Thimblemouse & Spouse: pincushions

Showing posts with label pincushions. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Pin It Blog Hop

Welcome to Day One of the

A super big thanks to
Madame Samm of !SewWeQuilt!
and
Meadowbrooks' Kristen King
the "King Pin" in charge of
cheering this blog hop of
"Pinheads"
(I use that term endearingly!)

I'm sew excited to start out the hop
along with these other fun Pinheads today
September 10

Meadowbrook

Thimblemouse and Spouse *c'est moi

Sunshine Quilting

The Distracted Domestic

Susie's World at Quilt Creations

Don't forget to visit them all!

I was planning to make a little mouse pincushion

(imagine that)

when I stumbled upon a GIANT wooden mousetrap

at our neighboring antique shop!

3-1/2" x 7"...okay...technically it's a

Rat Trap...

(semantics...)

Anyways...you know what happened next...

Idea time!

And then....

then I got sidetracked....

(remember...my attention span these days is that of a gnat)

.... instead I started playing with itty bitty scraps.

The little triangles are 'cut-aways' from scrappy spool blocks I'm making...

just perfect for teeny tiny foundation pieced geese...

The black and white strips were left overs from a quilt made over 5 years ago!

(yes...I know it...don't say it...I just can't throw good fabric away)

I made 4 little 1-1/2" finished blocks in all...

Sometimes I think I'm a little insane....

but I really find the itty bitty's relax me....

I sewed the blocks together...added another strip of black and white to frame it...

and then tried to make Piping....

Major Fail!

(I wish I had taken a picture...it was BAD! Really BAD!

I'm not embarrassed to share my faux pas...

I just didn't think to snap a lookie.)

So I ripped the piping off...

and still ended up with a cute little pincushion...

which you'll see in a minute...

because...

because then I got Another idea!

I came across some striped fat quarters....

Maybe I was still in "hexie mode" from the last hop...

but don't you think these would make the cutest pincushions?

(I really need to learn to F-O-C-U-S on one project at a time

of course then I wouldn't be ME now would I?)

Lookie Look!!!

And the backs...

Do I embarrass myself and tell you the "pieced" back

was made from a clump of fabric scraps

I found under my sewing table?

Yes, really!

So....about that MOUSE pincushion...

you remember...

the original IDEA....

the first to be thought of...

the last to be done....

I came across one of Maggies old toys...

How perfect!

Gave it a good washing...

found some felt and made a hunk of

Cheddar Cheese...

C'est Bonne Bow-wow?

I really had loads of fun with all three....

Thanks for hopping by...don't forget..there's loads more to see!

Return to the top of the page...

follow the list...

So happy you'll be!

In the meantime...I'll be taking another little break

(ok...I really haven't come back from the last one come to think of it)...

The Spouse and I are getting ready for a HUGE quilt show here in Jacksonville, FL.

I'll post about that in the next week or so...

the show dates are Sept. 26-28th.

There is also another post I must write...

a rather difficult one at that...
I don't mean to tease...

but today is for smiles...

Just keep us in your prayers, please.

Lynn ~ The Thimblemouse >"<

Monday, May 27, 2013

Say it With Flowers Blog Hop - Day One

It's the first day of

and I am so thrilled to be among the first

to welcome you to this fabulous

Flower Show!

I love the sweet scent of our Jasmine

Our Azaleas earlier this spring

This teeny little flower tells us a cucumber is coming soon

Thank you(s)

going out to...

Carol of Just Let Me Quilt

who is no wall flower when it comes

to leading the Cheers!
Be sure to visit her frequently for the latest
bloomin' blog hop news!

~and~

Mdm Samm of !SewWeQuilt!

a special HUG for you my dear...

the theme for this blog hop truly challenged me

to reach into my soul,

and inspired me to create something

very near and dear to my

heart.

Remember, the dear Madam also shows you
the great sponsor prizes...
prizes you might win
if you leave a comment on her page!

Before I show you what I did just for this hop...

(you know how I like to 'build up' to the grande finale)

I have to tell you, I really didn't think I was much

of a 'flower girl'

I thought I would show you a few

flowery things from my past...

(you might wanna fix yourself a cuppa something...

put your feet up...I got a little carried away)

I couldn't believe all I've actually done
with flowers in mind...

My Mom loves flowers and I love my Mom, so....

One of the first of many little diddies for her wall.

This was a challenge in one of my FB groups

We had to use a word or a name...

had to include a hexagon and beads...

had to be framed with a hoop.

Mom loves PINK flowers

so the Spouse and I hung these outside her window

Yes...they are not real...lol

but the plus side...no one has to water them.

I made her a little bouquet for her room

Hung these on her wall for Mother's Day

Mom always likes whatever I make her

(I think that is a requirement for being a mom)

But she really loves the tulips!

For Christmas I knit one of those lacey scarfy things...

(and I do not knit unless it's on giant needles)

since scarves aren't her thing...I turned it into a...

well...I guess a necklace...

and added a crocheted Flower!

That's Love!

Now for a few of my own flowery things....

I just fell in love with that foundation pieced potted flower mini.

I loved it so much...

I had to create another from my own head...

This was really made for Mom...

but shhh...don't tell...I'm still enjoying it.

