NFL Quilt with the Snowball Block

My (step) grandson turned 14 last month and back in August, I asked my son what to get him for his birthday and he said "A football quilt". Music to my ears!!! So in a conversation with my grandson, since he knows I don't like football, I had to figure how to sneak in  asking what his favorite football teams were! But a good grandmother always knows how to work it in there!  He said Oregon Ducks, Dallas Cowboys, Texas Longhorns and New England Patriots.  So I got to work looking for the logo fabric for these teams.I search so many shops and would find one or two of the teams, but was hoping to find all four at the same shop.  I finally  found them all at Hancock Fabrics and bought 1/2 yard of each print.  Took my longer to find the fabric than it did to make the quilt! And I have enough of each fabric to make him something else...like a pillowcase or journal/notebook cover.
                                   

Dallas Cowboys

 

Texas Longhorns

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New England Patriots

Oregon Ducks

I used matching solids to make a "snowball" block and made 5 of each NFL print. The finished block is 12x12. 

 I used a dark green batik (his favorite color) for sashing and for some Americana influence (I am told football is all-time American!) I used a fabric with small American Flags for the cornerstones. I ran out of the green batik for sashing, so I had to just leave one side without the sashing, so that will be the side of the quilt that goes at the pillow end of the bed...and under his neck!  Quilt measures 68"x88".                            

I used a thin batting and a thin fleece for the back. Usually, I don't use a batting if I use fleece for the back, but in this case... my son said he wanted the quilt to be "warm" as the boy's room is on the end of the HVAC ducts so in the winter, his room doesn't get as warm as they would like, so he wants the quilt to be warm as possible, so I used batting this time. I did a meander stitch for the FMQ'ing. I used a medium green in the bobbin and matching threads to the block color on the top. I was very pleased with myself and my machine that the colors didn't show through on either side! Even when using white or black, those colors didn't show through on the back!  I used a solid, dark blue fabric for the binding. I was lost on what to put on the label...being for a 14 year old boy (I don't know them to well these days since mine is now 32!) and didn't want it to mushy, so I just put on the label "For the love of the game! Yea team!" and then my signature and year.

 

So I will be giving it to him next week. I hope he likes it!

 

A "snowball" block is a very quick and easy block to make.  It is a good block to use with large print fabrics. You want the large print to be seen, but need just a little something to make it stand out and not look so cluttered. 
Allison at Cluck Cluck Sew has a great tutorial on how to make snowball blocks...check it out by clicking HERE
   Want to read more at Fabric and Memories? CLICK HERE  ....keep on sewing those memories!

Picket Fence Garden Quilt - All Finished!

Took me over half a century to get it, but I finally  was able to buy my own house! In this house, I have a sewing room and a guest bedroom. So I decided to make the guest bedroom a room for my grand  kids for when they spend the night...every now and then (more then than now ,unfortunately!). It is the first room I have been able to decorate from ground up. Granted, I had a small budget to do it, and I am not to great at interior design, but I was able to find several white furniture pieces at yard sales and thrift store.. I like the white as it makes the room look big and open and will go with any other color or design.Kind of the "shabby chic" style, which I like alot!  I have always liked the theme of the outdoor garden-y, patio kind of theme, so the white was great and I chose purple as my main color.  And for some time now, a picket fence motif has been in my head. I finally found a pattern, altered it a bit to suit me and started the bed spread..yes, bed spread, not comforter. I wanted it to cover the whole bed. (However, I didn't make it quite long enough - should have made the fence 2 more squares "taller") so I have to add a dust ruffle because I don't have anymore of the fabric..

I searched and searched and finally found a pattern and altered it to created a block that I thought looked like a flower... well, kind of! But I loved the colors together..teal, purple and lime  green. And I sashed it with purple sashing on a  white background. 

 

To make the picket fence.. in white of course...I used the same purple/teal print as I used in the flower block, so it looks like you are seeing the flowers foliage in between the fence pickets!  I created the pattern using 3x3 squares (plus 1/2in. allowance) of white and the print, and used Flying Geese template to make the pointed tops. Just a bit of math to make the adjoining fence to each picket and the purple print alternating in between.  Each "picket" required 3, 3,1/2" x 3,1/2" squares and 1 flying geese square. The middle slats are 2, 3,1/2" x 3,1/2" squares in the print and 2, 2,1/2"x3,1/2" squares in white and 1,2, 2,1/2"x3,1/2" square in print... if I have the right! I wrote it down while I was making it, but of course, can't find the measurements now! But it is an easy math project!

