Recycled T-Shirt Logos

These are recycled logos in their finest moment! A once stained t-shirt that was worn for many months has taken on a new life and the fabulous, glow-in-the-dark 'Henry + the Invisibles' logo will live again as a brand new tote bag. A once torn up, discarded hoodie is now the center of attention as a useful bucket to hold anything your heart desires.

All items are recycled with love and are sure to live a beautiful second life!

Here was my process for attaching the logo onto the canvas:

I carefully cut out the logo from the old t-shirt and ironed a Pellon Clear Fuse on the back. This way the logo would fuse to the fabric and not shift when placed on the front of the canvas. A zig zag stitch around the perimeter of the logo secures it in place.

For the sweatshirt, I used the same process as above, but I didn't waste the rest of the sweater material after I cut out the logo. It became the lining for the basket.

I'm know I'm not the only one with a favorite t-shirt that doesn't get any more use because of a tear or stain...but if you still love the image, I say give it a useful second life!

"Flow Zone" Block of the Month: Finished Quilt Top

Today I finished putting together the quilt top for the "Flow Zone" Block of the Month. Now, I'm just waiting on my backing fabric so I can begin quilting!

Once I had all the blocks organized in a way that I loved, I decided to use the neutral color fabric (Kona Bone) for a sashing between the blocks. I used 2 inch strips between the blocks and 3 1/2 inch strips on the outer border. Now, you don't even have to do this part if you don't like it. It's your quilt so you can do whatever is appealing to you!

Since this is the first quilt for a couple of people participating, I recommend signing up on Craftsy and enrolling in the Free Block of the Month from 2012 by Amy Gibson. Around lesson 13, she walks you through how to put the blocks together, make the quilt sandwich and tips for quilting! You can start and stop the video as much as you want. You might even get the urge to make some of the blocks for a larger quilt top.

OR email me and I'll be happy to help with any questions!

Feel free to post photos on the progress of your quilt in the Flickr group! At the end of January, I would like to have a party for all the people that participated. I'll touch base with everyone in the near future with more details.

Until then, I hope everyone is enjoying the break! Happy Holidays! :)

Fraction Mug Rug

Do you remember that interactive fraction strip quilt I created this year? Well, I've been dying to make one on a smaller scale to try out some different color options before I make another large quilt. When the Austin Modern Quilt Guild had a white elephant mug rug exchange I thought it was the perfect opportunity to experiment since I truly believe mathematics is beautiful! There will be many more of these fraction mug rugs in the near future. So, I'll just leave you with a few photos of how it turned out.

Front

Back - I love how the patterns emerge!

I found a mug at Crate & Barrel that matched nicely.

It's free-motion quilted with gray and teal on a black backing fabric.

:-) I'm told that it went to a very mathematical family. 

I hope they do some problem solving over morning coffee! ;-)

A Blend of the Old and the New

At certain times in my life I've used the saying, "Out with the old and in with the new" to express the changes in life that deal with replacing old things or old people with new things or new people. On this last Thanksgiving trip home, I came to realize that this saying just isn't working for me anymore. I'm beginning to think that the personal changes in my life right now are a beautiful blend of old things and old people with new things and new people!

This is certainly true of many items that I've sewn in the past few years. For example, this apron is one of those old things that I look at and say, "wow, I think I could do that better," but why replace it? I mean, seriously...

Look at my sweet Polish grandmother, completely cheesin' in her "cheesy" colored apron! Would I make this color apron again, probably not, but does it even matter when I see that smile? Absolutely not.

Here's a family photo (cousin, grandmother, 2 uncles and brother) with a portion of the Chinderle Family. That pegasus mini quilt was quilted for my brother (he's the one with the hat on in the back) and it has my father's initials. Don't get me wrong, this pegasus quilt does not replace my father, but it is something new I can create to basically say what this sign says on his grave...

My Uncle Brian hung that sign. Uncle B is the next on the list to receive a pegasus. In fact, he even asked me about how he could get one...little did he know I already have the fabric cut for it! Ha! I love when things work out like that.

I also spotted my first 'Bettina DANGER' label! Totally forgot about this until I saw the apron. 

Not sure what I was thinking before, but I'm so glad I invested in new labels shortly after that! (I ordered them on Etsy from Worldwide Label...not sure if there is a local place that does this, but I won't need labels for 10 years because I keep discovering more layers of labels in the little box they came in.)

These last two photos crack me up. On the left, these were items that I brought home for gifts in 2011 when I first began sewing-before I had ever tried to sew a quilt or had this blog. The items on the right are creations I delivered home this last week. One thing is for certain, I've been introduced to some beautiful fabrics since 2011! I guess these two photos also show where I have arrived in my learning, making meaning from old projects and blending that learning into new projects.

With an abundance of inspiration in this world, I'm stoked to imagine what the next 5 years will bring to me as the last few years of sewing have brought an incredible amount of happiness to my life. As time is driving by, I'm going to appreciate every moment to learn from the old to create the new that will blend with the old...or something like that.