BUMMER!

Welcome back to Traveling Down a Crafty Road!  I have a scrapbook page of my adorable, littlest nephew to share today.  This layout was originally a part of the Scrap lift a thon on the Fiskateers site.  Our nephew, Colton, is the star and he's 5 years old.  He's also not a happy camper!  The journaling is straight from Facebook and reads--"Lesa:  What's up with Colton?  He looks so sad!  Terri:  He wanted them to throw more candy! . . .Colton, Lincoln Highway Days Parade, Nevada, IA  8/29/09".  He is soooooo cute!

Supplies include patterned paper from The Paper Studio by Hobby Lobby, black ink Zig writer, DMC embroidery floss, Making Memories and Colorbok chipboard letters, sandpaper, Fiskars 12" desktop trimmer, Fiskars fingertip craft knife.  Photograph of Colton courtesy of Leanne Farrington.

A little tip for you:  I hand embroidered/sewed the running stitch border.  To make the stitches even, I placed a ruler along the edge of the paper and pierced holes with my needle at even intervals before sewing with floss.

Thanks a bunch for visiting.  I love your comments and read them all.  Please stop by again--LTL

A CONTEST & BLOOMING LACE

Not my contest, but Purple Cows contest!  My friend and fellow Fiskateer, Cristal Hobbs aka Pinky is on the Purple Cows Design Team and alerted me to the huge giveaway that they are having.  Find out more on Pinky's blog http://blueyecicle.blogspot.com/ or the Purple Cows blog sadiepurplecow.blogspot.com/.  As a DT member, Pinky has a chance to win $2000 in cash!!!  Please become a Purple Cow blog follower or a fan on their Facebook Fan Page and tell them Pinky sent you!  Plus, if you follow thru with a project you could win a big time Purple Cows product prize package--4 runners up ($1000 value prize) and a grand prize winner ($5000 value prize).  Now that's a cool contest!  Oh and Pinky has some blog candy to encourage you, too.  Thanks bunches!

Now for a little something crafty.  I'm participating in a homemade flower embellishment swap.  I decided to make ribbon flowers but saw a 50% off sale on seam and hem tape at the fabric store.  I can't resist a bargain so decided to try lace hem facing and this is how they turned out.

I used Wrights 2 inch hem facing and each flower is about 1/2 yard in length.  I basted along one one side.  Then I gathered and tied the thread ends off so it made a circle.  I punched 1 inch card stock circles to put on the back to provide a good spot to add adhesive.  Then I sewed the button to the front, thru the card on the back, with embroidery floss.  The buttons are from La Mode, La Petite, and Blumenthal Lansing.  I think these would look really neat as a pin, sewn onto bedroom throw pillows or on a gift or trinket box.

Thanks so much for dropping in!  Would love to know what kind of flower embellishments you make so leave a comment!

A NEEDLE CASE for National Sewing Month

Long time since I did any embroidery and it shows!  I copied this piece from an old needle case that I have had for a very long time.  My mother gave it to me and told me that my Aunt Eva had made it from hat felt and a scrap of flannel.  I had been using it for almost 40 years and was heartbroken when I tore one of the bonnet ties trying to retie the bow.  I needed a project for a sewing challenge on Fiskateers.com and decided to replicate the original needle case.  Here's a shot of the original

My Aunt Eva was born in the late 1890's and I love her precise needlework.  I updated my needle case in a few ways.  I added additional slips, for a total of 3, on the inside

I also added a back pocket to hold a needle threader, extra floss or tiny embroidery shears.

The materials used were just the odd bits at hand--an orange felt square (dyed with coffee), some floss and thread, a bit of muslin and lace. 

I love vintage and I love my family heirlooms.  I promise to take better care of our heirlooms in the future so that future generations can enjoy them as much as I have. 

Now, I have a guestion for all of you!  I think the pattern for my little case is a quilt piece named Sunbonnet Sue but I'm not sure.  I remember my mother calling it something but don't remember exactly what it was--wan't Sunbonnet Sue, though.  Anybody have any ideas?

Thank you for helping out my tired old brain!  And thanks for visiting Traveling Down A Crafty Road!

IT'S NATIONAL SEWING MONTH! DO YOU SEW?

Looking back, I realize that I sew in fits and spurts!  My mother actually sewed that way, too.  As a child I remember my mom sewing me clothes that I absolutely hated and wouldn't wear!  She eventually stopped and kept her sewing skills well honed with mending and the odd home decor or gift piece.  My mother actually cursed at her sewing machine, so I didn't want to go anywhere near the evil thing!

My school system didn't offer home ec classes until high school but I decided to brave the evil sewing machine thing and take Sewing 1 as a freshman.  I loved it!  Even after the thread take up arm bonked me in the forehead, and left a giant, zit like, red mark that lasted for days (don't ask me how because I still don't know what happened), I signed up for Sewing 2!

My original sewing fit continued until I moved away from home after college.  My mother's evil machine and I had become friends but she wasn't going to let me take it.  My mother acted like she hated her machine but she really loved it.  So, I ended up making a few things on weekends here and there until the rest of life got in the way.

About 20 years ago, I bought my own machine.  Well, my machine hated me and I finally understood my mother's love/hate relationship with her machine.  Most of the time, my machine hung out in the closet but it helped produce curtains, a few dresses and got me through the mending.

Not long ago, I bought a Singer Futura--a late Christmas present. So far, we've collaborated on an apron, some mending and the valance shown here.

It's a simple rod pocket valance.  All straight lines, no pattern required.  I lined it with unbleached muslin because I just happened to have some on hand.

Please note the finials.  They are Styrofoam balls that I painted with Modge Podge and wrapped yarn around.  I stabbed the balls with a bamboo skewer first to make them easier to work on.  Then I used straight pins to keep the yarn in place until the adhesive set.  Most of us have paper scissors and fabric shears?  I now have fabric pins and craft pins (complete with dried glue blobs!)  I finished the finials with bits of blue silk flowers.  I nailed a long thin brad into each end of the rod (actually a closet rod, $0.68/foot) and stuck the finials onto the brad, flush against the end of the rod.  There's probably a "right" way, but this worked for me.

I like my new machine and it seems to like me.  I have several new projects lined up and I still need to try out the embroidery function.  I think the two of us can go places!

Happy National Sewing Month!  Thanks for stopping by Traveling Down a Crafty Road.