This is MY blog.

I have had to delete some comments lately and that makes me sad so I thought I would explain why.

This is my blog. I am going to say things that are on my mind. I realize that not everyone has the same beliefs as I do. I try to maintain an open mind to everyone else's but WILL NOT tolerate anyone showing up here and bashing a faith just because it is not Theirs.

This is my blog. I will post what I want and when I want. I'm not the type to put anything inappropriate on the Net. I have more than enough common sense and experience to know what is not good to put out there. I WILL NOT tolerate people who try to tell me what I should do. I am an adult and expect to be treated as such.

This is my blog. I will get upset if I catch you bashing my art. I am not perfect nor will I ever admit to being so. No one is perfect except the Maker. I WILL call you on this crap. Keep your crap and insecurities on your side of the fence. If it leaks over into my territory, I'll shovel it back at you just as fast.

This is MY BLOG. If you don't like what I have here in my corner of the Internet, do me and all of my other readers a huge favor and  FIND THE DOOR. You are not welcome here.

There, I'm done now.  I really hate having to use that Delete button. Play nice!

T-shirts Three Ways

(I've totally had too much Food Network to have that title for this post! LOL!)

Guess what we did today? T-SHIRTS! I just decided to dive right into making some t-shirts for me and my 2 kidlets.

I had to do a tiny bit of shopping to do this morning and while at WalMart, I noticed that the spring/summer t-shirts were showing up on the shelves. At first, I was only thinking of making myself a couple of shirts but then, decided to get the kids in on the crafting. I had them help with creating the freezer paper stenciling, ironing and prepping for paint/bleach. We had so much fun!

For the kids' t-shirts, I tried this spray bleach tutorial which turned out fantastic! The only difference between the look from the tutorial that I used and our shirts is that my spray bottle didn't have a mist setting, only a stream.  Both of the kids want to wear their shirts to school tomorrow. I take that as a high compliment from them. ;)

Unfortunately, I learned a hard lesson about detailed stencils and the spray bleach technique. They don't play well together at all so my bleached tees didn't turn out at all.

However, my painted tees are AWESOME!

First, I did a regular freezer paper stencil of the Japanese kanji symbol for Love.

My personal favorite is this next shirt. I worked in the negative and just stipled the heck out of the gold paint to get this effect.

I think this whole project might have to become a Come On Spring! tradition. We enjoyed the mild weather, played in the water as we rinsed the bleach shirts and played games outside while the shirts ran through the washer/dryer.

Linked up at:

Still Stashbustin'! - TAWASHI!!!!

Tawashi! 

That word always makes me think of either sushi or something you would have heard yelled by one of the actors on those old Godzilla movies. It just makes me giggle. The word is Japanese for any type of scrubbie. The acrylic ones like this can be used in the kitchen for general cleaning or in the bath tub for bubble time fun.

I've been trying my best to clean out a closet that is filled with partial skeins of yarn of various colors/type so tawashi are the perfect small project to do just that! Using this pattern, I made these three little guys one afternoon while watching a movie. I think the finishing work takes longer than the actual hooking or maybe I just hate the clean up at the end. ;)

This project is perfect for a person new to crochet who is looking to push themselves just a tiny bit as well as a quick project. Go ahead and give it a try!

Getting Started in Embroidery

One of the easiest crafts to start, both in experience needed and cost of supplies, is embroidery. Quite often, I have people say to me “I’d love to start embroidering, but it all looks a bit complicated.” I guess I take for granted the fact that I learned at a very young age and at the hands of a very patient grandmother.  It is my hope that this tutorial will help you sort out those bits and set you on your merrily stitching way!

Items that you need to get started:

• Embroidery hoop – needs to be at least 1” larger than the pattern you want to embroider. I personally prefer the wooden ones over the plastic. I feel that the tension control is better. However, you can use whichever you wish.
• Embroidery floss – Cotton floss is cheap and easy to find at most craft stores
• Embroidery needle
• Sharp scissors
• Fabric to be embroidered
• Iron On embroidery pattern of choice or any other method of transferring a pattern that you prefer
   (discussed below!)

About embroidery floss…

1.       Find the end of one of the skeins of embroidery floss. Most all floss has 6 strands. You can choose to use 1-6 strands while embroidering. The more strands the chunkier/heavier the stitch. Fine detail work requires only 1-2 strands. I generally work with 3 strands.

2.     It is mostly color fast. I have had some problem with threads in the red tones bleeding. Be careful about getting your work wet! Large Ziploc bags can be your friend when storing your work.

