Fiber Artist with a Tea Heart

I am very excited today to share with you tea artwork made by my friend Karen. I know Karen from our local Wu-Wo tea group. Her fabric art is full of color, texture, depth (literal and figurative), and heart. Karen customized these three pieces, and I'm so happy with the results! Keep reading to see the inspiration behind them. 

Karen, the artist

This is the first piece made. Karen invested a lot of time reading through this blog and finding visual cues to my tea life. She glowed like a child with a happy secret when she unveiled the piece.  Did I recognize it?  Slowly, awareness dawned. Yes - I knew this!  Study it for yourself, and then look carefully at the header on this blog.  This artwork is modeled after that exquisite tea leaf set. I was really taken with the attention to detail and the color variation that mirrors the photo. This artwork represents my passion for tea.

This second piece was done after my completion of a women's leadership program, where I learned to lead writing circles (and much more!). Karen designed the colors to pair well with the color of my living room walls. This artwork represents the sacred feminine and my my personal growth. 

The third objet d'art is absolutely inspired.  I knew the general idea, and yet I was completely blown away when Karen presented this to me.  She re-created a photo from my experience in Rwanda.  Go here to see the photo inspiration.  The white on white is so accurate - she even captures the bubbles in the tea! The fabric in the lower left is a souvenir I brought home from Rwanda.  This artwork is all heart. 

Finally, I want to share the three-dimensional aspect of this artwork. I love that the frames are painted and become part of the piece. It's like the art is reaching out to engage with me.

Find more information on Karen's fiber art here.  If you would like an introduction, let me know and I'll connect you!

Vintage Linen Inspiration

A friend recently sent me this gift of vintage linens.  Pure delight! They inspire me to make everyday things beautiful. I want to know more of the woman behind these articles. Who is/was she that so artfully and skillfully embroidered this cloth? 

Did she enjoy tea? How old is/was she? What's her name and where did she live? 

These linens bring to mind my own grandmother's hands. I am fortunate to have some pieces made by her, including an embroidered bed quilt. I remember learning to embroider with Grandma as my guide. I am a little nostalgic and sad that I didn't keep up that skill. 

Look at the great detail and lovely color selection of this flower basket. Who taught this woman her handicraft? Did she teach others? 

Did she work alone or with sisters or friends? I may never know the answers, but I take a moment to send my gratitude and respect to the woman whose mind, heart and hands so carefully worked these into beauty.

A New Towel Rack

This post is for Mom and KD (sis), so they can see my new bathroom towel rack.  The DH made it for me.  I love it!  It's much more practical than the original metal bar - I can hang several towels on this at once. 

The wooden plank was salvaged along the side of the road. Wooden pegs came from Habitat for Humanity Re-Store. Metal peg (second from left) is from Old Portland Hardware and was reclaimed from an old pipe organ in Washington state.  The colorful/ornate hooks and pull knobs are from Anthropologie.

I had an idea of what I wanted for the end product and the dear hubby (DH) put his skills to work.  It was a bigger project than I had imagined, and I'm grateful!

DIY Bangle Bracelets

While I was home for the holidays, I did a craft project with my niece, her friend, and their dolls.  :-)  Some grownups got to play, too.  We made bangle bracelets out of floral wire, wrapped in fabric.  Here are the directions.  My niece is 6 and if someone helped her with the wire and the ties, she was very capable of (and happy to) do her own fabric wrapping.

And we made some bracelets for the dolls.  ;-)  These were actually the hardest because the doll hands are inflexible.

I made a few for myself, too.  I found that using floral wire is easier than an old hanger as it's much more bendable.  The color combinations are endless.  Fat quarters work really well for this project, and it's a great scraps buster too!  Thanks to the folks who put out the tutorial!

Vintage Embroidered Tea Tablecloth

I received this vintage embroidered tea tablecloth as a Christmas gift.  I love it!  There is a vignette on each corner, with crocheted-edge lacing all around. 

I enjoy thinking of the woman (I assume) who did the beautiful needlework.  Did she make this for use in her home or as a gift?  What drew her to these colors?  How long did it take her to complete?  Did she ever prick her finger?  My questions go on and on...what a story I can imagine!

   

It was very fun to find things I owned to accent the tablecloth.  It became a table setting full of memories.  I pulled out a tea tin that the DH and I had purchased (full of jasmine tea) on our honeymoon in San Francisco.  :-)  The candlesticks are from a potter in New Mexico. 

