Mara Creates: sewing

Showing posts with label sewing. Show all posts

16 October 2016

Why you should get the Sew Sampler Box!

In the beginning of September I was really lucky to have won Fat Quarter Shop's September Sew Sampler Box. But I said to myself, "I can't accept this, they would have to mail it all the way to Greece and that would be very expensive" (it's not by the way, keep reading :)

All of the Sew Sampler goodies (Aurifil threads are my own :)

So I thought it would be a better idea for them to send it to a sewing gal who just lost everything in the Louisiana floods a horrible tragedy, not only loosing mementos like photographs and the memories of her home. But her brand new car, brand new sewing machine and her recently organized fabric stash.

The Floods took it all and she became homeless. I asked the Fat Quarter Shop if they would be so kind as to send my September Sew Sampler box to her instead, to bring a small smile to her face. And not only did they send the Sew Sampler box but they sent so much more!! Melody told me "We’re going to put together a little something extra for Margaret" lol, yes I see a little something extra.

All of the wonderful items sent from the Fat Quarter Shop

Wow, Fat Quarter Shop, you are so amazingly generous, it still brings tears to my eyes, and I'm not even the one who received all of these goodies, but I know that she really appreciates everything, Thank you so much!. But then they also sent me my box!! WHAT! WOW!
I put immediate use to everything inside.

Making a pouch using this free tutorial.
Just changed the back to using 2.5" strips for the top and bottom of the bag and a 4.5" strip of linen in the middle.

And a Sew Travel Bag using Elm Street Quilts free tutorial

The only change I made to the tutorial is to bind it instead of sewing around and flipping it. I have found when sewing with vinyl it is better and easier to bind it

SO why should you sign up for the Fat Quarter Shop's Sew Sampler Box, first it is a reasonable price of $24.95 a month the one time sign up fee is .99 cents and shipping well if you live in the States it's a no brainer, hurry up and sign up, what the f**k are you waiting for, only $4.95, Canada is pretty reasonable as well at $12 and then for us International's I thought for sure it would be like $25 to mail but it's ONLY $16 so again not bad at all, taking the total of the box up to $40.95 a month, and let me tell you you WANT everything in the box! I am the kind of gal who can only purchase what I need, but there is of course so much more that I want, but never buy, well here you go, FQS as made it easy for you and is sending you the stuff you really wanted, but had a hard time actually purchasing, like this month's October box (you have till the 20th to sign up for) they have already shared this sneak peek.

All the heart eyes, they are going to send the Handmade Bonnie & Camille Embroidery Floss Collection. I have had this in my I would love to have imaginary shopping cart since I say it come out at Spring Market with Lecien Cosmo threads.
So sign up today, you won't be disappointed, in the last box they sent over $50 dollars worth of supplies which makes up for even the cost of International shipping.
And I have already used everything in the September box, yes even the seam ripper (hehe) can't wait for my October box!!

I love and have used everything in the September box!

Linking up my finished bags to Elm Street Quilts Bag It Challenge.
And Sunday Stash (it's been a long time since I have joined in).

04 July 2013

Thank you, I am Blessed

Happy 4th of July Everyone! Warning this post is loaded with photos :)

I want to say a special Thank you to Dad and Rhonda for their support of my fabric addiction, and Mom for all of the lovely boxes filled with fabric.

Mrs. Bobbins

For my birthday Mom sent this little box of joy filled with fabric and a few birthday gifts for Katerina, Love you Mom.

How did you know that the kids have been begging for one of those worm things?

Dad and Rhonda gave me $40 for my birthday and I immediately bought some fabric, thread and stabilizer, all from one shop to save on the postage (crazy postage prices)

I got the little buttons on the bottom right of this photo from my favorite button company Button Mad, they are handmade buttons made by women in South Africa, and they are always beautiful.
And I made this...

It is a crib organizer that I have made for a friend of mine that is expecting a baby in September in Portland Oregon. I asked people who have Pinterest to pin it for a Challenge and although I did not win a popular vote, at current I have 32 repins and 53 Likes, but I think it was less at the time of judging. So I did not win the most pins, that belongs to this wonderful quilt.

Kelli Fannin of Seriously... .I think it needs stitches made it and not only is she a great quilter but she is also a great person, we had chatted before the challenge was due and I can see how she got almost 200 repins and 200 Likes, not only is it a fantastic quilt but she is a fantastic person.
Then there was the second and third most pinned and liked Pinterest projects, you can see them here.

