Triangular Scissors Fob - Humbug

Update: I have just learned that this fob is also known by the name of «humbug.» Here is a tutorial on how to construct a humbug cushion.

I'm always misplacing my small scissors--hopefully this fob filled with rice will help me corral it while I am sewing. The pattern is basically a half of a hexagon with an extra triangle for the bottom.

Caution! be careful to always check before you close the blades of your scissors; otherwise you might inadvertantly cut the ribbon which attaches your fob!

Vines In French Dreams

Years ago in my first house I wallpapered the dining room with this beautiful wallpaper, Nancy Vine. I had spent two days in the wallpaper store looking through every book available when at long last Nancy Vine jumped out at me and screamed, "I'm French, take me home!" I no longer have the little storybook house with the pink door, but I still have a few pieces of the wallpaper, which will now grace a paper-covered box edged with blue ribbon to use from which to sell furbelows at reenactments.

And at long last I have discovered a book on Jacobean quilting, The Graceful Garden, by Denise Sheehan, which can help me recreate the feeling of being in the sunlight in that long gone dining room,a quilt that will reach out and scream, "I'm French, take me home." Fabrics are taken from the Moda fabrics of Aviary [3 Sisters] and Collections for a Cause--Legacy and Heritage.

Kit Bag

Making this kit bag, p.96, Home Sewn by Kaari Meng at French General, was a piece of cake, IF you follow the directions exactly. Absolutely nothing wrong with following directions exactly. Hint: Kaari says to sew the vinyl backing to the fabric of each piece with an eigth-inch seam prior to assembling bag. This is the key to this bag's success. I like its generous proportions--it's big enough to hold all of my toiletry items--not just sample sizes. This is essential for me because this bag is my only storage in my bath. The «old» house I live in only has room in the wall for a straight razor and a shaving mug! Now my bag sits proudly on the top of the tank. Fabric is Block Print Multi, Rouenneries, by Moda, and some striped linen from my stash.

Here is a link a another little kit bag. Enjoy!

Summer - Topper in Progess …

Here is the center of the table topper, Summer, from On the Run, by Heather Mulder Peterson of Anka's Treasures. Now it's time for some appliqué … Fabrics are Rouenneries by French General.

Placemats in Progress …

Reversible placemats in progress … just waiting for the fabric to arrive for the binding. Quilting is next.

I plan to hemstitch some natural linen for napkins and monogram them with scarlet thread. Can't decide whether to use silver napkins rings or make some from scraps of Rouenneries by Moda for French General.

Lights, at last …

I have a little sewing room with one window, really just the landing at the top of the stairs, but the sloping walls really needed lights installed over my two machines, an Elna Carina and a Singer 201. Last night my husband attached two goose-neck lamps for me above each machine--now I can start on two placemats for the table.

Irish Stitch Bible Cover

Irish stitch, outlining a canvas design in white or black, was a popular style in the 18th Century. I'm thinking of doing the design in only pinks and greens with white. Chart is from Piecework magazine.

Pretty Boxes

Over the years I've admired so-called «French» boxes, some covered with papers, some with fabric. I have used this little red and blue book box to hold my reenactor sewing items. It has been a joy to acquire bone implements like my knotting shuttle, awl and bodkin. Others items were gifts like the horn fish thread winder and the beeswax heart. It usually resides in the basket I won in the «Bonne Espouse» contest at Fort de Chartres.


Recently I found a larger box with a tray inside on eBay--it was in terrible shape. Isn't it amazing what a little fresh wallpaper adds? This box is big enough to sit chairside and holds my latest small needlework projects.
Keep your eye out for usable treasures to recover; find an exquisite fabric or wallpaper with your favorite colors and use it to coordinate with the quilting and needlework you create for your home--years of pleasure await you …

Teaching Granddaughters to Sew

My three granddaughters, Rachel (Illinois), Eva (Minnesota) and September (Idaho) will each soon be receiving their own little «Singers», a rag doll and basic clothing for the dollies. With the gift of the Singers, I hope their mommies will teach them to sew more doll clothes and to quilt (patchwork)--after all, those dollies will need something warm to sleep under. The first item I learned to sew was a nine patch doll quilt on my grandmother's Singer treadle.

I am so thankful for the net and for other bloggers who have shared their wants and needs--if it weren't for au Fil rouge, I would not have known such a wonderful «toy» was available. And thanks also goes to the wonderful international carrier pigeon, eBay.com , for bringing a worldwide garage sale (jumble, tag, flea market) to my computer screen.