    

This is the first parts hanging on my design wall. The top is done, and I just did the math for how much in length I needed of "fence" to go around the top, 2 sides and the bottom.  I was shocked it turned out so well, being my first time doing something like this! I made the "picket fence" sides to go on both sides of the bed and across the bottom. The "head" end doesn't have the fence. 

And here it is! All finished!     

                                                                                                           
I added a white binding and I had this green striped dust ruffle, hoping it would look like the grass to compliment the picket fence and the foliage between it, but it doesn't look very good! I found a white eyelet dust ruffle at the thrift store (find so many great bargains there!) and as soon as I can get someone to help me lift the bed, I'll get that ruffle on there!  Won't be the "look" I was going for, but I think it will be fine. I don't like lime green but for some reason, it looked great with this purple print and complimented the blocks so well, I really like it!
The FMQ'ing I did was meandering on every color but the white. I wanted the white parts of the flower on the top to pop out and the meandering between the fence posts kind of makes that "leafy" area pop out from the fence posts. The fence posts, in white, I just did a straight stitch to outline it and then a few up and down inside each post.  The back is a sheet. I use sheets from time to time as they are big enough to not have any seams in the back like fabric would. But this sheet had butterflies on it and the colors were yellow and green...to match the room. Granted no one will probably see the back, but it is nice if looked at! And, the quilt can be actually used as a blanket when the bed is slept in!
                                       
 
I purchased a garden trellis from the home improvement store, painted it white and decorated it with twinkle lights, purple tulle and purple and green silk  flowers. I had some butterflies from my scrapbook stash, and just stuck them on the wall around the bed.  It turned out really good! I have been told the room is "perfect", by my grand daughter! I just have to get a bed frame  to get the bed up off  the floor and the trellis will look right..with the decorative pillows at the head of the bed!

I made four pillows. I chose a block pattern I liked out of a book and did the math to make the pillows 15"x15" with a ruffle. I FMQ'ed the front of the pillows and stuffed them. I broke the "always do uneven number" for accent rule and only made four, so I need a fifth one, but at the moment, I have many other things to do so it will just have to wait!

 

Where is the "memory" in/of this quilt? This is a guest room. I wanted it bright and cheery and inviting. And different. My 2 oldest grand daughters were my inspiration...can't exactly say why, but they were on my mind when I decorated/designed it. Purple is the ones favorite color and the other loves bright, cheery colors. So the memory is of my 2 grand daughters. The dresser that is in the room has two little drawers at the top. I gave them each a drawer to keep their personal special stuff in that they like to play with when they visit me. First thing they do when they come over, is go in there and check out their drawers and "oh, I remember this!" and "I was hoping this was still here!" and "Oh, I missed this!" is what I hear for the first 15 minutes they are here and they are just so happy! There are my  memories!

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Thanks for stopping by and...keep on sewing those memories!

My Version of the T-Shirt Quilt

I did day care for my 2 grand daughters when they were little and had alot of memories! I started back quilting then and wanted a "memory quilt" for them to have.  So I started (when they were about 2 years old) keeping certain t-shirts that had a theme that they liked at the time. That way they could have  a comfortable quilt with lots of memories that Nanny (me!) made them and include some specific memories of their childhood

These were my first quilts done in about 20 years and I wasn't aware how many things had changed..until I got them done and made a few more! But with talent comes learning ..so...They are just fine! Both are very thick and heavy and we live in southern Califnornia, and both girls (now 15 and 9) can't use them as it doesn't get cold enough for a quilt so thick and heavy! But they are in totes for their future! Maybe a bed spread!

The first one I did for Kellie (now 15, 10 at the time of construcion). She was/is a city girl. No favorite color or theme, but when I showed her the guitars and it says "Rock-n-Roll" on it with cool guitars, she loved it. The pink panels are this fabric...which is a semi-flannel kind of fabric. The solid pink sashings are the same type of semi-flannel feeling fabric. I thought that'd make it soft and cuddley, and it would have if I had not  used a thick batting inside!. The back is fleece, black version of the same guitar print on the front. Where it is pink on the front it is black on the back. I thought I had a picture of it but I don't.

