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Caren's Creative Canvas & Craft

Caren's Creative Canvas & Craft

Category Archives: Handmade Craft

A colourful little affair happened…. over the Easter weekend!

19 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by carentaylor in Creative Patchwork and Applique, Patchwork quilts

≈ 24 Comments

Tags

Artist and crafter, Carens canvas and craft My ETSY shop, Colourful Bed Topper, Crafty creations, Creative colourful Quilts, Creative crafting, Fabric art creations, Fabric Off Cuts to competed quilts, Fun with fabrics, Hand Quilted Patchwork Quilts, Large Lap Quilts, Patchwork Picnic Blanket, Patchwork Quilt Throw Cover, Snooze Snuggle Rug, Unique Patchwork Creations

skew crazy lap quilt (1)

Scrappy quilt 2# – why does the wind always catch the quilts just when I think I have it nailed for a pic?!!

As Easter weekend was destined to be miserable…(children had visited the weekend before-due to having their own plans for Easter itself) Dearest had a ”million and one” sport programs he ‘needed’ to watch (sigh!!)….I don’t eat chocolate….And, the weather forecast was dire ;-/….SO…what else..??… I chose to dive back into my fabric off cut bag 😉

So as not to bore you all with the same steps as the week previous quilt make, as it is seemingly almost the same (although these little squares of colour all start off surrounding a central skewed ‘square’)..see here..if you missed it/or interested…

skew crazy lap quilt (3)

A little close up of colours and form…I love the way the profile has raised by adding them to a cotton wadding backing when first making them, obviously helped even more by quilting around them 😉

skew crazy lap quilt (4)

Simple hand quilting makes it even more hand made and special I think…so many hours and tiny stitches are worth it in the end

1

Some happy little scraps go a long way when put together! 

After two large lap quilts out of one carrier bag’s worth of tiny off cuts, my first notion of there being another 20 in there hiding awaiting discovery, is a complete underestimate!! I even feel there is more fabric in that bag now, than when I started, given adding off cuts from these two makes LOL ;-D I seriously feel I could spend the rest of my life just working from that bag….trouble is …I needed a refreshing change from seeing the same fabrics over and over again! So….. sneaked of to buy a few more new bits YAY… Already have plans for them, but, maybe it’s time for a little art therapy to recover from all the hand quilting 😉

 

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Colourful Quilt Creation

07 Friday Apr 2017

Posted by carentaylor in Creative Patchwork and Applique, Patchwork quilts

≈ 33 Comments

Tags

Artist and crafter, Carens canvas and craft My ETSY shop, Colourful Cosy Lap Quilt, Crazy Patchwork Quilt, Creative moment, Fun with fabrics, Hand quilting, Patchwork with tiny scraps, Picnic Rug Blanket, Snooze Blanket, Unique Colourful Creations

Crazy lap quilt (1)

…..using up new, but, tiny off cuts of fabric…..

A little over a week ago, I finally tipped out my bags of leftover cotton fabrics, with full intent to use them ALL up in one project (how wrong I was on that though)!! I’d been keeping the bits quite orderly in separate colourway bags… but then….came face to face with this unruly scrappy looking pile………

Fabric offcuts

Somewhere….within,  lay my next project   ;-0

Not daunted by their tiny sizes, my main concern was to make something with some kind of symmetry in the final finished piece, whilst also avoiding putting too much thought into choosing every single piece to go next to the last as I sewed, otherwise it would never get done….. So, I tipped the piles into a kind of colour ‘blob area’ next to the sewing machine, all within arms length, where I could just grab a piece randomly and stitch away wherever it would fit in and around the ‘crazy patchwork method’ I had decided to go with…. For some stability I decided also to stitch them onto some pre-cut small squares of cotton wadding, which I later trimmed back to neat 5.5” square

crazy pw squares

Things were definitely looking very colourful by now 😉

For this project, I had made a pact with myself,  and decided I wasn’t going to go and buy Anything!!!!….it would all have to be done from what I already had! So, I picked a lovely lime cotton print which seemed to keep the super colourful theme on track… after measuring to make sure there was sufficient to cut all the remaining squares I needed, I realised I would have just enough to bind too, if I pieced five lengths together  😀 ……Already doing a happy dance and I’d not even started sewing the squares together lol

Crazy lap quilt (2)

Once assembled into a large panel, I used lightweight synthetic wadding and added a cream cotton backing before hand quilting over the entire piece…

Crazy lap quilt (3)

….believing…’you can Never have too much colour!!’ … I added in a lovely bright blue around the border, which I think, added just the perfect balance to the whole look and completed by hand stitching down the lime binding  😉

Crazy lap quilt (1)

Another cosy colourful creation completed! 

