Pinterest Photo Project

This is a project I have been wanting to try for quite awhile.  Here is the first tutorial I found about how to transfer a photo to a piece of wood.  I also found this YouTube tutorial with even more instruction.  If you google transfer a photo to wood, you will find as many tutorials as you want.

I saw this Basswood Canvas made by Walnut Hollow at JoAnn Fabric's last week, and it happened to be on sale.  So, I quickly bought one to give this project a try.  I like this better than a solid piece of wood, just because it is lighter weight and so easier to hang (at least for me).

I chose this photo of my mom and dad from their wedding day.  I've always loved this one, they look so happy.  My son says it's because that is before they had eight kids. (Haha)  I reversed the photo, so it would end up the same orientation when I put it on the wood.  Next, I copied it to a disc, because I can't find my flashdrive.  (I loaned it to my son for a class project.) When I transferred to the disc, I used a high quality setting.  I drove to Office Max and asked them to print it for me, because a laser print is what everyone says works best.  My printer is ink.  I had it printed on cardstock because I hadn't thought thru this part yet when she asked what to print it on, it worked well for me.

I painted the sides of my canvas black.  I thought this would look good with my black and white photo.  I used Golden Gel Medium because I already had some.  I put the medium on the board itself and some on the photo too.  Just put your gel covered photo on the gel covered board, photo side to the board of course.  Smooth it out, either with a credit card or a squeegee.  I let mine dry over night.

In the morning I wet the back of the paper with a damp paper towel.  Let the water really sink in for a few minutes and start rubbing with your fingertips.  Be careful if you have long nails so you don't rip through to the wood.  Although if you do it could be an opportunity for a distressed photo.

It took about five minutes to get the initial layer off.  I rewet the paper at this point.  Rub with a little more caution now so you don't actually rub off the photo itself. I noticed I didn't quite have my photo lined up with the edges of my canvas but this was an easy touch up with the paint.

I still need to either gesso the picture or add some protective coating, but I think it turned out pretty nice.

Back to my Phd's.
Have a Creative Day
Janet

Wave Runner by Marlous Designs

Today's Phd (Project half done) is brought to you by Quilt Cove in Eagan, Minnesota.  I purchased this kit while on the Twin Cities shop hop and began piecing on a retreat with Minnesota Contemporary Quilters.  Came home from the retreat and left the quilt in the bag.  Oops!

It's really quick and easy.  You make straight blocks.  Cut them in a wonky design, and put them back together.  That's what quilters do best, take big pieces of fabric, cut it into small pieces of fabric and make a different big piece of fabric.

I just need to add the borders yet and than this one will move to the pile of quilts to be quilted.  It is too hot for quilting with my long arm right now.  My light bar above the machine is full of lights which add to the heat in the house.  With the heat index over one hundred every day right now...well, it's just not going to happen.  (The photo looks as though the whole quilt is wonky, but that is just my poor photography)

Next up is another Pinterest project.  I needed to stop and do something a little bit artsy.

Have a Creative Day
Janet

Stephanie Bag by Sisters Common Thread

My pictures don't really do this bag justice.  I like it a lot.  It was fun to make too.  I haven't done anything like this for awhile.  It will make a great project bag, or maybe even a two or three project bag.  It is huge!  And it's reversible!

Have a Creative Day

Janet

On to the next

I finished up my "Little Buds" quilt by Lisa Bongean.  It is from www.primitivegatherings.us

I bought this little kit at a Minnesota quilt show a couple of years ago.  Great directions and she included enough fabric for the back and the binding as well as generous amounts for all the other pieces in the quilt.  This quilt is 10.5" x 14.5".

I thought I would show you what I did in place of a sleeve.  I used corner hangers.  You can just slide a small piece of dowel up into the corner slots and hang your quilt.  This works great for small quilts.  I learned how to do this on the Minnesota Contemporary Quilters website.

Here is the finished front of the quilt.

And the back.  Lots of quilting for something so tiny.

Decided on my next project.  I purchased this on a Twin Cities Shop hop a year or so ago.  It will be a great project bag.  Lots of room for everything.  I may have been influenced by the fact that my daughter is named Stephanie!  But it does look like a great bag.

And the fabric I chose.

Have a Creative Day

Janet

Finishes

I thought you might like to see my finished autumn bowl.  I wish I'd had a video camera rolling when I popped the balloon.  I don't know which would have been better, the look on my face or the shape of the bowl.  As the balloon deflated, so did the bowl, just crumpled in on top of itself.  Before I could recover from my surprise it popped back out again.  It was stuck to the balloon at first but quickly came free all on it's own.  I think it turned out very nicely for something that looked like a wad of chewed gum earlier today.

I realized I never showed a completed photo of my big quilt from JoAnn Fabrics block of the month.  I grabbed my husband and son for photography help this morning, since they were both home.

My tiny quilt is almost finished, a little more free motion quilting around the flowers, a label, a hanging sleeve and some binding to go.  My sewing machine was getting hot though so I thought I should give it a break.  Oh, wait maybe I was getting hot, no I think we both were.