I fell in love with "Jalousie" designed by

Alethea Ballard from her book

Maverick Quilts...

a most excellent use of large floral fabric

This is a little pincushion happened

when I had actually set out to make a 'pin'

I was also working on another pincushion at the same time..

(you do remember I admitted to being a bit ADD, right?)

I had made the little

'ball' too small...or too 'big'...I can't remember...

anyways...the 'ball' rolled over to the 'pin' I was also working on...

and it was love at first sight...

my favorite little flower pincushion was born.

Last month I participated in Whims and Fancies Spring Fling Blog Hop

and made this 10" foundation pieced block.

Inspired by our cat Marvin...

and a touching flower story...

feel free to make this block...

you can find the PDF download here

One last pic before the

Big Reveal

What could be better than...

working with flower fabric...

and

a kitten

while multitasking at the computer!

Now for the project you really came to see...

From the moment I heard the theme

"Say It With Flowers"

I knew what I HAD to do....

You see...

our dear little girl

was "Maggie" to her friends...

but her given name was really

Magnolia Blossom.

I have always wanted to make

special 'memory' quilts of our little furry ones

who touched our lives and our hearts...

but time passes and the quilts never seem to get

on the priority list...

Until now...

I am beyond pleased.

I am ecstatic!

I worked from pictures...the one below was taken only a few days before she passed on January 23rd of this year.

I have never attempted anything like this before.

This picture was from last Christmas

I'm no artist...but I don't think my drawing is half bad.

I tweeked it a bit after this original sketch,

but forgot to take a picture of that.

Then I surfed the web to find some Magnolia images...

and combined the two just for an idea.

My flowers are not spot on...

but I still love them.

I still need to add some highlights to her eyes...

I used a blue Pilot Frixion erasable gel pen to write her name...

hand embroidered it with #5 Perle Cotton.

(fyi...if you are not familiar with the Frixion pens...they disappear once heat is applied...

however I was a bit disappointed

because the blue ink did vanish...

BUT .... left a white line in place...you can't see it here and once quilted

I don't think it will be noticeable...

but still....)

My original plan was to make this a simple small wallhanging.

I am probably going to stick to that plan...

and finish with another thin border of purple and then bind it with...

hmmm...not sure.

But I've put my heart and soul into this...

so I've decided to

live with her awhile

before I make the final decision.

I am sure in time...she'll speak to me.

And I will know.

Flowers can really say so much...
this lone little rose was waiting for me
to snap its picture.

Last week the bush was in full bloom.
It marks the 'resting spot'
of our sweet girl...
and was given to us by a dear friend
just for that purpose.

For those of you who have visited before...

I know you are used to giggles and whimsy from me.

I won't disappoint you...

I'll leave you laughing

(yes...I found one more flowery thing to share)

but I hope you've enjoyed the more

serious me

It doesn't happen too often...

but I'm sure glad it did this time....

I just LOVE my girl

oh yeh...and the flowers too!

Thanks for visiting!

Enjoy the hop...

Don't forget to take time to stop and smell the flowers

at all the awesome bloggers today...

and everyday until the hop ends on June 4th

The schedule is listed below

Now one last pic...

This hangs on the bathroom door

in our classroom...

Inspired by our little diva, Midnite.

A flower covered litter box...

surely you wouldn't expect anything

different from me, now would you?

Lynn ~ The Thimblemouse >"<

Today ~ May 27th

Patchouli Moon Studio

Pig Tales and Quilts

Thimblemouse and Spouse

May 28^th

Anolisl’s Kreative Seite

Jatajomi’s Stoff-nadel-fadenwelt

Gingini’s Crafts & Quilts

May 29^th

Life In The Scrapatch

May 30^th

The House On The Side Of The Hill

Ella & Nesta’s Little Room

CLF by Nailaa

Atelier De Handwerktuin

Life, Quilts, and A Cat Too

Marjorie’s Busy Corner

Celtic Thistle

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Dreaming In Patchwork

Around The Homestead

May 31^st

Squawk That

How Art You?

A Little Bit of Lorene

Handmade By Mama

Blooming Where I Am Planted

June 3^rd

Hanging On By A Thread

Cindy’s Crafty Creations

Meadowbrook

June 4^th

Seaside Sewing

Kwilty Pleasures

CeLynn’s Sunflower Patch

Words & Stitches

Cherry’s Prairie Primitive

MooseStash Quilting

Bumbleberry Stitches

Just Keep Swimming

Quilter In The Closet

Les passions de cliodana

Timolily

Sew We Quilt

Monday, April 15, 2013

MeOwZa MoNDay - Celebrate KiDee Style

We simply want to say

THANK YOU

oh most awesome readers

out there in blogland!

Whether you're a faithful or sometimes follower...

or maybe brand new...

We think you're the cat's pajamas...

and we have some Give-Aways for You!

MeOwZa!
Feast your little cat eyes on all that!

Fabulous Felines 20" x 24" (approx) panel

and 5 Chubby Eighths!

Our momma the mouse made some

Purrrrrfect Little Pincushions

and she's going to add one to that
Fabulous Feline Bundle of Fun

And if that just doesn't tickle your whiskers...
guess what?
We will pick...
Not 1...
Not 2...
Not 3...
But FOUR!

Yes,there were

FOUR WINNERS

This Celebration wouldn't be complete....
without a visit from our very special waggy tail friend...
So here she is...straight from the heavens above...