Craft From My Heart Blog

Sewing Room

2016-01-31T18:30:00.000-08:00

What have I been doing all this time. I regret that I haven't been writing any post and I have no accuse. Hopefully I can stop back often and post some projects that I have been doing. I think now I would like to have this blog about what I enjoy and not all crafting although crafting and sewing have been on my list for so long. Well I am still into crafts and have made many items since my last post but I thought I start first and show you what I have been doing these past few weeks.
I have been trying to organize most of my crafts and trying to keep only the things I think I will continue working with, If anyone has any ideas how to organize sewing or crafting item please feel free to comment. Here is some pictures of part of my craft room of cause my husband keeps telling me he will soon paint. I would do the painting but my back won't let me.
I started to fold my fabric but then it looked messy so I decided to try wrapping it with cardboard. While I was wrapping the fabric it bothered me that I was using card board so I said their most be something else that is cheap and would look nice so I went to the dollar store and found some Styrofoam boards for a dollar a piece for which I could get many cuts out of one sheet. I even cut pieces for quilting scraps. I also stored more wrapped fabric in baskets. Take a look:

Penny Rugs

2013-01-21T08:15:00.000-08:00

I am really enjoying making penny mats. I love the way I can watch my favorite shows while blanket stitching. I would like to show you my latest penny mats I have finished. This rust one is done with wool from a coat that I cut and washed in hot water. The pennies I purchase online. You can buy them really inexpensive rather than spend the time to cut them. There are a many nice shops that carry their own wool and sell them already cut. This way you can purchased a good amount of pennies to do a few penny mats for a low price. You also receive a nice color selection. The crow can be easily designed cut and blanket stitched. The other is done with gray wool. I purchase wool felt sheets in colors to design and cut out rose buds. I added a penny in the middle. This mat can be added to any décor. I hope you have as much fun as I am having making them.

Learning blogs are great!

2012-10-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

Thanks for stopping in. As you can see I haven’t been writing post for a while as I have been learning how to quilt.

I wanted so much to quilt a table runner. I thought I could just cut squares and triangles and put them together easily. Let me tell you it is not easy without some help. I began to see that you had to have the right measurements to put squares together and sew them precisely. I had to learn how to place batting on and sew it so that the squares would set nicely. Borders also have to be cut right and sewn the right way. I decided to get some help. I could not begin to show you all the blog links I found that where so helpful. The first blog was this: http://befickle.blogspot.com/ which helped me then took me to this one http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/which basically answers my entire questions. I want to thank both of them and all bloggers that give craft lessons. Since then I have made more and love it. However I still have so much more to learn. This is a picture of my first quilt runner.

Make a E Reader Case

2012-04-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

Recently I purchase an E reader but I didn’t buy the case because I wanted to try making one. I ended up making a few different styles since. These direction are for the first picture. I am still trying new ways to make them in different colors and styles.

Using a scrapbook blinder with a spring that was the right size for my e reader I took all the inside scraping papers out. I then open up the scrapbook and measured two pieces of material adding 5/8’s around. Now I layered my e reader on the right side of the fabric and measured where the elastic would be place to hold the reader. Now that I have the elastic cut and stitched to hold the reader I then added batting and stitched the material right sides together with batting on top. Then leaving the bottom open a little for turning I slip stitched the bottom closed. I then took a piece of material to wrap around the case and enclosed it with elastic and finished it off with a cute button.

There is so many ways you can make your own. When making your e reader case just remember when adding card broad add batting or form to make it soft and safe for your e reader. Here are some ideas: Use material corners instead of elastic. You can add a pocket for a cleaning cloth. Have fun designing your own.

Cloth Doll

2012-03-16T13:49:00.002-07:00

Lately I have been leaning more to making dolls then painting. When I am making dolls my adrenaline starts and I became anxious to finish them. Once I have the body done it’s simple to design her clothes, but when it comes to the face it is a touch and go, because it is so easy to make a mistake when painting the eyes nose, and mouth. This time I used colored pencils first and then painted over them. Doing this leaves a shaded appearance around the eyes almost like eye shadow. Creating soft body dolls is so much fun especially when you see your finished product. The doll below was a creation that I started about a month ago as I like to do other crafts in between. She is listed at http://www.etsy.com/shop/craftfrommyheart,

Snowman and Rag Doll

2012-01-09T19:45:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I hope everyone is enjoying creating again after the holidays. I have been busy sewing. Here are a couple new items that I have recently finished. As you know I love to make my own designs in doll bodies and clothing. This snowman was created using wires for the arms so that they could bend. Some of you might have your own way of adding wire. I use floral wire, but not the one that is green as that will show through the white.

