From Four Fabrics….to Fine Dining!

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Artist and crafter, Crafty creations, Creative crafting, Designer patchwork Place Mats and Runner, Fun with fabrics, Handmade patchwork and quilting, New Modern Patchwork Mats, Original, Quirky, Skewed patchwork squares design, Square quilted Table Mats, Stylish table linens, Unique

Some of you may remember me mentioning four new fabrics I had bought before Christmas, and,  was itching to get my hands on??!…well, this last week I let rip with my rotary cutter….and commenced stitching (did my life depend on it???…well you would have thought so if you’d seen me beavering away ;-/  LOL, Like a woman possessed!!)…Today, I finally finished the first of my New Modern Dining Range, Table Place Mats  & A Runner, with my ”Skewed Squares Design” 😉 

From four lovely new fabrics…to….A stylish new range of Every Day Kitchen/Dining Place Mats AND A Runner too!  Lovingly handmade and crafted with care 🙂

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/264932580/patchwork-place-mats-unique-set-of-eight?ref=shop_home_active_1

I selected four cotton print fabrics three with a print pattern  and one lovely blue (with a slight shadow effect) which picks up so well on the tinges of blue dotted throughout the brown mottled piece, bringing them all together perfectly

From the width of the fabrics, I chopped inch and a quarter strips, arranging them around a central skewed square and repeated the colour process until I got to my desired ten and a half inch square panel. This then allowed for accurate trimming back to a perfect ten inch square. A layer of 100% cotton wadding was then sandwiched behind the little panel and a plain cream backing, before I hand quilted around several of the concentric skewed squares to fix together. Next, I chopped a 2.5 inch strip of the tiny flower print fabric to double over and bind each one, all with a hand stitched finish. To compliment the Place Mats I added in four,  4.5 inch square matching fabric Coasters/Mug Rugs to create a unique Eight Piece Set.

As they all have a cotton wadding layer, they are so easy to wash and iron without worrying about flattening the quilting, and, will look as good as new after every laundry day 😉 !!

So, as I had bought more than enough of the four fabrics, I decided I would also make a matching Table Runner. Repeating the process by making three eleven inch squares and two ‘skewed’ triangle ends for a bit of extra quirkiness 🙂

 

Having made the three main panels, in the same way as the place mats,  I then used 1.5 inch strips of the brown print fabric to join them all together, trimmed it back to a neat finished size of 10.5  x  47 inches before completing with a binding to match the Place Mat Set.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/264824219/table-runner-a-unique-and-striking?ref=shop_home_active_2

Now, having cleared my table, the next exciting thing I need to do…..IS…inspect my newly gifted stash of brand new fabrics given to me by my daughter(such a lovely girl!), masses of fat quarters and lengths of gingham prints, so many goodies she had amassed but never got around to doing anything with ;-/ She just couldn’t let them linger unused any more and asked if I wanted them?????? As if I would say No!!!! LOL

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Lovingly Handmade Novelty Tote Bag Creations!

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Appliquéd duck design tote bag, Applique, Artist, Artist and crafter, Carens canvas and craft My ETSY shop, Cotton patchwork bags, Crafty creations, Creative crafty designs, Cute original creations, Dallying ducks day out tote, Designer patchwork bags, Fun imaginative craft creations, Fun quirky creations, Fun with fabric, Handmade and designed items, Handmade tote bags, Imaginative unique designs, Original, Patchwork landscape scene, Quilted by hand, Quirky, Unique, Unique creations, Unique tote designs

…why not?? If they are popular as framed collages…again, why not make them a mobile piece of art too!? Fun, eye catching, colourful creations, bound to bring attention and definitely a talking point…..and, as always, uniquely one of a kind! Taking patchwork to another level of quirkiness 🙂

New Tote designs for 2015!! Quirky, ever so cute and designed to bring a bit of fun to every day 🙂 whether a crafter, a cleric or a chorister if you’ve no inhibitions, this could be for you! Unique and never to be repeated…I just love to recreate my original ideas into a new context! Practical, pretty, and, in this case, pink! A rich, raspberry coloured cotton fabric lovingly hand crafted into a useful tote bag…imagination has no bounds!!! ;-D

A useful multi-pocket inside with the benefit of a zip fastener to secure valuable items

A colour coordinated internal multi-pocket

A simple, but effective hand quilted diamond pattern over the entirety of the raspberry coloured fabric and to finish off, a magnetic clasp topped with a chunky black button!

