Ivy Letter Topiary

Hi!
I wanted to make a big initial  letter to display on a shelf , and when I found this cool idea
on  Family Fun magazine, I  decided to give it a try.
Great gardening craft to make with kids!

My problem was to find a rectangular pot that fitted inside a pretty container. Good luck on that!
So, I got two small ivy plants on two pots,and put inside a loaf bread pan as you see above.
When it is on the shelf, nobody will see inside, right?
I made the letter using sticks and twine. The magazine asked for 12-gauge covered floral wire, but the sticks worked better for me.
Now I need to be patient and wait the ivy grow and cover the letter. As it grows, I will tie it on the sticks.

Let me tell you, next time I will start with longer ivy plants. :)

If you don't have the magazine and want to make it, you can find the directions at the Family Fun website.
Thanks for stopping by!
Ana Paula.

Cross Stitch Spring Sampler

Hello!
I have done lots of organizing and cleaning around our home. It is a never ending job. But I found some time for gardening and  sewing.
Today I have something special to show you, my latest sewing project.
The pictures came out a little odd... I think was the angle, but here it is.

Pretty, isn't it? I love this Janlynn pattern. I had to have it.
No, I did not stitched it, I have to tell you the truth. I have done big patterns before,but nothing as big as this.
I think I  would take the rest of my life to complete something this detailed because I am a very slow stitcher.
Since I wanted this sampler badly, I cheated and got a finished one on e-bay. It came from Canada and is beautifully done by a exceptionally talented cross stitcher.

It is a very exquisite design. A collage style sampler including all the spring holidays, gardening and even spring cleaning.

I tried to frame this the way I always do, getting a frame and a mat at Michael's, but it did not work. I had it for over two years and finally decided to make it into a quilted wall hanging.
It was hard work for me. I really love quilts, and admire people that can quilt especially because I cannot really do it. I wanted to make a fancy wave border and make  seams to machine quilt it.  I did it after several attempts. It was the first time I did a quilted border like this. It is not perfect, but I am very pleased with the results.

I think is great when you go out of your comfort zone and try new things.

Thanks for stopping by!
Ana Paula

Cross Stitch Lavender Sachet

Hello!
I love lavender. My sister in Brazil loves it too.
I am sending her a late birthday gift, and decided to include a lavender sachet.

The pattern is from Rico Designs. I made some changes. It was charted for Anchor, but I found  a conversion chart for DMC online.

Another change I made: A ribbon bow instead of the cross stitched  from the original.
I used lavender satin for back and lower part of the front. I also used some lace and tiny beads to add a little more to this very simple design.

I added lavender buds to the filling. I am sure she will like it. :)  Smells wonderful.
Now, I need to make one for me too!
Thanks for stopping by!
Ana Paula.

Selvage Pillow

Hello!
Some time ago I had a post about some pillows I wanted to make.
This week I checked one out of my to do list! Here is how it turned out.

Since I found the Selvage Blog I wanted to make something "selvage".
I started collecting the selvages (fabric borders).

I had more than enough for a pillow.
First, I cut a piece of muslin  of the size I wanted for the finished pillow. Then, I started putting the selvages over it, overlapping the frayed edges until I was happy with the look.

 

 After that I used the rotary cuter to make the strips of fabric even with the muslin base.

Then I started  to sew the selvages on the muslin base. Sorry about the blurry picture.

It is an easy and fast project.

I made the back. I used a natural cotton fabric. After sewing front and back together, I turned it and inserted a pillow form.

Thanks for stopping by!
Ana Paula