Crazy Quilt Spider Web Tutorial

I was recently asked why I use spiderwebs on so many of my crazy quilt pieces.  Well, the Victorians used spiderwebs quite often on their quilts.  The Victorians loved anything exotic and ornate!  They had a great love for nature.  Not only that, they considered spiders in their homes to be a sign of good luck.

Back to the reason that I use them on my crazy quilts so often is that many of mine have a garden theme to them.  Spider webs seem to work well for me.  And I really love doing them!!

If you look closely at real spider webs, they're mini works of art!  Each is unique, no two are alike and they are perfectly imperfect:

Spider webs are incredibly fragile and those little spiders work so hard and diligently  to create them:

I vaguely remember one day late last Summer, while I was still completely out of my mind, standing in my living room looking out the window and watching a spider build her web on the corner of my house.  It was mesmerizing to watch her go round and round, connecting the threads that support the spokes of the web.  It took her 2 hours to make that gorgeous web:

For today, I thought you would enjoy a tutorial on how to make embroidered spider webs.  And I guarantee, it will not take you 2 hours to do!

For my spider webs, I like to use Kreinik #4 or Kreinik #8 Braid.  You can use whatever you like.  DMC #8 Perle Cotton works nicely as does 1 or 2 strands of embroidery floss.  I like the Kreinik Braid because of the sparkle and it shows up well on my blocks:

Obviously, the first thing you'll need to do is to decide where you want to put your web.  Mine is going in the bottom left patch of this piece.

Next, you'll want to start in the middle and make the long spokes of the web:

Just make long straight stitches.  Keep in mind, that perfection is not part of this process.  Real spider webs are usually not perfect and you won't want yours to be either.

Next, you'll need to connect the long spokes with the connecting threads:

This will also couch down the long spokes.  Look at this photo closely.  You'll want to bring your needle up on the far side of a spoke thread, cross over it and put your needle down on the far side of the next spoke thread:

Make some of your stitches close together and some further apart.  Do a few on an angle and skip one occasionally.  Here is my finished web:

When I get my spider on this piece, I'll show you how I make my spiders with buttons or beads and thread for the legs.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with a photo of my Autumn Spider Purse which I completed the other day.  Yesterday, I crocheted the trim for the bottom.  I plan to get this sewn up today and in the shop tomorrow:

Guest Blogger - Louise Giordono

Hello everyone!  Today is the first of the month and that means that I have another Guest Blogger to introduce you to!  I met this lovely lady years ago on Etsy.  I was looking around at the newly listed items and came across a knitted purse that I absolutely fell in love with!  I went to her shop and oh my!!!  The most incredible knitted & crocheted work that I've ever seen.  I commissioned Louise to make 3 purses for me and we have been online friends ever since.  Please welcome Louise Giordono of Scarf It Up!

THE SCARF IT UP! EXPERIENCE

How exciting that Pam Kellogg invited me to be her guest blogger!  I am honored!  She has been an inspiration, a customer, and more, and I think we’ve admired one another’s work for a long time now.  Although I could write about a number of things, this latest event, a home or trunk show/open house could be useful for others, and so I gladly share my experience.  Thanks, Pam!

One way to sell hand-crafted items is the home trunk show / open house!  It can be an effective way to demonstrate products in a welcoming, cozy environment where friends gather round at leisure, handling, trying on, and experimenting with the goods for sale.  As the owner/ creator of Scarf It Up! Wearable Fiber Art in Knit, Crochet and Felt, I have been blessed with periodically using this sales and marketing method to boost sales and earn loyal fans.

The whole idea of Scarf It Up! actually started with such a show – at my daughter’s home in Massachusetts.  And a few weeks ago, about 10 years later, we threw yet another “party” at her place.  She invited colleagues from her school districts, friends, and neighbors, and asked them to bring friends as well.  She provided beverages and finger food (non-greasy/non-messy!), and I provided the products, arranged them using whatever worked in her living/dining areas, and we opened the doors to her guests from 4 – 6PM.  

Every guest filled out a door prize form, and every half-hour we drew a name for one of several door prizes – I gave Embracelets (http://www.flickr.com/photos/scarfitup/4730440407/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/scarfitup/4727161871/in/photostream/ ) as the door prizes.  We asked for phone numbers (in case the winner had already left) and email addresses (so I could send thank you notes to all the attendees and invite them to be on my email list). 

