Purses, Handbags, Shoulder Bags, Pouches

Purses, handbags, Pouches...I never know what to call them. I can accurately describe them as arty, whimsical and bohemian.
An upcycled (recycled to some of us) wool tweed jacket was reinvented into this purse/pouch. The wool was washed so the edges have frayed beautifully. Just the look I wanted. Yes, you may click on each photo to get a better look at the look I wanted.

The leather elbow patch was still attached!
Still in my I-don't-know-where-this-is-going-but-I'm-loving-it mood, I continued the raw edge, frayed look. Then tore strips and plaited them for the handles.



Hey...uncut, unlined and commercial free. If you're not sure, don't ask!

Marty

Mini Journals and Art Quilts

Mini journals - perfect for gift giving. These little stocking stuffers, best friend gifts, teacher's gifts...the list could go on...fits any size purse. Doesn't everyone need to make notes on the go? These will be on Etsy after the Thanksgiving holidays.






An Art Quilt - "Country Roads"

An art quilt - "White Vase on Red"

Karma Quilt Giveaway

Here's a great first blog giveaway. Gotta go to Karma Quilt to enter.

Karina and Maria, what a pair.....

2 Moos

2 Moos
Originally uploaded by Ronnie Lewison

I was so amoozed by this little art quilt. Ronnie has sold this one, but she has lots more just as amusing.

Second Line Umbrellas - handmade in New Orleans

This plumed umbrella is my favorite. I think?? So hard to choose just one.

I just had to share Liz's Etsy shop with you. A real treat to see so many second line umbrellas....even if you don't march in parades.

Day 7 Cross Country Blog Hop

It may be day 7 of the Cross Country Christmas Blog Hop, but the gifts continue to be as wonderful as on day 1. Whimsicals Jolly Holly Placemat pattern is a FREE download. Thanks, Terri, for sharing. Can hardly wait to get my hands on Terri's newest book "If Quilts Could Talk." I'm intrigued by the title.

New Purses on Etsy

I made two of these from my Pendleton wool and upcycled wool. Big drum roll....one has sold.



I am calling this one "Not just a kid's purse." (even though it could be)The perfect size to hold just the right amount of stuff with a generous drop in the strap to comfortably go around your neck or hang under your arm.

Cross Country Christmas Blog Hop

Kari says "IT'S MY TURN." And she was definitely ready with her surprise package for us as we continue down the Cross Country Christmas Designer Blog Hop. Today is all about Kari Carr and New Leaf Stitches.

Great instructions on how to construct. I think I'll make one or two. Blog hops...what a treat this has been....and it's not over yet!

Hugs, Marty

Friends and Followers

Bless my heart! I haven't said hello to new friends in quite a while. Not because I haven't noticed - Yes I have and Yes, so glad you enjoy my site enough to let me know about you.

Today I was visited by Caroll way up in Western Michigan. She tells me that she retired from corporate America, but just couldn't retire from being busy. She teaches at The Attic Windows Quilt Shop. Now, when you click on the shop's blogspot, take a look at their full calendar. Lots of teachers, lots of classes. And, from the photo of the shop's teachers, I'd say they are all loving their job!

Oh, and what a blogspot Jackie has - gotta visit 2 Virgos Designs. And, we are practically neighbors here in Louisiana. Jackie says she loves making soap. So if you love those wonderful soap bars that you can't find at the super centers, just go see Jackie.

And, Samantha joined me on November 10. I don't know much about Samantha, except that she has a beautiful smile.

And so does Kim Hambric. I have followed Kim for some time now and continue to be amazed at her fabric selections and how she puts them all together then caps it all off with her personal stamped and quilted touch. Go see...you'll want to follow too!

Thanks, Caroll, Jackie, Samantha and Kim for taking the time to visit with me. I am delighted to have you aboard.

Marty

Cross Country Christmas Quilt Designer Blog Hop

Hey, Hey....today's a PamKittyMorning so you need to hop on over to enter her drawing. Great giveaways.

Terry Ann started it all and I'm loving this Cross Country Christmas Blog Hop that is featuring these great fabric and quilt designers.

Enjoy the day you're in and have a PamKittyMorning all day long.

Happy Houses - Quilted Bath Mats

I've been building houses - happy houses. A little more than a days work. One may wind up on your block. If it does, just rejoice because you have such a happy house neighborhood.







Actually all of these will be put to use as a bathmat. Several years ago I found a simple "how to" project that used hand towels and orphan quilt blocks, with the final product being a whimsical bath mat.







