Posted on 12 Comments

Still claying at the ‘thon

New buttons for my mittens
So, I started my day with two tiny little buttons.  Tina had made me these great mittens, and kindly left off the buttons so that I could embellish them myself, and now I have – after nearly a month of wearing them button-less.  I love the way they look, although if I ever need to do this again, I think I can afford to make the buttons a bit bigger.

New buttons
Those two little buttons got me going on more in that color scheme.  The big ones are my usual type, and the little ones, which are about the size of a penny, are going to be sold in sets.  I haven’t decided yet how many will be to a set.

New buttons
And then, because clearly I couldn’t stop there, I got out another box of canes and started making buttons that I could envision using on something made for a man.  I’ve toyed with the idea of making a couple of men’s scarves, but thought they might look a little too girly with a button on them.  For some reason, though, this football shape seems acceptable to me.  Now I am free to go looking for some nice coordinating “guy fabrics” to turn into scarves.

New canes and creations
After supper, I worked on this new color scheme, which coordinates with Joel Dewberry’s Manzanita line in the Studio palette.  That circle-in-a-square cane design is one I just made up.  I haven’t given it a name yet (or even decided whether or not I’ll make any more like it).  The whole thing is made from a single skinner blend.  I love doing that.  Also new here is the sort of oblong donut earring design on the right.  Not sure if those are keepers yet, either.  I’ll have to wear a pair a bit before I make up my mind.

I really like the top fabric in this collection.  It’s salmon-colored lilies on a butter yellow background, and I find it very spring-like.  Knowing I have 20 lbs to lose, and knowing that I have very little willpower, I’ve  made a deal with myself that I won’t make any more skirts until I lose the first 5 lbs.  As soon as I see that first 5 has come off,  the lily skirt is mine.  All MINE! I’m actually already pretty close, and surprisingly I haven’t totally blown it by being away this weekend.

Now I must sleep.  I plan to leave here around lunch time tomorrow and before then, I have one more new fabric-related color scheme I’d like to finish, and I’d also like to crank out a bunch of buttons from older fabric schemes to replenish some stock.   Wish me luck!

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Posted on 12 Comments

12 thoughts on “Still claying at the ‘thon

  1. Wow Lisa!! Everything is soooooooooo beautiful!! I really love the springy pinks in the last photos. It sounds like you had a great weekend!

    1. Oh, I did! And thanks – I really like those colors, too. I just put the buttons up on Etsy, and I’m hoping to get a chance to use a couple myself 🙂

  2. Hi Lisa! It looks like you’re being very productive at the Clayathon. I missed you guys this weekend! And I lovelovelove the mittens–the colors are gorgeous, and the buttons are a perfect match. And it was 13 degrees when I left the house this morning, so pretty mittens would have been a nice thing to have today (instead of plain black gloves). Talk to you soon.

    1. Oh, I hear ya. These mittens have been getting a workout over here. Brrrr. I love them, too. The colors are just perfect for me. We missed you guys, too! It was a great time, but a slightly different “vibe” without you all.

  3. Very fun! I’m amazed at how quickly you can make things. I like the oblong donut hole earrings – I’ll take them if you don’t like them. 🙂

    1. Heh. I’ll let you know about the earrings 😀
      Most of what I did on this page was relatively simple because I already had the patterns made. Any of the fabric-matching ones, though, I made from scratch, making the pattern veneers first, and then building the buttons.

  4. holy buttons batwoman! You seem to have the button making thing all….um…buttoned up 😀 All those button sets are wonderful! Hurry home…we miss you 🙂

    1. Yeah, I went a little nuts. If I had more time, I’d have probably made a few dozen more, too. I’m a bit button-obsessed at the moment, I think…

  5. ohhhh, ahhhhh, look at all the pretty things!!! I esp like the pink & green from yesterday! I can’t wait to get some clay.

    But since dh doesn’t know I have a clay book, but knows I have a sewing machine in the dining room that hasn’t been out of the box yet, I need to sew something first. I need new napkins & placemats.

    ? about fabrics (& I could just go to the fabric store but I love the stuff you get), where should I start? Go to the store & pick a few prints, what “quality” fabric do I want? Pricewise, how do stores compare w/ online shopping? We have Hancock & of course, WalMart. How much do you use to make your napkins (I DID read the book I got from you, but I want to make sure mine look as good as yours!). I like the sets you buy, but not sure if I need to work up to those.

    Thanks!!!

    ps – Wyatt loved your buttons, too, he made me go back to your site several times!

    1. Oh, that’s cute about Wyatt 🙂

      I use quilter’s cottons mostly, and I do most of my shopping online. The yardage prices are usually better, although you do have shipping costs to contend with. I like shopping online because it’s a lot easier to find the specific fabric I want (and I usually get ideas for what I want when I see something on flickr or etsy that appeals to me).

      Unless I have a project in mind that calls for more, I usually buy a small batch of coordinating fat quarters (18″ x 22″). Fat Quarter Shop sells some nice collections, but there are often so many FQ’s in a bundle that it gets way too expensive for me. There are individual sellers on etsy who sell them in a more manageable size for me. A few recent favorites would be starlitnest, gwenifer’s attic and bee square fabrics but there are certainly others. Ebay is also a good resource.

      When I make napkins, I cut them to about 18×13 (which is not a standard size, just what I use) and then I have an 18×9 piece left to use for other things. I keep thinking the leftover pieces would make good patchwork placemats, but I haven’t tried it yet.

      When I want a yard or more, I check Sew, Mama, Sew first, and if they don’t have it, Repro Depot, Be Sew Happy and J Caroline Creative are good choices.

      I haven’t bought any fabric from WalMart, but I have gone to a couple of local fabric shops. It’s hard to walk into those places with kids in tow, though, because I can never make up my mind in a timely manner, and they get all antsy.

      Hope some of that info was helpful 🙂

  6. I meant to comment on this earlier and then it escaped from my head. Love the buttons — they go great with the mittens! I also love the “country” colors…the pinks are a bit bright for my taste. 🙂

    1. Glad you like them! Everyone I see thinks those mittens are just the coolest things. And as far as colors go, I’m with you on the Country colors. I wear more pinks than I used to, but those are brighter than I tend to wear, and the dark colors are still pretty much my cold weather uniform.

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