I knew many of the guests who had supported my work and me in the past, and I welcomed those I hadn’t met before.  It was indeed a party atmosphere, but the most fun was demonstrating so much of my work that has multiple wearing options – and helping the women try on scarves, shawls, cachecols, vests, etc.  with their many variations.  

Here are recommendations for a successful home trunk show:

Offer your hostess a special piece of your work or a percentage of sales.  Since this was my daughter, I gave her a shawl that she loved AND some money to help defray the costs for refreshments.

Have your hostess send a “Save the Date” email to guests a month in advance.  Follow up with a formal email or printed invitation.  Print some and stick them in neighborhood doorways or mailboxes.

Set aside an area of the home for refreshments.  White wine, iced tea, and water are perfect.  Our food offerings included: pretzels with hummus, veggies with dip; baked chips with salsa, and fruit with a dip.  NO chocolate or anything greasy or sticky!  You want to protect the furniture as well as the products!

Use the entire remaining space for product set-up in various areas with mirrors.  I used hangers with scarves on the curtain rods; shawls and wraps on hangers from the bookcases (used poster gum to hold the hangers on); bags and purses on other bookcases and a bench; hangers with other items on the backs of doors or on door casings or hinges; jewelry on tables and neckwraps over the TV, backs of chairs, etc.  I flew to MA and so was unable to bring any form of display material with me.  My advice:  BE CREATIVE and use whatever is available!  It works!

I am able to accept cash, checks, or PayPal, and this was announced in advance.  Wear an outfit with pockets or use a fanny pack.  Do NOT leave money around; set up an area for payments, wrapping, and record-keeping. 

Set up a separate area for the door prizes (collection and display) near the door.  Gather that info as soon as the guests enter.  Send a thank you email to EVERYONE who attended, whether they purchased something or not.  I never want people to feel they have to buy something, but often they do.  So it helps to have smaller, less expensive items (I had a supply of choker/embracelets at $20) for that purpose and will have felted buttons for future shows.

I had announced through my Scarf It Up! newsletter that this open house was to take place, providing the place, date, and time, and inviting anyone in the area to attend.  When I blogged about my summer plans in New England (two separate trips), a friend offered to do another trunk show for me in RI in August.  And so it goes (grows!)  Ask YOUR friends to consider hosting.

Was it successful?  How do you measure that?  Well, let me put it this way…..in TWO hours, I was able to realize more money than I had during the entire month in my two local B&M venues in NC and/or online.  At the very first SIU party 10 years ago, I had doubled that, and so at first I was a little disappointed this time.  BUT…..I needed to remember that this is a totally different economy and my prices were quite a bit lower when I first started.  So yes, I would have to say that it was very successful and indeed very gratifying to know that my work is still valued and marketable.

If you haven’t tried this format, I most definitely suggest that you do.  If you’d like more information, tips, and strategies, or have questions, feel free to contact me: scarfitup@ec.rr.com or visit at: http://www.facebook.com/scarfitupwilmington, http://scarf-it-up.blogspot.com, or http://flickr.com/photos/scarfitup.  I look forward to meeting you online!  You can also friend me on FB: http://www.facebook.com/scarfitup.  And here is the link to my Etsy shop.

Again I thank Pam for this invitation to write for her blog.  I look forward to comments and questions and to hearing from you personally.  Happy Summer Shows!

I hope you've enjoyed Louise' guest blogger post!  Perhaps her in home trunk show suggestions can help you in showcasing your own hand-made items in a new & unique environment!  There are opportunities around every corner!  We just have to look for them.

Please take a few moments to visit Louise at her Scarf It Up blog and please let her know if you enjoyed her guest blogger post!

Autumn Purse Block Update

Just a quick post for today everyone.  Thought you would all enjoy seeing an update on my Autumn Purse block:

Bet you'll never guess what's going on that spider web?  LOL!!!  I may still hand-paint that lace piece on the top right.  I still haven't decided yet.  Stay tuned!  I'll be offering this in my Etsy shop when it's complete!