Here's the first one I made - Quilted and ready for wet little feet. It finished out at 15" x 23". I like to pre-wash my inexpensive towels since they shrink at different levels, depending on the cheap (or should I say quality) that you purchase. I wouldn't use Egyptian cotton!

These two blocks originally started out as pansy blocks to be put into a row quilt. I figured out in a huge hurry that I would never get 8 more of these made for a quilt. They lingered around for awhile. But, being the frugal person that I am, I just had to do something with this fabric. Much better for wet feet than a row quilt!


Keep your feet dry - it's the weekend already!

If The Shoe Fits, Wear It!

ACEO - Country Roads. Original, one-of-a-kind design by Marty Mason
ACEO - Blackbirds on high wire, also one of my original, one-of-a-kind designs
You've all heard it said - "If the shoe fits, wear it."

I thought this morning about the meaning of this saying.

Like shoes, life doesn't come in just one size and often times it doesn't come in the size we want. We struggle with our life and spend so much time looking for the one we think should fit. We want our life to look good. We want others to notice our life. But, in trying to please others, or not accepting the place we are in life, we often find ourselves in an ill-fitting, unhappy life. We wear a life that is not a good fit and that hurts.

So, when we finally realize we are living the life that feels good, doesn't hurt ourselves or others, has a really good fit, then we should wear it!

Paraphrased - "Get a life, get on with life." or "Stop belaboring the little things and celebrate the big."

Wouldn't it be nice if we could all find the right shoes early in life.
Life is a good thing - celebrate it.

Just one of Marty's Musings.

Cross Country Christmas Quilt Designer Blog Hop

It's Friday the 13th...get over the FEAR!

What am I afraid of? That I won't sell one of my projects! I ask myself - what if I don't sell anything today, will this hurt me? A loud "NO" was the response (in my head, of course). What's another fear? That the creative part of me will be stifled today. But, again, will this hurt me. Again, "NO". Now, I'm over the fear. So, I continue sewing for pure pleasure. It's all about me today.

But first I checked out Terry Ann's featured designer on her Cross Country Christmas Quilt Designer Blog Hop. Terry Ann is one prolific designer and publisher. If you need inspiration, here it is - Atkinson Designs.

Terry Ann's Friday the 13th featured designer, Heather Mulder Peterson, is also one prolific designer and publisher. Trends and Traditions - the name of her shop and her logo - where trendy meets traditional quilting -got my attention. Once there, you must go to her inspiration pages she calls Anka's Treasures.

Hope all this inspiration gets your creative juices flowing. Loose the fear and remember, there are no creative mistakes!

Hugs - Marty

Art Quilts - Abstract - One-of-a-kind

A friend asked me the other day if I sewed all the time.....I simply answered "YES"






What do you do? I would love to know.

Marty

Finished quit top with Alexander Henry Fabrics

I really like this look

And....Quizzie likes it too! No, it's neither 10 a.m. nor 10 p.m. The mantel clock's ticker stopped ticking last week.

This Alexander Henry "mona floral" and "alphonse stripe" provided the really busy, fun look I wanted. Should I name this one Mona or Alphonse? They both would be good names for the next animals that happen into my life. Don't you think...Anyway, this quilt top is DONE and ready to be quilted.

And.....

I lack for nothing to do around here! One comes off the design wall, another goes on! Here's the design wall now. Some pieces left over from another quilt that were pulling at my imaginative heart strings.


I think I'll add white....this bolt just arrived last week. Some fabrics just have to be purchased in quantity 'cause I get cold sweats when my white gets too low on my shelf!


Hugs for now - Marty

Photo.Knit.Dog! A Giveaway

No, she's not giving away the dog, but boy oh boy, all this yarn is almost as valuable. What a grand blog anniversary giveaway.

I'm already thinking of what I can make with any one of these yarns. Go there, you might win one too. But, you have to hurry, it ends tomorrow!

Feedsack Fantasy Giveaway

And the gifter keeps gifting. Check out Marydon's latest giveaway packages. I've made it easy to go there....just click the title to this post. I'm in a hurry for now or I would continue with my dialog on her plans for more giveaways in the next few weeks....but you'll just have to go to her blog and she'll tell you herself. As Marydon says, TTFN.

Showcasing The Alexander Henry Fabrics Collection

It's close enough to perfect for me.....

I found some wonderful fabric in the Alexander Henry Fabrics Collection and decided to showcase the vibrant floral. This is from the Monkey's Bizness 2008 collection.




Here's the (design) plan.....I cut the floral in a panel style -rectangle- 20 1/2"x 30 1/2" and will surround it by the various colored windmill blocks that are cut at 5 1/2". The "alphonse stripe" from the AH collection will be the little 1 1/2" zinger surrounding the windmill blocks. Then I'll come back with the wide border "mona flora." Sounds like a plan to me!