3.       Knotting your floss when starting or ending your stitching is not a bad thing, especially for a person new to embroidery. You can learn the tricks to no knots later. 

4.       To avoid lots of headaches, only work with about 12 inches of thread at a time for now.

How to choose fabric to embroider…

1.       For a beginner, choose a fabric made of natural fibers like cotton, wool or linen. Man-made fibers can be embroidered BUT the stretch in those materials can make you lose your mind! (It messes with the tension of your fabric in your hoop and as a result, your stitching.)

2.        

      Use a medium weight fabric. Think about your pillow cases. That is a good medium weight. In fact, if you have an extra pillow case or sheet in your closet, try practicing on it.

3.       Always cut your fabric at least 4” bigger than your hoop. It can be a serious pain to deal with too little fabric along the edge of your hoop as you are working.

What type of needle do I use?

                 Embroidery needles come in lots of shapes and sizes. The most important part is the size of the needle eye in relation to the amount of floss strands being used. The eye of the needle preps the fabric for the thread to pass through.  If the eye is too small, then it can cause you problems with your tension as you try to pull it through the fabric and may cause your floss to shred which can be a huge mess. The more strands used, the larger the eye needed. If your thread “pops” as it passes through the fabric, you need to go up in eye size.

Transferring a Pattern

                If you have chosen an iron on pattern (such as Aunt Martha's ), simply follow the directions on the package. Be sure to protect the ironing surface as the heat activated ink can pass through your fabric. I have a lovely flower pattern as a permanent decoration on my craft table due to lack of protection while ironing. My daughter finds it quite lovely though. ;)

                If you have the artistic flare, you can free hand a design onto your fabric using a transfer pen or even a regular school pencil. Be careful with those vanishing ink fabric markers though. You don’t want your design to fade before you finish stitching!

                If you have a printed pattern (i.e. from your computer printer), you can use a light box to transfer your pattern to the fabric by laying the fabric on top of your pattern. However, if you don’t have access to a light box, you can do the same thing using a window on a sunny day. Tape your print out to the window. Center your fabric over the pattern and tape. Then trace onto the fabric. 

Now let’s get started!

1.       Loosen the outer hoop by the screw and remove it. Set it aside.

2.       Center your fabric and pattern over the inner hoop.

3.       Replace the outer hoop over the inner hoop and the fabric.

4.       Tighten the screw.

5.       Gently pull the fabric along all along the outside of the hoop to tighten the fabric. Tighten screw and continue until you can tap the fabric like a drum.

6.       Decide which thread to start with, separate strands if needed.

7.       Thread your needle and knot the other end.

8.       Start stitching! Choose a stitch that looks interesting and give it a go!

 **Some easy stitches are: back stitch, split stitch and chain. **

Here's the finished design for you curious folk! My fabric is a tea towel that I had handy. I free handed the design with a vanishing fabric marker. The blue flowers are lazy daisy, the gold flower center is 3-4 french knots (a bit challenging for a beginner) and the green vines are worked in split stitch.

Beginner Embroiderer's troubleshooting

My thread is twisting in on itself!

                Hold your hoop in the air and allow the thread and needle to dangle. It will work itself out on its own.  The longer the thread that you work with, the worse this problem can be.

How do I stop a line of stitching?

                Finish your last stitch on the underside of the fabric. Knot it and snip.

What if I get a knot on the underside while I stitch?

                Don’t stress this! It happens to everyone. With time, you’ll learn how to unknot.  Just leave it be for the time being.

For some reason, my stitches are pulling apart. I can see through the needle hole in the fabric.
              There could be 2 reasons for this. Your needle could be too big for the amount of floss strands used so switch to a small needle. The other reason could be that you are pulling your thread too taut as you stitch. Loosen up a bit and you should see the holes disappear. 

The edges of my fabric are fraying! HALP!
               This happens with many fabrics and the fix is easy as a trip to your craft store or even WalMart. There is a product called Fray Check. It's a glue that once dry (as quick as 10-15 minutes!) will keep your fabric from unraveling. It does have a strong odor when applying it but that will dissipate. Also, you only need a thin line of the glue around the edge for it to work properly.

Random Notes

                The Needlework category on Craftster is amazing with lots of patterns, tutorials and techniques!

               

                SublimeStitching and Feeling Stitchy are 2 sites well worth perusing when you get a chance.

               

                Feel free to ask me questions here.  I don’t mind at all! 

HAPPY STITCHING!!

I'm so PROUD!!

This time last year, I set a goal for myself. I would conquer my fear of working with zippers! Seriously, a zipper? How scary is that? It's a little bit of fabric and plastic but nonetheless, it intimidated the crap out of me.