The T-shirts.... I made the block 12x12. The t-shirts were smaller, so I cut it large as possible and then appliqued it onto a 12x12 block of pink. Each shirt means something in her life. She was big on the "Hanna Montana" years, so there is one of that, she went to alot of places and mom would get her a t-shirt from there so those are there. Texting came into "style" and, well you see that shirt! A "Daddy's Princess" upper right corner. Below that is one she craft painted herself when she was a Daisy Girl Scout. The one in the middle there is one where I printed on a 12x12 fabric with my printer and said a few things about her and me and our memories together, then decorated it with paints and notions. Quilt is 60x60".  She loves it and remembers all the t's, but I understand why she can't use it!

This purple one is Ashleighs (now 9, 4 at the time of construction) purple is her favorite color

and I used the same layout as Kellie's. Same semi flannel and fleece. A few of her squares are not t-shirts as I had to do at the same time as Kellies, because I didn't know if I'd still be quilting few years later and didn't think I should chance not getting t's, so I just bought 1/4 of a yard of fabric of her favorite things.  The lavender sashings are a Tinkerbell print. The purple sashings are a semi flannel.  Same construction of the T-shirt blocks. The upper left corner is Tinkerbell fabric. She loved Tink and I had this fabric left from a school tote bag I made her. The 2nd up from the lower right is pink Disney Princess fabric.. I made her a night gown from this as she loved (and at 2 could receite all five names of the princesses!) so I used some of that. She to was with her cousin Kellie in the Hanna Montana years..she called her "Hanna Tanna" so there is her shirt from that time. The middle pink square is again, one I wrote something to her and printed it out The one above that (white) is one I had her cousin Kellie do this same thing because for a few years, those two were thick and theives! It was a great time for both of them. And she loved Jesse on Toy Story so...there she is. All shirts hold a memory!


This is the fleece back... Tinkerbell of course!   Nice fleece, soft and cuddly.  It is also 60x60 and she doesn't use her's for the same reasons! I put a thick batting inside..as that is what I always did 'before". What I should have done was use NO batting and the thickness of the semi flannel and the fleece would have been fine, but at the time... I didn't know you could make a quilt WITHOUT batting!!!

 

So, lesson learned...you CAN make a quilt WITHOUT batting inside! And you CAN use a very THIN batting in a quilt. All quilts don't have to be thick and cushy as for many years, was the "picture" that comes to mind when the word "quilt" is spoken! And a quilt DOESN'T have to be the bed spread! It can be a blanket too! I have since made a few quilts  using fleece as the back and 100% cotton front and NO batting and they are perfect warm blankets and the kids (got 4 more grand kids now!) love them.

 
Thanks for stopping by and...keep on sewing those memories!


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Tea, anyone? Well, for the birds anyway!

I know I've been "absentee" for a few months now, but life just keeps getting in the way of my fun activities! Plus... I've learned a few new crafts recently and have been spending as much time as I can on one of them..seeing how memories fade fast! Time is of the essence! I have learned about Junk Journals and made a few and love them. Same theory as the Fabric Memory books... just with paper instead of fabric! So much fun and ohm the memories they can keep! Stay tuned for more about those!

But for now.. I just wanted to share something I made that I have been trying to make for some time now. A Tea Cup Bird feeder!   I have quite a herd of various birds in my backyard (in the desert) that come every morning, expecting me to be up and food on their table by 7am! Sparrows, blue jays, doves and probably couple kinds I don't know what they are...and of course my hummingbirds. I have feeders, but want to decorate my back yard best I can. Being in the desert, heat is a constant problem and not being able to dig and plant like I want to.. and having sand for soil....I have to find other ways for decorating my yard. Nice large covered patio, but I need COLOR out there. So I try to decorate with "colored things" best I can while not letting it look junky!

Tuula, over at Thrifty Rebel Vintage ( and I love vintage anything!) shared a post while back about these cute little tea cup birdfeeders. Colorful, small, easy to make and just nice to have hanging around and no look junky! Her's is SOOO CUTE I just had to make one! So....after couple weeks of trying to find a tea cup set (I have one thrift store in town and that's it!) I went yesterday and although not a set, I found a painted tea cup and a painted saucer that kind of match, but lot of color... and made one following Tuula's direction.

