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Fingerprints left Behind moved to our Family Blog. The girls and even Soren want to participate more and more so itis all family mostly anyway and creatvity so just follow us there.

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Homemade Valentines Cards

Felt is still the big hit in the house, so we came up with an easy idea to use it for making a few valentine cards.

We took some cardstock cut it in half and folded it to cards.

Traced hearts onto felt and cut them out.

Used a few tiny drops of glue to stick them on the card just so they don't slide of right away.

As last step we used the sewing machine to attach the hearts to the card with a straight or zig zag stitch, once or twice ot three times. It doesn't need to be perfectly straight.

After showing the girls the idea Bella can make them all by themselves and Chiara just needs a little help with the sewing machine.



Preview of our next project in progress:

I am working on it ... seriously ...

... on reducing my fabric stash and actually using it. But since the move in this house last summer the organization of this stash is seriously compromised.

A step back: In the last house we had a tiny kitchen but huge dining area space so I put the girls' old german blue wardrobe in a corner and organized NICELY - sorted after colors and seasons - most of my fabric in it. Easy access. Right there in the middle of the house with enough space around to spread it all out if necessary. The rest of the crafts stuff was all packed up in a closet in Leland's hide away/computer room.

Now: We rented a bigger house that's in better shaped and all the kids got their own room. Getting them to sleep is SOOOOOOOOOOOO much easier, but there is no space for my blue closet beside in the garage which is packed with everything else that was in the extra room in the other house, too, plus everything else. So I am working on getting my stash used and reduced and reorganized that I can enjoy it again and actually find what I am looking for when I look for it. But that is a work in progress.

I don't like to admit that the last move left such a chaos behind - we are expert movers after all! - but Sew, Mama, Sew! is asking about our fabric stash, yours & mine. And through them you get to peek in lots of others fabric stashes and see what they are stashing away.

• What do you usually sew?
  I started out with quilts in all sizes and girls' dresses, now more little things for decorations and whatever pops in my head.
  


• When you shop for fabric, what size cuts do you usually buy?
  If I go shopping for a specific project I just add a little more as what I need, if I just really like the fabric it depends on the price if I take between 1/2 - 2 yards. Usually 1 yard.
  


• Do you buy on impulse or do you go out looking for something you need?
  Both, I try to avoid the fabric sections now because I do have a pretty big stash, but the special fabric I always find when I am not looking for it.
  


• Are you a pre-washer? If you are, do you wash your fabric before you need it, or only when you’re ready to use it?
  I used to wash it right away. Now only of I use it for quilts when I need it.
  


• Do you iron it?
  Before cutting it.
  


• How do you sort it? (color, print size, collection, etc.)
  By color, a few as collection and as season for fall and xmas.
  


• Do you have any special folding techniques?
  No, just trying to get them similar sized.
  


• How do you store your fabric?
  In my blue closet if I get finished organozid, currently there and in plastic containers and on top of my dryer.
  


• What tips do you have for building up a well-rounded stash?
  If you see something you just fall in love with add it to your stash, it makes you smile when you get to touch it. lol. There are a few stash staples you akways need from white fabric, tan, black, brown, so always have a few overall fitting patterns, too, that you easily can start on an idea without having to run to the store.
  


• When do you say enough is enough?
  Is there ever enough? I reach a point taht I carefully select the fabric I buy now.
  


• What are some of your favorite stash-busting projects?
  Let my daughters dig in my stash. lol.
  


• Do you have a current favorite print in your stash? Let’s see it!
  I love the blue print and for right now can't get myself to cut in it.
  

• What’s your definition of the perfect stash?
  The perfect stash is the one I can start digging in when I get an idea and end up finding all the perfectly right fabrics I want in it.
  

"The latest additions to the fabric stash."

handmade buttons

Yes, playdough is a permanent habitant in our house, but usually the girls are so happily occupied with it that I stay far away from it until it comes to the clean up part.

Today I played playdooh FIMO. It's a long time ago I touched it, but I saw something and I just couldn't resist trying it out. Handmade Buttons. I had no design in my mind, just getting started with it.

They didn't turn out perfect, it's a while ago I played playdooh, but I already learned one lesson - stay away from the Effect FIMO - it was so much harder to work with as the Soft FIMO, and leaves streaks when you cut it, but it looks neat with the glitter I have to admit. They are not totally round, I tried, but each of them is unique. Does that count?

After baking them for 3o minutes in the oven they first attempt of making buttons was finished.

Now I will have to see what I am actually going to use them for.

P.S. Soren put his hand hand right away in the jar, grab a handfuk and tried to stuff them in his mouth. I guess the look good enough too eat. Yummy.

One of my little artists was at work here.

More Stuffed Little Hearts

Those little hearts are a cute decorations for the house, I just still try to find the perfect spot for them. I even likethem hanging from a doorknob, but Soren disagrees with me and usually takes my doorknob decorations faster down as I put them up.

All hearts have a pocket in the front so I can a little note, perhabs folded or rolled up and a sweet treat with it for my girls on valentines. Perhabs the striped hearts still need a bow, but I didn't make up my mind yet and like them as simple as they are. I hope you enjoy them, too.

Fabric Bookcovers

Here is my first attempt of making a bookcover with fabric for an old notebook from strips of fabric and some batting. The notebook can easily be exchanged when it is full because it works like a slip cover.


Of course after Chiara saw mine she wanted one for her notebook, too, and how can I say no? So we took the leftover fabric from her heart found some coordinateting strips.

Those are the first attempts for bookcovers but more are in plans if I find the time for them.

Hearts full of Love

Both of my girls were busy sewing hearts last weekend especially Isabell. Look at big pile she made with Oma's help. But she sewed all the bows on by herself and each has a different pearl or bead. She was working really hard all afternoon.

Here is Chiara' heart. Isn't it cute?

Chenille

After looking through almost all off my old quilt magazine I came over an article that described how to make Chenille. And I just had to try it out. It is EASY as it can be.

I grabbed some of my homespun scraps. Flanell works, too, as any other lightly woven fabric, but my preference for rag quilts and chenille is homespun. With several layers of fabric flanell gets very heavy while homespuns still keep it light especially in a bigger size.

For my little try out sample I cut five squares of fabric, stacked them on top of each other and sewed a diagonal from one corner to the other. I kept sewing seams with 1/2 inches of the the previous one on each side of the diagonal all the way out to each corner.



After that step you cut in between all seams through the four top layers, just not the bottom one.
I used the Clover Slash Cutter instead of scissors for that step.

After all the cutting it went in the washing machine and dryer to fray and this step added all the softness to the fabric --------- chenille.

Just Yummy

On our second trip to Austin this month, I could not resist buying fabric - my sewing machine is dusted off by now, too - the deals were just to sweet and the fabric just gorgeous. I love it, so much that I can't cut in it yet and it is nicely stack up next to me to look at.

It is so hard to resist buying just all of it, so I had to ideas in my head and pick them out for it. One or two more slipped in the stack, but I can't wait to see how those ideas turn out.

Soren loves all the buttons on my sewing machine, too, and the wheel, and the foot and, ......

CAN'T KEEP HIS HANDS OFF IT!

and a little thing out of felt again

Every year when my mom comes visiting we dig through almost all of my quilting magazines and books and just as it goes even we have seen them all before we do find something new one of us is interested in or we just want to try out. And with my sewing machine still collecting dust, working with felt just needs scissors, a needle and thread and a comfy spot on the couch.