Sam's Genius

My dear Sister Sam, is currently serving a religious mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. While she's gone, she has bequeathed me with the responsibility of posting on Quirky Bobbins. Lucky for me, she left a ton of great ideas behind. Here is a story Sam wrote. It is supposed to go with her Apron Design. Enjoy!

Cassie~ Her taller twin sister

More Wall Art

This was a dollar at DI. A DOLLAR!

How awesome is that!

The plants are mom's but the plant stand is mine. And it was only 8 bucks! I've seen comparable and sometimes inferior designs in magazines for upwards of 85 macaroons. Talk about a lucky thrift store find! (I know you can't see all of it, but trust me it's cool)

Anyway I really want to put this on a porch hung with Chinese (or Moroccan) lanterns and surrounded by big leafy bushes and cute patio furniture. Ooooooh, and a Hammock! Backyard oasis and all that jazz.

P.S. this is coming up!

P.P.S. It might be a giveaway...so stay tuned

Wall Art

Once again I'm catching up on old promises. Here are the photos from "The Magic Closet." I know you're all wondering if I'm talking about the new marijuana dispensary down the street but no. It's a kids playroom located under the stairs of the Bears' house. (My dad and step mom go by Papa Bear and Mama Bear--respectively)

Starting from the opening into it (on the left) and turning clockwise around the room:

That waterfall took FOREVER! I pretty much dreaded it the entire time, but it surprisingly enough wasn't that hard. Those stupid leaves however gave me tons of trouble.

The rocks on the shoreline were a bit of a challenge but I found that I really liked doing them. There was something very fun about making up shapes and values as I went.

The Olmec head was a burst of inspiration from above. I had a huge white spot and no idea what to put in it (and not much time left). More leafy stuff would have been painful. That head took maybe an hour and a half and I totally loved doing it. Once again I'm reminded how much I like portraiture and HATE landscapes.

Horrible fire bushes compliments of a sleep deprived night, followed by a morning of "Holy Crap! I thought that looked great last night! I guess I'll fix it later..."

This is the first side I painted. It was pretty experimental. Also, the cat was a last minute add and the grass under it won't be floating once the baseboards are put in.

The doorway to "The Wedge" which is right under the stairs and is, you guessed it, wedge shaped. Most of the toys and such will be stored in there. I didn't paint it; I'm leaving that up to the parents or whoever.

Detail Shots

I wish this picture was better. Those berries took forever and actually looked really neat-o

As I was painting the head I kept thinking this looks almost exactly like Papa. hehehehe.

The Waterfall (never again)

Lake shore rocks and those nifty lookin' roots

(I'm still trying to resist the urge to make a trip back to fix those laves behind it...they were a bit rushed)

FROGGY! (and vines)

The bud-like flowers by the Toucan. They took some imagination to get right, but they turned out pretty good.

This thing has been quite the dramatic time-sucking saga in my life. Feel free to appreciate it in the comments box below. ;)

Octopus Butt

So as promised I present the before and afters!

(look Mike's excited about it too)

Before

Thonet's bentwood chairs are a classic so this had great potential and at four bucks it was a thrift store steal. But ick, chipping, flaking, crusty, yellow, all-around-nasty old finish. It certainly needed a little TLC. (and I was just the girl to give it some!)

After!

The finished piece turned out really well in my opinion. After sanding I hit it with several coats of colored spray paint until it had a good even coverage. Then after peeling back the taped off areas I sprayed it with a several clear coats of varnish to protect it. Make sure you let it dry completely between layers especially if you're going to be turning it over to paint the bottom sides.

Cassie and Mike are babysitting it right now, but someday I'll get it back. It makes me smile whenever I see it though. He's so cute! Part of the reason I picked this design was that the arms of the 'pus seemed to mimic the curving lines of the bentwood. Oh yeah, variety and repetition of shapes--that's four years of design classes for ya.

Well that's it for show and tell today.

Laters!

THE "someday" LIST!

So this is how my blogs get written; bright in the early morning, with state of the art technology and lots of energizing liquids....

...That's why I get so much done, don't you know.