Here is how I used it in the snowman. Sew and stuff the arm. Bend a long enough piece of the wire and tape the ends. Now insert the wire into the arm leaving an inch down from the top so that you can stitch the end of the arm without hitting the wire.

The rag doll is another original of mine. One way to make perfect shape eyes is to look for eyes that you like and draw one on to tracing paper. Now cut around the eye then trace that eye on to the tracing paper again. Cut the two out and place them onto your dolls face with pins. Take a pencil and draw around the eyes. Paint your eyes. You can find both of these items at http://www.etsy.com/shop/craftfrommyheart http://www.etsy.com/shop/craftfrommyheart

Christmas Tree Skirt

2011-11-08T04:46:00.000-08:00

Are you ready for the holidays? I love to decorate and make new items for my home and Christmas is another favorite for me. As you have seen in my pass post I have shown you crocheting rag rugs.

I wanted to make a Christmas tree skirt as I have so many Christmas print fabrics. Crocheting a Christmas tree skirt is really simple and if you follow the directions in my past rag rug post you can make yours in a couple hours. The only different is to make a center opening to fit the tree. To do this just change more stitches before you connect and make the circle.

You can find this one at my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/craftfrommyheart

Decorate For Fall

2011-10-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

Fall is one of my favorite times to decorate the yard because the weather is cool and the sun is shining. I wanted to share this with all of you. If you have your child’s yard wagons or trucks around you can use them to make your yard a centerpiece for fall. My boys are grown up so I don’t have toys around anymore. However that doesn’t mean I won’t be happy to find something in a yard sale or on the road side on trash day. I can’t believe I found this wagon in the trash. It is one of the type of wagons that was use to pull a child around. Being a crafter I always try to use what I have handy to decorate with. I had my husband drill a few holes in the wagon so that it would not fill up with water. A few weeks ago I had purchase these lovely mums of $3.99 each. Now I didn’t want to go out and buy hay for 5 or 6 dollars so instead I just took some craft straw I had and tucked it in between the wood. I have had these scarecrows for a while. Since I haven’t bought pumpkins yet, I use a fake one.

Pumpkin Doll

2011-10-08T07:10:00.000-07:00

Sewing for Halloween is a favorite of mind. When you began to make your old originals like this pumpkin doll you feel so accomplished. I always found that making the clothes for dolls is a challenged, but the outcome is so rewarding. Ones you make the head and body you can really design any outfit just by laying a piece of inexpensive material over the body and then shaping the outfit to match the size of the doll. When doing this you must allow extra material for seaming. When you are making the shirt don’t forget to design a pattern for the back to sew to the front piece. The picture below shows you how I cut out the pattern piece for the head. Now when you make your head make sure you cut eight pieces out and sew them together while leaving the top open for the stem and the bottom open for stuffing. You can find this pumpkin doll at Etsy. http://www.etsy.com/shop/craftfrommyheart

Decorate with Crochet Rag Rugs

2011-09-13T08:25:00.000-07:00

I can remember my grandmother always taking her crocheting with her were ever she went. This is another reason I have started making these rugs,as I will be traveling with my husband soon and this is something I will be doing on the road. I have so many pieces of material left over that will make wonderful crochet rag rugs.
This post today isn’t about crafting tips because the previous one shows you how I crochet a rag rug. Today I wanted to write about how you can enjoy your own crochet rag rug in different ways. You can use them on the floor the table even on the wall. They can be made in different sizes. Here is one of my latest. This is one I just finished in colors of cinnamon, yellow, beige, prints in green and prints in red. This rug measures 24 inches round and is just perfect to use as a table mat. So dig out those old scraps and start decorating your home with a crochet rug. You can make them out of any cotton.They are cheap to make. I just love them! You can find one just like this at
http://www.etsy.com/shop/craftfrommyheart

Crochet Rag Rug

2011-08-23T15:17:00.000-07:00

As you all know I love to make different crafts. This past month I decided to try my hand at making a crochet rag rug. Remembering how long it has been since I crochet I had to stop and think. How quickly crocheting came back to me.
Many people make them out of old cotton clothes or sheets. Since I have much material around that I wanted to use up I had fun looking through my stash. There are many ways to crochet these rugs using different crochet stitches.
First I ripped my material into widths of one inch. You can rip your strips of material all the way to the end or leave about a half inch then turn and rip to the other end.(Just keep doing this) This is the best way as you have that raggedy look plus you don’t have to stitch the strips together to often.
Making your rag rug:
Using a 12mm crochet hook the picture below shows you that I just made a slip knot and chained 10 stitches.

