Tools of the Trade for those that Sew!

I am going to try and get back on track again with my blog.  I seem to go great for a bit than I loose it... I am going to take the advice of a team mate and friend about my blog.

I will be doing some posts about sewing as that is what my craft is all about and what I love to do.

Today's post is going to focus on the tools of the trade as we like to call them.


We need the basics like a sewing machine... I will not get into that one right now as that would be a post on its own but will start with the smaller tools we need"

Rotary cutters are a must for those that want to do precision cuts... nothing does it better. I love mine and have 3 different ones:

My full size one is a Olfa 45mm - available at any fabric shop or on line - I can not believe I use to cut all my fabric with scissors.  Never again... precision cuts every time and you can cut more than one piece!  I cut out 2 sets of potholders or 1 set of place mats in one cutting.

Rotary cutter from SanourrasFabricLove

Wavy blade - DivineDesignsbyBonni

I also have a wavy blade for it but I have not used it alot - still learning but told it is very useful - so I will continue to work with it.






I also use the small rotary cutter alot when only cutting single layers -

Small cutter - creativehobbytools

 

And with those tools you are going to need a self healing cutting mat! These mats are a wonder... you can cut over and over and over with them... in time you will wear them out but it takes alot.  One thing to remember always leave them laying flat - I ruined my very first one by sitting it on the back seat of my car in the sun.. it formed to my seat.. not any good like that!~   I can not believe I started sewing with out this -

Self Healing Cutting Mat from the CottonSalon

 And to go with your self healing mat and your rotary cutter you will need rulers... I have one each of these:

Cutting Rulers from Nalomeli16

 

 

 Also some templates for your quilting needs, I have a number of different ones for different quilts and I have made a few of my own as well:

Templates from GabbysQuiltsNSupply

Now you have a few of the basics but I am telling you there are lots more out there and I continue to find them... you can never have enough toys oops I mean tools!~

Simple and Beautiful!

Today my blog post is going to be a bit about my sister and Pinterest!  My sister is a wonderful woman, great Mom and hard worker but not very crafty or so she thought until she decided she was going to do most of the decorating for her wedding!

I introduced her to Pinterest and as they say the rest was history.... she made so many gorgeous things from that site!

Her wedding was very beautiful and everyone was amazed at some of the things that she did with simple things.

Her Husband to be was very handy too and made lots of gorgeous wooden items items for the decor.

Card box/keepsake box - Husband made.

The letters are made from cardboard and glitter, tacked to a piece of satin fabric... her husband made the frames to highlight them... she made LIVE, LOVE AND LAUGH!  The hearts hanging from the ceiling are also made from cardboard... she had 3 different sizes that randomly hung from the ceiling. Also the little flower arrangements were her pew markers.. made from cans, glitter, and dollar store flower with small clip to hang by(Pinterest)!

This was so special... also something she saw on Pinterest... Parents wedding pictures placed next to a candle.. both Dad's have passed away and were not here for her special day.  It is hard to see but her programs are also placed on the table... they were fans... each blade was a part of the program.. stunning idea and very useful in the church.  The blue table cloth and table mats were made by me.

Our Family!

As you can tell I am very proud of my sister and am so happy for her... she deserves it so much... she lost her first husband in a boating accident 17 years ago when her children were 3 and 5!  It took her this long to move on and make a new life for herself... and to show how wonderful she really is!  Her first husband's family were almost all there at the wedding!

One last picture... this was so fun... the bouquet toss...

Lady in the pink and black- MIL; 2nd last lady - her former MIL; Last lady in green blouse our Mom... all up to catch the bouquet! It was so fun getting them up there to catch her bouquet...  Sadly they are all widows!

I hope you enjoyed the little glimpse of my sister and her beautiful wedding day!

Going Sailing.....

Today my blog post is going to be all nautical! I am getting ready for my consignment shops and as I live on an Island, Prince Edward Island... my shops want nautical so I am getting in the mood to get started!

