Author Archives: ginnyscraftbasket

Sunday Snippit & a little rant

I found myself being very annoyed earlier this week which is what my mini-rant is about.  What has happened to respect and courtesy?   I remember the days when, if you were driving and saw a hearse with cars following that had the “Funeral” signs on their windshields and had their 4-way flashers blinking,  you would show some respect and courtesy and not cut into the procession of cars.   Apparently,  there were quite a few people on the roads on Thursday that do not subscribe to that way of thinking.  It makes me sad.  OK, end of mini-rant.

On Friday evening, after a day of catching up with laundry and housework,  I  wanted to spend some time sewing but didn’t really have the energy to stand at my cutting table and prep my next project so instead I opted to sit in my comfy chair, watch the Yankee game and work on another block from the Farmer’s Wife book.

This was block #33 of the 99 in the book.   As I complete each block,  I  keep them in individual plastic bags and put them in a basket.  20190616_220400.jpg

I think I’m going to need to get a bigger basket in the not too distant future.  My bff in California and I are working on these blocks together and it will be interesting to see how different each of our quilts will turn out.   Sharon, it’s time to pick our next batch of blocks.  33 down and only 66 more to go!

Of course, I have many projects on my to-do list to keep me busy but the next book I will be making blocks from is

20190616_220416.jpg   However, those blocks will not be done by hand.  I will be stitching them on my Featherweight.  I am also not sure about making a full-on quilt  from the blocks.  Since many of the blocks are kitchen-specific themes,  I am leaning towards making a wall-hanging for the brick wall in my kitchen and  potholders, placemats, etc.   I have a while before I need to make that decision though.

I cannot end this post without sending out Father’s Day wishes to all those special men out there who, even if they are not their actual dad, are role models,  encouragers,  advisers, supporters and givers of love to younger people in their lives.  I hope you all had a wonderful day.  (and don’t forget to teach those younger people not to cut into a funeral procession  — oh, wait, I was done with that rant wasn’t I) .

Bye for now.   I hope Monday treats you well tomorrow.

See you soon.

Ginny

 

 

 

Sunday Snippit

I decided to have a bit of “yard sitting” time this morning.   I took my tea and my tablet and headed outside.  It is going to be a bit of a challenging week ahead so there probably won’t be much time for enjoying our gardens and the fruits of our early spring labors.

I took the seat facing my Knock out roses so I could enjoy their lovely blooms while listening to the latest Create and Thrive podcast.  20190609_105524.jpg

I decided that I needed to bring some of those happy flowers inside with me when I was done with my “sitting” time so I could continue to enjoy their beauty and lovely fragrance.

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Of course, as I transported these delicate beauties inside they dropped some of their petals.  Rather than discarding them, I decided that they would add a nice touch to a small dish of seashells sitting in front of the vase of flowers.

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Seashells, rose petals and a red, white and blue table topper.   Yes, summer has arrived.

On a side note, I think I might be a bit obsessed with these freestanding lace bookmarks.   I ran 5 more of them on Friday on my embroidery machine while I was working on a different project on my sewing machine.  20190609_131638.jpg

I have a list of other colors and designs I want to make.  But, one of those red ones is mine so Ceil, your green one is safe.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday everyone.

Bye for now.

Ginny

Freestanding Lace Bookmark

Today I was finally able to give this to my NY BFF (belated birthday present) and so I can now post pictures of the freestanding lace bookmark I made for her.    She is an avid reader,  so I knew it would be something she would put to good use.

I made FSL snowflakes at Christmas and enjoyed making them and loved the way they came out.   Having had such a positive experience with those,  I decided to try something else and,  yup,  I  loved making the bookmark too.   I think I will make one for myself now … yes, even though I have a Kindle I do read real books too ….  and then I will be searching for more Freestanding lace projects that I might  like to try.   There are so many beautiful choices out there – even some 3D projects.

Of course, it will not surprise anyone who knows me that I will probably be looking at                    possible Christmas-related designs.  After all, my snowmen do tell me that

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there are only 7 months ’til  Christmas.

Stay tuned.

Bye for now.  Enjoy the rest of your week.

