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Two Years On

August 31, 2011 by 10 Comments

Hard to believe but it’s true…the blog turns two.  Blogging has given me so much more than I ever expected.  I can’t imagine life without the friends I’ve made.  Nor can I imagine life without all the inspirational sites I’ve grown so fond of, visiting them over my morning coffee and feeling grateful for the way the Internet can broaden our lives.

Thank you to each of you who visit here, who leave comments and send emails.  I appreciate the time you spend here and the things you share with me.  Thanks for coming along on this part of my journey!

Filed Under: miscellany

More Monograms

August 29, 2011 by 5 Comments

More thread play at Casa P over the last few days.  I haven’t grown tired of my gorgeous threads.  I did take a break from the embroidery on the Spiderweb quilt.  It was too hot to have that quilt top sitting in my lap.  Squares of Aida cloth were another story altogether though.

A tutorial for this little pin cushion is in the works, just in case your resistance to beautiful threads is as weak as mine.

And since we’re talking threads in this post, have you seen Bari J’s new blog We Love French Knots?  Go over and see all the pretty things.  Lots of great tips and inspiration to be found there.

Filed Under: crafts, embroidery, house and home

Notable and Quotable

August 27, 2011 by 3 Comments

A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way. 

Filed Under: books, cats

Still At It

August 24, 2011 by 7 Comments

I just can’t leave this quilt alone.  No matter how hard I try focusing on other things, I keep coming back to this Spiderweb quilt.  Maybe because I’m so much closer to finishing it.

 Or maybe because I’m having too much fun adding embroidered elements like crazy spiky flowers.

 And french knot butterflies.

Whatever it is, I’m hooked.  Every day I add a little bit more.  Soon it will be time for basting and quilting.

What keeps calling you back this week?

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Best Laid Schemes

August 22, 2011 by 4 Comments

You know the thing about the best laid schemes…they often go astray.  Fortunately for me, I am not quite the enduring pessimist that Mr. Burns was.  My scheme for the weekend was to sit and play with my new Anchor threads.  Instead, I spent it finishing up the quilt top of the Sis Boom Spiderweb.

This one web gives you a glimpse of the mismatched vibe of the quilt.  The strips are unequal in size, the outer edges of the web do not match perfectly at the white star points and the center does not have perfect points.  At the beginning I did it because I didn’t like the uneven strips with perfectly matched seams everywhere else.  By the end, I realized the total effect is more organic.

I prefer the slightly messy look of it all.  Perhaps because real spider webs are often messy.  And heaven knows, the interconnected web of our existences is a jumble we can never perfectly arrange.

Phase 3 will take a bit more time as I have plans to use those new threads to add bits of excitement to the quilt top before quilting.  Stay tuned for more on that in the future.

Have a Happy Monday.  And don’t forget to look for the unexpected joy in the changing circumstances and altered plans of Life.  Because man or mouse, plans will go astray. Robert Burns was right about that.

Filed Under: color, creativity, fabric, house and home, quilting, quilts, scraps, sis boom

My Weekend Color Fix

August 19, 2011 by 2 Comments

It is truly a happy Friday here at Casa P.  Look at all these beautiful Anchor perle cotton threads!  They arrived yesterday after a lengthy trip from the UK.  Aren’t they amazing?

In the photo it appears as though I received duplicates of golds and rust.  However, they’re all different shades.  I’m excited about putting these to use.  These colors will complement the assortments of Anna Maria Horner’s collection which I’ve been gushing over for weeks.

I promised you a look at the finished pillow from this post.  This traditional quilt block looks fresh and modern in West Indies (which incidentally is popping up in shops now).  Irregularly spaced squares of quilting and a gathered fabric flower with buttons add to the modern vibe.

The weathermen are promising even cooler temperatures this weekend.  It will be the kind of weather that encourages sitting by the window curled up with thread and embroidery.  Good thing I got that package in time.

