Are you a Project Runway fan?

If you answered "yes" to that question and you live here in Minnesota then you might be interested in this.........

.............specifically in the tickets you see there. They are for a very special event on February 16th at the Scott County Historical Society called "Ladies Night In"!!!  The special guest for the evening is former Project Runway contestant Christopher Straub!!

One of the tickets above is entry to the event and the other ticket is for a chance to win that lovely little Petal Clutch designed by Chris (the one you see on the ticket, not the vintage one in my photo). I ordered up my tickets as soon as I learned of the event.  I'm a Project Runway fan (and also a big fan of the Scott County Historical Society!) and grew up dreaming of a career as a fashion designer so I am looking forward to this fun evening. If you'd like tickets, too, just go here for the details. The event is hosted by the Scott County Historical Society at the Stans Museum in Shakopee, Minnesota. It's a great museum that currently has two exhibits you might enjoy.........."Under Where? Unmentionables Exposed" and "Marking Time: Rituals of Life and Death". 
Be there or be square!!!

Eyes made out of coal.......Snowman features tutorial!

Finally....the promised tutorial for making eyes of coal, a carrot nose and a raisin mouth for "Charlie's Snowman"!

I've worked with polymer clays for more than 25 years. I began making tiny items for my miniature scenes...... fruit and vegetables, donuts, cookies, fudge, flowers, birds, etc. etc!! I also liked to make jewelry and that led to classes in clay-crafting at Frank's Nursery and Crafts. Boy, does that date me!!! Franks was bought by Michael's Arts & Crafts and I taught classes there and in our local community ed program in Prior Lake. Kids really enjoyed my after-school clay classes and it was while I was teaching those classes in the late 1990's that I made "Charlie's Snowman" and gave him clay features for a three-dimensional look. The clay is easy to work with and if you have ever enjoyed playing with old-fashioned modeling clay, then you will enjoy working with polymer clay products. The great thing is that whatever you make can be baked in your home oven!
Let's get started..........
First, you will need clay. I use a variety of clay products. I began using FIMO, then Sculpey, then Premo. All have a different texture when you are working the clay and they all have a slightly different look when baked. For the snowman features, I used Sculpey.........black for the eyes, orange for the nose and a purple mix for the raisin mouth. The orange for the nose is also a blend.  You'll need a little pan or cookie sheet for baking, a couple of clay tools, and some wire.

Step 1. The eyes. Break off bits of the black clay about the size of a pea.

Step 2. Roll them just a tiny bit between your fingers but do not make them perfectly round. Remember that coal chunks are just that .......... chunks. :-)  You will make the "raisins" the same way. Note that I have taken a purple mix of clay and added some black to it. Blend this well and you will get sort of a dark burgundy that reminds me of raisins.

Step 3. The wire is needed so you can string your "coal eyes" on it so that you will be able to sew them to the Snowman's face. The raisins are a bit tiny and a bit of a challenge but make a bunch and you will get the few you need for the snowman's smile. :-)  In the photo below you can see that I have placed a string of eyes and a string of raisins over the top of the little pan. This is so they don't bake "flat" on the bottom. I always do this when making beads for jewelry, although it probably isn't necessary for this project.

Step 4. In the photo above, you can see that I have five chunks of clay ready to make into carrots.  A chunk about the size of an almond is a good start. Begin by rolling the chunk into a ball. Then squeeze one end with your finger as shown in the photo below. The next step is to take the shape and stand it up so that it is flat. Notice the little bit of wire that I shaped that will be inserted into your carrot nose. I am using the clay tool to score lines on the carrot to make it look more real. When you think your nose is just right, push the wire loop into the carrot.

Step 4. Place your carrots in the pan and get ready to bake. Follow the directions on the clay package (generally 275 degrees for ten minutes).

Step 5. Let the pieces cool after you take them from the oven. Your features will be hard and durable when sewn onto your Snowman's face.

