Carmen's Knitted Gift

My darling sister sent me this hand knitted, felted and crocheted bag for my birthday! I just love the colors and the design she chose. She's recently picked up knitting after years of crocheted blankets. She's created a series of beautiful "filet" designs for our home over the years (and I don't mean filet gumbo).

The colors on her new bag are so me and I'm truly impressed that she crafted such a complicated bag!Fiber runs in our family. Even our mom started quilting this year now that she's inherited (by writing me a check) my Brother NX400.

Check out the backside! I just love the design!

Thank you Carmen. I absolutely love it!

That Famous Lazy Girl Bag!!

So, do ya'll remember that little "burning layers" Lazy Girl Designs pattern purse I did way back - last week? Well, my new friend and awesome pattern designer Joan Hawley has made it the new lazy feature at Show Us Your Lazy! Hehehehe - love it! See all of Joan's incredible patterns at Lazy Girl Designs or ask any quilt shop for the latest....I've seen them at JoAnns Fabrics too.


A Big Texas Welcome to all of you lovely Lazies who've come to visit me here! Make yourself at home and do look around. This was my first Lazy and once you go Lazy, well heh...you know what they say! Any recommendations on patterns you've tried Lazies? Please leave me a comment...look I know you're pretty lazy, I am too but it's just a comment...it's not like making a dart or a flikin lining for heavens sakes! I think I'll make a burned or even a nuno-felted Wonder Wallet next...after a very long nap.

Not yer Granny's Quilted Hand Bag

This is what's become of my "Burning Layers" homemade fabric experiment! I used Lazy Girl Designs easy purse pattern that called for added embellishments. I think the fabric I made is embellished enough! I'm really proud of it as it's only my 2nd little purse. Aint it kewl!

It's lined with little pockets and I even used a magnet closure instead of velcro.

Move over Luis Vuitton!

Click Here to see the whole evolution of this project.
Check out textile seahorse and Lisette's facinating burned art pieces and a very good tutorial that i can't make the link work. www.thequiltingweb.com/Free%20pro%204.htm

Burning Layers Piece

I'm going to cut it up into postcards since I prefer quadrants rather than the whole crazy thing at once! Hmmm or maybe a Lazy Girl Purse. But what a great experiment. There does come a time when I have to stop it with the stitching and burning already! The cards will have a funky fiber "art binding"
(Click on pics for details)



I considered metallic threads but synthetics would melt away with the heat so I used varigated cotton threads. The various textures of Deb's Scraps from my stamped acrylics on her hand-dyed flannel and stitching over her red velvets give the piece interesting textures!

More Experimentation with Left Oeuvers

This time I took a little more time (not much) to come up with a more organized color scheme. I'm planning the same technique of overlaying with sheers and burning (yes, I bought a burning tool from Home Depot) I almost want to leave it alone at this point because Deb's scraps are just delicious as they are. Most of these are her hand-dyed flannel and cottons and do you see that deep red dyed velvet she included? -Yummy.
Want some? Hurry up, I think they're going Like Hotcakes!


....and here it is covered up with organzas and sheers. I've started stitching around the motifs and I can Hardly wait to finish the stitching and burn baby burn with my new hot tool! Throw fresh batteries in the smoke detector baby, moms cookin again! Click on the picture and feel the excitement I'm feeling with this technique!

I hope no one gets hurt during the frozen tundra of Houston Texas tomorrow. But I also wouldn't mind one single bit if we had to be shut in our homes for fear of being slammed by amature ice speeders. Just keep my power and heat on! ** Update! See above post- the power was on, the heat on, the sewing machine on, schools closed (oh well, can't have everything)

Layering Whiffs n Leftovers

I ordered a bunch of Deb Lactiva's fabric scraps from her ::More Whiffs, Glimmers and Left Oeuvres:: studio cleanup. Sampling these bits of funky shimmers and hand-dyed morsels is like eating someone else's cooking. It tastes just a little bit better! (Not that I really NEEDED more scraps) Then I read an article from Quilting Arts Fall 2005 issue where Annette Morgan shows us how to "Layer it On: Making New Fabric From Scraps"

I laid out pieces of Deb's stash mixed with painted velvet and silk pieces of my own onto Pellon stabilizer.




I fused used them down to the stabilizer. Then sandwiched onto a backing and batting. I stamped on acrylics and metallic lumieres. I worked fast.



Next I covered the piece with multi-colored organza and tulle and freemotioned around the stamped motifs and over the whole piece. I then cut/burned of the top layer of sheers within the stamped motifs.

I'm still in the process of snipping tulle and organza to reveal areas underneath. Next I need either a souldering iron or the nifty Textile Tool burning thingamagig. This piece will be a little wall hanging. The homemade fabric can be used to make little bags, wine holders, ATCs or whatever!