100 Days on Pins and Needles

Felted Wool Bottle Cap Pincushion Tutorial 

Day 1

Recently I began creating pincushions of different kinds and it came to me that it might be of interest to others to see the many styles of pincushions and needle books there are out there.  With this in mind I have decided to begin a new project of creating 100 different kinds and styles of pincushions and needle books.  My goal is to create one new item every weekday until I have created 100 different ones.  I hope that there will be readers out there in cyberspace that will like to follow along in my journey.

Pincushion #1:  A bottle cap pincushion, a tiny little item that can easily be carried in a small sewing kit, usually created from a recycled plastic water bottle or soda bottle cap.  I decided to make mine a bit larger and use a 2 inch diameter plastic bottle cap from a juice bottle.  I had never made one before so I Googled instructions and found several sites to give me a good basis where to start.

http://www.free-homemade-gift-ideas.com/pin-cushion-patterns.html

http://www.craftstylish.com/item/945/how-to-make-pretty-pincushions/page/all

Using these tutorials I came up with my own pattern and instructions

Here is the materials list and the steps I took to make my own style and size of bottle cap pincushion.

 Materials:

bottle cap ( I used a juice bottle cap that measured approximately 2 inches across)

felted wool or acrylic wool  (I used bits of felted wool)

Polyester fiberfill

thread (you can match your felt or use a contrasting color depending on how you want it to look)

hand sewing needle

small sharp scissors

beads or buttons for decorations (optional)

clear floral stones that are flat on one side ( to add a bit of weight to the pincushion)

jewel glue (make sure it is permanent glue used to adhere beads, rhinestones, etc to fabric)

hot glue gun or fabric glue

1.  Most instructions ask you to cut out a circle.  I decided to place some jewel glue in the center of the cap and then place onto a small square of fabric then I just trimmed around the cap with a small pair of sharp scissors.

2.  Cut a strip of felt to fit around the bottle cap, make sure you cut it about 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch wider than the lip of the bottle cap.  Cut it long enough to go around the cap and slightly overlap on the other edge.  You can use a rotary cutter and cutting mat or just use a pair of scissor like I did.

 

 3.  I don't do embroidery so I used matching thread and did a simple whip stitch to attach the strip of felt to the felt on the base of the bottle cap.  The glue on the bottom of the cap helps to hold the base felt in place so all I had to do was to hold on to the edge strip of felt while I sewed around the base.

4.  Stick the floral stones to the inside of the cap with hot glue. This will help to hold everything together when sewing the top of the pincushion on.

5.  Cut out a circle 3 1/2 inches in diameter.  If you want you can decorate your circle with the beads or buttons at this point or you can wait until you are finished making your pincushion.  It is easier to decorate the circle while it is flat but the choice is yours.  I was using beads so I decided to decorate it now.  If you want to do an embroidered design that would look great too.

6.  Sew a running stitch around the outer edge of the circle and pull tight to create a small "cup".  Stuff the "cup"  firmly with polyester fiberfill then tie off your thread.

7.  You can hot glue the top of the pincushion in place over the floral stones, or just hold it in place and stitch the top to the side strip of the cap.

  

8.  Using a hot glue gun with a fine tip point I added a thin line of glue along the edge of the side strip and added some metallic braiding to finish it off.  You could also use fabric glue if you do not have a glue gun or rather not use one.

9.  I decided a few more beads were needed and so I sewed on a few more and then I added 3 usable quilter's pins as an extra decoration.

  

10.  I did a second one and instead of metallic braiding I added pearls that come pre-strung and sold on a spool or by the yard at any JoAnn Fabrics or Hobby Lobby.  I stitched them on taking a stitch between beads using white thread.

These pincushions are fun and easy to put together and would make great gifts.  Decorate them however you like adding beads, sequins, felt cutouts or embroidery, the possibilities are endless and only restricted by your imagination.

I hope you find this tutorial easy to understand and follow.  If you use my directions please let me know and please share photos too, it would be great to see what others are making. 

Creative Day 4 - New Tools

"Progress is not created by contented people."

Frank Tyger

Creative Day 4 

Sometimes creativity is not just about making something but it is about learning something new.  As a quilter I have many tools that are used to create designs, rulers of all sizes, templates for cutting out shapes, books with patterns, sewing machines, quilting machines, and a computer.  I use most of these tools daily but the one I have not used very much is my computer, that is until today.  I decided to utilize my computer to create a paper pieced pattern that I have wanted to try for a long time but never had the courage to do before.

