Long, long ago in a far off blogosphere dream...

Long, long ago in a far off blogoshpere a little cowgirl dreamt of one day creating her own unique world in said blogosphere.  Then she woke up and reality hit her like a ton of bricks - BLOGGING IS A LOT OF WORK.

Yes, I befell to the delusional blogging dreams that it's easy to tap out a few lines everyday and share with the online world of bloggers.  Oh, how I long for those idealistic dreams of my young blogging life (you know the young blogging life of 8 posts ago, which was really two years ago). Sigh.

I could revisit some of those first blogs, but why rehash the past?  The past is just that, in the past.  So let's move forward!  I am not going to make any wild promises of daily blogs.  I've learned my lesson on that aspect.  "Oh, pray, tell, what lesson is that?"  Where to begin answering this question?  

I get home from work and I'm tired, for one.

I procrastinate, for two.

I get pictures ready then forget about them, for three.

But really... I'm just plain lazy.  Yep, I said it.  I admit it.  I AM LAZY.  Plain and simple - lazy.

I could type out some amazing goals that I want to accomplish this year, but let's keep it real.  If I post once a month that would be a miracle!  So, for now I say, let's see what happens and keep checking back for some wild and crazy ramblings!

My Quilting History & Photo Gallery

My quilting history begins when I was 8 years old.  My parents gave me a choice – you can be a Girl Scout OR you can join 4-H, but you can’t do both.  That was probably the last time I was forced to make a choice in activities.  As many of my friends can attest I was in all sorts of clubs during my youth.  I chose 4-H and one of the project areas was sewing.  Mom signed me up for the class and I vaguely remember running off to the Lake County Extension office for classes.  One of the first things we made was a basic 9-patch pillow.  Now, I cannot remember if I finished the entire sewing course, but I do remember thinking that I didn’t want to just sew a pillow or an apron.  I do vividly remember sitting with my mom at the sewing machine creating my first sewing project for Achievement Days.  I fondly remember the glow of the sewing machine light on the fabric as it whirred under the needle and the light reflecting from my mothers’ face.  You see my mom is a seamstress, and like any 8 year old girl I wanted to be just like my mommy.  So I chose to make a pretty little yellow A-line dress.  Of course I bit off a little more than I could chew, but then I still do that.  I received a red ribbon for my meager efforts.  If any of you know the ribbon placing for South Dakota 4-H, you will know this isn’t a very good placing. 

So, how did I learn about quilting?  I had a wonderful Jr. High School Home Economics teacher (yes, back then we called it Home Ec).  Mrs. Hoff always included basic quilting skills in the sewing portion of class and as a group we would make a quilt together.  Everyone made their own individual blocks. Then I believe Mrs. Hoff took the blocks and sewed them together forming the top and she would layer it.  After all this was done we would clear the center of the room and the quilt would be stretched onto a full frame so the entire quilt would be stretched out.  We would then tie the quilts.  I remember crawling under the frame to push the needle up through the bottom.  How Mrs. Hoff managed all of us, I will never know!  I really don’t remember who finished the binding and I cannot really remember what was done with the quilts.  Perhaps we raffled them off, but I’m not totally sure.  It was very exciting and fun. The Home Ec class was on the 3^rd floor of the old Madison Jr. High building.  I always found this room fascinating; tucked away under the eaves of this beautiful brick building with creaky wood floors and an old iron fire escape off the back.

