Playground Challenge #377

Time for another card to take along to the Playground for the latest challenge and if you call in you will see a super card with rainbow umbrellas - something to brighten the day with its cheery colours.  If you enter the challenge your name could go into the 'hat' for a chance to own the umbrella die set.

My card has used up quite a few snippets.  The background paper was an off-cut of reasonable size from papers given away free with a magazine; the flowers and leaves were residing in a little tray on my desk - leftovers from other projects.A search through my snippets 'blue' container found enough of a matching blue to cut the label shapes and a small snippet of white was used to die cut the words.

Background - free with Phill Martin magazine
Flowers - stamped and punched using different Stampin'  Up sets
Label Shapes - Spellbinders dies from way back

Another Bag Made

I've had it in mind to make this particular bag for some time so I set about sorting through my scraps of Batik fabrics to cut out 48 squares which I thought would go together colour-wise, adding just a border of black as a contrast.  Fortunately I had a piece of suitable colour to make the lining, button loop and the little side ties.  The basic pattern is one which I bought from Juberry Fabrics a few years ago at a show but I've adapted it somewhat, particularly on the inside where I've added two zipped 'letterbox' pockets.  The original pattern was made up in one overall fabric with an external plain pocket in contrasting fabric.but I'd spotted one made up with multicoloured squares so that is what I wanted for this version.  The two panels were made up and then quilted before tackling the construction.

You will have heard of 'extreme' sports, and possibly 'extreme' ironing - well this turned out to be 'extreme' bag-making because I used some foam interlining.This makes a beautifully firm bag that will stand up on it's own but my goodness I found it hard work manipulating it under the machine (age could be a contributing factor here!!).  Actually stitches easily but the general unwieldiness was definitely a battle although I am happy with the result.   The ties at the sides can be unfastened so that it opens out to be a more capacious bag - final measurements are approximately 12" x 11" x 6".

Pattern for Bag Shape - Juberry Fabrics
Foam Interlining - Bosal single side iron-on foam
Batik fabrics - from Hannah'sRoom

Change of Activity

I've not done any stitching since I went into lock-down - couldn't get motivated somehow but I thought it was about time I changed that situation.  I'm very fond of Redwork embroidery and I knew that some time ago I had embroidered some panels with different quirky cats so I went in search of them to remind me how many I'd done and to maybe decide what to actually do with them.  There were six finished panels but three were landscape format and three portrait format  which I thought would cause a bit of a problem trying to incorporate them into a small quilt so I decided eventually that making some bags with embroidered panels on the side might be the way to go and so far I've made three.  When you see the photograph the eagle-eyed amongst might observe that the cat is actually purple and not red.  Redwork was indeed traditionally carried out using red thread - Turkey red I think originally - but I chose to make all my cats purple in a break from tradition.

Fortunately I had some purple fabric and also some lining with purple colours in it for the linings.  Having worked out a suitable size for the tote bags I cut various strips and panels to build up the front and back.  I'm aiming to make four altogether; two with a vertical cat design on each side, two with a horizontal design on each side and one each using the two left over panels one one side with a plain piece on the other.

My next job is to clear up the chaos left in the living room from my mad sewing session!!

Anniversary Heart

Just realised I've not written a post since Thursday so here is an Anniversary card which was made recently using an embossing folder which came as a free gift a few years ago and proved so popular that there are several variations available which are very similar but with varying textures in the two areas.  Also stamps available to go with this style.  I've simply die cut a heart with a sentiment and butterflies, one layer in cream and the top layer in the same pearl card as the embossed background.  The words were stamped onto some cream card and die cut to match the curve.  The tiny heart on the sentiment banner was 'waste' from the main heart motif - just felt I should use it!!

Embossing Folder - several variations available from Craft Stash
Curved banner - die also from Craft Stash also word stamps available
Heart die - from Tonic dies, another freebie.

Floral Bouquet

I watched a video recently from the talented Christina and have CASE'd one of the cards which she made - at least it is quite similar.  Like Christina I too have a few flowers and leaves left to make another card.  I brushed some colour onto a piece of white card and then stamped with a tiny 'splodge' stamp for a bit of detail.  The flowers were all stamped onto white watercolour card, coloured using Inktense pencils and a paintbrush with water. Not all of the flowers have matching dies and some had to be fussy cut with scissors but they were quite easy to do. The foliage was die cut from green card.  The bouquet was assembled and adhered using glue and foam pads when I was happy with the arrangement.  A few sparkles were added using stickles.

Flowers - Flower stamps with matching dies Card Making Magic

Playground Challenge #376

Time again to pop along to the Pixie Snippets Playground and this time I've made a scene - that phrase always makes me smile!!  I came across a set of Woodland themed dies which were given as a free gift with a magazine probably around this time last year (maybe even before that) - unused, packet unopened would you believe.  Anyway I decided to combine them with a couple of toadstool dies which I particularly wanted to use in some way.  Bought them on a whim and then couldn't think what to do with them - typical!!  Anyway apart from the base card everything else has been cut from snippets of white or coloured card.  I found a piece of blue card which fitted and started by stamping the greeting and a flight of birds using the Misti of course.  All the other pieces were die cut, coloured as necessary and shuffled around to make a pleasing scene, gluing them down when I was happy with the result..  The woodland set has quite a range of dies included and now they are out of the packet and stored away I'm sure I will be using them again soon for different scenes.

Woodland Scene die set given free with magazine last year
Birds - stamp from High Tide, Stampin' Up
Toadstool dies - from well known online source

Birthday Wit

I've used another stamp from the Birthday Wit set to make this card - these stamps are quite fun and cards made using them seem to be suitable for male or female, young or old.  The dog image was one I stamped and coloured a while ago and found amongst some of the bits on my desk.  I simply added a bit of textured colouring to a scrap of watercolour paper before stamping the little motif (also from the set), layering it up with some toning designer paper and that's it really for today.

We've lost the beautiful sunny weather and today is dull and rather wet in this part of the country.

Stamp Set - Birthday Wit by Stampin' Up
Dog - from a set of stamps by Tim Holtz, Sizzix
Texture stamp - Clarity