Winnings!

Many times I have visited blogs and heard about all of you in your quilting bees or knitting groups or what have you.  I think to myself, "aw, I want to meet some people that are into sewing as much as I am."  At the beginning of Spring I did just that.  I purchased a new machine and met a new friend at the quilt shop where I bought it.  Since then, she has introduced me to lots of groups and I have even been on a retreat.  Which was utterly fantastic! I went away on a three day weekend.  First time I have been away by myself for a weekend in my whole married life. It was strange but I got over strange real quick and had a wonderful time.

While on the retreat they had a mini silent auction.  I won the notions below.  I was so excited.  I love this kind of stuff. 

Then the quilt shop where I shop had an auction of their quilts.  Every time you purchased something in the store you recieved play money equal to the amount you spent.  At the auction you used play money to bid on quilt tops, table runners, wall hangings and what have you.  I was not going to hold onto my money and miss one of these quilts.  I bid a lot, but many quilts went for close to 200 dollars of play money.  That's about all I had to spend.  This piece above is about 36 x 36.  The auctioneer said it was carnations which is January's flower.  Both of my children were born in January so I had to get it.  I paid 40 for it.  Not too shabby, eh? I am going to turn it into a twin sized quilt.

I also got another quilt. A much larger quilt but still not a bed size- more like a child size blanket.  I paid 155 for that one.  All with my "play" money.  I was a happy camper! I will show you that one when I am finished with it.  I bought the backing on the way home from the auction and the batting this evening.  I will machine quilt it so hopefully I will have it turned out relatively soon. 

This tulip is from my garden.  When it started to wither, I thought it still looked rather beautiful.  I placed it in this recent garage sale purchase and I just thought it was pretty.  Even a withering flower is beautiful.  (Garage sale find- wooden bowl- 1 dollar).

Here are the lovely silent auction winnings.

But better than all these winnings is finding lots of lovely ladies who are just beautiful! Thanks J and V for taking me in.

Iron Craft: Heritage Craft

This week for Iron Craft the challenge was to create something that would reflect your heritage. 

 One of the things that I decided to make a commitment to is spending more time with my children.  I do okay in this department but there is lots of room for improvement.  If I was single or at any age where my kids did not want anything to do with me (hope that day never comes), I would have done a Polish egg or a tile mosaic.  Something.  I dunno.  What I really wanted to do was do some traditional Polish design on this step stool that I have been meaning to paint.  Another project for later on.

Instead I see this idea for paper mosaics to do with children.  I always have a hard time figuring out what to do with them.  This was a great project- little prep time!  And my daughter who is five can practice with scissors.  A bonus since this helps with writing later on.  The idea couldn't have been more perfect.

While mosaics are not primarily Italian- there are a lot of mosaics done in Italy. I went with it.

"In parts of Italy, which were under eastern artistic influences, like Sicily and Venice, mosaic making never went out of fashion in the Middle Ages. The whole interior of the St Mark's Basilica in Venice is clad with elaborate, golden mosaics. The oldest scenes were executed by Greek masters in the late 11th century but the majority of the mosaics are works of local artists from the 12th-13th centuries. The decoration of the church was finished only in the 16th century. One hundred and ten scenes of mosaics in the atrium of St Mark's were based directly on the miniatures of the Cotton Genesis, a Byzantine manuscript that was brought to Venice after the sack of Constantinople (1204). The mosaics were executed in the 1220s." Wikipedia

Signature Bears

Got this rocker at a Craig's List outing for 25 dollars.  I just love it.

I have been so bad with Iron Craft.  Its not that I havent wanted to do my project of the week.  I have every intention then BAM the week is gone.  Vacations, First Holy Communion and now last week a retreat.  A quilters retreat.  The first time I have been away, by myself, since I had babies.

I may not have completed the craft of the week but I did complete a few projects at the retreat or made serious progress on some of my other projects. 

This bear, my daughter saw at a quilt shop.  She wanted me to buy the pattern and make the bear.  My daughter really doesnt ask for much so when she does I usually give it to her. (Like she didn't even want to request anything for Christmas last year). She told me she would like either an animal pillow or a signature bear.  Since she is leaving her school next year I thought I might give her the signature bear.  I didnt buy the pattern, I made it up.  I think it turned out pretty cute.  I wish I had put more of a neck on it so I could have achieved a more round face but I am still pretty happy with the result.  I love doll stuff.  So fun to create.

What I did:

I cut out a round, marking where I would put the ears.  Next I cut out the ears, sewed tow pieces of fabric with the batting on top together.  Turned it inside out which made the batting go to the inside.  I then sewed the inside of the ear.  I made the nose with batting on the inside and the eyes just black rounds with 1/4 inch turned under. I did put blush on the bears.  It really made them come to life.

I had to make one for my other daughter as well.

Iron Craft: Flowers

I tried to make a flower cork.  You know- it just didnt turn out like I envisioned.  I could try again to perfect it but I have lost interest.  I need to think about a way to use up the corks I have been saving.  Oh and the empty thread spools too.  Hummm.

 

I love this tulip.  So pretty. Nothing beats nature. 

These satin rosettes were also not what I expected.  A little loss in my crafting mojo.  After just having returned from vacation, faced with a mountain of laundry and then my daughter's First Holy Communion, I just have been overwhelmed.