In these hard times….mine, is to add a little fun to the world!

Happy Easter to each and ALL! 🙂

‘Flying Goosey’ Quilt Number 2 – proving a point to myself…that I’m not getting slow in my old age (Not that old really) !!!

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Applique, Applique hearts, Art, Artist and crafter, Artistic, Artistic moments, Arty, Bed topper, Black red cream patchwork, Carens canvas and craft My ETSY shop, Cotton fabrics, Cotton wadding for a traditional feel, Crafty creations, Creative crafting, Creative patchwork and applique, Elegantly designed patchwork quilts, Fun creations, Fun with fabric, Hand quilting, Lap quil, Lovingly handmade patchwork and crafts, Modern patchwork, Original, Original art, Patchwork, Patchwork and applique, Patchwork and quilting, Patchwork quilts, Patchwork throw, Printed cotton materials, Quality handmade items, Quirky, Something from nothing, Stylish quilt, Stylish quilt designs, Traditional quilts with new design, Unique, Unique creations, Warm and cosy quilts

In well under two weeks I have a result! From the humble beginnings of four cotton fabrics which I selected – to a finished little beauty! Lovingly hand crafted and hand quilted with ever so many stitches it could never, ever, EVER fall apart 🙂

My newest creation! Flying Geese and appliquéd hearts lap quilt number 2 actually finished yesterday, but my camera broke down – and here’s me thinking it’s the quilt design that is jinxed !!!  Maybe it’s just me…..!

My four chosen cotton print fabrics….after lots of hunting through mountains of materials at the fabric shop I eventually chose these four to go together. Tasteful, Simple, Rich, Stylish and Elegant! As soon as I had them in my arms all together, I could already see how the new quilt would look in my mind’s eye! The only thing delaying me from starting, was some good old fashioned hand washing of the fabrics to rid them of any excess dyes! No sooner dry and ironed…..let chopping, piecing and quilting begin 😉

I always think it is a good idea to make another ‘Goosey” quilt until I reach 5/31 geese border strips…then I sigh my way through the next 26….knowing, it WILL be worth all the effort – at the same time trying not to think of all the hand quilting to come ;-/ !!!!

A little hand sewn label, to let generations hence, (should it EVER become an Heirloom piece 😉 ) know who and where it was made! A little touch I probably should have already been adding to my lovingly hand-crafted quilts…better late than never though ! As a seller on Etsy I have become aware of just how many vintage quilts there are, and, it’s important to new makers like myself, and a must, to let people/buyers know that they are NEWLY made rather than vintage…..though, I hope and feel my own designs show a contemporary style anyway! As much as I love patch working I do feel sometimes people just add too much (colour/mix of fabric designs/ confusion etc,etc (this is my opinion only-others may feel differently and we should all have our say, I think), I do like some structure to what I design and make, though others may too have other tastes, which is of course absolutely fine too! Whilst I realise in the olden days, Patchwork items were made out of what was available and maybe in short supply, it is now a luxury to go and buy new fabrics to create such items today. Though it is my belief that by buying only small quantities of each fabric I am still forcing myself to create something out of very little – even if it is all new material!

