My daughter picked out the fabric and I got started.  Doing the quilt was like putting a puzzle together, so many steps fit together to make the finished quilt.  I did not take a picture of every step but they went something like this: iron fabric, cut fabric, sew fabric into blocks, sew 5 blocks into a row, sew 5 rows into a quilt topper, iron the backing fabric, sew backing fabric, make a quilt sandwich, sew the quilt sandwich, and finally complete the binding.

Here both pieces are laid out before the quilt sandwich is made.

Here is the finished product folded up and ready to use.

Here is my little lady enjoying her quilt!

Lots of fun…so much fun that I am onto my next one and I have the material ready to go for the third one.  You see, I have four little ones and once the oldest got a quilt they all have to have one now!

xo RisaAnn

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Antique Japanese indigo katazome cotton dating back to Taisho era.

Hand loomed, hand dyed. Thick like a light denim. The design features bushels of rice and flowers. It is unusual in that the design is clear on both sides and it is difficult to discern which is the front.

This was likely once part of a futon cover or some other domestic utilitarian textile. It has been taken apart for reuse.

Available to buy in the FurugiStar store:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/127460632/antique-indigo-japanese-katazome-cotton?ref=shop_home_active

Everyone has clutter, right?  That one place in the house that collects EVERYTHING? Could be a drawer, a desk top, a corner, coffee table, a nook, etc.  Somewhere always has the fate of a “catch all”.  My desk was the crutch for me.  And the problem was…when I would go to clean it up, I would never have anywhere to put the stuff!  So I made a place.  I want to show you how a filing system can help you eliminate some of your clutter. SO easy to do!  If you don’t have a filing drawer, you can buy them super cheap at Walmart, and you can even find portable ones.  But make sure there is enough room to ad A LOT…cause once you start doing this, you”ll just keep adding folders!  There is a plastic hanging file folder “holder” at Walmart for like $7.  Well worth it! And buy you a pack of 25 or 50 hanging file folders.

Then…let’s organize!  Take every single thing you have…that doesn’t have a “place”…and make a folder for it (start with one small area!).  The best way to do this is to empty completely the area you want to organize. Get it all into a pile and then go through the pile, piece by piece, and find a place for it-file it or GET RID OF IT!  Here are some of the things I found to make folders for. Mind you…some of mine are business if they sound weird to you

1. ADT

2. auto

3. address labels

4. calendars/events

5. cards (personal that I don’t want to pitch)

6. daycares

7. dividers

8. index cards (always found these all over the place!)

9. labels

10. laminate pages

11. maps

12. meeting notes

13. mailing supplies

14. owner’s manuals (keep them all in one place and out of the way)

15. stamps

16. bills (keep one month’s bills in this folder so you always have easy access to #’s)

17. envelopes

18. kid’s names (a folder for each child-shot records, birth certificates, pictures they’ve drawn)

19. taxes

20. receipts (keep receipts for big or important purchases so you never lose them in case you need them!)

21. My name (resume, shot record, birth certificate, important documents)

22. pets (all shot records)

23. catalogs (do you have a ton of catalogs from stores and lose them, throw them away, then suddenly need them??)

24. coupons

25. pictures (pictures seem to gather at my house. Put them here and then you can put them away when you have time)

NOW PUT THESE FOLDERS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER!  And you’re all set!! Tomorrow…I’ll show you what I do with the bigger things that can’t be filed but make lots of clutter!

My yarn is unloaded, though, and sorted by color- it makes me very happy to have it visible. That’s something. And we hope to have my loom moved into its new spot and set up again soon.

I have learned that hanging plant baskets are great for yarn, as long as the bars aren’t too wide-set. Pictured are some lovely pinks in acrylic, cotton, and thrifted wool.