A Mariner's Compass Quilt Block has always seemed too difficult to do but I have always wanted to give one a try and I decided that learning to draft one was probably a good starting point.  I have Electric Quilt programs 6 and 7 and have used them occasionally to draft custom blocks for my memory quilts but never to create a mariner's compass. After a bit of research I found a great tutorial on-line to get me started, http://freelessons.jantsutopia.com.au/ ,and after reviewing it I gave it a try.  It took me several attempts before I finally got a design that I was pleased with and that I could convert to the type of pattern I wanted.

http://www.electricquilt.com/shop/eq7/eq7.asp

After working on the computer most of the day I finally have a pattern for a 12 inch block that I can convert to paper piecing and start working on.  It is not an extremely complicated pattern but for my first try I think it is a good place to start.

Tools are very useful but sometimes the tools themselves can seem scary to use. We keep them around because the intentions are always there to learn more about them but we put off using them because of the time it will take to become comfortable with them.  Tools are by definition:  a device for doing work, a means to achieve something, something used in the course of somebody's everyday work, so today I learned how to use one of my many tools and really had fun doing it.

If you drop in please leave a comment and let us know what tools do you have that you have yet to make the most of or which tools are your favorite.

Daily Creativity

"Creativity is the defeat of habit by originality."

Arthur Koestler

This year has been a real downer for me and in an effort to revive my creative side I have started a daily creative journal.  One creative project per day for as long as I can keep it up, which I hope is a long time.

Creative Day 1

Keeping it simple and using only what I have on hand I made a simple fabric postcard, "Today is the Beginning", a reminder of things to come.

When I finished with the postcard I decided a handmade envelope would be a good way to complete today's creativity project.

The postcard can be hand cancelled at the post office but I rather put mine into an envelope to make sure that it doesn't get dirty and if any embellishments are added they won't get pulled off or damaged.

This is the first of what I hope to be many projects and I hope to focus on my quilting more than anything.  There are many techniques that I am anxious to try out and doing them in smaller projects will help me decided which ones I want to explore more deeply.

Please feel free to leave a comment, or give a suggestion as to any projects or techniques that might be fun and interesting to try out in a small project.

Calculations and Free Apps

"The things of this world cannot be made known without a knowledge of mathematics"

Roger Bacon

I was never fond of math class and it wasn't because I didn't understand it, I just wasn't a numbers person, at least I didn't think I was.  You know it was one of those classes that you think you will never need, so why try.  Little did I know then that I would be using it on a daily basis in my business and not only for keeping track of the bookkeeping.  Most of the time I do the math myself but sometimes I like to take shortcuts so finding new helpful sites or apps can come in very handy.

When it comes to quilting there are always calculations to be made, from size of finished and unfinished blocks to the total size of the quilt itself.  I make custom t-shirt quilts using shirts that people have been saving for years so they are in varying sizes making it necessary to figure out placement and measurements to make the quilt look balanced.  I also add sashing strips and framing borders so this all needs to go into the calculations of the finished size of the quilt.  Blocks are not always the same size so making it looked balanced can be tricky.

The purple quilt was actually lots of fun to put together, it really challenged me because of the sizes of shirts and the designs.  I loved working on this quilt even though it had me pulling my hair out at times while trying to make all my calculations and get the setting just right.

There are lots of calculations that go into creating a custom t-shirt quilt and those I do myself, but sometimes we quilters like to use shortcuts especially when calculating batting, backing fabric, or binding fabrics.  When I need help with this I go to one of my favorite sites called "Quilters Paradise" to make everything go so much faster  http://www.quiltersparadiseesc.com/Calculators.php    Well a couple of days ago one of my facebook friends asked about calculating corner triangles and I sent her the link to this great site to help her out.  When I went to check the link I found that they had added this wonderful new iphone / ipad app that makes it so easy to just carry this calculator with you when you go shopping. It took seconds to download on my phone and I did it while I was shopping and had the calculator ready to figure out yardage right on the spot.

This app is handy not just if you quilt, if you use fabric for any craft you might find it handy to calculate how many pieces of a specific size you can get out of a certain size of fabric.  You might even be able to use it for paper crafting since you plug in the size of fabric/paper you are using and what finished size of item you need.  I hope that some of you may find this web site or app helpful, I know I find it a very handy tool.