Ginny

What was in my craft basket last week?

After returning from vacation, I felt the need to get into my sewing room and create something.   I knew I couldn’t get a quilt finished in a week and I wanted to have something that I could say was “done”.   So I looked around for some UFO’s, gathered three together with the supplies needed to complete them and set to work.   The first thing I worked on was a wall hanging that my BFF in California and I worked on together while I was out there.  20190519_140909.jpg

I added the thimble borders to the top and bottom and a hanging sleeve on the back and it was  ready to hang on my wall.

Next I decided to finish a heart shaped potholder for another friend.  I needed to add the binding and the hanging loop and then this could be considered done too. 20190519_140849.jpg  Boy do I love those binder clips.  Sure saves a lot of pokes in my fingers when I was using pins.  They are especially helpful when you are trying to put binding on something with a lot of curves like this.

OK, two UFO’s down, one to go.   This one is actually a project gone wrong.  Someone, whose name I won’t mention,   was attempting to make a couple of microwave cozies but something happened with the placement of the darts or something and they came out more like little boxes with wings.  20190519_140702.jpg   She was going to just toss them but I said I’d take them and see what I could do with them.   So, here is what I decided to do:

First,  I stitched the sides a bit more closed, then I  grabbed my jar of buttons and picked out four buttons for each “cozy” to use to sew down the wings, pinned the wings down                                             and voila’!      20190528_214207.jpg   UFO #3 finished.

Maybe they could be binder clip cozies?      20190528_214334.jpg  Or maybe chocolate candy cozies?    Whatever they wind up being, I’m glad they made their way out of my UFO pile and into my basket last week.

And for now, my basket is empty      20190528_214444.jpg   I will let you know what I fill it up with.   I have so many things on my “to do” list.   Maybe it will be filled with the Christmas scraps for the scrappy Irish chain quilt.  Or maybe with the pieces for the log cabin quilt.  Or maybe with the two rag quilts I need to make.   Actually, maybe I just need more baskets.

Bye for now.  Be well.

Ginny

 

Scrappy and Semi- Scrappy Quilts

Scrappy quilts are the perfect way to use up all the leftover fabric from all my other projects.  Let’s face it, fabric is not a cheap investment and I don’t like just throwing my money into the trash.  Not to mention adding to landfills.  I am trying to be more mindful of being good to the planet and  would prefer to have the leftovers re-purposed into something useful and be more eco-conscience.  I have made a more controlled version of a scrappy quilt in this lattice quilt

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I used a layer cake by Benartex called Ambrosia.  I wanted to make a lightweight, summer quilt and this line said “summer” to me.  There were so many cheery colors in the line and the quilt came out great and had a very scrappy look.   Now I want to try and be brave and make a true scrappy quilt.  I am going to make a scrap quilt using Bonnie Hunter’s pattern, Happily Scrappily Irish from her book “Adventures with Leaders & Enders” .  Using Bonnie’s leader/ender method, I can be working on getting my units ready for this quilt while working on other projects.   Multi-tasking!  I was thinking about using scraps in autumn colors but I actually  have so much more Christmas fabric scraps (just ask my BFF) that I am going to head in that direction instead.   I do like the Irish Chain pattern.  I made one about 10 years ago in blues. I actually hand-quilted that one.  Please don’t look too closely at the stitching.  But it has held up for 10 years so I guess it wasn’t too bad.   I enjoyed quilting it by hand but won’t be doing that for the Christmas one.  Not if I want to have any chance of using it this year.

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In fact, now that I think about it, I have made two other versions of the Irish chain quilt; one in burgundy,  forest green and white and the other one in green and white – a true “Irish” chain quilt I suppose.   I guess I really do like that pattern.

I will be pulling out the bin with my Christmas scraps sometime over Memorial Day weekend and work on getting the fabric ready for this project.  Ok, maybe it might be two bins of Christmas scraps.    What do you think the chances are of me getting this quilt ready to be used for this holiday season?   I’m going to give it a good try.   Of course, before I left for our 2-week trip to California I did pull out the fabric for my guest bedroom quilt too which is going to be a log cabin quilt in shades of black to grey with the center square being red.  It sat on my cutting table patiently waiting for me to return so I do need to give that some attention too. Looks like I am going to be pretty busy.   Do I really need to sleep?

