Dear Jane and other musings...

Hi All,

Yes, it's been a while but it hasn't been because I haven't had anything to write, on the contrary I have been super busy!  We had a garage sale, hubby was offered a job and almost took it which would have landed us on the east coast.  We do want to go there but the job made us realize just how ready we were not.  Too much stuff to go through, the house is half painted on the inside, the list goes on.  So we need to start getting ready.  

I have been working on various projects including make an adorable nightgown for my Disney dolls.  I used the flannel I showed you last time and it is really nice stuff.  This also has started me on another avenue of learning, how to take good pictures.  Hopefully as time goes by you will see an improvement as I learn more and more.

One of the things I have been working on quilting wise is Dear Jane.  To date I have a little over 40 blocks done and 7 of the triangles done.  Unlike a lot of ladies I did not want to wait until the end to do all those triangles.  It seems that they either don't do them or it brings the quilt to a grinding halt because they are a lot different than doing those little squares.  Here is Left Side 12th, A-8 and Right Side 8th.

 

I am not using Civil War fabrics, but I did pick a palette of blue, green, red, gold, purple, turquoise, black and brown.  My other requirement was that the fabric have a little bling, or metallic gold in it.  I love bling in my fabric.  I may have to change this though because I am having a difficult time finding a lot of different purple and turquoise with gold metallic.  I will post pictures from time to time of my blocks.  I am not going to do tutorials, there are lots of places that are doing those already.

Have a great day, and do something you love!

Susan

Fabric and Wigs and Laces..Oh My!!

Hi All,

Well it's been over a week since I have posted because, well, I haven't created very much.  But I did want to share with you some goodies I have gotten since we last met.

First, my daughter and I went to the Swap Meet here in Ogden, it's small but sometimes we can still find nice stuff, walk around in the sun and take in the world.  So I bought a nice stack of flannel from Lanz of Salzburg, the company that makes the yummy nightgowns.  I just love the colors and cannot wait to put some of my dolls in their new nightgowns (After I make them, of course).

 My Second purchase is off of Ebay.  I know Ebay has their issues but overall I like buying off them and my daughter and I do sell off them too. Don't worry this is not a buy my stuff blog nor will it turn into one but we do sell under the same name - RecycleBliss. (My shameful plugging for the day)  I bought a group of wigs from "hepme101".  Very nice person and has great prices on wigs.  Here's my BFC ink doll rewigged.

Don't you just love her?  And darn if that isn't a good photo too...

My last purchase showed up yesterday and I bought it off Facebook.  I just discovered that Facebook has a HUGE amount of groups selling stuff.  Go check it out, several fabric groups, crazy quilting supplies, Victoria's Secret stuff, etc.  Now they are not secure like Ebay so you purchase at your own risk, however, if you use PayPal you at least can get your money back if the transaction goes bad.
So here's just a small sampling of the laces I bought.  I went a little crazy with these as you can see from the pictures.  I was just so sick of going to the big fabric stores and seeing the same old stuff.  So I bought these off of Jerry Foster(Fabric Jerry) and can vouch for him as a good seller/person.  Over 110 laces - 3 yards each $100, which included shipping.  Now these are nice laces!  I played with them and organized most, all day yesterday.  So pretty!  They go from 6" down to 1/4".  Here's just an example:
 

 These are all the ones in a big tub and the ones left that I haven't done.  All of them are quality laces.  He also sells them individually by the yard.

 Now, I am not getting a thing for telling you about these sellers.  I just like to pass along good (or bad) experiences with sellers, companies etc.  Knowledge is power!

See you again soon,

Susan

Rapunzel Revisited.....

Hi All,
Well I am learning about all this, blogging, picture taking, etc.  And after I thought about, ok, obsessed about, the pictures from my last post I decided to retake them.  My original decision was that the blue background would bring out the black and white dress and show off Rapunzel's wig.  Instead she had an oily looking face.  So I retook and added a prop for interest.  I didn't think it would make that much difference but wow:

She looks so much better!  I used a different background fabric and grabbed a candle holder that I bought my mom (thanks mom) a few years ago for Mother's Day.

