Jenny Doh

Flour Sacks with Ruffles

So one of the things that I picked at The Farm Chicks event is this flour sack embellished with ruffles. So cute, right? I can't remember the vendor's name but I got so excited when I saw it because 1) I love flour sacks and 2) can there be anything better than a flour sack with ruffles? It's genius, actually.

She also had a second variation for sale: with ruffles and an appliqued British flag in pink. All together now: That's totally hot!

I ended up getting one of each. The one without the flag is the one I'll keep and probably turn into an apron for myself. The one with the flag will be going to my friend Beth, who has an affinity for this flag and all things pink.

Korean Free Motion Quilting Tutorial DIY

Check out this new little free motion stitched quilt I made for my studio door. So cute, don't you think? And do you know what it says? Of course you do. It says "love" in Korean, as you may remember from this tutorial here. 

I used a water-soluble fabric marker to sketch out the Korean characters and then free motion stitched them with red thread onto a sandwich made of plain fabrics and batting.

Then I sketched a little frame and free motion stitched it with black thread and then cut off the excess fabric. I used a damp cloth to wipe away the pen marks.

Then I stitched on a couple of buttons ...

And wrapped thin black craft wire onto the buttons to create a hanging mechanism for the quilt. NOTE: If you want to prevent the cut edges from fraying, you can apply a bit of Mod Podge along the edges.

Baker's Twine Embroidery Tutorial

Check out my cute little embroidered heart. The heart looks like I used Baker's Twine, huh? But it isn't. Because think about it. If I were to have used Baker's Twine, there isn't a stitch that could be used to have the final product actually look like continuous Baker's Twine. There would be breaks in the twine as it made its way in and out of the fabric. So here's how I did it:

First, I drew a heart with a water-soluble fabric marker and then stitched the heart with white perle cotton using a running stitch.

Next, I took red perle cotton and pulled it up and then wove it through the first white running stitch, from the inside of the heart.

Then I went into the next running stitch, again from the inside of the heart.

I did this over and over until the heart was complete. And then I took a damp cloth to dab the fabric to erase the pen marks.

I have a feeling this piece will become a part of a larger piece. I wuv it.

Happy embroidery. :)

Fat Quarter Defined

During my time at Inspired, I picked up some wonderful goodies ... like these scrumptious little fat quarters. Aren't they pretty?

But it dawned on me recently, when I was talking with a friend who is just getting started in the world of creativity, that not everyone knows what a fat quarter is. So I thought I'd take this post to provide a simple explanation.

So when you go to the fabric store and you pick out a bolt of fabric that you like and take it to the attendant and ask for a yard of fabric, the attendant will start unrolling the fabric and once she has taken 36 inches of it from the bolt, she'll cut it. And that will give you one yard.

If you were to say to the attendant that you'd like 1/4 of a yard, she would unroll the fabric and cut it at the 9 inch mark and give you a narrow piece of fabric. But the thing is ... there's not really very much you can make with a narrow strip like that.

A fat quarter is cut in a way where the yard of fabric is divided into half and then half again so that you end up with a piece that is 18 x 22 inches ... giving you a piece that has so many possibilities to create fun little projects.

The only thing is that fat quarters aren't usually something you can request at the cutting table. They are pre-cut fabrics that you'll see in little baskets or bins that you can sort through and purchase ...

... which is exactly how these little fat quarters were presented by the vender who was selling them at Inspired. Right now I just enjoy looking at them as I imagine all the possibilities of what they can become with a bit of creative stitching and embellishments.

Happy fat quarters.
Happy creative stitching. :)

Free Motion Quilted & Crocheted Necklace

My love affair with the pale pink cotton continues. For this piece, I started by making a small free motion stitched quilt in an oval shape.

Next, I crocheted a pale pink flower and attached it to the quilt with a vintage white button and added more hand stitches with the pink cotton.

I made little holes at the top and bottom and added a sterling wire-wrapped fresh water pearl at the bottom and a jump ring at the top through which I threaded a length of cording.

So pretty. So fun. Happy creating. :)

Art of Shoemaking

OMG! I now know how to make shoes! How cool is that?

My power cord is still missing so better photos will be coming when I get back home but check out what I made today. During the first half of the class, I learned to make the little girl's shoes, which I LOVE. And then after lunch, I put the pedal to the metal and learned to make the larger pair for women. As you can see, the insole for the left woman's shoe has yet to be completed but I'll get that done once I get home. The perfect mother/daughter ensemble, right?

Well, now that my daughter is 15, I'll be giving the red pair to her. I know they will look fabulous on her and I know she'll love them. Can't wait to see how she reacts. The smaller pair I will likely keep in my studio as a place to store buttons in.

What an amazing experience it was to learn the art of shoemaking from the beautiful and generous Jessica Hernandez of Joyfolie. If you are interested in buying shoes and other lovely items from her, I hope you'll check out her site. Her offerings are breathtaking. Thank you, Jessica, for guiding all of the students at The Makerie to learn and appreciate the art of shoemaking.

Free Motion Quilt :: One of the Least

Free Motion Stitched Circles & Watercolors

I've been puttering around with free motion stitching and watercolors ...

First the free motion stitched circles ...

... and then the watercolors (from watercolor pencils here but other watercolors would also work) ...

And then onto the circles ...

So interesting, right? And oh the many different ways things could evolve from here ...

Happy puttering. :)

 

Free Motion Stitched Dotted Line Tutorial DIY

 Check out my new love - - - - - - - -

I first scored a line on my piece of fabric.

Stitched that line with blue thread and then scored a second line.

Stitched that with pink thread and then scored a third line.

For this line, it was a straight stitch but on every third stitch or so, I backtacked, thus allowing me to trim away the non-backtacked stitches to reveal a dotted line. (This is how I did the dotted line on this duet piece.)

 Then I lowered my feed dogs and put my darning foot on and stitched the word "love."

So fun. Happy stitching - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - :)

Duets :: Sarah Ahearn :: Free Motion Stitching with Transparency Tutorial

You may remember my first duet with Sarah Ahearn shown here. Here's how our second duet turned out.

I started by cutting the image from the month of February from her beautiful 2011 calendar.

Next, I placed the image onto drill cloth and added little touches of free motion stitching ...

After the stitching, I placed everything onto a sheet of transparency, laid down a couple of additional elements (fabric and paper pieces), then placed another transparency sheet on top and then stitched down all sides.

More duets to come.

Happy creating. :)