At 42” x 60” it’s the perfect size for a Snuggle snooze blanket/Lap quilt/A single bed topper…OR even a super picnic rug!

Crazy lap quilt (5)

I’m super happy with this little quilt which emerged from the scraps…. though, I still have issues with my left overs ;-/  Although I made 42 (5.5 x 5.5) squares…In the end, it didn’t even look as though I’d used any from the pile at all!! On that basis, I reckon there are at least another 20 quilts waiting to be ‘discovered’ in the scrap bag….better set to again then  😉 !!

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Puppy Love Peg Bag

25 Saturday Mar 2017

Posted by carentaylor in Bags, Creative Patchwork and Applique, Peg bags

≈ 19 Comments

Tags

2017 Peg Bag Designs, Artist and crafter, Bernard and Betty Bullfrog Peg Bag, Carens canvas and craft My ETSY shop, Crafty creations, Creative crafting, Creativity, Cute and quirky Peg Bags, Cute Button and Felt Frogs, Cute Felt Picture Peg Bags, Fabric art, Fully lined Peg Bags, Fun with fabrics, Hand Appliques Felt designs, Novelty Clothes Pin Bags, Painted Wooden Hanger, Posh peg pouches, Puppy Love Peg Bag, Unique Designer Peg Bags, Wooden Buttons

puppy love pb (2)

Puppy Love 🙂

A couple more new Peg / Clothes Pin Bag designs! After eight in a week – All lovingly handmade and designed to add a little fun to Wash Days – it’s time to move to a new project…..Tackling one of my huge bags of tiny off cuts and hopefully making it into a very colourful creation…may just need a step ladder to reach the top of the pile ;-/ ……….

frogs pb (2)

Bernard and Betty Bullfrog…for a bit of amusement, I decided to leave the ‘mouth’ as a loose movable piece of thread (secured soundly at both ends though) …so you’ll never know what little face they will make when the wind blows 😉

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Moving from Quirky to Super CUTE!

23 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by carentaylor in Bags, Creative Patchwork and Applique, Peg bags

≈ 24 Comments

Tags

Artist and crafter, Cute creations, Felt Blue Birds, Felt bunnies, Felt Pictures, Fully lined Peg Bags, Fun with fabrics, Hand applique, Honey Bunnies Peg Bag, Love Birds Peg Bag, Novelty Peg Bag Designs, Posh Clothes Pin Bag, Posh peg pouches, unique gift ideas, Washing Line hanging Peg Bag, Wooden Buttons

bunnies peg bag (1)

Two little honey bunnies 😉

After a couple of quirky peg / clothes pin bag makes with ‘extreme wash line scenes’, I thought I’d cover all bases and throw in a couple of simpler, super cute designs too! Making good use of some lovely little buttons I bought a while back, I really like the wooden butterflies and wonder why it took me so long to start using them?!?

Love birds pb (4)

Little Love Birds design. Well ….Spring is in the air after all…

All hand appliqued, Fully lined, and, with a sturdy wooden hanger… perfect for little gift ideas or a treat for your own Wash Days !

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More New and Exciting Peg Bag Designs

21 Tuesday Mar 2017

Posted by carentaylor in Bags, Handmade Craft, Peg bags

≈ 20 Comments

Tags

Appliqued Peg Bags, Artist Crafter & Designer, Clothespin Bags, Colourful and Cute Peg Bags, Crafty creations, Creative crafting, Felt applique pictures, Fly a Kite Peg Bag Scene, Fun with fabrics, Hand sewn designs, Original Novelty Designs, Peg bags, Posh peg pouches, Skiing Freeze Dry Peg Bag Scene, Unique Fun Cute Quirky Peg Bag Designs

skiing Peg Bag (2)

Well…my thoughts were…if I can put a Desert Island Scene on a Peg/Clothespin Bag…then why not do a ‘mountainscape’ scene too 🙂

Another couple of my new Peg/Clothespin Bags. Maybe it’ll start a little trend of freeze drying laundry on the slopes :-). The other  not quite as wacky..OR is it?!! ‘Course they both seem perfectly feasible in my mind  😀