 I also wanted to show you one of my Cinderella's with her eye paint mostly removed.  Boy, was that a job.  It comes off nothing like Barbie's eye paint.  The wig, well, that's not staying on but I just wanted to show you that too, it's for an Asian Disney doll that I have not found yet.  So if anyone want to donate to me a Jasmine, Mulan or Pocahontas I can start right away.  Just imagine the wig with no little white bows and some bling in her hair, a kimono, proper shoe attire, etc...

  

And here's my baby when she wants attention, subtle isn't she?

Thanks for letting me share, see you soon..

Susan

Unveiling of Rapunzel...

Hi,

I hope your Memorial Weekend was everything you wanted it to be.  Me, I opt for quiet.  So aside from fighting the masses at Savers on Sunday, I got my quiet.  Savers had their big Memorial Day Sale on Monday but if you joined Savers rewards or club or whatever they are calling it, you can shop on Sunday and still get the discount.  So my sweetheart of a daughter and I went to 4 Savers between here and Salt Lake City.  The last one was really a stretch for me, I am not the mad shopper I used to be.

Anyway, a while back I promised to show you my Disney Animator Rapunzel doll.

There was a Rapunzel doll that I found on Pinterest and just loved the Black and White dress on her, so I used that to inspire me.  I wanted to finish the white stockings and shoes before I showed her off but I need to get those a bit more perfected.  

I am so happy with this doll.  I did not have a pattern so I made it all up as I went along. I have masters now for all the dress pieces and since I have a ton of ideas in my head I want to make patterns so I can mix and match as I go.  All of the lace was hand sewn and those little black dots are black flowers with a bead center.

I should have taken a picture of this poor doll before.  She was a mess and no amount of Downy helped her hair so she has a wig.  Now I understand why the 1st edition Rapunzel is so much money.  The tinsel Disney put in her hair is horrible!  
I have not found another Rapunzel but I have found another Cinderella and just removed her eye paint today so I can practice painting eyes.

See you again soon!

Susan

My Bargello Quilt...

Hi All!

How's everyone's pre-Memorial Day weekend going?  It's been pretty rainy here.  I know we need it but 3 days in a row?  Gimme a break.  So I did not get finished with my next Disney Doll but I did want to share my Ormen de lange quilt.  The pattern is by Kameleon Quilts from Norway.  I have had the pattern for several years but never took the plunge.  I am so happy with the way it turned out!

Hubby is doing the honors because it is a monster of a quilt. 

See you again soon.

Those Darn Disney Dolls...Gotta Love Them

Hello All,

Hoping your 2015 is going well.  I have been so busy but I wanted to share my newest obsession, Disney Animator Dolls!  These dolls are just too cute.  They came out a few years ago and I am just jumping on the bandwagon but better late than never.  I currently have 7 of the dolls.
 

I don't want them all but I still want to add a few more.  The exciting part is that they have started showing up at the thrift shops.
This one is Cinderella but her hair was so trashed I had to shave her head.  I have done re-roots in the past, but was not ready to attempt this now and the head of these Disney dolls are larger than ones I have done in the past.  So I wigged her!

This is a Monique Wig style called Jeannie.  It is size 12/13.  I feel like this makes her little face shine so much.  Now that she has this super hairdo she just needs an equally superb outfit.  I have a different thrift store Disney doll to show you in a few days, I just need to add some finishing touches.


Hope you are having a great day!

aroseplanter, if you email me at saam109@yahoo.com, we can talk about wigs.

Happy Easter Weekend!

Hi All,

Well, Easter is upon us and well our family is kind of all over the place right now.  Not that that is bad but I miss the traditional Easter weekends we used to have.  Life is ever changing and some things you must go with, it's up to you to decide...

With this crazy weather we are still having I thought I needed a little spring, so I dug deep to find my bunny wallhanging and I guess he is still hibernating because I could not find him.  So I  found one of my favorites and hung it up and I do feel a little spring in my heart every time I see it:

It looks a little off in the picture but it hangs straight on the wall.  I sewed this a while ago from a pattern out of a magazine.  I had done this other wall hanging and got carried away collecting greens for it, you have never done that I imagine, LOL.  So I pieced this trying to use up some of those greens.   The background is 1" finished squares and the flowers are fusible applique and blanket stitched.

DD and I are going to go to the flea market and to garage sales this weekend and if I find a treasure I will be sure to share it with you.  Maybe I can get DD to post some of her fantastic purse finds too.