 

 I love it! I have it hanging in my potted Dwarf Necterine tree, just above some lavender in a pot beside it. Isn't it pretty? Not being a set, the cup and saucer didn't "fit" right like in Tuula's post... I had to wad up some masking tape and make a wedge to make the cup sit up straight so when hanging, the saucer was straight. So to cover that, I glued some silk flowers to the sides and added one to the back, and ....BINGO!!! all looks nice! I also glued a larger flower to the inside bottom of the cup for color since this cup didn't have any painting on the inside like the one Tuula used. I hung it out today and the birds took to it right away! 

 Here's what it looks like all together! Little birds only seemed to like it, so that works just fine! I intend to continue looking for cups and saucers and make a few more. I have a potted dwarf Peach tree on the other side of this one, that needs a feeder!

The pot right behind the tree...I forget the plant but it blooms small purple flowers. But in the middle of that... I found this handmade clay bowl....and glued it to a plastic sundae fluted glass and have that sitting in there for water! Since I have a larger bird bath that they gather at, I dont' think they'll spend to much time here, but it looks nice anyway! And I can always put seed in it!

Below is what my "corner" looks like. I used this side of the yard as it is all clearly sen from my kitchen window so I can see it all, all day long. I have 2 hummingbird feeders handing at this window to, so I can see the whole gang.. which  in addition to all the birds, includes 3 rabbits (2 adult and one baby) 2 squirrels (that climb the poles to eat the bird seed) a family of 4 quails and 3 huge black ravens that I chase way nearly every day! I goofed..and didn't get the dwarf tree with the tea cup in this pic but you as you are looking at this pic.. you are standing just to the right of it!

Well, that's it for now! I am always looking for out door things to decorate my patio area with. As you can see... behind this is nothing but dirt.. unusable sand dirt! I have a nice patio lounge chair and am looking forward to the weather cooling down come fall (we have had upper 90's to triple digits all summer long!) so I can sit out and read a good book, sip from a nice glass of ice tea and watch my "kids" and enjoy my yard!


Thanks for stopping by and...keep on making those memories!

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Monkey Page for a Fabric Memory Book

My third little grand daughter, now 6, likes gorillas (she calls them "crillas") and super heros. I made her this super hero tooth fairy pillow last fall and have a super hero page in the works for her book. I have not found any gorilla fabric that I could use for appliques for a page for her, but....found some scraps from a tote bag that I made her a year ago...It's a monkey..."brother" to a "crilla"...at least that is what I told her!

Anyway... I cut out some of the monkeys and use iron-on interfacing to the back and then cut them out to be appliques for her page. She is another grand child I didn't have the blessing of doing day care for so she and I don't have many memories until recently. But...this one we have.

She also loves the outdoors, digging holes, climbing trees and her daddy has taught her lots of outdoor survival things. So this page had to be something to that effect. Hard part is... I am not that outdoor-sey anymore! Yeah, back when I was 6, she is a mini-me...but now...well, let's just say I had a hard time creating something to resemble outdoor! But.. I had some fabric charms that were the green camo print....and some beige lace and some other like color things...so I put this together....

 I had that background fabric already cut and why I decided to use it, I am not sure! I might have been able to do better with a different background, but I tend to over think things so I just did it.  I made the pocket out of the camo print charms and tried something new. I bought a large bag of odds and ends at the thrift store and ended up with lots of lace hem tape and this iron on hem tape. I thought I'd give it a try..see the solid green on each side of the pocket? It is adhesive on each side, so I just cut the pieces and ironed them on...and it worked very nicely! Not nicely enough to make me want to go buy more (if they even make it anymore..this stuff was marked 89 cents for the package...that means  OLD!). I added the buttons on each side (mainly cause I mis measured using the iron on tape and couldn't get it off!) but they are a dark green in color so they match. Then used beige flat lace on the edge of the pocket flat, a little piece of ribbon for the flap pull and a glitter/sequin flower.

