G: Goldfish (Fantasia)
O: Oogie Boogie
Friday, March 25, 2016
Disney Alphabet Patches Revisited
Felt like showing off the whole Disney Alphabet patch series I just completed.
A: Am
B: Banzai
C: Cruella DeVille
D: Dumbo
E: Evinrude
F: Ferdinand
H: Hippo (Fantasia)
I: Ice Fairies (Fantasia)
J: Jaffar
K: King Louie
L: Lumiere
M: Mickey Mouse
N: Nightmare Before Christmas
P: Pongo and Perdita
Q: Queen of Hearts
R: Roz
S: Stitch
T: Timon
U: Under the Sea
V: Violet
W: Walt Disney (initial)
X: 'x' marks the spot on pirate treasure map
Y: Because we like you! (Mickey Mouse Club)
Z: Zero
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Some patches n'at for swaps
First, the patches.
This was for the embroidered patch swap:
My swap partner is a fan of hedgies so this was an easy swap. I used the Teenie Tiny Menagerie book for the images.
And the back:
I've been itching to use this scrap for a while. It's a trimming from the Heidi Kenney tattooed dolls (I stitched up years ago).
Next is a random act of kindness patch. The recipient noted she wanted an Eiffel Tower patch (and she also likes butterflies).
Of course my stash has Eiffel Tower fabric (I think I got some in a scrap pack, I know I didn't deliberately buy it).
And the back:
Heather Ross Tiger Lilly fabric. I love that line so much (and bought a lot of it!).
Next was the last round of the Disney themed patches, WXYZ.
All together. Some of them were on the large size.
Time to break it down!
I think I always knew I was going to do a "disney" W for this one. It was easy. Just used my good black fabric pen and embroidered around it (to add texture). It's on natural muslin. The polka dot fabric appeared in another patch (that might have gone to the same partner now that I think about it!).
For X I was stuck for a second but then I thought X marks the spot. Make a treasure map as a nod to all the pirate themed stuff Disney has done. I really like how this one came out. It's kind of abstract but you can still tell what's going on. From the ocean you cross the river and go through the mountains to the X. Simple, right?
The back:
This reminded me of compass needles. That and I was feeling lazy and it was in the scrap bin I keep at my work table (I didn't want to walk up to the third floor to my craft room to hunt something else. ..I'm so lazy).
Y stumped me for a bit, too. This round had all the "bad" letters. Then I remembered the Mickey Mouse club song (and, of course, it gave me a crazy ear worm). M.I.C (see you real soon) K.E.Y (why? because we like you!). Speaking of lazy, I didn't feel like doing all the hand embroidery for the Y so I "cheated" and got a patch from the craft store. I scored it for a DIME from the clearance bin.
The back:
I used that fabric before, too. But the same partner didn't get it again (I know I used this on the Stitch patch which didn't go to this person and, yes, I used this because it was in the bin near me and I didn't want to go upstairs to get something else).
Z was SUPER easy. ZERO!
This patch is simple as hell (total cheater patch with buttons!) so I added some sparkly floss embroidery (the black) and some glow in the dark embroidery (hard to see in this pic but it's pink and randomly stitched onto the white stripes). I also placed the stitches far apart so I could get the ripply effect (pull them tight and pucker up the fabric).
The back:
(that's not a very exciting fabric but I took the pic so what the hell, I'll show it)
Lastly was the Junker Jane style doll.
Funky bunny, y'all!
Coming to a nightmare near you!
The body is the sleeve from an angora sweater (bunny theme!). The arms and muzzle are from a wool sweater (felted, naturally). It's some of the last bits from the single ugliest sweater vest I have ever had the misfortune to not only see but be able to purchase for less than $2 (it was Italian, too. . .not that I'm saying that's why it was so fugly but COME ON, it was a sweater vest, first of all, and those colors? Yeah, it was a hot mess that needed to become crafts). The teeth are some funky beads I bought a while back because they looked like funky teeth. Nose is a stuffed toy nose I scored at a junk store, button eyes are also vintage. Whiskers are shiney floss.
"What's THIS!"