Fun and easy when a fab fabric makes the quilt top. It should finish out at 45" x 55" or there-abouts.

DIY Tutorial

What a smile this gave me - use your mis-matched and onsie socks in this great DIY project. Oh what a happy day!

Design Sponge tells us how to use wonderful argyle socks to make something ordinary into spectacular.....

Art on Fabric Sheet added to a Purse

I first start by thread painting onto a collage of fabric. This is Sachie Claudine, one of my "Pretty Ladies in Smart Hats" fabric art cards. I then sent Sachie to a photo shoot and printed her on a fabric sheet.

When I found the lush fronds of green in my fabric stash, It just looked as though it needed Sachie Claudine to adorn the garden path. Added flowers and put all this into a messenger style purse (with pockets and magnetic snap, of course).

It's like the Sunday purse with Collette prettily posed (blogged about on Sunday) only different! Whether a Sunday or a Monday purse, I love them both.

Hugs 'til I can get a Tuesday purse whipped up.

A Sunday Purse...I'll get there in a minute

But first, let's have breakfast

It's already 9 a.m. - It's Sunday morning - not a sleep in day here. Breakfast is down and done -

It's healthy, it's fast, and it's very good! I usually stand at the kitchen counter, catch up on the weather for the day or news or read about the locals in our daily paper. By the time I finish with each of the above, my breakfast is downed and the dishes are in the washer. Keep it clean!

Now, I can move on - found a great site for free patterns - Moda Fabrics Free Patterns - I love free. Well, we all know that a free pattern means we simply must make a purchase to get the benefit of the free pattern! Life is too short to worry about the little inconveniences in life - like money. Anyway, I really liked the Moda Basic Grey Figgy Pudding quilt pattern I found so it's now printed and ready to get the fabric as required. I probably have some I can use already in my fabric stash so hopefully the pocketbook damage won't be too hard.



Now, I can move on to the newest purse.



This is Collette. I ran the fabric through the printer three or four times to get the look I wanted, then did the raw edge stitching onto a fun fabric that would coordinate with the blue I used to make the purse. I love this Sunday purse.

Here's the start of another one. I was less than thrilled with the ink level in my printer, but rather than trash this image of Sachie Claudine, I decided to make her a garden nymph romping among the flowers. The garden green fabric makes the perfect backdrop for her flower play.

I'll update the finished look as soon as I can get her stitched up. These messenger style bags are just plain fun to make!

Glorious Sunday to you.....Marty

To Catch a Raccoon

You must first not catch a cat to catch a raccoon - When the raccoon trap is full of cat, there is no more room.



If you've kept up with my blog, you must know that we feed two abandoned cats. And, as you must know, when cat food is left outside for very long, rats and birds and squirrels AND raccoons are also fed. Oh, I'm sure we're feeding more critters than that, but I promise you, I don't want to know about any more. I hope they slip in between midnight and 4 a.m.

But, our raccoon population has grown over the years. So huMAN of the house went out to the local wildlife and fisheries compound and got the trap. And, big yellow cat was our first catch. He's not unhappy, so we now know that the trap works and that it is very humane and treats the animals as we want them to be treated.

Big yellow cat got ousted and trap set again (after adding more cat food). But this time, we caught little yellow cat! He's not unhappy either since "Cat that licks my toes" cat is keeping him company. Oh, by the way, we've shortened his name to simply "Toes Cat".....Thankfully, Toes Cat just comes to visit (and lick my toes). He has a home somewhere.



We are still hoping to catch a raccoon before baby birthing season is upon us again. Wish us luck! Or something!

Working with Wool - Purses

I couldn't decide whether to make another purse this morning or to stop and show you my two latest purse creations. I've been working with wool! This one is wool yarn knitted into a purse, then put into washing machine to felt. I love this! And the large purple pen I found yesterday just added the perfect touch.

This one will be mailed on to Washington State this morning. Hope you love it Ann. And, once again, happy birthday to you.

My second one, while still wool, is a completely different look. Recycled wool...I love working with it. I first took little strips and seamed them together to get the width I needed, then attached those strips to another piece of wool. Lined it, added inside pockets, a magnetic snap closure, put the straps on and there you have it. So hard to get the real feel for the size of purses through camera lens....but this one is quite roomy at 13" x 15".




I think I have enough scraps to make another one! Oh, what a happy day....Hope yours is too.

Fabric Art Card

Meet Molly.....