I then hooked the stitches together to make the circle just by hooking and pulling the loop through.

Now you want to start making you snitches. You can continue hooking the material and pulling the loop through or you can do it the way I did.

I then hooked the stitches together to make the circle just by hooking and pulling the loop through.

In this picture you will see that I wrapped the material over the crochet needle then went into the chain and then pulled that material through the two loops on the hook. As you are crocheting your rug you will need to add two extra chain stitches to your crochet hook once in a while. If you don’t do this your rug will start looking like a bowl.

Here is my finished rug which is at my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/craftfrommyheart

Bird Cage

2011-06-23T09:38:00.000-07:00

It’s a misty day here, but I did want to show you what I have been doing this season in my yard. As a crafter I also love to garden and take my creativeness outside. This year I wanted to plant a verbena in this bird cage. I use a pot for the inside of the bird cage, but I don’t think you will be able to see the pot when the plant is grown. You can also cover up the pot with some floral moss. If you have a small bird cage you can just add a garden cloth or coffee filters for drainage then add soil. Cover the cloth by tucking in floral moss.
The next picture is an antique wood barrel in which I added a pot filled with daisies, petunias and a silver licorice vine. When it stops raining here I do have to prune the petunias as they can get lengthily
This garden cart I had painted last year is filled with impatiens in red, white and blue lobelia to give a patriot look.
The potty pot is painted with geraniums and potted with nasturtium in a mahogany color flower.

OLD GLORY WOODEN SIGN

2011-05-24T06:50:00.000-07:00

With gas prices we all are trying not to spend or travel much. If you want to decorate with a
Americana look without going out to purchase a finished piece or a wood craft to paint just use piece of wood that you might have lying around . Even an old weathered piece of wood can come out beautifully. Here is a patriot piece that you can paint up quickly for the coming weekend or for the fourth of July. This happens to be a wooden fence that I had, but as I said you can use any type of piece of wood. First seal your piece or just use outdoor paint. Choose your main color and then tape what you want to make a different color. After you have painted the square and it has dried add the stars with a stencil. Tape and paint red stripes down or across your piece of wood. Now you can add your readings like I did using Old Glory.

NAPKINS

2011-04-17T07:05:00.000-07:00

Easter is one of my favorite holidays that I enjoy setting the dining table. This year I wanted to bring in some pretty lavender color. Napkins and flowers can make a table stand out when everyone sits down to enjoy a nice meal. You can find a nice set of plan napkins and ad your own design. On these napkins I chose to paint hydrangeas in lavender. First make sure you wash the napkins and iron them.
Take a piece of card board and cover it with wax paper. They do sell painting sleeves but it’s cheaper to use what you have around the house. With fabric paint you really have to let brush stokes dry between coats. If you have never painted or feel that you can’t. Start with daisies they are so easy. Just pull your brush strokes down and around in the shape of a daisy. Now dot the middle with the end of the paint brush with yellow. Daisies are so pretty painted you don’t even need to add leaves. Have fun showing off your dinner table setting.

APRONS

2011-04-01T07:39:00.000-07:00

I enjoy spring and summer. The first thing I do is start changing my kitchen items around. By just adding a painted apron will bring the feeling of summer. As you have seen in the past I love flowers .These are plan cotton aprons. You can find them in craft stores and paint works well on them. I use fabric paints then the apron can be washed and still look like it was just painted. Below there are two I have recently painted. It doesn’t take long to paint on these. I just did two different designs. Here is a basket in tones of green and white. If you want to paint a basket like this one just use your brush with the two colors paint over and under with your brush to shape it. Then add daisies and moss. The other apron is painted with a pot and geraniums by using two tones of paint you can make the pot look old by just running the paint across in different places on the pot.

LUCY LOU THE BUNNY

2011-02-12T14:44:00.000-08:00

I have been having fun making bunnies this month. This is Lucy Lou. She is of original design and pattern. You do not need to be an artist or use and artist pencil to draw a pattern. Take a piece of paper if you do not have drawing paper use printer paper (we all have that around) then draw your doll. After I have finished drawing my design I then want to start cutting out the pattern. When I start cutting out my pieces I take and redraw each section of my drawing on a folded piece of freezer paper and then cut it out . This is the best why I find to have each piece even on each side. Do your outfit the same why.

