Old and new! Or old is new?

I'll start with something old.  Another UFO is complete.  This one is from 2008!  It started with a desire to learn how to make curves.  This is one of the techniques I tried.  I had two squares of fabric, layer them on top of each other and cut the curves.  I alternated the fabrics so I ended up with two curved pieces.

Around this same time I purchased a book by Susan Cleveland called Piping Hot Curves.  I thought my two curved pieces would work perfectly for this next step in my learning new skills.  I cut circles from one fabric and pieced them into the other adding piping around the edge of each circle.

A group online decided to have a round robin.  For this challenge we sent a center block and the next people added borders. Some very talented people added to mine.  Michelle Craig, Reneta Datzova and Julie Broderson, all from Learning Fiber Arts (a yahoo group), added borders to my block.

I'm glad I waited until now to try to quilt this piece because I knew less about quilting at that time than I did about curves and piping.  I really like the finished wall hanging.  Very cheerful.  Thank you Julie, Michelle and Reneta.

Now on to the "old is new".  I noticed my selvage basket was overflowing.

I have been saving selvedges ever since I discovered Selvage Blog.  I love the idea of taking something I would have thrown away and making something fun, functional and beautiful from it.

In the same online group(Learning Fiber Arts), Miriam had shown us how to make a bag using selvage fabric.  I took her techniques and used them with a pattern from Craftsy called Phoebe bag by Beki Lambert.

I had fun making this partly because I have been working on restoring my mom's old sewing machine. I managed to sew part of my bag on this machine.  The Singer still needs more work.  She started complaining part way through making the bag so I switched to my newer machine.  It was a blast from the past as this is the machine I used when first learning how to sew.

I like this bag.  It has an inside pocket and a magnetic snap closure!  Ooh, and the pattern is free!  Thank you Beki Lambert for wonderful instructions!  And thank you Miriam for teaching me how to use my selvage edges.  Lot's of fun.

On a side note. I had always thought it was spelled selvedge, not selvage.  For consistency in this post I spelled it selvage, but it really can be either way.  Fun fact.

Have a Creative Day!

Janet

Emma's trees

The last couple of days I have been making Christmas trees. A member of the learningfiberarts yahoo group lost her daughter to cancer aproximately four years ago. At the time she found herself awake during the night often and needed to keep herself occupied. She found herself cutting squares of fabric, and more squares of fabric. She began making trees for everyone she knew. This year to honor our friend and her memory of her daughter our group is making Emma's trees. She said it will make her granddaughters proud to know their mom's trees are being made all over the world. I have one finished and three more that just need the backing.

I'm planning to decorate them with a star at the top and some simple ornaments and jingle bells. I plan to give one to my mom for her room in the nursing home. My daughter wanted one. I would like one and I'm still thinking about the fourth.

Tomorrow I need to make a Christmas stocking. I'm going to the Minnesota Quilters Christmas brunch this Saturday and they give stockings to children. I think it's a pretty simple pattern so it shouldn't take long. (I hope).

Sunday I hope to drive to visit my mom for their Christmas celebration. It depends on the weather. We are finally starting to look like winter here. It's been unseasonably warm, not that I'm complaining, but didn't seem like winter at all.

So, it will be Monday before I do any more creating. I plan to make my Christmas postcards on Monday. Here are a few of my Christmas decorations that are ancient now. I made the Christmas is Sharing quilt about 25 years ago. I made the snowmen about 8-9 years ago. My sister-in-law made the Santa. I need to get my decorations out tomorrow, I'm behind with that but I'm ahead on my shopping so I guess it all evens out!

Have a creative day!

Janet