sewtakeahike

break time

You all are pretty smart and with my sporadic posts lately you probably have already figured this one out.  I'm going to take a little blog break, maybe a week or maybe two.  When I return, I hope to have lots of stuff to show you!  I received photoshop in the mail a couple days ago and I have been spending some time getting to know how it works so if I want to create something simple like this little tard for my friend Sarah, it won't take me hours!

  

Be back in no time flat!!

winner's circle and a fusion bag

I'm still having trouble with my words ladies and gents, so I'll just ask for forgiveness first thing.  Even though I am at a loss, I do, however, feel utterly compelled to share the contents of an awesome package I received earlier this week from the very awesomely talented Lolly of LollyChops.  I won this giveaway and I am just amazed at ALL of Lolly's work.  The bracelet came complete with a second charm (green of course) so when I want a change, I can either add it or change the other one out.  I'm in love with the P-tards she sent, I've been making these like crazy for other people just as a little "thinkin'bout you gift" (duh, not P-tards but whatever THEIR initial is-tards) and the measuring equiv. card and magnets went immediately to my fridge.  I love it all Lolly, thank-you so much!

        

 

Here's another fusion bag I finished this week, and this one is going to be available in my shop later today

               

    

   

                                   

fusion bag

                                                                                    

 

This is another one of those projects I just cannot believe I waited so long to do.  Since I saw a tutorial on how to fuse plastic bags, I've been meaning to do it.  But this morning during my quiet time, the idea dropped into my head to not only do the fusion project, but to laminate paper cut outs in-between the layers of plastic. 

            

  

                   

The little leaves are the paper cutouts, the words are just from a bag that I liked that I included in the fusion process.  

If you'd like to make your own fusion bag, here's what to do.

• follow this tut to fuse your bags together. Before fusing, add your own paper cut outs in between layers 3 and 4 of the plastic sheets (if the plastic is fairly opaque, put the paper cuts between layers 5-6) 
• Once you have made enough fused "material", cut out two pieces that measure 13.5X16 inches (I sewed pieces of the fused material together to get it to this size).  
• sew the 13.5X16 inch pieces together along the sides (13.5 inch edges) and the bottom (16 inch edges) with right sides together.
• Box the corners following this example
• sew a piece of bias tape around the top edge
• sew handles in place

Front                             

 

                   

Back                      

 

                         

*For those of you who are interested and make your own fusion bags, I have started a flicker group here to upload photos to!

                 

small words

                                        

 

      

A couple years ago, I was talking to my husband about something, I can't remember what, but during the course of the conversation, I asked him about his lack of contribution to the conversation.  If you knew my husband, it would be very apparent that he is the "talker" of the two of us most of the time, so his lack of words threw me for a loop.  When I asked him about this,  he responded by saying, "well you know, I *am* a man of small words."  Obviously, he meant to say he was a man of *few* words, uh, big difference there.  So now this has become a joke between the two of us. 

I'm feeling like being a "woman of small words" lately, so I'm going to leave you with these couple of pics of a baby blanket I made recently.  The top was totally made from scraps, the backing is flannel and just look at that pink plaid binding.  Yum.me!

             

short, but full

                                                   

After a weekend out of town, I'm keeping this post short but very, very full today.  I just gotta, *I GOTTA*

share some linky love today!  My, oh my, would you look at this!  I was compelled to make one of these IMMEDIATELY!

               

If you are into paper crafts at all, go check out Lolly's blog.  This girl astounds me not only with her talent, but with her giving spirit.  Lolly is so sweet to share her crafty brilliance so freely!  Just look at her tags, tards, and measuring equivalents with matching recipe cards.  And for all you US residents, don't forget to enter her latest giveaway here! 

***edit, (just for Jodi, LOL!!!) I really am not a tard, read this post and you will see Lolly really does call them tards.....

And last but not least, have you seen the amazing downloads offered up by Yasmine???  My sweet goodness!