Saturday, January 30, 2010

TIME FLIES ~ ~ ~

When you're having fun!! It's not that I've been having so much fun but I sure haven't taken the time to blog! The year end reports and tax forms took precedence and since I have those things all in the mail, I can get back to the fun stuff!

I do want to show you another of the purses from the November class that I taught here in my home studio. Susan stopped by to pick up a stand for her frame, week before last and brought her finished project along!! She did a great job and uses hers as a tote bag! I love to see their end results!

This is a close-up of Susan's work ~ you can see her needle felted flowers and proddy sunflower and her very nice appliqued pumpkin. Take notice of the hill that we used to ground the pumpkin ~ the little orange circles are quilling or what I call 'cats' paws'. It's interesting that in Maria Barton's blog and Kris Miller's latest blog post, they both are doing the cats' paws as part of a sheep's body! I learned it in a Kindred Spirits class a couple of years ago. It's just a little different way to use your wool strips to give some interest to a particular spot that could use a little jazzing up ~ like this hill ~ it would have been kind of dead but the cats' paws give your eye a place to land.

Many of you know how to do them, I'm sure, but for those who want a little tutorial, I ran downstairs and put one together quickly. You can use all one color, two contrasting colors or several, if you choose. Put the strips together and wind into a circle ~ when you get the desired size, run thread back and forth across the circle to hold it together, making sure to fasten the strip ends and then tack it to your foundation fabric at the place where you want it. You can also shape your circle into a diamond shape or a square or even a heart shape. Hook right up around your cats' paw and voila! Something new to try! On one of rug hooking forums, on the photo page, there were pins made out of cats' paws.

A shot of frozen Lake Erie, for all of you who are somewhere warm where the sun shines!! This was last weekend and nothing much has changed. It's been REALLY cold this week ~ 18 degrees right now at 3 in the afternoon! Stay warm wherever you are!!
Alice

10 comments:

Cathy G. said...

Please tell Susan her purse is totally cool! I am going to try that quilling on a project coming up soon! It looks so fun! Thank-you so much for the little tutorial! Cathy G

Unknown said...

Thank you for showing us how the quilling is done. I saw the post this morning of which you speak and was wondering how that was done.
I must incorporate it into my next project.

thank you again.
katie

Anonymous said...

Hello Alice~Love the tote! Can't wait until I can take one of your classes..I definitely want one of those bags! (:

Rugs and Pugs said...

Alice ~
Susan did a great job on her tote.
Thanks for showing us how to do the cat's paw. I was wondering about it after seeing Kris' and Maria's blogs.
Lake Erie is definitely not very appealing this time of year!
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Julie said...

I'm trying really hard to get back into the blogging habit. Once you stop it is so hard to get back in the practice!

moosecraft said...

Oooooh! I LOVE that purse!!! So many techniques used in it... it's SUPER! I've been to Lake Eerie (from the Eerie, PA side)... This pic is lookin' soooooo cold! How did you manage to get a pic without snow? ;-)

jane augenstein said...

Susan did a great job on the purse/tote! Beautiful job, thanks for showing it.
nope, never heard of cats paw, thanks for the lesson! Will have to try that one.
I just finished a rug of Margo's that I started in 2002? not sure but FINALLY finished it!!! YAY!!! Now I just have to press and bind; then on to other rugs.
Just popped over to your web site, very NICE!!! I am still working on mine and should have it open soon.
Great post!
Jane

Carol Daugherty said...

HI ALICE...
YOUR SHOP LOOKS SO GREAT, REALLY WISH WE LIVED CLOSER SO WE COULD VISIT!! THE TOTE IS REALLY NEAT.

LOVE YOUR BLOG!!!


CAROL DAUGHERTY (FROM YOUR CLASS AT SAUDER VILLAGE)

Alice ~ Folk Art Primitives said...

So glad you all like the purse/tote ~ I hope Susan reads all your nice compliments!!
Carol ~ hello! So nice to hear from you ~ if you'll email me a picture of your finished rug, I'll put it on the blog for the world to see!!

Anonymous said...

What a gorgeous purse Susan made. Thank you for showing us how to make the circles or quilling. I love the look. Safe travels to you.