I just used white lace for the outside edges of the page and this page does not have a "back page" to it. I thought I'd make each page and then sew them together, that way if I want any pockets, pouches or side of lace inserted in the edge seam... I could do that. Sometimes things just look better when they are caught in the seam. So this one will be sewn as the back of another one. I intended for it's back to be the super hero one, but goofed and sewed the lace on the top,bottom and right side, instead of left side! So both pages are the same. No, I am not going to rip out that lace and do it again! I'll just make another page....and MARK IT this time as to which side is to be laced and which side is left as the "binding" side! Yep, lace does cover a multitude of mistakes!

made a gathered lace flower with a little pearl button for the center. I figured (trial and error style) if I pull the gathered lace really really tight instead of just into a circle...it will make a more closed up kind of flower...kind of like a rose bud looking flower. And then I did the regular style of gathered flower in a green lace and another larger one in the rust lace and put them all together to make this flower. Then just a few color coordinated buttons to make it not so lacy!  And the little monkey...he is sitting on the top  of the pocket...waiting to help open the pocket! As I am sitting here typing this, I had a thought.. I need to add a dot of velcro or a snap to the flap of the pocket to keep what gets put in the pocket...in the pocket!

Actually this one came together rather quickly...but then again, it isn't really fancy or embellished either.  I am figuring that I will do 2 pages  in the books, memories I have of the girls...like this one and the Apple Shirt one and the Princess Dress page (and I have a super hero one on the way and 2 song ones nearly done) and then the remaining pages will be just decorated/embellished whoever I want and they get to put their own memories in the pages.

So that is what I have been busy with this week...well one of the things! I also discovered JUNK JOURNALS...and I am hooked on those now as much as these fabric ones! Same theory, same techniques...just paper instead of fabric. I used to scrapbook big time 8 years ago and still have alot of my supplies, so...no shopping trips to the craft store! But I'll fill you in on those when I get some done so you can see what I am talking about. I think that when I get older and get dementia...I am going to be the happiest I have ever been! I will be thinking I am in my past where I was happiest!

Until next week....

Thanks for stopping by and...keep on sewing those memories!


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Giraffe Page - Fabric Lace Memory Book

In creating these fabric lace pages, I always include a memory. Ergo the name...Fabric and Lace MEMORY book! I did day care for the two oldest grand daughters (now 9 and 15) but the next two I wasn't able to do that for them, so the memories are not many. However... where there's a grandmother, there's a memory...so the youngest (now 4) loves giraffes. She calls them "Jaffs". (Her 6 year old sister likes gorillas and calls them "crillas".) So... I found this giraffe fabric...a thin polyester flannel at the thrift store...4 yards...brand new fabric ,...and it had giraffes on it! I intend to make her some pj's with it, but, for now.. I cut out the giraffes and made them appliques and used them for the memory on the page.

Giraffe Page

 I made a ruffle of green sparkley fabric lace to go around the edges and a row of a beige lace, and then covered the raw edges with white ric-rac. I intended to use a white braid with gold braided through it, but got lost in the shuffle of laces! But the ric-rac is okay. The white bit of lace you see is on the other side of the page...a page post for next week. I didn't applique the giraffes to the fabric, I used Stitch Witchery... you know the iron on tape that is iron on on both sides. I know, I cut corners, but in this case, I thought it'd be okay! I did do the dot embroidery stitch in each eye (with black thread) and nose to secure the giraffe down. 3 of the giraffes are on a pocket. I just found  a scrap of fabric that matched the yellow and folded it to fit the page and make a slant pocket. The other 2 "jaffs", I ironed on the page so they look like they are peeking out from the pocket.You can also see the white lace ruffle from the other side of this page

I added a row of clear yellow beads along the edge of the pocket and a row of the green sparkely fabric ruffle. I plan to write a note to her and slide it in the pocket. This pocket is also good for her to add her own memory later and slip it in the pocket. Also, a pocket this size is a good way to add an item that is a memory...a pacifier or a rattle or something large that was special to her..doesn't have to be giraffe related, just an item special at the time.

Then I made a flower out of the green sparkely fabric. I cut a 10"by 2,1/2" strip, folded in half, did a basting stitch on the raw edges and then pulled the threads to gather it tight as possible and secured..then added a fancy pearl and silver button, then just sewed it to each end of the pocket. You can use a glue gun to attach it, but I am not set up with an outlet nearby so I just tack it down.A good thing about this work is...you don't have to make it "play ground worthy" or sturdy for wear or "kid proof". An adult will be looking at the book and it isn't a "take and play" thing so things don't have to be secured tightly and you don't have to be concerned with "wear and tear"...so tacking things down works fine.

