No Project Runway design for you this week.  Sorry.  I just ran out of time and it had to be put on the bottom of the "to do" list.  Hopefully I'll have time to tackle next week's challenge, which looks like a fun one.

This is the free fabric piece that I received from Spoonflower.  They offered any of their fabric swatches for free...shipping too, or you could design your own, also free.  I posted about this earlier.  I only found out about it right before the offer was going to expire, so I quickly chose this pattern from thousands and thousands of patterns.  I do love my bots!

This is a great site.  You can make fabric out of photos that you have, drawings that you have made, or just about any other source.  If you can't find the fabric that you want in the stores....design it and print it yourselves!  I was very pleased with this sample.  Nice quality.

Next up is my loot from today's shopping spree.  I'm still using my gift certificate from Fabrics and Friends in Roanoke, Indiana.  (Again....thank you for voting for my wall hanging!)    This weekend, everything store-wide is 25% off so I really got my money's worth!  And......I still have some money left.  He-he!

Two jelly rolls, one charm pack, one fat quarter pack (38 FQ's)and a great book!  Yippee!

It's all about the accessories!  As usual, I left the Project Runway challenge until the last minute and only had a couple of hours last night to work on it.  You'll have to use your imagination a bit on this one.

The challenge was "It's all About Nina."  Nina Garcia, fashion director of marie claire magazine, that is.  We were to design an outfit that Nina would be able to wear during the day at work, and transform into an outfit that she could wear to an evening trade event, with only a change of accessories.  We were given some guidelines....styles she disliked...styles she liked....colors, etc.  Basically, she likes classic styles with a little pop factor, no loud fabrics or prints, but not too boring.

I didn't have time to accessorize this outfit, but I think it answers the challenge fairly well and I can actually visualize Nina wearing this outfit.  The fabric is a day into night fabric and is a nice color for Nina's skin tones.  Simply changing jewelry, shoes, and maybe even the hair style, could make this work friendly, then evening friendly. 

My "pop" factor is using the selvedge edge on the top and the pants.  I liked the way the selvedge looked and wanted to add it to the outfit.  I made a band to go around the waist-hip area of the top and simply left the bottom edge of the pants unhemmed, using the selvedge edge for the finish.

This outfit had my first sleeves and my first pants.  The pants were fairly easy, but I did have some fitting problems with the sleeves.  They pull a little bit instead of hanging loose and free.

So use your imagination.....think of Nina wearing some beautiful earrings, a necklace, bangle bracelets, wedge shoes.......then upgrade all of those to fancier evening accessories, probably all in gold, and dressy shoes.  I think it could work!
(Edited to say that this fabric is hunter green, not black.  I'm getting some comments about the black fabric and thought I should clear that up.)

Free Fabric Swatch at Spoonflower!

 (Free shipping too!)

I just came across this offer and it expires at noon.....so hurry over to Spoonflower to either pick an already designed swatch of fabric or design your own.  Either way.....it's free until noon!

http://blog.spoonflower.com/free-swatch-day-spoonflower.html

Project Runway reveal time.......  This weeks' challenge was to make an outfit for a model wearing stilts.  A really goofy challenge, in my opinion, as it seems like the challenge was simply to make a longer outfit than normal.  The runway on the TV show was outdoors, so I've taken Cara's finished shot outdoors too, while hoping that no neighbors came out to see me playing with dolls!  

These are the fabrics that I chose.  I was happy to be back to a normal fabric, instead of pet supplies, but still found lots of difficulties making this outfit.  More later.

Here is Cara in her "stilts."  I used plastic straws for her stilts and simply taped them to her legs.  She wasn't in these very long, so I don't think it was too rough on her.  I only started this challenge last night, so there wasn't much time to make the outfit or much time for her to have these things strapped to her legs.

Here's my finished project.  I wanted to make a palazo pant with an over skirt, but too many things, including time restraints, kept me from making what I had designed in my mind.  I had to simplify just about everything to get the outfit finished in time.  I had also planned on sleeves...but again....didn't have the time to make those.  An easier halter was made instead.  I used chains to trim the waist and to tie her halter top in the back.

