Recycled or Re-purposing Fabrics & Some Stash Busting Bag Fun

Sometimes being creative means to let go of the hype surrounding the commercialism part of the craft and bust out the old fashion way with whats laying around. 

The above is a design from a Lunchbox embroidery set I got. this was the first block of many to come that involve almost all recycling of fabrics. I love new beautiful fabrics and all however I love sewing  and experimenting  so much that using less expensive or free sources of fabrics is the way to go for somethings too.  The Denim background is from old jeans and the black body of the applique is from an old tee shirt and the pink skull dress is a very inexpensive fussy cut fun remnant piece.  I am planing more stuff like this too. 

Also there is a time that stash busting is a good thing too and I wanted to try some raw edge improvisational applique so I looked around and found a viking shopping bag cut the seams out and made it lay flat  (another recycle) ready  to use as my foundation and busted into an already opened  jelly roll and just went to town.  See Pic

I now have the top finished and the skull yellow fabric is something I have laying around in my stash that  I will be using for the liner. I maybe adding some embroiderer to this too and redoing the handles.  I will keep you all updated as it takes more form and shape. 

I Am Here All Is Well. Here Is Some Highlights Of Some Of the Good Stuff.

Sorry it has been so long to post things have been insanely busy with this that and the in-between. All is well and there have been some amazing great things in my sewing world although not much sewing.  Let me share some of it with you here.

Long over due is telling you all about the last weeks where I went to the Quilt Show in Ohio that was amazing! Also they sent me the pics of how the community days went while we where gone and the bears we made ahead of time now have a lots of friends. Nothing feels better than making a difference with the help of my fav people Roz and Rochelle at Blasdell Viking Sewing Gallery...   

This shows a Business that cares and that is where I like to spend my money.

The big grand thing is I scored a deal on an imperial grace frame @ EdenSewingCenter I am almost ready to begin to play with it after a lot of craziness to get it together. All I am in need of is some Tracks as the ones with it where 5’ and I have it set up for 10’.  I am Very Excited. Oh yes also might have a deal on a machine coming too. Fingers Crossed it all happens sooner than I think.

My awesome great sewing friend Nadine alerted me to a longarrm class that was @ CreeksideFabrics Saturday  presented by Wenda Coburn. (I highly recommend her if she is in your area) 

What a great time we had and how cool it was to enjoy hanging out and talking quilting all day. 

SMILES!

I also have just been playing around with this and that here in the sewing room.  I will update the many more going on's to come this week. There is some other really great things happening in my sewing world. I can not wait to share with you. 

An Eventful and Productive Wonderfully Beautiful Weekend

Well now in the preparation of the weekend to come I spent all day Saturday Busting out some Bears for Community Days next Saturday March 23rd @ Blasdell Viking Sewing Gallery  since I will be @ the Pittsburgh Quilt Show that day and can not make it. I still wanted to make a contribution. I changed the engineering and added a heart  from the 1st 2 posted in another blog. I was the embroiderer, pattern cutter and stuffer. Sherry sewed them all up and Cat did the major surgery job of Hand sewing all the legs together.  What a great family team work project we all had fun sharing in.  Staying up way past our bed times.

Sunday we all got up early to spend the morning with my beautiful mom and shared her morning together as her youngest daughter turned another year older. ( THAT WOULD BE ME! ) We shared a great morning with lots of wonderful sewing surprise gifts that Rocking Great Roz set my sister up with for me. Sherry and Mom went off on a different adventure and Cat and I went off to our first Block of the month at Blasdell Viking Sewing Gallery. Rochelle did a great job showing and sharing the ways to make this great fun block. & than Roz showed up with some really yummy great cupcakes from a new place in East Aurora to add to the magic of the day.  I did not finish my Blocks as my brain was so tired and sleeping away I think plus we had a few seam ripping moments. I must say I am become a pro at seam ripping for sure. Below you will see a picture of one of Cat's finished blocks how awesome this block will look all finished in a quilt to come later. 