Have a creative day

Janet

Pinterest

Do you Pinterest?  I do sporadically.  I have been browsing the site more lately and pinning things that I like.  I decided it was time to actually make something I pinned.  My first attempt is a leaf bowl.  Here is the site my pin lead me to,  Hello! Lucky Blog by Eunice and Sabrina.  They have great directions for this bowl.

I felt better when I went back to look at their photos again.  I thought mine was too lumpy and it might not turn out very well.  Turns out theirs looks lumpy too when it is wet.  Whew!

My husband and I had a ton of errands to do today.  I managed to squeeze a trip to JoAnn Fabrics as our first stop.  I bought a leaf garland, just an inexpensive one because you rip all the leaves off the garland.  You also want the thinner leaves in order to get them to mold to your balloon.  While you are at JoAnn's you might want to pick up some Modge Podge and a paintbrush.  If you want you may even be able to buy balloons there, not sure, I got mine at Target

.

So, in between errands I tore all the leaves off the garland. It really is easy, they just peel off.

I blew up my balloon and placed it on this old bucket for stability.

I separated my leaves by size, thought that might be helpful.

Put modge podge on the balloon.

Began to add leaves and coated each with more modge podge, over lapping the leaves.

Now I will just let it dry overnight and see if I have a nice little autumn leaf bowl just like Eunice and Sabrina on Hello! Lucky Blog

Have a Creative Day
Janet

Thangles

Thangles are new for me even though the copyright on these is 1997.  They are fairly simple and definitely make these tiny triangles a little easier to piece.  I think the 1/2 inch size is the smallest.  I am half way done,  I have 48 squares so far and I know this is much faster than trying to make each one individually.

These will be a great way to use up scraps of fabric.  The package I bought has the 1/2" and 3/4" sizes.  I have a whole stack of each size so I can just use leftover scraps from other quilts and make a ton of teeny, tiny triangles!

Here are all the pieces I need for my Little Buds quilt along with the great instructions that were included in the package of thangles.

Ready to sew the first one.

This photo is a little blurry, that is a nickel, just to give you a size reference.

Half finished!

I'm not sure if I will do the rest tonight or tomorrow.  Putting my knee up with ice on it for now.  My Little Buds quilt is almost finished.

Have a Creative Day

Janet

Little Buds and new books

One advantage to hurting my knee this week, I've had lot's of time for hand sewing.  I finished all the hand sewing on my little flowers.  Yesterday, I managed to sew long enough to piece it to this point.  It still has two tiny borders to go.  So, today I may tackle the thangles for the final border.  They use the smallest size of thangle which is 1/2 inch.

I may just spend the day reading instead with my knee up and resting.  It really hurt again last night after sitting at my sewing machine and walking back and forth to my ironing board.  I deliberately arranged my space so I would have to walk every time I need to iron.  Right now I am regretting that move.  I have a doctor's appointment for Monday, so we will see what happens.  I've already had cortisone shots, arthroscopy, and synvisc injections.  So, the next step is probably a new knee.  I'm pretty sure I will need to have my aneurysm patched up first though.

Anyway, I went shopping on Amazon lately with all my down time.  Here is what I bought.

"The Zentangle untangled workbook" by Kass Hall.  I thought this would be great for when I am laid up. I can draw to my hearts content.

I like to use photos as inspiration for my quilts.  I have taken classes online by both Steve and Carla Sonheim.  I liked their classes, they both work at helping you think outside the box and look at things from your own perspective.  Looking forward to getting out and about with my camera.  "Creative Photography 52 Fun Exercises for Developing Self-Expression with Your Camera" by Steve Sonheim with Carla Sonheim.

The third book was a little more personal.  The Ledges is a State Park in Iowa where my family spent a lot of time when I was young.  I discovered this book (it is fiction) based on The Ledges.  I love to read books about familiar places, or at least places I have been.  'Ledges' by Michael Frederick

I'm using my iPad to create this post, I haven't figured out how to make links with my iPad.  I would encourage you to look up Steve and Carla Sonheim, their classes are fun.

Have a Creative Day

Janet

P.h.d. (Projects half done)

I'm working on some of my Phd's this summer!  Sounds impressive doesn't it.  I am definitely a 'beginning' quilter, I love to begin quilts.  I'm trying to become a finishing quilter.  

I've been enjoying all the flowers in my yard this summer.  We have lived here for almost 22 years now so I think we are almost finished landscaping.  We add one or two new flowers, or trees, or shrubs each year.  So, when I came across this tiny flower quilt hiding in my sewing room, I decided it was time to finish this project,  I bought this kit from a vendor at the Minnesota Quilt Show a couple of years ago.  It will only be 10 1/4 x 14 1/2 inches when it is finished.  It is a Primitive Gatherings design by Lisa Bongean called Little Buds.

I have all the little flower pieces cut now.  Next is the added embroidery.  After I trim the blocks I add a few borders.  One of the borders uses 1/2 inch thangles.  I have never used thangles before so makes it fun to try something different.  I think it is like paper piecing.

Enjoy the summer, it is over too fast!  This year we added a raised bed garden.  I am loving having a vegetable garden again.

Have a creative day

Janet