Mortally wounded . . .

. . . but still soldiering on. Yes, you came to the right place for the "Bowls Blog Hop" today! (Grin)

Some of you may remember the post that I wrote a few months ago, about Snoodles the Dragonslayer. If you would like to check it out, you can click here and jump over there to see it.

I, Snoodles the Dragonslayer, was mortally wounded this past weekend. How? A vicious attack from the Noskill-ceratops was almost my undoing.

Let me tell you my story . . . here is my completed project using the fantabulous pattern provided by Regina, and so beautifully executed by other bloggers this week:

You see, paper piecing and I have always agreed to disagree. We tolerate each other, and for all practical purposes, have very little to do with each other. 

But I was determined to change all that.  I was feeling gracious and benevolent and opened my arms to embrace paper piecing. I even got some freezer paper from the pantry and devoured Elaines' great tutorial over at SewWeQuilt. Hoooo-weee! I was prepared, ma'am!! 

Or so I thought.

Old Mr. Noskill-ceratops was snarling, and had me so apprehensive that I was jumping from my sewing chair and dashing over to the PC to refer to the tutorial again, and again, and yet again. I tried to follow each step just perfectly.  (And you know, it's not Elaine's fault -- her tutorial really does make perfect sense, and her pictures are clear and helpful.)
I had pictured my bowls in my head --- I was using my favorite Mary Engelbreit fabrics, and I could just "see" them, all stacked up so prettily . . .a dozen or more of them!

Well, I have digressed.  After lots of re-dos and quality time with my friendly seam ripper, and re-drawing the pattern and starting again, I decided that paper piecing and I were going to go back to our old relationship. We'll agree to disagree. We will keep a respectful distance from each other, if you know what I mean. I got ONE BOWL done, albeit wonkily, and so I decided that the smart thing to do was to play in my stash, eat some chocolate, declare victory. 

I wish I had had someone take a picture of me, with one foot on old Noskill-ceratops' head, but I forgot.  I was too busy planning the applique that would finish my project!
I used some of the adorable M.E. scraps that I had, and made some flowers for my bowl:

I did some outline quilting and used a cute stripe for the binding. (Me loves stripey bindings!)
So, my bowl project turned into a mugrug. Not what I had envisioned, but still, I put ole Noskill-ceratops in his place, I did. (Grin)

This one is headed across the United States inside a Pony Express rider's pack, and I have just time enough to show you the back of it, too:

See why I love Mary Engelbreit fabrics? So cute and cheery! Be sure to check out all of the other blogs that are featuring "Bowls" today:

August 17th

Elizabeth

Beate

Marion H.

Sharon-Quilt Sheddy

 Lilypad Quilting

Searching Out Simple

Scrapbook Chick A Doodle

Ark Angel Creations

Polka Dot Classic

PRSD4Tim2

Little Mushroom Cap

I Have A Notion

And if you want the whole list, so you can backtrack and get some of them that you missed, here is a link to the Bowls Blog Hop Head Cheerleader, Carol! She and Madame are doing a super job keeping us busy, aren't they? (Wink)

Enjoy the hop!

Love,

Mary Tribute for Muse - Day!

Howdy! Elby here!

Today, we've got something *really* scrumptious for you! It's a quick project, and a sweet gift for the Mary Engelbreit fan who thinks she's got everything . . . Well, she hasn't got CHERRY CHARMS!

Yep, that's right. Cherry Charms. It's a mix of fuzzy dice and a quilter emblem.  :)

Wanna see the finished charms? You do?? Aw, you guys are a great audience!!

Don't you want 'em?! I know, I know! Well, stay tuned!  :)

To make these adorable little berries, you'll need some scraps of "fuzz" fabric in red and green, a length of brown cord, and some small scraps of cotton --- and I know you've got those.

Optionally, you can use potpourri for some of the innerds.  ^-^

The pattern for this project is available over in our little filing
cabinet at Google Docs.

Now, to get started! Print out the pattern, and cut it out along the solid lines.

Then, you'll need to cut out your fabric.

Remember to flip over the leaf pieces when you cut them the second time!

You'll use the guide piece to mark the darts on the cherries. I broke all protocol for this part, though. Since the fabric is thick, I used a marker . . . yep. It was stinky, but fast. You can use chalk or thread if you like, but just make sure each point on each triangle stays visible.

(Yes, I know . . . Snoodles has informed me that markers are a forbidden item . . . But they do work! haha)

Now comes the part that took a bit for me to finish because I'm a rookie . . . You'll need to sew or tack up each dart. [Dun, dun, DUNNN!] I'm pretty sure there's a faster way than the one I chose, but it works! That's always my motto. I may not be a master at something, but as long as I can make it work, I know I'm improving.  :)

Look! A CHERRY!!!
(Almost!)

If some of the nap of the fabric is caught in the dart, pull it out with your needle.

Heh, heh. Smudgy fingers.  ^-^

Pin each side to its mate, right sides together, positioning the sides so that the darts don't overlap. That would be much too thick to sew through.

I was adventurous, at this point, and sewed the cherries on the machine with a (sort of) 1/4 inch seam allowance. It was the first time I'd used the special stretch stitch. I'm afraid I didn't manage it properly, though. Luckily, nothing shows!  :)

Remember to leave a small opening to pull the cherry right-side-out. That's the next step.

Now, stuff the cherries with fabric scraps and smelly stuff if you got it. I didn't have any potpourri on hand, so it's just got that "new project smell".  :)

A pen will come in very handy at this point, by the by.

There. Now, it's time to cut out a length of cord for the stems. I had some rustic string that I braided together, and knotted at both ends. The finished cord was about 14 inches long from knot to knot.

Insert the ends of the cord to the openings, and sew up the cherries. If you wanted, you could attach a little hook and loop tape to the last bit of the opening to allow you to open the cherry and squirt a little potpourri super-charger in from time to time.

NOW THEN, the leaves are the final touch!  ^-^  Place the leaf pairs wrong sides together and pin. I used a blanket stitch with embroidery floss around the edges of the leaves. It doesn't really show up, but it does give the leaves a bit of a curve, and scallops the edges.  :)

Tack them onto the cord about 1 or 2 inches off center. This will let the cherries bounce off of each other better.

THERE! Isn't it cute?!  :D  I've decided to put them over a part of a lamp on Snoodles' desk. It's rather festive!

That's all for this week's inspiration --- I hope it gives you plenty of good ideas!

And I'd love to see variations, so if you make them for yourself or a friend, send us a photo!

And, as always, this blog is brought to you by Ole Frog Eyes!