Collegiate Football Bib

I know, I know.  College football is over for the year.  But NFL has another few days left.  However, I'm not much of a NFL fan - not since my high school days when I used to pull for the Washington Redskins.  Joe Theismann and John Riggins were my guys back then......up until the awful injury that ended Theismann's career.  The year after that it just wasn't the same and then my life took a different direction and there just wasn't time for much football.  These days though I make time for football. 

 

So this weekend I thought I'd have a little fun and play around with this Football truck applique design I found at the Applique Corner.  I found some bib blanks at Hobby Lobby and picked them up to play with and thought this design would be perfect for the gray bib.  Using a couple different Alabama print designs I cut and piece together my applique. 

 

A while back when my hubby was piecing together one of the Auburn designs we had purchased he decided that he wanted a 'fabric' that was more true to a football.  So we went in search of such fabric and found this great upholstery type leather on clearance at Joann's.  It makes for a great football and I love the added texture that it brings to the design.

 

I'm still learning this silly machine and I had some mishaps along the way with this design.  T-shirt fabric is also new to me as this is only the second thing I've stitched on t-shirt material.  And I'm not going to lie.  I got frustrated stitching out the two garments (I'll share the other one tomorrow).  So much so I put the machine away.  But like any other craft, there's always a learning curve.  For now I just need to be patient and I learn this one.....

Niffler Onesie

I found this pink onesie at Hobby Lobby and picked it up so I could play with something other than a white onesie.  As I sat down to contemplate what design I'd use on the onesie I decided that Valentine's was out even though that was kind of my thought when I bought it.  Looking at my glitter HTVs the shades of pink would get lost in the onesie and that would be pointless.

 

After some thought I decided to use this fun Niffler file that was shared in one of my Harry Potter groups.  Now if you haven't seen the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them you might not recognize this fella or know that he loves to steal bright, shiny objects.  And if you haven't seen the movie and have no idea what I'm talking about here's a little plug....although now you'll have to wait for it to come out on DVD.

 

 

But I digress.  So, as you can see, I chose to use the Niffler on the onesie.  And since he was holding a diamond I thought it would be perfect to use holographic HTV for the diamond.  I mean it showed up beautifully on a black shirt that was on display at the sewing store.  Not so much though on my pink onesie.  Lesson learned - along with a couple others.   It still turned out pretty cute though.

Collegiate Mixer Towels

Kitchen towels seem to be my go to for embroidery/applique lately.  If I'm sitting at my machine chances are I'm creating a new towel.  I'm not really sure why that is.  Maybe I'm just more comfortable with possibly messing up a towel than I am anything else. 

 

When I found this mixer design over at the Applique Corner though I had to make a towel.  I mean this isn't a design that you put on a shirt after all.

 

 

To make it even more fun, it's a design where a variety of fabrics would work great so I thought why not play with making collegiate towels.  It's just a matter of changing out the thread colors to match and that's easy.  The design does all the hard work for me.

 

 

The down side is that the local fabric shop only had Alabama, Auburn and LSU fabrics.  When I talked to the ladies though they said that they'd be getting more, they just weren't sure when.  So you can bet I'll be back soon checking to see if they're in so I can get some others made.

Sleeping Mouse

Today I'd like to share one of my plastic canvas projects with you.  While I enjoy working with plastic canvas it takes a while to complete a project.  Especially when you're babysitting your granddaughter and all you want to do is get down on the floor and play with her.  😍

 

After a couple weeks of working on this piece I finally completed it the other night.  This is another piece in the Christmas themed Martinsville collection.  A while back I shared the first piece, the church, here.

 

For this piece I decided that I didn't want to create all the toys and blanket with canvas.  So instead I used fabric and miniatures that I've collected from the after Christmas clearance sales.  I have two drawers full of miniatures and yet I still buy them because who can resist a good clearance sale, and because I never know what projects I'll use them on.  And while the canvas toys for this piece were cute I like the look using the miniatures better.

 

Now that this one is complete it's time to decide which one I'll stitch up next.  I still haven't found the choo choo train - the last piece I need for this set, but I'm still searching.  Until then I just keep plugging away, making the ones that I do have.

Daddy's Other Chick

My daughter hit me up a couple weeks ago asking me to make a shirt for Ocean that said daddy's other chick.  She sent me a picture of a design she found and I don't remember where it was from.  But, I do remember that it wasn't as cute as the Daddy's Other Chick file that I found at Hoop Momma Designs.

 

As I looked at the design I thought to myself that it'd be cool to use a flock HTV for the chick.  That way it'd give it a bit of texture and add some fun to the design.  Luckily I was able to find a roll of yellow flock at my local Sewing Corner. 

 

While pressing the layers for this shirt I did learn a couple lessons and hope for a better outcome next time.  One of the more important lessons was that even on my last layer to only do a two second press and then remove the vinyl and do a full press.  Then I won't have to worry about potential lines being left behind.  Fortunately when I washed the shirt (after it cured for 24 hours) the line went away and the shirt was saved.