Now in high school I had another fabulous Home Economics teacher, Mrs. Goldammer.  Our high school FCS (that’s Family & Consumer Sciences, the modern name) program was set up in classes by topic.  For instance, there was a class just on foods & nutrition, a class specifically for interior design, and another class that covered sewing.  You get the idea – there was a wide array of classes to choose from.  Although Mrs. G (that’s what we called her, and on occasion I would slip and call her mom; it’s nice to have more than one “mom” isn't it?) is a wonderful quilter and because I was interested in a wide array of topics, I was never able to take her sewing class.  Here we are back to 4-H.  One year my 4-H club decided to make 2 quilts to raffle off to raise some funds, maybe for our arena or for equipment – I can’t quite remember (now currently that’s a common theme for me – poor memory).  I was a Sr. 4-Her and if I remember correctly the only Sr. to participate.  In fact I’m not sure that many members assisted with the project.  The younger members made a very simple quilt out of bandanas, very cute!  I ended up making a more complex quilt, and I’m pretty sure the parent in charge, Renee, helped me out - a lot.

It wasn’t until years later when Lisa, one of my best friends from high school, was pregnant with her first child that I really took a keen interest in learning to quilt.  I made the simplest panel quilt for her new baby.  And thus began a love of quilting.  I’ve kind of turned a 180 and have done far more quilting in the last decade than wearable projects.  As with many people who sew the obsession with fabric is very strong within me and I have fabrics with the intension of some day creating clothing or accessories… some day J 

As of late, it seems like someone is always having a baby and I drop whatever project I am working on, or thinking about working on, to make a baby quilt.  So, I guess you could say that I have specialized in designing and creating baby quilts.  Many of the quilts below are just that – baby quilts.  I rarely use a commercial pattern and no two quilts are exactly identical in pattern or fabric.  I do like to reuse and recycle fabric, as well.  I am not fond of the actual "quilting" step and I cannot afford to have my works long-arm quilted, so I only do simple quilting techniques.  Now, these are by no means inclusive of all of the quilts I have ever made.  In fact, I don’t have a single picture of any of the full-size quilts I’ve made.  Additionally, some of these pictures were taken on old cell phones so I apologize for the grainy quality of the photographs.  If you don’t see the quilt I made for you below, I probably don’t have a photo of it.  Take a picture, e-mail it to me at quiltedcowgirl@gmail.com and I will add it to the gallery.  Happy Crafting!

Lap quilt for a co-worker

Lap quilt made from company polo shirts
 

Table runner

Close-up of block

Baby Quilt made with recycled denim

Baby Quilt - this one I actually used a commercial pattern

Close-up of block

Blocks before assembly

Baby Quilt for a boy

Close-up of block

Baby Quilt - currently available for sale

Close-up of block

Close-up of printed fabric - I love it!

Baby Quilt for a girl

Sorry Jennifer, these are the only pics I have!

Baby Quilt for a co-worker

Most of the fabrics used were recycled or repurposed

Baby Quilt for a boy

Fabric look familiar?  I utilized leftover fabric from an earlier quilt for this project.

Doesn't seem like many projects?  Well, this is just the tip of the ice berg.  This is probably only a third of what I have made. I just don't have pictures of the others!  Happy Crafting!

 

No, I didn't vanish...

Well, here I am almost a year later and I only have 6 posts to my credit and NO I didn't vanish into thin air.  So, how unmotivated am I? Yes, I am still struggling with this whole “get motivated” thing.  Believe it or not, I have completed a few more projects… and broke ALL of my rules (see post #2 Forgotten Project Black Hole).  Yes sir indeed, I have shattered those rules and only see little rule remnants scattered all over the craft room floor.  So with that, it is time to vacuum up those remnants and throw them out with the trash!  (Vacuum sounds ensue...)

Glad that’s done and over with.  Now you might be wondering, “What did you actually do these past 8 months?”  Looking back, surprisingly more than I realized!

 Here is a trio of wooden signs painted in a 2 tone color wash with 3-dimensional flowers.

 

 

 

 

 

 Here is a simple key chain with a floral pink fabric on one side and green leaf fabric on the other.  Notice the cute bear shaped buttons?

 

In October I volunteered to make the Halloween centerpieces for the health fair at work.  Voila! These cute cheese cloth ghosts came into being.  By the way, these are soooooo easy to make!

