No Crapting But Quelle Surprise, Some Cool Buys

Okay, so I didn't do any crapting today. Not even sewing a line around my "in-process" needleholder. Quelle surprise! And I have no idea if that quelle is correct or not but it is the perfect segue to a purchase I made today:

Cute, huh? The Eiffel Tower! Yeah! It's Mark Miller fabrics and I picked it up at The City Quilter. Of course, a search on the old internet revealed that "quelle surprise" it comes in other colors!!!

I will have to have a big think about the other colors but I couldn't pass this up as I'm off to Paris on Thursday night.

I made a few other purchases at The City Quilter:

The green color of Rhapsody by Rosemarie Lavin for Windham Fabrics. Now I just have to get the black and quelle surprise, I have it on order!

And last but not least in the purchases department:

Two fat quarters - Michael Miller Fabrics "Fairy Frost". They're shiny and pretty. Why they practically twinkle!

After leaving The City Quilter, I walked down to the Antique Garage which is a flea market held every Saturday and Sunday in a garage in Chelsea. This is the first time I've ever gone but it certainly won't be my last.

I bought this cool Stereo image, which I thought might be perfect for a needleholder:

"No, Donald, I never would have thought it of you." Here's the back of the card:

About a French cook! Very racy and keeping with my unintended but happily found French theme - Paris trip, Eiffel Tower fabric and one more French purchase:

An old envelope from Paris addressed to someone in New York. Here's a better look:

I have a story to tell about the envelope purchases but as the boys are starting to get loud in the other room I will save it for another day. I bought these envelopes with the intention of making a mixed-media collage from the Sealed with a Stitch by Viv Sliwka article in Cloth Paper Scissors.

Here's my last purchase, three little junk bags of beads, buttons and other nonsense:

When I have time, I will open the bags and take pictures so the two of you who are reading my blog (and I thank you so much!) can see the goodies as well. Quelle surpise!

Crapter Project #2

Crapter project #2, which I'd like to call Crapter-lite, because it's not quite crapt but it's not quite craft either, is from the January/February 2009 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors (I do love this magazine!). It's Sealed with a Stich by Viv Sliwka. Ms. Sliwka's pieces are collaged ephemera, fabric, buttons that she then embroiders. Now, what attracted me to this article was not only the cuteness of the project but the embroidery. I love embroidery.

Ms. Sliwka used interesting enveloped she had collected, collaged them and then added stitches. Her last example was a very cool, fun needlebook she made. I must make that, I screamed!

I didn't have any particularly interesting envelopes but I'd won a very cool, old Western Union telegram on Ebay:


I thought it would make a great Mother's Day present for my occasionally sewing Mother and a few occasionally sewing friends. I copied the image onto transfer paper and decided to use this delicious fabric:


I love this fabric. Isn't it great! It's Rhapsody by Rosemarie Lavin for Windham Fabrics. I bought a fat quarter of it while shopping at City Quilter, here in New York City. I've since done an Ebay search and discovered there is also a green and a black one! I think I might have to buy them. They're just so much fun!

For my first experimental needlebook, I decided not to add embroidery, partly because I didn't want to obscure the wonderful message Bob sent to his Mom and also because I couldn't figure out what to put on there! I fused the fabrics together and that's where I've stopped. Here's the back:


I had intended to work on this the past week, but my two boys have been home from school with allergy attacks and I actually have two small cavities that I need to get back to the dentist for (cavities at my age!) so I've accomplished nothing. Mother's Day is a week away so I still need some supplies and then to get it together! Egads! Get to work!