Taking Apart An Old Hat Tutorial

Bubba & I hit 2 Flea Markets yesterday!  I didn't find anything all that exciting but I did pick up this ugly old hat for $6.00:

I buy these these old hats for the vintage flowers.  Many times, they're velvet and silk and usually in very good shape.  I buy them when I find them for around $4 - $6 and then I take them apart.  This may seem like a rather dumb tutorial but I thought someone out there may like know how to do this.

In most cases, the glue on these hats is rather brittle and the flowers will come off easily but I have had a few that were a big old bear to get off!!!

First, I started on this one by removing the leaves:

The leaves & flowers are usually glued to each other.  Find a starting point and carefully start pulling the leaves or flowers away from the mesh base.

Silk flower petals may tear a little.  Do your best to carefully pull them off and keep in mind that if they tear, it adds to the charm and raggyness of the flowers.  I for one, love the raggy look of vintage things!  They can always be slightly trimmed with a pair of scissors.

There may be areas where you just have to cut the mesh base to get the flowers off.

Once I had the flowers off of the sides of the hat, I cut the mesh base on the top off.

This just makes it a wee bit easier to get the rest of the flowers off.

Continue to carefully pull the flowers off the top.

I pulled them all off the top of the hat and then I pulled them off of each other.  And now I have a nice bagful of silk & velvet vintage flowers & leaves!

It takes about 1/2 an hour to tear one of these old hats apart but it's well worth it.  The flowers can be used on crazy quilting, art quilts, cards, art dolls...just about anything!  They can be sewn on or glued on with a glue gun.  The can also be glittered!!!

If you find one for a few dollars, give it a try!  It's fun to re-purpose these old flowers on new projects!

If you would like to see some the projects I use these Vintage Millinery Flowers on, please visit my Shabby Chic Boutique at Etsy!

When I finished tearing that old hat apart, I did some baking!  My Kitchaid was calling to me!  LOL!!!  I made some Banana muffins with chocolate chips:

I just used a regular Banana Muffin recipe and replaced the nuts with chips.  Scott always laughs at me because I put chocolate chips in everything!!!

Then I made a batch of Sugar cookies with cinnamon and chocolate chips:

This is my basic Drop Sugar cookie recipe.  You can find it in my sidebar.  I added 3/4 of a teaspoon of cinnamon to it.

By the time I was done baking, it was late afternoon and Bubba had gotten the headlights on our Model A:

Is this incredible or what?  He's been working on this car for 7 years now and it's really starting to come together.  He has the running boards on it now too!

Finally for today, I'll leave you with an update on my Autumn purse block:

This is ready for beading now.  I'll start on that later today!

Before I head out and start my day, I wanted to say thanks to everyone for all the sweet comments that you've left for me on my depression & anxiety discussions.  If any one would like to share a link to the articles on their blog, please feel free to do so.  I truly feel that if I can help even one person who's going through a horrible depression experience, then my energy in writing these articles is so worth it.  My next article will be available this week.

Happy Pink Saturday!!! A Very Pink Surprise Gift!

Happy Pink Saturday everyone!  I always so look forward to this weekly event hosted by Beverly at How Sweet The Sound blog!

Earlier this week, I received a lovely goody package from my friend Mary Anne!  I mentioned here on my blog, that I was in search of pink eyelash yarn so that I could make a pink peacock purse, similar to this one:

Well, my friend Mary Anne found some in her neck of the woods.  Little did I know that she would put together a whole package of lovely pink craft supplies for me!!!  The box was even wrapped in pink rose paper!!  It was gorgeous!

Inside the box, Mary Anne included 2 lace butterfly appliques, some pretty beads and some little cat charms:

Mary Anne's notecard was also pink!!!  And here are the lovely skeins of pink eyelash yarn that she sent to me:

Are these gorgeous or what?!!  The multi-colored yarns are incredible!!!  What a lovely surprise.  And as you can see, even the tissue paper is pink. Thank you Mary Anne for such a wonderful gift!

Before I head out today, I wanted to remind everyone that I'm having a drawing and this sweet little Sewing Art Quilt is the prize:

Click here for the details!!!

So that's my Pink Saturday post for this week everyone!  Thank you very much for visiting me and I hope everyone has a very Happy Pink Saturday.

Please visit our sweet hostess Beverly at How Sweet The Sound blog and while there, take a few minutes to check out some of the other Pink Saturday bloggers!