I think my little LillyAnn will love this page and have fond memories of her love of giraffes. I also made her for her birthday last year a fabric growth chart and 2 puffy throw pillows for her bed, all with "jaffs" on them and she loves those. She points them out to me every time I go over to visit..."see Nanny, I'm this tall" and "I kiss the jaffs on my pillow". She loves her jaffs!

This page was also rather quick. I tend to spend more time deciding on how to create it than it takes to put it together. I am also seeing that I am not going the "vintage" way either. This is kind of whimsey and fun...but at the same time.... "anything goes" as long as the memory is there!

Similar Items I used on this page:




Thanks for stopping by and...keep on sewing those memories!

Want to read more at Fabric and Memories? CLICK HERE

If you'd like to start from the beginning or refer to a previous post, here are all the related posts to my adventure in creating a "Fabric and Lace Memory Book".

Make Your Own Laces and Trims
Princess Dress - Love This Page!
My First Page and some Tips
It's Coming to Life and so Much Fun!
How I Organized my Supplies
Shabby Chic and I Am Hooked!

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Princess Dress Page - Fabric Lace Memory Book #5

I am still enjoying these fabric lace memory books I have been working on. I have been learning so many new things and learning to relax! Yes, really! I have been sewing for 50 years and there is so much stress in sewing! I hadn't thought much about it, until now! My recent endeavor was with quilting. Good grief, much as I love it, the stress abounds! We get used to it, and still love it, but it is there! All seams have to match. Stitches have to be a certain size. Cutting has to be exact. No stretching. Perfect points are a must, hems have to measure perfectly and so on. Granted, I still enjoy quilting  and and will pick it up later down the road a bit. But I have to say...with these fabric books...no stress! Things don't have to match perfectly, they don't have to but cut straight and thank the good Lord for lace and hand sewing! Both cover a multitude of sins... I mean mistakes!

Here's the reason for this page...and the memory. I stopped sewing about 15 years ago. I made my first grand daughter (turning 15 next month!) 13 outfits for her second birthday. Her mother (my daughter) refused to allow her to wear any of them as they were homemade! The outfits were darling and good work and all, but you know kids. I got over it eventually! She just gave every outfit back to me recently.  Well, anyway, I stopped sewing clothes then and only did a few things like some curtains or pillows. About 4 years ago, when my second grand daughter was about 4 years old, she said to me. "Nanny, will you make me a princess dress?" I asked her "why do you need a princess dress?". She said "Well, Daddy says I am his princess don't he?" I said "yes". She says" well, how can I be his princess if I don't have a princess dress?" Next day, I pulled out my sewing machine, went to Joann's and paid full price for all the makings of a pink princess dress...sparkley fabric and all! And that is what started me back sewing. Her parents said she had plenty of clothes so I started quilting.

But that simple little innocent, loving comment about making her daddy happy, has stuck in my mind all these years. Well, I had some of that fabric left over that I saved and that was what made my second fabric page. And I will type that little discussion on to fabric paper and put is in a fabric envelope and slide it in the pocket on this page... or something like that, haven't decided yet!

THE PRINCESS DRESS PAGE

This page is covered with the fabric I made the dress from. I don't remember the name of the style of fabric...it was a thin, see-through fabric with diamond-ish little sparkle gems in the fabric..and they did sparkle! It doesn't show in the picture, but the page does sparkle. I used a beige lace, then a dark pink lace and sewed that to the page assembly...front piece,laces, batting and back page piece all together and then turned inside out and pressed seams. They I added white ric-rac that covered the seam side and then added another lace that was a gathered lace with a ribbon and a small edge of lace all attached. These were hand sewn in place. Trust me..it is gorgeous! I am so pleased with this page and I know my grand daughter will be too!

THE BOW

 I took the picture sideways thinking I could rotate it in my photo editor, but when rotated, it cut half the picture out, so I had to leave it as is. But the bow here.. I found a tutorial on Pinterest  about making this style of bow....HERE
and made my own version as I only had a small piece of the fabric left. This is the dress fabric also. I then added a strand of silver pearl "beads" (bought at Joann's for $2.50 for 3 yards and used a 50% off coupon) and some "crystal" looking beads I had in my craft stash from when I taught my grand daughters to make necklaces and bracelets years ago. The middle "knot" on the bow is embellished with a square crystal bead.