JACK RABBIT

2011-01-31T05:29:00.000-08:00

It really gives you a feeling of happiness with accomplishment when you design your own doll. Here is a cute Jack Rabbit which I enjoyed drawing and cutting out my pattern. It’s easy to draw a pattern, but it is how you place it together that will really show your work. When placing your pieces together it is best to use a strong thread. I use carpet thread. You also don’t want your finished piece showing threads and unevenness on the hands and feet. Take time to decide how you are going to assemble your doll and you will be happy with the finished piece.

WOOD SIGN

2011-01-15T07:46:00.000-08:00

Now that the New Year is here I have some time to start painting. Today I have something easy for you to do that will look lovely on your wall or a gift for someone. I am tired of the dark colors so I decided to paint this in a sage green to add color in a room. Here I used a piece of pine wood which I stealed and then painted it. I always do the back of the wood I hate to buy a sign that isn’t painted on the back side. Even if I can’t see the back when hung. It just doesn’t feel like it’s finished. If you don’t like to paint or stencil you can buy a quote in a decal that you can stick on like I did. You will never know that I have used a stick on decal.

HOLIDAY TABLE MATS

2010-11-05T16:15:00.000-07:00

I have been working on table mats for the holidays. Felt is so easy to work with. You can finish one in a day. When using felt I always have a backing of fabric. I find the felt looks richer and thicker when you add the backing. I cut my design out and lay them on a piece of round felt. Fusible webbing is not use when I applique my felt pieces on. I find just using pins to hold the pieces in place work just as well.
Felt is thicker then fabric and it does not slide. I just pin and then find a stitch I like. After the pieces have been stitch I then added my embellishments. Here I use buttons.
Now I add my fabric to the felt and stitch then turn. Now the fun part is stitching around the outside of the mat with a decorative stitch. These mats are also reversible. You can find them at Craft From My Heart.

HALLOWEEN TABLE MAT

2010-10-01T10:38:00.001-07:00

Would you like to make a table mat out of wool felt but find it a bit expensive? You can have your home just as pretty by using regular felt. Here I added a backing of halloween cotton printed material to the piece of felt than stitched and turn it. This will make the felt mat thicker and give some support. Now that the base is made felt pumpkins and ghost were then cut out and blanket stitched onto the mat.
To finish this mat off buttons where than added and the mat was finish in a blanket stitch. If you like to purchase this Halloween table mat just visit my craft booth

FALL GRAPEVINE TOPIARY

2010-09-09T07:43:00.000-07:00

Decorate for fall with grapevine topiary. Floral like mums and sunflowers have been cut and attached with hot glue. You can use any type of floral like flowers or leaves and just cut and glue them. Adding bows of raffia and pumpkins finishes off the topiary. By adding a rake and baskets on the base will add an extra touch. If you choose not to make this you can purchase this at my etsy shop

GHOST WREATH

2010-08-23T17:24:00.000-07:00

Would you like to make something so adorable for your front door? Using felt cut the shape of the face out. Stitch it up leaving a hole in the back of the face and stuff. Add your eyes and mouth. Cut out the arms longer than they should be. Before you stitched them up stitched a piece of elastic onto the inside of the hand and then to the top of the arm. Make the elastic short enough to make the arms gather. Sew the arms to the back of the head and then attached to a grapevine wreath. You can add other items to your wreath. I added a painted wooden pumpkin

FALL PUMPKIN,SUNFLOWERS AND A CROW

2010-07-21T14:32:00.000-07:00

Fall items are showing up everywhere so I decided to get out my paints and do something for fall. I love using a cigar box to paint on. You can find them in yard sales or flea markets. I always like to use nice ones unless I want it worn. Here I sealed the box with just a clear brush on sealer. I did this because I am using acrylic paints. I chose black paint which would cover up some of the writing on the box. A Pumpkin sunflowers and a crow is perfect décor for fall and Halloween.
First add your flower heads and then add your pumpkin. This way you can place your stems and leaves right over your pumpkin. Lastly I added a crow.

BROWN GLASS VOTIVES

2010-06-24T17:43:00.000-07:00

Are you tired of looking at clear glass votive holders? You can change the color easily with glass paint. I painted these using a brown color paint.
Creating a look with style can be easily done without being an artist just by using one brush stroke in. Paint your votive holders the color you want then let the paint dry well. Now you can add a design. I just took metallic gold paint and added a brush stroke all around the votive.

GLASS JEWERLY CASE

2010-06-05T12:35:00.001-07:00

I have mentioned a number of times that I love painting on glass. This glass jewelry case is lovely just alone but I just wanted to add an extra touch. Because the glass is craved with different shapes I just painted the top with a butterfly. Look how you can change a simple piece of glass into something elegant. This will make a perfect gift. I also added a touch of glitter to the wet paint.