John's DVD Player Bag

John got a portable DVD player for Christmas from me. It didn't come with any kind of bag so he put it in this little back and I started noticing that it got banged around a lot during transport to and from work. I decided that I wanted to make him a padded bag for it since it cost so much money I did not want his DVD player damaged. Problem was finding something that wouldn't look like a purse or a woman's bag. Since he love dragons so much I decided that I would make it out of material with dragons and that I would quilt it with the thickest batting I could find so that it would give a little protection to the player.

I went on a trip to see my Brother and his family and decided that I would look and see if there were any quilting shops in that town and found this great batiks fabric shop. They had this great fabric that was a blue batik and had white dragons on it. They were oriental dragons but it still looked good. I just now got around to making his bag. I think it turned out great. I was trying to decide whether or not to add some gems to the eyes or not but I think that would probably start turning it into more of a girl bag. He says he loves it but you know men. I still love it and I may steal it from him.

Mariners Compas Finished

Ok so it's been a while but the Mariners Compass was finished about month ago but I just never got around to posting any pictures. I did a little free motion quilting on it and tried my hand at stitch in the ditch. Looks a little sloppy but I like it.

Baby Doyle Quilt finished

I got the baby quilt that I started for Baby Doyle #2 back from the quilters (Thanks SAM!!!) and it looks absolutely wonderful. We had originally talked about putting the stars design on it since there are stars in the fabrics but when same started quilting it thought that a swirls pattern would look better and after seeing it I totally agree. I took these pictures as I was putting the binding on, but it is finished now and wrapped up. I hope they like it and I hope that they get tons of use out of it. I got it done just in time too because BFF#1 had the baby just a couple of days ago. I am hoping to go see them today. I can't wait!!

Another bag for Mom

I gave Mom a bag a while back that I made, if your keeping up with the blog it was blue tones in 5" squares. Then I made myself that same back in black red and gray but it was a little thicker than Mom's bag because I decided to quilt it a little. Wellllll, she liked my bag so much that she wanted another one so I made her one and quilted it with my free motion quilting foot. I gave it to her for Mother's day and I think she liked it alot.

John's Castle

If your keeping up with the blog at all you know I did a paper piecing Mariners Compass a while back and loved it. I like how you can make anything in fabric using a paper template. I had been looking for John a dragon because he collects them and since I have made something for everyone else lately I wanted to make something for him. I couldn't really find a good dragon but I did run across this website that had a bunch of free paper piecing patterns for shields. One of them was a castle and I loved it. I wanted to take pictures during the process but I forgot to and so I only have a pictures of the finished project. But here is the link to the free pattern and I just find it so amazing you can go from this..

http://www.lenzula.com/pattern/free/wappen/Hamburg.pdf

To this..

Now I wanted to make this a flag type hanging so what I did was add some batting in between and added some cording that set it off and tabs at the top. No I just have to find a small little craft flag hanger. Don't know where to find those right now. Then I am going to make him another flag from one of the other patterns. They have a bunch.

http://www.lenzula.com/pattern/free/coatsofarms.php

I am very happy with it and he loves it. I will try and post the next one I finish so you can see.

Now I am working on another bag for Mom and then I have a couple of dragon appliques that I downloaded for free as well.

Will try and be more diligent about posting here if anyone is really paying attention :-)

Photography

One of the reasons I have been absent lately is due to my growing interest in my photography. I have loved taking pictures and editing them for a long time. I took a bunch of photo shoots a while back but then I didn't have a reason to for a while and things got backed up and didn't have the time. But I have found new reason and have started a new site. If you have time go on over and check them out.

http://daisyturtlephotography.shutterfly.com/

Enjoy!!

Sorry for the absence

Been a while since I have posted anything on here and I would apologize if I had any followers but I dont. I have been doing other things and not sewing much lately. Although the baby quilt has been sent off to be quilted and will post pics when it get back. I have also worked on a very small project for John and will post some pics when it gets done.

