Fuzzy Fleece Two Layered Scarves

I just made these very cute and very warm double layered tube scarves for all seven of my kids. Having exchange students has been so wonderful, and I am looking forward to making crafts with them over the holidays.

To make these scarves you will simply need 4 yards of blizzard fleece, cut it into 8, 16 inch cuts to make 8 scarves. Sew it together on the machine with a number 2 basic stitch, and tuck each end in and sew it with a zig zag stitch, and you are done. I embroidered a small symbol onto each scarf so that we could tell them apart. The total cost for all of this was $14.00, and it took about 3 hours to complete.

Fuzzy Pink Stuff *puff* *puff*

Today I decided to get back on my sewing machine... after quite some time... a year or more, perhaps. As I get older, time goes by much more quickly. One year feels like simply a few weeks time these days... tick... tick... tick.

Anyway, back to my topic of making things out of pink fuzzy stuff. Today I have been sewing fluffy pink scarves and hats, which I will decorate with lace and sparkly bits tomorrow, after I make another trip to Jo-Ann's.

Soap Making - Teaching My Student From Vietnam

It was a pleasure to teach my newest student Anh from Vietnam, how to do candle making and soap making.

We melted beeswax in a double boiler and added an ocean scent and an ocean spray green crayola crayon for color. We then poured the wax into a foil wrapped corning ware pan and used cookie cutters to cut out the candle shapes when it got to a rubbery consistency. We inserted the wicks while the wax was still warm and rubbery.

For the soap we grated a block of natural soap base with a cheese grater into the double boiler, we added an apple scent, and some grape juice for color. We then poured it into a silicone cake pan and set outside to cool for two hours.

This is a wonderful and easy project, and makes over half a dozen fun gifts.

Four Projects All At Once

It's been awhile since I've posted anything on my blog, but it's also been awhile since I've finished up a quilt. Some people get writer's block... I get quilter's block from time to time. This month I am working on four different projects. I am close to being finished with a really cute brown bear quilt, but I am also cutting out the squares for three other children's quilts. One featuring fairys, another kittens, and also a 50's story book design. I just can't help working on all of them at once. They are just sooooo much fun.

The Friendship Quilt

Detailed patchwork, with boarders, and a story panel at the center depicting the friendship between a little girl and her dog. The batting is 100% cotton, and all materials are 100% cotton. Matching pillows or pillow cases are available upon request.

This quilt was a recent gift to my daughter on her wedding day, but if you would like me to make you one, I would be delighted. This quilt took 3 months to make. To see more photos of this quilt and others, click on my Etsy link > http://www.etsy.com/shop/americamadesafe

A Queen Sized For Sarah

Here I am in North Carolina, the quilting capital of the USA. My Sister Sarah asked me to make her a queen sized quilt for her bedroom. It was quite a task working with that size, it was so large I couldn’t even lay it all out in my living room. This quilt was put together with 90 ten inch squares of 100% cotton. Here is a picture of it in her room. If you would like me to make you a quilt like this, you can order one by clicking onto my shop link: http://www.etsy.com/shop/americamadesafe

The Ancient Art of Batik

I studied the ancient art of Batik this summer quarter through TESC. It is an art that uses cotton fabric, decorated with melted bee & paraffin wax, and then is dipped into a dye bath or is painted with dye. Here is a cute children's picture that I created using this method.


NOTE: If you decide to try this, use only paraffin wax, and a Procyon cold water activated dye, and 100% cotton, and a canting tool. I tried RIT dye, bees wax/paraffin wax, and boiling to remove the wax. My work was ruined.

Sarah's Queen Sized Quilt

It's a good thing that I give myself 6 - 8 weeks to complete a large project, because I certainly needed it this time around. Life happens and when it does, you need to put the quilting on hold. I am however almost finished with the top, and it has taken about 6 weeks so far, due to a vacation out of state, minor surgery, a cold, and other issues.

Saki, My Student From Japan

Saki is my 4th exchange student. She came over from Japan and will be here studying Business for the next 6 weeks.

Since she expressed an interest in wanting to learn how to quilt, I decided to go ahead and teach her. She was a quick study and she fell in love with the art instantly. Saki picked all of the fabrics herself and she ended up making this beautiful quilted pillow in just 3 days.

Saki has already bought herself some quilting tools to take home to Japan so that she can continue quilting.

I LOVED having my first real quilting student.

My Birthday Dinner

Well, yesterday was my birthday... whoopdi do da! I am now a smidgen closer to being alive for half a century. Dinner was good... I met my friend GG at one of our usual places... Angel's Thai Restaurant, and I ate to much. Can't wait to do it again next year.


I counted out my quilt panels and yardage in my material stash, and I am easily able to create 25 fabulous quilts with what I have collected over this last year. I think it's time to build my website and get ready to start selling.

