and the winner is......

I used a internet random generator to pick our winner for my big birthday give-away !!!



I put in the numbers 1 to 25----( because that's how many are playing )



and the number that instantly came up was.....



3



so than I counted down to the 3rd comment and it was.....



sixsisters !!!!!


CONGRATULATIONS SIXSISTERS !!!!

you may choose anything from my etsy shop in folios-journals-bookcovers or custom book covers----what ever strikes your fancy !!!!

*****Big Birthday Giveaway*****

when I signed on to etsy there were no "teams" & the listing fee was 10 cents for 6 mos...not sure how much the commission was...I was also on ebay in their early days..1999 ? also 10 cents listing fee and the site was forever crashing just when your auction was about to end..LOL...it was all very exciting back than...and I was also one of the first to sign-up for paypal...they paid us to recruit new members...can you believe!!??? I made about $500 for getting my ebay customers to use paypal !!!!!!! oh, those were the days !!!!

WoW !!!! double birthday fun~~~~~

this is my "real" birthday month (march 9th)
& my etsy birthday month (march 25th, 2006) !!!! ........
soooooooo to celebrate I'm having a giveaway !!!!
the winner can choose any folio or journal or book cover from my shop....

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=30958&section_id=5908259

or here

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=30958&section_id=5941863

or here

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=30958&section_id=5355024

just leave a comment on my blog & I will randomly pick a name on *****March 26th*****and will contact you *****

~~~~~ and I also have a birthday wish ~~~~

I would love to reach 300 hearts in my shop by my etsy 3rd birthday (march 25th)...so please "heart me" if you haven't already~~~that would be awesome ! thanks !

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=30958

Vintage SuZan-early 1990's-Altered Jean Jackets/Vests

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with so much "ALTERED CLOTHING" becoming popular again I thought I would post a few pics of "ART to WEAR" jean jackets & vests I made back in the early 1990's....I made over 200 collage-decorated jean jackets to sell in my up-scale boutique-way back than! these I show here are my own personal jackets & vests that I still have...lol...I may have pics of some of the others on video...I'll have to go look...maybe I can get them put on a cd or something...anyway here's a show for ya'.............

I used appliques/stamps/paint/glitter/trims/beads & more...

I also re-cycled the black sun/moon vest (1993) for Artiology 2004 by adding with paint more swirls and the name/date of the event ... the theme was Time Travel...so it worked out perfect...I took a class with Pamela Allen & Jackie Sullivan & ???, darn, can't recall her name now...but I'll add it when I remember...

been on a BLOG DIET !

it's been a really long time since I added to my blog...I have been creating stuff-honest-vbg...just not blogging-or reading blogs ...a BLOG DIET !!!

I'll post a few pics here today of some quilties I have created for a monthly swap I do...the only swap I'm committed too this year...

these are 5" x 5" each with a different theme each month...I try to use a different technique each month...

Spreading the word~RE-CYCLE~

with Earth Day coming up I thought I would post this blurb for anyone interested in a simple project or to give voice to our concern about our environment....it's a very cool idea for crafters....

http://morsbags.com/

let’s do something positive to reduce the hideous number of plastic bags being used - 1 million are consumed per minute globally - of which hundreds of thousands end up in the oceans.
the idea is to get together with people in your local community, drink wine and make reusable cloth bags (from old duvet covers, curtains from charity shops etc) and hand them out to the unsuspecting public for free on specified dates outside different supermarkets.
meet new people, do something marvellous for the planet and beat other pods (groups) of baggers with your morsbag tally.
go to www.morsbags.com to be a part of a wonderful thing!

Short Tutorial on Eco Cloth Shopping Bag

OK everybody...I'm giving a short tutorial on how to make a very basic cloth shopping bag that would be the same size as a brown paper grocery bag...this is just one method to construct a tote...there are many others but this is the one I'm playing with now...very simple & quick...Blogger & I do not always see eye to eye on picture placement but I'll do the best I can here...you can email me with any ?????? ....

1. 1...choose some very cool/funky fabrics ---I use a light weight decorator fabric...it has a bit of stability or body for this style bag...you need about 1 yard ...1/2 for outside & 1/2 for lining...you can use the same fabric for both the outside & the lining but I like to contrast the fabric for cuteness !!!! so I use two different fabrics...


2. I cut 4 squares of fabric about 18 in. each...2 for the outside & 2 for the lining...you can use any size you want I guess if you want a larger or smaller bag...but this is the size I used here...


3. Handles...well for my handles I used some old wide grosgrain ribbon I had on hand...48" long & cut in half...you can also make fabric handles or look around your stash & see what you have...maybe some webbing ???....to attach handles measure 5" from each side...I drew a chalk line as a guide for placing my handle straps...starting at the bottom, stitch your handle straps on the inside of the line going up towards the top to about 2" from the top edge...now do the same thing with the other side...make sure your handle is not twisted at the top...I stitched both sides of my ribbon handles & across the top (2" below top of bag)...you will do this for both sides of your outside fabric squares...now if you want an outside pocket you would cut a piece of fabric scrap to fit between your handle straps before you stitch them down...just stitch the pocket at the same time you stitch the handle straps...& stitch the pocket across the bottom...