*sewing machine

*bobbins (the right type for your machine, as there are at least 3 types)

*presser feet for your machine (usually they come with the standard sewing one, the zipper one, and the buttonhole one…these are pretty much all you need)

*thread (not the super cheap 3/$1 spools)–the cheaper the thread, the fuzzier it is–the fuzz can mess up the tension on your machine.

*sewing machine needles in at least sizes 10/70 (for light to medium fabrics) and 12/80 (for medium fabrics) and labeled “universal.”  Ball point needles are for knits that aren’t super stretchy and stretch needles are for super stretchy knits.

*various small sizes of screwdrivers

*hand sewing needles–look for sharps…the other ones are labeled embroidery or quilting or some other thing.

*hand sewing needle threader

*fabric scissors, better quality, don’t let anyone use them for anything but fabric…longer, heavier ones make cutting the fabric easier, as the weight of the scissor helps you cut

*thread snips AKA thread nippers

*measuring tape

*seam ripper

*pins (if you’re going to plan to use mostly thicker fabrics, like denim or coat fabrics, you can use pretty much any thickness of pin.  If you’re going to use finer fabrics, you may want to get a box of pins labeled super fine.  You will be able to see the difference in the thickness of the wire.)

*6” ruler

*seam gauge or measuring gauge

*lights and lamps, more than you think you need in your sewing area

*steam iron

*ironing board or at least a table where you can fold a towel and press on that

*table long enough to cut out the longest piece of whatever you’re making (a cutting table is preferred, but if your dining room table is fairly long, use that instead of the floor)

*things like buttons, zippers, elastic, snaps, hooks and eyes; ribbon or other trim; bias tape, etc., depending on what your project is.

*18” C-Thru ruler

*yard stick

*marking pencil, pen, or chalk, or Chakoner chalk wheel

*pattern weights (there are little ones in a 4 pack, but you can use whatever is heavy enough to hold down the pattern)

*paper scissors, can be cheaper than the fabric ones

*tissue paper for making any alterations to tissue patterns if you’re going to use them (standard commercial patterns are printed on tissue paper)

*optional, other paper for transferring an adjusted pattern that you want to keep and make more than one of, just not newsprint

*screw punch

*ball point pens in black (for all shell [the main, outer fabric] pieces), blue (for any contrasting shell pieces), green (for lining), and red (for interfacing)

*French curve

*hip curve

*and you might want a pattern-making textbook

If you can’t find this stuff at the fabric store, you can check art supply stores and notions websites.

Just updating you on progress on Creative Memories Australia and New Zealand.  There has been a very positive meeting today in Sydney with the appointment of different administrators and the formation of a Creditors Committee to help represent the interests of Creative Memories Consultants and their Very Special Customers.  The indications coming out of this meeting are positive and here are some of the outcomes so far:

The following can be claimed for:

VIP – Annual Subscription – Unused Portion
Digital Vouchers – Claim the balance you were not able to use. Example: For a customer with $100 voucher – Use the $25 on an order and submit claim for other $75.

(Please contact me for further details)

Complete and UPLOAD STORYBOOKS you are working on!

Feel free to join us on a virtual crop every Friday night – click on this link  https://www.facebook.com/groups/113744225467835/

This is great for new ideas, motivation  and sharing.

Don’t forget we still have lots of products in the warehouse including tools, albums, paper packs, stickers, embellishments and accents and the consultants are all sharing their products so if there is anything you would particularly want please contact me and I can put the message out to the other consultants to see if they have it.

So keep positive, stay calm and keep scrapping.

Patricia

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King elvis had taken the world having a sweep. There are millions of Elvis’ followers around the world, whom nevertheless really like your ex a lot. He a music profession in which runs in the length of two decades. You could be astonished to learn in which Elvis Presley had a quite challenging years as a child exactly where their daddy didn’t want to consider just about any obligation of the loved ones as well as Elvis’ mommy had been doing work very hard to really make the payments. It is at 1938 which Elvis’ papa has been found guilty of forgery and also ended up being provided for Ms Condition Penitentiary.

