Wooden Wall Art of Many Colors

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This is the first artwork Mark and I have ever collaborated on. We planned to create a piece to transform a corner of our small garden, giving the seating area a chilled lounge-like feel. It was great working closely together (did I really say that? OK, mostly it was great), using his woodworking skills and…

Boro patches breathe new life into old jeans

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I love these jeans, but I’m not loving the rip on the knee. Time to riffle through my cotton scraps and get the needle and thread out. To make a boro and sashiko patch you’ll need: • Scraps of cotton, linen, or denim fabric • Sashiko thread • Sashiko needle • Pins • Fabric marker…

Making Appliqué Patches—a very easy tutorial!

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The things I create usually have a tattered, frayed, vintage-y vibe, but I wanted a clean and modern look for my current project. So let me share with you how I made these super crisp-edged applique shapes. You’ll need the following: Lightweight cotton or linen fabric Lightweight fusible interfacing (I used this one) Pen or…

A Rice Bag Fit for a Party!

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We’re going to a fancy party this weekend. Our friend has reached the big 5-0! After making sure my favorite dress still fits (yay! It did! It’s been a bit of a feast this Christmas with way too many mince pies, Christmas cake, and wine), I decided this was the perfect opportunity to design a…

How to make fuzzy, cosy, wooly Christmas trees!

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I’ve just created a wooly, fuzzy forest of Christmas trees! I made these cuties by stacking concentric circles of felted sweaters and wool fabric samples. A malleable length of wire holds them together, and they sit upon wood slices from our recently trimmed trees. I topped some of them with a rusty barn-style metal star…

Feeling Autumnal

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This is my favorite time of the year. Mostly for the colors. All those gorgeous hues of rich reds and burnt orange. I love that the California sun has lost some of its ferocity and there’s, fingers crossed, rain on the horizon. I can’t stop smiling as we drive past fields of pumpkins near Half…

Googly eyed peppers. Can’t take my eyes off you!

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Who knew? Until our friend gave us goody-bags with rather strange contents at her 50th birthday party, I hadn’t realized I’d been chopping bell peppers all the wrong way. Now I can’t imagine cutting them horizontally again, not when a vertical chop results in these crazy faces with built-in teeth! Add googly eyes and I…

Little Works of Art—Boro coaster tutorial

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When I started to put these modern little squares of fabric art together, they were destined to be coasters. The trouble is, the thought of covering them up with a mug seems sad, so maybe I’ll hang them on the wall instead:-) But anyway, they are a lovely slow-stitching project, and like so many of…

How to make a boro, slow stitched, primitive-style heart ornament

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I made this ornament yesterday, but it already looks like a family heirloom. You may know I’m a lover of vintage style, things that are a bit frayed around the edges, a little quirky, and this stuffed heart hit the spot. Using small scraps of gorgeous fabric from my stash, I was able to slow-stitch…