If you have any questions, please e-mail me and I will try to answer. I'm not an expert, just have had fun making stuff with clay for many years. I haven't worked with my clay in years. The last time I had it out was about three years ago when my grandson and I made lots of fun critters and stuff. I almost forgot I had this tray of pieces that are "jewelry-in-progress".  I should really finish these! Several years ago, I earned blue ribbons at the county fair on a couple of pieces.  I should enter again. Add that to my "to do" list. :-)

Working with the clay is very relaxing, often therapeutic. For several years, I taught clay-crafting at the Women's Correctional Facility in nearby Shakopee. One student was extremely talented. Most of us can recall playing with modeling clay as children and it was always fun to create some great piece of art!   Next fall, I'll be sharing the how-to for making Christmas ornaments from clay and will share a tutorial for clay Christmas trees here on my blog.
When it comes to tools for working with the clay, I use a little bit of everything..........tiny cookie cutters, a mini grater, scissors, toothbrushes, old hair curlers (great for adding texture to mini oranges), rollers, knives, and a wide assortment of dental tools that my dentist gave me. :-)  I keep it all in this fold-up make-up tote.

When I was teaching, I had a number of books that I would recommend to students. There were over a dozen that I used to have but I gave a few away and kept these favorites..........

Most of these are from the late 90's and early 2000. I am sure there are new books on the market that are just as good. However, these are really good with beautiful projects, great instruction so you could look for them on Amazon or e-bay if they are of interest to you.

That's all for this little tutorial but again.......if you have questions, e-mail me or leave a comment with your question.

Just want to say......Thanks for your well-wishes for my husband. He had a bad flare-up of arthritis in his knee and he's finally better now. He went to work today and I got caught up on stuff.  If it was me......I'd have gone to the doctor.  But.......that's kind of a guy thing I think to "tough it out". Anywhooooo, having him home from work kind of interrupted my project plans. Then a couple other family things needed doing and you know how it is.......life just happens. :-)

One thing that's not happening around here is snow. The mild Minnesota weather continues and tonight it is foggy which means it's fairly warm!!  Going to be in the 40's this weekend. Snow and ice events are being canceled because there is no snow and the ice is too thin for safe skating!  Oh, my but Mother Nature is really mixed up this year!  Going to enjoy it as travel is very easy when weather is this mild.

Have a good Friday everyone!  Next post I'll be telling you about something really special going on locally. Back soon..........

Sandi

Chase away the January Blues Giveaway!

Every evening for the past few nights, I've been playing in my box of blue and white snowflake themed fabrics.  I cut two 5" charm squares and one 9 1/2" square from each piece of fabric in my stash.  I have an idea for a quilt that will combine the charm squares with the 9 1/2" squares.  I made two piles of the charm squares.........one for me and one for one of you.................

I promised there would be a giveaway today and what you see in the photo is what you could win. I think there are 40 charm squares.....all different and also a bit of fabric and a pre-cut wool snowman in case you'd like to make my "Charlie's Snowman" quilt. There is also a cute little ceramic candy dish and I might just add some chocolate to it when I put these goodies in the mail. So........start leaving your name and e-mail link and just tell me if you've ever built a real snowman.  I'll have my Random Number Man (a.k.a. my husband)draw a lucky winner on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 6:00 p.m.  The Random Number Man is a little "under the weather" but hopefully he'll be better by the end of the week. Because of that, things are little "off-schedule" around here and I don't have my clay project finished. I'll be working on that this morning and will get it posted later this afternoon. There will be a clay "carrot nose, coal eyes and raisins" for the snowman's mouth that will be included in the winning package. Go now and add your name for a chance to ........... chase away the January Blues!
Sandi

The giveaway is closed. Winner will be announced noon, Sunday, Feb. 5th. :-)

And the winner is..........GrammaSheri at TheDesertRat  :-)

What's on the line at the end of January?

Stars are on the line!!  And isn't this quilt a beauty?  I just love it!  

It's another vintage quilt bought at a farm auction by mother and dad. I'm thinking it could be the 1950's, maybe 1940's, not sure at all. While the picture was taken last September on a beautiful day "just right for picture-taking", I knew there would be a day in winter when it would be just right for "posting to my blog".  This day was that "just right day" for a little "vintage quilt sunshine"!  Can you believe it's the last Monday in January? In just a couple days, February will roll in and I'll start thinking "Hearts" but January always makes me think of stars. So often I remember winter nights and looking up into the sky at the stars. They always seemed to shine brighter on really cold nights. This quilt would be most welcome on a really cold night!!  I like the yellow centers on the stars, which almost makes them look like flowers. And as mild as our weather is these days, it won't be long before there might be real flowers popping up!

