Flower Pillow for Mom

I made this pillow awhile ago for my mom and decided to share it.

It's a round pillow embroidered with a flower. Each petal represents one of my mom's kids (five kids = five petals) with miltiple hearts in the center. Around the edge is embroideered the phrase "The Power of a  Mother's Love is like an ever-blooming flower."

Baby Blessing Quilt: Part 8 (Putting It All Together)

A lot of time and heart has gone into this project, but now that it is finished I am very happy with the end result of this Baby Blessing Quilt. (I hope the new mother agrees.)

To be honest I have never seen or hear of  a Baby Blessing blanket before, but it was an idea I came up with a blessing for the new life and the friend who is now a new mother living a few states away. I couldn't be there when her daughter was born, but hopefully this will be something special to her.

Here is an  overview of how it all came together.

Embroidery Work of Five Pieces
Piece 1 (with short colorful blessing)
Piece 2 (with baby girl's name and birth date)
Piece 3 (with my own blessing)
Piece 4 (with Irish Baby Blessing)
Piece 5 (with Jewish Blessing)
 

The pieces were then sewn together using my trusty sewing machine and ironed. (See Step 6.)

I then added more embroidery and more fleece hearts. (See Step 7.)

I sewed the front to the back (wrong sides together) all the way around leaving a seam to be frayed. I chose a pink and white checked flannel for the back side. (Design choice.) Then using my machine I added swirls all the way around randomly to secure the two sides from creating a pouch inside.

It took awhile, but I then frayed the edges all the way around. This takes a lot longer then a more "finished" edge, but it was what I wanted for this project.

Finished and pressed it's ready to be packed and mailed to the mother and child.

Baby Blessing Quilt: Part 7 (More Embellishment)

After the five pieces were sewn together and ironed, I added more embroidery and fleece hearts. By adding more embellishments AFTER the pieces were sewn securely together allowed me to add images and words spanning more than one piece as well as reinforce the seams where they were sewn together.

I used a flower, more hearts, and a few words ("love," "dream," and "hope").

Baby Blessing Quilt: Part 6 (Piecing it Together)

I pieced the small blessing quilt together, first laying it out, then sewing the three pieces of the left side and two pieces of the right side before sewing the right and left side together.

It's starting to take shape... literally.

Part 5: Baby Blessing Quilt (5th piece)

The fifth piece of the Baby Blessing Quilt is much like others in that I embroidered a blessing (a Jewish blessing this time) onto a piece of fabric (white/ivory this time) and appliqued a couple fleece hearts onto it. This is the last of the pieces to make up the front It's not a big finished project but it will be enough to sere it's purpose.

Fifth piece (not squares here).

It reads:
"In every birth, blessed is the wonder.
"In every creation, blessed in the new beginning.
"In every child, blessed is the life.
"In every Hope, blessed is the potential.
"In every transition, blessed is the beginning.
"In every existence blessed are the possibilities.
"In every love, blessed are the tears.
"In every life bless is the love.
           "-Jewish Blessing-"

Part 4: Baby Blessing Quilt (4th peice)

The fourth piece of the Baby Blessing Quilt is larger than the rest with an Irish Baby Blessing embroidered in black on rose fabric with a butterfly and heart added (not obvious to see but the letters show better in person and the other bits are as much for texture as anything else - sometimes subtle additions can be a nice added touch).

Piece Four (still no square).

It reads:
"May all blessings of our Lord touch your life today.
"May He send his little angels to protect you on your way.
"Such a miraulacous gift sent from above.
"Someone so precious to cherish and love.
"ay sunshine and moonbeams dance over your head.
"As you quietly slumber in your bed.
"May good luck be with you wherever you go.
"And your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow.
          "-Irish Baby Blessing-"

Part 1: A Baby Blessing Quilt

In honor of a friend's new daughter, I a working on a handmade blessing for the new life. It is made up of 5 pieces that will each be complete with a blessing for the newborn and her parents.

Piece 1 (nothing square). Hand embroidered on white fabric.

