasure

I recently acquired this beauty from a lady who is downsizing her collections of Stuff.  She was told it was a doll quilt when she bought it, and is circa 1890.  I can certainly imagine a young lady making this as a sampler of sorts.  It is mostly velvets, but has been worn away with time and use.  It is still a beautiful example of crazy quilting.

What Victorian era quilt is complete without a fan?  There is, of course, the requisite seam work on each blade of the fan.  I am enjoying copying these designs on my own quilts.  The real thing is so much better than copying from a book.  Of course, I do have way more books than any sane person should have.

This motif looks like a sunflower to me.  The fabric to the left is a threadbare rose colored velvet and the one below was a gold and orange striped velvet. 

And what girl of Scottish descent can resist the thistle?  One of them has apparently blown away in time, but you can still see where it was.  The background was orange and to the right looks to be an olive green.

Possibly forget-me-nots?  The purple above is still very vibrant.

This is the back.  It is mostly the fabric on top, with a smaller band of the other.  Both were black, now faded to grey.  I think the backing on a quilt can be just as interesting as the top.

May Crazy Quilt Journal Project Block

I love May.  Besides being my birth month, it's not too hot, not too cold, the flowers are blooming, and the garden has new things to discover every day.
Have you ever found that with a crazy quilt you made?  Whenever I look back at a block, I "discover" something new.
This is my 5th block for the 2013 CQJP:

The little girl is my grandmother, circa 1918. As you can see, I tatted a tiny flower for her and embroidered a duck pull toy.  The frame was pinked with my awesome vintage pinking machine and embroidered in an aesthetic style. 

I also tatted the cross from a pattern in Tatting Collage by Lindsay Rogers.  I had originally planned to put it below the picture, but it was too dark.  The lace that it landed on is from my stash of antiques, as is the flower and leaf surrounded by silk ribbon french knots.  Check my etsy page for an awesome holder for your tatting needles, hand made out of Texas mesquite.

The mixing bowl and rolling pin are my own design.  And yes, I do use a vintage wooden rolling pin with green handles.  I think old things should also have a function.  The mixing bowl reminds me of some of the Pyrex bowls that have been passed down to me.

 

Last but not least, my little tractor.  We do not use John Deere, but love International Harvester.  The design is from an Aunt Martha.  I had to shrink it quite a bit to fit, but it was a lot easier than trying to draw one.

Updates & Fixes

You will probably recognize these two blocks from the last few weeks.  I think I have fixed the problem spots.

Finished

Before

 

 

The first is my CQJP April block.  My son thought the boots and hat needed to be filled in, and he was right.  But we can just let that be our little secret.










Remember the problem with the Dia de los Muertos blocks?  It just needed more something.  I played around with lace roses and other ideas.  Then I stared at pictures of altars for Day of the Dead and decided on a candle.  This is the result:

I found a Sacred Heart picture and designed and printed a candle on printer fabric, then appliqued the glow of the flame and embroidered the flame itself.

Before

Day of the Dead

 

I have finished the first of the four Dia de los Muertos blocks.  I am using white embroidery for the seam work because I think it shows up better.  There is a lot of color and pattern going on in this block as far as fabrics, so finding a balance has been difficult.  The black lace is from my stash (I think it may have been taken off of a lampshade a while back).  I am trying to stay away from white lace on this one because of all the white embroidery. 

 The maracas are my own design and satin stitched.

 The sugar skull is from Urban Threads, with my own artistic license.  I left some stuff out and used hand dyed lace daisies for the eyes.  Now it looks just right.  Each of the four blocks will have a sugar skull of some kind in the middle.

The orange skulls keep calling to me.  I dyed red lace roses, but they didn't stand out against the orange.  What do you think of white roses?  Or nothing?  Or what??  Help!!!

Fourth Block

The fourth block in the CQJP challenge is finished, kind of.  I think it still needs something, but since I'm not sure what quite yet, it will do for now.  Please ignore all of the blue lines and such.  They will come off later.  I've been under the weather (again) and didn't even think about removing the lines before I took the photographs. 

This is my husband's grandfather and aunt.  There is an adult picture of her on the finished crazy quilt.  I tatted the frame using a beautiful variegated green.  The silk ribbon I hand dyed.  I am especially proud of the gold and silver on the scissors and thimble.  They add a nice sparkle in person.  

This is one of those beautiful pieces of lace I got last month and couldn't cut into pieces.  It was kind of boring stuck in the middle of the block, so I picked out some of the motifs with silk ribbon and tatting.  I think it's simple, but still eye catching.  The seam treatment above is the buttonhole herringbone from Sharon Boggon's Pin Tangle.  I really enjoy visiting her site.

Last but not least are my hat and boots (an old Aunt Martha Transfer I had) and a little toy sailboat.  I am trying to include things that invoke "family" in each block.  So we have something religious, something for children, something for Dad, and something for Mama.  

The hat and boots were just outlines, but my son told me they needed to be filled in.  I will do the boots when I get another darker shade of brown in the mail.  I think I've mentioned that I live in the middle of no where.

Drum Roll, Please!

I entered my crazy quilt in the Victoria (Texas) quilt show this last weekend.  It is non-judged show, but does have Viewer's Choice.

And I got first place in the Wall Hanging (smaller quilts) division!!!  I still can't believe it because I never win anything.  It is so gratifying that my fellow quilters appreciate the work that went in to this quilt.  Especially since my heart (and inspiration!) is truly in this labor of love.  I wasn't able to attend the show this year because of commitments here in town with my children and I really missed it.  I have seen a few pictures and the quilts were beautiful.  Hopefully next year I will be able to go.

And here is block #3 for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project. 

The picture is my grandparents, dad, and aunt.  The frame is wool felt with the outer edges pinked with my awesome pinking machine.  The surface work I just made up as I sewed.  I think it looks very sweet.  The laces are all from my stash of vintage stuff, except for the floral motif that is new and tea dyed.

The tricycle I drew on freehand with an air soluble marker.  I think it turned out cute.The green seam to the right still needs some work, though.

 

The lamp is a copy of the antique lamp in my living room that belonged to my husband's grandmother.  

 

Last but not least, the Virgin Mary.  She is framed with gathered gold ribbon.  I was trying to make it look like an ornate, heavy old frame.  I think that worked rather well.  I originally had some silk ribbon embroidery in this spot, but I really didn't like it. 

 

Day of the Dead Crazy Blocks

Did I say I was going to post weekly?  I always jinx myself.  We are having major internet issues at home, so blogging just hasn't happened.
My cousin requested that I make four 12" crazy blocks using a Dia de los Muertos theme.  No time limit (this is a good thing) and she brought her big ol' tub of fabrics to use.  Well, the tub sat around in my studio for a few months and I finally got tired of trailing  around it, so last week I broke down and made the blocks.  I don't know when I will get around to embroidering them, but at least the tub is gone.  I do try to straighten up occasionally, but it's pretty much a lost cause because my husband also stores coolers, camping stuff, chairs, and other junk in there.  By store I mean the door is opened and things thrown in. 
So, here are the blocks:

The fabrics are a lot wilder than what I normally use, so I think I will do the seam work in basic white.  I may add a few colors here and there, but the white should be obvious.  The tonal patch in the middle of each block will be reserved for a sugar skull motif.  One lace, one embroidered, etc.  I found some really cute crocheted skulls on etsy that I am thinking about.  I can't crochet and do not have the time to learn.

Do not expect to see these finished any time soon, but I will post them as I am done.