Twin Size Pig Quilt

Finished the Pig Quilt today. It's a twin size 100% cotton fabric with a 100% bamboo/cotton blend batting inside. Comfy and warm, well made, and should last up to 100 years with normal washing and wear.

I designed this quilt myself, and chose the fabrics. It took me about 18 hours to create and about $45 in materials.

If you would like me to make you a Pig quilt please visit my shop at  http://www.etsy.com/shop/americamadesafe

Fabric Illustration Using Photo's On Fabric

I'm working on a fabric art project using photos on fabric and three dimensional objects. Breanna and her friends have been the main characters in these. This is the 2nd of 3 panels that I have created so far.

Scandinavian Heritage Quilt

Well, here I am finally getting around to putting a new post up on my blog. Here is my finished Scandinavian quilt. My professor and also my neighbor have been trying to talk me into entering it into a quilting or fiber arts contest. I am considering it.

This quilt was designed by me, using the flags of all the Scandinavian countries as inspiration in the design. It is made with 100% cotton fabrics and 100% bamboo/cotton blend batting. This original took me 10 weeks to complete, and $40 in materials.

I am also working on a twin sized children's quilt for Breanna that features Olivia the Pig, a popular children's book character featured on Nick Junior. I have designed the quilt myself using red, white and black fabric. I will put the picture up on my next post. I'm almost done, I just need to sew on the backing. I love this Olivia quilt, it's fabulously fun.

Oil Painting on Fabric

Here are some fabric designs that I created myself using oil paint sticks and actual leaves from tress that I collected in the Evergreen Rain Forest in the fall. For the black and white painting I used freezer paper that I cut into shapes to make the tree trunk illusion. For the fall colored painting I rubbed the oil sticks over the fabric that covered the leaves. Maybe I should look into the Masters in Textiles program. That was fun! I may make a quilt out of these.

Swedish Dala Horse

After two weeks of designing, cutting, sewing and embellishing, I am finally done with my Dala Horse. This is usually made of wood and painted red; it is a popular Swedish toy for young children. This is not going to be a quilt, but rather a pillow or wall hanging. I haven't decided yet. Of course, my youngest daughter has already claimed it as her own, *chuckle* as she seems to do with everything I make. I'm glad someone loves my art that much.

2009 Sewing Expo in WA

So this is me at the 2009 sewing expo. It was very crowded, and extremely boring; in other words, a complete waste of time. I didn't see anything there that I hadn't seen already, in either a magazine or at Joann's Fabric Store. I was pretty disappointed, but at least I will know not to go to a sewing expo again.

"The silver lining in every disappointment, is the lesson learned"____Myself.

Dinner With The Girls In Washington USA

Here is a really badly focused photograph of my two newest friends (both writers) and myself at dinner discussing our latest ideas and efforts in getting our manuscripts published. I am about to send out my second mini mass mailing to publishing houses around the country.

Along with my love of art, comes my natural talent and love of writing. It's interesting that through my entire life people told me over and over again that I was a writer, and each time I objected and stated that I was something other... It took me over 40 years to realize that "YES, I am a writer... that is who I am."

Scandinavian Heritage Quilt & Earth-Toned Quilt

These two quilts are my latest projects. I am making them both at the same time. These are the centers of each quilt, I will be putting on the boarders this week, and then I will be doing free-motion quilting on both.

I have designed the heritage quilt by using the colors and themes of the national flags in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. If anyone would like to buy any of the quilt patterns or have a similar quilt made for themselves, please contact me.

Quilting is such a great art form because it gives such an outlet to creativity and function. My youngest child Breanna is learning to quilt, and has just finished her very first doll sized quilt. She is so proud of it.

The weather here in Washington (USA) is so gray and rainy in January and February. It can be very depressing to be indoors so much. I am finding that I am one of those people that needs plenty of sunshine, even in the snow months. Gray just does not set well with me at all.

Here is my family story quilt. I am now working on a Scandinavian heritage quilt, which will be a gift for my second daughter Virginia. Virginia is currently working on her Masters in business, and will be moving out to North Carolina in late January.

Family Story Quilt - Made in Washington, USA

It's been snowing for six days straight, and has broken all historical records for the area of Puget Sound, WA. I have been home-bound the entire time. It's amazing to see all this snow here. It's given me a lot of time to quilt.

I just finished creating a story quilt that depicts six pivotal moments throughout my life in The United States of America and also in Canada.

I used a basic block pattern, with four colors/patterns of cotton material. I drew, cut, stitched and ironed all my own applique. I also embroidered each block by hand to create a scene with the applique. I used a bamboo and cotton batting.

This is a family story quilt, that I will be giving to my eldest daughter for Christmas this year. I just started on a second quilt today, for my second daughter. It's a traditional patchwork, using just squares, triangles, and boarders of cotton. On the back I will embroider my silhouette, and a note to her. I hope to get the second one done by Christmas as well.