That being said, here's my list of "someday I'd really like to do these quilt projects and maybe before I die one or two might be finished" (I know it's long name but it makes more sense than the abbreviation: SIR LTD. TQ PAM BIDOOT MBF) and of course it's in no particular order:

1. Whole Cloth Quilt (Modern, Mucha or Gibson Girl?)

vs.

(not these specific pictures, just a sample of styling)

2. Wedding Ring Quilt (on black background?)

3. Postage Stamp Scrap Quilt (from a cool a/o modern cross stitch design)

4. Red Tootsie Pop Coverlet, complete with nutrition facts embroidery, tootsie roll body pillow, and "how many licks?" owl pillow

5. I-Spy Quilt a/o Bug Jar Quilt (for the kiddies)

6. Colorful Coastal village art quilt (anyone know where this is? Or something really similar cause I need a better picture to work off of)

7. Veggie Quilt that I started (and pattern to sell)

8. Jean/t-shirt Quilt (pick-nick)

9. Map Quilt/City Streets like the ones at Haptic Lab

10. Faces of Family Art Quilt, with signatures or love notes or wisdoms (so I can wrap myself up in the people that love me like a giant fabric group hug)

11. Moss and Rocks Quilt - which will be an experiment in mixed media, construction and design. A one of a kind 3D piece that literally looks like moss and rocks scattered over the bed and dripping down the sides. Hopefully with a wrought iron Tree-like four poster bed, like so:

Speaking of Tree Beds.... YES PLEASE!

And on a completely unrelated sidenote, I want to spend my future honeymoon in something like this:

(Via: Mary Jane's Farm B&B)

12. Fall-Themed Pinwheel Quilt (which will probably be a gift) that I've already started. See:

13. Twister Quilt. yes I know it's totally corny and a bit overdone, but really it's just stinkin' fun! (and it' wouldn't take that long)

14. A Quilted Saying in big block letters (crazy-free pieced) I just need something worthwhile, witty, and SHORT to say.

15. (another) Binder Paper Quilt, this time for myself - probably with the same poem cause I LOVE it (e. e. cummings, "i carry your heart")

16. Hawaiian Style! But the cheater construction cause I'm a wimp.

17. Album Quilt, of some sort or another

and that's it.

.....

for now.

Sure it's kind of an ambitious list, but I do have the rest of my life to get through it, and pending any horribly paralytic accident or death I should have time. And if I invest that much time to get these done you can bet your bottom dollar I'm actually going to keep them (except the food quilt and the pinwheel one). I'm serious this time you guys. NOT giving them away!

Anyway, hope that's interesting or inspiring or whatever...just a little insight into the mindful insanity of my head.

These Bags Were Made For Packing!

So you know how when you go somewhere exotic like a beach, and your shoes get filled with sand and no matter how much you smack them together there's still some left? And how when you go to put them in your baggage they magically release more sand from mysterious pockets? And how then you have sand in your luggage for the rest of your life? And then you have to wash all your clothes that otherwise would have still been clean? You know about that?

These Will Fit:

One pair of tennis or dress shoes

One pair of heels or wedges

Two pairs of flats

Three pairs of flip flops

(more or less)

There's an genius solution. Shoe travel bags. It's not anything new, but it somehow went out of style or something cause you don't really see them much anymore. At least I don't. They're super easy to make and they protect your clothes from your shoes and your shoes from your clothes. Perfect right?! Also they have the convenience of being easy and cheap to make, reusable, washable, and easily customizable. So let's just jump into it feet first shall we? (sorry I couldn't help myself)

GET YOU SOME:

+ 2 - 1/3 yd (at least) pieces of fabric (four fat quarters would work well too-it'll just be more patchy)

+ 2 yds cording/string/ribbon/twine/twill tape/cut up extension cords/elastic/chain/hemp braid/extra shoelaces/crocheted yarn loops/rubber bands tied together/....or whatever else tickles your fancy

+ Thread

+ Any decorations, patches, laces, or floofy stuff you want to decorate with

MAKE YOU SOME:

1. Cut your fabric into (2) 12" x 16" exterior rectangles, and (2) 12" x 18" lining rectangles.

2. Place them RST and cut 2" squares out of either corner on the short side, as shown below:

2.5. If you're wanting to add decorations, embroider cute "His" and "Hers" or put aquatic animal patches on it, now would be the ideal time. ;)

3. Now stitch up all three sides like it says in the pretty pretty picture I drew specially for you:

4. Then! Fold at the missing corners so that the seams meet and stitch across the opening. For example:

5. Next on the lining piece press open the seams at the top so that the part you didn't stitch lies flat. You'll want to stitch down these flaps so they don't fray later.

