Salt and Sand Postcards

Welcome to day 3 of the Salt and Sand blog hop.

Many thanks to Carol of Just Let Me Quilt for her hard work organizing this fun blog hop.

When I decided to join in the fun of this blog hop, I wasn’t ready to make another quilt of any size, nor any other sizable project, so what to sew???

Yes, POSTCARDS!

And I will mail them out to 5 of my followers.

When I think of salt and sand, I think of the ocean/sea and the beach.

And the ever present seagulls.

I always complain that I cannot draw.  I did draw the seagull, but practically used up an entire eraser trying to make him look somewhat like a seagull.

Next came to mind a lighthouse.  I couldn’t make the light light up but the lighthouse building glows-in-the-dark.

From there my mind traveled out to sea for a fish or a boat.  What came to mind were those thieving salty sailors of the high seas...Pirates.

The skull and cross bones on the pirate hat glow-in-the-dark.

Can’t have pirates on the high seas without a ship.

This ship has already been in a battle...with me. The eyelets and I did not see eye to eye.  It’s a battle ship...it should show some battle scars...right?   

What’s a pirate or a pirate ship without a pirate parrot.  He keeps his share of the booty close.  Dare not to take his treasure!

What a fun time I had with this challenge theme!

If you’d like to receive one of these postcards in your mail, mention it in your comment.  Tell me which postcard you’d like to receive and your name will go in the drawing for that card.  If you want to get in more than one postcard drawing just mention which ones.  I will contact winners for mailing info.

Check out my fellow bloggers that are sharing their Salt and Sand projects today.

March 24
Ms P Designs USA
DayBrook Designs
Vroomans Quilts
Kathleen McMusing
Quilt Schmilt
The Darling Dogwood
Daughters of Dorinda
Annie’s Musings

Me vs. Paints and a Flower

Me vs. Paints is typically a battle and the trash bin wins the prize of a quite unfortunate painting.  This time is different.  I think this painted watercolor flower is not completely unfortunate.

I think me and my inexpensive paints did a fairly decent job of it.  

I struggle with several painting issues.  The most debilitating of which is not being able to visualize the finish during the process.  So I don’t know when to quit fixing it.  Or even whether or not it needs fixing.  Another is not waiting for layers to dry.  For once I did use a heat tool at times to get it dry faster.  But I kept painting on it and making it worse.  It was destined for the trash bin.

Once I finally drew the scribbles, I could see it so much better.  But that just started a whole new fix-it process.  I thought one of us has to give in and I didn’t want it to be me.  I think I ended up with a fairly decently painted single flower for Sheila’s (Orange Esmeralda) A Single Flower theme at Art Journal Journey .

I haven’t actually pasted it into my journal yet as I’m undecided as to what I might want to do, if anything, with the page it will get pasted to.  

Update:  I have finished the page.

This theme runs for the entire month of March.  All mediums of art are welcome to join in.  It’s such a great theme to welcome the arrival of Spring.

A Single Flower

The very talented Sheila at Orange Esmeralda is hosting this month’s theme, A Single Flower, at Art Journal Journey.  Sheila inspired me to join in on the challenge as I discovered a single flower start piece in my box of odd pieces.

I decided to finish the flower as a page for my fabric book.  Which I realize is a type of journal of my textile art bits.

I created the flower by tracing two spirals onto Wonder Under and fusing them to the fabrics.

Cut them out.

I chose a base fabric for the flower.

I layered the pieces and fused them all together.

I did raw edge appliqué around the spirals and chose a decorative stitch to sew around the outside just catching the edges of the base circle.

A stem and leaves were added as well as some select selvedge words and color dots.  The base fabric for the page is a printed scrapbook paper onto Magic Fabric.  On the right side edge is a scrap of stripe fabric and another strip of selvedge.



Adding selvedges to my pieces is becoming a signature thing for me.

Thanks Sheila for suggesting and inspiring me to join in the challenge and adding to my fabric book art journal AND getting another odd piece finished up.

Anyone can join in for the monthly challenges.  All mediums are welcome.  Have a look at the other talented artists works here and be inspired to join in the fun.

Patriotic Sewing

It has been a week of patriotic sewing.

The theme this week at Sunday Postcard Art is using the first letter of your name.

Annie - A

Since I was already working on a patriotic piece, America came to mind immediately.  I’ve stitched a postcard of our American symbol, our Flag.

This small 12” X 12” craft storage box contains odd sewn pieces or blocks.  It is all that remains of unfinished items.  I’m keeping these pieces in mind, waiting for inspiration to sew them into something...other than potholders.

These three paper pieced blocks were in that box.  I think they were originally intended to be potholders.  But now, years later, I’ve changed my mind.