Well, I now hearby declare this fear CONQUERED! I no longer have to use the seam ripper with lots of pretty expletives. I didn't even have to double check the instructions on this particular pattern. I'm so happy with myself! *insert happy dance here!*

As for the project itself, I've been in need of a nice looking zipper pouch at work to carry feminine necessities at work. I did a bit of stash busting and came up with these fabrics. The zipper was waiting so I just jumped into the project using this tutorial on Javajem but I left off the wrist strap which isn't me at at all.

The main exterior fabric is the blue flower with bits of green that you see at the top and I used the accent fabric to line the inside. For me, it might have been a bit of pattern overload (I'm pattern timid.) but I'm still happy with it regardless. :D

I shared my triumph at...

44 yrs ago today...

It's my Birthday! After a long day in my classroom, I've spent my evening enjoying a yummy dinner with my family around me. I've been spoiled and hugged many times so I count this as a Perfect day.

I've not rambled on about myself lately so I thought I would treat you all to a look inside my head. I just hope you are able to follow this bit of rambling.

This past year has been a challenge for me in many ways. I find myself facing some personal obstacles that I've had to wrap my head around. There's the Ex husband, my father's cancer and an unsettling work atmosphere. All of this combined has left me feeling very emotional and just unsettled for the past six months.

Earlier this week, I had a Duh! moment. Two of these factors are out of my control but I am allowing them to control me. How does that make sense? Therefore, I looked up and said "Ok, I'm letting it go." and that was that. As for work, I'm hoping to transfer into a better work environment. I believe I have a good shot at getting the transfer so overall, things are looking up.

Being a Buddhist, I have to think. I have to have the Me time that will allow me to think about all aspects of major concerns objectively. How do they affect me? How does my subsequent reaction affect me as well as others? Where is the path of peace through it all? One of the things that has really hit home for me lately is that even though I strive for peace, it in no way means that I have to allow others to treat me unfairly. It is within my power to make changes without being passive or being a Drama Queen. Rather than taking a step forward or back, I'm choosing to step to the side out of the mess. I'm going to let those people find their own way. I'm going to go on with my life.

I noticed this morning as I walked through the quiet halls before the school day started, I found that my step was lighter and that I didn't feel pulled down. I felt like ME again! I finished my day with a spring in my step and a smile on my face. For months, I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to find Me again. Fortunately, I was wrong. :)

Doodle Love

A couple of weeks back, I decided to jump into a Valentine's Day exchange over at Happy Hour Projects. We were paired up by HHP and it was left to the pairings to decide what and how much to exchange. My partner SJB was a lot of fun to get to know. She has a great eye behind a camera and some great web designs.

When asked what kind of Valentine she wanted, her reply was modern and traditional which stumped me at first. I finally decided that hearts and flowers are traditional but a doodle design would make it more modern so off to stitching I went!

Detail shot of the flowers...

I started delving into Doodle embroidery last year. I wish I could say that the concept was as easy as it sounds, just pick up a needle and go! However, it is a much slower process at least for me. I spend time thinking about negative space and overall effect more than I ever thought I would. I've made some strides in this past year. I am finally getting a feel for it. It does leave me wondering which direction my designs will take me next. :)

Drops of Love

Sometimes, when I pick up my needle to doodle embroider, I have no idea where I'm going.

This is my latest creation. I used lots and lots of french knots in this piece but I'm super pleased with the end result. :)

A Sweet Note

As usual, I've been stitching AND swapping on Craftster. :D

One of the gals wanted a hoop inspired by the artist Kurt Halsey. Having never heard of him, I had to do some research and immediately fell in love! His work is whimsical, simple and yet very moving. I love the fact that he portrays animals in settings that are not their norm like a penguin building a snowman or an adorable elephant playing a toy piano.

With a bit of split stitch and some crayon tinting, I created this hoop. I simply love it!

Hearts full of Love

I participated in a Valentine swap with my other Moderator Sisters over on Craftster. Now that they have received, I can post a picture of what I made for them!

Before I post the picture, I just thought I'd say that I feel very fortunate to have the chance to work with the gals over on Craftster. Not only do we help run a large craft site, but we've become very close friends. Every day, we chat, laugh, cry and rage with each other. Then, there's the crafty side! They are all crazy talented in their own ways. We share our creations and talk about how to improve our work. The whole atmosphere is just so friendly and supportive. I think the world of them. :)

I made embroidered heart ornaments for each of them. Some heart buttons, simple lazy daisy and french knot stitches with some ribbon and I made a pretty little heart Valentine for my Craftster Sisters.