That is not for you. Get down.
*ignores*
"WHAT?! Where has this been all my life and when can everything I own be covered in it now that I know it exists!"
Get down! That's not for you.
*ignores*
"What is. . .ooh, fuzzy like the Kyle doll you took from us. You are such a mean mother, not letting me enjoy your Kyle doll. Or that purple minion with the hair. You threw such a fit when we lost that. Totally not becoming of you. Mmmm, so fuzzy. . ."
GET DOWN!
-------
As is well documented, the Feline Inspectors were pleased with the fuzzy ends on the bunny's ears. They also approved of the whiskers and the general tooth appeal of the felted sweater (Gene is a big fan of fuzzy wooly fabric. ..he tears up the best of the couch blankets because it's wooly. . .dirty wool sucker cat). Their thorough inspection process landed the bunny a few trips on the floor and multiple rollings with the lint roller. I couldn't turn my back for a second or they'd be on it. This may be the first thing they both got super excited about. The Ollie Memorial Quilt is a close second.
This was for the embroidered patch swap:
My swap partner is a fan of hedgies so this was an easy swap. I used the Teenie Tiny Menagerie book for the images.
And the back:
I've been itching to use this scrap for a while. It's a trimming from the Heidi Kenney tattooed dolls (I stitched up years ago).
Next is a random act of kindness patch. The recipient noted she wanted an Eiffel Tower patch (and she also likes butterflies).
Of course my stash has Eiffel Tower fabric (I think I got some in a scrap pack, I know I didn't deliberately buy it).
And the back:
Heather Ross Tiger Lilly fabric. I love that line so much (and bought a lot of it!).
Next was the last round of the Disney themed patches, WXYZ.
All together. Some of them were on the large size.
Time to break it down!
I think I always knew I was going to do a "disney" W for this one. It was easy. Just used my good black fabric pen and embroidered around it (to add texture). It's on natural muslin. The polka dot fabric appeared in another patch (that might have gone to the same partner now that I think about it!).
For X I was stuck for a second but then I thought X marks the spot. Make a treasure map as a nod to all the pirate themed stuff Disney has done. I really like how this one came out. It's kind of abstract but you can still tell what's going on. From the ocean you cross the river and go through the mountains to the X. Simple, right?
The back:
This reminded me of compass needles. That and I was feeling lazy and it was in the scrap bin I keep at my work table (I didn't want to walk up to the third floor to my craft room to hunt something else. ..I'm so lazy).
Y stumped me for a bit, too. This round had all the "bad" letters. Then I remembered the Mickey Mouse club song (and, of course, it gave me a crazy ear worm). M.I.C (see you real soon) K.E.Y (why? because we like you!). Speaking of lazy, I didn't feel like doing all the hand embroidery for the Y so I "cheated" and got a patch from the craft store. I scored it for a DIME from the clearance bin.
The back:
I used that fabric before, too. But the same partner didn't get it again (I know I used this on the Stitch patch which didn't go to this person and, yes, I used this because it was in the bin near me and I didn't want to go upstairs to get something else).
Z was SUPER easy. ZERO!
This patch is simple as hell (total cheater patch with buttons!) so I added some sparkly floss embroidery (the black) and some glow in the dark embroidery (hard to see in this pic but it's pink and randomly stitched onto the white stripes). I also placed the stitches far apart so I could get the ripply effect (pull them tight and pucker up the fabric).
The back:
(that's not a very exciting fabric but I took the pic so what the hell, I'll show it)
Lastly was the Junker Jane style doll.
Funky bunny, y'all!
Coming to a nightmare near you!
The body is the sleeve from an angora sweater (bunny theme!). The arms and muzzle are from a wool sweater (felted, naturally). It's some of the last bits from the single ugliest sweater vest I have ever had the misfortune to not only see but be able to purchase for less than $2 (it was Italian, too. . .not that I'm saying that's why it was so fugly but COME ON, it was a sweater vest, first of all, and those colors? Yeah, it was a hot mess that needed to become crafts). The teeth are some funky beads I bought a while back because they looked like funky teeth. Nose is a stuffed toy nose I scored at a junk store, button eyes are also vintage. Whiskers are shiney floss.