Have a great Friday!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Free Owl Softie Pattern

August 18, 2011 by 1 Comment

Looking for a whimsical project to whip up?  Maybe something for kids, grandkids, nieces or nephews?  Head over to Free Spirit’s blog for my latest free pattern.  With all the mixing and matching each owl develops his own personality.  Like the slightly bonkers but totally lovable one below.

All you need are fabrics scraps, fusible web, stuffing and a couple of buttons. These also make a great applique for a t-shirt, a pillow or even a quilt.

Enjoy!

Filed Under: crafts, embellishments, fabric, freebie, pattern, sis boom, tutorials

Where Has All the Sunshine Gone?

August 14, 2011 by 4 Comments

The weather pattern here on the coast has been consistent–consistently gray and below average temperatures.  It is highly demotivating for me.  I’m definitely a sunny skies and warm weather girl.  To cheer myself up I filled my craft/cutting table with colorful fabrics and made do.

Once again, I am subconsciously picking up themes from the garden.  The fresh green and white combination in the alyssum is mimicked in the pillow cover made in West Indies prints.  I have one more bit to add and then I can show you the finished project.

Mostly, I played with fabrics that provided the vibrancy I’m missing in the environment. Sis Boom scraps went together for a few more half square triangles for my Sis Boom Spiderweb quilt.  I love the way unexpected print combinations are revealed.  For instance, the red Sis Boom Basics stripe and the Matilda from the new West Indies collection make for a very dramatic pair.

The sun is breaking through the marine layer as I type.  Oh happy day!  Enjoy the remainder of your weekend.  May your day be sunny and bright.

Filed Under: creativity, fabric, house and home, nature, plants, scraps, sis boom

Fabric Talks

August 10, 2011 by 8 Comments

Sometimes you see a particular fabric and know immediately who is meant to have some.  The fabric, Matilda in Brandy from Jennifer’s West Indies collection, shouts their name loud and clear.  As soon as I saw this toile in blue and red, I said, out loud and with no one to hear me, “That is so Rachael!”  I let ideas percolate a bit and this pillow cover is the result.   

Stinka helped get a photo.  You can tell she’s exhausted by her modeling session.  Such hard work.  Especially when you have to fight sudden feline urges to sink your teeth into the nice fluffy quilt.

I used Anchor embroidery thread for the counted cross stitch.  The color is 29 and is from Anna Maria’s palette of threads.  If you haven’t been over to check out these threads…..what are you waiting for?!

I love the vibrancy of the colors in this print, especially with a dash of white.  There’s something about this print that is quintessential Sis Boom.  I know Rachael and I won’t be the only ones to think so.

Filed Under: animals, Anna Maria Horner, cat, cats, crafts, embroidery, fabric, house and home, sewing, sis boom

Mod Podge Hangers

August 10, 2011 by 5 Comments

Mod Podge does it again!  Another fun, quick and highly individualized project.  A new grandnephew is on the way and these small hangers are the perfect addition to a basket of gifts.  I experimented with a few different fabrics and trims.  Including some scraps of laminated quilting cotton in the hanger below.

Assemble the basics and get started.  

Here’s how:

  • Prepare fabric scrap by applying fabric Mod Podge to the right side of fabric with applicator.  Remember to use something like foil or wax paper underneath to protect your surface.
  • When dry, carefully trace hanger outline onto wrong side of fabric. Cut.
  • Apply fabric to hanger with regular Mod Podge.  Repeat for other side.  
  • If desired, add more Mod Podge to fabric.  This would be a great time to add Sparkle or Glimmer Mod Podge.  (If using laminated fabric, skip this step.)
  • Using Mod Podge or craft glue, apply trim around edges of hanger.
  • Add decorative bits to top of hanger.  (Pom poms, ribbons or beads all work well.)

And that’s it! You’re ready to gift some adorable hangers. 

For these projects, I used Tanya Whelan’s Delilah fabrics and Jennifer Paganelli’s laminated Honey Child fabric.  The wooden hangers are available at Michael’s.

Filed Under: crafts, fabric, family, house and home, mod podge, sis boom, tutorials
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