celebrate CREATIVITY in all its forms

Scrap Happy and Fabulous Fat Quarters

Everyone who loves fat quarters raise your hand. I'm raising both of mine on that one. Fat quarters are indeed fabulous. To my friends and visitors who aren't into sewing (yet), a fat quarter is a measurement of fabric that generally runs about 22 inches X 18 inches which is a nice "fat" square to work with.

You'll typically find fat quarters folded in neat little squares like the ones lined up in the picture below.  These fat quarters are from the Freshcut line by fabric designer Heather Bailey. They're so delicious looking, I almost want to eat them. OK, not really, but if you're a fabric addict like me, then you know what I mean.

I've actually had a longtime fabric addiction and love to browse through quilt and fabric shoppes just to see what's new. The great thing about fat quarters is that they provide you with a decent amount of fabric to work with, without having to buy a whole yard. It's also a great way to sample an entire fabric line without having to pay a bundle for all that extra yardage. There are loads of wonderful quilt and sewing books available that are specifically devoted to fat quarter projects.

I've already cut out the project pieces from these fat quarters for a new quilt I'm working on. However, since that project is still in the works, I thought it would be fun to share an example of the big value that can be found in scraps. That's right SCRAPS.

Take a look at the fun pincushion below that was made out of fabric scraps that might otherwise have been thrown away.

When I cut fabric I love, sometimes it's pretty hard to throw away the scraps. You probably know the feeling. Scrapbookers go through the same thing too with patterned paper scraps. After cutting out your main project, you often end up with scraps (like the fabric strips below) that are just too small for anything major and too big to simply toss into the trash basket. 

To make the pincushion, eight small folded triangular pieces were cut out of the scraps and sewn together, alternating the fabrics as you go. It took only minutes to sew all the required elements together to get the pincushion shape.  A small opening was left in one seam for the stuffing.  Don't overstuff, but once the pincushion is firm, close the seam with a slipstitch.  Use a dollmakers needle to carry the embroidery floss through the top center and out the bottom center of the pincushion and wrap the coordinating floss around each seam.

Voila! Talk about fast. Each pincushion took about 30-40 minutes to complete start to finish.  If you're going to make multiples, I suggest you do all your sewing first, assembly-line style.  You can stuff, slipstitch the opening and do the embriodery floss wrapping later, perhaps while watching TV or waiting for your kids to get out of an extra-curricular activity.

You only need a minimum of supplies including fabric scraps, embroidery floss and soft stuffing. The original pattern doesn't call for self-covered buttons but I added them for a cute center. 

This pincushion project comes from the book Last-Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. I love the little stuffed birds sitting on top of the stack of fat quarters on the book cover. You can count on seeing those in a future post of mine for sure. Anyway, the book is filled with beautiful, color pictures and easy to understand patterns for super quick projects. Also Joelle's Purlsoho website and Purl bee blog are fantastic sewing resources that are loaded with lots of useful information and tips.   

While I'm still working on the quilt project that provided these scraps, the photo below is a sneak peak of my 15" X 15" quilt blocks from these Freshcut fat quarters.

It may be a while before I actually complete this quilt but you can look for this finished project later, in a different post.

I think it's great when you're able to start out with one project in mind like a quilt, and end up getting several more out of the deal like these pincushions.  My mom has already asked for a couple of them.  Hmm, don't you think these would make cute holiday stocking stuffers?

So, remember the next time you get ready to toss that big pile of fabric scraps, you may want to take a second look at what you're pitching. You never know if your next wonderful little project may be hiding in the pile somewhere, just waiting to be discovered.

Never Bored with a Board of Thread

Anyone who has a fabric addiction probably has a thing for colorful spools of thread too. I mean you have to have lots of thread to sew all that fabric you've been collecting for years, right? 

I used to keep my sewing and embroidery threads in a big, boring cardboard box. It was never the most effective storage idea.

The cardboard box was not only unattractive, it was difficult to get my hands on exactly what I needed when I needed it. I also had a hard time keeping track with what colors I already owned because I could never really see what I had on hand. How many times have you purchased a spool of thread only to find out later that you already had it in your stash? 

I finally solved the problem with what I think is the perfect thread storage solution. Take a look below at my thread board project which may also work for you.

This is a really easy project to make. Start with several inexpensive wooden spool holders like the picture below. These spool holders are available at just about any fabric store in the storage section.

You'll also need a large pre-cut wooden board that you can pick up at any hardware or lumber store. Collect wood screws, picture wire, a heavy duty picture hook, optional paint and stencils and you're ready to get started.

