Design Wall Monday Block Exchange

Good day everyone. I hope your Mother's day was a good one. Mine was. I did not get much time to sew because we were so busy.

Let us take a look at my design wall today. I have called this block "Alberta Fields". I have signed up for a block exchange with the Edmonton and District Quilter's Guild. Our guild and the Napa Valley Quilt guild is doing a quilt block exchange and the blocks are due in Wednesday. Alberta Fields is my block for the non traditional group and measures 12 1/2". I have used some of my hand dyed fabric and then added long stitches to the bottom of the yellow field.

This block is called North Winds. I have used some rose prints as the flower for Alberta is the wild rose. I kind of laugh at north winds, as I am sure in winter the ladies in Napa Valley do not look forward to getting north winds from cold Alberta. I have added today's post to the linky page on Patchwork Times. If you would like to see more Design Wall Monday go check it out.

I gave my Mother a new seam ripper for Mother's Day yesterday. Her's is on the bottom and mine is the one on the top (mine is an old one and was a test). I have been playing with polymer clay for years and find I go back to it sometimes. I made a cane of clay, black dot then white and black then added green and back to black and white again. I then slice disks of colour from a cane. Mom's seam ripper has a couple of larger canes and then the small size.

I also covered this little tin lid with the rest of the cane of clay. I drink tea and love to buy loose tea in these tins. I am not sure what I will store in my little tin now that the tea is gone. I may have to decorate the side of the tin next. If you want to see the cane work I did a post sometime ago on Cane work.

Christmas Fiber Charm Exchange

Here are my charms I have sent in for the Christmas Fiber Charm Exchange on the Two Peas in a Bucket swap board. I made carrot noses with orange clay and drilled holes at the base so that I could sew them on. I used seed beads for the eyes and mouth. The ribbon at the top is so that the charm can be attached or hung. I hope to get a very small table tree to hang these on.

Harry Potter Charms

I have made more charms for a swap on Two Peas in a Bucket. This time it is the books or movies from Harry Potter. I have the Sorting Hat done here in Fimo Clay. I did not get all the wrinkles in the hat but I was pleased with the face and he way the jump-ring attached. My kids were quick to tell me that Sorting Hat was more gray than brown. This is artist free will and I changed it to more of a brown with sparkle in it. I had real trouble getting a photo to show the face so I placed them in full sunlight.
The second charm set I made is Dobby Socks. I did not watch all of the movie to get the colours just so. But I saw clip were Harry gives Dobby a gray or black sock. I think he gives him another one but it did not match. So here is the mismatched socks. My Son Adam often wears two socks that do not match. He has gray and black ones so his pairs of socks look just like this. If I did not get the sock colour correct it was because I was thinking of Adams mismatches.

Wings and Things Charms

I just got my bracelet together this week from the Wings and Things Charm swap on Two Peas. I think the sign up for the swap was back in April. I did not use all the charms as there were too many. I left off a few of the larger charms. I am sure I will use them on a book spin some day.
Here are the charms that I made for the swap. I took two spots so that I could give my mom one set for her birthday. They were late but she was still glad to get a bracelet and the charms. The dragonfly and the green ladybug are hand made out of Fimo canes. Here are the canes of Fimo that I build and then slice off and piece to use in the charms or a button. A thicker slice can be cut and made into a bead too.

4th of July Charm Swap

This is my finished bracelet I made using my 4th of July charms. I think there are some 45 charms on here. I was the only silly Canadian in the group. I say silly because I am very Canadian and proud of it, but the Americans are cousins and good friends. I have some real american cousins.
This is my charm I sent in. I wanted the Red and White ribbions that you see drapped on the banishers of some homes. I knew there would be many flags so I wanted ribbions. I got it by making a cane of Red and White Fimo. After cutting a slice, I gave the ribbion a twist like it is fabric in the wind.

Disney Art Doll Swap

Disney Art Doll Swap on Two Peas in a Bucket. I just sent these to Iowa to be swapped out. This is my Pluto made with Fimo clay. The swap required one found object in it, so the ears are made of rubber pond liner. I, at first found a black rubber tubing on the beach on Vancouver Island, but did not bring enough home. Then I remembered I had water garden pond liner left and it would work great. I was pleased that the golden dog looks more like Pluto then I ever thought I would achieve. My kids even saw Pluto when I showed them. I have been playing with Fimo clay for more than 15 years.
The next pendant is Elizabeth Swan, female pirate. I found beer bottle caps to use around her face, for the require found object element. Some of them were also found on the some beach and some on my kitchen counter. I thought Beer caps for the pirate was good ( only Rum caps would have been better, maybe if I was at Uncle Dave's, I might find them). I made Fimo faces and Fimo beads for hands and feet. She has a purched pirate sword, a tiny skull charm on her shoulder (photo not showing this) and a compose made of Shirk Dink stamped and a spinner in the centre. Her hair is cotton thread, saved clipping from quilting a customer's quilt ( I never throw that out, may need it some day), so each doll has a different colour hair. If there had been a recycle requirement I would have fulfilled that too. Her dress/body is a quilt sandwich of different black and white fabrics. It is ruff edge cut out of a larger quilted piece. I sew through the dress/body to attach the hair then the leather cord for arms and legs. In the back is a leather cord with a jump ring so that she is a pendant. I have sent a pin that could be added to the back side if any of the ladies want her to be a pin also. I planned for mine to be a pin. She is a little large for a pendent.
Wow did you get all that. I have been making little fabic doll pins for years. I have been calling them Thread Head Doll Pins. They too have the faces and bead hands and feet, and the hair. So to make one that was a "pirate" was all that I had to work out, and add the pendant attachment.
Here is the group of seven of them that I sent. They all have there own personalities.