King elvis was known to meet up with only a few buddies and he by no means mingled considerably along with his childhood friends. His instructors describe your pet as a pupil who was sweet and caring as well as liked to read comic books. Elvis was residing in the dreamland involving his own. He utilized to frequent movie theaters and listened to the area music artists and bands and yes it ended up being they looked at indicating his / her emotions via songs. It is at 1945, that will Elvis’ mum acquired him the very first acoustic guitar priced at $12.Seventy-five. The initial two songs noted simply by Elvis presley were “My Happiness” and also “That’s Once your Heartaches Commence.Inch There can be so a lot regarding Elvis presley will be able to continue on for the days. The previous words i are saying are usually “He Is My Leading man.In .

Do you want much more details concerning this , check out my website today to discover a lot more info here Songs From 1950s

3 Irregular Shaped Rose Quartz Pendants, bound with Rhodium plated wire.

Measures approximately: 3cm x 2cm (widest point)

https://www.etsy.com/listing/128514319/rose-quartz-pendants

Here’s a list of ThinkGeek gear I find particularly enticing:

Death Star Tea Infuser – $19.99

Star Trek Enterprise Pizza Cutter – *On Sale* $22.99

Doctor Who TARDIS and Dalek Salt & Pepper Shakers – $17.99

LED Faucet Lights – $19.99

Ninjabread Cookie Cutters – $9.99

All of these little supplies help bring some enjoyable nerd flavor and fun into your kitchen, curtesy of ThinkGeek.

- E.B.

P.S. This last thing is not inherently nerdy, but it is full of science and it is totally awesome. Check out its demo video!

Vacuum Brewer – $79.99

I have shared my learning from this visit in terms of photography, at the end of this post. Have a look and let me know about your suggestion too !

I was talking about the photographs of beads, pottery and women accessories in the last post, which I am sharing up here. Just like before, these photos also depict a bright color splash on different mediums altogether. Taking up the beads section first, here we go for a vibrant ride below..

This is how beautiful the loose beads looked, spread across on a large table. They were used to make customized bracelets or key-ring or neck piece or whatever-you-may-want out of them

This is the thread with which the beads were stringed together in the form, the customer would prefer Customization on the roll !

Above, you can see a sneak-peak of the bracelet hand-made with those beads.

These button-like beads above, were pasted on to the silver sticks to make stunning earrings out of them. And no wonder, these were selling like hot-cakes ! I bought a purple pair from this collection, for my Best friend

Used in so many forms, beads for sure make great accessories for women ! Most of these alluring beauties above, are hand-made and the available varieties were enough to cater to different tastes of customers. After the beads category, let’s go onto another ride now.. And this is where I got confused, if the God was also put on Sale ! 

This is from the shop which sold the name-plates and they had a name-plate for God too !

There is something ironic about this photograph above, which speaks itself aloud ! Let me know your views on that..

Just next to the God idols (shown above), this shopkeeper was keeping an eye on the customers visiting on her stall ! How carefully had she packed them, I thought.

A picture from the same shop… Unbreakable it read ! Oh Lord …. (My thoughts blooming in different directions here) Let me know, what you think of this ?…. I would be interested to have a discussion on this topic.. Alright, moving on, here is a glimpse of some more women accessories around the place. I am just thinking how true they say, when they say that be it any fair or any exhibition, there are hardly any things for men to buy ! Exhibitions and fairs are more or less flooded with the things exclusively for women !  *Giggle*

Are you wondering what is it down there ?

Rings they are ! I wanted to pick one, but then I don’t wear many so dropped the idea and moved on !

A lovely long trail of earrings up there. Captivating… Isn’t it !

Some ear loops up there.. and cute key-rings and antique neck-pieces below..

And what do you have to say about this jute chappals-cum- footwear collection below ?.. I just heard of them being quite durable..

