Lace & Closures

An art journal begins to get thick over time because you are adding so many different mediums into it.  The paint and water color, glue and added pages all make for a journal that no longer stays closed properly.  So I've added some closures to my journals.

 This is what my journals look like before I add any art to them.

 I use Jim Holtz Idea-ology closures and chains.

Here's the supplies I used, although I forgot to add the leather hole punch. 

 Using the leather hole punch, I measure approximately half way on the back cover and punch a hole to match the eyelet I'm using, which was 5/32 inch, Dritz Eyelet Kit.  The eyelets come in all sizes and colors, but I found Dritz had them large enough to take the hook I was using. 

 Place the eyelet through the hole (from right to wrong side) and align the tiny anvil underneath and the tool on top and hammer gently.  This will spread the end of the eyelet over the edges of the opening, holding it in place.

 

Now for the closure:

Using jewelry pliers, I spread the jump hook and add the closure to the chain.  Then I do the same thing with any charm I'm adding and attach them to the chain.  I then add a dot of jewelry glue to the hooks to keep them from spreading open again.

You can add as many charms as you like that makes it personal to you.

Here are some more journals with crocheted lace covers to hide the wording on the spin.

 

These are for sale on my Etsy shop, Piney's Needle.

(I'm in the process of adding them now.  So check back often for different styles.)

 

Finished/Found/Unfinished Projects

I caved and went shopping on Black Friday.  But only the fabric store (and one stop at a clothing store for Sally).  I added the browns and yellows to my stash.  The greens and pinks were from my last stop at the store.  No idea what I want to do with yet, but just wanted something a little different in my line up.  Sally's going through my Framer's Wife book, so I pulled out my Dear Jane.  Maybe.....a Baby Jane or two!?

 I finally got all the quilts put away from the quilt show.  They make a nice little pile.

 While cleaning up the sewing room, I decided to move things around a bit.  I just can't find a set up that I'm completely happy with.  What I found were a couple of unfinished projects, so I finished them up.

I had started this scarf last year, but ran out of thread and would you believe I bought two skeins of the exact same thread a couple of weeks ago...I guess I really liked it.  So....this scarf is finished and listed on my Etsy shop now.

 I was trying to get a picture of how it can be stretched out to come up over the back of the neck....but look at that gray...no white hair.  That white streak keeps getting wider and wider.  I tell people I'm like that girl from the X-Men....every time I use my "power" the white streak gets wider.

 Another unfinished project was this baby blanket.  How funny that the pattern is for "November" from a monthly project crochet book.  So....I'm working on it now.

 I actually through a few unfinished projects away....half-made scarves that need more thread, the ugly quilted blue wall hanging.  I had enough of the blue to do another one and got it hand pieced this past week. I will not be quilting this with blue thread!

 Then I found these little stockings.  My aunt made mine about 30 years ago.  I've added to the collection with each member of my family.  I guess I need to do one for Matt and give Sally's her's.  I wonder if I can still cross-stitch...the eyes aren't as strong as they once were.

 I found these left over blocks from the purple quilt.  Not sure what I'll do with them yet.

So my sewing room is cleaned up and arranged....time for some Sunday sewing.  And I did pull out the Christmas decorations while I was putting the quilts away...just not sure when I'll put them out.

Sunday's Stitches

Grannie's father always told her that every stitch she made on Sunday, she would have to rip them out on Monday....but that didn't keep her from stitching on Sunday.

When I got home from church Thanksgiving dinner, Sally was already stitching away on a purple scarf she was making someone as a Christmas gift.  I had the blue star in the machine so I decided to finish quilting it.

I ripped a few stitches out and then forced myself to finish it. 

Lesson learned:  colored thread is not always a good option when quilting.

Project completed and then thrown in the trash, labeled as the ugliest thing I've ever done....no picture will ever be available of that!

So, needing to create something I did like, I finished my Grandmother's Fan blocks.  It needs a border and then my hand quilting.  Just not ready to put this on the machine.  I like it too much.

Using up the rest of the thread from my button scarf, I made a long crocheted scarf with a simple V-stitch and  shell stitch.  I really like the colors on this one and it's so warm.  It will be on my Etsy shop

Sally and I both finished our scarves and then we both did some mending on blue jeans.  I hemed a couple of pairs for my brother and she mended rips in a pair for her brother.

So why are blue jeans referred to as a pair of jeans when there is only one?

Saturday Projects

First thought this morning was that I would go to Franklin and visit some quilt shops....but I really needed to do some work around here, so I went to my studio and found a couple of projects to finish up, clean up, and start.

The scarf got finished.  I love how soft it is and those buttons!

I put these two necklaces together, simple really, just adding some charms to chains I got at a clearance sale.

I had wanted to have this blue star finished for the quilt show, but it wrinkled really bad during the quilting process, so today's project was to remove all the the quilting.  I took the left over diamonds from this project and arranged them differently and will making 2 wall hangings.  Me and my ripper settled down, thankfully, the quilting was only straight lines and I had stopped when I realized what was happening.

 It was easier to rip from the underside, between the backing and the bating.

 All stitches removed, quilting marks washed out, ironed, and ready to be quilted again.

Then I went to pick up the purple quilt and took one of the pins and bookmark that I had made to the shop owner as a "thank you" for displaying the quilt.

 I also made dressing for the church dinner tomorrow.  As I was mixing it up, I kept thinking of Mom and how much I loved her dressing.  I would always taste it for her to see if there was enough seasoning.  I asked Adam to be my taster tonight.

I decided not to do the traditional Thanksgiving dinner this year.  Too many memories from last year and the fact that my mom isn't going to be here...so I'm serving chili!

Friday Night Stitches

I finished up one of my mother's projects the other night.  She did this wall hanging using a heat & bond method...but she didn't like it.  So she went to town turning under all the edges and tacking them down.  She got around everything but one tree and then decided that she didn't like the method or the look at all.  She folded it up, put it back in the pattern and was getting ready to toss it, when I took it home about 5 years ago.  I tacked it to my wall, where it hung, unquilted, until Adam decided he wanted it on his wall.  I finished the quilting and then got the binding finished this week.  He wanted some names quilted into the quilting.

 Since the one tree was only applied with heat & bond, it had started to come off, so I had to do some creative quilting  on all the trees.

Tonight was a cold night and it just seemed right that I work with some warm yarn.  I bought this yarn last year and decided to do one of my chunky neck scarves with buttons.  Before I called it a night, I had half the scarf done, about to start my row for the button-holes.  Maybe I'll have the rest done by tomorrow night.

Mary Jane's Scarf

Sometime last November my mother asked me for a pattern book.  I had just bought a new one and she was in between projects.  She was looking for quick project and my new book by Mary Jane Butters had plenty of them.  Mom made the hexagon scarf in variegated fall colors.  She wore it to a Christmas party and then left it draped over her bedroom door knob, where I found it in February and took home.

I've had the book out for several weeks now and have been entertaining myself with looking at the pictures.  Finally I started reading the stories within the book.  When I came to the story and pattern for the scarf I was blown away.  I had put a note on the pattern that Mom had made it and found a correction in the pattern.  The story was how Mary Jane had gone to her mother's home after her mother's death and stayed and just went through her things, finding hexagons everywhere.

How odd that Mom had read that story while she was dieing and that I was now reading it 1 year later.

I had thread handy, and needle, so I started another scarf, all in purple this time.