A Couple More Scherenschnitte Valentines And Some Re-Usable Grocery Bags

Try these for yourself. Here's my feeble attempt at Pansies. (lol..so sad looking...but I'll work on it!) I do like how the wreath heart came out this time.


You may copy it if you like, either to use or change.



This one is cute. I'm still working on willow type branches here. The unicorn idea came from a snowflake pattern of a horse I saw on Scissor Crafts For Children. This is where I got my ideas for snowflakes, and also how to fold them. In the section under "animals", there is one for a horse. I sketched it out bigger, and added a horn. Now that I've looked at the finished Valentine, I think I'd like to add another leg, and holes for the eye and nose. But...I'm having problems cutting those details, as you can see by looking at the pansy! And getting carried away with piercing holes in them with different sized needles(somebody take those away from me!) You can copy this pattern if you like, and use as is or make changes.

I should mention here..a HUGE tip to avoid custom frames....make sure your paper will fit the size of the thrifted frames you already own! The gloved hands I made....too large for an 8x10 ! You can get the size you want with your printer or photo editing program. Spray paint one of those frames to match the Valentine and you have a great gift!

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Remember way back before Christmas I'd cut out re-usable shopping bags? hahaha...well,only one sister got a set for Christmas. I used to have 4 sewing machines. I NEEDED 4 sewing machines. But eventually I quit making quilts, and I gave my daughter's friend one, and gave one away one on Freecycle. I ONLY kept 2. The oldest, most trustworthy machine I ever had( and the first one I ever got brand new.) And the newest machine..the one with the most gadgets and do-dads...it even has this self-threading feature that I never figured out how to work. So that's the one I started with...the shiny new one. I hauled out the already cut out bags, thread and several empty bobbins ( I like to keep 3 or 4 filled bobbins when I'm sewing); my $100 scissors that I don't even let anyone else BREATHE on (the last gift my son ever bought me before he died); dug out an extension cord, got the very old very HEAVY ironing board out; searched all through the house for either one of the 2 irons I have til I found one; sent Hoss to the store for starch; fixed the wheel on the chair leg that fell off so I could sit in IT to sew in; pulled my bangs out of my eyes and pinned them back, because I just can't sew with hair tickling my eyelashes; put on a pair of shoes...because, well, I just can't sew bare-footed ( I got shocked once when I was a real little kid trying to sew on my mother's machine-but that was probably from it being wired and re-wired and a fire hazard and death trap-and that's another story);got a glass of iced tea....and i was READY! But, of course, the machine wasn't. The thread kept getting caught up in the bobbin. Couldn't find the manual, so I had daughter look it up for me; I'd threaded it wrong. Sewed a little more; thread caught on the bobbin again. I'd set the bobbin in the wrong direction. Okay, ready again. Still had these giant loops of thread on the bottom. *sigh* so I yank out the spool and the bobbin, and re-check it all. Still not working. Check the diagram on the computer again; and this time...it worked! So I finished the first bag, start the second one, and run out of bobbin thread. After I get it all threaded it again, it won't work. I try some more, say lots of 4-letter words(and my 6 year old grandson is taking notes)and he tells me "turn this thing", and I tell him "no,we never turn THAT thing(the tension) and he says "well, I turned it for you". *sigh* so I put that machine up and get my oldie-but-goodie out. Same thing..bobbin, threading it, not working....however...I know exactly where the tension should be on this machine, so when I check to see if he "fixed" this one,too(he did) it was a quick fix. But by this time, I was swearing like a Marine again, and threw it all in a garbage bag, and tossed it in the Green Bedroom. So here it was after Christmas, and I think..why not finish up these bags for everybody? And started the set of green ones. I get all the way to the last one, and the last seam on it across the bottom, and it runs out of thread. I have the same problem again after I re-thread it. Too much trouble!! It's fixed now..and here is the set of green paisley...which I really like because it reminds me of feed sack. You can see they hold quite a bit. I got a giant sized box of Bisquick in there; a large box of Ritz crackers, and a large can of Folger's coffee, and had room left to put something on top of the coffee can. I didn't add the pockets on these. I want to mention the site and give the link again.. it's at Craftster...and it's the Singlet shopping bag. ( I should go mention to them that I made some)You use a Walmart bag, or whatever store you shop at, they're all made pretty much the same, for the pattern. And it is easy to make...don't go by the problems I had....I just seem to have a lot of adventures in my life! It's a great way to use up fabrics. I have lots left over from quilting. I'm going to make some from old feed sacks I have; ones with stains; and use the feed-sack type fabrics with it. Now if I can only remember where I put the feed sacks.....
Sometimes I think I need Niecy Nash and Clean House. Sometimes I think I need Hoarders.

wait... I was telling you about the shopping bags!





Nice!