Never tried though

And lastly comes the pottery collection.. Hand-made and Hand-painted again ! A lot of hard-work is involved in bringing alive every single piece I must say..

No words for this collection…

Lined up in a row… beautiful items for home decor above. That’s it for Shilparamam.. It was for sure an amazing experience !  However, this visit taught me one lesson which I shall always keep in mind..

Lesson from this Photo-shoot : Always arrange for and go with a camera battery back-up, no matter what. Our camera’s charger would do nothing when the moments would be running away or the light would be fading away. In fact there also may be a possibility that due to the power cut, we may not be able to charge the camera’s battery itself ! That’s exactly what happened with me too and I happened to miss so many shots around the time, when the light got low, so warm and beautiful. I wish I could do something about it at that time !

Or another option can be to.. “Plan and Click”  In that case, no doubt the camera’s battery would sustain for a longer time. I am yet on a mission to begin with planning before clicking. Almost all of my shots from this series were documented as and when the events unfolded.

These were my learning’s from the visit to Shilparamam. I am glad to have been shared my collection from the Shilparamam visit with you on the blog. Thanks for stopping by.. Your feedback on this post and your presence on the Facebook page is awaited.  :)

Live. Love. Laugh. & Keep Smiling.

Yours Lovingly,
Amrit Ammu.

The above photographs are copyright © Amrit Ammu Photography / Aa Photography. All Rights Reserved. Copying, downloading, altering or displaying any image without the written permission of the artist is strictly prohibited. 

           Crochet Lessons Course Introduction

The first series of lessons I will be offering is the “Crochet Lessons-From The Beginning Course”, which will start (tentatively) within the next couple of months. I’m hoping that everyone who would like to learn this timeless art, will join in on my lessons.

If you would like to join us, just click on the “Follow” button in the right margin or at the bottom of the page. If you know of anyone who would be interested in attending, send them here to our blog.

These lessons are free to anyone who would like to learn. You can also benefit if you already know how to crochet, but don’t know how to read a pattern. This will be included in the course. On the same note, if you know how to crochet you may want to skip the first couple of installments, they will be on Yarn & Hooks, which is the very beginning of learning how to crochet and the supplies that will be used.

Also if you miss a lesson, you can always look it up in our Category Section. All of the installments will be listed there. They will be available for a limited time.

At the end of each installment I will be giving a homework assignment. These assignments are not mandatory, but they are highly recommended. They’re a way to help you learn the lessons better.

I look forward to imparting my vast knowledge of crochet to all of you and know that you will enjoy this craft for years to come.

We ask two things of all participants and that’s to give each lesson 100% effort and to try to pass on this art to future generations.

Thank You!

Some of my patterns on Craftsy

Connie’s PDF-Patterns

You can register for free entry to most trade shows prior to the event, I really recommend going along to a few. Do a quick internet search for trade shows within your industry, they exist in every topic you can imagine! Many are at the NEC in Birmingham or the EXCEL in London.

I have been to a few and I have to say I was pretty overwhelmed to start, there are so many stalls selling so many products and they all want your attention. So being selective and sticking to your niche is something I’m still working on. Many  trade shows also run free seminars and sometimes workshops too, providing a great opportunity to learn something new that can help your business and to network with other business owners at various stages of success.

I have been to Pulse a few years running which will be on again at Earls Court this week. I discovered the perfect trade show for me in Birmingham earlier this year, the Hobby and Stitch Show, it was mostly too exciting  for words, I spoke to lots of people, attended a few workshops, learnt more about visual merchandising in a seminar and came away with a suitcase full of catalogues! In fact I am still going through the catalogues as we speak, trying to get them into some sort of order. The stock list is something I am struggling with a bit as I know I want to stock a lot. But the show was great for finding out the average minimum order which suppliers requite and how to place an order. (it was lower than I thought it might be yaay!)

So now to think about that organising….

I gave a down-low of all the camping supplies we pack, but there are lots more things out there!