Than it was time to come home and before I crashed out early to catch up before Mondays soon to come work day I had to do one more thing just for me.  While getting things ready in the morning for the class I  ran into this funky deep red leaped print fabric in the wild bartered stash area fabric. I had to redo the non matching ugly leafy sheet table cover with the cool new stash find.  Now there is a very warm cool funky great look that brings that area all together warmly.  I am so really loving how this sewing area is coming together now.

Thanks To Everyone Sewing More Beauty Into My Daily Life

I have no sewing pictures right now to post. Just some cool sharing’s of the long week that had no sewing.  Sometimes life just gets moving a bit fast and it is hard to find that moment of me time to do anything.  No complaints as I have some really great things to share in the sewing world around me from the week. 

Roz and Rochelle from Blasdell Viking Sewing did a great job Saturday as we sewed our hats and had a blast. Anything frustrating that went on was all ok as me laughed and made it through together enjoying the day shared. I loved it and everyone else did too.   I was so much in awe of the day I had a couple of very cool strangers (how could not be cool with a pink streak of hair. )  I met in the Joann’s store deliver a small just fun thank you from us all.  Dodging and hiding out to make it a full surprise without being seen was just covertly extra bonus fun.

The week progressed and I decided I do not like the new sewing room design at all and it must be changed so I have it all drawn out and was all ready to get home Thursday night and rip apart and redo it yet again to get me motivated and the sun downers lazy bones feelings knocked out of me and get my motivation back and running.  Well I stopped over to Eden Sewing Center to say hello to all the womyn at the open sew and also sign up for a fun looking class on Tuesday.  Well much to my surprise a great womyn there found an amazing skull cup with black zig zags and it was just perfect to make my night glow and shine.  She then made it even better by saying how just saw it and thought of me and my sewing portfolio bag and it fit.  While Carolyn and I spook and shared something’s too and these 2 events fit so well into the book I wrote. I rushed out to the truck and found a couple copies and gifted them off too.  I must say it was a super great night at the open sew even if I did not sew and needless to say who am I kidding to think I would leave early enough to get any of my room done before the need for bed time. All worth it and a great time was had.

The Long and short of this post is that a couple years ago a decided to clean up my emotional home inside me and give my spirit something new to grow with and learn.  Somehow in this time I made the quilt for my mom and this whole sewing fabric and quilting addiction hit hard and fell right into place with my new life changing growth spurt.  This said sewing has not only brightened up my creative world it has also brightened up my whole world great people and great learning.  My gratitude and honor to all that are sharing in this new part of my journey in life as I am nothing special I am only a reflection of all that is around me. This all is what makes me love life so much. 

THANK YOU TO ALL THE SEWING WORLD FOR ADDING MORE BEAUTY TO MY LIFE!

My Book Is Found Here At Amazon

My 1st Design. My Cutting Mat and Ruler Bag.

I designed the pattern and did the quilting and added interfacing and the liner matches the in-the hoop portfolio I made in a class awhile back. 

I am very proud and excited about my new bag. I am taking some classes and going to some open sews now. I needed something to carry my 24" Rulers and Cutting Mat for protection.  Plus its a great easy bag to carry with the machine and everything else at the same time.

ADDING MY DIRECTIONS ON HOW I MADE IT

Since I posted this I am flattered away! I have had a lot of people asking for my pattern and I do not have one I just  made it on my own playing around in the sewing room.

1 yard outside fabric 

1 yard inside lining fabric. 

1 yard batting 

I sandwich the 3 layers placed my ruler and mat on top of folded sandwich to decided what size I wanted.

 trimmed to desired fit. 

Quilted the Sandwich / than added binding to the top folded raw edges

measured handles to fit around my sewing machine bag handle added them 

Sewed sides together and my bag was born. 

I used the fold for the bottom seam I feel it makes it stronger with no sewn seem to rip open. 

This will make the patterned fabric upside down on one side when you are finished. 

My thought is only one side shows when I walk with it. I keep the correct side out the upside down side to my body or machine bag handles. 

Your choice on what you like. Thanks