DIY a Pressing Mat? Wool, yes, I think I can!

Let me preface this post by saying that when you add up time spent and supplies, yes, it may have been cheaper for me to click the "pay" button. But for me, I don't always DIY something to save money or time. I just simply love the creative, inventive process of DIY!

In the quilting world, there is an endless number of things on the market to magically make me become an amazing quilter....I admit to falling into the trap more than once. I love watching videos and going to quilt shows to be mesmerized by demonstrations of quilters' tools. I must admit, I am blown away by the abundance of ingenuity in the quilting world.

Trending this year....the felted wool pressing mat.

Oh, yes, I wanted one when I saw them being used....c'mon, admit it...you did too!

I love my DIY iron board, but what if I had a felted wool pressing mat? Could my quilt pressing be sooooo much more satisfying?

I had to know.

This post was created after visiting many online stores placing the magical felted wool pressing mat into my cart only to leave it abandoned in the virtual aisle waiting to be put back on the shelf by the virtual stock person because the DIY voice in my head kept saying, "Hey, I wonder if I can make one?"

I have no idea if my felted wool pressing mat performs like the ones I left abandoned in my cart. I do know that creating this was fun and it felt kind of adventurous because I could find no DIY,  made from scratch, felted wool pressing mat tutorials on the world wide web.


So, this is my adventure creating a felted wool pressing mat.....

I crocheted a large rectangle using inexpensive 100% wool yarn. I got tired of crocheting at about 38 x 28 inches and figured that was good enough for my experiment.



After stitching in my loose ends (not sure if this matters but it feels necessary).
I tossed my rectangle into the wash with some towels and set the machine to HOT. I added a drop or two of detergent and closed the lid, pushed start and hoped for the best!

I have some experience in felting so I knew this was going to require patience and a watchful eye. One of the important things to note here is that the spin cycle will create creases in your hours of crochet (don't ask).....do not let your machine go to spin!

It took 5 cycles to get my nicely crocheted rectangle to become
this ---------------------->

I know, it doesn't look very impressive but wait...










 Shaving is a very important part of a felted piece's beauty. Shave, shave, shave...a lot!










Shave it some more...trim it and oh my!     

                                     It looks like it could be a REAL felted wool pressing mat!

Let me say again, that I don't know if my DIY felted wool pressing mat performs like others but I am pretty impressed with the flatness of my block!








My mat is not as thick as purchased mats but it still works well and I can use it on any surface without worry AND I created a hinge in mine so I can take it with me to classes. I can use it open if I have room or folded if I have a smaller space....HA!...Two sizes in one!

My finished size is 26 x 12. Those of you with math skills can figure the shrink percentage precisely but I'm going say as a general rule make your square or rectangle 50% bigger than the size you want to end up with should you want to go on this adventure.

I love my DIY felted wool pressing mat!

Autism and Awesome

What do autism and awesome have in common? Jordan! He is autistic and he is awesome! And Jordan graduates from high school on May 30th 2018. I think his life story should be a movie...you know the kind I mean....it's a story that makes you cry and laugh and fall in love and then laugh and cry because you are in love. Big screen stuff.

So, while we wait for that blockbuster to come out......

I was honored with the task of creating a t-shirt quilt for "Jordan the Amazing."

Can you tell green is his favorite color? Yes it is!



I must admit, this grandma was not prepared for the emotional journey this task was going to take me on. Piecing together his quilt caused me to ponder with pride..oh, so much pride...how this young man got to this place. I wanted his quilt to be as special as his achievement and as amazing as Jordan!













Most importantly, his ever present green jackets had to be included...if you know autism, you understand.

 The well worn shirts tell a story too....if you know autism,
                          you understand.




















A piece of his weighted blanket is in there...if you know autism, you understand.

(I kept the beads in this square)

                                                         


     This quilt tells Jordan's story,
                                   I can't wait to see what happens next!






















As a mom, I am in awe of my daughter who was relentless and used her natural stubbornness and mom wisdom to get the things Jordan needed as a diagnosed child on the spectrum.

           






                       Jordan and his mom are proof that faith,
                             love and family can overcome.










-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                            From the Bunny Farm

It always amazes me how my customers love their bunnies. 

New pink plaid....so darn cute!

Feedback is so often not just stars but stories. 

Paula said this: "Wow...just wow! The Seller customized a bunny for me and the final product was unbelievable. 

Thank you so very much for a very special, beautifully crafted bunny!"

And Stephanie says: "The item shipped on time, was packed with love and was exactly as described! I purchased this bunny for a friend who just had a baby boy. I had the FP bunny blanket growing up and it was my ultimate favorite lovey i ever had. This replica is PERFECT and brought me back many many years to a lot of special memories. So happy to get to pass on the tradition to my friends newborn little guy. Suzie is amazing and so is her beautiful bunny blankets!"

Honestly.....I love making my bunnies and this is why!


                                    

Coloring inside the lines...