Kite 1 peg bag (1)

A little fly and dry option !!                                                                                                                                                 I must confess to many happy hours playing with felt during their making…takes me back to childhood ‘fuzzy felt’ days ! Now, I just draw, cut and create my own pictures  😉

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Cute Quirky and Colourful Peg Bags

19 Sunday Mar 2017

Posted by carentaylor in Bags, Creative Patchwork and Applique, Peg bags

≈ 18 Comments

Tags

Artist and crafter, Carens canvas and craft My ETSY shop, Cute Colourful Peg Bag, Desert Island Wash Day Peg Bag, Felt applique pictures, Fully Lined Posh Peg Pouches, Fun with fabrics, Hand Applique Crafty Creations, Quirky Novelty Peg Bag Designs, Speedy Drying Service, Tortoise Design Peg Bag

Speedy TT PBag (3)

So many tiny little blanket stitches, but, worth the effort! One of my new Peg Bag designs 🙂

Coming up with new fun ideas for my 2017 Peg Bags designs and revisiting some past popular designs, though still different and quite unique 🙂 But most importantly, ALL Lovingly Handmade (are Fully Lined and each with a sturdy painted wooden hanger) to add a little fun to Wash Days!! Here are the first two…

island peg bag (2)

Last year’s orange fashion bathing suit gives way to…. a bright cerise pink number ! ..as well as the lucky lady drying her washing on the Desert Island, trying out a new relaxing position  🙂

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Taking leftover fabric to the next level…#7…Finally AND Completely!!!!!

17 Friday Mar 2017

Posted by carentaylor in Creative Patchwork and Applique, Handmade Craft

≈ 27 Comments

Tags

Artist and crafter, Brushed Cotton Flannel Fabrics, Carens canvas and craft My ETSY shop, Crafty creations, Creative crafting, Fun with fabrics, Ideas for using fabric remnants, Mug Rug, Patchwork creations, Patchwork needle case, Quirky pincushion, Sewing accessory set, unique gift ideas

Sewing Set Trio (1)

My way of dealing with those final little snippets of fabric remnants was…Ta Dah!!….A sewing accessory set! 😉 Super for a little gift, maybe in encouragement for a new sewer, or, for a cute quirky gift for a seasoned sewer?! It’s so bright and colourful, it’s sure not to get lost on their work table!! A quilt as you go set of; A patchwork needle case, pincushion and (most important to all crafters (…in my book at least!!) …A matching Mug Rug/Coaster!!! Who can work without a constant brew by their side??

Not to be defeated by throwing away the final last few scraps from my original quilt project (which to be honest would have been very easy to do after the past few weeks of hard work) I didn’t give in!!!!!!!… and mustered up this super bright,  colourful and useful little set instead! I’m now sooooooooo super happy with all the unique little makes from such a limited amount of fabric 🙂 Quite a mission but a great achievement, by, NOT adding to my remnant fabric stash YAY 😀

Sewing Set Trio (2)

Inside and reverses

sewins set pincushion

A close up of the quirky pincushion (not sure what the ghost image is on the pic??;-/) by hand stitching two small squares of fabric, starting with once corner pinned to the centre of one side of the other square and working round gives a great little shape and eight little points where I added a little bead as I stitched then stuffed it firmly for many good years of use!

Sewing Set Trio (3)

Enter a caption

Sewing Set Trio (4)

Now…moving swiftly on.. as well as devising many ways to use all my other bagged remnants….I have my next eight projects cut and ready for their offing! One of my best sellers on my little Etsy shop has been my unique handcrafted Posh Peg Pouches, bought by people  ALL over the World !! Either, for the customer themselves, or, for a unique quirky gift to cheer up someone’s wash day! Still a few available, but more on the way….watch out for the new 2017 collection!!!!

 

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Taking leftover fabric to the next level…#6

13 Monday Mar 2017

Posted by carentaylor in Creative Patchwork and Applique

≈ 24 Comments

Tags

Artist and crafter, Buttons, Cotton and Felt, Crafting with leftever fabrics, Crafty creations, Creative crafting, Cute creations, Fabric creations, Fun with fabrics, Mounted Fabric Art, Original, Quirky Collage, Sheep in boots, Unique

br cott sheep collage (2)

Okay!! Finally getting towards to end of the snippet pile of fabrics!