THE POCKET 

Notice on the first picture the slant pocket I made? This is where I will put the conversation she told me, I will print it out on fabric paper and make a fabric envelope to put it in and slide that into the pocket. I used the dress fabric to make the slant pocket and embellished it with the dark pink and beige lace as I used on the edges and put a strip of grograine  ribbon in the middle. Then, I used some alphabet beads and spelled out PRINCESS and sewed them to the ribbon area. I wanted to say "Daddy's Princess" but didn't have the additional letter beads.

THE FLOWER

The last embellishment is a flower I made from the dress fabric, some light pink tulle ribbon and white gathered lace with a pink button in the middle. To make the flower, all you have to do is gather the lace strip and pull until it is the size you want, then sew the ends together. Then place the gathered circles on top of each other, tack together and add the center of your choice. I used a button but you could use those "crystal" beads like I used in the bow or anything that you can sew on. You can see the side lace in this picture a little bit better too. I have three layers...largest is the dress fabric, middle is a bit narrower but a tulle trim and the top one is a white lace.

This is another "take" of the page...I did some edits  so you could better see the embellishments a bit better but the color is off, but you get the idea! I just love this page and can't wait to see it in the finished book! See how different this one is from my first page..  Apple Shirt page
which is a bit more structured than this one. Just goes to show, as you move on...things change, you get more creative and the ideas and inspiration start taking effect!

I am making pages first, and will bind it when I have enough pages. That is why the right side there you see raw edges. And you can use a hot glue gun to attach things if you want to, I use needle and thread as it is extremely inconvenient for m e to have a glue gun plugged in at the kitchen table...no outlets near by!



So, my journey continues. I have a few more I am working on...making four of the same page to help get the books done hopefully, this year. And with 2 more grand children on the way.. I haven't figure how to add two more...except to make 6 of each page...so...I'll just have to see how it goes. I am running out of lace and have started using fabric to make a ruffle for each page. I see a trip to Joann's with my coupons in my future! I need more lace!


These are great embellishments! I used the alphabet ones!

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Thanks for stopping by and...keep on sewing those memories!

 

 Want to read more at Fabric and Memories? CLICK HERE

If you want to re-read or start from the beginning of my Fabric Lace Memory book adventure...

#4 - My First Page and some Tips
#3 - It's Coming to Life and so Much Fun!
#2 How I Organized my Supplies
#1 Shabby Chic and I Am Hooked!

This post is linked to the Linky Party for the day. Click on the "Daily Linky Parties" tab at the top of my page and join us!

Fabric Lace Memory Book. 4 - My First Page and Tips for Lace

My adventure into the world of fabric lace memory books has begun...and I am loving it!  It is nice to not have the stress of having to make sure everything matches or is the same as you have to do in quilting. It is nice to be able to just 'put it together" and not worry about being straight or matching.
And it is nice to have the feeling of completion so often! I compare this to quilting as until now...quilting was 80% of my time and talent! But I have put quilting on the back burner for now to make these memory books for my grand daughters. Finish page a page a day! How cool is that! Well, even cooler, is that you can finish several pages in a day if you want to! I hope I can make that happen!

I know I have been talking about tons of lace and vintage this and that and flouncy, puffy, lacey pages...but my first one didn't come out like that.  I am learning and changing my theory as I work. Mine won't be vintage. It won't be tons of lace. But..it will have lots of lace and other embellishments ...and a memory on each page....even if that memory hasn't been made yet, there will be a space on the page for it when it happens. 


So.. here is my first page. My (now) 14 year old grand daughter when she was 2, loved a shorts and top outfit I made her with an apple theme fabric...called it her "apple shirt". She out grew the shorts pretty quick as she has always been pretty tall...but the shirt..she wore for about 2 years and it was the first thing she thought to do when she came to my house. I'd say "let's go outside" and she'd immediately run to change shirts! It was so cute and a great memory for me...and recently when she saw the fabric in my stash...she said she remembered the shirt and why. So since I am one that has to have a reason for anything I do...well...the page had to have a memory..and the apples won.

My first page

I have a very hard time with pictures turning out right. but....it is white with a white flower basically. The fabric in the middle as you can see, is the piece of fabric I had saved. I trimmed it with lace and a gold trim. I made a fabric flower with a large button in the center. To the bottom right there...I use beads with letters on them to spell out "Apple Shirt" and sewed them to the page with a strip of fabric and gold trim and embellished with another button.