I finally finished the crocheted afghan I had been working on for a year.  I am still debating weather or not to back it with fleece.  Of course, my little helper is seen modeling this lovely fiber work :)

 A baby quilt made for a co-worker in cute dog patterned fabrics.

 Another baby quilt for yet another co-worker; this time done mostly with vintage and recycled materials.  I love the turquoise & green paisley!

At Christmas time one lucky niece received 5 fabulous outfits for her doll.  As a side note, after this little experiment I decided it will be a VERY LONG TIME before I sew doll clothes again. Tiny patterns + tiny seams = Extreme Frustration












I also crocheted Christmas ornaments but neglected to take any pictures of them.

Not too bad, eh?

Of course my little helpers are always close by ready to jump into assist!  Well, ok, sleep on the materials...

 

What do I have planned next?  I began experimenting with fusing plastic just this morning.  Also, I have recently dusted off my sewing machine and busted out the quilting tools, so check back soon for a picture gallery of my quilting projects.

As always, Happy Crafting!

Not-So-Simple Stencil

Introducing wooden sign # 2 – Stenciling!

If you think way back (or simply look at my last post from May) you will remember that I left a To Be Continued picture of some leftover pink paint.  Here is what I did with that pink paint.

 

I know what you’re thinking, “Stenciling, really?  You haven’t stenciled before?”  And in actuality, no I have never stenciled.  I have seen it demonstrated, I have read about it, but I have never tried it out for myself.  So here we go…

Technique

Stencil: a thin sheet of material, such as paper, plastic, or metal, with letters or a design cut from it, used to produce the letters or design on an underlying surface by applying pigment through the cut-out holes in the material.

This Wikipedia description goes into much further detail and if you’re interested in their more in-depth definition click on the link below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stencil

There are lots of good tutorials on the web to help you get started.  A simple Google search will yield any number of sources for stenciling.  Now you can purchase any number of plastic stencils at most craft stores and I have some in my craft room.  However, I wasn’t really inspired by anything I saw so I decided I would make my own stencil for this project.

Materials

Pre-cut wooden sign

Sand paper

Soft cloth

Pre-cut craft wire hanger

Paint (in a variety of colors)

Stencil brush

Assorted paint brushes

Pencil

Plastic stencil -OR- Piece of cardboard (plastic if you have it) to make your own

Exacta knife

Cutting mat

Masking tape or painters tape

Additional embellishments

Hot glue gun

Side cutter

Needle nose pliers

 

STEP #1:  As with the previous signs, you should prepare your surface for painting.  Lightly sand any rough spots on your wooden sign using a medium grit sand paper.  Remember to sand in the direction of the grain.  Take a soft cloth and wipe away any remaining dust.  Even if you purchase a pre-fabbed wooden item, it’s always a good idea to give it one last sanding before painting.

STEP #2:  Paint a base coat on your wooden sign.  I do recommend that you paint all sides and ends of the wooden sign with your base coat.  Remember this little picture?

 

Well, I immediately painted this wooden sign after I had finished my last project so it was already dry and ready to go when I finally got around to working on this stenciling project.

 

STEP #3: Time to make my stencil.  Trace or draw the image you will be stenciling onto a piece of cardboard or plastic.  If you want one continuous image simply trace the outline.  But if you want more definition in your image remember to create “connector” lines to add some “white” or unpainted spaces inside of your image.

“How did you decide what image to use?”  After some deliberation as to the content of this particular sign, I decided I would work with one of my favorite subjects – shoes!  Believe me deciding which shoe to use was no easy task with the multitude of footwear styles and designs out there.  I created a little inspiration page with images of shoes that I liked or I thought would be easy to draw.  Then after mulling them over for a while I narrowed my choices down to three.  I printed them approximately the size I needed for my sign and cut them out and tried them on the wooden sign.  Low and behold one image seemed the best option to me.



You can see the "connector" lines I created adding depth to my image.