Here are a few things I love from some wonderful Etsy shops:
TrinketsNwhatnots - A metal button with an anchor on it has been wrapped with wire into a beautiful button ring.
Gorgeous gold and silver tones, with a nautical theme.

Shellsformysuzy - Beautiful pair of pillow covers from Robert Allen Outdoor collection. Navy blue background with sailboats in shades of royal blue, tan and cream. Although it is an outdoor fabric, it is light enough for indoor use also. Perfect beach accent for your home, vacation home or boat!

Justshellin - "Sunrise" seashell wreath is covered with softly-hued shells in natural shades of yellow, blue, orange and tan. The wreath is highlighted with an easily removable tan raffia ribbon and has a straw base.

TheUrbanLady - Black and Silver Anchor Earrings - Vintage buttons that wish to be your new earrings. size: 5/8 " (15mm)

TurtleXIII - White sea glass and an aquamarine swarovski starfist are wire wrapped to a sterling silver necklace. The sterling silver chain features textured oval links, and closes with a sterling silver lobster clasp. Necklace hangs 18 inches in length, plus over and inch for the dangle. This is real sea glass, collected by my friends and I on Topsail Beach in North Carolina during our "girls weekend".

And here are a couple of mine that will be going to shops:
Coffee Cup Sleeve -

Nautical Baby Bib - 

Canada Day....

July 1st is Canada Day, it  is celebrated across the country in almost every town and city.  We are proud of the nation we have built together over the last 145 years. Since the earliest days of our history, Canada has been a land of promise. We have built a society that celebrates achievement and excellence, while at the same time maintaining a strong respect for human rights. Our participation in Celebrate Canada activities brings us together, strengthens our communities, and helps us understand the significance of the citizenship we all share.

Charlottetown Prince Edward Island is the birthplace of Canada. We celebrate in a big way each year with one of the best light shows in Canada also a weekend long Festival taking place on the Historic Charlottetown Waterfront, there will be plenty of activities and entertainment for the whole family.

There will be concerts, games, rides and food! Lots of shopping near by... Something for everyone in the family!  This year the festival will be moved to Victoria Park while the new concert site is under construction!

I am proud to be a Canadian!!!

Etsy celebrates Canada Day too:

Printable party collection

Scrabble tile Canada Day Pendant

Canada Maple Leaf cushion covers

Canada Day Reversible placemats

Rustic Canada Day Sign

Organization...

We could all use some help organizing our lives especially if we are a craft person or have a family.  My home is no different than most... I have been working on organizing things so they are easily accessible.

Buying things and storing them is no benefit if you can not find what you are looking for when you need it. I have made purchases on sale, had no place for storing them and then I tuck the items somewhere to be found later... usually after I have repurchased or the event has gone buy.


It is too bad we can not all have a space like this to store our supplies and excess goods...

But as we do not -  we need to use different options to help us be better organized.




Here are a few wonderful ideas I found on Pinterest - this site has so many great ideas I am sure you will find something for you there too.


Organizing my fabrics is very important to me... I have a small sewing room and have to be able to locate and see what I have on hand... I use this system as well as file boxes to store my fabrics:

I love using the see through totes... just at a glace I can tell what fabrics are in there.

 These covered totes are wonderful as they keep your fabric clean fresh and neat for years.



 
What a neat way to store your batteries... right at your fingertips you know what you have and what you need to replenish:

Dollarstore containers are perfect for this.... I love mine.






 Keeping the receipts and warranties for your new items is so important.... and you need a neat filing system that is easy and at your fingertips... also found this on Pinterest:

A simple binder and document protector sheets... put your warranties and receipts all together along with your user guides.

Here are a few ideas that I want for my kitchen and sewing room... they are on my wish list:

What a great use of wasted space... my handyman is going to install these for me when he gets the chance.

These kick drawers are just the right size for pizza pans, muffin pans, broiler pans, etc!

