in the mist of dragons

Yesterday I started working on a green dragon:

just in time for Halloween.

I used the pattern from this book:

I am quite found of paper piecing,

it is fun, fast and pretty accurate.

Do you remember this post?

I made, a few year ago, a Noah's ark where all the animals were paper pieced

OK, back to the dragon,

it started out like this:

and after some trimming:





to finally be a complete dragon:

and now, I need to work on the knight!

Happy sewing!







hanky baby bonnet

We are trying to raise money for our SAGA group

to continue our weecare program.

We will be selling baby bonnets at the Loveland craft fair

on November 6th, from 10 to 4.

Here is the baby bonnet I made for the show:

It is the traditional handkerchief to baby bonnet, or baby bonnet to handkerchief,

depending on how/when you start your tradition.

Here is one of the many poems you can find about hanky baby bonnet:

A tiny square of linen

And a dainty edge of lace,

Designed into a bonnet,

To frame your baby’s face.

After baby’s worn it

Fold and tuck away...

And it becomes a hanky

For your daughter’s Wedding Day.

Or if the baby is a boy,

On the day he marries

This can be the “something old”

His joyful bride will carry.

Cheesy but in a sweet way!

Anyway, I started with a square of fine linen,

from the heirloom store (Martha's heirlooms)

entredeux, French lace and ribbons.

I tried a few different stitches with a wing needle
to decorate the linen, I starched the fabric and used a water soluble
stabilizer.

Once I was happy with my stitches, I used it to sew at 1 inch from the edges.

I then attached entredeux and lace.

So here is the beautiful handkerchief,

please no nose blowing in this one!

To make the bonnet, I folded both edges toward the center,
and stitched close to the back edge to make a casing.
(the front is not stitched)
I used a narrow ribbon and tied it to make the back of the bonnet.
For the front, I used hand sewed the wider ribbon about 1 inch from the edge.


I had no baby to model this cute little bonnet,

so Miss C. is modeling it on her baby doll!



Happy sewing!

 



on fire

as in literally on fire!

Last Friday, my back yard got on fire!

The day before, my neighbor was burning some dry tall grass

in his back yard.

It was very smoky.

I do not like that, I always feel oppressed,

with good reasons.  About 10 years ago,

 the town I was living in New Mexico was evacuated

because of controlled burn that went out of hand!!

400 houses burned with 48,000 acres of land and forest.

Anyway back to our story and my neighbor,

he put his fire out later that Thursday.

On Friday it was windy, very windy.

We have not had any rain in a very long time,

quite a drought.

Somehow, the fire restarted itself in the afternoon,

and sprayed from his backyard to mine.

Luckily some people driving by, saw it and

started working on it right away.

I was walking my dogs at the time, and was quite surprise

to see so much activity at my house!

We all grabbed hoses and got the fire under control

before the fire department arrived.

Quite the little adventure!

The result was quite impressive

but no tree, trampoline or play structure were burned,

just very dry grass!

It would not be a big deal,

if my house was not for sale!

Nothing says "Welcome" like a burned back yard!

Well it has been less than a week,

and with constant watering and fall sun,

the grass is coming back!

My neighbor's water bill is going to be high,

but I know he is feeling better already!

And so am I....

Happy day!

star book

I make this book for mon cheri

a few years ago for our anniversary.

It turned out quite cute,

and as survived well.

I used a tutorial from the queen of

craft: Carol Duval.

I looked for it on HGTV but it seems to be gone.

I used mostly cardstock and also some bookboard

for the covers that I recovered with some Italian paper.

It is about 4.5 by 4.5 for the cover

and the inside is 4.25 by 4.25.





I used 3 colors of cardstock: red, pink and white.

The red one was cut at 8.5 x 4.25,

the pink one at 7.5 x 4.25

and the white one at 6.5 x 4.25.

I used each one 7 times.

They were folded in half and

 taped together (with that strong red double sided tape)

with all 3 cardstock aligned at the edge.

(hope it makes sense!)

Of course it can be decorated with pictures, stamping,

really any thing that is special to you!

Happy crafting day!

PS: I found a tutorial that is much better than my explanation!

here it is.

 

 

film reel plaques

I have been working on making our house

more appealing so that we can finally sell it,

and be once again one big happy family.

The main complaint we heard : the basement,

somehow, it was not up to par to the rest of the house.

So this week end, I reorganised it with my sister's help,

and decided to decorate it using a film/theater theme.

And I found just the perfect accessories at Ballard Designs:

beautiful film reel plaques,

and vintage ticket.

Unfortunately they were not in my budget,

so I got crafty with cardboard!

I cut large circles, 2 of each sizes. I used plates and large trays as patterns.

I then use various glasses for the inside cutouts.

I used those extra pieces to build some inside structures,

and then painted both sides.

I first tried craft paint, it looked flat.

So I got my metallic spray paint,

and painted each one a different color.



For the ticket, I used the backing of an old furniture.

I cut a rectangle and removed the 4 corners using again a glass as my pattern.



I painted it a beige color and with black paint, I painted a border.

For the inner border, I used a sharpie, much easier!

I used my slice cutter to make the letters out of black card stock
that I glued to the back.

I did purchase  this metallic collage (for $25), the basement is a large
space!

To complete the look, I made 3 new pillows,

using some cotton canvas, they are fresh and go well with the theme

and the new area rug.

