Randy ben

Rick- Rack Bouquet Yo Yo Pin

Rick-Rack Bouquet pattern by Moda U. The kit was all moda fabrics and rick rack. The little bouquet was easy to make. You used the three fabric swatches to make the yo yo's and stitch with button in the middle. Then you gather up the moda rick rack to form an outer flower that is then stitched down to the yoyo. Once all three Yo Yo flowers are made you add a few felt leaves and finish it off by stitching it onto a circle that is covered with moda fabrics. Special note- when you attache the flowers to the circle make sure the fabric side is NOT facing the flowers. I did not notice until after I had sewn them on that the back of my pin is the paper side not the pretty finished floral fabric. Live and learn...right.

We are having a tea party meeting for the Garland Guild tomorrow night. I plan to bring this little pin to suggest as a party favor for the tea party attendees. No offense to moda but I would love to make another with bright fabrics and some tulle.

Melted Vinyl and Angelina Beads- Houston Quilt Show

Three beads that I made from the starter kit.  

While in Houston at the quilt show, there was a lady who had the most exquisite necklace on.  A real conversation piece.  She told me that a woman a few booths down taught her how to make them at another show that they both had booths at a few months prior.  She said that if I asked the vendor nice she might also teach me how to make them.  

The beads are not as pretty in the photo as they are in person.  The bead kit had the supplies to make lots of beads, but unfortunately the smell of the melting vinyl was a little to much for me.  I am the kind of person who is really sensitive to smells though so it may not bother someone else.  To make the beads you wrap the angelina sheets around the vinyl and heat it with a heat gun in a VERY well ventilated area.  You can use either black vinyl as I did in the photo or clear vinyl.

I am going to use the clear piece of vinyl to make a new badge holder and will use the extra sheets of angelina in some ATC.  

Houston International Quilt Show Kits

OHHH the 2008 Houston International Quilt Show brochure arrived yesterday...Yay! After reading it cover to cover many times, mom and I registered for our classes. Very Exciting- we went last year and had soooo much fun. Even though we live just outside of Dallas, this area of North Texas does not really have any shops that specialize in mixed-media or art quilting. The closest shop is in Lewisville (about a hour away each way). So I am embarrassed to say that I went a little crazy buying art quilting kits and supplies that I had NEVER seen before and was afraid I would not see again in my area.

BUT I still have a basket of "kits" and projects that I just HAD to have last year. Herein lies the challenge. For each kit/project that I finish before October 29th (when we leave for the quilt show this year) I can buy another project. But I am going to hold myself to the fact that if I do not finish any that I bought last year...I can't buy any new ones this year.

I'll post photos as I finished the kits (must get right one this can't imagine going to the Houston International Quilt Show and not be able to buy anything)

Yellow Quilters Artist Trading Cards

Yellow Quilters Trading Cards made for my exchange partners at postcard pizzazz.

Hand embroidered pillow

Mom hand embroidered this pillow for her secret pal. I beaded it for her and put it together. A beautiful gift. As you can see we work well together...LOL

Quilted Security Dongle and Key Chain

Husqvarna Viking 4 D Professional software has a security dongle that comes with the program.  In order to access the 4D programs you activate the dongle and must have the dongle inserted into the USB port in your computer to run the software.

The top corner of the dongle has a plastic hole that you can attach a key ring.  So I figured why use a standard key chain right when we have a great opportunity to be creative!

Why not make a dongle keeper or key chain holder.  These are fantastic to have when taking classes with other folks that are also using software with dongles. What a bummer it would be to accidently switch dongles with someone and not know it till you got home.  You'd have to waste your time playing detective instead of spending your time sewing.

Orange Quilters Trading Cards - QTC

Orange quilters trading cards made to exchange with postcard pizzazz group.

Toddler Car Seat Covers

My husband bought me a new car the other day so I thought Mary & Maddie needed new car seat covers to cover their toddler seats.  This time, I also made a car seat pad to go under the seat so that it does not leave any marks on my new car seats.  

