The Gypsy Wagon

Bag it!

Bag it!
Originally uploaded by The Gypsy Wagon.

I spent all of Satuday playing in my studio, and made this prototype bag. I used 2 inch strips that had been cut for other projects that hadn't then been used. After sewing a large stripped piece. I backed it with cotton batting and quilted it. First I stitched in the ditch along each strip to hold the batting in place, then I chose random strips and added curlicues, puzzle pieces or random shapes by quilting them with orange thread.
  The most fun part was adding the faux flowers. I didn't attach them with fusible webbing. I started with the largest shape and sewed it on with the free-motion foot, then added each successively smaller piece. I left the edges raw, because I want them to fray to the stitch lines. There are two pockets inside - including a cel phone pocket. I can never find mine., and there are two handles. Next time I would add interfacing, because the quilted batting doesn't have quite enough body. I did cut chipboard from the back of a watercolor paper tablet, and sewed a sleeve for it, and placed it in the bottom of the bag, so that it wouldn't sag. The other change for next time would be slightly shorter handles.
I love these colors!

42 Things

In the most self-serving manner ever, I'll take advantage of the fact that today is my birthday to list 42 things about me.  Hey - it's my party, I can write if I want to!

1. I love, love, love ice cream.  and cookie dough.
2. My favorite color is red,
3. when it's not periwinkle blue, robin's egg blue or pink.
4. I love to quilt.
5. I hate to follow patterns.
6. I don't look in the mirror very often.
7. I spend too much time reading other peoples blogs, and
8. then I neglect my own.
9. I stalk my mailman - especially when it's "new magazine time of the month".
10. I think avocados are nature's perfect food.
11. I always look for heart shaped rocks.
12. It drives me crazy when people read over my shoulder.
13. I think reality tv is really overrated
14. except for Project Runway or HGTV.
15. In my mind, I am still 31,
16. in reality, I am not.
17. I love surprises,
18. except at the dentist's office.
19. My favorite flower is the hydrangea
20. Or maybe pink sweetheart roses.
21. I didn't know that John and Jack Kennedy were the same person til I was in my early twenties.
22. I make a mean pomegranate martini.
23. I love to make art,
24. but I can't commit to one medium.
25. My two oldest children are now smarter in math than I am.
26. I don't know how to program my cel phone.
27. I used to have a double-jointed thumb,
28. then I learned how to ski, fell, had surgery, and now it's not.
29. My favorite movie is Pride and Prejudice - the A&E version.
30. I love Texas music.
31. I could probably eat Mexican food everyday.
32. There's nothing better than fresh hot tortilla chips and salsa.
33. I miss Texas a lot.
34. I don't know if I'll ever live there again.
35. I wear sunglasses even on cloudy days.
36. I wear them inside as a hair accessory.
37. My favorite shoes are my cowboy boots.
38. My favorite nail polish is Dutch Tulip by O.P.I.
39. People think I'm an extrovert, but really I'm just an introvert in an extrovert's clothing.
40. Being near the ocean is really important to me.
41. Last year for my birthday I wanted to go to two places - Chik fil A and Target - because I didn't live near either.
42. I love my life.

Quilt!

Quilt!
Originally uploaded by The Gypsy Wagon.

This is an "in progress" picture of the self-portrait quilt that we're working on for my third grader's class. It is their offering for the Spring fundraising auction, and it's starting to come together. We started with white pre-washed 100% cotton fabric, and cut pieces to size (about 9.5 inches x 10.5 inches), and then ironed freezer paper to the back of each piece. Adding that gave the fabric enough body to allow the students to draw their portraits without having the fabric bunch up. We gave each student a piece of white copy paper, and had them draw their self-portrait with pencil. When they were satisfied with their drawing, we had them use the window in their classroom as a lightbox, and taped the drawing to the window with the freezer-paper lined fabric taped on top. They were then able to trace their drawings with little effort.
Then, we passed out the Pentel Fabricfun dye sticks (they look just like crayons), and had them color their designs. We really stressed using lots of color, and adding backgrounds. There were other unexpected things we had to remind them - like eyebrows. No one remembers that they have eyebrows! And ears! It was so much fun to watch the drawings evolve, and to see the kids' personalities shine through. From field hockey to swimming to airplanes, they had such diverse interests and hobbies. After the drawings were completed, we peeled off the freezer paper, and heat set the artwork with a hot iron - covering each block with a piece of paper and ironing it for about 20 seconds.
    We've just started the process of assembling the blocks and have found a red multi-colored polka dot block that we'll use for the sashings around each of the blocks. We haven't come up with the name for the quilt - I guess we're hoping it will come to us as we continue the process.  I'll post more pictures as it progresses.