I look out proudly at my latest achievement as it gently blows in the wind after its final wash before going off to my Etsy shop! I do hope it can eventually make someone happy…..and of course warm and cosy! 🙂 I certainly sewed many, many hours during its creation (on average, I reckon I work for 2 pence per hour including material costs!!!!! Minimum wage would make it only available to the Billionaires of the world – I’m not sure they shop on Etsy?!?) and incorporated lots of sweet dreams into it too! – they are include free of course!!!  😉

Cute fabric art collages – Creative patchwork and applique pictures

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Art, Artistic moment, Arty, Bunnies knitting, Caren's canvas and craft, Creative artist and crafter, Creative collages, Creative imaginative art, Creative patchwork, Creative patchwork and applique, Cute art pictures, Cute collages, Cute framed fabric art, Felt applique, Fun creations, Fun fabric art, Fun with fabric, Knitting hen, Knitting on toothpicks, My Etsy Shop, Novelty creations, Novelty fabric collage, Original, Original fun art, Patchwork pictures, Piggies knitting, Quirky, Sheep knitting, Unique, Unique handmade novelty items

ARMCHAIR BUNNY KNITTING! One of my new collage creations…a scene inspired during a conversation some time ago with MRS P. http://craftodyssey.wordpress.com/about-3/ Mrs. P has constructed the most brilliant gigantic floral fabric bunny which travels with her as a front seat passenger to and from craft fairs, whilst talking about it she mentioned giving it some giant knitting needles and a pot of tea on a little table – well… this is my interpretation… on a tiny scale ! :-)Having finished my latest commission last week, a large lap quilt, designed as both a memory quilt and a Wedding gift for the happy couple to be, My Lady was uuuuber thrilled when she called to collect it..YAY!.. AND, I have permission to do a post about it after the Wedding when the couple have been given their unique personalised gift! So, after the 23rd of August keep a look out for that one! 🙂

Some of you may have seen my little creations of ‘Sheep knitting’ collages before, which include little knitted items on toothpicks, and, as they have proved quite popular, I thought I would down size my craft projects this week (but increase my table mess into the bargain!) to make some new ones, with a few new characters knitting as well! As mentioned above, Mrs. P’s bunny was the inspiration for me to create a couple of inside knitting character scenes. As ever, the couple which I planned…turned into a dozen unique original final framed works of art! 🙂 which are now resting for a little while in my Etsy shop!

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/carenscanvasandcraft

Below are a couple more examples 🙂

Knitting piggies collage (with a close up of the fabric border before framing)

Sheep in Wellington boots collage
…’they told me it was the only pair they had!’ was going to be another option for a title after seeing the expression of the front left sheep! 🙂

Black sheep knitting collage

Knitting country hen

Armchair knitting hen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creative Patchwork and Appliqué – Knitting Piggies – Framed fabric collage

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Applique, Art, Artist, Artistic moment, Arty, Carens canvas and craft My ETSY shop, Crafter, Crafty creations, Creative crafting, Cute art pictures, Cute collages, Decorative fabric art, Fabric art, Fabric scraps ideas, Felt sheep, Framed art, Fun art, Fun imagination, Fun with fabrics, Handmade, Knitting on toothpicks, Knitting pigs, Original, Original craft ideas, Patchwork, Piggies knitting, Pink felt pigs, Quirky, Quirky art, Tiny knitting, Unique pictures

PIGGIES KNITTING COLLAGE A variety of framed collages are now available on My Etsy Shop

Another hectic week has resulted in more fabric art pieces this is just one of them! Each and everyone I create are from my own imagination, I never recreate exactly the same again! Colour combinations and little twists of my own patterns make them all one offs!

After drawing a simple design for my piggy picture, I created a ‘countryside’ background panel, from a selection of patchwork cottons,to which I could hand applique the little shapes I had cut to form the two piggies and the little lamb. Using felt for the trees, face, trotters and sheep I arranged everything in place before stitching to the panel Then added some simple embroidered grasses and flowers to give a bit more depth to the picture.

Getting really good now at knitting on toothpicks!!!