The hot pink and zebra was really fun to work with.  The zebra fabric is cotton and the hot pink is a recycled fleece fabric that is made from recycled bottles.  Super soft and pretty- can't wait to pick the girls up from swimming camp today to see it.

Red Quilters Trading Cards

Red Quilters Trading Cards Made To Exchange with Postcard Pizzazz Group.

Sewing Room Re-Design

As you can probably tell from reading any of my websites I LOVE Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine and Quilting Arts Magazine. After reading one of their latest publications "Studios" my sewing studio HAD to go through yet another redesign. If you have not read the issue yet, its really worth the read! It was wonderful to take a peek into the artists sewing rooms/studios...I am so nosey. You can see my latest sewing room renovations and reorganization photo's at the bottom of this post. My sewing room has really evolved as my sewing business/art has evolved. As you can see from the first photos the sewing room was built by my dad from an extra storage space in our home. At the time the twins were really young and I needed a place to sew/work that would also keep my machines and tools away from the kids.

Sewing Room Construction (Originally posted years ago on our family site allysgoodies.com

The construction and redesign the sewing room has gone though many transformations over the last few years as it has become less of a manufacturing room (when I made over 40 shopping cart covers a week, uggh my fingers hurt thinking about it.) to more of a design studio (as I ramped up the pattern design part of my company www.sewfunpatterns.com) then to the design and mixed media art studio that it is today.

Original sewing Room - Photos of the sewing room in 2005 when it was bare bones..sew and ship those covers and nap mats.

2006 Sewing Room - When we moved from manufacturing (hired a lot of it out to other stay at home moms to free up time to design more sewing patterns.

Allison Ray 2007 Sewing Studio Design - I'll never be the same after discovering art quilting! Joined Dallas Area Fiber Artists, Dallas Stampers, Fiber Art Traders and Started Postcard Pizzazz. My husband stopped telling people that I was a seamstress and started telling people that his wife is a fiber artist.

December 24, 2007 I made one of the best decisions ever! I went out to pick up some Christmas Eve snacks and came home with Benjamin instead. Who need snacks when you have a an adorable puppy! Benjamin is the cutest, most patient, loving Chihuahua ever. People tell me all the time they can't believe he is not a nippy, snippy, yappy dog. He is just a doll. Benjamin lays in his bed while I sew and once in a while I'll make him a new Jacket or vest and he just eats up the attention. What a ham. The only dog I have ever seen that will let me fit him with a paper pattern then let me try on a jacket until it fits perfectly.

Zentangle - Relaxing Doodle Art

I was invited to a class in Dallas about creating Zentangle art.  

Zentangle what is that?  

After a quick google I found their website, www.zentangle.com.  Oh my...I am in love.  What a beautiful abstract art form that is easy, portable and relaxing.  If you love to doodle like I do you should definitely check it out.

Cupcake Pincushion

An adorable idea! Made two today while waiting for Randy at the dentist.

These would make perfect door prizes for the Garland Quilt guilds
annual Secret Pal Tea party.

Pattern by the Artful Quilter

The Twins Graduate

Mary-Margaret and Madeline officially graduates from preschool and start kindergarten this fall.  We missed it last year by 7 days.  They had so much fun, it was a perfect day!  

How To Recycle Broken Crayons

Seems like every restaurant we go to provides the kids (we have three) with crayons and paper to color on.  Which I am totally grateful for because all three of my kiddo's are very artistic.  However...we seem to have a crazy amount of crayons and broken crayon pieces.  What do you do with them all.  You can't throw them away, well at least I can't.  But my kids could not use them all even if the colored 24/7.  Remembering a newsletter I read oh gosh 8 years ago or so it was about how to live frugally (think she has also written a book 6+ years ago).  The article was about how to make rainbow crayons.  