One popular item that our friends love but we don’t have are pie irons. (Also known as camp cookers, as well as mountain pies, pudgie pies, hobo pies, pie sham or toasties.) These are nifty and versatile utensils that have a cooking compartment made of two pieces of metal hooked by a hinge, with wooden-handled metal rods to make maneuvering easy. You put the food in the compartment and close it, nestle it right in the coals for cooking. You could also use just one side as a small skillet.

Pie irons are generally made from aluminum or cast iron, but my friends prefer the cast iron ones. (And it seems from my research, it’s the general public consensus as well.) You can read more about the pros and cons here. The images above show the traditional square ones, but they also come in different sizes as well as shapes (round and rectangular). This page has a good list of types of pie irons offered by one company (Rome), though I’m sure you can find similar products by other companies.

What kinds of food can you make with a pie iron? Here are some ideas passed on to me by my friend, Jason. He says the trick is to not overfill the cookers.

• pie (canned pie filling between slices of white bread)
• pizza (pizza sauce, cheese, and pepperoni between slices of bread)
• camp potatoes (potatoes, spices, and maybe a little cheese)
• grilled cheese (two slices of bread with cheese)
• biscuit or sweet roll (uncooked refrigerated biscuit or sweet roll)

Once you load the food, you put it into the fire until it’s done (golden brown on both sides). If you branch out into the other shapes and sizes of pie irons offered, that will expand even further the types of food you can cook. (Like waffles!)

Here are some other websites I found with recipes. (Note – I have not tried any of them!)

• Pie Iron.com – several general recipes, with links to two cookbooks you can buy if you want to go more in depth
• Mustard Seeds: Camping Recipes Revisited – links to six pie iron recipes, complete with great pictures and detailed instructions
• About.com Pie Iron Recipes – a long list of user-submitted pie iron recipes
• Best Camp Recipes: Pie Iron Meals – another collection of pie iron meals, as well as other camping recipes

With a little creativity, you could use the pie iron for almost any individual sized meal while you’re camping. There is a bit of a learning curve, so be patient as you experiment for the exact placement in the coals and length of time needed to cook properly. These probably aren’t good tools for younger children as they can be very hot, but for older children it can be a fun way for them to cook their own meals.

Bon appetit!

Image sources:
Pie iron with sandwich source here
Pie irons in fire source here

I also scored some Tim Holtz glasine ATC and tag envelopes and some token charms.

.

I was so happy to see some things finally being added in the craft section after having visited for several weeks without so much as a pack of paper being added. Happy to note that there are supposed to be TWO Tuesday Morning stores where I am moving to. Can’t wait to get there and check for bargains. ALSO I should be able to have an actual craft room

Speaking of paper, Graphic 45 has been advertising this wonderful new paper collection they are releasing soon and I cannot wait to get my hands on it! It is simply gorgeous. Here is a link to their page with the paper: http://www.g45papers.com/products/steampunk-spells-category It is called Steampunk Spells. Perfect for Steampunk stuff and Halloween. I’m drooling over the images!

I’ve also started fiddling with an altered art book. I’m having fun trying out some of the techniques others have shown through their tutorial blogs. Here are a couple of the pages I have done. I don’t consider myself much of an artist, I’m just goofing around having fun.

A doodle:

Page made by cutting through pages of a book and adding things between the pages:

Punched flowers and words cut from missing pages in previous picture:

Have an excellent crafty week!

Lady Blue

P.S. I still haven’t figured out where I saw those envelopes I mentioned in previous post. lol

Product Description

This is the perfect pre-washed quilt for young girls! With 100% cotton face and fill and a decorative, bright design of flowers, it can mix and match with any room. This quilt is also appropriate for a wide age range of girls from the early years through teens. The pattern gives you the flexibility as you decorate and re-decorate to match changing tastes. This quilt is carefully hand crafted and pieced together using a variety of fabrics. It also features embroidery and ribbon appliqué to give the quilt surface character. This quilt has a hand-made look that gives the personal touch you want to any room.

