Monday, May 19, 2014

Scrap Fabric Frame

I just recently finished my first "Rag Quilt" and had lot's of leftover fabric scraps from that project and since I hate to throw any thing away...I decided to come up with a way to use them and here is the result!


I made the quilt for my sweet Momma for Mother's Day and figured what could be better than a matching framed picture to go with her quilt!


I decided to use a photo I found in a box of old photos that my Sister recently sent to me.

We had to move my precious Mother into an assisted living facility recently and a lot of her "things" couldn't go with her and my Sweet Sister knew that I would love having some of Mom's old photos and I'm thankful she sent them to me...it has brought back such great memories and this is one of my favorites!

It is a throwback photo from 1975 of my Grandma Walker (Maternal), Me and my Mom!


I cherish this photo so much and of course didn't want to give up my recently acquired only copy, so I scanned it and had a copy made at my local Walgreens.

NOTE: Just a tip here for those who don't do a lot of scanning...most commercial scanners that are built-in with your printers will default scan to a low to medium resolution (75 - 300 dpi), so if you are wanting to get a good quality print to have printed out, it's wise to choose "custom" scan from your scanner/printer software and scan the photo at a little higher resolution, because it will turn out better.

I originally scanned this at 300 dpi and tried printing it out on my Lexmark Inkjet printer and it turned out decent but because the photo was from the 70's and not the greatest quality to begin with, that print-out showed lines and some decreased clarity. 

When I went back in and scanned it at 600 dpi and printed it out, it was a lot better, so that is the one I used when ordering the final print from Walgreens and it came out really nice and I was also able to order another larger 5x7 print without sacrificing the clarity and quality of the photo.


I added a bit of family memorabilia to the photo above, and it is fitting for this group photo of me, Grandma & Mom.

My Grandma Walker had this family sign hangin' in her kitchen/dining room for as long as I could remember and it was something us kids LOVED to play with!

It was a family "Dog House" wooden sign that had 7 wooden doggies hanging on it with the names of my Grandparents and all their children on it.

Whenever someone was in "trouble" they were put into the dog house, by removing the doggie from it's hook and placing it in the dog house portion.

We had so much fun when visiting Grandma, by putting our own parent's into the "Dog House" and laughing about it!

That is such a treasured memory for me and when my Grandmother passed away, my Mother got this treasure and it hung in her kitchen until a few years ago when I asked her if she minded if I had it.

She knew how much it meant to me and lovingly handed it over to me!

I am happy to be showcasing my scrap frame in another "Craft Lightning" series hosted by Angie at the Country Chic Cottage and Carolina from 30 minute crafts.


I just love this ongoing quick crafts series and for this one there was no particular theme, so it fit right in with my scrap fabric frame idea as it is real quick to make and can be finished in no time at all with a little patience for drying time for the Mod Podge finish!


One tip though...to make the craft quicker (if you are in a hurry)...use larger fabric scraps than I did.

I didn't think it through and used pretty small scraps which made it a little more time consuming than I originally planned, but it still turned out nice and will match my Mom's quilt, so I am happy with it!

Here is a collage showing the steps used to complete this project:


Here are the tools and supplies used:


Supplies/Tools Used for this Project:

Plaid Rectangle Wooden Frame - 4-1/8" x 6-1/8" 
Fabric Scraps, Assorted
Favorite Photo
Aleene's Tacky Glue
Mod Podge
Foam Paint Brush
Scissors
X-acto Knife (not shown in photo above)
Black Gel Ink Pen
Marking Chalk 
Felt (for frame backing)
Cardboard (for backing insert)
Lexmark 4975 Printer, Scanner, Copier

Thanks for stopping by today and if you get a chance, stop by Angie and Carolina's blogs to see some more awesome 15 minute crafts! 



Thursday, May 8, 2014

Square Dance Rag Quilt

I've always wondered how to make a "Rag Quilt" and recently I signed-up to be a "Pattern Tester" for this adorable pattern from Bobbie @ I am Only One Woman  and just fell in love with it!

I was a bit nervous as I had never made a rag quilt and had only recently began my foray into quilting, but I decided to dive right in and give it a try!

Here is the result and I must say I was pleased with the outcome given the fact it was my first rag quilt!



The finished size is 44" x 44" and you can purchase the pattern in Bobbie's Etsy Shop: "A Vision to Remember" here.

If you aren't a sewer or just don't have the time to make one yourself, you are in luck because Bobbie also sells some of her beautiful quilts in her Etsy Store and even takes custom orders!

Here are some more photos of my rag quilt and a collage showing some of the steps involved in making this quilt.







Even though the size of this quilt is closer to a baby or child size quilt, I made it for my sweet Momma for Mother's Day! 

She is very tiny and her legs and feet always get cold when she is sitting on the couch or in her chair watching TV, so I thought it was the perfect size for that and the comfy flannel backing will keep those feet nice and toasty!

I'm hoping when she gets it (I sent it all the way to Texas) someone can take a photo of her with the quilt and I can update my post with her beautiful smile!


Supplies/Tools Used for this project:

Various Poly/Cotton Blend Fabrics from JoAnn's (Tutti Fruiti Collection)
Flannel Fabric (For Backing) from JoAnn's (Cozy Flannel Solid, Claret Red, 100% Cotton)
Mettler Metrosene Polyester Thread, #703 Eggshell
Fiskars Rotary Cutter 
Fiskars Micro-Tip Scissors No. 5
Fiskars Spring Assist Micro-Tip Scissors, No. 5
Olfa Cutting Mat, 24" x 36"
Fiskars Cutting Mat, 24" x 18"
Easy Rule II, EZ Quilting by Simplicity, 24" x 6" Acrylic Quilting Ruler
Fiskars, 18" x 2" Acrylic Quilting Ruler
Janome 4120 QDC Sewing Machine
Brother CS-6000i Sewing Machine
Quilting Foot (For Janome Machine & Brother Machine)
Straight Pins, Quilting


Thank-you for stopping by for a visit.
Hope you'll come back soon to see what craft project I am working on next!



This project/post is linked-up to the following sites/link-up parties:

Skip To My Lou Inspired Us Thursdays: Sew Needle Stitch Hook, a link party of fiber arts. | The Inspired Wren