Got let go from work due to lack of work and the company OVER hiring for a job that they didnt even have nailed down yet. So here I am unemployed AGAIN for the second time in 8 months. I have since been piddling around the house. Playing with my dog and being bored and worried. Things will work out dont worry, they always do.

Other than that I have actually had the time to revamp and change my photography website and get it all updated. Check it out sometime.
http://daisyturtlephotography.shutterfly.com/ looking great but still needs more tweeking. Please leave comments and sign the guestbook. Gotta run for now, will be back here soon.

Another purse

I have a first cousin who is still in high school. Her Junior Prom is coming up in April and I wanted to help her out with the cost a little by making her purse rather than her having to buy one. Now we all know how picky teenagers can be about homemade stuff and especially about using it for prom so I knew this would be a task that I would need to put some thought into. Basically the only thing she told me was that she wanted it to be metallic gold with black accents and no straps, just a small clutch purse. Well I have this pattern that is small and has a zipper on the front that I though would look very neat as a smaller version. Then I had to set out to find material. That was a task and a half. The right kind of metallic gold without being too gaudy or bright. I finally found some but boy was it hard to work with as far as cutting and staying in one place. Then I decided to put batting in the layers and do some free motion stitching into a swirly design. I actually drew it out before doing it. Took me a couple of tries to get the feel for it. I actually had to do alot of pulling out of threads before I got something that looked kind of decent. I even added an extra flap into the design that wasn't in the original pattern to hid the zipper. It turned out like this.

After looking at it for a while I though , you know it looks good but not PROM good. So I ran to Michael's and Hobby Lobby and gathered up some beads and crystals and started to work on it. I added the beads into the swirls with shiny gold, silver and black. Then I added some of those heat iron on crystals for some shine. Then I thought about putting a tassel on the zipper but thought it would be even better to add some strings of beads that she could put around her wrist to carry it so her hands were free for eating or dancing. I hope she likes it.

Coasters

Ever get a pattern or instructions for a project that just don't make any sense to you? I found these cute little coasters and the instructions for them online. After downloading and printing them out I found it very hard to understand the instructions. I do that alot though. So I just looked at the picture and put together in my head as many of the instructions that I could, and then just made them on my own. I think they turned out rather well. Opinions and comments welcome :-) (wink-wink). I used leftover scraps from the baby quilt I am working on. And its the first time that I tried out the new free motion quilting foot that my good Blog buddy Sam sent to me!! (THANKS SAM!!)

Mom's Placemats

I found this very cute fabric on sale for a $1 a yard one day at Wal-Mart that had birdhouses on it. I had an idea to get a yard or so and then doing something with it for my Mom for her kitchen since it has a birdhouse theme to it. I had no idea at the time what I was going to do but one day walking through my favorite sewing shop the Stitcher's Playhouse in Smyrna I found these table place mats with homemade cloth napkins. So I went to an all day Sit and Sew and the ladies out there helped me out a ton and taught me all kinds of things in sewing I didn't know. I appreciate them so much. And then the look on my Mom's face when she opened them at Christmas was work the cramps in my neck sewing all day that session. I think they were great.

Dresden Plate

Sorry it's been a few days since my last posting. I did say that I was going to keep up and post daily but I guess looking back that's not a realistic goal with so much going on. I had eye surgery last Tuesday and stuff just kept taking up time. Anyways...

Ok so bought this cute little Dresden plate template a while ago and never could really figure it out. So one day a couple months ago I decided to make a few and see what happens. I actually ended up with a cute complete circle and decided to put it on a background to save it. Here is what I came up with. I also decided to learn how to do the multiple colors of bindings by cutting on the bias of material strips sewn together. Kinda neat huh. I just hung it on the wall in my craft room. Doesn't really have a purpose or anything. Maybe one day soon I will do a full quilt.