And with the flowers would come spring winds.  It was fall winds that were blowing when I took these photos but I just loved watching the quilts sway back and forth..............

 Look at that green grass in the background and all those green lush leaves!

The wind would pick up the quilt............

 and flap the corners in and out...........

and then the quilt settled down for a perfect picture..............

Hope this quilt makes you smile like it makes me smile! 
Happy Monday everyone!!!
Sandi

Party Time!

Last Saturday at this time, we were hosting a party at our house for my husband's friends and co-workers. It was a great night and everyone had a good time. We had a lot of food and so there was plenty to eat and everyone said they enjoyed the evening. The weather cooperated, too, which is not always the case in Minnesota in January!

The party was a celebration of two occasions..........one was the celebration of our new house which is now five years old. Takes us awhile to celebrate. LOL! It was also a time to celebrate friendships because the company my husband works for is down-sizing so some friends have already been let go, others soon will be and some in the fall which is when my husband's end-date is scheduled. He and at least one other co-worker at the party have worked at the same place for 37 years! That's a long time and one often sees co-workers more than family so they almost become family. Many years ago I worked for a company that went through more than one "down-sizing" and it is not all that much fun. As many of you know, your work friends are often a significant part of your daily life and when that ends, well, it's kind of a bummer.  Ah, but we are already planning an outdoor party for when the weather warms up so we'll invite everyone back again.  And then.........a funny thing happened at the party when I took the ladies - both co-workers and wives of co-workers up to my sewing room. They were excited about a lot of the projects they saw in my room and especially my penny rugs. Soooooooooooo.........this happy group..........

is going to come back in April and we're going to take over my husband's basement TV room and have a Penny Rug Party. My quilty friends know how I love to party so we will definitely have a fun time!  If I have the names right........they are left to right.......

Rose, Jeanie, Laura, Margaret, Kathy, Stephanie, Berniece, Laura, and Nora. 

It was Jeanie's idea that we use Steve's area because we can set up tables and spread out. Great idea, so I got the okay from him and we are making our plans. He wondered, though, why they would be interested in learning how to make penny rugs. And my reply to him..........why does he spend time watching cars go around in circles every Sunday afternoon during NASCAR season? We all have our hobbies, don't we?
I don't usually post on the weekend anymore but just had to share how much fun we had at our party and more fun to come. You all have a lovely Sunday!
Sandi

Building a Snowman - Part 2 Charlie's Snowman

Here in our area of Minnesota, there is not enough real snow to actually make a snowman. Making a snowman quilt is the next best thing! If you have made the pieced fabric base for this little snowman quilt, then it is time to build the snowman. Here's a close-up of the snowman on the original quilt I designed. You can see his long carrot nose made of clay and his coal eyes and raisin mouth. In part 3 of this tutorial, I'll share how you can make these features for your snowman.  

Right now, we need to "build" our snowman. You can use wool, woolfelt, acrylic felt, fake fur, flannel........anything that looks a bit fluffy and white for your snowman. Whatever you choose should measure about  8 1/"2 by 11".  You will also need a piece of 8 1/2" x 11" paper and some canned foods like those in the photo below...........

Choose three can in graduated sizes and position on the paper as shown below...........

Trace around the cans and remove them and you should see the "rough draft" of your snowman pattern..................

Take your pencil and sketch around the circles to add fullness as desired. :-) When your snowman is the proportion you desire, take a black marker and trace along the lines to create your pattern.

Cut out the pattern and pin it to your fabric, then cut it out. You may wish to adhere fusible product to your fabric and press in place. Or you may just want to pin and stitch. Here you can see my snowman is positioned and ready to be stitched..............