Talk to you soon and be sure to do something you LOVE today.

Susan

Doing A Few Estate Sales & Thrifting ...

Hi,

I told you I would return and I am keeping my word.  My daughter and I went thrifting and estate shopping on Friday.  She always finds stuff.  Me, since I am older I guess, I can always do without or wait, it's not so urgent anymore.  But I did find 2 things that I am so excited about!  First is this wonderful hankie:

Around the edge it says "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country."
Do you remember that in typing class?  It took me a while to figure out that the squiggles were shorthand.  I asked my 24 year old son if he knew what dictation was and he didn't so I explained it to him.  Imagine, this is now a lost skill, it's not needed anymore.  This simple handkerchief is a piece of history, not only are hankies a defunct piece of clothing (I need to come up with a better word than defunct), the skill on it is too.

My surprise find of the day was a surprise in 2 ways.  First, was the place that I found her, one of the Deseret Industries thrift shops in Salt Lake, second was the price of 3 dollars!  I know I have gone a little  (ok, a lot) Crissy crazy but it was too good of a deal.  So here she is:

This is the Crissy from the late 70's early 80's and she does not have the growing hair feature.  Of course the dress has got to go but she has all her body parts and they move well, she needs to be cleaned up and then I will see if her hair needs to be replaced or leave as is.  It's been a while since I have done a reroot and with a larger doll it could be fun.  Maybe a little repaint too, hmmm, this could get interesting...

I hope you all have a great week and I will be writing again soon.

Make sure you do something that you love today!!

Susan

Been Doing Some Thinking...

Hello out there in Blogland! (yes, it will be a real word someday)...

I have been reorganizing, my brain mostly, and thinking about what I want to do as I enter the next stage of my life.  Life is a constant series of new beginnings and I am at another one.

I LOVE to quilt, that is my main passion.  I have urges to create in other mediums but I always come back to this Love, and my quilting waits patiently while I cheat in other areas always knowing that I will return to her. ( Yes I am using the female tense and no I don't swing that way...)

I guess I should explain a little better.  For a while we have been busy with my daughter who has had some health problems.  Although she is 22 and it has been mostly moral support, it just drains you.  Anyone who has been through this knows what I mean.  During all this she has wanted to do something to generate income and feel useful.  So we started going to thrift shops and a few garage sales when she has been up to it.  She has a fashion sense that I will never have.  She knows prices and brands.  So she has been selling things she finds on Ebay to give herself pocket change.

So what does this have to do with me?  Well as I said my first love has been quilting.  I am also a huge fan of Bonnie Hunter.  I decided to create my own sewing product.  It is almost ready to be shown and I am VERY EXCITED about this.  I also have a new love, vintage stuff.  Hats, clothing, jewelry etc.  So from time to time I will be selling some of the best things I find on Ebay.

If you have noticed, I changed the name of this blog, I have a FaceBook page that is of the same name and my Ebay name is almost the same name (I goofed on the spelling and cannot change it for another 30 days, hey I am human too).

So this is wonderfully scary for me to put myself out here but I won't know unless I try so stay tuned for my wild ride...

And because I know that all posts should have pictures...

     This is my daughter, or part of her, modeling this fantastic pants that I came across.  I knew they were something special when I saw them and although they didn't fit me and are a tad big for her, I know someone out there will appreciate these wonderful pants from days gone by.

     I did some research on them and the designer is Jack Winter.  Here is a picture of the tag:

     Isn't it fabulous?  So since I don't know much about designers, I researched and the info I found just made these pants more special.  From the New York Times:

"Mr. Winter was the founder of Jack Winter, Inc., one of the first manufacturers of women's slacks and one that set trends in women's sportswear and knitwear. The company also operated 100 Clothesworks Stores, a nationwide chain of discount women's clothing.

He founded the company as a men's pants manufacturer in the late 1930's but in 1953 began to design and manufacture women's slacks. He retired in 1986."

Mr. Winter has passed away, but imagine what a pioneer!  I watched reruns of the Dick Van Dyke Show when I was little, I wonder, did he design any of the pants that Mary Tyler Moore wore?  I wonder if who ever wore these thought about things like that, that when they bought these they were part of a trend that would change the way women wore clothing.

