Finally...

Getting a late start here as I have been having trouble accessing my blog. One minute it's there, another it's gone. Poof, just like that. Really.



I'm sure you've already noticed that I have a fascination with pincushions. I can't stop making them. After designing the segmented yo-yo pin, I knew I had to make a pincushion similar to it. This pincushion has nine segments, I think maybe a little too many. At this point, the pieces get very small and get difficult to work with. I kept adding one segment after the other when I couldn't get the first and the last to meet without puckering. I think it turned out fairly well for a prototype.



This is my last pin for the month of February and probably for a while. Whew! Although I love making pins, it is time to move on to other things. I used fused fabric throughout as it adds body and also stops the ends from fraying. The circular scalloped center was made by a Fiskars scallop scissor. I think it adds interest to an otherwise plain center. It is topped with a tiny flower shaped button.

The tutorial I promised is coming along, slowly, very slowly. This tutorial business is alot of work and certainly not the instant gratification that I'm used to. Don't worry, I won't forget about it and hopefully will get it posted sometime next month.

I hope you enjoy your weekend.
Aloha!

Pretty In Pink

Aloha! Ciao! Hello! I am beyond humbled that you all have found your way to my blog. I hope that you'll decide to visit often as I love sharing my craft projects with you.

Today is laundry and house cleaning day at Camp Polka Dot so this post will be a pretty short one. I have got to get the place in order so that I can play (craft) over the weekend.



Pretty in pink, this little gal has a painted clay flower pot body and a wooden knob for her head. She is wearing her finest sinamay hat adorned with green and pink ribbons topped with a pretty pink rose. Of course, her ensemble also includes a green and pink yo-yo, just because!



Here is a very simple pink polka dotted posie pin made from a fabric yo-yo. I tucked a tiny bit of polyester fiberfil inside the yo-yo to give it a dimentional look. It is also flanked by 2 citrus green fabric leaves . You will see this style of posie on many of my projects because I think it gives most items a sweet and whimsical look.



This is another project that I just completed. I love patchwork so I put this little pincushion together. It is also embellished with a yo-yo. I bet by now you're on yo-yo overload. LOL Sorry, [un]fortunately, there are still more yo-yo's to come in the future so hold on to your hat.

I'll be back tomorrow with my final pin project for the month of February. I wish you all a fab day!

Aloha!

The Luck of the Irish

Too early for St. Patty's day? I hope not. This lucky shamrock pin has a penny in it's center to bring you good luck. The penny is securely wrapped in tulle netting and the netting is attached to the shamrock. I did it this way to avoid damage to the penny as I am aware that it is illegal to alter or destroy currency. The penny can be removed by tearing the netting open. The shamrock itself is made from fabric which has been fused to felt.



This is a travel facial tissue holder that I embellished with a yo-yo posie. I just can't get enough of fabric yo-yo's. Love them.




This bag is probably the closest I will ever get to actual quilt making. The reason I don't make quilts is because I get too overwhelmed with their bulkiness. Just a heck of alot of fabric to deal with. Being a quilter wannabe, this bag is perfect for me. It is a nice, manageable size to work with. I love the vibrancy of the colors and most of all, it gives me the satisfaction of fabric piecing at the same time.

I hope you have a fabulous and inspiring day.
Aloha!

Yo-Yo's Again?

Yes, yo-yo's again! This little pin is made from a fabric yo-yo. I created 6 pie shaped pieces of coordinating fabric and joined them together to form a circle. This was a bit tricky to work with because each segment was very tiny. I then gathered the yo-yo in the usual fashion and added a tiny bit of fiberfil to give it a little fluff before tying it off. Of course, as always, a pretty button adorn's it's center and a couple of fused fabric-to-fabric leaves completes the look. This would be cute to pin to a denim tote, don't you think?

Doing my first tutorial was exhausting mainly because I'm pretty bad at photography. I have never taken so many blurry, out of focus pictures in my life. What you saw was the best of the best which was still not the BEST. Make sense?!?! LOL I had to edit like mad but I hope I got my point across. I have another tutorial in the making. It is way more involved so it will take time to do. I hope to get it posted sometime soon.


By the way, thanks to everyone who took the time to email me. It was fun hearing from people all around the country and the world! Hope you have a creative day...

Aloha!

Tutorial--Attaching A Fabric Yo-Yo by Sewing Machine

**This tutorial is intended for personal use only.**

I would like to show you how I have been attaching fabric yo-yo's to my projects with this tutorial. I have been doing it this way for over 25 years. When I first started attaching yo-yo's to projects, it was always difficult to keep the ends from flipping up or if I tacked them down, the stitches would always show. Instead of hand-tacking a finished yo-yo to a project, I use the sewing machine to do the initial anchoring. (You can also hand stitch the initial anchoring too). This tutorial will show you how to do this and then turn it into a lovely pincushion in the end.

