Hello friends, and a very happy Wednesday to each and every one of you!
This week, the item is something passed down to me from my mother. She used this item in the 1960′s.
Have a guess? Please leave it as a comment for us. We will post your guesses and the answer of the picture puzzle this Friday.
Time for the puzzle of the week to be revealed!
Today we are out of the office observing Good Friday. And although Noelle and I were good about storing up our posts so that we are able to update from home… I forgot to upload the “What is it?” final image! Ooops! Most of you vintage geniuses knew that this week’s puzzle was indeed a saw. Although I am cheating this week by sharing a borrowed ‘answer’ from a google search, well, you still get the picture. (Pun intended.) I will upload the correct photo Monday for those interested. Promise! Perfection is overrated, don’t you think?
To read the guess from this week, click here and scroll down.
A beautiful pattern of tulips and pussy willows, by our creative friend, Karen Lamp. We tried to fit this design into the magazine for spring, but ran out of pages! Karen has generously allowed us to share her work with you on our blog. Do you think you could stitch it in time to hang on your door to greet your Easter guests? No pressure.
designed by Karen Lamp
Homespun*:
a 14-1/2” x 19” piece, for center
1/4 yd. for border
1/4 yd. for binding
Fat quarter for backing
Fat quarter cotton batting*
Prewashed (felted) wool*:
Blue plaid, an 8” x 12” piece (watering can)
Off-white, a 4” x 4” piece (pussy willows)
Pink, a 4” x 9” piece (tulips)
Lavender, a 4” x 5” piece (tulips)
Green, a 8” x 10” piece (leaves and stems)
#8 or #12 perle cotton in colors to match wools, plus color to match center fabric*
Embroidery hoop or Q-Snap frame, embroidery needle, fabric glue, freezer paper, iron and ironing surface, light box or well-lit window, pencil, pins, ruler, scissors, sewing machine, tracing paper, washable marker
*Available through Country Craft Cupboard.
Country Craft Cupboard: (330) 893-3163, countrycraftcupboard.com
For pattern, see below for PDF’s to print out.
1. For border, cut two 3-1/2” x 14-1/2” strips of fabric and sew to top and bottom of center. Cut two 3-1/2” x 23” border strips and sew to sides of center. Press.
2. Cut cotton batting to fit quilt front and pin to back.
Note: It is helpful to trace the design onto tracing paper; this becomes your guide when placing the wool.
3. Using pencil and light box or well-lit window, trace all pattern pieces onto paper side of freezer paper. Allow space between pieces and add a little to parts of watering can that lie under another. Note: Pussy willows are off-white ovals, cut at random.
4. Cut around all shapes, not on lines, and iron to wool, shiny side of freezer paper down. Cut them out on lines.
5. Use washable marker and light box or well-lit window to trace outline of watering can and all stems onto homespun center. Place traced pattern over center and position wool pieces. Peel off paper and pin or hold in place with a dot of fabric glue.
6. Allow to dry, then whipstitch around all wool pieces with matching perle cotton. Stem stitch all pussy willow stems with green, then sew in place with a single long stitch from bottom to center; this allows edges to remain free, and gives a bit more dimension.
7. Veins in leaves are backstitched with green.
8. Place backing on reverse side of quilt and pin in place. Hand baste or machine baste outer edges so you can remove pins.
9. Using a hoop or frame, sew a running stitch around watering can with perle cotton that matches center fabric. Sew a running stitch along border as well. Optional: Stitch around all tulips and leaves.
10. Trim all edges of quilt so layers are even.
11. Cut 2-1/2” wide strips of binding fabric. Cut a 45˚ angle on both ends and sew end-to-end until you have enough to go around quilt. Press in half lengthwise.
12. With right side of binding to right side of quilt front, raw edges even, sew binding in place with a 1/4” seam. Miter corners as you go, and overlap where you started.
13. Fold binding to the back side and slipstitch in place.
14. For hanger loops, cut two 4” x 6” pieces of binding fabric. Fold in half lengthwise and press. Sew all open sides using a 1/4” seam, allowing an opening to turn.
15. Clip corners, turn, and press, then slipstitch opening closed. Make two hangers, and sew in place along binding on back.
For questions regarding this design, please contact Karen at karen@countrycraftcupboard.com.
Don’t you just love Wednesday’s puzzles? You might not think so after today! 
Please leave us your guess for today’s puzzle as a comment below, and check back in with us on Friday for the answer. Have fun!
It’s 2012, and if you haven’t heard of green crafting before, well, you’re about to.
Even if the environment might not be at the front of your thoughts, the state of the economy has most likely caused you to rethink your crafting schemes. You might look around and wonder What can I recycle? What can I use over again?
Lucky for you, being economical can also equate with being Earth-friendly. When you craft green, you recycle, reuse, and repurpose. Green crafting is creating something beautiful, while leaving behind the smallest footprint.
Our friends at Diamond Tech are really into crafting green, and they have some great products that can help make Earth-friendly and fun be best friends. In preparation of Earth Day next month, Diamond Tech is generously sponsoring a giveaway of one of their Bottle Art Kits each Friday leading up to Earth Day weekend. That’s right—you have FOUR chances to win!