I should go get some sleep now since I am going to be so busy in the sewing room.   Maybe I’ll just be a midnight quilter like Angela Walters.  I can always watch her videos while working on my projects at midnight.  Quilters love company.

Be well.  I’ll be back soon.

Ginny

 

 

Easter Creations

It was a busy week in the sewing room the last couple of weeks.  It was fun making all these cute critters:

 

And the baskets to go with them:

 

 

So, Easter is done, is it time to start thinking about Christmas yet?

Hope you all had a great week.   Be well.

Bye for now.  See you soon.

Ginny

 

New addition to the Family

My sewing machine family that is.   While wandering around an antique store on our trip to Connecticut we came across this sweet little girl.

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Now I have come across treadle tables like this before so when my dear hubby called me over to where he was to show me I figured it was just another table but in pretty good condition.  What I was looking for was one that actually still had the machine in it.   Well, I was quite surprised ….. and happy….. when he told me that he checked and the machine was in there.   Oh, be still my heart!  So, we carefully opened it up and got the machine out into the light of day.   Judging from the newspapers stuffed into the cabinet that were dated 1978, the machine was untouched for a number of decades and was a little bit dusty and one of the pins that held it to the cabinet was undone but not missing so that was easily remedied.  The bobbin was there, the pedal easily moved,  the belt was in the cabinet but, of course, it would be unusable.   I took a picture of the serial number on the machine and over the next couple of days of our trip I did some research as to what year it was manufactured, model and availability of parts and information on being able to get this beauty back into working order.   I found out it was manufactured in 1910 and it is a Model 66 — and a redeye which I actually knew as soon as we raised her out of her cozy cabinet.    Parts are available and there are many You Tube videos, blogs and vintage sewing machine groups out there sharing information and support.   So, I decided that, yes, we would stop on our way home and bring her home with us.

The cabinet and machine  have gotten a bit of a preliminary cleaning and I will be working on getting the machine oiled up and gently getting the gears to move smoothly.   The cabinet needs a bit of work but overall, it is in good condition.  All four drawers are there and slide in and out nicely.  The only thing missing is the knob on the tilt out drawer.  And there is no rusting on the metal works.

I am so happy to have finally found what I have been looking for.  She does not have a name as yet.  I am sure the perfect one will come to me as I work on her.   So I now have machines spanning from a non-electric 1910 to a modern embroidery machine named Minnie that uses  a flashdrive to stitch out intricate designs with just the push of a button.

The rest of the members of my sewing machine family:

Emma – a 1949 Featherweight

Emma- 1949 Featherweight,    Bertha –  White – date unknown,   Anna – 1950’s Singer          as well as a few more machines that aren’t pictured …… Beau, a 1990’s Brother machine,  a Dressmaker Model 201,  and Phoebe my Pfaff and  main sewing machine…..  are happy to welcome the new addition to the family.

I am looking forward to learning about the workings of a treadle and learning how to sew with it.  I am hearing that they have a wonderful, straight stitch.

So wish me luck on my treadle adventure.  If anyone has one and you have any words of wisdom,  I would welcome any advise.

Be well.  See you soon.

Ginny

 

 

 

 

  

 

Springtime is Here

We’ve got  hyacinths and daffodils and pansies blooming too.

 

 

And we have our seedlings sprouted on the windowsill.

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Yes, we did have some frost the other morning but I am confident that spring is here.  While we didn’t have the winter I would have liked …. more snow…… I am embracing the change of seasons and ready to focus on springtime projects.   In my last post I challenged you to guess what my minky was going to become.   If you didn’t guess, the answer is in the picture at the top of this post.  Easter Bunnies! I love this ITH (In-the Hoop) project.   Of course, I needed to add just one more cut of minky for a  bunny I need to make for a special little girl.

20190329_134544.jpg   I love this swirly pink minky.