Fabulous Fabric Rings

I've been making these fabulous fabric rings for gifts (and a few for myself!).  Thanks to the tutorial from V & Company.  I found the ring bases at JoAnn's and used fabric from my stash.  The ring takes only a 1" by 10" strip.  I enjoyed matching the colors of the rings to the personalities of my friends.

My suggestions:  Dedicate the first ring to getting the process figured out, and the rest will be fun and fast!  I also recommend (on the final step) applying pressure to hold the ring base and fabric together so that they have a wide base of adhesion.  

I experimented with different shapes.  The ring below is one of my favorites.  :-) 

Pretty Things

A branch from an unidentified tree (perhaps crabapple).

We snipped this and encouraged it to bloom inside. 

I hope you enjoy these two bits of prettiness!  I love bringing the outdoors in, and forcing branches is a particularly fun way to do that.

My next blog entry will return us to Darjeeling. It's been a crazy-busy work week for me, and I've not had the time needed for a detailed posting.

The photo below shows how I repurposed some tin cans.  I love the bright colors.  I saw this idea on Pinterest. The crafter recommended spray paint, and I now know why! Painting onto metal (without priming) yields streaks. I finally embraced the streaks as texture. ;-) I used fabric (secured with rubber cement) for the adornments.

Pretty tins

My New Tiered Tray

Sweetcakes has done it again with her master crafting and creativity.  She made for me this lovely tiered tray.  I'm dreaming up reasons to throw a tea party, just to show this off. 

Flower Pins

I recently made this flower pin, using the tutorial by Wise Craft.  I love it, and I've had many compliments when I wear it.  It's a fun and easy project, and would be perfect for crafty tweens.  The possibilities for variation are endless, and it's a good way to use up those pretty scraps.  

Cranberry-Ginger Vinegar

Cranberry-ginger vinegar

This is a fun and fabulous project for the holidays!  (It makes a super-cool gift.) 

Hardware:

• Glass bottles with lids.  (Don't buy these - use recycled bottles!  Above I'm using Tazo tea bottles, salvaged from the recycling.)  Wash these in super-hot water or in the dishwasher. 
• A plastic funnel.  You can make one by punching a hole in the bottom  of a small yogurt container.
• A saucepan.

Ingredients:  Fresh cranberries, fresh ginger root, white vinegar, bottle garnish like a sprig of rosemary and a string of cranberries (below)

Prep:

• Sanitize the glass jars and lids
• Wash the cranberries (a handful per bottle)
• Wash and peel the ginger root; cut into small match-stick sized slices (6-8 per bottle)

Make:

• Determine how much vinegar you need for the bottles (a quick pour in/pour out works well).
• Bring the vinegar to a boil in a saucepan.
• While the vinegar is heating, place a handful of cranberries and the ginger in each bottle.
• After the vinegar has boiled, let it cool for just a minute to make it easier to handle.
• Using the funnel, pour the vinegar into the glasses.  The cranberries will pop and immediately begin turning the vinegar into this lovely pink color!
• Let the vinegar sit for a day or two.  Pour out and save the pink liquid while straining the ginger and cranberries. 
• Refill the jars with the pink vinegar and new cranberries/ginger.  Garnish the bottle and enjoy.
• This should be stored in the fridge.  I will use it on rice, or in a oil-vinegar dressing.

Dye Job

Inspired by this Martha Stewart article, I spent part of a recent Saturday dip-dying anything I could get my hands on including plain white stationery and this linen fabric.  After dyeing, I tore the linen into the width I wanted and sewed a boundary line about 1/4 inch from the edge.  Then I frayed the edges, as shown below.  I love it!  (And I had enough extra linen from the yard I had purchased to make a wrap in the same style.)

While I was at it, I also dip-dyed  this plain white cotton knit shirt.

The dip-dying is easy.  The hard part is not making a mess.  I used a dish pan in my bathtub, and set up the clothes drying rack right next to it (with lots of newspaper underneath).  When it was time to rinse the fabric, I transferred into a stainless steel bowl, then to my stainless kitchen sink.  System worked pretty well.  Follow Martha's tips, and those on the package.  I used 1/2 a package of Rit powder dye (Royal blue) for all of these things and had lots left.