4. Lining...be sure & fold down your handles so they are out of the way before you start stitching the lining to the top of the bag...place one square of your lining fabric right sides together along the top of edge of bag front...stitch... repeat with the bag back piece...you now have 2 pieces...open the bag pieces out flat & press...


5. Finshing-almost...place the 2 pieces right sides together...handles on top of each other & linings on top of each other...stitch the side seams (long sides) together on both sides...you now have a long tube...both short ends open...now fold the lining side over the main fabric...lining should be outside now...press the top edge of bag...even up the bottom edge of bag...I do a final trim cut before I sew the bottom edges together...all four layers get stitched together now to form the bottom seam...if you have a serger you can finish the edge...or you can zig-zag the edge...I have a Janome 6600p and have a nice overcast function to finish the edge...


6. Final Finish...OK, almost done ! before you turn your bag you have one more step to do...pinch together the bottom seam & side seam to form a triangle...try and match the uper seam to the lower seam as close as you can...you can press them flat...now you will draw a line across the triangle...about 7" will do it...stitch across the line you drew...repeat on other corner...fold the triangles toward inside of bag ... you can hand stitch or glue the triangle pieces to the bottom of bag...


7. TURN YOUR NEW CUTE CLOTH SHOPPING BAG RIGHT SIDE OUT NOW....just do a topstitch on the top edge & your FINISHED !!!!


8. and there you have it ! a very cool eco cloth grocery bag just like the brown paper bags !!! it takes about an hour to make one of these bags...I usually make 2 at a time...one for me & one as a gift !!!


9. I have included a series of pictures I took as I went along on this project...I hope they are helpful...& PLEASE leave a comment about this tut...feedback is important to me ...

measure 5" from each side for strap handles...


place & stitch pocket between straps...

double scrap fabric for pocket... stitch across pocket so stuff doesn't fall out !
fold handle down & stitch lining to top edge of outside fabric...
overcast stitch on bottom seam...



measure appox. 7" across to form triangle...

stitch across triangle on bottom of bag...
bottom inside of bag with stitched triangles...

another finished eco cloth shopping bag...

Eco- Cloth Shopping Bags

I have a good size stash of old novelty & decorator fabrics...good stuff but out-dated but I can never seem to just get rid of it...vbg...so I decided to make some grocery shopping bags with it...here are a few I made this weekend...you can see in the photo that they are the same size as a brown paper bag or plastic bag from the market....I put a pocket on the outside for keys/ cell phone ect and they are lined....I'm going to make 3 different styles/shapes...one brown paper bag style...as seen here...one will be a plastic bag style...the flat one with the flamingos in 1 of the pics is the one I have made so far...and a third will be a simple shoulder type bag of soft cloth for shopping....not made yet ...but hopefully soon...the best part is I'm able to use all this funky fabric that has been just sitting around & taking up space with no real purpose...and now it is being re-cycled/re-purposed/reused !!!!!! I love it !!!!

oh, I made 2 of each fabric design...one will be for gift giving....

Rusty Fairy Art Quilt-2008

last spring I was crazy for rusting fabrics...I made some rusted images from my garden ornaments .... http://suzstuff.blogspot.com/2007/05/rusty-day-2.html ....the images were a bit large & I had no clue what I was going to do with them...WELL ! I am happy to report that I have made an Art Quilt with one of the rusty fairy images & my handpainted cloth...same technique I used from Ellen Lindner's IAQ class...the backing is also from the rusted fabric with patches of the handpainted cloth sewn on with metalic thread...I used metalic thread on the front too...and painted wonder under for some of the rectangles...I am pleased to be able to use the pretty rusty fairy & have it all come together for this wall quilt....the colors look softer in real life ....

Instant Art Quilt

WoW ! thanks Ellen for the link from your website ! I'm honored ! & be sure everyone & ck out another IAQ I did with Ellen's AWESOME technique called "RUSTY FAIRY" ... here's the link...
http://suzstuff.blogspot.com/2008/02/rusty-fairy-art-quilt-2008.html

I took an on-line class from Ellen Lindner call "Instant Art Quilts" ....

http://tinyurl.com/2fr6ds

...this was a super fun class & Ellen is a great on-line teacher !!! I highly recommend this class for anyone who wants instant gratification with an art piece...I love it !!!!

here are my results....

I started with a not so great piece of my handpainted art cloth...but with Ellen's fantastic technique it has turned into fab-u-lious wall art !!!
I made the larger art quilt first & with the left over scraps made the second smaller quilt....

this is the first Instant Art Quilt...



this is the not so great painted cloth...







and than I made another one...and than another small one with the left over scraps...it reminds me of when I was a kid & my little sister & I had to wear the same outfits...big sister & little sister..LOL...

I will most likely add some surface embellishment to the 2 smaller art quilts...I do like the glitz !!!!!


sorry if the pictures are not in order...BUT I just cannot figure this blogger thing out...it's very frustrating for me.... I'd rather be making art quilts...vbg...



and this is the not very pretty painted muslin...........................................