My kids love to use these chunky crayons.  They are super easy to make!  All you have to do is take the wrappers off all the broken crayons, place them into a muffin tin (no paper) we used one the was purchased from salvation army for less than a dollar.  You probably would not want to use the muffin tin that you eat out of.  

You can mix the colors to make rainbow crayons or use all the same color in each as we did above, totally up to you.  Then put the muffin tin into the oven we used 200 degrees, and leave them in there just long enough for the crayons to melt (we watched through the window in the oven).  Not too long thought I am not sure if they would burn and stink up your kitchen.  

Then you carefully take out the muffin tin, try not to move or shake it too much as you want to try to keep all the melted wax from mixing too much or you will have 12 muddy colored crayons.  Set them to cool until they completely re-harden then just pop them out.

Quilted Journals- Great Scrap Buster Project

I am a huge fan of Quilters Home magazine!  In the May/June issue they had an awesome article about sewing green projects.  One of the designers Jessie Croker offered instructions for Quilted Journals (pg. 82 & 83).  

They were "sew" easy to make and do not take much fabric approx 2 pieces 8" X 11",  bias tape and paper.  I made two today to use at the Husqvarna Viking 2008 Convention in San Antonio in June.  The journals will make great gifts and since they can be made from scrap fabric they will be inexpensive but really creative.  The covers could be embroidered, painted with inks and dyes, embellished with hot fix crystals.  I plan to make lots of these for my friends.

Crazy Quilted Scrap Book Album Cover

 Batik crazy quilted scrap book or album cover.  I made mine to hold fabric postcards.  But it can hold any sized photos that you would like.

Angelina Fibers - How to mix colors

Colors of Angelina Fibers:
Aurora - White
Sugar Plum - Plum
Tanzanite - Medium Blue
Raspberry - Medium Pink
Cotton Candy - Light Pink
Ice Blue - Light Blue
Mint - Light Green
Mango - Orange
Lemon - Yellow
Gold Iris - Gold with hit of purple
Blaze - Dark Copper
Peacock - Dark Green
Wisteria - Dark Blue
Nightshade - Dark Purple

Color combinations:
Sunset - mix Mango and Lemon Angelina
Aqua - mix Ice Blue and Mint Angelina
Lime - mix Mint and Lemon Angelina
Violet - mix Tanzanite and Raspberry Angelina
Spring- Mint and Sugar Plum Angelina
Pretty - Aurora and Tanzanite and Sugar Plum Angelina
Fall - Blaze, Mango and Lemon Angelina
Calypso - Aqua and Violet Angelina
Flamingo Pink - Mango and Sugar Plum Angelina
Fairy Blue - Tanzanite and Ice Blue Angelina
Princess Pink - Cotton Candy and Aurora Angelina
Ocean - Tanzanite and Mint Angelina
Summer Rainbow - mix all colors
Night Rainbow - mix Peacock, Nightshade, Wisteria and Blaze Angelina

What Flower Are You Quiz - I am a Hyrangea

I have been working on my altered art apron all day. My fingers hurt from seam ripping and sewing. It started out as one thing in my mind and has totally morphed into something else. One of the fabrics I want to use are these lady flowers. Figured it would be fun to see what flower I am so I took the quiz.

I am a hydrangea!

"You are just a little bit of a show off and like to prove just what you can do. Every time someone double-dog-dared you, you proved that not only could you do it, but you could do it with style."

I am a Hydrangea What Flower Are You?

What to know your Fairy Name? My name is Gossamer Willowwich.

I found a really cool website today that you can type in your name and it will generate your fairy name and tell you all about her. Mine is:

Your fairy is called Gossamer Willowwitch
She is a caster of weird dreams.
She lives in spiderwebbed wonderlands and insect grottos.
She is only seen in the enchanted moment between sleep and waking.
She wears tiny black spiders on her dresses. She has delicate green coloured wings like a cicada.
Get your free fairy name here!