 

Now I just have to find other colored shirts/onesies to play with.  My daughter was quick to point out last night that all I've been doing is white.  Of course that's the only color I've ever seen the packs of Gerber onesies come in.  But that's okay.  I've finally HTV'd the entire pack and I'll share the last of them with you soon.  In the meantime, I guess I'll start looking for some other colors.  LOL

My Love

Happy Tuesday everyone.  Today I have an Anniversary card that I'd like to share with you.  My anniversary isn't until March but I thought why not create a card now rather than waiting until the last minute.

 

For this one I used a smurf file that was part of an SVG Cutting Files Sweets blog hop almost two years ago.  The files were only available to those who hopped and only during the specified hop time. 

 

After cutting my smurf I tried to decide what I wanted to use for my card background and in the end opted for a pre-printed card blank. 

 

The stamped sentiments on the outside of my card are from the Jaded Blossom stamp set titled Happy Hello.  Since the stamps are pliable enough I was able to round the "my love" sentiment to fit the curve on my smurf's hat. 

 

 

On the inside of my card I also used the Happy Hello sentiments but also added a single splatter from the Heart Splatters stamp set.

 

To complete my card I decided to embellish with a couple of red colored skittles from DoubleClick Connections.  I always have fun adding these to my cards.

 

Thanks for stopping by and visiting today.  I hope that you enjoyed my card.

Valentine Wagon

We are just a couple weeks away from Valentine's Day and I can't imagine any crafter out there that hasn't created at least one Valentine's project by now.  Usually by this time I've made several greeting cards but since Christmas I've been working more with learning how to use my embroidery machine and heat press.  This weekend was no different and after a few successful and some not so successful projects it was time to take a break.

 

This is one of my favorite projects I made over the weekend.  This is the Love Wagon from Apex Cuttables.  There are two fun wagons in this file but I only created one of them this weekend.  The other one I hope to do next weekend.

 

For this particular file I decided that instead of layering the white dots on the tires I would subtract them from the tire.  So in my Silhouette Studio software, I grouped the tires and the dots together and then clicked to subtract the object.  It made for a little bit more weeding but I thought this make it easier in the long run.

 

This is also the first time that I've used glitter HTV and I love the way that it turned out.  The picture really doesn't do the onesie much justice.  However, it's been pouring rain all weekend again so being able to get a good picture was not an easy task. 

 

The HTV I used were all Siser brand with the exception of the Love Script HTV.  That's a custom print vinyl that you can only get from The Vinyl Corner.  Fortunately for me they're located in my hometown.  Unfortunately for my husband, they're located in my hometown. 

🤣

He doesn't really mind though.  He'll tell anyone that if I'm happy and busy with my crafting then he can play his video games in peace and that makes him happy.  LOL

Valentine Butterfly

Since receiving a heat press for Christmas I have really enjoyed doctoring up baby onesies.  It is after all easier to apply vinyl to a onesie than it is to embroider it.  🙂

 

Today's design is no different.  In fact it was a bit more fun in that it provided my first glimpse at layering heat transfer vinyl (HTV).  This past weekend my husband and I stopped into our local sewing store - The Sewing Corner - to talk to them about sewing machines since my 20+ year old Babylock is on its last legs.  While there we checked out their selection of HTV and I picked up some glitter as well as this beautiful Love Script.  I already had one design in mind when I saw this but then when I was going through the selection of SVG files at the Applique Corner I found this beautiful Valentine's Day Butterfly and had to use it for this design as well. 

 

I love how the colors worked together and the printed HTV gives the finished project a little something extra.  Needless to say, it's bye bye boring onesies from here on out.

Green M&M Gift Set

I had so much fun creating my red M&M gift set last week that I had to take a break from my embroidery this weekend to create a green one.  Using another one of the faces that was shared in one of my FB groups this is what I came up with. 

 

 

 

I love the way that this one turned out with the larger face on the mug.  Next time I make one of these sets I'll have to remember this and cut the file a bit larger.

 

Now if only I can find some other colored matching sets besides the red and the green....

Red M&M Gift Set

I decided to do a little more vinyl work this week.  When I was working on my Pokémon coffee and soup mugs over the holidays a lady in one of my groups shared her idea of creating M&M characters.  That idea stuck with me and so I went out in search of matching bowls and cups.  I didn't find many and what little I did find were all in red and green.

 

 

So today I'm sharing my red M&M gift set.  This is a perfect gift for an M&M lover and will work perfectly for a secret pal type swap.  Just add a bag of M&Ms and you're all good to go.

Bffs For Life

I haven't made a card in a couple of weeks so I thought I'd take a break from my other crafts and put one together.

 

For this card I decided to use one of the member's only files from Creative Cuttables.  If you haven't heard of Creative Cuttables that might be because they are formally known as Paper Piecing by Nikki or PPbN.  (They went through a restructure/rebranding last year.)  I've always loved her files so it was a no brainer to sign up for their SVG club.  It's a minimal cost but in return every file they create is yours for no additional fee.  The only downside (if you can call it that) is that so far they haven't released many files.  But what they have released is definitely worth the membership fee.

