quilting | Mother Crafter

30 Days of Creativity, Days 15-30

July 3, 2012 at 14:59 | Posted in Crafts - DIY | 2 Comments
Tags: 30 days of creativity, 30 Doc, Crafts, Creativity, diy, jewelry, quilting, Stimulus, Summer Camp

Here I am! Sorry I haven’t post since the 14th, but I have been… exhausted. I do not know what has happened to me! The clock says 10pm and I am a zombie… although that is not a good example since zombies probably have much more energy than me. I also have to say the days are wonderful and we are out and about having summer fun too.

I have been keeping up with 30 days though. I thought this year was going to be easier than the previous one, but I was wrong. I now have two jobs and a very active 18 month old. That would do it, don’t you think?

Before I show you my projects, I have some exciting news: I started to work for a local jewelry company! It is called Dragonfly Designs, and they teach jewelry making at Summer Camps, after school programs, and birthday parties. Even though I had limited experience making jewelry, I showed them some of my crafts and Mother Crafter and they loved what I do (HELLO, What is the point?) so they are training me over the summer so I can become a teacher in the Fall. I started assisting teaching two weeks ago, and I really liked it. The girls were from 5 to 14 years old, and it was pretty cool seeing them create all sorts of projects. If you have time, go check out the company webpage, their mission and products are very nice.

Here are my creative efforts of the last 15 days of June.

Day 15: We went to MOCHA with some friends. Me and Paloma made this coffee filter flower for Father’s Day.

Day 16: Giants gift voucher for Michael.

Day 17: I made a Lemon Pudding Cake with a personal twist from the Real Simple magazine. You will need to trust me on this one (I have witnesses), the baking dish was empty before I remembered to take pictures! Recipe here.

Day 18: I played with the fabrics of the mini quilt from Day 13. I remove three of the pieces and decided to keep everything in the same color range: grey, white, black and yellow.

Day 19: First day of Summer Camp. We helped the girls make clay pendants.

Day 20: Second day at Summer Camp. We did hair clips with seed beads and feathers.

Day 21: Again at Summer Camp. We did bracelets with wood beads.

Day 22: My auntie Melissa sent me this jewelry website with tutorials, tips and stimulus. I watched a couple of them.

Day 23: I went to the library and checked out a lot of quilting and sewing books for stimulus.

Day 24: More work on the quilt.

Day 25: Paloma had a fever, so we creatively played to kept her indoors.

Day 26: I made this Owl necklace with pieces I bought in Argentina.

Day 27: At camp, we showed the kids how to make three strand beaded necklaces.

Day 28: We made headbands with the kids.

Day 29: I watched the introduction of the online class Michael gave me for Mother’s Day.

Day 30: We went to the Lindsay Wildlife Museum and experienced flying over Mount Diablo through a hawk’s eyes.

I can’t believe is over. It was definitely a challenge this year. Phew! Now that July is here, I have line dup some pretty cool Show and Tell posts, the goodies of the Christmas in July gift exchange, and more! Next, I will post the pictures of the Alameda County Fair we went last weekend, including one of Paloma taking her first horseback ride! See you soon. I promise!

{Show & Tell} Artist and Crocheter Kathie Eng

March 7, 2012 at 23:10 | Posted in Crafts - DIY, Stimulus | 6 Comments
Tags: Amish quilts, craft, Crochet, diy, Fiber art, Inspiration, national craft month, National Crochet Month, Quilt, quilting, Stimulus

Back when I was pregnant, one of the first gift I received was a beautiful and colorful handmade blanket from the mother of my Tango teacher. Not only did she make it especially for us, but then I found that she was an avid crocheter.

So I decided to feature her in the first Show and Tell of Mother Crafter. It is a perfect post to celebrate not only National Craft Month, but also National Crochet Month. I hope you find her work as amazing and inspirational as I do.

Who taught you to crochet?

My grandmother taught me when I was 8 or 9 years old, then I learned more from a neighbor at the time who was a highly skilled crocheter.

When and how did you start making your quilts?

About 24 years ago, a friend gave me a miniature quilt she made and encouraged me to try to do a crocheted version of it. I did and it just escalated from there. Also, I bought a book on Amish quilts, went to see the Esprit Collection at the De Young Museum and then got hooked on them, especially the bar quilts which were and still are my favorites.

What inspired you in your creations?

The beautiful jewel tones and fabulous color combinations in the Amish quilts inspired me to begin with and still do to this day.

What keeps you motivated to continue creating?

The challenge of being able to visualize something, making it, and being able to see the final product.

Do you have other crafts activities/hobbies?

Yes, of course, tango, collage, and baking. I also used to love to do macrame when that was popular.

Are you able to make a profit from your craft?

Yes, because I do lots of work for a yarn company and various craft publications.

Do you think the economic situation we are living in right now is impacting the DIY/craft world? How?

I don’t experience a difference myself and I think that maybe because of it, more people are trying to make their arts and crafts a means of income.

She also made these Missoni inspired scarves and a green lacey scarf, perfect to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

Aren’t these great? Thank you Kathie for joining us and sharing your work! If you would like to be featured in future {Show and Tell}s please send me an email at mothercrafterblog (at) gmail (dot) com.

Stimulus: Baby Quilts

August 11, 2011 at 21:20 | Posted in Crafts - DIY, Stimulus | 2 Comments
Tags: animals quilts, baby quilts, cute quilts, free patterns, modern quilt, quilting, quilts, tutorials

Who doesn’t love baby quilts? They are cute and some are handmade by someone special in your life but most important they are very practical. You can use them in the crib, as an art piece to hang on the wall or you can take it with you on the go and put your baby down without having to worry too much about dust or dirt.

Back when I was pregnant I made my first quilt. And since then I have so many ideas to make more but haven’t had the time or energy to fully commit to making one. The furthest I got was making sure the new sewing machine I bought had the basic quilting tools to make it easier. Some progress is still progress, right?

Anyways, back to the baby quilts. We didn’t know what we were expecting but for some reason I was very drawn to everything that had birds on it. It is pretty weird since we were not sure about names either, and when she arrive we knew her name was going to be Paloma (which means dove in Spanish). Weird! So the baby quilt I made has an embroidered bird on it. I found this awesome book from Linda Kopp called Quilts, Baby! and fell in love with all the quilts, but especially with the one in the cover.

I was nervous to make a quilt but it was easier than I expected and I really like how it came out. We decided to hang it on the wall, in her diaper changing station. She really liked it from the beginning, and it is a good distraction for her while changing the diaper.

I totally recommend the book if you are looking for some cuteness to make, from quilts to crib bumpers to a play mat.

If you need some stimulus, I found great tutorials and free patterns online that I want to share with you. Red Rooster has this wonderful quilt with a giraffe applique and you can download the pattern for free.

Milk and Honey Quilts shares this adorable elephant quilt too.

Natalia and Kathleen over at Piece N Quilt made this unique and gorgeous Modern Baby Quilt, and they have easy to follow instructions and a free template.