I’ve also got some of these bunnies ready for personalizing this year too 20180331_211751.jpg                                                                                                                                               as well as these cute little baskets                                                                                                                                        Easter Baskets

 

 

 

 

 

My sewing room is full of bright, spring colors and I am loving it.   Are you ready for the change.  I am guessing that is a resounding YES!

And, how are you doing on the de-cluttering?   I must admit I have slowed down a bit but I have had a clothing donation pick-up so I’ve made progress there but not so much on my craft items.   I think I’m going to schedule in 30 minutes a week to go through something craft supply related and make some progress. Slowly but surely will get me to my goal.   My house needs to feel lighter.

That’s all for today.  I hope you are enjoying this change in the weather.

Be well.  See you soon.

Ginny

Sneak Peek

I pulled out my bin of cuddle fabric the other day to sort through and see what I have and what I might need for a project I am going to be working on in a week or two.

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Anyone care to guess what I might be making?   Only one hint…. it’s an In-the-Hoop (ITH) project.   I’ve made some before but this is a different pattern.

Stay tuned for updates.

Bye for now.  See you soon.

Ginny

 

Crafters’ Dilemma

There comes a time in all crafters’ lives when decisions have to be made.   The craft room, if you are fortunate enough to have one, is overflowing with all the supplies needed for all of our different crafting interests.  I have done cross stitch, knitting and crocheting,  ceramics,  wood crafts, scrapbooking and cardmaking and sewing, quilting and machine embroidering.  I must confess that there is at least a small amount of supplies/unfinished projects left from each of those interests.  And I also must confess that those things are not in my “main” craft room, aka sewing room.  They have definitely overflowed into the other spare bedroom and I have been working on going through all the different bins and boxes.  A few years ago I did give away most of my wood craft supplies.   And I only have a few ceramic pieces in the “craft closet” waiting to be painted.  Of course, I don’t actually have the paint so until I get some, that’s where they will stay.   I have a lot of knitting needles and crochet hooks having inherited them from my grandmother and also a few of my aunt’s.  Add them to what I already had, and well, I guess I’ve got about any size I would need.  I donated any yarn that I wasn’t going to use to a charitable organization that makes afghan’s.   I still have my cross stitch floss and patterns.  They are taking up very little room on the shelf so I decided to keep them there until I can find someone who will use them.  I don’t want to just fill up the landfill with these things.

That brings us to the scrapbooking/cardmaking supplies and my sewing, etc. supplies.  Well, through all the aforementioned craft periods, the one constant was sewing of some kind.  Therefore, we know that the sewing room will remain untouched as far as getting rid of things, except of course the supplies I use to make things or extras I have to share with fellow sewists.   So that leaves the elephant in the room, the scrapbook supplies.  Sigh, so much!  I have made a start on going through it all.  Stamps, stamp pads (tossed them – the ink was all dried out), cardstock –  TONS of that, punches, stickers (stickers?  does anyone use stickers anymore? — I’m giving away how long ago I started on that craft) and, of course, books on cardmaking and scrapbooking.    Now I have a bff whose birthday is this week — well actually it isn’t because she is a leap year baby and doesn’t actually have a birthday this year but I’ll send her a card anyway.  🙂   If I had ink pads that weren’t dried out, I could have made her a card but since I don’t, well it is a store bought one.  But since she has the same “crafters’ dilemma” as I do,  she will understand.  I’d post a picture here of the card but I don’t want her to see it before she gets it just in case she is reading this post.  Wait, what am I saying?  “Just in case”?   Of course she is reading this post.  She is my bff!   If I had thought of it early enough, I would have asked my friend Johnna of Johnna’s Stampin’ Up! Crafters to make a special one for me.  She makes some beautiful cards.  Check out her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1968883040074855/

So to all you crafters out there who are dealing with whittling down all the “stuff”,  I say  be strong, be brave, be smart.   Try to find someone who can use the supplies and  don’t add to the landfills if possible.  But, if it really, really can’t be used, then bite the bullet and toss it.   Good luck to you all. And remember, baby steps are still steps so if you need to take things real slow, that’s fine.  Let me know how you are doing and I will do the same.

Bye for now.    See you soon.

Ginny