More entries for the January Challenge, and I can stitch once more...

Do you girls sleep!?

Wow - there are even more amazing tea towel projects arriving in my email inbox and I am totally impressed with how you've given a new lease on life to our humble tea towel!

Jeannie has made two beautiful projects - a zippered bag for her crochet, and a journal cover!

 

Celine has made the cutest cover for her marmalade pot! (She wasn't happy with the colours in the photo so she'll have a better pic later today on her blog)

 And Creative Hands has made a beautifully embroidered zippered purse!

Keep them coming my friends!! There is still time, only hours, but enough to make something with a tea towel!

~~~~~

Remember Jules made this Odd Sock Bag with her teatowel?

Well she's very kindly offering the pattern FREE on her blog!!

I'm sure we can all use a cute odd sock bag like this, don't you?!

~~~~~

My hands are recovering well after the rest, so thanks everyone for your kind thoughts. 

This is an ongoing problem so I am going to have to manage the use of my hands a little more wisely. The problem is not caused by stitching, but by lifting of heavy things, twisting lids, turning taps...but unfortunately it prevents me from stitching when it flares up.

Last night I gently stitched this cute Raggedy design by Cath while watching the tennis...

 ...and today I will be making Stina's Valentine's 2010 Hearts. Have you been making them? They are so pretty! I had some calico that I'd tea-stained a couple of years ago and traced Stina's designs onto it using the lightbox Mr Elefantz made me a while back (such a clever and wonderful husband is he!)...

...and I chose this 'Floral Melody' fabric to stitch around the blocks when I'm done. I think this will be a long runner across the chest of drawers in our bedroom.

(See the little box of DMC 99 threads? My sweet friend Dawn sent them to me - they are my absolute favourite DMC colour!)

~~~~~

Tomorrow a new free design will be shared on our Gum Tree Designers blog, plus our monthly newsletter will be up, so you can find out what we're all up to in February! Be sure and drop by our blog tomorrow!

Now, I'm off to make lunch, and spend the rest of Sunday with my loved ones.

Have a blessed day in your home too!

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

More entries from clever bloggers!!

There are so many entries coming in before the January 31st deadline that I thought I'd better do another post today to show them to you! Maybe you can be inspired to have a go at your own tea towel Challenge project if you've not made one yet...you still have a day to play!

Janice is at it again, and this time she used the same tea towel that I used on my diary cover. Isn't this a scrummy bag!? (and I love the addition of those vintage buttons!)

Joy had fun making two projects! This lovely apron...

...and a shopping bag that folds up tiny to pop in her purse!

Bev finally got to make a teddy bear she's been planning for a while, and with the leftover tea towel fabric she made a dish cloth!

Lyn has been at it again with another Challenge entry. This time she used a sweet cupcake appliqued tea towel and transformed it into an apron!

 

Ruth got busy making her tea towel into a funky drawstring bag!

 

And just as I was about to finish this post Amanda sent me an email to tell me about her Challenge project - a carrier for her yoga mat! 

Girls, I am so impressed with all this creative genius!! Well done everyone!!

I wonder if we'll see some more gorgeous Tea Towel Challenge projects before the strike of midnight on January 31st??!

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

I've still got more Tea Towel Challenge ideas! What about you?

I love being Australian, and part of that love is treasuring the written history left to us by wonderful bush poets such as Banjo Paterson. His iconic poem "The Man From Snowy River" is known to all Aussies, and was even immortalised in a movie many years ago that still thrills me today when I watch it, especially 

the 'descent' chase scene - watch this link on You Tube - it's absolutely brilliant!

A while back I was sent a "Man From Snowy River" tea towel and I just didn't want to use it for drying the dishes so I stored it away until an idea came to pass. That idea finally did spring to mind with this Challenge, and today I gave my tea towel a new purpose! 

I began by cutting the tea towel into 5 pieces...

Then  I stitched the top and bottom pieces together...

...before laying the front piece down on it, stitching them together as you would a bag, and trimming them even at the sides.

The next step was to box the bottom of the 'bag'...

before turning it right side out and trimming the top of the bag level. I used one of the side strips I'd cut off at the beginning and hemmed the raw edge. This was to become a handle, so after folding in large 1" double seams around the bag top I added in the handle before stitching it all down. I stitched a row along the bottom and the top of the hem to secure the handle firmly in place.

Once this was done I made a simple calico sack and filled it with 2 kilos of raw rice, stitched it closed and popped it in the tea towel bag.

There was a bit of space left to fill so I added some poly fibre-fill before stitching three red buttons along the top to close the bag.

And now we have a very special Door Stopper, a reminder of the amazing mountain men and their wild horses who helped build our country!

~~~~~

Many of you have been busy with your own unique Tea Towel Challenge projects, and I have to say WOW, they are amazing!!

Janet made some new covers for her old and worn pot holders...

Clever Karen made an organiser...

Lauren made a restraint snug for her little boy's car seat...

and Christine made two aprons for some special little people!

Leslie hasn't made anything for the Challenge, but she did send me THIS link to an unusual tea towel project! Have a look see!

Only today and tomorrow remaining to get your projects entered in the January Challenge, so be sure and send me a photo in an email,  or a link to your blog post. 

Have you enjoyed seeing what others are making from the humble tea towel?

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

My very simple Tea Towel Challenge diary cover and tutorial!

I have been looking at the cover of my 2010 diary for almost a month...it looks so sad and bare. I am not inspired to open it, or write in it. My poor diary. 

