Buzzing and Bumbling: June 2013

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Put a Stamp on It! A Shared Day!

I'm part of the "Put a Stamp on It" blog hop going on right now! I've been sweating it because of several "impediments" to my getting this post out - vacation, grandkids here, and then a computer crash (with an estimated date for the delivery of a new computer on July 10th)! Hopefully, you haven't given up on me by now!

My stamp, which is all applique, shows off my state, Texas! I should probably say "my part of the state", because Texas has forested areas, mountains, hills, coastlines, swamps, desert....almost any landform you can imagine. Well, not tundra, although the panhandle area gets quite a bit of snow in the winter! I was born and grew up in San Antonio.

Now, after living on the east coast for 20 years, I live just south of San Antonio where prickly pear, bluebonnets, and longhorn cattle are pretty common!

My granddaughter, Delaney, is with me and is learning a little more about sewing.

She made a stamp too! We made it a Nana/Granddaughter project. I really think hers is much more adorable than mine!

She designed it herself, too!

My stamp became a throw pillow......

and hers looks perfect in my sewing room!

Unfortunately, she will be taking hers home with her when she leaves.

Many thanks to our cheerleaders, Mdm. Samm and Thearica of Pigtails and Quilts!
Be sure and visit the other blogs on this hop! Here they are:

June 28

Robin's Fabric Nest

In The Sewing Basket

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Just Quilt It

AnnieOak Designs

Buzzing and Bumbling

krislovesfabric

CherrysPrairiePrimitives

Hanging On By A Thread

Monday, June 17, 2013

I've returned from my prolonged "adventure" in babysitting and eight days of vacation, driving from California through Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. I've been gone for over a month and I brought my grandkids back with me for an extended stay!
Since I'm signed up for a blog hop that starts on the 26 (my day is the 28th), I have recruited my 10 year old granddaughter to hop along with me!

She did such a great job on her project, which is to be a "stamp" design, that even if I never made mine you wouldn't be disappointed in what you will see. Here's a peak at the back. Let me tell you - it's adorable!!!
Our trip took us to Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Tombstone, Arizona, and Carlsbad Caverns. Most of our pictures need to be "gone through", but I did download a few taken in the Tombstone Museum that might be of interest to those of us who sew! If you could go back in time to the 1800's, you might go through a scenario like this:

Get out the iron so you can press your dress. This iron weighs 21 pounds!(Not to speak of continuously putting it back on the flame to reheat it! AND....it was 118 degrees just outside of Tombstone when we were there!)

You decide to bring the black beaded handbag because it holds a few more coins and you know you will need a LOT!You also clean up your gloves a little so people won't think poorly of you!

Oh, no! You need to fry some chicken to take along for lunches on the trip. Maybe a few apples will help, too!

It's time to catch the stage coach! You hurry down the stairs dragging your heavy wooden trunk and find someone to help you carry it to the station.

You're ready to go, but after a brief talk with the driver, you find out there is no such thing yet as a Quilt Shop!!! Oh, NO!! You'll have to either rely on the two calico designs the local general store has ordered (the same two that every woman in town has made her family's clothing from), or use up old scraps and clothing!

Aren't you glad we live in this day and age where all we have to do is click a button on the computer?

Monday, June 10, 2013

Lola, And a Giveaway!

This line in rich browns, golds, grays, and blacks is called Lola! This is the third set of fabrics I was given as part of a challenge. I had about 1/4 yard of each design in this line. I kept thinking of coffee when I took it out, so my ideas followed that line of thinking.

First of all, I made a Mug Bag using the pattern found here. It holds a coffee cup and has a pocket for cream or sweetener.

Then I made coasters. It was fun matching the fabrics for these! This is what you'll need:

Hexagon templates - Mine are from Quilt Sense and they are available in many fabric shops as well as online. They have 3 sizes of templates as well as a 60 degree triangle.

glue stick
fleece or batting
fabric
rotary cutter
iron for pressing after gluing

Using the two largest hexagons (5 1/4" and 4") cut a large hexagon (this will form the back and the binding of the coaster and a smaller hexagon, which will become the center, from two coordinating fabrics.
Cut a 4" hexagon from the fleece or batting. (I like to use fleece because it gives more protection to the table and it will not shrink during washing.
Find the center of the large hexagon and working from the wrong side of the larger piece, use a little glue to adhere the fleece and then the center fabric over that (right sides up).

Remove the templates and turn the raw edges of the larger hexagon down about 1/4". (Run the glue stick along the outer edge and then turn it back. It will adhere and you can press it into place.) (Alternatively, if you want a very narrow binding edge, turn the raw edge back to meet the edge of the smaller hexagon (basically, you are folding the edges that show in half). Press.

Using the glue again, turn the edges back over the center hexagon. Fold it over right at the edge of the center hexagon. Press to dry the glue and set the crease.