I knit them both a little pieces from some embroidery thread and secured the tiny ‘needles’ in place with a few more stitches. I thought it would be fun to have them both knitting from the same fleece, its just that one of the piggies has a more forceful approach to her knitting as she seems to be pulling the lamb towards her!

Cute colourful creations from Caren’s canvas and craft! Art for all in many shapes and forms!!

Still Life (Master Compilation Series) -” ‘EAR’, Where’s He Gone?” – Oil Still Life

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Art, Art idea, Art perspective, Artist, Artistic moment, Arts, Artsitic, Artsy, Arty, Different Old Masters Art, Ear, Ear Where's He Gone?, Gel together, Gelling, Gelling art, Idea, Left wondering, Master compilation series, Mini Series, Mini Series of oil paintings, Oil painting, Oil still life, Original, Original art, Original idea, Original oil painting, Painting, Painting for fun, Perspective, Perspectively challenged, Pleasing, Quirky, Quirky art, Quirky original art, Still life, Van Gogh, Van Gogh's Chair, Wacky, Wacky and weird, Wacky art, Wall art, Whistler, Whistler's Mother

I Titled this painting – ” ‘EAR’, Where’s He gone?”

This little painting is the result of playing around one day with Old Master’s Works. I had the idea of ‘gelling’ together two different paintings by two different artists. Of course I can’t take any credit for their artworks in the first place, though I must admit to being very pleased with the idea I had. (It turned out to be a mini series of four so far) Though perspectively challenged I do like the fact that they have seamlessly gelled into one picture. To add to the quirkiness to Whistler’s Mother and Van Gogh’s Chair I think the title I gave it just adds a little fun!

Handmade Patchwork and Quilted Appliquéd Table Runner and Mats

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Applique, Cotton fabric, Craft ideas, Cream teas, Creative, Creative craft, Doodling, Hand appliqued, Hand quilted, Handmade, Handmade patchwork, Hexagon table runner, Patchwork, Patchwork and quilting, Patchwrok fabric, Quirky, Red table runner, Sketch ideas, Sketch pad, Strawberries, Table runner, Table set, Unique piece

Table Runner and Mats

Having bought a beautiful piece of cotton fabric with little strawberries printed all over, I wondered what to do with it!? (Most patchworkers will know that impulse – buy now – then wonder what to do with it) Eventually after much doodling in a sketch pad, I decided it would make a perfect quirky little table runner and mats – Just right for those cream teas!

Not wanting it to be just rectangular I decided on a elongated hexagon shape and so set about creating a little table set. The centre panels are made from cotton canvas with a cotton strawberry appliquéd by hand. Once I had trimmed to shape I hand quilted through the layers of fabric, wadding and backing, creating another unique piece of patchwork!

Decorative Dolls – Handmade Snow Men and Women – Dolls

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Aida, Arty moment, Broom, Brooms, Brushes, Buttons, Buttons and beads, Carol singers, Choir singers, Craft, Crazy craft, Creative craft, Cute, Cute craft, Cute craft doll, Fabric scraps, Felt, Handmade, Handmade decorative dolls, Handmade snow women, Handmade snowman, Hats and scarves, Orange felt, Out of tune, Pipe cleaners, Pompoms, Quirky, Quirky Christmas decorations, Quirky decorations, Seasonal craft, Seasonal craft doll, Seasonal snow people, Sweeping brush, Tartan fabric, Tiny beads, Tiny buttons, White aida, White pompoms, Wreaths

“Who’s not singing in tune then?”

These funny little, handmade, quirky, ‘snow men and women are really cute and all the more so when arranged as a group. They almost make you imagine they are a small choir of carol singers!

I made them from pure white Aida with little scraps of tartan fabrics simply folded to make hats and scarves then hand sewn to the body shapes.  Tiny buttons and beads were used for decoration as well as bright orange felt for their noses. Finishing touches using pipe cleaners to make broom shapes and wreath shapes and finally small white pompoms for snowballs