Simply screw the wooden thread holders into the board. The number of thread holders you'll need depends on the size of the board you have selected. I used three thread holders for this project to cover the length of the board. The wooden boards come in various pre-cut sizes but you can also have a board custom cut at your local hardware/lumber store, generally at no charge for a project this small.

The pre-cut board I used for this project has a 1-inch depth, 16-inch width X 48 inch length. You may want to take your thread holder with you to the lumber store to insure you get the exact size board and wood screws you'll need.

Center each thread holder before screwing it into the board. Insert one screw into the middle of the frame on both sides of each thread holder. Make sure your screws are long enough to go through the thread holder frame and about half way through your wood board. Be careful not to use screws that are so long they'll poke through the back of the wood board. I used 3/4-inch wood screws. Line up each thread holder foot-to-foot for a continuous seamless appearance.

After you've screwed all the thread holders in place, paint the entire board. Using leftover paint from the designated wall will help the board blend into the room's decor. I also added a subtle texture to my board by sponging a tan color lightly over random areas of the painted board. Because this is a fairly large painting surface, you'll definitely want to make sure your workspace is well ventilated. 

To add a decorative element to the board, I lined up the thread holders in a way that left about 7-inches of free space at the top for some stenciling. I think the little bluebird, vine and butterfly motif add a nice finishing touch to the project. You can find this stencil at Designer Stencils in the birds and butterflies collection.

Finally, install heavy weight picture wire on the back of your board, and hang on the wall using a heavy weight picture hook.

If you don't want to mount the thread board to the wall, simply prop it up against the wall. That's what I do with this second thread board that I made. One day I'll get around to painting and mounting that one too.

This is a great use for an empty wall and because it's a vertical storage solution, it won't cut into valuable floor space. 

Even if you decide to simply prop it against the wall, it still takes up a minimum of space. It's fast and easy to construct and does not require any carpentry skills whatsoever.

This has been a wonderful solution for me because now all of my sewing and embroidery threads are fully visible at a glance and easily accessible.

It's great to finally be able to kiss that awful cardboard box goodbye and good riddance. ♥

Making the Most of your Scrapbook Supplies

If you're looking for ways to use your plentiful scrapbooking supplies, have I got a book for you. Ask the Masters , Making the Most of Your Scrapbook Supplies from Memory Makers books is now available. The projects featured are the work of Memory Makers Masters as well as 2007 Masters team of which I'm proud to me a member. Most scrapbookers have an abundance of scrapping stash, I sure do. Well, this book will help you use your wonderful papers and embellishments in ways you may not have considered before.

This was quite an undertaking for all of the Masters who were each given multiple assignments for the book project. While I'm definitely a deadline-oriented person, there was some pressure to get everything finished. I spent plenty of late nights laboring over every major and minor detail of each project.  The sight of all my hard work neatly bundled up in bubble wrap a week ahead of the deadline was a satisfying relief. 

I snapped the picture below just before dropping 8 scrapbook layouts, one set of altered wooden alphabets, one board book and a thick stack of artist's contracts and model releases in the mail. Whew!

You'll love the amazing layouts and projects put together by a talented team of fantastic scrappers. Getting a chance to be a major contributor for a book like this is really one of the crown jewels that comes with the Masters opportunity.  The Ask the Masters book features ideas from 33 Masters who have contributed to Memory Makers magazines and books over the years.

My 2007 fellow team members include Brooke Bartimioli, Catherine Feegel-Erhardt, Hillary Heidelberg, Jill Jackson-Mills, Crystal Jeffey Rieger, Ronee Parsons, Katrina Simeck, Michele Skinner and Nicole Stark.

We were all given assignments to use various media that cover a broad range of techniques. The book features chapters on tools, supplies, embellishments as well as a final chapter on the new frontier in product usage.

My task was to create individual projects which showcased the use of, relief ink, corner rounder punch, foam stamps, embossing stencils, buttons, flowers, wooden alphabets, board book, rhinestones, and mesh. 

The layout below shows what I came up with for my mesh assignment. I decided to scallop a large 12 X 12 sheet of mesh and use it in the behind the main photos. I wanted it to look like one big net swallowing up the whole page since the layout highlights my son's successful fishing excursion.

Below you'll see a teeny-tiny sneak peak of my assignment using flowers. Of course, I don't want to give away too much of the book's contents here, because I'd love for you to pick up a copy for yourself to add to your personal idea library. Trust me, it's a great resource.