This will make my life so much easier in my sewing room... everything at my fingertips!

What do you have that makes your space more user friendly?

Drop me a link - I would love to see what you use!

I have many more ideas on my Pinterest Board... check it out: http://pinterest.com/sewinggranny/storage-craft-rooms-and-organization/

Treasuries... A way to Promote your Shop!

I love making treasuries almost as much as I like being featured in them.  This is one of Etsy's ways to promote our handmade creations.

I took part in the Saturday Night Special event this week.. I was featured in a number of beautifully curated treasuries and I also curated one myself.

Take a look at those creations:

'Red, Yellow, Purple and Green!' by sewinggranny

Lovely handmade items featured in Saturday Night Specials

There Be Dragons He... SymbolicImport... $10.00	Sunflower De-Art C... TrinketsNWhatn... $30.00	Skinny Scarf Purple... AmeliaandtheOx $12.00	Green Peridot Swar... BijiBijoux $23.00
Speckled Red and W... NewEnglandQuil... $12.95	Simply Granny Croch... crochetedbycha... $20.00	Fleur de Lis Fat Tu... localcolorist $8.00	The Green Man print FullFrogMoon $18.00
Candle holder Red F... Mtbaldyglasswo... $29.00	Glass Pearls Teardr... gypsybeadpeddl... $2.42	ON SALE (20% off) L... Element83 $19.95	Neon Fashion Paperc... rrizzart $28.00
Red Heart Buttons H... MagicByLeah $4.00	The dSLR Camera Str... TheSweetStrap $27.00	Purple Flower Rhine... beautifulswags... $7.00	Wide Fabric Headban... youngbloods $7.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

'Lemon Lime & Summertime ' by SymbolicImports

Handmade Paper Bead... OneUrbanTribe $7.00	Swarovski Olivine D... TrinketsNWhatn... $30.00	Spring time Peek a ... HConwayPhotogr... $8.00	Fused Glass Busines... Mtbaldyglasswo... $15.00
10% Off - Hand Knit... pixiebell $36.00	glass pendant neckl... serenitylane $10.00	Decoupaged Oval Pen... rrizzart $32.00	Yellow Mustard Tur... BijiBijoux $5.35
Kitchen Wall Art - ... CrystalGaylePh... $19.99	Mug Cozy- Crochet C... BitsysWhimsies $12.00	Yellow and green ab... AulaniPhotogra... $22.00	Locket Pendant neck... NewCreatioNZ $32.00
Big Bird/Baby Bird,... sewinggranny $5.00	Marie and the Giant... FullFrogMoon $20.00	Green Crochet Turtl... ShopLittleKitt... $4.00	Lime Green Flower C... beautifulswags... $5.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

'Saturday Night Hot Finds!' by BijiBijoux

Please make sure to check out the shop announcements for more information about special offers.http://www.etsy.com/teams/8085/the-original-saturday-night-specials-sns/discuss/10479320/page/3/

There Be Dragons He... SymbolicImport... $10.00	Fused Glass Pocket ... Mtbaldyglasswo... $19.00	Chilli pepper Photo... NewCreatioNZ $29.00	Gerber Daisy Flower... NewEnglandQuil... $8.00
Crocheted Granny Sq... crochetedbycha... $14.00	Buttercup Lavender ... RebeccasHearts $14.50	Red Oven mitt set w... sewinggranny $12.00	Sunflower De-Art C... TrinketsNWhatn... $30.00
Stars and Stripes C... CharmingCelebr... $6.00	Spring Time Orange ... HConwayPhotogr... $32.00	Red and White Camo ... MagicByLeah $16.00	Lean On Me - 11 x 1... CrystalGaylePh... $49.99
Red Heart Ribbon ya... crochetgal $5.00	100 Custom Promotio... kittycrossbone... $28.00	Felt Ornament Set M... AmeliaAndBroth... $12.00	10% Off - Hand Knit... pixiebell $45.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

Be sure to check out these great shops and specials!