Here's a great shot of the back of her melted skirt!  Yeah, really.  Those stripes are Cara's stilts showing through the melted hole.  I used my mini quilting iron which is just the perfect size for these tiny seams.  I had tested the temperature and had no problem until I let the iron sit for awhile, then touched the fabric.  Instant melting!  Apparently, it got considerably hotter while not being used.  It was too late to start over, so I had to leave it.  I also had problems sewing the fabric.  Nothing has gone smoothly yet, but the finished project.....from a distance......is somewhat acceptable.  And, as usual, more lessons have been learned the hard way!

This doesn't look like a quilting picture, but that's what I was doing while watching these two come down to the pond for a refreshing drink. 

I got to spend the day with my friend, Joyce, who lives in the country.  Deer visit often......much too often, if you ask her.  Her home is surrounded by woods but I think the deer find her shrubs tastier.  Yum....

It was just so pleasant to spend the day chatting, quilting, and watching the deer and the birds at the feeders.  No sounds other than bird songs.  Delightful day for this urban girl!  Thanks, Joyce!

It's time for this week's Project Runway reveal.  Click on the pictures for better details.  First, a few notes on the process. 

To start, here's a picture of the back of the bag.  I forgot to post both sides last week and since I used part of the back, I wanted you to see where all of the parts came from.

Next up is a photo of the Velcro that I found at Jo-Ann's that works just great.  I do believe that it's the exact type of Velcro that Mattel uses, as it looks and behaves just like the Velcro that I removed from the Barbie swimsuit last week. It says on the package that it's not recommended for fabric, just crafts, but if you sew it down (it's sticky backed), it seems to work wonderfully.  The nap on both parts of the Velcro is very short and close to the correct scale for tiny model's clothes.

Here's Cara in her pet shop supply outfit.  Everything was made out of the cat food bag, with no additional supplies used.  Working with plastic was a real pain and another learning experience!  I was going to start over, once I learned some tricks, but decided to leave it as is.  You can only sew the plastic one time as it pokes holes in the plastic which will tear if you work with it too much.  When I sewed the skirt and turned it right side out, it made horrible krinks and wrinkles.  I tried to use a hair dryer to heat the wrinkles out, but it was a really fine line between smoothing out the wrinkles and melting the skirt.  Again....I left it as is. 

Full view.

And lastly, here's a back shot of her boots.  I told you that her feet were wider and flatter than regular Barbie feet so it's hard to find shoes to fit.  These work as long as she stands up against a wall!

On to next week's challenge!

Here's my next Project Runway challenge.  We are to make our creation out of pet shop supplies, trying not to use regular fabric products, like a dismantled dog bed, but unconventional materials.  They can be applied to a muslin base, if necessary.  I've chosen the bag from my cat's food.  It's made out of a plastic material, not paper, and all I could think about was that I wouldn't need to turn under any tiny raw edges or worry about fraying.  However, I have no idea how working with plastic will turn out.  (I've already tried melting it with a match and it didn't work very well.)  I give myself the right to completely change my challenge materials if this is a bust!  Having had every kind of pet imaginable, I have an endless supply of pet products to use if this bag doesn't work out.  Hopefully, I'll have some sort of finished product to post on Thursday!

And the headline could have read "Local Woman Killed In Buffalo Stampede!"

No joke....it could have.  I went to the Wild Winds Buffalo Preserve on Saturday to take a buffalo tour.  This is a fairly popular tourist attraction in Northern Indiana and I knew  several people that had visited and highly recommended it. 

There were six of us on this particular tour truck, all seniors looking for a relaxing commune with nature.  It was just the freakishly perfect storm.  The buffalo were startled by something (later, the tour guide said it was the horses that some people were riding outside our fenced acreage) and they started running towards us, all 250+ of them!  Because of the way our truck was positioned,  backed close into a corner of their area, they had very little space to run around us and could not help but "bump" into our truck.  They weren't trying to cause us any harm, they were just in a panic mode and running in an uncontrolled frenzy.  This truck was just an open bed pickup that was outfitted with some planks for the visitors to sit on and short plank sides to lean against.  I don't know what the babies weighed.....maybe 200+ pounds, but the adults weighed up to 2000+ pounds.  2000 pounds running at 35 miles an hour, bumping into the truck was frightening.  In addition to feeling the ground shake and the truck being jostled, I could feel our truck lifting up.  It lasted about 20 to 30 seconds, but it seemed a bit like slow motion.  I instinctively went to the side of the truck that was lifting (like ballesting a tipping sail boat) although my weight would have done little against the tons of weight pounding us.  When it was over, I told my friend Jerry that I thought we were about to tip over and he said I was nuts.  The tour guide confirmed that I was right and that it was close to tipping!  Why we hadn't been warned about this possibility, I don't know.  The guide said it had happened once before, but it was extremely rare.  If it had tipped, we faced the possibility of being crushed by the truck or run over by the buffalo.....neither choice particularly apealing.  I was the only one (outside of the guide) that even realized the danger we were in, so we all went back to our casual chatting and asking questions about the buffalo.  Surreal. 