"What's THIS!"
That is not for you. Get down.
*ignores*
"WHAT?! Where has this been all my life and when can everything I own be covered in it now that I know it exists!"
Get down! That's not for you.
*ignores*
"What is. . .ooh, fuzzy like the Kyle doll you took from us. You are such a mean mother, not letting me enjoy your Kyle doll. Or that purple minion with the hair. You threw such a fit when we lost that. Totally not becoming of you. Mmmm, so fuzzy. . ."
GET DOWN!
-------
As is well documented, the Feline Inspectors were pleased with the fuzzy ends on the bunny's ears. They also approved of the whiskers and the general tooth appeal of the felted sweater (Gene is a big fan of fuzzy wooly fabric. ..he tears up the best of the couch blankets because it's wooly. . .dirty wool sucker cat). Their thorough inspection process landed the bunny a few trips on the floor and multiple rollings with the lint roller. I couldn't turn my back for a second or they'd be on it. This may be the first thing they both got super excited about. The Ollie Memorial Quilt is a close second.
Monday, February 22, 2016
For a Swap: Mystery Fabric
Finished this up yesterday so I can get it out in the mail this week.
The swap was a mystery fabric swap. We were given a swatch of fabric (about 7 inches square? I didn't measure it but it was less than 10 inches but more than 5 inches).
I checked out my partner's pinterest page to get an idea of what I could make and found a really cute pin cushion.
Pretty cute.
I used just about every thread of the mystery fabric for the doll's body.
That's a better shot of the print. It was a nice one. I added the ribbon tie. It's not part of the pattern but it was an easy addition that looks very cute (just sew a bit of ribbon into the seam when you sew up the doll. . .super simple).
I used a red scrap for the babushka and felt scraps for the face.
Found a great vintage button for the knot on the scarf.
But my favorite part. . .
Briar Rose fabrics for the apron and the base.
My doll came out a bit stubby (I think I left too much space at the bottom when doing the running (aka drawstring) stitch. So you can't see the scallops on the apron very well which makes me glad I didn't embellish it a ton (I was toying with adding some beads).
The pattern calls for a 2" washer for the base (to make it flat and give it a bit of weight) so I had to take a little walk to my neighborhood Busy Beaver to get that (and it cost a whopping 27 cents, so I got two just in case I wanted to double it up to make it heavier, though I didn't need to).
The pattern also calls for hot glueing the base to the bottom which I didn't want to do but I did and it worked well. You really do need to glue it down to make it really stay put. Stitching only wouldn't be strong enough.
I'm very pleased with how it turned out, especially that I didn't mess it up since there was NO mystery fabric to spare (and I didn't make a practice one because I didn't want to have to deal with having a random pin cushion afterward. . .it's a cute pincushion but I don't want one. . .I have a cute shoe pincushion and the classic tomato and strawberry cushions).
What's up next? Well, I have a few swaps to work on but I really need to do some Fluff sewing. I've cut out a ton of stuff and then let it all sit. I'm also working on a heart quilt top (it's a free pattern through Fat Quarter Shop. . I think that's where it's from). I got all the red/pinks cut for four blocks (they use 5" charms) and enough white/low volume for one block. I *might* have to break down and get a bit more super low volume prints. I want all the background on this top to be super low volume.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Couponing for Charity: Super Score!
Something new I'm going to show off from time to time.
I like to try and spend some money each month (or pool it) on things I can donate to charity. It fulfills my desire to hunt for good deals and my desire to just buy stuff (you know, sometimes you just want to buy something!) but it keeps me focused and I have an outlet for what I buy.
I have a futon in my workout room that I store it all on and when the futon gets full I make a donation. Usually that takes a while since I really only focus on a few categories.
I like to buy more non-grocery items like school supplies, laundry soap, paper products, and HBA products. (I also buy some toys and hats/socks/gloves). Oh, and I buy pet food, too, but I don't store that on the futon (that is stored in my kitchen). I have outlets for all of these categories so I'll never run into a hoarding situation.