6. Turn the outer shell right side out. Press the top edge down 1/2" and take the lining, still WS out, and fold the top flaps down 1-1/2" and press.

7. Now slip the lining into the shell (WST) and pin the seams to one another. Next find the centers and pin them. You'll need to ease in the rest of the fabric a bit. Pin in place and stitch 1/4" from the top edge of the shell.

8. Lastly, cut your pull your drawstring of choice in half and pull through the casings. One string will start and end on one seam and the other string will be on the opposite side. Like the picture shows. Tie knots on both sets and pull tight. You're done!

(View from the top)

I tied mine with old boot shoelaces and it worked perfect. You can do the drawstring from just one side if you like, but we found that it's more of a pain to close. The double string also makes it so you can tie the bag shut for extra-secure sand-trapping action.

NOTES:

If you have GIGANTIC shoes you can add 1" to the overall height and width (like the blue one below). This makes them big enough to fit a men's size 14 with a little extra room. Those of you transporting big red (or any other color) clown shoes might want to just use force flex trash bags. ;) Also I didn't try super high heels in them, so experiment--some inches may need to be added to the girth if you're favorite stilletos need a home.

This can also be done without the lining if you don't have the fabric/time/money for more than one layer. Simply follow the directions for the lining except make sure you finish the top edge before you fold it over to make the casing (pinking, zig-zag, serger, whatever). You'll probably also want to finish the edges of the other seams so they don't fray. It's a little more flimsy and it doesn't have that luxury "I'm on vacation" feel, but they still work just fine.

The only other thing I can think of is if it bothers you when linings come out of the shell. The easy fix to that is a stay stitch in either corner seam at the bottom through both layers. It'll hold it all in place and be virtually undetectable.

The bottom one was my first and has no lining and only one drawstring. It pretty much sucks and Sterling never uses it. The blue one I made extra big and well...there's lots of room. The top one is to the specifications here and it's perfect. I wear a size 10 and it works great for me (Sterling and I have basically the same size feet) with extra room, so it should work pretty well for most sizes.

GIVING OTHER PEOPLE CREDIT:

I based my pattern on a pattern I found a CraftIdeas.

My peanut took the pictures.

And Cassie bugged me to write up the pattern.

Thanks to all of you all!

Proudly Posh Heel Rip Off

Now I was cruising around Modcloth one day, as I'm wont to do, cause it's so cute and I like to torture myself with all the stuff I can't afford (and would probably never look good in anyway cause I'm not pencil thin). On this particular day shoes caught my interest. Specifically these:

Whooo Baby!

Then this caught my eye:

Yeeeeeah, Other than being out of stock, they were also way out of my budget (or lack thereoff)

And THUS!

I make my own! mwahahahahahaha!

It started out with a pair of non-descript almond toed (so out) cream-colored (so bland) faux wood heeled (so sheesh) pumps I bought for a wedding (I think)

(heels were already painted here--I always forget to take before pictures)

I took them out of my closet, dusted them off then started with turning the bottom black via a bottle of nail polish. I figured the laquer would hold up fairly well but I didn't bother doing the ribbed part cause A) it would wear off super quick with the walking and whatnot, B) it would have taken a LOT more paint and C) if it filled in the gaps I'd loose some traction.

THEN step one was to sketch on the peacock design (which is really just a few lines and some rough circles)

To tell the truth I still kind of love the unfinished look of the plain purple. But despite that I pressed onward to the blue

(sorry bout the horrible picture quality)

Finally, adding black accents and a full looking stem:

Nice huh? I think it's not toooo shabby, plus it didn't really cost me anything since I already had pretty much everything I needed. It's not quite as crisp looking as the Modcloth ones but now they're truly one of a kind.