To get the gradations of color, I simply did a double-dip.  This project would be great for a crafty tween.  Oh, and since I did have to sew the boundary line, I'll count this as a sewing project for the September sewing month.  ;-)

A Jeweled Frog

A fun weekend project!

On Saturday, The DH and I visited the local old-timey "Pharmacy" that still has an intact soda fountain.  It has milkshakes, burgers, cards, gifts and a lot of cool history.  I came home with three of these flower frogs.

I added some color and sparkle. 

Zinnias from our garden, Queen Anne's Lace from the vacant field.  I'm very fond of this!

Lavender - Grapefruit Sachet

Here's a very easy and fun project! I recently blended lavender buds and grapefruit peel to make fabric sachets for my sweater drawer. Both lavender and grapefruit peel discourage moths from feasting on wool.

A Little Crafting Inspiration

It's interesting how just thinking about being creative lifts my spirits! I can be stuck in a tough day and if I take a mini-break to give my creative side room to breathe, the result is uplifting. My heart and soul feel lighter! Humans are made to be creative.

As the holidays approach, I'm thinking of homemade gifts. If you are, too, you might enjoy one of the free templates here, a nice treat from Melanie Falick books. Or follow the month-long celebration of Handmade Holidays on Sew, Mama, Sew!

Do you have any creative plans for the holidays that you're willing to share? Homemade gifts? Creative celebrations? Mine are still wispy in my mind, but I'm narrowing in. I'm also curious - how does your creative side fuel/support/sustain/help/etc. you?

No Tea Cozies Without Irony

Love this image! It's from craftster.org. They have several fun ones - all vintage-looking with a twist. I'm amazed (and grateful) that the concept of crafting has reinvented itself into one that is hip and modern.

A Heart So Full

Cupcakes by Sweetcakes

I'm still basking in the warmth and joy from my She's CrafTEA! party yesterday. I'll put more words to it soon, but for now enjoy a few photos.

Friendship Patchwork Tablecloth

I made this patchwork tablecloth over the weekend. It was a BIG project, but I'm so happy with the outcome! I call this my Friendship Patchwork Tablecloth because so many friends had a role to play (though they might not know it).

First, Sweetcakes made the fabulous, amazing, soulful orange patchwork tablecloth for me. It's been my favorite ever since, and I've longed to try it. I've never done patchwork before, so I was a bit anxious about giving it a try.

Well, then RoxyRed gave me this teacup fabric. I've been waiting for months, trying to determine the perfect project for it. (The fabric I'm referencing is the one with the yellow flowers on it. If you look closely, you'll see there are two teacup fabrics in the mix.)

In the background, AZ tea lover has been gently nudging me to take a closer look at quilting. Quilting really intimidates me, so I decided to start with a patchwork project.

The ingredients: I had a patchwork tablecloth that I loved, I had this gorgeous fabric that needed a project, and I had this desire to try patchwork. So I dove in.

The pattern is from the great book, Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson and photos by Anna Williams. Martha Stewart featured the book and you can find the pattern, for free, here.

I did a few things differently than the pattern.

• First, my table isn't that big, so I reduced the measurements. Thankfully, I could use the one Sweetcakes made as an example.
  
• Second, I skipped the rickrack. Don't misunderstand - I LOVE rickrack. It's just that after all the piecing and sewing, I was DONE. Makes me appreciate the orange one even more, if that's possible.
  
• Third, I didn't use a half and half pattern. The fabric I chose as my dominant one has a lot of white in the background. The DH came to look at my creation, before I sewed the pieced columns together, and said..."Hmmm, that's a lot of white!" He has a great eye and I agreed, so I cut that half in half...now I had four alternating columns, and I liked it better. The white blended.
  
• Fourth, I haven't made the napkins (yet). But I will!

I'm looking forward to showing off the tablecloth at my She's CrafTEA! event this coming Saturday. In fact, I've been inspired by the tablecloth to go with a blue-and-white china theme. Here, you can see me testing out a few pieces.

To lead up to the She's CrafTEA! party, I'll be featuring crafty things all week. Enjoy!

Laini's Ladies

I'm a big fan of Laini's Ladies. These gals remind me to find whimsy and joy in my everyday tasks. The beauty above was a gift (thank you!) and the one below (smaller version) is something I picked up for myself a couple of years ago. Artist Laini Taylor (see her blog) is pretty amazing, too!

I'm sharing these as inspiration for your own creative dreams! What might you do if you had wings?