So, I am going to be putting these up for sale on Ebay shortly, I just know there is a woman, a tiny woman, who would love to have these great vintage pants.  If you should happen to be interested in them just go to Ebay and search Jack Winter pants and I am sure you will find them.

Thanks for sticking with me in this very long post and I hope to post more frequently in the future!

Create Something Beautiful Today!

Susan

Getting Ready for the Mystery!

Hello All!

     So those of you who are Bonnie Hunter fans know that each year she publishes for free a mystery that usually begins sometime around Thanksgiving and lasts anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks.  She gives us a color palette but we are not required to stick to that and we don't know what the quilt is gonna look like until it's finished.  For control freaks like me it has been a good thing, relinquishing control of something, trusting another to the outcome of a project.

I did my first mystery with her last year, it was a blast and the completed quilt is on my bed.  Well, the almost completed quilt is on my bed, the binding is not done but that connects with the story here.

In preparation for her mystery I decided to clean my sewing room and by clean I mean actually put stuff away, not just move piles of stuff around. (Which I have been known to do.)

It took me seven hard working hours to clean my room.  I don't think it has been this clean since I first moved my stuff upstairs.  This first picture is where I sew.  I think I have a pretty sweet set up, my fabric behind me, my TV and DVD player and my Singer machine.  I use the system of wrapping my fabric around magazine boards for 1/2 yards and more, the baskets hold smaller amounts and are sorted by color.  I have tried other methods of fabric storage but this works for me and really didn't take that long to do.

In front of my sewing table is my ironing board which I made from 2 carts that I bought at Sam's club and then put a piece of board on top, hubby helped fasten the board to the cart and then batting on top and then the silver iron fabric that you can get at JoAnn.  

 

The last picture is how I keep my rulers organized.  In this room there is this little odd wall, what happens when you have rounded corners in your house, anyway, I use the Command hooks and positioned them to accommodate the various sizes.  I was worried about scratching the wall up but I am careful when I remove and put them back.

The boxes stacked on the left hold all my crazy quilting laces, threads and trims.

So that's a little peek into my sewing world and I hope you enjoyed it.  If you see something that inspires you and you want to use it, feel free!

And the good thing about spending 7 hours cleaning is I found the following:  binding for the quilt that is on my bed, a pattern for a table runner that I had started but could not finish because I lost the pattern,  another fabric that I am going to use to bind the quilt that is on my mid-arm machine, and a TON of batiks that I honestly don't remember getting, it's like finding buried treasure.

  

If I don't talk to you all before the mystery starts I will be posting my progress here and on the Bonnie Hunter yahoo group.  Try the mystery, I highly recommend it!

New Beginnings...

Hello My Lovlies!

Well it's been a couple of jam packed months but I am back.  I attended my second Crazy Quilting International Retreat and it was a blast!  Words cannot express the wonderfulness of these women.  I will have to devote another post to that because I am bursting at the seams to show off my new creation.  Last year I went to Goodwill with my BFFs, Cathy and Bev and saw this:

One of two sad little shoes that had seen much better days and were well past their glory.  I felt sorry for those shoes so I took them home.  They sat with me for an extremely long time, but the heel of the shoes intrigued me.  I took the shoes apart and decided to crazy quilt them.  Seemed easy enough right?   First,  I made a template of the top and cut out pieces of white fabric to use as my base for my cq and then it sat for another long time.  Fast forward to our visit in Texas, where I found a black and gold scorpio cameo.  That came home with me as that is my sign.  So put it all together and you get this:

I am so happy with my little shoe now!  I did so many things I have never done before, beaded a rivoli, soutache, a little ribbon flower and used ice resin.

I have already found another unusual pair of shoes, and have taken them apart and will be making a Halloween shoe next.  I have already collected stuff so hopefully it will be done around this Halloween, not Halloween 2014.

See you next time and be sure to do something you LOVE today.

Susan

Terrier Town...A Little Late...

Hi There!

     Well I said I would be back with some progress on My Terrier Town BOM so here's another month for you:

     The middle dog shows up much better in person than she does in the picture.  I made it light to represent my son's dog.  She is about 5 years old and God could not have made a less intelligent dog, but that's part of her charm and we could not love her more.  We have thought that if she were a person she would probably have severe ADD.  She cannot even grasp the game of fetch.  We tried so much to teach her and she will happily run next to my dog and watch, but try to teach her alone and you end up will a bunch of toys at the end of the hall after she has run down to them and then comes happily back to you without them.  We have seen her run into doors and walls while she is watching something else.