The snowman that is wearing a hat, is wool and was stitched by hand with embroidery floss. I cut two round black circles from woolfelt for his eyes and a long, odd-shaped triangle of woolfelt for his "carrot" nose.  The mouth is made with French knots and in each "coal" eye, I added a small white French knot for a twinkle in his eyes!  I freehand cut the hat and didn't care if it was perfect for no snowman's hat is perfect!  The hat, his arms and the tree were all hand-stitched with embroidery floss.

The snowman with clay features was machine stitched. The fabric I used was a very low-pile fur. The arms are left-over scraps of brown cotton backed with Heat 'n Bond and pressed in place. I cut a strip of wool plaid for the scarf. The piece was cut in half with one piece stitched to each side of the snowman's neck, then tied.

So.........start building your snowman and think about this.........maybe your snowman would like to visit Hawaii so perhaps he/she should wear a grass skirt. Or maybe your snowman wants to go skiing, so cut some strips and add skis. You could make two snowmen and one could be a Mr. and one could be a Mrs. :-)  Maybe they could have kids! Make a whole snowman family!!!!  Whatever you do, have fun! I'll be doing a couple more blogposts and then will post the tutorial for making the clay features on Tuesday, January 31. Come back then to learn how to work with polymer clay and that giveaway I mentioned .........well, I will end the month of January with a little "snow-themed" giveaway. Til then, have a great weekend!
Sandi

A Tutorial for "Charlie's Snowman".........

In my last post, I shared a small wall quilt called "Charlie's Snowman". In this post, I'm going to share the steps to make your own snowman quilt. You can give your snowman a name other than Charlie. This one below is "Sam". I wanted to try a bit of a different look and added a hat for the snowman and also a tree.............

The eyes, nose, mouth and hat on Sam are made of woofelt. In the quilt in my last post, the snowman's features are made from clay. I'll be sharing how to do both and you can decide when we get to that step. :-)  The tutorial for this little quilt will be posted in three parts. Today is Part 1 and you will make the pieced background. In my next post (Friday, Jan.27), we'll do the snowman/Part 2 and then the following post, Part 3, will be on making the features from clay or felt.

I went straight to my stash for the fabrics I needed for this project. I'm not buying any fabric this year so I must use what I have on hand. I had a lot of snow themed prints. I live in Minnesota and we usually get a lot of snow. Not this year, but we do finally have a few inches on the ground.

Let's get started on Part 1....................

Step 1. Cut one piece from a darker blue cotton - 12 1/2" x 16 1/2"  and one piece from a lighter blue cotton - 6" x 12  1/2".

Step 2. Take the lighter blue piece and position a strip (about an inch wide) of fusible product (I use Heat 'n Bond Lite) along one edge of the reverse side of fabric. Then press per product directions. Remove paper.

Step 3. Along this fused edge, cut a wavy line as shown in the photo below.........

Step 4. Position the lighter blue piece on your dark piece and press along fused edge so that the two pieces become one as shown in photo below.........

Step 5. Cut eight 2 1/2" corner squares. You can see that I "fussy-cut" the fabric that I chose for my corners. It's not necessary but if you have fabric that works for this, it makes the quilt that much sweeter. Set aside four of the squares for the second row. After you cut the corner squares, cut the following 2 1/2" wide strips (I like a red row here).......two that are 12 1/2" long and two that are 16 1/2" long. See lay-out in photo below............

Step 6. Sew the 16 1/2" strips to each side of the center panel. Then sew one square to each end of the 12 1/2" strips. Press.

Step 7.  Sew the top and bottom strips in place and press. You are ready for the final row.

Step 8. Cut the following 2 1/2" strips (I chose a medium blue for this one) ......... two that are 16 1/2" and two that are 20 1/2" long.

Step 9. Sew the 20 1/2" strips to each side of the center panel. Then sew one square to each end of the 16 1/2" strips. Press.

 Step 10. Sew the top and bottom strips in place and press.

Your pieced quilt base is ready for your snowman.  You'll need wool or woolfelt for the snowman. It works best as cotton is too lightweight for me. This is your snowman, though, so you can use cotton if you prefer. You have a couple days to make the base so I'll see you on Friday and we'll build a snowman!! Oh, and the little giveaway.......it will be posted when I share Part 3.  :-)
Have a good day!
Sandi