Custom Totes

Everywhere you shop now, for a few dollars you can purchase a tote bag with a store logo to put your purchases in and save the planet by not using plastic or paper.  During the art show, we made some bags for our customers and they were a big hit, so big, that I'm doing some for a CSA program (community supported agriculture program).  When someone signs up for the program, they get a personalized bag. 

 I made the bag big enough to hold a dozen eggs in the bottom and then be loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables.  But if it were mine...I'd load it with quilt projects!

 

 The tote is 19 inches wide at the opening and narrows down to a pleated base of 6 x 13 inches.  The handles are 1 1/2 inch wide and for this bag, I made them a little shorter, with a depth of 7 inches.

 This particular tote is a custom design for a local farm that sales at market every week.  It is customized with the CSA member's name.   I had made some for them during the art show, but it wasn't quite big enough to get all their goodies in them. 

Their stuff is so good!  I've been eating fresh veggies all week.  If you are in the Nashville, Dickson, or Hickman County areas, you can sign up for the program.  Find them on Facebook at Pinewood Farms, in Pinewood, TN (mailing address is Nunnelly, TN).  I can't wait to see the pictures them make with this new bag!  Be sure and follow me on Facebook too, Piney's Needle and if you are interested in a custom bag, email me at pineysneedle@gmail.com. 

Going the Next Step

I have this ability to basically look at a picture of a quilt block and can figure out how to make it and it's true to say that, while we all may use the same pattern, the way we turn it or fabrics we use makes the most common pattern unique.  But usually someone else already figured out the pattern, so we are just coping what someone else has already thought of.

But tonight for the first time, I actually designed my own pattern!

I am using a common idea, but how to make it is all my own.

At least I hope it is.

I've purposely not looked on-line to see how others have created their pattern so that I didn't unknowingly copy someone else's idea.  Of course after 30 years of quilting, I've got a lot of impressions in my memories to go from.  But I still don't think my way of creating the block is going to be like anyone else's. 

Hint....I used 2 basic patterns and created mine.

The Log Cabin and the Flower Pot quilt patterns.

I'll work on it some more and hopefully by Monday, I'll have the beginnings of a quilt ready to show you.

The other thing I'm looking at is how to submit a design for fabric.  This one is way over my head, but I think my daughter and I have some great ideas.

I'm really forward to seeing what happens with these two ideas!

Printing on Fabric

Slowly, I'm beginning to make Piney's Needle, not only a fun hobby, but a business.  Getting ready for the Arts & Ag Tour has really helped.  Once the creative juices start flowing, it's hard to stop them and, do you know what?  I'm okay with that!

My greatest desire is to turn this hobby into a full blown home-based business.  I'm not against a shop in the public someday, but the home-based business is the true way I want to go for now.  Sally seems to be having as much fun, if not more, getting ready for the show too.  We are already talking about what the next show we do will be like.

Last weekend, I remembered some freezer paper that I had bought at the Paducah Quilt Show and had never really used. The thought was to make some quilt labels, so I played around with a business card template on my computer and came up with a label.

After seeing how easy it was to print on fabric after ironing it to the freezer paper (per-cut to letter size, printed on my ink-jet printer), I went a little crazy and started printing all kinds of things!  Next came the logo for the bags I mentioned in my last post, made into a pocket on the bag.

Then I went a step further and I think I've found my passion!


I wanted to make a sample wall hanging to show at the tour of a memory quilt.  So I made one in memory of my mother (ironic that it was also Mother's Day weekend and I was really missing her).

All of the memory quilts I have done so far, have been made from the clothes of the person being remembered.  The quilts were going to be used literally as quilts, so they were selected quilts patterns made with those clothes (not like a T-shirt quilt, which I don't do).

For Mom's quilt, I wanted something smaller and I wanted pictures on the piece.  Mom's clothes were mostly given away, so I didn't want to cut up the few pieces I had kept back.  However, since she made a lot of her clothes and since I have her fabric stash, I have some of the fabric from her clothes, in particular a black and white vest she had made that was beautiful.

I've seen pictures of people put on fabric before, but I wanted one of her paintings on the memory quilt too.  It turned out great.  The colors are a little muted, but I still like it. 

After printing out my favorite pictures of Mom and Dad (that's her high school graduation in a gown my grandmother made), I pulled out some items that Mom had made for me over the years and placed them on the wall hanging (still needs to be stitched down, it's a work in progress).

Mom made the little crocheted cross as a gift for people.  She probably gave away hundreds of them.  While she was sick, so many people would bring food over or send cards and flowers.  Everyone got a thank you with one of these crosses.  She didn't really keep a stock pile of them, she made them as needed, right up until the time she got to weak to do hand work, about a month before she passed away.

Mixed in with the pictures and needlework, I've added a block left over from a wall hanging Mom had made.  The purple irises were one of her favorite flowers.  How fitting that purple is also the color that represents the cancer that ushered her into Heaven, pancreatic cancer.

One last tribute, a listing of names and dates, people she loved and that loved her.  A Bible verse, used for their 50th anniversary, and a sample of her signature with the family crest, the Cross L.

In everything she did, she gave God the glory.

The wall hanging has some more items to be added and a border added, plus the quilting, which I'll probably do by hand, but I think it is turning out beautiful and so meaningful to me.

Last night I printed out a couple more of her paintings on fabric, just playing around, and I'm hooked.  Making art with her art blesses my heart.  It's something I'll continue with.

Remember, if you are interested in buying any of the prints of her paintings, we are offering these to the public with the proceeds we receive going to an art scholarship at the local high school.  Please visit the website and help us raise some money for the scholarship.  It's a double blessing, for you to get the prints and for the students to get the scholarship.

Here's a link to my brother's website, be sure and scroll down so that you can see the 37 prints currently available.  http://www.alewisenterprise.com/franceslewisart.html

We will have some of the prints for sale at the Arts & Ag Tour.  We are stops #26 & #27.  There is a free guide provided, http://artsandagtour.wordpress.com/arts-ag-tour/2014-arts-ag-tour/2014-arts-ag-tour-guide/  We look forward to seeing you.

If you aren't local and are interested in quotes on any of the items I've posted, please contact me at pineysneedle@gmail.com.  Or just leave me a comment.

Sally & I both have Etsy stores where our items shown here and other things are for sale.

www.SallyMarieVintage.etsy.com
www.PineysNeedle.etsy.com