I was sorting through a pile of cross stitch projects that I never got framed or used for anything. Most of them date from 1997 or 98. I came across this one with a lady knitting on it and thought it would be nice to make a tote bag for my Tante Janny from Holland, who was visiting my parents.
Then I came across another one I thought my friend Christine would like and her birthday was coming up, too! Perfect! Another one done! I thought the butterfly would get lost in the busy-ness of the fabric so I framed it in black, which echoes the pattern of the fabric anyway. I also put a fabric behind the stitching so it wouldn't get torn away on the inside of the tote.
And then there is this Debbie Mumm sunflower garden angel, the kit came with the red birdhouse fabric. The cross stitch piece is actually sewn onto the red fabric. The yellow fabric is from a set of drapes I bought from Ikea that I didn't really like when I got it home. It is quite sturdy, so it's great for a tote bag.
Last but not least, is one made from a Godzilla t-shirt my hubby had. I was going to use it for his t-shirt quilt, but I had 7 t-shirts and it is easier to make a quilt out of 6 squares, so that one got rejected. I had it all cut out and ready to go, too. Eventually, I had bought this black denim, always intending to make a tote out of it, but me and the washing machine had a fight over this denim. I was so ticked off how ragged it was when it came out of the wash, that I just folded it and put it away. But I was in the tote making mood this weekend, and I got a brilliant idea of putting in the red trim around it. I think it looks fabulous!
Then I came across another one I thought my friend Christine would like and her birthday was coming up, too! Perfect! Another one done! I thought the butterfly would get lost in the busy-ness of the fabric so I framed it in black, which echoes the pattern of the fabric anyway. I also put a fabric behind the stitching so it wouldn't get torn away on the inside of the tote.
And then there is this Debbie Mumm sunflower garden angel, the kit came with the red birdhouse fabric. The cross stitch piece is actually sewn onto the red fabric. The yellow fabric is from a set of drapes I bought from Ikea that I didn't really like when I got it home. It is quite sturdy, so it's great for a tote bag.
Last but not least, is one made from a Godzilla t-shirt my hubby had. I was going to use it for his t-shirt quilt, but I had 7 t-shirts and it is easier to make a quilt out of 6 squares, so that one got rejected. I had it all cut out and ready to go, too. Eventually, I had bought this black denim, always intending to make a tote out of it, but me and the washing machine had a fight over this denim. I was so ticked off how ragged it was when it came out of the wash, that I just folded it and put it away. But I was in the tote making mood this weekend, and I got a brilliant idea of putting in the red trim around it. I think it looks fabulous!
Those totes are adorable and what a great way to use those cross stitch pieces!
ReplyDeleteGreat totes! Great idea to use up previous projects, too! And as for your previous post, I really enjoyed seeing all the beautiful and creative quilts. Our guild participation varies widely, depending on the project. It's often the extremely talented people and then me. :-) Gotta give 'em some average stuff to look at so they know how truly stupendous the others ones are.
ReplyDelete