When I say the Ask the Masters projects were a huge undertaking, I'm not kidding. The assignment had me pulling supplies out of every nook and cranny in my craft space. It was pretty chaotic around here at the time. I think you can see from the photo below how my scrapspace pretty much got wiped out during the process. Not a pretty sight, huh?

I love the creative aspect of scrapbooking but I don't care much for the scrapspace destruction it often leaves behind.  Cleaning up my area after major projects is a major drag. I know most of you will agree with me on that. I can say that the area is finally back to "semi- normal" shape now. Um, well, sorta.

Anyway, in the end it was all worth it because I'm pleased with how the projects and the book turned out.  It was also wonderful to finally see how my fellow Masters handled their assignments since we often chatted about our projects on line during the creative process, but no one actually saw what anyone else was working on.

I do hope you pick up a copy for yourself. I think you'll agree that Ask the Masters is one sure way to get those creative juices flowing and really get you making the most of your scrapbooking supplies.

What Time is It?

I've always loved the beautiful over sized, vintage-looking clocks that are featured in various mail order catalogs like Ballard Designs. However, I never really thought about making one myself. When I came upon a clock making class offering at Windy City Scrapbooking (one of my favorite local scrapbook stores), I jumped at the chance to create my own timepiece.

Want to create your own timeless treasure? Take a look at the simple steps below.

Of course you need a blank clock face, but beyond that you'll only need a minimum of supplies. This 18" X 18" face is made by Provo Craft and all the required mechanical elements are included in the box.

You'll also need 4-sheets of 12 X12 patterned paper, coordinating paint, a sponge brush, an ultra thin paintbrush and a small piece of fine grade sandpaper, as well as a small jar of Modge Podge which is an all-in-one, water-based sealer and adhesive.

The first thing you want to do is line up your 4-sheets of patterned paper into one large square. Pay close attention to the shading created when you put the papers together, because different paper placement will give you a different overall look. After you've determined your paper placement, tape all four papers together from the back, to create one large square. I selected sheets from the Perhaps collection by Basic Grey. This particular sheet is called Daphne. I love the vintage look of this paper and the dainty white butterfly stamps throughout the design.

Paint the outside edge of the undressed clock face a coordinating color. I initially painted this part tan but later changed it to a dark brown.

You'll see why the darker color works better further down in this post. Next step is to place the taped pieces of patterned paper face down.

 

Trace the shape of the clock onto the back side of the paper and then cut out the circular shape.

Line your cut circle up onto the clock face paying close attention to where your pattern falls, as it relates to the embedded numbers in the clock face.

Apply the Mod Podge to one half of the project at a time.  Once you have your patterned paper adhered, smooth out all the bubbles. I used a rubber roller to help with this step.

Then sand the outside edges of the clock to smooth out the cut edge of the paper. This will also give the project a little hint of distressing around the edges. It's a nice look, especially if your patterned paper selection already looks a little distressed.

The next step is also the most time consuming. You have to feel around with your fingertips to find the indented numerals and other areas that are now hidden under the patterned paper. It's a little hard to find the indented areas because of the thickness of the paper. Once you find the them, use a pointed edge to punch the paper through the surface, exposing the indented details. In this case that includes the two circles which frame the clock face as well as the Roman numerals. The numerals were the hardest to locate with my fingertips. Once these elements are all punched out, use your fine tip paintbrush to paint the areas you have now revealed.

I decided to use dark brown paint to fill in the indented areas so the color would stand out well against the fair colored paper. This is also the point where I realized that the outside edge of the clock would look better if was the same coordinating dark brown color.

Finally, I added the simple message, "use time well", to finish the project off. The brown script letter stickers are also from Basic Grey from their new Mellow line.  Add several layers of Modge Podge over the entire finished project allowing each application to dry before adding the next. This will also secure the letter stickers so they won't shift over time.

The clock hands that come in the packaging are black. Depending on the colors in your patterned paper selection, you may want to paint the hands. I slightly brushed the black metal with a little brown paint just to add a more rustic look.

Major thanks to Windy City's talented instructor Danette Schellhouse who walked me through this great project.  While I wasn't able to complete this clock in one sitting, I did finish it up at home over two days, which allowed for multiple applications of sealant as well as adequate drying time.

It's a fun and simple project that doesn't require any particular skill other than patience and a steady pencil grip for carving out those indented details to be painted.

All in all, I'd say it was time well spent. Tick tock!