With only a few days left of my January Tea Towel Challenge, and a medical ban on my hand stitching for the next week or so,  I knew I needed projects I could make with just simple machine stitching. Today I chose to cover my forlorn diary!

This tea towel is one I got free with a magazine months ago (yes, I DO own a lot of free-with-magazine tea towels, don't I!?), and I love the design so have been keeping it aside for something  special.

So let's cover my diary...

First you'll need to lay the diary across the length of the tea towel and fold in the bottom and top, leaving space for some machine stitching later.

Fold the tea towel over the closed diary to find the centre and even your ends.

Fold in both ends of the tea towel (while the diary is closed) to give you the correct finished dimensions.

Press all the folds with a hot iron.

I wanted to add something special to my diary cover so I took a long piece of satin ribbon, a tassle, a key, and a padlock...

...and stitched them together (okay, I did six hand stitches!) before sewing the ribbon marker into the  middle of the bottom inside seam.

This way the ribbon marker comes up from the bottom to mark the page...

Stitch along the bottom and top of the cover to secure the side folds in place.

Slide the diary into the cover, and bring the ribbon marker up from the bottom to mark the current day's page, then it folds over the top of the diary to add some glamour!

How simple was that!?

I couldn't wait to write in my diary now that she's all prettied up...

Wow - the Challenge is almost over!!

Hurry up and send me photos of your own January Challenge tea towel projects, or leave me a comment with a link to your photo in a blog post. 

I have another idea for tomorrow, and it doesn't involve any handstitching either...wonder what it is? Can you guess?

~~~~~

Here is Bronny's smart idea for a tea towel...

...a casserole carrier!! Bronny is a cross-stitcher and she stitched 'Pot Luck' on the tea towel before she began it's transformation. If you visit Bronny's blog you'll find a tutorial for the casserole carrier! Brilliant idea, Bronny!

If you haven't had time to make something for my January Challenge, you can join in the creative fun with my February Challenge...but no hints as to what that is just yet!

Hugs 

Jenny

xxx

~ Merry Heart ~ - my 2nd Dilly Dally Daisy design for 2010! Plus more Challenge entries...

It was lovely to receive such a positive response to my first Dilly Dally Daisy design for 2010, ~Bloom~, earlier this month!

Now I'd like to show you the second of my Dilly Dally Daisy stitcheries...

~Merry Heart~

I cannot help but smile every time I look at this design! It was pure joy to sketch and then stitch.

If you would like to sew this design yourself it is available as a PDF download purchase HERE in my Etsy Shop for $4.95 USD.

The first Dilly Dally Daisy design, ~Bloom~ can also be purchased HERE in my Etsy Shop for $4 USD.

~~~~~

 

It's almost the end of January and the end of my Tea Towel Challenge. All I can say is WOW! Some of you have been showing just how creative and talented you are in this Challenge, and I am so impressed!!

Here are some new entries I received today.

Janice made my free tea towel design first, but then she was a clever bunny and made a matching pot holder! (Have a read on her blog how this project accomplished more than one objective!)

Manda has been busy again, this time with an aid to her sleeping! What a cute sleeping mask!

Susan found a very useful purpose for her tea towel - a Peg Bag! She took the photo with her phone so it's only small, but you can see that it's really cute!

Cath made me so envious when I saw what she made for the Challenge...I adore aprons, and this one is gorgeous! Can you believe this beauty is made from a tea towel!?

I encourage you to  go and visit Cath's blog because she designs THE most adorable Raggedy dolls you've ever seen. You can purchase patterns for them from her shop as well as many other gorgeous Raggedy items! Plus, she has a giveaway for her doll Gracie on her blog, and I am crossing my fingers and toes that I win her! Of course, now that I have told you about Cath's giveaway that lessens my chances of winning, so I may just have to make my own Gracie doll - you see, Cath has a a free download pattern on her sidebar for sweet Gracie. What a generous designer!!

~~~~~

I'm being very good with my hands, no stitching. A lovely blogger, Monica, emailed to offer me some wonderful creme that may just help my tendonitis prone hands - Oregon Creme is its name, and one of the ingredients is Comfrey which I've heard is a wonderful herb for inflamation. She's posting a jar off to me so I'll be sure and let you know how I go with it. Thanks so much Monica!!

Now, it's time to  go watch the men's semi-final of the Australian Open tennis.

Have a lovely evening!

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

More Challenge entries, the return of my tendonitis, and Blossom's Youth Board...

My hand is in a wrist splint because my tendonitis decided to flare up once more...but worse than that, the other hand has decided to go out in sympathy. This means no hand stitching for a week or so. It also hurts to use the laptop keyboard and mouse (I simply cannot use the laptop without a mouse), so for today I'll just share with you more January Tea Towel Challenge items from clever bloggers.

Elyte made this gorgeous Tea Cosy with her tea towel...

...and Vickie has been covering all her kitchen appliances!

Only a few days left to enter the Challenge and go in the draw for the giveaway prize!

Make sure you email me with a photo (no bigger than 200k each please), or leave a comment here with a link to your blog - but be sure and have a photo of your Challenge item in your blog post. :-)

~~~~~

Tonight I'm watching more of the Australian Open tennis, and going through my recipe books to build a new menu planner.

What are you doing?

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

PS:  Blossom has just started a Catholic Youth Message Board for ages 12-18...maybe you have a child who would like to join? It's a way for her to interact with fellow Catholic teens, plus chat about books, school, life, the Universe, and everything.