Pink & Zebra Mug Rug with a Stamped Flower

 I really like little mug rugs but I haven't made one in a long time until this week....
I used some scraps from a quilt I made and a flower (CL375) I had stamped on fabric and stitched with batting behind it...

 I started with the left top side and the bottom right first...
I liked the larger zebra stripe under the flower and decided to balance it with a square on the bottom left corner......

I did a small #4 stitch around the flower outside and around the inside circle...
To put this together I layed down the back fabric wrong side up...
then I used fleece and then the mug rug top....
I brought the backing fabric to the front for a self binding and used #332 stitch....
I had used that stitch in a mug rug Dec 2010 and it worked for that one...
But for this one I think it would have looked better if I had chosen a stitch that stayed on top of the binding....
I used Smooch sassy pink for the flower but it is not waterproof....
Soooo next time I make one I will probably use paintstix after stitching the design....

There are a lot of mug rugs on the internet on pinterest, flickr, etc....
I just joined a group on flickr called Scrappy Mug Rug Gallery...
they have 859 members and over 5,000 photos...
Be sure and check it out for a LOT of inspiration!

I finally have a finish to link to finish it Friday and Link a Finish Friday...
Smiles and hugs....Caryl

some projects today and one with stamped fabric

 I haven't been able to do anything creative since the weekend...
I usually do something creative every day......
Sooooo today I wanted to do some sewing...
I decided to make a mug rug and started cutting and sewing fabric...
not finished yet....photos are pieces layed out.....

 I stitched a flower I had stamped on fabric...it is Hero Arts CL375...

 I used a sharpie marker for the black parts and I am using Smooch sassy pink on the petals.....

ALSO.....today I was cutting some squares for making a Traffic Jam quilt....
Pat Sloan has a free pattern on her blog and I have been wanting to make it...

I will use gray for the 4.5" squares and the 2.5" squares will be scrappy....
For some of the blocks I will use Pat's Nikki fabrics that I purchased many years ago...
I am going to stop saving my fabrics and USE them.....

Life is short....get busy and do the things now you have been planning for someday....
That is just what I am doing....

I am linking to Pat Sloan Show and Tell....

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

tutorial for cardmaking with stitching

 Here is a card I made several days ago and I learned a lot in the process...

I haven't made any cards for awhile and had no idea what I was going to make...
I have a hard time coming up with my own design and need to get ideas from other people ...
To start I decided to pick a flower stamp and stamp on fabric and stitch the lines...
(I had done this with another flower stamp on fabric in Dec 2010.)
For the top and back I used antique dots fabric and batting between the layers...
I stamped with Fabrico sky mist fabric ink on both of the fabrics stamped on this card...
the thread on the flower is Rainbow #838 varigated...

Stamps I used for this card:
Hero Arts CG134
Hero Arts CG119
Memory Box B1354
Verses MC0330-D

After stitching I applied Smooch grape soda accent pearlized ink (has an applicator)...
I like the way it shows the dots in the fabric....the photo shows it applied on one petal...
I used Smooch gold lame for the center....
Distress Ink dusty concord for the saying and butterfly....
I looked on flickr for inspiration and got an idea from jillianavery8222
here
I stitched the fabrics by folding it over a piece of cardstock...
then I used a paper strip of Memory Box enchanted in the center to cover the fabric ends...

Things I need to do better next time:

• figure out a way to keep the fabric tight to the back of the cardstock before stitching 
• trim off the corners of the fabric to take away the bulk
• check my thread so I don't run out at a spot that shows on the card
• use a different stitch to put on the center paper that isn't so close together
• be sure to check if all of the center is stitched before stopping
• find a button for the center of the flower
• add some glitter or sparkle
• lightly smear some ink around the edges of the small paper with the words

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

projects, roses and a finish

 Here is a springy tablerunner with Eden charm squares I finished today...

 I blogged about it before in October....

 I changed the quilting with each square and some I followed the fabric design..

 I took a photo of my roses today..the name of the rose is Paradise Found...

 here is my batik rail fence quilt with center quilting started....

here is the same March FMQ Challenge sample with the paintstix I blogged about this week...

but now I used Smooch taffy on the heart...

and on the flower to the right of the heart I used twinkling H2Os fuzzy peach...

I was checking to see what I liked the best....

Actually I like to work with all three of these items!!

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

 



 

 



 

 

butterfly compare

Last week Outside the Box blog had a blog hop....
They featured twinkling H2Os....
the above photo shows what I did with my twinks....
I now keep the lids off in the container...
and spritz with water when ready to paint...
I have had these many years and always put the lids back on...
I like the change...easier to see the colors and..
quicker to get to the fun!!

the top of the photo is with Smooch....
and the bottom is with twinkling H2Os...
there is such a difference between white and black cardstock...
the colors turn out looking totally different...
but all four have lots of sparkle...

here is what I used:
Hero Arts artists butterfly stamp
Versamark Dazzle champagne
gold embossing powder
Smooch pearlized accent ink sassy pink and ocean soul
Twinkling H2Os fuzzy pink and Carribean mist
waterbrush
flat brush

for lots of tips and inspiration...
video tutorials...
check Outside the Box blog...
to see what the Memory Box team did last week...
and what they are still doing!!!!
smiles and hugs....Caryl