Fun With Sneakers

I made a fabulous soup this past week that I will share, but my time is a little short this morning as I am taking a class this weekend. So look for the soup recipe on Tuesday.

A friend of mine sent me a note about a leather sneaker class that was being offered at The Chicago School of Shoemaking and Leather Arts. I have wanted to take a class, but I haven't made it a priority, so my desire continued to be placed on the back burner. When my friend told me that she was taking the leather sneaker class and asked if I would join her, I said, "Sure!," and I am SOOOO happy that I did.  

I did a little research before I went to the class, but just wasn't sure about what I would like to do. When I arrived, the sample pictured below grabbed me, and that was it! Loved the design.

Below is a sneak peek at what I am doing. When  I arrived, there was a table full of leathers to choose from. I vacillated between a red crocodile embossed leather and the teal blue crocodile embossed leather that you see below. I went with the teal blue, after all it is my favorite color :)

You're seeing the sides of my shoes and the tongue. In the background you see the inspiration sneaker. So today I will be sewing the shoes all together. Can't wait to see them all come together. 

I'm off to get dressed and head out for a super fun day! 
I'll post the finished shoes tomorrow.

Happy Sunday!

Rhonda

I'm an Ambassador for Olfa!

Now this is not something you've seen from me in a while...2 blog posts in a row, WOOHOO!!!!

I had the most amazing day yesterday. It began with a note to a former exchange student who wanted my advice on some life issues. Then, I received a text message from a favorite little gal who shared with me that she had been accepted in the master's degree program that she had applied for. I decided that a return message would not do, so I gave her a call. She told me that I was one of the very first to know the news. Finally, another young woman did a lovely post on Instagram in honor of International Women's Day, talking about the amazing women who have made a difference in her life, and low and behold, my picture was in the mix. Such an honor.

It goes without saying, but I have had some very low moments over the past few months. A few weeks ago, I happened upon this scripture verse,

He gives a home to the woman who could not give birth, and makes her the mother of children. 

Psalms 113:9

The verse felt like a promise, a gift, at least to me. I wrote it down in my book of quotes, and I was reminded of it yesterday. Isn't it interesting how something rather insignificant to one can mean so much to another? :)

So....my big news!!!!

I was chosen to be an ambassador for Olfa products. Amazing!!! 

I was sent a gift of their brand new products, turquoise and pink cutting mats, along with a fun pink rotary cutter. The new line is called Splash. Hey, we can all use a little color and fun in our days. I'm a little partial to the turquoise mat as it is my favorite color!!!

The new rotary cutters come in 3 fun colors, pink as you see below, purple and turquoise. You can see them all HERE. 

One of my favorite Olfa products is my great big 24"x36" cutting mat. I'm hoping to add the 35"x70" mat to my collection. Both mats are fabulous for cutting out larger projects.

I am not becoming a quilter, but from time to time I will do a quilting project. Although, for all of you amazing quilters out there, I can hardly call this project a quilting project. 

A number of years ago, I came across this great panel piece, but it was in a light mint green. I made it up and gave it to a couple of friends who were having babies. They LOVED them and used them as a way to teach the alphabet. Three friends are having babies, and I wanted to do something special. As luck would have it, I came across the same panel print, but in red. If by chance you are interested, I found it HERE on Fabric.com.

I was in Colorado and had the chance to pop into one of my favorite little stores, The Fabric Nook. You may remember the interview I did with Tina, the owner. Such a delightful lady :) Anyway, she helped me with the backing and the binding for my project. This will be my first project using my new Olfa mat and cutter. 

Olfa has a wonderful new blog. You can find it HERE. Each month they will be featuring a different designer as well as a special project. If you would like to check out the list of designers and ambassadors, you can find that post HERE. I have some fun things planned, one will incorporate the airplane. Should be fun!

Happy Friday!
 Rhonda 

Fabulous Free Pattern Friday/The Cabbage Rose

Something a little sweet today, a beautiful cabbage rose. They look rather complicated, but are quite easy to make.

All it takes are a few rectangles and a circle.  



They look lovely on a hat, bag, pinned to a coat or jacket.

They can be scaled down. Decrease the measurements by 2" and you'll have a smaller rose. You can also increase the measurements by 2" for a larger rose. 

So, have a little fun and let your imagination run wild with all the possibilities. You can even make a bouquet for an arrangement that will brighten your home all winter long!

Enjoy!
Rhonda 

Make a Sewing Caddy

Finding a fun little project that will also enhance your life is just the best! I made up my little sewing caddy and was immediately so happy that I did. Such a wonderful place to store everything you may need while sitting at the machine. My husband even thought it was a great little item.

You will need to cut;
1 rectangle 6 1/2" x 15"
3 rectangles 6 1/2" x 6"
1 rectangle 6 1/2" x 11"

If you would like to quilt your large rectangle, you will also need a piece of batting (I like wool batting the best) 6 1/2" x 15". Quilting the backing for the pockets really makes for a much nicer caddy, so please don't skip this step.