I know I'm not the only one who feels the calendar slipping by rather quickly. I read bloggers everyday expressing distress at the speed of time. Nothing has made me more acutely aware of how quickly the pages on the calendar turn than the Craftsy Block of the Month I have been trying desperately to catch up with. Each time I sit down to work a block, it is brought to my attention that I am STILL two months behind!

It's a good thing modern technology has allowed us procrastinators the opportunity to replay and pause the classroom or some of us might never graduate!

I have been really good at sharing with you the process of putting together each block, but I failed in April to snap pictures. Well, part of it was done here    so, can you blame me? And honestly that was April......I just did not COMPLETE them until now.

Each month there are postings on Craftsy of finished blocks and there is some amazing talent out there. Our instructor, Amy invites us to be as creative as we want with our blocks.  I usually am one who goes off into my own creative place and comes out with something completely different than what I was instructed to do....hmmmm...that could have been my problem as a child....

BUT......

I decided that this Block of the Month should be an exercise in restraint....like coloring inside the lines, you know? 

Pfffff....I know, it's crazy isn't it? How does a creative mind stay in the lines?

Secretly, I have another one of these blocks made up in a completely different pattern because I just had to...but don't tell anyone!

 

Let's just pretend that these are the two April blocks I did and they are exactly as instructed.....I stayed inside the lines....mostly.

How about you....are you a color inside the lines type of person?

Blogger's Quilt Festival...how could I resist?

One of the blogs I follow is Quiltincats. She recently posted about a Blogger's Quilt Festival and so of course, I had to check it out. Amazing! Simply amazing! Over 500 entries have been made already...that's crazy!

Well, naturally, being slightly competitive and a lover of all things quilts....I figured I better throw my hat in! What do I have to enter though? This is the last day to enter and so it's not like I can finish any of my UFO's AND take pictures AND write a story.

Let me see....I must have something around here.....

Aha! Peace, Love and Happiness! I made this one last year and it makes me smile when I see it, isn't it so bright and cheery?

 It's kind of scrappy (I love scrappy) and I also love rag quilts. They are super easy, you get to quilt as you go and they just have a homey, snuggly feel about them.





This quilt was really out of my element. I have a tendency to stay in a not so lively color pallet but I wanted bright and hippy colors contrasting with one of my favorite combinations, black and white. 

 I also love to use my embroidery machine AND I love applique....did I mention that I love all things quilt?  So I got to play with finding just the right font for my "peace, love and happy" 

and of course there is peace, love and happiness in applique too!

I had discovered in a previous rag quilt, the use of Osnaburg fabric for the inner layer. I absolutely love it! It gives my quilt a light but cozy feel and the Osnaburg just ravels so nicely!

AND, this is one of my favorite things about making a rag quilt....the back is done when the front is done and the only thing left is the binding!

So, I am going over to Amy's Creative Side now and link up to my first ever Blogger's Quilt Festival!

Come and see and the wonderful entries, you will be amazed, I promise!

Food for shopping

When my sister and I set out on our quilt store shopping marathon last weekend, I knew we were not going to have  take time for eating because both of us think fabric shopping is life sustaining........who needs food when you're fabric shopping?  

          Don't these look delicious?--------->

 SO,  I loaded the car with water and this recipe for Chocolate Almond Granola I had been drooling over...I found it at Lauren's Latest ....she has some VERY...no, I mean VERY delicious recipes and she's funny to read! 


Of course, mine didn't look quite as delicious as hers...she shows it all sexy in a pretty bowl with some strawberries.












  
  Mine was just in a ziploc baggy....not quite the same effect, but I can tell you it is just as delicious as she describes...especially when we had it the next morning as a cereal! OMG! And the best part....the milk gets all chocolaty like when you eat Cocoa Krispies or Cocoa Puffs....YUM! 
Slurp! Slurp! 






I was just about to put together another batch because we managed to consume that first one shamefully fast.  Thought I would share it with you....not the granola, silly, that's mine....I mean the recipe...here's the link again in case you missed it up at the top there... Chocolate Almond Granola  and Lauren calls it "healthy" which I suppose it is as long as you don't eat it ALL in one day!!

Sisters...addictions...and WOYWW

My sister, Marcy, came to visit me....it's her fault I am addicted to quilting. I have always had an addiction to fabric and then she introduced me to quilt stores. THAT was the first mistake. Then, she introduced me to quilt store "runs"...THAT was the second mistake. It's not that we need an excuse to go visit ALL of the quilt stores in a given area BUT when there are prizes and free patterns involved...well, how can you NOT participate? Besides, it's fun to spend the day with a sister...and okay, so we shopped for TWO days...it was lots of fun and we also were able to convince another sister to tag along with us.

I secretly told Marcy that I was going to convert Marie to fabric...she's a paper addict, I think some of you at WOYWW know what I am talking about. I'm pretty sure the seed was planted ......as we stood in front of a new line of fabulous fabric she uttered this with a sigh..."All this cute fabric reminds me of paper, I love it!" I don't think Marie will ever stop card crafting but I say there is always room at the work desk for another addiction...isn't there? ....Ok...maybe not..........