Tag : @$@Olivia Pink Girls Quilt with Pillow Sham(s), $Olivia Pink Girls Quilt with Pillow Sham(s), #Olivia Pink Girls Quilt with Pillow Sham(s), *%Olivia Pink Girls Quilt with Pillow Sham(s)

Product Description

100% Cotton quilt, simple pick stitch technique is used to give this quilt a great look. Great for layering or by itself. Gets softer and softer with every wash.

Tag : @$@Pick Stitch White Quilt, $Pick Stitch White Quilt, #Pick Stitch White Quilt, *%Pick Stitch White Quilt

Product Description

Turn your basic, boring down comforter into the super stylish focal point of your bedroom with this DENY Designs duvet cover. Custom printed when you order it, this duvet cover is not only personal, but incredibly cozy as well. Created out of microfiber material that is unique to DENY Designs, our duvets are ultra soft and amazingly comfortable. This duvet cover will make getting out of bed in the morning just a little big harder.

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Product Description

This DENY Designs fleece throw blanket may be the softest blanket ever. And we’re not being overly dramatic here. In addition to being incredibly snuggly with it’s plush fleece material, you can also add a photo or select a piece of artwork from the DENY Art Gallery, making it completely custom and one-of-a-kind. And when you’ve used it so much that it’s time for a wash, no big deal, as it’s machine washable with no image fading. Plus, it comes in three different sizes: 80×60 (big enough for two), 60×50 (the fan favorite) and the 40×30 (perfect for any baby or child). With all of these great features, we’ve found the perfect DENY Designs fleece throw blanket and an original gift.

Tag : @$@DENY Designs Stephanie Corfee Flourish Fleece Throw Blanket, $DENY Designs Stephanie Corfee Flourish Fleece Throw Blanket, #DENY Designs Stephanie Corfee Flourish Fleece Throw Blanket, *%DENY Designs Stephanie Corfee Flourish Fleece Throw Blanket

Product Description

Turn your basic, boring down comforter into the super stylish focal point of your bedroom with this DENY Designs duvet cover. Custom printed when you order it, this duvet cover is not only personal, but incredibly cozy as well. Created out of microfiber material that is unique to DENY Designs, our duvets are ultra soft and amazingly comfortable. This duvet cover will make getting out of bed in the morning just a little big harder.

Tag : @$@DENY Designs Madart Fire Poppies Duvet Cover, $DENY Designs Madart Fire Poppies Duvet Cover, #DENY Designs Madart Fire Poppies Duvet Cover, *%DENY Designs Madart Fire Poppies Duvet Cover

Product Description

Turn your basic, boring down comforter into the super stylish focal point of your bedroom with this DENY Designs duvet cover. Custom printed when you order it, this duvet cover is not only personal, but incredibly cozy as well. Created out of microfiber material that is unique to DENY Designs, our duvets are ultra soft and amazingly comfortable. This duvet cover will make getting out of bed in the morning just a little big harder.

Tag : @$@DENY Designs Jacqueline Maldonado Brushfire Duvet Cover, $DENY Designs Jacqueline Maldonado Brushfire Duvet Cover, #DENY Designs Jacqueline Maldonado Brushfire Duvet Cover, *%DENY Designs Jacqueline Maldonado Brushfire Duvet Cover

Product Description

Tag : @$@Circo® Backyard Friends Quilt – Full/Queen, $Circo® Backyard Friends Quilt – Full/Queen, #Circo® Backyard Friends Quilt – Full/Queen, *%Circo® Backyard Friends Quilt – Full/Queen

Product Description

9006 Features: -Jones theme.-Wooden rack.-3 Bars. Color/Finish: -Smooth finish.-Hand finished. Assembly Instructions: -Assembly required. Dimensions: -Overall dimensions: 36” H x 32” W x 12.5”D.

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