I was commissioned to make a thread painted fabric art card to be named Molly. Just finished this little darling and she will be delivered Thursday. Isn't she the sassy one? I've lost count of how many I've made, but I think she is about number 15 in my "Pretty Ladies in Smart Hats" series.

I'm hoping I can get some prints of her on fabric sheets tomorrow. I will enjoy putting her pretty face in an art quilt. Yes, I make 'em and sell the originals but always retain the right to reproduce their images and use in whichever way I choose. Kinda like when you buy land, you don't normally purchase the mineral rights!

Giveaway's - What a Treat

Oh Boy, Oh Boy - I mean Oh Girl, Oh Girl - Marydon, by name, over at Feedsack Fantasy is giving away everything but the kitchen sink! She promises great surprises - in celebration of her posts and followers and the upcoming holidays - will be forthcoming for the next 6 weeks. I'm staying tuned in....and you should too!

Here is her first giveaway. It's a double-your-pleasure, double-your-fun giveaway.



And the second giveaway -

Drawing for these two prizes will be November 10 and the clocks a ticking!

Abstract Art Quilts on Etsy

And a big BOO to you.....Mr. Pumpkin Boo Man is the official greeter at the back entry.

And, other things I can check off my list. I was so excited to have the time the other day to complete an art quilt - This one immediately became a neighborhood so I named it "An Architect's Dream". I heard the other huMAN in the house mumble something that sounded like "Neighborhood Blight." I hate it when I have to explain my abstract art quilts to a non-listener!

24" x 24"

Well, not to be outdone and still with plenty of orange and red and black and white fabric in hand, I made an even larger version of my favorite little neighborhood. With all this construction going on, it too became An Architect's Dream - #2 of course.

33" x 33"

Happy weekend.

Two more quilts in my Etsy Shop

I loved this color combo - rich and rustic and a real charmer to snuggle under.


And this little aqua and orange toddler size.



I can't decide if I'm wound up or winding down or on rewind!!

Mini Baskets

Mini Baskets
Originally uploaded by cornerstonelae

I found these on Flickr which led me to the Cornerstone Design Etsy Shop. You really need to go see.....
I love these mini baskets....AND can relate to the pain of making these little minis.


Post script - I didn't make these little mini bowls but certainly hope to add some of these to my project list. The instructions can be found on the American Sews site. They are made using cotton cording that is covered with strips of fabric, then zigzagged together. I've seen purses made with the covered cording also. A great look.

Seeing my little fabric nesting boxes increase in numbers was much, much fun - but very tedious! I obviously loved the process, since I have made three sets to date - and I'm probably not finished!
As THEY say, LOL!!

Set of fabric nesting boxes made with red check fabric....the smallest starts at 1" diameter and goes up to almost 3". Just add 1/4" increment to the next size until you get tired or run out of fabric!! I think these are the perfect "tooth fairy" boxes.

Roaming the 'Hood

Just to let you know I'm out - just roaming the 'hood - a fabric art card



Marty's Fiber Musings

Child's Quilt

A child's quilt - The Chinese Coin quilt pattern in little girl pinks and purples with lots of crisp white. Marty's Fiber Musings

Child's Quilt

A child's quilt - Pink and Purple in the Chinese coin pattern. Lots of crisp white punches out the baby girl colors. Marty's Fiber Musings

Focus and Get It Done

One of my goals today was to stay focused on my Etsy Shop. Two in the art quilt series "Butterflies Are Free" #1 and #2 were added today. I've given myself a big hug and a pat on the back!!





Also added two of my art quilts in the "Studies in Mustard" series -

"Windows"



"Hold The Mustard, Please"



Here's hoping I can continue to be focused and get items listed in time for those holiday shoppers!

Warm at Home

As I retired last night, I set a goal to get up early and get a new post on my site in explanation of where I've been this week. Well, it's now 8 a.m.- late morning to me! Getting up early is no problem (been up since 6 a.m.), but getting focused on my goals has not been easy lately. I think this is called "Too many irons in the fire." And, speaking of fires....

We had a very cool, clear night a couple of days ago. Dearest built our first fire of the season in our outdoor fireplace ??!



And, I snuggle in my favorite flannel quilt.



Was a very peaceful view as the sun began to set over the big oak tree.


A little deeper into the evening...as we lingered outdoors



Trying to give the abandoned outdoor cats - now ours - some warmth was not a success.

Big yellow cat is really giving it his best shot at fitting into the new box-bed.


Okay, now let's give it a go from another angle....Hey folks, this is still not working!


Quit your grumbling out there....the big papa of the house is off to Walmart to see if there is any cat furniture out there that will fit you!!