I don't really think I could fit another thing in this space...I know it looks VERY busy, like I have been just creating like crazy! But honestly...I haven't been. I had to shuffle things around to set up the bed for my sis. I figured she might appreciate a bed instead of the floor and I guess giving up the sewing room for a sister is a fair trade for a couple of days. So.....lots of little piles in a small corner creates the illusion that I have been just ripping up the crafting world. I seriously need to get this mess straightened up..TODAY...Mother's Day is in a couple of days and I brilliantly picked up a project on our shopping spree and it needs to be completed by Sunday for my mother in law......brilliant.

So the question is...What's on YOUR workdesk? Over at Julia's blog, we share our crafting places whether they be shameful or glorious or somewhere in between. Mine always tends to be closer to the shameful side. I'm on the way over there now because it's an addiction that doesn't take up any space :)

                                 Happy WOYWW #153 everybody....thanks for visiting!

Best invention EVER nomination

Have you ever noticed how perfect the "camping chair" is?  It is simply the best invention EVER when it comes to being in the great outdoors....

It comes with everything you need to work

and it still has room on the other side for enjoying the great outdoors........

Isn't it PERFECT ? 

That's what I did this weekend...visited our favorite local campground and

worked on crafty things while fishing...napping...napping...fishing....

I think the "camping chair" should win some sort of "BEST INVENTION EVER" award, don't you?

Blocks of procrastination

Dang it! Is it really May next week ALREADY? I guess that'll put another X in the FAIL column of the Craftsy Block of the Month  I've been working on ***sigh*** there ARE still a few more days of April so I guess there might be hope...don't hold your breath though....there are lots of things in the procrastination pile ahead of April's blocks...gosh! how did that pile get so high?.....I might have to re-prioritize...pfffff...later.

In the meantime I wanted to share with you the March blocks I completed in April :)


 
I have said before that Quilting is an amazing process of tricks and shortcuts that in the end fool the eye into believing it must have taken years.

These block are definitely in that "fool the eye" category. I love this block...my favorite so far.

This was my first experience with foundation piecing. I think I may have found yet another thing to love about quilting.


Isn't it amazing how you can begin with a couple of lines on a foundation piece of fabric....

 Sew multiple strips onto that foundation piece...any width your heart desires...mix it up...don't be afraid!





Keep adding strips....






and adding strips....














Before long you have what looks like a mess...but the seams are all so perfectly straight!













Trim it up.....makes me look pretty good doesn't it? Wow! That's a nice square!

Now make three more...all different...sewn without care of matching colors or strip widths......

and then when you put them all together..... they become one beautiful block! (Now I look REALLY good...shhhhh.... forget I said that quilting can "fool the eye")

I could see a whole entire quilt made from this block...bet I could get a quilt top done in one afternoon with this method....hmmmm....can you hear the "procrastination pile" screaming?  

And how I got from this.....

To this......

  is another mystery you can solve by joining in with me at the Craftsy Block of the Month..... It's NEVER too late to start, after all I'm pretty sure there's a procrastinator out there who hasn't started yet either!

Serendipity Shopping Day

**Sigh*** It's Friday already....I know, I should be excited that the weekend is here but I was looking for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday this morning....I don't know where they went...can't find them anywhere! Not surprising though, have you seen my sewing room? It's a wonder I can find anything in there. I guess I should spend some time straightening up in there this morning.....oh, wait a minute...I said it's FRIDAY...that means it's Serendipity Shopping Day!!! Oh thank goodness, I can get out of that "organizing" stuff and go wonder through some shops that treasured mine this week.



I love surprises! Can't wait to see what I find in them...lets go shopping!!!

Lovelace Designs has a fun shop filled with themed picture frames and room decor. I like this one....my boys were in the band in high school, this would be a nice way to frame a band picture, don't you think?

I don't have any little baby girls but at The Crochet Lady there are some things that make me wish I did! I love baby shoes...so very cute!

If I was a jewelry maker, I might have to consider purchasing some beads from ArcadiaBeads. She has so many beautiful handmade beads...how do you choose?

Nina at Creatingwithni has such an eclectic collection of things in her shop. Supplies, paper crafting items, crochet, shoes....the list is long and you could linger awhile in her shop for sure!
Aren't these polymer clay flowers cute?

Doesn't this cowl look cozy? It's still cold enough outside to think about stylish things to keep you warm. At DivineLuluCreations you might just find the perfect pair of fingerless gloves!

I just had to add this wonderful piece of work to my shopping list today. I have been following Sandy's blog but I have never wondered into her shop, QuiltinCats .

Today I did.

I love, love, love these cute little mug rugs! She makes them while on the road with her husband traveling here and there, how fun is that?

So, that's it for me. I really must get to "organizing" my sewing room, it's a mess and I have projects calling me to be completed. I need to move them up on the procrastination list.  

I hope you had fun shopping with me today!