     Enough gushing about our pets!  So, I have another block all fused and ready for applique so shortly there will be another block to show you.

     On another note my daughter got a job at JoAnn's and she could not be happier.  This may be dangerous for me however, but first I will need to see how big her employee discount is!  But honestly, I am very proud of her and I know this job is a good fit.

Make sure you do something that you love today!

It's Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!

Hi My Lovelies!

I know it's been a little bit of time but we went to the great state of Texas to see if it was a place we could retire to and to visit some of hubby's relatives.  Although we thought Texas was great, I think the extended hot weather would bother my mom too much.  So the search continues.

What I am so excited about is something very silly to a lot of you.  Let me back up a little, my dad was a fantastic gardener, grew lots of veggies, especially tomatoes.  That gene did not pass on to me.  I have tried and can do ok, but, nothing to write home about.  So I tried a new brand, called German Girl (I figured since I was German the plant would feel a sense of family).  Two tomatoes so far, over a month later, but they are some great tomatoes!  Look at the size of this baby...

I will say that the tomatoes sat and sat and once I left the state and my son took over they turned red!  I still maintain that I did most of the work and that it was just dumb luck that they "happen" to ripen when I was not home.

My next post will be to share my Terrier Town progress.... I am keeping up so far!

Until then make sure you do something you love!

Susan

A Quilt in Honor of Dad...

Hello All!

     Well no more progress has been made on my terrier quilt but I did want to share with you my quilt that I completed with my dad's shirts.  My dad passed away several years ago and I miss him a lot still.

Every winter he wore these long sleeve flannel shirts and they all had to have a front pocket for his cigar and matches.

     So since the shirts were made of cotton flannel, 50/50 and 100% polyester some of the fabric stretched so I picked an easy design.  Large 4-patches were just the ticket.  I matched those with blue cotton flannel.  The back was totally pieced with his shirts.  My daughter, who had a special connection with my dad, has already claimed it as her own.  I have enough to make one more quilt and I know my dad would be happy...

     The lovely model posing is my son's dog, Ket.

Until next time, make sure you do something you enjoy!

Susan B

Hello My Lovlies!

It's been a while I know, life stuff....
But last month I started a new project and I wanted to share it with you.  I bought this pattern a while ago but didn't start it yet.

Isn't this adorable?!

If you cannot see the name, its a Block of the Month called Terrier Town and is created by Late Bloomer Quilts.  I have a little black Lapso Apso/Terrier and anything that has a black doggie just tugs at my heart strings.

So last month I started and my goal is 2 blocks per month.  Here are the first 2 put together:

Now I don't have all of the fabrics suggested for this quilt, so I am pulling from my stash but I think it looks great so far!

I already have another block for July done and when I finish the second one I will post that also.  I still have a few weeks.

Hope you all get to create something fun today!!!

My Little Binding Experiment, Part 1....

Hello Everyone,
Here is Part 1 of my "Looking for My Perfect Binding Method."  The backstory is:  I decided a year ago that I could not hand bind anymore, it hurt my fingers and hands, and I just wasn't enjoying it.  If I am going to do hand work I would rather do some embroidery or just about anything else.  For those of you who enjoy snuggling up to your quilt and binding the heck out of it, good for you, and I do sincerely mean that, I just tried and tried and bound over 9 quilts before deciding there had to be a better way for me.  
My first machine binding was last year on a table runner with some fusible thread. It worked fine  however, the idea of sewing around my quilt three times, first for attaching the binding, second for zig-zag with the fusible thread, and third, for stitching the binding down was a drag.  There was also the ironing problem.  (Difficult little snot, aren't I?)  I have certain health problems which make standing in front of a hot iron very uncomfortable so I use my iron sparingly.  So the process worked fine, I just started searching for something that would work better for me.
I finished my spiral table runner recently and thought this would be the time to try something new.

  

   So here's the table runner all done. Isn't it cute?  I used a temporary basting spray to fuse the binding down.  It partially worked the way I wanted it to but overall was not as successful as I had hoped.  As I was sewing some of the binding began to lift due to handling so if I did a large quilt this would not work.  Also the spray was kind of messy on my fingers.  The plus side?  I did not have to use an iron and I did not have to sew around my table runner 3 times.  