I decided that they would become a table runner.  I have had zero patriotic home decor items and it is time that I did.

I went through my stash of blue fabrics hoping for a piece that would blend well enough to put these blocks together.  I got lucky.

Then I went through my stash of red fabrics hoping for a binding piece.  I got lucky again.  I really love how the staggered stars in the fabric show up at odd intervals when used for a binding.



I normally mail the postcards I make, but I’ll keep this one for decor.

A Mini Pincushion

I have had a tiny paper pieced dress form lying around for some years.  I have been seeing quite a few mini pincushions of late and decided to stitch the dress form into a pincushion.  It measures 1” X 3.25”.

I don’t need another pincushion to use when sewing.  Turid, at densyendehimmel , makes lots of adorable mini pincushions and collects them in a jar.  I thought that makes a creative sewing space decor.  So that is what I plan to do with this mini and others that “might” follow.  Now I just need the perfect jar.

Isn’t this bathing beauty a delight!  She steals the show from the pincushion.

I drew the paper piecing pattern myself and have enlarged and reduced it for intended uses.

The backside.

February 2021 Calendar Journal

I considered not bothering to share it with so much of it in hiding, but what the heck, why not

This new format is no fancy keepsake book or artsy pages.  But they’re simple and quick to gussy up with Washi Tapes, of which I have a large collection of.

Bloom Fabric Postcard

The theme this week at Sunday Postcard Art is “Bloom”.

I get so excited when their themes can be worked into a fabric postcard and I have the time to play along.

I am not a Winter girl, so I’m looking forward to Spring and Summer!

Now to fill in the backside and get it in the mail.



Happy Mail Day!

Eclectic Quilt and Giveaway

I’ve joined in with the “Show Your Stripes” blog hop.  Many thanks to Carla of 

Creatin’ In The Sticks for allowing me to join and all her hard work of organizing a successful blog hop.

My stripes project began with a smallish quilt.  55” X 60”

Using a bundle of Tim Holtz fabric fat eighths that I have had stashed for a few years.

I pulled out the bundle, plus considered a few extra pieces to add to it.

I cut the pieces into 2.5” strips.

I arranged a line-up and stitched the strips together end to end.  I made the top using the jelly roll race technique except in a controlled manner.

Because I’m terrible at accepting the unknown.  I had to have some control.

I squared it up and quilted it.

Added the binding.  I know, shocking that it isn’t a striped binding!  Who would’ve guessed for a stripes blog hop that I wouldn’t use a stripe for the binding.

Hand stitching the binding to the back is my favorite part of quilting.

And DONE!



I love including selvedges in my quilts.  I stitched the few selvedge strips end to end for a fun narrow row.

That’s another stored project OUT of storage.  It is my last long stored project.  What a super feeling to have ZERO planned projects in storage.

I also don’t want to keep making scraps to store.  I had some strips leftover.  They became a pillow.

But there are STILL some strips and pieces of strips!

Too hard to just toss them out.  And I can’t just keep keeping them. Too many scraps become too chaotic for me.  So I stitched them all together.

Then cut that slab in half, stitched it end to end and I now have a long hot pad for the table.

That’s it.  I always find it amazing how far a fat eighth collection will go.

The Giveaway...

I have a striped fabric postcard that I will send to one of my followers.  Simply include in your comment that you’d like to receive this postcard in your mail.  I will contact the winner for mailing info.

Check out my fellow bloggers sharing their striped projects today to inspire your sewing creativity.

Tuesday, February 23rd

Life in the Scrapatch

Stitchin At Home
Websterquilt

Homespun Hannah's Blog

Karrin's Crazy World

Quilt Schmilt

That’s Sew Kerry

SameliasMum

Annie's musings

Have A Heart

I finished just barely in time for Valentine’s Day, this year!

This Have A Heart wall hanging finished a bit larger than I had in mind, but that’s how it goes when I make it up as I go along.  23.5” X 23.5”

I have seen many similar hangings on Pinterest and wanted to try one myself.  I’m not thrilled with it, but it will do.

I pulled fabrics from my stash.

I cut 4.5” squares and 3.5” squares.  The small squares were backed with Wonder Under.

I used my paper crafting BigKick to cut the hearts.

25 quickly cut hearts.

I arranged the blocks and stitched them together.  Then fused the hearts in place.

I raw edge appliquéd the hearts with black thread for an outlined look.  Then quilted around each square.

I then couched two strands of Perle Coton 8 around the outside edge of the hearts.  

 

This was all finished on the 13th.

On the 14th I made a tag to attach to the wall hanging for a stab at added detail interest.

I might try this again someday in hopes of getting it more to my liking.