And then there was the winners in the superlative categories:

1. Most creative - In the Mist of Falling Rain by Lynn Kline

2. Best use of color - Tumbling Hexies by Ramona Putnam

3. Best technique - Pillow by Jana O'Brien

4. Most creative use of thread - Quilted Table Runner by Susan Slusser

5. Most functional - Crib Organizer and Diaper Clutch by Mara Capron

That's me #5, - JUDGES, JUDGES, thought my project deserved the prize for most functional, wow, really? I love it don't get me wrong, it is what I wanted to make for my friend and is pretty cute. See these baskets

Not only do they hang on the organizer from the buttonholes in the middle.

But they can also hang on your door knob, so you can have one in another room if you want.

And then the clutch I used the selvedge (the end piece of fabric that some people throw away) to create a strap.

It can hold a few diapers and the diaper wipes.

The panel I used my machine to quilt a vase filled with Cosmos, they mean Peaceful, because I hope the baby brings them peace and is peaceful!

So that is what I made, Katerina had great fun helping me photograph it.

The last 3 was another day and I told her stay right there (pic on left) but she couldn't resist coming in and checking it out again.

And Thank you to AGF (Art Gallery Fabrics, love the texture and feel of their fabric) Angela Walters the designer of the panel and all of the sponsors of the Challenge and especially the Judges, hehe.

I wanted to give a special Thank you to friends and family who have supported me, THANK YOU!

MARA

18 June 2013

If you Have Pinterest

Could you "Like" or "Re-Pin" a project of mine, it would be greatly appreciated.

I made a crib organizer with removable fabric baskets and a diaper clutch out of 1 Panel of Fabric and some solids.

There are some great prizes for the winners, okay I won't win, in fact my blogging buddy is doing that with her bike quilt.

Pretty Please Pin, if you have Pinterest and maybe tell you friends about it too :)

http://pinterest.com/pin/54395107972161927/

14 June 2013

My Tammy Bag is my....

Dorothy Bag!

Wizard of Oz is such a fun movie although when I was little it scared the bejeezers out of me, flying monkey, OhMy! But a lot of the time I find myself saying "There is no place like home", but what is home? I love the Greek countryside, I love my children and husband and they live in Greece and it ends there, so it that home? Or is America home or maybe even Australia?

click, click, click, I wish I had magic shoes.

The kids had a blast going on our "photo shoot" here are some photos.

Nik dressed himself and this is what happened

We are at the yellow train station, the workers are on strike again, another reason to dislike Greece. Hello Public workers?

I filled my bag with sewing goodies, so I can take it to the park and do some hand sewing while the kids play. Some of the neighbor kids are very very bad, yesterday an 8 year old boy pushed Katerina to the ground, I don't think he saw me watching, so he was a little surprised when I yelled at him. But they also say some pretty nasty things and the kids come home saying these bad words.

And of course no Dorothy bag would be complete with out Toto, he is a pincushion/ felt needle pad/belly magnet pin picker upper.

Make sure you go visit all of the other ladies making their version of the Tammy bag, if you don't have the pattern and would like to make one (and really you should) you are in luck, Madame Samm the cheerleader and pattern writer has the pattern available on Craftsy.

June 13 - Today

Liz

June 13 - Thursday

Les

June 14th - Friday

Jan

June 17th - Monday

June 18th - Tuesday

Mdm Samm - Our fabulous Cheerleader !

04 June 2013

June's Goals and Challenges and a friends giveaway.

I love making goals and really like it when I can incorporate a challenge into it.

First: Finish my daughter's birthday dress

That's some smocking going on, I am going to write a tutorial for the dress I am making, it is uber cute and super easy to make, about 3 nap times.

Second:
I need to finish my "I love Tammy bag" I am kind of waiting on some fabric that should have been here over a month ago, hoping it comes here by this Friday, if not I will have to use some other fabrics. Look for the blog hop so you can enjoy seeing all of the wonderful Tammy bags. My day is June 17th, oh %$#@ I just looked and my day changed to the 14th, forget about waiting for fabric, I need to start today!

Third:
3 Challenges this month, the mid month "Le Challenge" is anything about MARITIME, got that one covered and almost finished, hint: a birthday suit.

Then there is the Modern Mini Quilt Challenge going on over at Ellison Lane, the due date for that is June 16th.

And another awesome blog hop, happening all month over at Blossom Heart Quilts the "Kate Spain blog hop". She is having 2 linky parties, if you have previously made something using Kate Spain fabric then there is a mid month linky party or if you would like to make something this month there is a linky and prize party at the end of the month. Now I don't own any Kate Spain fabric, but I have admired it, so I went out and ordered some Terrain, really cheap! You can order some too and make something, go to Tipsy Quilters Etsy shop, she is selling Terrain for $4.20 a YARD!