Update on Eye Surgery

Ask me if I recommend having eye surgery on both eyes at once.... HECK NO!! I look and feel like someone hit me in both eyes hard. Someone asked if I was having corrective vision surgery and I wanted to clear that up. I have a condition that comes around about every 6 months or so. Basically its like this, everyone gets styes on their eyes periodically or maybe just once in their lives right? Well for 99% of the people out there they just go away on their own after a few days. Well mine do NOT. Mine just keep getting bigger and bigger and harder to the point I have to go have them removed surgically. I believe this was my 3rd hoedown. They don't know why some people have this problem and they don't know how to prevent them. So I am just having to settle with having them removed by a surgeon and just keep my fingers crossed in between that they wont come back. The first time I had them on both eyes, the second was just one and this time it was both again. Only this time they had to do a little more work than expected so I have stitches and it hurt a lot worse when I woke up. Now don't get me wrong, I love my surgeon. He is actually one of the leading eyelid plastic surgeons in the country. He does excellent work. I have no complaints other than them not being able to tell me why they keep coming back or how to stop them. This time I had my husband ask him to write down exactly what the condition is called so that I can look it up. Because at this point I am willing to try even home remedies or herbal or anything to keep them from coming back. Now I cant make heads or tails out of this drawing he did for John about my eyes but what I can make out is this Posterior Blepharitis and then at the bottom is the work Chalazion I think. I think he even said in the office visit a few weeks ago that some Dr.s will recommend trying taking Flax seed supplements. So I have started taking a Flax seed Oil supplement as well. I am going to try and do some research on the Internet but keeping in mind that not everything you read on the web is true. Well I guess I will try and get some work done before I get too tired. Will get back to posting about sewing hopefully tomorrow.

Eye Surgery

OK so today I don't have a lot to say because very shortly I am leaving for eye surgery. I am not real happy about it either so I am not in a very good mood. I will just leave you with pictures of the bag that I made for my mom from the same pattern as I made my bag from, its the City Bag. I have been trying to get some followers so if you like the blog tell your friends to sign up. :-)

Hopefully I will have more to post tomorrow.

Baby Quilt

My best friend is having baby #2. I could say I was jealous but I love them all too much to be jealous. I can't wait to meet this little boy because baby #1 is such a character his little brother would have to be. For baby #1 I really didn't know how to make quilts yet so I just made a ton of those little tiny pillows that I made for the biscuit pillows and made one large blanket out of them. I thought it was so cute and they loved it. Was made in purples because I started it before I knew what the baby would be. Here it is.

So for Baby #2 I thought since I have a little more knowledge on quilts I would try it out. here are some pictures of me making it along the way. First off here is the fabrics I chose and let me explain why. I am not really a sucker for your traditional baby colors. I mean why does everything have to be "baby blue" or "baby pink"? Also I think a quilt should not only reflect the person you are giving it to in mind but it should also have a little personality from the one making it as well. I love stars, moons and sky themes. Anything celestial I guess you would call it. And the colors and theses of these three fabrics just jumped out at me so much that I had to get them. I just love the way orange and blue looks together. Also since this quilt won't be your traditional baby style quilt that means that little Baby #2 will be able to carry it around like Linus for years to come. How special is that.

Here are the fabrics I chose. I figured the swirls in the light blue and the orange would tie together and then since both colors are in with the dark blue it would work out great. Then the light blue also has stars on it.

So then here are some shots of the progress so far.

Don't you just "love" Chain Piecing!!

These little triangles took a while but they were allot of fun to see coming together

More Chain Piecing woohooo!!

Getting closer and closer!! Now we have a cute little square!!

Now add some sashing and corner stones. Lining those up just right took a little time and patience but it was worth it.

So I spent all day today adding borders and more cornerstones. Viola!!

Now I have to pick the backing which I think I am going to go with the darker blue but I will have to run and get more. I didn't know how large this BABY quilt was going to be, I guess I didn't look at the directions well when it gave the finished measurements. Then I need to get batting and get it quilted. After that comes my most "un"favorite part the binding. Gotta all be done by May!! Will post more as I get them finished.