It reads:

"Golden slumbers kiss your eyes
"Smiles awake when you arise
"Sleep pretty darling do not cry
"And I will sing you a lullaby."

Cross Stitched Feminism Pillow

We can find power and celebration in many things. We can turn old fashioned skills and arts into an expression of something else. I find some sort of strange comfort from turning something that used to symbolize much of a woman's bonds into something that can symbolize what we are capable. A woman doesn't have to reject the arts of her grandmothers to embrace the ideals of equality and feminine power.

For this project, I used the female symbol, cross stitched in black and red to embrace the ideals of feminism and equality.

I started with a template made on graph pattern for the pattern. The lettering and phrases around the edges were mostly just to get a template for the letters not for the final placement.

Using black and red embroidery thread, I cross stitched my female design with phrases around the edges that emulated the theme. "Never let the hand you hold, hold you down." "History and Herstory." "If your not outraged your not paying attention." "A woman's life is a human life." "I am not your Barbie Doll." "The meek are ready." "Proud to be a feminist." "equality.""I resist." And so on. I then embellished the sides.

When the needlework was completed I cut a square of a red velvet-like material (seen in a few other projects) for the backing. Instead of sewing them right sides together, I opted to sew them wrong sides together.

Wrong sides together, I pinned the edges securely, especially taking into account the stretchy nature of the red backing fabric. Then, using a strong backs titch hand-sewed the two sides together with black embroidery thread, using the stitches along a clear straight line as part of the overall design, but making sure to leave a small gap to stuff.

Using the opening I left, I carefully stuffed the pillow to the desire fluffiness with some poly-fil I had on hand, being careful not to rip open the stitches around the opening.

Once full, I pinned the opening (once again being mindful of the stretchy nature of the red fabric for the backing), and sewing it securely shut with black embroidery thread and the back stitch. I pulled the loose thread from the fabrics to give a fringed edge to the small square pillow.

A pillow to make any feminist proud. (Take ye inspiration where ye may.)

Embellished Containers

Need a container? Embellish one.

Re-use those discarded kitchen containers into something new and functional with paint, decoupage, stickers, and/or any other fun embellishments you might have on hand.

We all have those cardboard, plastic, or glass containers from the kitchen that might otherwise be thrown away; but are the perfect size for holding bits, pieces, beads, buttons, or whatevers.

With a little creativity, a selection of paint, stickers, or decoupage you can transform a an ordinary oatmeal container (or any other) into something to store craft bits or something else. (Think about treasure containers for a kid or teen's room or your crafting room/space.) I often keep one on hand to use up leftover paint I have used for another project that would otherwise dry out or be thrown out and add over time. (Such was the case of the pictured container painted with flowers or the white and purple marbled container I use for beads.)

I turned one container into a "conversation starter," decorating the outside with decoupaged pictures of thought/conversation provoking buttons, saying, and inspiring decoration. (Mod Podge rocks!) I filled the inside with pieces of paper with quotes, topics, and all sorts of things that can help inspire conversation or bring new topics to any gathering. (See the picture below.) It's great to inspire new thoughts, new conversations, and new ideas.

Paper Doll Cut Outs

Most of us made those folded paper cut out dolls. We'd take paper and fold it a few times before taking a pair of scissors to it to free the row of hand holding dolls. I'd play with couples and ladies in big dresses to the best of my cutting abilities, sometimes taking little bits of tape to connect multiple strands of the faceless little paper dolls to string across my room. There is nostalgia attached to the images of these and images of strands of them in a girl's room or strung across a Christmas tree. I don't remember how I learned or who taught me, it was something that little girls did.