This is my first tutorial so please be gentle. Here goes....

The first step is to cut one 5-inch fabric circle. This will be for the yo-yo in this project. Also, cut two 5-1/2-inch circles. This will be the top and bottom of your pincushion. They can be both from the same fabric or one each from a contrasting fabric.

Please note: A 5-inch fabric circle will make a 2-1/4-inch yo-yo.

Since the yo-yo will end up being 2-1/4 inches, trace a 2-1/4-inch circle in the middle of the fabric yo-yo on the wrong side. It should look like this:



Place the right side of your yo-yo circle to the right side of the top of the pincushion circle with the yo-yo side facing up. Pin in place. It should look like this:



Use your sewing machine to stitch completely around the circle you just drew.



Now, take needle and thread and hand sew the yo-yo using a 1/4-inch running stitch. Make sure to turn the raw edges in 1/4-inch as you sew. It will look like this:



If you'd like to give your yo-yo some body, this is the time to place some fiberfil in the center. It should look like this:




Pull the thread tight and knot off. This is your completed yo-yo attached to your pincushion top. This yo-yo isn't going anywhere. It won't lift up on the edges or shift and become lopsided.




To make the pincushion, pin the upper pincushion circle to the bottom pincushion circle, right sides together. It will look like this:




This is what the back of my pincushion looks like:




Stitch by machine around the edge using a 1/4-inch seam. Be sure to leave a 1-inch opening for turning. It should look like this:




Turn right sides out and it will look like this:




To complete your pincushin, stuff with fiberfil or your preferred stuffing and handstitch the opening closed using a slip stitch. You can stop at this point and you will have a lovely pincushion. As you can see, I went a little further as my pincushion has a handsewn ricrac embellishment, a button center and also has been tufted. Embellish as you please and most of all, have fun.




I hope this tutorial has been helpful. Many people have asked me how I get my yo-yo's to look so neat on my projects and it was always hard to explain it to them. Now, my friends, you have the inside scoop and complete with pictures to boot. Enjoy!

Aloha!

**This tutorial is intended for personal use only.**

Another Day, Another Year

Well, it was bound to happen. Over the weekend I added another year to my age. My birthday wish from hubbie was for a quiet and peaceful day to do whatever I pleased. My request also included that nobody ask, "What's for breakfast...lunch...or dinner?" Hubbie brought in take-out as I really didn't feel like getting dressed up and eating in a restaurant. A break from cooking was one of the best gifts ever. I also received a lovely bouquet of yellow lillies and red roses from my son and his girlfriend.

I am happy to report that I have a new and speedy computer. No more waiting on anything anymore. The old one was so slow it would frequently come to a complete halt. It was very frustating. My son is a computer genius. He can build computers from the ground up and he built this one for me. Whenever any of our family or his friends have computer issues, he is the one they call. He's a very smart young man and I'm so happy to have him (for more reasons than building computers for me, of course...LOL).



On to today's pin...It looks very similar to the tufted pins that I recently completed. They are alike because of the general shape of their petals. The main difference, though, is how the leaves are formed. The fabric is folded toward the center which leaves a little gap down the middle of each petal. It was fun experimenting. I topped it with a faric yo-yo and a button.



This is a sneak peek of my next project. Do you have any idea what these crazy looking objects will be? I hope to show you some completed pieces real soon.

Have a nice day and thanks for stopping by.
Aloha!

Mouse and Chirpy

About nine years ago this furby walked into our lives. We found him one morning tucked in the corner beneath our front door after a night of heavy thunder and lightening. He was so tiny and only about 8 weeks old. His soft mewing is what alerted us to him. It broke my heart to think of what this little boy had endured overnight. Today, he refuses to go outside and he's still petrified of thunder and lightening. He's grown into a handsome cat and a precious family member. He's smart too. He can shake your hand and sit on command. Hubster gave him the name, Mouse.




We acquired a peach face love bird from my nephew a couple of years before Mouse came into our lives. We aptly named him Papaya because his feathers are the colors of a ripe papaya. Somewhere along the way we started calling him Chirpy, probably because of his incessant screaching, I mean, chirping. He's a very loveable and smart bird. Unlike the stereotypical cartoon characters, Tom and Jerry, Mouse and Chirpy live harmoniously with each other. They even hold their own conversations, a back and forth banter of meow, chirp, meow, chirp... It really makes one wonder what they're saying to each other. Perhaps it would go something like, "I'm going to eat you," "No you're not!" Eeeeeks!



I know you were hoping for something other than flowers, weren't you? Well, I hope I haven't let you down too much. This pin is a cluster of ume and kanzashi blossoms surrounded by 3 tiny green fabric leaves. It's barely 2-inches and such a dainty little beauty.

Have a fabulous weekend, won't you.
Aloha!