Those are my goals and Challenges for the month of June, Linking to A Lovely Year of Finishes June Goal Setting Party.

If you are still here, there is a giveaway going on over at a friends blog SimpleSew, she entered her to cute quilt into a Pinterest contest, go check it out.

Shirley's use of Umbrella Prints Trimmings, made into a baby quilt.

30 April 2013

April Finishes

A very busy month April ended up being.
I did pretty good at working on my goals and even added another one by doing a few stuffies for Hopeful Threads monthly project "Fluff for Foster Care". I contributed a total of 17 little stuffed items.

2 rainbows

12 owls

and 3 cars

All my own little designs, so not perfect, but kind of cute.
I finished 5 mugrugs for the April Showers blog hop, you can view that post here.
I made my rainbow table topper you can read about it here and here.


Getting used right away.

But I am most proud of finishing my very fist quilt top, a mini version of the Anchors Aweigh quilt using Salt Water fabrics from Tula Pink.

I am hoping to quilt it in May to a blanket that I bought at IKEA, a little scared about that, but I don't have the way or money to buy batting, I think it will work and it will be nice and soft for my kids bed.

Linking to a Lovely Year of Finishes - April
and

17 April 2013

April Showers Blog Hop, My Day!

Hello, Welcome to GrecoMara, I am Mara and I live in Greece!

Today is My Day to share my mug rugs for the April Showers Mug Rug Hop.

Thank you to Madame Samm for this fun hop

and thank you to our cheerleader Erin!

April Showers, mmm... makes me think of clouds, rain, rainbows, umbrellas, green trees, flowers, renewal and re-birth.

RAINBOWS

My very first ever mug rug creation is on it's way to Mexico as part of Joy Handmade Swap over at My Giant Strawberry

It is probably a little large for a mug rug at 8" by 10', I think it is cute though, little rainbow umbrellas under silver clouds. "Every cloud has a silver lining" and "Life is like a rainbow, you need both the rain and the sun to make it's colors appear" are some rainy day quotes that I like.

For the cloud and the handle I used felt and for the rainbow color, 7 total, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and purple I used Riley Blakes medium dots. The colors don't show up so well, but that's what they are.

GREEN TREES

Today is my husband's birthday so I thought I would make him a mug rug too, besides I am tired of him always using my turtle mug rug. If my husband was American his favorite quote would probably be "Money doesn't grow on trees", lucky for me he doesn't know that quote or I would hear it all of the time, but now he has a money tree, that is a money tree mug rug.

Loving my embroidery thread!

And with his very own turtle, the cutest turtle button you will ever see, from ButtonMad.

Such a happy turtle, we have lots of turtles in Greece, not only water ones but land ones also, and the babies are now hatching and my kids have so much fun finding them.

Oh did you want to see the whole mug rug, here it is.

Since it is a birthday would you like cake with that...

or are you a cupcake kind of person?

I sized the tree trunk to perfectly fit my husbands favorite glass and wouldn't you know it, it also is the correct size for his beer! I also made it a little small so it could fit on our "bar" spot that you see it sitting on next to the table, measuring in at 5.5" by 7.5".
I personally like cupcakes, as do my kids, especially these "baby" sized ones.

RE-BIRTH

I know it is getting to be a long post but stick with me, because now I need your help, which mug rug should I send to my sister-in-law?

You see she lost her father a few months ago and I can't be physically there for her, but she wrote a beautiful and moving memorial about her father, I would send you to the link but it is private, but I have taken a few of her quotes, "One of my favorite childhood memories of my dad was when I was about five or six years old. I would wake up early and walk into the living room to see my dad sitting in his recliner drinking his coffee. He would ask me to come to sit on his lap, and he would give me little tastes of coffee. I always felt so special and grown up getting to drink coffee with my Daddy early in the morning." and " I suppose I will make a cup of coffee and remember him." I thought it only fitting that she should have a mug rug, to rest her cup of coffee while she remembered her father. I also wanted to represent this quote in the Bible,

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, The Comfort of Christ's Coming,

¹³Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. ¹⁴For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. ¹⁵According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸Therefore encourage one another with these words.
But which one should I give her,

The Hexagon

Pat's Fabrics

This one is named after Pat at Life in the Scrapatch, since I won all 4 of these fabrics from her during the "In your words blog hop", they came in so handy.

or Reverse Applique