Category Archives: Stuff to make

Quilt photography

Posted in Photos, Quilting, Stuff to make by

Image

I don’t want to confess how many hours I’ve spent trying to take some decent photos of my new quilt. It seems improbably difficult. The colors in this quilt are so pretty in person–not really a bright tomato red but a more subtle coral. I know most people take pictures of their quilts outdoors (hooray for natural light!), but I was so taken with the photography in Denyse Schmidt’s new book Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspiration that I wanted to try some interior photos. I just opened my Etsy shop (Brigit Gail), which except for the photography, is incredibly easy. Etsy recommends five photos per listing–compounding my difficulties. Here is the essential close-up….

Image

I think these photos turned out pretty well, but I have a bright pink quilt that is harder to capture than a unicorn. I’m off to try hanging it on a wall to see if I have any better results.

Painted Rocks Round Up

Posted in Stuff to make by

Rock art is a perfect project for hunchbacked, myopic beach combers like myself. I mean, what to do with those treasured stockpiles of rocks anyway? Don’t even get me started about the shells.

To make these garden markers, I grabbed what I had on hand–rocks, black Sharpie, white gel pen, and Mod Podge. The white gel pen didn’t last long–I’ve since read that white paint markers work far better. I’m going to make more–there’s something so appealing about doodling on a rock!  Here are some other nifty ideas:

Row 1, left to right: Ladybug and bumblebee tic-tac-toe from Chicken Scratch; rock dominoes from Martha Stewart

Row 2: Painted rocks by giochi di carta; herb markers from August Wren; and rock doodles from The Art of Being Creative

Upcycled Books Round Up

Posted in Paper, Recycled materials, Stuff to make by

book mobileIn my library day job, I’ve been weeding old books from the shelves. The books aren’t in circulation any more but they’re still hardcover treasures with great illustrations about Arctic explorers and Presidential boyhoods and stuff like that. With some help from The Repurposed Library and a glue gun, I remade some of them into “bookmobiles.” (Repurposed has instructions for dismantling books to make all sorts of upcycled crafts.)

Kids think the mobiles look like birdhouses. I think they look like something that exploded and spilled over in weird loopy accretions. But I like them anyway.

Here are other great ideas for upcycled books (links below):

Row 1, left to right: Nancy Drew book purse by Rebound Designs; party favor pinwheels & keepsake box from bhg.com

Row 2: paper hearts from Too Much Time On My Hands; decorations from an Anthropologie store display; organizer from SCJohnson

Row 3: Artichoke pendant by Zipper8Lighting; book shelf by Lisa Occhipinti in The Repurposed Library; “lace” runner by bhg.com;

Mr. Bunny’s Matchbox

Posted in Free Printables, Free Tutorials, Kids, Paper, Recycled materials by

Mr. Bunny Matchbox 824

This mini-matchbox home belongs to Mr. Bunny. If you (or your kids) enjoy tiny coloring–great for fine motor skills!–here is a free printable of Mr. Bunny’s burrow. Just color and trim to fit your matchbox. Matchboxes don’t come in standard sizes so you may need to do some fancy cutting and pasting. Happy bunnies & eggs & challah bread!

Finished picnic quilt

Posted in Quilting, Sewing, Stuff to make by

IMG_1814

February in Florida is picnic weather–bright and sunny, no humidity and no mosquitoes. So this weekend, I am packing up some delicious fare and taking my family on a picnic. This quilt replaces a woolen picnic blanket that is far too hot and itchy for picnicking anywhere but the Scottish highlands. The backing is olive green, and I used a delicate floral for the binding–perfect for the great outdoors.

IMG_1819