Well that's it for today kids. Come back tomorrow and I will show you something new. :-) Peace

My Bag

I have this bad habit of making something or sewing something and then giving it all away. Everything thing I have sewn I have pretty much given all of it away. Don't get me wrong I like giving gifts and I especially love seeing other people happy and all...buttttttt that leaves me only with pictures of the things I make and sometimes that makes me sad. So I decided that to make myself a bag all just for me for a couple of reasons. First of all I guess its time I stopped using my UnderArmor backpack as a purse, even though it had a ton more pockets than most purses and looks so much cooler. And secondly because I just wanted one and that should be enough of a reason. So since I don't really enjoy the traditional girly flowers or colors I went to Hobby Lobby looking for something that I would enjoy looking at everyday. I have this bag pattern that is called The City Bag and I really like it. I made one for my Mom a little while back when she requested a bigger bag to take on trips. Well it calls for a charm pack of 36 5" squares but I never see any charm packs in the stores I go to and plus I never really see any that I like. Either they are too girly or the colors just turn me off. So I went to Hobby Lobby and just made my own charm pack out of some coordinating fabrics that I fell in love with. Now they do have some flowers on them but they are red black and white and they matched the great Fleur da lis pattern that I found. I made the lining a black tweed and I really like it. Its all for me and no one get this one. Here it is... I call it my "All Mine" bag. :-)

Bucket Purses

So as I promised here is a little info on my bucket purses. After doing several of the simple patchwork purses I wanted to do something a little more. I was strolling through the Stitcher's Playhouse (my sewing hangout) and saw this cute purse hanging on one of the cabinets. I inquired and they said it was one of the purses they taught in a class but it had been a while back. They did however have the pattern for it for sale so I thought it and boy did it ever give me something to do. The first one I made was a cute little purse that I ended up giving to my Sister for Christmas. I also made a little wallet to go with it.

So I loved the way that turned out so well I made another one. Now this purse's fabric is just absolutely ugly to me, but when I was shopping for it there were a bunch of teenagers in the fabric shop talking about how they would love to have a bag from these materials so I figured I would go out on a limb and try it out. Didn't turn out to bad but I still think its ugly. I used this purse as my Dirty Santa gift for Christmas with the family. I think it went over pretty well. It came with a little wallet as well. OH and I put these little dangle things on it and that took me a while to figure out how to get them sewn on but was worth it in the end.

From there I started with a few others. The camo ones are for my Aunt who loves everything camo, and the plaid is for a cousin which has dangle things as well. There are infinite ways to make these purses and I am sure there will be several more that will come out of my sewing room. Here are a few more.

So that's it for today and for Bucket purses. Let me know what you think!!

Purses

OK so for the past year or so I have been pretty fascinated with sewing purses. Now most of you that know me personally will be kind of confused because I don't even carry a purse. But for some reason I just love sewing them and giving them away. My first ones were nothing to write home about I assure you. But they were cute and the people I gave them to really liked them. One I made from a place mat and one from some cute pink silky type stuff I found at Goodwill (and yes they have fabric at Goodwill if you catch them at the right time).

Here they are .

Then I learned how to make them without the seams showing on the inside and put a lining in with pockets. Still nothing fancy and I used patches of different materials to try and make them look quilty. I made this for Paula the night before a surgery I was having to help keep my nerves down a little.

With each purse I learned something new and added something when I got comfortable with how things worked and started adding decorative stitching to the handles and such. I made this purse for my Mom because when she saw the above purse she immediately wanted one. I think it was rather cute.

Then I made some for the nieces and made them each a little different so they would be the same yet not the same. These were for Christmas gifts and I filled them with Goodies.

Then I learned how to make bucket purses but that will have to be tomorrows post...to be continued :-)