While I do not remember learning, I do remember very clearly a little girl that I taught. I was spending my summer living and working at a summer camp that catered towards families and groups with kids. A little girl of maybe 9 or 10 was there for the week with her dad and spent part of each day doing crafts with me. In the beginning her dad came with her, but my the middle of the week he would often came and pick her up. One day she had came to visit and at some point I realized that she had never seen anyone cut this strands of paper dolls that I remembered so from childhood and did not know how. Folding some construction paper I cut a strand of the simple dolls and then a few more to show her different forms. She was mesmerized and I watched her attack the new project with gusto (and a pair of scissors). By the time her dad arrived she had a whole collection of strands laid out around her. It was something so simple, but something that she couldn't wait to share with her dad and something that made her day.

I realized again that day the reminders that come often when working with people and the importance of the simple joys. I didn't solve world hunger or end war or poverty that day, but in that simple act I realized how important I was in that little girl's eyes at that moment. I could have taught her anything new, it wouldn't have mattered, what was important was that I took the time teach her something and that I just took the time. I also got to see the joy a parent can have merely by basking in the light of his child's excitement and celebration.

Generation before me cut out strands of simple paper dolls and hopefully generations after me will as well. Maybe I served a part in keeping that going, a continuing strand... much like the simple little dolls themselves.

Coloring outside the lines is a fine art. ~Kim Nance

St. Patty's Day Place mats

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I have planned a St. Patrick's Day dinner for my family, complete with an appropriately-themed dinner table. I need a few things for this, starting with white place mats with Irish Blessings, backed in green.

I cut eight rectangles of each color (white muslin fronts and green backs) all the same size that would later be sewn together. (Eight may seem like a lot, but we have a big dining room table that comfortably seats eight, and big family, and I'm not sure who all will be at dinner that night so I'd rather have extra than not enough.)

Using a word program on my computer I printed off sheets that included 8 Irish Blessings & Toasts with some clip art on the t-shirt print setting (this prints everything backward for ironing onto the fabric). I've used these transfer sheets before and just followed the instructions that came with them. (You could also use store bought iron-ons, fabric crayons, fabric markers, or fabric paint, or embroidery for decoration.)

Following the manufactures instructions, I ironed each white front with a different blessing/toast, letting cool completely before gently pulling away the paper.

I chose to use a straight seam all the way around the place mats, right sounds out, about 3/4 inch from the edge. Instead of a regular finished hem, I left the raw edge to be fringed out by pulling the loose strings.

This proved to be a rather inexpensive project. (I love those!) The white fabric was fairly inexpensive, then I used s coupon from Joann Fabric's Store. I bought three yards for around 5 dollars, having enough for the 8 St. Patty's Day Place Mats, a table runner and 6 other place mats for another project, and some left over. The green fabric used on the back was something I already had and used for both the 8 place mats as well as for 8 cloth napkins to match. The Iron On sheets were also something I already had, simply printing off what I needed for this project.

Crafting a Rebellion

What am I trying to do? Yes, I am trying to Craft  Rebellion (can not resist those puns) of types to encourage others to express themselves. I have worked with kids in one way or another since I was one and it struck me some time ago, that many grown ups (or those perceived as grown ups) are hungry for the days when they could paint something "just because." At camp I always had other staff visiting to make their own treasures. As much as the kids, they needed someone to set the tools in front of them, help them, encourage them, and mostly just give them the opportunity to color in or out of whatever lines that were set before them. Isn't that part of the reason there are scrap booking supply shops in even small towns and card making classes popular? Isn't that why Martha Stewart has made an empire focusing on people who have a desire to do things with their own hands?

Whatever you do doesn't have to look like or be like anyone else's, the difference is where the real beauty and the real art lies. I want people all over to know that it can be your own and your way is awesome. We all need the simple satisfaction of making something with our hands sometimes, even if that means hot glueing seashells to a picture frame.  Too often we seem to lose touch with that as we get older and we forget. No more forgetting! It's time to pull out the stored away seashells, that chunk of clay, or those paints you're just itching to dig into. It's you chance to shine and to ignore the words of that art teacher somewhere you may have given you a lower grade on something just because your person didn't look like he/she thought it should. Just create for the sake of creation. It's a beautiful, beautiful thing.

"The reluctance to put away childish things may be a requirement of genius." ~Rebecca Pepper Sinkler