Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Fabric Pictures!

The Tulip “Spring” and Cherry “Summer” fabric covered  cardboards are a style of handwork  I  enjoy    lot. These two are approximately 8” squares, but I make all sizes. I keep all my fabric scrapes and look at thrift stores for  cheap articles of clothing in fabric design and colors I like too.  The “Spring” board  has two background fabrics.  The “sky” piece I cut  6” plus and the “grass” piece 2” plus and handstitched them together.  I hand drew a cardboard pattern for the tulips, leaves, stems allowing a fourth inch seam to turn under.  It’s fun picking all the different fabrics.   I put the background fabric in a hoop and applique  the tulips and etc.  onto it.  Next  embroider the sunrays and word spring  which you can  pencil  first.  Next I tack the finished piece onto the cardboard  square at the corners and middle.  Then cut a  piece of fabric  about 9 and a half inches square for the back which is also the border.  Lay the back side of the cardboard  picture centered on the wrong side of the back fabric. Bring  the sides, top and bottom to the front , turn under a seam making a half inch border and pin. Handstitch around  sides.  Can  sew a piece of string on the back if you want to hang it, or put on magnet strips if you want to put it on you frig. Or do both.
The cherry “Summer” fabric picture has  24 one and three fourths inch  squares sewn together as shown, turning under seam making finished one and a fourth inch squares.  Cut  your  solid background fabric like above ,put it in hoop and applique onto background like shown.  Cut cardboard patterns  for cherries and leaves , use to cut out fabric pieces remember to allow for turn under.   Embroider stem.  Finish like the “Spring” board.  I have made this kind of board for all seasons and occasions. Fun!

Colored Bottles

I like to put green colored bottles and bud vases on dowel sticks and stick them in  my flower planters  as  soon as spring is in the air.  .
They give color and sparkle while waiting for the flowers and foliage, and they look great when the plants are up too









The wine bottles minus labels  that I collect from thrift stores and friends  make a colorful border around the back garden area. My  husband makes  stakes out of thinner tree branches to hold the bottles.