SO. . .true confession time. . .my favorite deals to find are on feminine hygiene products. That shit is so crazy expensive and when I can get it for pennies on the dollar it gives me JOY. (another true confession, I had a hysterectomy years ago, so I don't even use the damn things anymore so it's ALL for charity).
I hit the MOTHER LOAD of fem hygiene last weekend.
That there is SIX boxes (three tampon, two pad, one liner).
How much did I pay (out of pocket)?
$3.64
YES, you read that right. I only had to produce $3.64 to take that all from Target.
How did I accomplish such a marvelous act?
First, I had really good coupons. $2 off of EACH of the U by Kotex items. $3 off of EACH of the Playtex items. THEN, I had Cartwheel which took 20% off each of the black box U by Kotex.
So in discounts I saved $17.80.
(the Playtex items were $3.99 each, the white box was $5.49, and the black boxes were $6.99. . .none were on sale at all, those are full retail prices. Full retail cost would have been: $31.44)
$31.44 - 17.80 = 13.64
THEN, I paid using $10 in gift cards I received about a month ago. I got the gift cards for buying cat food and cat litter, both of which were the brands my cats use (so I count those kinds of gift cards as truly "found" money).
SO, I only had to come up with $3.64 cash to pay for my fem hygiene. That's only 60 cents per box!
AND. . .AND. . . Target was doing one of their "buy three, get a $5 gift card" on the U by Kotex branded items so I have a $5 gift card to use some other time.
I love the Target gift card racket. I get them all the time from pet items and then I use them to buy charity stuff.
And in that same trip I gathered up some clearance kids hats (2 pack for $3.50) and women's stretch gloves ($1.75 each). I hope those all get marked down again so I can grab up some more for even less.
I like to try and spend some money each month (or pool it) on things I can donate to charity. It fulfills my desire to hunt for good deals and my desire to just buy stuff (you know, sometimes you just want to buy something!) but it keeps me focused and I have an outlet for what I buy.
I have a futon in my workout room that I store it all on and when the futon gets full I make a donation. Usually that takes a while since I really only focus on a few categories.
I like to buy more non-grocery items like school supplies, laundry soap, paper products, and HBA products. (I also buy some toys and hats/socks/gloves). Oh, and I buy pet food, too, but I don't store that on the futon (that is stored in my kitchen). I have outlets for all of these categories so I'll never run into a hoarding situation.
SO. . .true confession time. . .my favorite deals to find are on feminine hygiene products. That shit is so crazy expensive and when I can get it for pennies on the dollar it gives me JOY. (another true confession, I had a hysterectomy years ago, so I don't even use the damn things anymore so it's ALL for charity).
I hit the MOTHER LOAD of fem hygiene last weekend.
That there is SIX boxes (three tampon, two pad, one liner).
How much did I pay (out of pocket)?
$3.64
YES, you read that right. I only had to produce $3.64 to take that all from Target.
How did I accomplish such a marvelous act?
First, I had really good coupons. $2 off of EACH of the U by Kotex items. $3 off of EACH of the Playtex items. THEN, I had Cartwheel which took 20% off each of the black box U by Kotex.
So in discounts I saved $17.80.
(the Playtex items were $3.99 each, the white box was $5.49, and the black boxes were $6.99. . .none were on sale at all, those are full retail prices. Full retail cost would have been: $31.44)
$31.44 - 17.80 = 13.64
THEN, I paid using $10 in gift cards I received about a month ago. I got the gift cards for buying cat food and cat litter, both of which were the brands my cats use (so I count those kinds of gift cards as truly "found" money).
SO, I only had to come up with $3.64 cash to pay for my fem hygiene. That's only 60 cents per box!
AND. . .AND. . . Target was doing one of their "buy three, get a $5 gift card" on the U by Kotex branded items so I have a $5 gift card to use some other time.
I love the Target gift card racket. I get them all the time from pet items and then I use them to buy charity stuff.
And in that same trip I gathered up some clearance kids hats (2 pack for $3.50) and women's stretch gloves ($1.75 each). I hope those all get marked down again so I can grab up some more for even less.
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