 

 

STEP #4:  Using an Exacta knife cut the image from the cardboard or plastic.  Always protect your work surface by using a cutting mat.  Be very careful not to cut any “connector” lines.

 

STEP #5:  Tape your stencil to your sign so it will not shift as you paint and to cover up any parts of the stencil you may not want painted.

“Wait a minute your sign is really small.  How did you tape your stencil down?”  Well, I actually wasn’t able to tape my stencil in place.  I had to hold it very firmly as I worked.  If you are stenciling a large surface, like a wall for instance, taping the stencil in place is much easier and definitely more helpful on a vertical surface.

 

“Why are using a plastic stencil?  I thought you just made your own stencil out of cardboard?”  Yep, I did make my own stencil for the main image, but I also wanted some light stenciling in the background so I chose to use part of one of my plastic stencils from my stash.

STEP #6:  Load your stencil brush with some paint and take a paper towel or other soft cloth and blot off any excess paint by bouncing the brush up and down onto the paper towel.  You should have very little paint left on the brush.  Note, do not pre-wet the brush as this will cause the paint to be a little runny and possibly leak underneath your stencil.

 

STEP #7:  Position your stencil and bounce your stencil brush up and down over the section of stencil you wish to paint.

The nice thing about plastic stencils is they clean up easily.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STEP #8:  Let your paint dry before repeating any additional layers.

“How long should I let it dry?”  Because you are using very little paint it should not take long to dry at all.  I think my paint was dry in ten minutes.

 

Layer number two…

 

Main image…

 

“WHOA!  What happened?” As you can see my main image using the stencil that I made did not come out so great.  I did not notice when I was cutting, but I partially cut one of my “connector” lines. So while I was painting the connector line came completely loose and I ended up with paint where I didn’t want it to be – YUCK!  I also only had a flat head or straight cut stencil brush that seemed to put a lot of pressure on the stencil, the results of which I was not happy with.  So next time I might buy one of the brushes with a more rounded head to see if that will soften the blow, so to speak, as I paint.  Now I had to fix my messy mistake.  I simply broke out my regular paint brushes and adjusted the image by hand.

I ended up using a fine paint brush and silver paint to adjust the image.

 

STEP #9:  Decorate! Any additional decorative painting can be done at this time.

STEP #10: Once you are happy with your decoration you can seal it using a thin coat of polyurethane or other finish.  This particular sign didn’t POP enough for me without a finish, so I used a little Mod Podge to seal it.

 

STEP #11:  Cut a piece of craft wire to the length you would like your hanger using a side cutter.  Last time I used the whole length of the pre-cut wire I had, but it was too long.  So, this time I cut it with my side cutter at 12 inches.  This is the perfect length for this size sign.

 

 

 

STEP #11:  Bend the craft wire in a half circle.  Push each end through the holes in the sign going from the back to the front.  Leave about 2 inches of wire hanging out the front.  Bend the hanger up in the back so that the wire is in line with the sign, creating a surface to “hang” from a nail.

 

“Your picture at the beginning shows beads on your hanger.  When do you put those on?”  I took one end of the hanger out of the hole in the sign, and then slid the beads on for embellishment.  I also used my hot glue gun to glue a couple beads on the front of the sign and secure the beads on the wire hanger.

 

 

STEP #12:  Use the needle nose pliers to twist the 2 inches of wire in the front of the sign, creating a curly-q effect.  And another sign completed!

 

This particular project, however simple it might have seemed, was tougher than I thought it would be.  I would definitely recommend using plastic if you are going to create your own stencils.  The cardboard cut and ripped too easily and it soaked up some of the paint which bled through a little bit.  But I also learned that it is an art to load the proper amount of paint on your brush.  This is definitely a skill that must be practiced to be perfected.

 

Have you had any projects that seemed so simple in the beginning but ended up a disaster?  How did you fix the mistakes?  E-mail me at quiltedcowgirl@gmail.com and you just might see your story on my “Ramblings”.  Happy crafting!