I also reused some picture frames that we had at home,

5 little black ones with DVD photos in it, to replicate posters,

and a bigger one where we can write on, to let everyone know

the movie of choice for the evening.

On the background, I wrote "the Luxor presents",

I was inspired by this post from Get Your Craft On.

Before

After

 

I think overall it is a good improvement,

and hopefully next time somebody looks at it,

it will be a sale!

Oh happy day!

spinach quiche

it has been cold for the last few days,

we all felt the need of warm food,

so I made everybody's favorite:

spinach quiche!

Even my son who would take corporal punishment

over eating his veggies loves it!

Give it a try, it is good!

 

you will need:

-frozen chopped spinach

-3 eggs

-2 cups of light sour cream

-6 oz of Swiss cheese

-pie crust

-salt, pepper, nutmeg

First I microwave the frozen spinach for 8 minutes (following directions on the package)

and I let it cool, so that I can drain it, and dry it (I do not like wet quiche!)

I mix eggs, sour cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg.

I add about 1/2 of the cheese, stir,

then I add the spinach in clump, and stir it well.

I grease the pie pan and roll the pie crust.

I fill the pan and then sprinkle the rest of the cheese on the top.

I bake it at 425 for about 30 minutes, I like it golden!

It is best to let it rest a few minutes before cutting and eating!

Enjoy!

a doll for me!

I went to Costco this week end,

 most of the Christmas toys were already out!

And I could not pass getting a doll,

but this time for me!

For the past 2 years, Miss C. got a similar doll for Christmas.

While they are not American dolls,

they are well made, have chest plate (perfect for tank tops)

cost $25 and I like not seeing their teeth !

I will be able to make doll clothes based on my liking,

not on the demands of my little tyrant!

I finished the cape to go with the historical dress

I sewed earlier this summer.

It is made of cotton velvet and lined in baroque satin,

for perfect luxury!

I used McCall pattern 6006, it is for a capelet

so I added to the length for a more period cape.



She is ready for the cool autumn breeze.

Happy sewing!

a personal boob story

As October is national breast cancer awareness month,

I feel it is a good time to share my story.

Seven years ago, I had surgery to remove a mass

in my right breast.

It turned out to be just fat tissue and

other things but it left scars,

emotional and physical!

Here is a picture of the physical scar, 7 years later!

But to get a better understanding,

we need to travel back through time....

When I was a baby, my maternal grandmother got

thyroid cancer, she was fairly young,

and in the early seventies, the survival rate was low.

She fought and won that battle,

she was even studied as a success story.

Fast forward to my late high school years,

my same grandmother was diagnosed with a double breast cancer!

This time she was less young, the prognostic was better but not great,

and she made it!

By then, her scars were quite impressive,

once again not just on her body.

She celebrated her 10th survival anniversary

and all was good.

Well, just before the 15th anniversary,

her breast cancer was back, or she got a new one

but none the less it was there.

(she is still alive....I am about to make some detours!) 

My mom was sent right away to the doctor

as fear sprayed trough the family.

(my mom had always been checked since

her mom's first encounter with breast cancer).

Well the doctors were unsure about my mother,

she seemed fine (and she was and still is!),

but more tests were done for safety.

About that time, Mon Cheri and I were thinking

about making another addition,

Brick Master was almost 2 1/2 and we felt it was time.

To make sure it was all good,

I went to get check by my doctor,

and told her about what was happening in my family.

Out of safety and because pregnancy is not a good time

for cancer treatment, a few tests were run.

Well something was found.

It was decided to wait 2 months and redo mammograms

and other delicacies to make sure.

Those 2 months were long, I was pretty grumpy!

I went back, and that thing was still there,

it was hard to tell if it was the same size or if it had changed.

So we had to decide: wait some more, then make a decision,

or remove it and test it.

Since those 2 months had been so much fun

and we wanted a new baby, we went with number 2.

We lived in a very small town, with only one surgeon, and a tight schedule.

The part nobody mentioned was the needle localization

without anesthesia and the mammogram that goes with it, after insertion!

( I am not a total wimp, my children were born without pain killer!)

Well it did not go totally as planned,

my friend was deep inside my breast,

and when the needle was inserted, my lung was almost pierced!

Yep it hurt! After that no mammogram for me! or any moving!

I have a better understanding for what being stabbed must feel like,

and I do not recommend it!

The surgeon was good and everything went well.

I walked around, for the next few weeks, holding my breast as it hurt pretty bad,

the guys at work looked at me a little funny

( I was the only woman in my team)

but as they were all married men, they understood the peril of making fun of me!

(and I knew their wives!)

The diagnostic came back, a cube of about 1 inch had been removed

and all was good!

Happiness and Joy!

My grandmother was so happy, she always felt so guilty as it had been her fault!

Her first great grand daughter was born about 9 months after that news!

Now my grandmother has been once again diagnosed with another version of the same cancer...

she is now an old lady, and the best course of action seems

to do nothing as any treatment will diminish her quality of life.

She is still very active and complains when she needs help with her garden,

not a little 8 x 8 section!

yep, she feeds herself from the garden,

so always busy with potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, strawberries, peaches, pears!

She is a quite a lady! (not pearls or fancy tea here!)

Good Luck Grandma,

I love you!