Happy St. Patrick's Day!

our backyard is surrounded by greenery so i thought i would show you some......as it is St. Patricks Day .
there are lots of trees so there are lots of birds. rainbow lorikeets are the most colourful.
a couple of recycled projects, the tablecloth i made from a  hand painted cloth that had seen better days, added some pieces of of old patchwork from bed covers & stitched embroidered doilies over the holes.
a work in progress on a used canvas.......creating a  textured surface with moulding paste, stencils & stamps, buttons, & acrylic paint.
enjoy your day whatever you are doing!
(raylee).

Patches and a repair

 

had a lovely new chair given to me recently...

very popular all round...

had a small worn tear starting on the front of the cushion...

 

 

then little fingers found the lovely foam stuff inside...

and started to pick at it...

so in keeping with my using up leftover bits...

I found some pieces big enough to fix it...

 

and this quilt has finally been finished...

old shirts and things on the front with the polar fleece backing...

light but warm when required...

Happy New Year with stacks of scraps

Happy New Year to us all!!...

 

have been sort of horrified to realise all the bits I have kept from my creations...

a box of scraps leftover from quilts mainly..

and the quilts are using up old bit of clothes and fabric I cant bear to throw away...

the scraps come in handy for the little dolls and animals...

and recently I tried some crazy patchwork to use some bits up...

they've become mini quilts...

but still too small for the dollies lying around...

 

 

the latest horse appeared...

and around him/her my stacks of scraps..

still more bits saved for the day when I will recreate something...

 

 

even another dolly has appeared...

lots of work to be done to empty the scrap box...

and then I noticed the other day that I was adding more stuff to it!...(sigh)..

oh well...gives me something to do...

maybe this year I'll use it all up!?!...

Pinky denim quilt

leftovers found from the cover of the foam divan mattress...

good bits left after dodgy bits cut out...

added a few more bits to make a single bed size...

then an old doona cover added to the back..

alphabet fairies seemed a good choice...

and colours seem to go together...

 

 also had a bit of a go at bunting...

to help finish the job the day before the event...

I only stitched it together...

the pieces were ready to go...

Embroidered Patchwork Bo Ho Bag Collaboration

Simonne sent me some patchwork  she had hand stitched & bits & pieces of silk & taffeta, & a pattern for a "bo ho bag". there was a seam in the middle of the bag so  i didn't use the pattern because i wanted to use her patchwork across the front of the bag to make the floral design.

i found a really informative tutorial for a "patchy bo ho bag" here,

 but decided to make the straps & gusset in one piece from some floral furnishing fabric (not enough silk & taffeta for the straps) the white lining is the reverse side of this fabric, a couple of pockets on the inside from scrap material, & some pearly buttons for the flower centres. machine stitched stems & grass in orange to add a bit of warmth to the purple silk daisies & the patchy blue  flowers.

this book has a variety of bags with easy to follow patterns.

(raylee).

Starry Nights

here is the latest creation...

leftover shirts and blouses cut into rough shapes..

then sewn together for a new look...

 



with the sparkly bits in the grey...

and stars on the black...

the theme became starry nights...

 

the quilt is big enough to cover the top of a single bed...

just another sheet for the back...

no wadding...

no need for the weight and warmth in this place...

Patchwork Blue Crochet Rug

My mother taught me to crochet when i was about 13 or 14, & i then taught others.some of them were very prolific & made lots of granny square rugs. i don't remember making anything very big in those days. smaller things appealed to me  like halter tops & bikinis. later on i crocheted myself a sky blue cotton smock that lasted right through my second pregnancy.
i hadn't crocheted for a long time but was inspired by a request by pip lincoln, meetmeatmike's, to make granny squares to donate to the qld flood appeal.
you get hooked on crochet, it's such an easy craft once you learn the basics, & there are lots of ways to use it.
i have just finished my second rug.i found the pattern in "better homes and gardens magazine,june 2010."
i have found that if i get something started i can pick it up & do a bit in between other projects, keep it in a bag & take it with me for times when i'm waiting ,eg. doctor's, dentist etc., or in front of the tv.
how long have you been crocheting?
who taught you?
what have you made recently?
or do you buy items already made?
would you like to learn to crochet?
(raylee).

patchwork patching

one of my original patchwork attempts...

recently came back needing repairs...

the cotton back...that once was the inside....

has worn so thin its tearing....

his sleeping bag...

that fitted nicely when he was 10...

had a patchwork cover applied to revamp it....

and bring it along to his adult world...

no use applying patches....

too far gone...

so hunted through the stash...

and found another sheet...

covered the whole back...

to give it a bit more life...

Patchwork repair

this patchwork started as the cover to my old divan...

in recent times the dreaded mould got to one side of it...

so a repair was required...

I chopped off all the yukky bits...

and found a few strips still ok...

so found some more bits of fabric...

and started the recreation...

might keep this one as a quilt...

will be heavy enough to use in this colder weather...

Patches On Patchwork

I made this quilt about 15 years ago. it's a bit worse for wear, threadbare in places,faded, jaded, torn & worn. even though the fabric on the  back of the quilt is older it has stood the test of time, faded but not torn. .

 made from brushed printed denim, very 70's, & a yellow cotton with a bird print, also from the  70's.

 the patches  were cut mostly from cotton shirts i had made in the 90's, gingham curtains from a couple of different kitchens i have lived in over the years, floral sheeting, a bandana i wore in the 70's to keep long hair from my face, & blue & white snowdrop print cotton from our first feather doona cover. the quilt has been waiting patiently in the "one day basket" as in one day i will mend it!
found a linen tablecloth at the op shop, just the right colours, blue & yellow. beautifully embroidered pansies. it was meant to be the mend material. in this case" the patches for the patchwork".

 while sewing these patches onto the holes on this old quilt i thought "what if i could patch the holes, the torn bits, the worn out parts of my life?".......the mistakes, heartaches, failures, regrets,sorrows,the could haves, the should haves but didn'ts, the pains, the empty spaces.......

 but it would be like taking the bumps out of seersucker.......it wouldn't be seersucker anymore. it wouldn't be my real life.
patches don't remove the holes, they just cover them up.......so i will wear my holes & tears & worn bits & just be me.

for every tear that has run down my face there has also been a smile too. my life is a lot like the texture of seersucker.......a series of ups & downs. (raylee).

New from old

with the need for more beds....
I had to get busy with the machine...quickly..
turn the old divan mattress into a useable bed...

what I had planned was a patchwork cover for the old divan...
managed to get one side done...
then found a pretty doona cover that needed a new lease of life....
so it covered the rest of it...
now I can look at the material instead of it being folded away in a stack....

from this to that

my footstool...

leftover from one of the kids moves...

that never went home...

badly in need of a makeover...

leary green is so not my colour....

let alone the obvious tears and rips...

but it has been very usefull...

toys climb it...

food bowls get set on it...

and little bottoms as well as the occasional big ones...

ta daa!!..

new footstool to match my chair...

if you look really close...

you may see the other bit of holly from a doily...

or maybe even the robin on the other side...

Table runner

Start with a long piece of fabric, to fit your table or whatever needs a runner, add some bits & pieces , i like to mix it up a bit with different textures, colours & designs to give more interest to the runner. add some buttons , puff patches , old patchwork & embroidery thread & old doilies any thing you like really, as much or as little until you feel happy with it. .....this one needs some more before it finds a place to reside. i have used op-shop finds for this project, & block printed the white cotton myself. (raylee).