But When Do You Have To Admit It?

It was love at first sight.

I just love the extension of the pouring spout.

That shape is fantastic.

The fact that it will join this little group

is just beside the point.

Okay, so I will have to move the 2 tea pots

and rearrange my teacup collection

in order to do so.

It's okay...really...There's no problem.
But..but.. it was made in Italy,
and I didn't have one like thaaat,
and well just look at it....

Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

All Dressed in White

In one of my favorite movies,

'Enchanted April'

there is a bit that states

"The whole countryside seemed to dress itself in white."

I think that's how it goes.

It is in reference to all the flowers that were in bloom~

Mock oranges smell heavenly.

I feel the same way towards our spring.

One white flower follows another.

Night-glow wears a beautiful dress that glows in the light of the moon.

It's a little later than April,

but I look forward to it every year.

Wild roses provide wonderful red hips for tea, jelly and crafts come fall.

The shades and textures against the sweet new green.

 Snowball is nearly finished.

A sweet little petunia type in a pot.

And of course my favorite - the locust blossoms.
Their fragrance is intoxicating and fills the air
so that you think you must be in some sort of faerie land.

(I missed getting pictures of the white lilacs
and don't have one of the elderberry blossoms.)

Happy Spring everybody.

Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches 

Bathroom Tree

Yes, you read that correctly.  I have a tree in the bathroom.  It is just a small tree, but I look forward to decorating it each year (for the past couple years.) My bathroom is kinda an aged peacock color with black accents, white porcelain, claw-foot tub, a bachelor's mirror over the sink, and an antique dresser. That said, the tree has white accents rather than the standard red and green.  

Whole View

There are also some crocheted snowflakes a family friend made.  Her husband said if she was making old fashioned snowflake ornaments, that she had to starch them with sugar like in the olden days.

Some are regular flat pretty little snowflakes, and some are ice cycles and some are three-dimensional.

I don't O/D on the ornaments for this tree; however, I think a few white feathers tucked in here and there would be beautiful.  Hmmm, might have to do a little more shopping.(Ah shucks)
I love the look of it when the lights are off.

I have had fabric to make a little tree skirt for quite some time, but alas it's still in the form of fabric and not in the form of a tree skirt.  Maybe next year;)

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

Free Tutorial Burlap & White Book Mark or Name Tag

Here I go again.  Just thought I would show you a little how to book mark out of burlap and white muslin.  First you will need to go get the piece of burlap you have hiding in a special place so it doesn't make the rest of your fabric smell funny.

Then cut a strip off the end.  It is important that you cut on the grain of the fabric staying between two specific fibers.  If this is tricky for you, try pulling one fiber from the edge.  This will give you a cutting path.  I cut mine two inches wide. I am making a book mark.  If you are making a name tag, you might want it just a tad wider (a nice name tag size is 2.5 X 4.5.)  I then cut 5.5 inches from the strip.  (I will be making more than one so I cut a whole long strip.)  I then cut a piece of iron-on interfacing about 1.5 X 5 inches and ironed that (steamer off) to the burlap.  Very Very Very important - make sure the shiny side is toward the fabric so it doesn't stick to your iron.  That would be bad.  The measurements I use leave about 1/4 inch all around to pull some of the fibers away for a 'fringy' look.  Heehee, I like that word.  I then did what I refer to as doodling with my needle.  I just made a couple little flowers.  I don't use patterns for little things like this, but you could draw a little flower, a cat, write a name, or just any ol' thing you are into.  Next, you will need to get your white muslin. 

Snip and tear from one corner, then from the same corner, snip and tear in the other direction so you end up with a freyed corner.

 I then lay the burlap piece on the white muslin and snipped and tore to make it just slightly larger than the burlap (about another 1/4 inch on all sides.)

 

 

Now you will need your wonder under or heat-n-bond which ever double sided adhesive you prefer.  Cut a piece just slightly larger than the interfacing you cut before stitching.  Iron it (shiny side down & no steam) on the burlap piece.  While you are at it, might as well iron the muslin piece.  Peal the paper off and  place the muslin on the burlap making sure it is centered both top to bottom and side to side.

Iron this from the back - you don't want to take a chance either cinging or snagging your embroidery on the front.  Also, the heat travels through muslin better than it does through burlap. 

And "Voila!"  There you have it.  If you are making name tags, simply hot glue a pin back to the back of the tag or use fun, big safety pin to pin them on.  It is almost easier to make several of these at one time and use the little assembly line technique rather than just one.  This one is going to a very nice lady I met in Prosser last weekend. 

Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think.
Hope you are having a fantastic weekend.