Just a little quickie of a make! A patchwork landscape with a little felt sheep in boots 😉 A couple of wooden flower buttons and some stitched flying birds in the sky. All felt backed and trimmed before being placed behind a little mount. Apart from the one small fabric ‘rogue bit’ for the sky, all using the same leftover fabrics, still on my mini quest! Mounted ready for framing as a quirky fabric collage ! NOW…I need to catch up with what everyone else has been up to ;-)!!!!

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Taking leftover fabric to the next level…#5 (…by th’ ‘eck! Who’d a thunk I cu’d’ve made this from’t fabric I bowt?!)

13 Monday Mar 2017

Posted by carentaylor in Bags, Creative Patchwork and Applique

≈ 40 Comments

Tags

Artist and crafter, Brushed Cotton Flannel Shoulder Bag, Carens canvas and craft My ETSY shop, Crazy patchwork designs, Creativity, Fun with fabrics, Hand quilted creations, Leftover Fabric Creations, Original, Patchwork Bags Totes and Purses, Patchwork creations, Striking Patchwork Designs, Unique Quirky Colourful Fabric Creations

brushed cotton tote (6)

After the last four posts of questing to use every scrap I had left of the same fabrics, I put the last bits into some semblance of order on my chopping board! (In case you’re wondering ’bout t’ title ??!- it’s a bit of Lancashire dialect thrown in 😉 Must be one of those days!)

Anyways….back to the real matter in hand! What could you or even I do with these meagre little scraps?? (I have a little confession before we go any further….BIG SIGH!!) Thinking I was getting towards the end of everything,,,I suddenly found another scrap length of the blue flowery fabric in my stash ;-/ Aaaargh!! Well, I couldn’t just leave it to reappear in many moons to come, it had to be combined in this ‘end of makes’!! So, instead of it leaving me utterly frustrated, I took it as a positive and decided therefore I could go larger, rather than smaller as anticipated with this next make 😉 BUT, what would it be??….

Well…..This!

brushed cotton tote (3)

A super soft and very vibrant reversible design Hand Quilted Shoulder Bag/Tote!! Even the tiniest of scrap leftover crimson has made a little statement on this design

brushed cotton tote (4)

Of course, being reversible, needs another design! By this stage I am seriously running out of sizeable fabric pieces (apart from the blue flowery fabric! OOO Please take note of the duo button detail hear on the fastening flap – as it failed to be noted in the final image properly)….So, this if the result! (I’m rather happy with it though all tiny bits considered) As you can see, it’s all hand quilted too 😉

brushed cotton tote (1)

Measuring out the ‘new discovery’ of MORE blue flowery fabric meant I had just enough to Fully Line, make a Multi-Pocket, trim the outer bag And make a single shoulder strap – surely reason enough to be happy now?! Showing the two open pockets and the full width zipped pocket – using also some of the lovely wooden flower buttons I acquired to strengthen and stabilise the pocket areas.

brushed cotton tote (5)

A Couple of coordinating buttons to go on the front of the magnetic clasp (not photographed very well I’m afraid due to shine) and the little super soft cotton tote is packaged ready for a new life of shopping and adventures!!

Still a few scrap leftovers in the pile, though much smaller now……Amazing how far a kilo or so of fabric can go!

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Taking leftover fabric to the next level…#4

11 Saturday Mar 2017

Posted by carentaylor in Creative Patchwork and Applique, Handmade Craft

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

Artist and crafter, Carens canvas and craft My ETSY shop, Crafty creations, Creative crafting, Fabric Coasters, Fun with fabrics, Hand quilted, Patchwork creations, Patchwork Mug Rugs, Using bits of leftover fabrics

4 brush cot sk mug rugs (2)

As the leftovers get smaller…so must the projects

After an epic week of using cotton reels, as if they are going out of fashion,  my leftover fabric quest turned to some favourite little makes Sets of Mug Rugs 🙂 I love using small bits to make colourful and useful little creations…So…why not make a few more sets?!!….

4 crazy b c mug rugs (3)

A little crazy patchwork set

4 Br cotton Coasters (3)

and then…back to following the theme of tiny skewed squares

Only a few little strips and lengths left now, which I hopefully will incorporate into something new this weekend. Surely,that must mean…another little trip to the fabric store very soon 😉 !!

Have a Great Weekend everyone!!

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