So let’s get into it, shall we? Today you have a chance to win:
Getting ready to toss used bottles into the trash? Think again!
With the garden season underway, you may create the ideal environment for growing and watering any type of plant with the 3-in-1 Plant Keeper. Use this kit in conjunction with the G2 Bottle cutter, to create this garden helper from recycled bottles.
The Diamond Tech Kit Includes: 50 Assorted size and colored glass gems, 15 pc 3/4” Green stained glass squares, E-6000® adhesive and Instructions.
Diamond Tech is on Facebook, too, sharing additional green crafting ideas, mosaics, and more glass inspiration! Click here to “like” their page, and follow the fun. Then, leave us a comment saying “pick me!” to enter for a chance to win today’s kit.
Diamond Tech products are available from your favorite craft retailer or wholesaler throughout the United States.
Their Store Finder will help you find a craft retailer near you.
This recycled bottle planter project by Diamond Tech was featured in
Create & Decorate, August 2011
We can fool some of you some of the time, but we can’t fool all of you all of the time!
We had plenty of guesses for kitchen choppers, hand blenders and the likes, but we kinda knew that the bright colors of this top would give our puzzle away. That’s OK, we know we had a good puzzle posting when we saw amount of responses that we did this week! To read those, click here and scroll down the original post.
This vintage charmer was picked up at a sale a couple of summers ago. Don’t you just love yard sales? Happy Friday, friends!
This week we have a colorful item to share. We figured that a burst of color was perfect for spring!
OK, friends. Please leave us a comment with your guess, and we will share the link to your guesses and reveal the answer to this week’s “What is it?” puzzle this Friday. Happy guessing!
This week, our vintage item is a leather briefcase. My mother gifted my father with this, inked in gold with his initials, and he proudly carried it when he was in sales. My brother and I couldn’t part with it after our father passed, but since I love all things old and shabby my brother thought I should have it. Does anyone have a creative repurpose idea for it? I would enjoy seeing it displayed in my home. The inside is not leather, and has not weathered the years as nicely as the outside, so perhaps it would benefit from a lining.
To read this week’s guesses, click here and scroll down. Thanks for playing!
Designer Sharon Miller must have known we are all eager to be gardening. She has created a quick and easy pom-pom flower to share with our readers. Once you get the flower technique down, vary the colors of yarn you use to design black-eyed Susans, or even bachelor buttons!
And, in true Create & Decorate style, we have created a vintage-look tag to accompany the finished daisies. Print the tag out (below) onto cardstock, cut out, and tie it around your bouquet of daisies!
designed by Sharon Miller
For product information, see sources below.
Clover Pom-Pom Maker in No. 3124 (1-3/8” and 1-5/8”) and No. 3126 (2-1/2” and 3-3/8”)
Yarn and crochet thread in assorted shades of yellow and white—I used the following:
Aunt Lydia’s Crochet Thread in No. 0422 Golden Yellow*
Lion Brand Yarn Homespun in No 394 Golden
Peaches & Crème yarn in No. 01612 Sunshine and No. 01005 White
Red Heart thread* in No. 0316 Soft White and crochet thread in No. 0201 White
Loops & Threads Charisma yarn in No. 9 Off White**
Hot glue gun and glue, scissors, sewing needle, thread, twigs
*Available through Coats & Clark.
**Available through Michaels.
1. Combine yarns and threads of choice and wind around Pom-Pom Maker as per manufacturer’s instructions. Pack tightly for thicker and fluffier flowers.
2. Cut fibers as per Pom-Pom Maker instructions and secure with matching yarn or crochet thread.
3. Carefully remove pom-pom from Maker, then find center of pom-pom and flatten both sides on a flat surface with palms of hand.
4. Hold flower at center using thumb and forefinger. Briskly brush yarn with fingertips while turning pom-pom; this separates fibers and makes them fluffy.
5. Trim outer edge of flower with scissors or pinking shears.
6. For flower center use a smaller size pom-pom maker and wrap only one side. Cut, tie, flatten, fluff, and trim as instructed for larger flower.
7. Once desired shape is completed, place in center of larger flower and attach with glue gun or stitch center to larger flower with matching thread.
8. Brush center section briskly with fingertips to fluff. Clip center closely to make it look flat, being careful not to cut too close.
9. Trim twigs to desired shape and height.
10. Adhere flowers to twigs with glue gun—be sure to adhere flowers to sturdy section of twigs to prevent flowers from drooping.
11. Print out the tag below to use with your bouquet.
Visit Sharon’s Etsy page to view more of her creativity! (Click here.)
Clover Needlecraft, Inc.
(800) 233-1703
clover-usa.com
Coats & Clark
(800) 648-1479
coatsandclark.com
Michaels
(800) 642-4235
michaels.com
Peaches & Crème Yarns
(855) 418-1816
elmore-pisgah.com
We’re doing a little spring cleaning (our own version of March madness) and are offering a back issue sale! If you are missing an issue in your collection, or would like to have one of the Christmas Ornament specials (which we no longer publish), now is the time to save!
On the Create & Decorate website, for each individual magazine, we list a sample of projects that are published in each issue to give you an overview. (You know, to make your decision easier!)
Click this link to hop on over to the sale page.