     So I went back to JoAnn's and searched the isles for my next idea and will let you know how it goes.  For now I wish you all time to do what you love the most for life is short!

What is Bias Batting Tape Anyway?

Hi Everyone!

Well it has been while hasn't it?  So now that some craziness in my life has settled down I am back and I have been doing a little experimenting and thought I would share it with you.  So those of you who quilt your own quilts, what do you do when you get to the end and you mis-measured your batting?  So after I was done yelling and crying (Just kidding) I went upstairs to retrieve my handy fusible batting tape only to realize that I only had about 6 inches left of the stuff!  What's a girl to do?   I begrudgingly went to the computer to see about ordering more when I thought really what is this tape?  It's lightweight, fusible with a little stretch.  I went to my sewing room and started to hunt around and came across some lightweight knit fusible by the yard leftover from another project.  Next, I took my trusty rotary cutter and made a few bias cuts the same width as the tape I had.  Here is a picture of the tape I made on the batting:

  It held the batting together nicely and I quilted through it with no problems.  I really cannot see how it is any different than what I bought in the roll.  Well there is one difference, mine came in the pieces I cut so instead of one long strip I had to overlap the ones I made which really was no big deal.  It is fusible which means just like the tape it is meant to hold to whatever you iron it to.  The quilt has been on my bed being used every night for several weeks now and I haven't seen anything funny happening to the area where I did this.  Just something for you to think about for you next batting emergency.

Have a great day and make time to do something that you love to do!

Pincushion and Sandwiches....

          Well, trying to get caught up, which is  probably impossible but I will give it a go anyway.  Here's my second pincushion, I call her Princess Anastasia, because she is wanted it that way.  I know it's a little over the top but it was so much fun to make it was hard to stop.  My next one will probably be a ring holder for my daughter.  Instead of one long piece of velvet there will be rows of velvet kinda like sausages.

     
          Princess Anastasia has hand dyed velvet for the pincushion section and the shoe is a dark velvet teal.  Then there is purple lace all over and the collar is lace stiffened and attached to the shoe.  Then I put over 100 rhinestones all over.  Isn't she lovely?

         So now you are wondering where Sandwiches come into all this?  Well, I was reading an article on the internet that says people of my generation, born in the 60's are now being called the Sandwich generation.  Why?  Because we have children at home, although mine are adults (supposedly) and we take care of one or more parents who also live with us.  After I read the article I felt better because I am not the only one out there in this situation.  Although I love my family, it can be stressful and difficult to carve a little me time out of all of this.  So are there any more Sandwiches out there?

Merry Day After Christmas!

            Hope you had a Merry Christmas!  We actually had a white Christmas here and now the day after it's coming down like gangbusters!  Hopefully I can get outside later and show you all a picture.

            This is our mantle this year.  My first needlepointed stocking was the teddy bear for my son when he was 5.  He is now 23 and still loves it.  Then came the one for my daughter, the white one with the roses, then my mom, dad, hubby (who was my boyfriend when I made his), finally mine.  Next came the ones for the dogs (don't ask) and then there are several more for family members who live out of state.  So over the years I have made more than a dozen.  I just love making them but unfortunately they are getting harder to find.  I always line them and they have a velvet backing and cord that is hand stitched around the front at the seams.

      There are a few of my Christmas Barbies too.  Unfortunately in this house it's hard to display them so I just swap them out when I am in the mood or for a holiday.

Catching Up!

Hello Bloggers,


My mom has been in the hospital, well, actually 2 hospitals, and will be having surgery on December 28th so to say things have been a little crazy around here is an understatement.  I did get some sewing done and experimented a little with the lace stiffener (more about that next time) so I thought I would post a picture of my Bonnie Hunter mystery pieces that I have done so far....

It has been so much fun.   And obsessive as I am, I discovered that on Thursday night, well Friday morning really, at 2 am I can get the next clue and at least read it before I go to bed.  It's like peeking at your presents before Christmas when you were a little kid!

Here's hoping your holidays are much calmer than ours and that you are having fun.  We are still managing to fit some fun in between all the mess.  ;  )