Check out the video below for my how to. Once again, I apologize for my weak voice. I feel a sore throat coming on, so it's a little quivery. 



For those of you who enjoy written instructions;

You will need a 5" x 7" acrylic document frame. I found mine HERE. 

Cut 1 rectangle 6 1/2" x 15". Back it with a piece of wool batting and quilt it.

Cut 3 rectangles 6 1/2" x 6". Press in half. 

Stack on top of each other leaving 1 1/4" at the top between each layer. To reduce bulk, the top 2 rectangles do not extend to the bottom. 

For the opposite side, cut 1 rectangle 6 1/2" x 11". Fold in half and press. Line up with the edge on the opposite end of the long rectangle. 

Baste the pockets to the large rectangle. Find the center and stitch from bottom to top on the 3 stacked pockets. 

Serge the lower edge to to give it a nice finish. 

Fold the large rectangle in half, fold up the bottom edge and stitch the sides with a 1/4" seam allowance.

Clip the corners and turn. 

And voila, you have a fabulous little caddy!

This little caddy can be made for a multitude of things, a desk organizer, maybe a place to keep paint brushes easily at hand. So get those creative juices going and sew up a storm!

Enjoy!

Rhonda

Thrifty Thursday/Valentine's Day Edition

I'm late!!!, but it's not too late to do a little something fun for Valentine's.

You may remember the bag I did for one of last year's Sew News sew alongs, the Emily Bag from IThinkSew Patterns. I made 3 and now I have none!!! All have been given away. Maybe I need to put my things away when people come by ;) 

I receive email updates from IThinkSew whenever they have a new pattern or a sale. I actually bought a pattern this week, this super cute pen/pencil case, I could have drafted it out, but it was on sale and it was so cute, so I jumped in. I actually plan to lengthen it a bit and use it with some of my art supplies. The one with the flattened end reminds me of a tube of toothpaste! That's the one I plan to make. By the way, this pattern and others are on sale through February 27th, so pop over and take a look.

While I was visiting the website, I decided to check out their free patterns and I found these adorable heart cookies. They actually look good enough to eat!!!! I think I'm really craving sugar ;)

So I decided to make a few.

Just to give you an idea of the size, here's one in my hand.

The little hearts would make great gifts for sewing friends. They're small, but they are great as pin cushions. You can also mix dried lavender with the stuffing and make sachets, perfect to hide away in a lingerie drawer. They would even be welcomed by a little girl for her imaginary tea parties. So lots of possibilities. I used beads and pearls that I had around to decorate my "cookies."

To get the pattern, go to the IThinkSew website which you can find HERE. Once you are there, click on the Free Pattern link in the left hand bar. You will need to create an account. In exchange, you will receive emails from time to time, but I don't find the company to be at all intrusive. 

The pattern has lots of pictures and is easy to read and follow. This would also make a great project for anyone who is just learning to do a little embroidery.

I plan to make a few more, after all, it doesn't need to be Valentine's Day to share your heart!

How To Make A Basic Sketch Book

A sketch book is great thing to always have on hand. You see something and you can make a quick sketch, or you can accumulate ideas and have them readily at hand. I like having a sketch book available that is made from good watercolor paper. It's very easy to make a simple sketch book and it will cost a fraction of the price of one you would buy at the art supply store.

Begin with a large piece of watercolor paper. Mine is 30"x22".

Fold it in half as you see below. You can see the crease in the middle of the paper. Leave your folded.

 Now fold back either side to meet at the center.

 This will form an "m" shape or turn it over and it will be a "w" shape.

Unfold your paper and fold it in half horizontally.

Fold the paper again so that it forms an "m" shape as you see below.

 Now your paper will have a series of folded squares as you see below. 

In order to fold the paper and form a sketch book, we will need to cut it. Cut the two outside vertical lines just up to the last square as you see below.

 Turn your paper,

 and cut the center line up to the last square as you see below.

Now the folding begins. The paper will automatically fold in the direction it should go because we have already creased it.

Start at the top and start folding to the bottom of the paper.

 When you reach the bottom, turn

and start folding up the center.

 Continue folding until you reach the top, turn and then fold down the outside edge to the bottom.

 Now your paper will look like this.

Because we made the turns, there will be three places where we will need to glue the paper together.

 Use sobo glue, Elmer's will work as well, and glue the turn pages.

Now you will have a nice accordion sketch book. The book is great because both sides can be used.

As you can see, the book is not very large. There are so many uses. Your child may be doing a fall leaf project at school. The pages are a great size for leaves and the paper will allow them to paint and decorate the pages as they choose.

The books make a great little journal/sketch book. They are as I said in the beginning, great for your own quick little sketches for ideas that you would like to remember. Or use the book to keep a fashion journal. Limitless possibilities, the cost is just next to nothing and they are very lightweight to carry. Now if you would like, you can also make a little fabric pouch to carry your sketch book in.
Enjoy!