Amazingly, after this episode was over, everything was as peaceful as it was before the stampede. The buffalo are a naturally peaceful animal and they went back to grazing, scratching, swatting flies, and calmly checking us out as we watched them. 

 The calm before the storm!

You can see the peaceful expession of this face!  And I understand that they are very intelligent too.

There's more to this story, but that's enough to tell.  I would still go back and take the tour again, believing that it wouldn't happen twice!  Like lightening....right??!!

I went fabric shopping today and here's the loot!  But wait.... there's a catch......it was free!  I won second place with my little cat wall hanging (earlier post) and the prize was a $200 gift certificate!  Shazzam!  They.....Fabrics and Friends in Roanoke, IN (no web site).....were having a great sale today too, so I have almost $150 left after making these purchases.  I was one happy camper!

I love Halloween fabric and Bigfork Bay has the most comical patterns, right up my weird alley.  I may go back tomorrow too, as I also have a 40% off coupon.  And it will be free.....did you hear me.... free!  I'm so blessed!  Many grateful thanks to all of you who took the time to drive to Roanoke to vote for my wall hanging!

Here's my big Project Project Runway reveal.  Let me tell you, this isn't what I had in mind!  (You can click on her photo for a closer look at her outfit.)

I used every bit of Cara's swimsuit.  The top was cut apart and the bra cups were inverted to make pockets on her top.  I split open the bottoms and removed the crotch area, then added the gathered skirt. 

I had problems just because everything is so small.  You cannot sew these tiny clothes the same way you would sew normal sized garments.  After I had removed the crotch area from the swimsuit bottom, I tried to sew my gathered skirt to the bottom.  My sewing foot was too big to even get to the area.  I can't even explain everything that went wrong, but the skirt seams started out on the sides with pockets, but when I couldn't sew it to the swimsuit bottom, I had to split all of the seams on the bottom, move the skirt around, remove the pockets......blah, blah.  You had to be there to understand this.  What I did learn is that everything has to be done in long seams.....for instance, there is no way you could sew a set in sleeve the normal way...you'd have to sew it to the shoulder, then sew a long seam up the sleeve and down the torso.  Still can't explain this, but you clothing sewists will understand this. 

I won't know what the next challenge is until tomorrow, but I know that my brain will have to adjust to tiny construction techniques and not normal sewing methods.  None the less, it was fun to play around with this challenge.  Here's a link to check out the other contestants' entries.  Many are really cute and clever!

Cara, my sweet model has no shoes yet!  Her feet are not made as small and curved as the regular Barbie doll feet, they are wider and more flat.  I'm on the lookout for wider shoes.  Next picture session, I'll just cut off the photo and not show her feet!

 

Meet my new Project Runway model, Cara.  More about her later.

I recently found out about a challenge that mimics the Project Runway TV show except that the models are a bit smaller than the television show models.  The challenges are similar each week, using our miniature models.  I'm not sure if I'll have the time for this or not, but I signed up anyway and promptly hired my model.

As you can see, Cara was a swimsuit model and being the end of the season, she was looking for work.  Her contract price was affordable, even for me, so we have agreed to take on this challenge together, whenever time allows.

The challenge this week was to make a garment out of what the contestants were wearing....for this challenge, it was their bed clothes, and a single top sheet from their beds.  For our copy challenge, we are to make something from whatever our model was wearing, or we could use a piece of fabric resembling PJ fabric.  In addition to this outfit or PJ fabric, we may use a 10 x 10 piece of white cotton/cotton blend to duplicate a mini bed sheet.  The completed projects are posted next Friday when we also receive our next challenge requirements.