 

But I digress.  And no.  I'm not part of any design team or other team for them.  I just wanted to give you some of the details.

 

After putting my card together I couldn't decide what I wanted to use for my sentiment so I allowed it to just sit on my table for a day or so.  And after staring off at my card I picked up my stamps again this morning and decided on a sentiment.

 

The sentiment is from the Best Friends stamp set by Jaded Blossom.

Army vs. Navy Tic Tac Toe Game

I had a friend contact me last week asking if I could design a tic tac toe drinking game that was an Army vs. Navy theme.  Her brother is in the Navy and her son is going in the Army this August.  Since I'm always up for a challenge I accepted.

After laying out the design I sent the draft to my friend to see if it was what she had in mind.  She messaged back saying she loved it and within the hour it was done.

Now I'm done to materials for one more set and I have to admit that I'm sad because I've really enjoyed making these game sets.  I guess I really need to start hunting for more before they're really all gone.

Until then though I need to decide what I want to create for my last set.....

Beatles Tissue Box Holder

I found this pattern on Ebay years ago and immediately fell in love.  Not because I'm a huge Beatles fan but because I thought it was different and unique.  Little did I know (at that time) that the Beatles had had their own animated show at some point.  Even knowing that now I still think it's different, unique and certainly fun. 

 

 

So even though I've had this pattern for years I've only made one of these tissue box covers.  Until now.  Since I've cut back on some of my commitments it's freed up some time to do other crafts (such as plastic canvas) that are more time intensive.  I've always enjoyed doing plastic canvas.  It was my introduction to the crafting world since I could never get the hang of crochet.  With that being said you'll be seeing more of this craft along with others through out the coming months.

Nine Patch Quilt

I'm not the best at this quilting thing but I still enjoying trying my hand at putting one together every now and then.  So when I decided to do a nine patch quilt for my dad I had no idea that life was going to turn me every which way causing this project to take twice as long as it should to complete.

 

My dad is retired Air Force and I thought it would be fun to find fabrics that Air Force or military themed for his quilt.  Since none of my local, big box stores (JoAnn and Hobby Lobby) had such fabric I turned to Ebay and found more than I could have imagined.

 

Shortly after the fabrics arrived and I started to cut the patches for piecing together my granddaughter was born. Then work became extremely busy since it was budget and annual meeting season.  (I'm a licensed Community Association Manager by day.)  And then it was the chaos of the holidays and craft show season. 

 

 

I finally got it done though.  On Christmas Eve I was doing the final piecing when all of a sudden my sewing machine decided to quit working.  (Yes, I am a machine quilter - but only for the lap quilts.)  After letting it sit for a bit it worked again, long enough for me to finish at least.  And now I have to find the time to take my machine in to the shop so it can be serviced.  Geesh.  It's a good thing I have other hobbies. 

 

At the end of the day the quilt was complete and my when my dad opened his gift he said, "good, I needed another blanket because it's time to throw away the one I have."  So I'd say it was a pretty successful gift.

Martinsville Church

Over the holidays I became a bit of an Ebay fanatic.  I was in search of plastic canvas kits created by Dick Martin who is very well known in the plastic canvas "community".  Back in the day when plastic canvas was a popular craft his patterns were a must have.  Somewhere along the way, between having six children, making multiple moves and a divorce I rid myself of all my crafting wares.  It wasn't until I remarried that I was encouraged to take back up my crafting hobbies.  And now I have more than I did before!

 

Oh yeah, so back to my Ebay fanaticism.  😉  I remembered seeing this series of kits called Martinsville.  There was a Christmas themed one and a Spring/Easter 'ish' one.  Well I decided to begin my hunt for the Christmas version, and I found them.....except one.....the choo choo train.  There are 12 in all so 11 is better than none I guess.  But then, I'm not giving up hope either.  LOL

 

Even though the holidays or over and the new year has begun I thought it would be fun to sit down and begin doing some of my plastic canvas projects.  This way I have plenty of time to just chill while I work on them.  Much like cross stitch this is a craft that can take a while to complete.

 

So I started this set by stitching the church.  I love nativities so it was only natural that I began with this one.

 

Now I just have to decide which one to do next.

Band Mugs

Three of my boys and one of their girlfriends are in local bands with each other and/or friends.  So I thought it would be cool to find their band logos and make each of them coffee mugs to go in their stockings.  (Well only two of the bands actually had a logo so I had to play around with the third one.) 

 

 

This is where I truly love my Silhouette software.  I just imported the pictures of the logos, traced them out and created the files.  Then using my trusty Oracle 651 I made my cuts and applied the vinyl.

 

 

When the kids opened their stockings and found the mugs they were pretty excited and one of them immediately posted a picture to his band's social media page.  Now they have followers that want to purchase the mugs.  Sounds like I did pretty good with this one.  And now that I have a heat press we're going to try designing some shirts too.  Stay tuned for more at a later date on that one.