Double rows of lace on the edges and red ric-rac to finish it off. Granted, this is not as embellished and lacy and "done up" as most I have seen or follow, but..it is my first page and I have done a few since, and they have more "stuff" on the page.

And the memory of this page is.....

The memory part of this page is... pull the flower out and it is attached to a tag. On the front of the tag is a picture of her in the outfit and the back I will (either) type or hand write a little note about her and the outfit and it slides into a pocket made by the fabric.

I guess I should mention.. I wanted 8x10 pages so I cut 9x11 pieces of white bleached muslin and very thin batting. I sewed the edge lace on first then did the other pieces. So this is the way I am going with my fabric book. I have made a few pages since and they have more lace on but...you have to start somewhere! Fabric lace books I have been seeing in searches have tons more lace and embellishment on them... and I will get there soon but for now.. I think this is a great start!

I'd like to share a few "tricks of the trade" I have learned. A fabric book is not as complicated as you might think it is from looking at a picture of it. And not as expensive to buy supplies...if you know what to do or look for to use. I have alot of "tricks" but will not bombard you with all of them at once, so I'll just start with lace.

Make your own lace...with lace yardage and fabric

My first "find" was... lace yardage. Instead of paying a big price for some nice lacey lace....buy a yard of lace fabric (Use your 50% off coupon at Joann's!) and then make your own lace. Lay the fabric out,  salvages matching...and cut (with your rotary cutter and healing matte)  2,1/2 inch wide strips.  Then, take the strip and fold it in half (cut edges matching) and press. Then either by hand or basting stitch on the sewing machine...sew a gather stitch the length of the strip. Tada!  Gathered lace! Perfect for the page edges. You can use fabric to do this too. Cut same as you did with the lace and gather. A great place to find lace yardage...check the thrift stores...in the skirt isle. A lace skirt makes a lot of gathered lace strips!

Make a Lace and Fabric Flower

Or...gather a length of lace and/or fabric and pull it tight and you have a lace flower! Just add a button or even another smaller floral flower to the middle and you have beautiful lacey, vintage looking flowers for an embellishment on your page... like in this picture. You can use two colors of lace, one smaller than the other and lay the smaller one on top and then a button and...instant lacey,vintage-y flower! In this picture I used fabric for the first layer and lace for the second layer and 2 buttons for the middle.


Just  make a length of fabric strip and pull tight until you can make a nice circle. do the same with the lace. I sewed the buttons to the flowers, but you can use a hot glue gun.

And here is a cool Youtube video tutorial on how to make flowers from your scraps of lace and ribbon


And this one...  quite a bit "more" than I want or think my GD's will want, but there are some great ideas for pockets and lace organization and things to use. I think I will start to use more beads!

Make floral appliques! 

I also  had some odd ball lace yardage I bought at the thrift store while back. Great price and I figured I'd find a use for it...one day. I looked at it and there is a nice flower pattern in the lace, so I cut the flower image out of the lace!

And one more thing with this "home made lace". To make another option of use...especially  for a vintage look, I poured some of my ice tea into a bowl..and placed the appliques and piece of fabric and let i soak over night as in this picture. Once dried, I now have a beige/cream floral applique and lace...as well as the white!

So I am getting more into this project every day. Since I plan to make several books for my grand daughters...currently 4, and I think I will probably do alot of "assembly line" sewing.... Make the same page 4 times and just change colors!

And if that wasn't enough, I have another GD due in March and was just informed of another one due in August! For these two.. if I don't have any memories of them..yet... and there is always the chance that I won't be sewing like this when they are older... I will just make some pages with pockets so that we can add the memories on down the road. And... I intend to make them each a Quiet Book...a fabric book of "things to do". I made one for my daughter and she loved it and they are pretty easy to make. Won't need those for another year or so tho, so they are at the bottom of the pipeline but will be made!

Thanks for stopping by and if you missed any of my previous posts about the Fabric Lace Memory books...here's previous posts.

Fabric Lace Memory Books: 1. Introduction

Fabric Lace Memory books: 2.How I Organized My Sewing Room

Fabric Lace Memory book: 3. It's coming to life! And so much fun!


Thanks for stopping by and...keep on sewing those memories!


Want to read more at Fabric and Memories? CLICK HERE
This post is linked to the Linky Party for the day. Click on the "Daily Linky Parties" tab at the top of my page and join us!