If you have any other free apps or website links to helpful tools add a comment and share your ideas.  I love finding new sites that make life easier, especially when it comes to work.  

Happy Mother's Day

"She who forms the souls of the young is greater than any painter or sculptor."

Saint John Chrysostom

Today is Mother's Day and for the last 14 years it has been a bitter sweet celebration for me.  I lost my mother to her battle with cancer on March 9th fourteen years ago and this day has been a difficult one for me every year since.

My mother and I shared the love of creating beautiful things.  I remember as a child sitting and watching her sew beautiful gowns for proms and weddings.  This was the only type of sewing she would agree to make for family and friends because she always felt that if she was going to make something it would be something out of the ordinary and not something for everyday use.  I myself began sewing at a very young age using scraps of fabric to make clothing for my dolls and by the time I was in high school I was making my own clothes. 

I don't ever remember her making any quilts while I was growing up, it wasn't until I was a grown up with daughters of my own that quilting came into my life.  When I began to quilt she also began to make quilts and although she never saw some of my best and biggest creations she did get to see my first ones.  Those last few years of her life we shared some quilting experiences together and she actually created Sunbonnet Sue quilts for each of my girls that we lovingly take care of today. I helped her put finishing touches on a  machine appliqued butterfly quilt that she made to carry with her to her chemo appointments and I made her a sweatshirt jacket with quilted fans on it for her to wear to keep her warm.  She made quilts for everyday use and didn't worry about matching seams perfectly or other things that as a quilter I would never dream of leaving undone today.  Those were her quilts and no matter what shortcuts she took or what quilting details she left undone these were her creations and she was proud of them.   I still keep her quilts in my closet along with her jacket that I made, I take them down sometimes just to hold them and think of her.  These items are the only physical connections I have left with her and I hold those items dear to my heart. 

I miss her so very much and there have been times when I felt as if I couldn't get through the day without her to talk to, but at those times I know that she is still here with me.  She is with me in every stitch I take when I create a new quilt, whether that quilt is for me or for someone else I know she is proud of who I have become and of what I do.  For most of her last year we lived on two different continents but managed to mend many bridges and came to understand one another better than we ever had before.  I got to share some final thoughts with her a couple of weeks before she fell into a semi-conscious state, and quietly her soul passed into the night and her body found peace on the morning of March 9, 1996.

I thank God for giving me those last few years with her, he gave us time to heal from old wounds and to find a renewed bond through a common love of sewing and creating beautiful things. 

I love you Mom.

The Power of a Word

I have never made New Year Resolutions; there was never any point because I knew I wasn't going to stick to it.  I was always a "fly by the seat of my pants" sort of gal, but as the seat of my pants have gotten larger over the years, it has become more like flying a kite.  A kite sort of just goes wherever and you need to fight with it to keep it up in the air and just sort of hold on for dear life, not my idea of a good plan.  Something needs to change.

While looking over my Facebook page I found, Lisa Fulmer the guest designer at http://onepowerfulhour.blogspot.com/ , inviting readers to join a challenge.  Pick an inspirational word for 2010?  The possibilities are endless, but it had to be "one" word.

Last month I began looking at my quilting UFOs (unfinished Objects), and trying to get them under control by vowing to complete two of these each month.  So far so good and maybe blogging about them will keep me accountable, sort of like having someone watching you so you need to follow through.  Yet I feel that there needs to be more than completing things that have been left by the wayside.  There has to be new stuff along the way to keep me motivated.  Could the word be "stuff"?

I started my business a year and a half ago and although I know that any new venture takes time, I see others doing similar work that are doing much better than I am, leaving me a bit unfullfilled.  I have decided that I need to read and learn and listen to others and their experiences and not duplicate but adjust things to my needs and what I do best.  As I continue to give my business more thought I realize that this last year I have been "making" items for my shop but not been adding many "creations".  This has left me uninspired and unmotivated.  So this has to be my word for 2010, "create", a word that challenges and fulfills me at the same time, something that I feel I have not been doing.

I proceeded to "create" my inspiration board.  This is what I came up with.

As a quilter I had to include thread and fabric, but I also love to embellish and applique so those techniques had to be included also.  The background layer of fabric and thread has an overlay of irridescent tulle that sort of adds a veil to the foundation of my board.  The upper layers are sewed on or glued on bringing them to the top as they surface and inspire me to "create".