I had never seen Project Runway because I don't have cable TV.  However, I'm able to watch it online and watched the first episode last Friday and I'll be able to keep up do date by watching the program the day after it airs.  Should not create a problem. 

If you'd like to play along, check out the Project Runway Challenge and sign up.  You can find out more of the specific details for the challenges.  It will be fun to see what the other "contestants" create each week!

I had a Shutterfly coupon for a free 20 page photo album and it was about to expire.  It took forever and a day to put this thing together and upload some pics.  Basically.....it's a cat photo book (with a few friends tossed in), but that's no surprise to any of you.  I'm excited for the real copy to arrive!

Click here to view this photo book larger

I finished the keyboard cover that I talked about a while back.  It's not the fabric that I showed you in that original post.  I found these cute musical cats a few weeks later and knew that I had to move on to Plan B. 

 

Nothing too fancy here, but the cover does have an opening for the music stand to come through.  I figured there would be many times where I'd want to cover the keyboard but wouldn't want to remove the music holder.
 

Cool Cats!

Have you seen this pattern design tool?  You can pick your quilt pattern, adjust the size, and pick your fabrics.  There is a limited selection of fabrics, but you can certainly get the idea of what your quilt would look like with similar fabrics and colors.  Once your design is finished, you can print out the fabric requirements and directions then take it along to the quilt shop.  Have fun!

Thank goodness that I live in a neighborhood where this amount of fireworks would cost a month's salary (or more).  I saw this huge pile of trash set out today when I went to a friend's house.  This is a little over the top and I'm glad that I live nowhere near this person!

(Size reference....the box on top is as tall as me and the pile is as deep as it is wide.)

Happy 4th of July! 

Although I've inserted a light hearted comic today, I'm not forgetting the amazing sacrifice that is made on a daily basis by our military personnel.....our past, present, and future military.  May God bless you all and keep you safe in His loving arms!  And....THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!

I finished my contest wall hanging....the one from a few posts down.  We were given a packet of precut, fusible applique pieces, plus a background fabric.  We were allowed to do anything we wanted, as long as we used all of the provided shapes and the background fabric.  From that point, we could add more fabric, buttons, any kind of embellishments, etc.  Well.....here's my finished wall hanging!

My hanging is approximately 21" x 24". The cat was my addition and the flowers and bugs were redesigned from the original picture that was provided.  I used a small zig-zag stitch to sew all of the pieces down.  After seeing how many pieces were going to be attached, I thought a satin stitch would eat up too much thread....I'm a cheapo....so the zig-zag stitch was chosen.  The background was stippled and the border was just evenly stitched around.  I have never stippled before and was quite nervous about wrecking all of my hard work.  It ended up being pretty easy, once I relaxed and just let the needle do it's job.  My tension was all wrong but I decided to just leave it instead of taking all of the stitches out.  The next attempt will be better.  Live and learn.

My butterfly and dragonfly are three dimensional.  I folded the shapes in half and fused them together, making them a double layer, but half the intended size.  I added floral wire around the shapes on the wings and covered the wire with a zig-zag stitch, which makes them flexible and stable enough to stand away from the hanging.

I delivered my hanging yesterday.  It was due July 1st and I managed to get it finished between a summer cold and a pulled back.  It's amazing that the housework can be put off but not a sewing deadline!  All of the hangings will be hung on July 1st and will be voted on during the month of July.  If you happen to be in Roanoke, IN at the Fabrics and Friends Quilt Shoppe, I'd appreciate your vote!

I haven't had a lot of time for sewing lately, due to summer yard work.  Not that my yard is anything special, it just takes me a few days a week for general maintenance.  So anyway, sewing is only done in spurts, when time and energy allows.

I finished this purse a few weeks ago and mailed it off to Patti for a retirement gift.  This is the pattern that I used.  Lazy Girl patterns are very user friendly, and I highly recommend them.  They are fairly simple, if you take your time and read each step before proceeding.

Here's the front of the finished purse.  Patti had talked about getting an RV and doing a little traveling after retirement, so when I spotted this fabric, I thought it would be perfect.  I think it turned out pretty cute.  The front is divided into two large pocket sections.

This is the backside, which really shows off the cute RV's!

Inside shot, showing the pockets.  The same pocket arrangement is on the other side too.

And finally, a close up of the recessed zipper.  I had no idea how to do this, but again, if you follow the pattern and take your time, it's pretty simple to get a good finished result. 



Patti has received this now, so I can finally show some pictures.  I have some fabric cut out to make one for myself using different summer fabrics.  As usual....it will be added to my "to do" list for the time being.

For all you knitters out there! A knitted short.....Enjoy!

Mail call!  Look what I won!  Calamity Jane's had a random give-a-way and I was one of the lucky winners!  I won this great fat quarter selection, plus the two patterns in the picture below. 

Thank you so much, Bonnie!  I love them all!



Road trip yesterday! 

I got an email on Friday night that the "Fabric and Friends Quilt Shop" was giving out free...yes, free...wall hanging kits to the first 50 people.  Needless to say, I changed my Saturday plans so that I could hit the road first thing in the morning.  And....I was able to get one of the kits! 

Now here's the deal.....you bring back the completed kit by the first of next month to be entered in a customer judged contest where you can win a $300 gift certificate at the quilt shop.  Pretty great prize!  Here's the front of the kit package.

The rules are simple.  You must use all of the pieces supplied in the kit, but may add anything else that you choose....more fabric...more pieces....buttons....lace......whatever.  It doesn't have to look like the picture on the front of the kit.  The included pieces are pre-cut with fusible backing, ready to iron on.  I'm not sure what I'm going to make yet and I don't have much time to ponder on it.  I've got a few ideas floating around in my mind............ time's a tickin'!  I sure hope that I'll have a post within the next three weeks with a finished wall hanging!

And while I was at the quilt shop, I had to buy something....I think that's the unspoken rule.  This fabric was in the discount section and will be used to make a keyboard cover.  Of course, that project will have to wait a bit.

To the drawing board.........

Animations provided by MySpaceAnimations.com

It was nature day at my friend Jerry's house the other day.  This first picture is a nest of baby robins.  The nest was constructed on top of his electric meter...there are actually three in the nest.  Although it's only been a few days since this photo was taken, these little babies have already flown the nest.  Only one was out of the nest two days ago and was trying to flap its way around to strengthen its wings.  The next day, all three babies were out of the nest and apparently on their own.  They grew so fast that you could see the difference from day to day.  The mother bird was so busy, flying back and forth all day to feed them.  I'll bet she's glad to be off of the feeding duty.

Next up is a snapping turtle that my friend found trying to cross the road.....why did the turtle cross the road?  We think to lay some eggs, based on some Internet research.  He stopped to pick up the turtle, as the prospect of reaching the other side without being run over looked slim.  She will now be placed in an appropriate river area to do her thing....whatever that may be.  Is this a cute face, or what?!   Oh, and she is a huge turtle...her shell is easily 12" from front to back.

And finally, a really large iris in full glory.  The next day, we had some severe storms and it didn't fare very well.  It surely was beautiful while it lasted.



We've had tons of rain in Indiana for the past month and a half and the spring flowers are thriving.  This is a close up of my weeping, flowering crab apple tree blossoms.  The flowers don't last long, but they are a paradise for the bees while they are in bloom!

Here's the full tree.  It's about 10 years old, I believe, and has grown quite well with no attention.....my kind of tree!

Happy Spring Gardening!

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom! She's been with the Lord for many decades but her memory will live on in my heart forever!

This picture was another newspaper photo. I'm not sure why we were in the paper, except that it included my Mom's apple pie recipe. I guess it's a good thing when the most exciting news in the town is an apple pie recipe!

I sure did hate my curly hair, which was naturally stick-straight until the days of home perms and Spoolies. (Remember Spoolies?)

Happy Mother's Day to you all!

I went to my local Amish market over the week end to look at the new plants and flowers that just arrived. They have the best plants in the area, always healthy and bright. You need to get there as soon as they open because they sell out very quickly. I didn't buy many plants, as I have to remember that I will then have to plant them when I get home and that will mean lots of back breaking work. I just bought a few flowers to fill two large planters on my patio. Simple, quick, and easy!