Mother's Day Apron--- Sewing and Quilt Sharing

  Mother's Day is Sunday! I forgot to take a camera to sewing class on Tuesday, but I'll have some pictures next week. For a mother's day gift I decided to make my mom an apron. I borrowed a pattern, combined some fabrics I had and came up with this! I hope she likes it!

 I thought the grandma cookie jar was a nice touch for the picture. I hope Mom doesn't see this before Sunday; it would ruin her gift surprise!

I used this Butterick apron pattern-- I combined details from a couple views to make the apron you see here. Isn't that bird fabric sweet?

I did the whole thing during one class. My friends were laughing at me sewing so furiously. It's been a while since I've made a garment and I just wanted it finished!

Happy Mother's Day Mom! You are a wonderful mom, grandma and great grandma! Love You!!!

 

I have also made quite a few sewing and quilt projects around the house. Besides making quilts, I like to make home accessories. Here are a couple to share---

This is a small quilt table topper. I got the pattern for this little octagonal quilt in Quick Quilts magazine a few years ago. The topper is pieced together, then the flowers and stems are machine appliqued on. I used various scraps to make this pretty spring quilt.

I arranged a couple of my knick-knacks in the photo. I learned something new, too. See that interesting silver thing? It's called a 'muffinerr' and it is used as a sugar shaker. I just like the unique, exotic shape  and details on this silver plated pretty!

 

Finally, I'm sharing my quilted pillow. My friend Weezie gave me this awesome orange butterfly fabric. It's a great combo of things I like... butterflies AND the color orange!

 

I made 5 large squares with triangle corners and 4 nine patch squares out of scrap fabrics. Most of the scraps had butterflies on them too. If you ever want some free quilt square designs, take a look at Quilter's Cache Quilt Blocks Galore for hundreds of FREE designs and instructions.

 

Thanks for visiting the Sunset Coast today for a little sewing project tour. Are you working on any sewing projects or quilts?

Have a Happy Mother's Day!

Cindy

http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/   http://www.greenwillowpond.com/

Painted Vintage Furniture: The Leaf Chair!

Good morning campers! Looks like the Sunset Coast is going to have a beautiful spring day.. I thought I'd share a project, a painted chair I did last fall. Ok, wrong season, but it's a good day to share a project and this is my blog so bear with me. ( I almost wrote 'bare' with me... not a good visual!)

I'm going to call this picture the before shot. There are so many of these nice vintage and antique oak chairs out there. I didn't have a before photo of my chair because I did this furniture makeover 'BB'--before blogging. I was just tired of the brown and did I mention? I'm in an orange phase.. just love it here and there throughout the house lately.

  I began by lightly sanding the  wood chair. It was something I picked up at a thrift store a long time ago; it was time for a change. I don't spend much time sanding--just enough to rough up the surface so the paint holds.

Next, I base painted the whole chair. I had some red latex paint and my standby 'burnt orange'. You can see the Ralph Lauren orange color here on my painted patio chair. First I painted on the red paint, then while it was still wet, I painted on the orange paint so they mixed together , but not totally blended. The paint has a variegated look, great on furniture.. walls, not so much. Brush the paint in one direction to get this look.

Inspiration Leaves from Liquid Amber Tree

For the leaves, I went outside and collected leaves from my 'liquid amber' sweetgum tree. ( I told you it was autumn when I did this!) I collected a variety of leaves. Some more red, some yellow, some with green and brown. They also varied in size for the next step.

After the orangish-reddish base coat was dry, I placed the leaves on the chair in some kind of pleasing composition. Here's the little secret about 'drawing' the leaves. Ready? I traced the leaves onto the chair with chalk! If I didn't like it, I rubbed off the chalk and did it over.

Then I loaded up my painting palette, ( 'palette'= sheet of aluminum foil) with lots of colors that were in the  fall leaves.. greens, reds, oranges, golds, yellows, purple, and white. I used those 2oz acrylic craft paints.

I just started painting, looking at individual leaves and mimicking their designs and colors. They didn't have to match perfectly, because nature is all different too. Every leaf was individual and unique.

I used the same colors to paint the chair back and bring out the details and added more leaves. Lastly, I waxed the whole thing with my Fiddes and Sons Supreme Wax Polish and buffed it to a nice sheen.

TA DAAAAAA!!.. My painted fall leaf chair was done!

Thanks for stopping by the Sunset Coast. What inspires you to paint or create? I'd love to hear about your projects!
      Have a Vibrant Day!

           Cindy













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Coasting To Seal Beach!

Hey Kids! Today we're traveling a little bit north to the city of Seal Beach, in southern California. It was a perfect day, weatherwise, when I decided to be a tourist in my own 'hood'. Seal Beach is a really quaint town with a nice family beach, a cute main street and homes of all types.

San Gabriel River Meets Seal Beach

Just to change things up, I first visited Gum Grove Park. This park is sort of unknown because it's on the off shore side of the Pacific Coast Highway. Hidden behind a hill of homes, it's a nice trail for a nature walk, a bike ride or to walk your dog.

And what a day it was for nature! The sun was warm , the mustard flowers were in full bloom and the eucalyptus trees shaded the trail. The trail only goes back about 1/2 a mile. I wish I could share the sounds! Birds chirping and tweeting like crazy.The bushes were buzzing with bees and I could hear animals creeping through the brush. I saw robins and hummingbirds and hawks and butterflies.  And the smells! Eucalyptus leaves and wild flower scents and warm earth all mixed together. Nothing like getting out into nature, even if it's close to a city, to stimulate the senses.

 Sometimes I forget to take time to do that, take time to enjoy some natural space and recharge.

 

I passed a couple gals wearing their employee badges, they must have been on a lunchtime walk. They asked me if I saw the coyote! Oh, that must have been the creeping in the bushes because they pointed to where the coyote had crawled through an opening in the fencing. Same place I heard the sounds.. Our lovely friend the coyote is sharing space with us in southern California. It's bad news for cats and small pets. I've found cats killed by coyotes more than once.. sadly. 

 

Next, I headed a few blocks over to 'Old Town' Seal Beach---everything on the west/ocean side of Pacific Coast Highway. There you'll find the pier with a restaurant on the end, the beach of course, and Main Street. Main Street is a few blocks long and filled with restaurants, shops and boutiques, salons, coffee houses and at least 3 Irish pubs! The garden shop was full of blooms.

Seal Beach Pier

Main Street Seal Beach

 

 Among the restaurants, one of my favorite Mexican Food places is Taco Surf. I think most everyone in southern California has their favorite Mexican food!

The shops took a blow a few years ago and it seemed like a day of lunching with friends and checking out gift shops was over for me. As soon as a new shop came in, it was soon out of business for many of them. But Seal Beach has rallied and has several new stores that I took a peek into. You can find coastal decor, seashells, bathing suits and beach attire, art, jewelry, gourmet foods and more. There's even a home town hardware store. And the Seal Beach Psychic is still in business too..( is a psychic a required shop for a California beach town???)

 

The town of Seal Beach has all kinds of homes to check out too! Darling beach cottages, huge ocean front mansions, multi family homes, big houses and tiny houses make up the scenery.

Crafty Cottage

Ocean Front Mediterranean

Modern Mansion

Tiny Beach Bungalows

 I like Seal Beach for a lot of reasons. It has a nice beach for families.. not a surfing beach really. And the Main Street offers so many good restaurants and shops, it's a nice lunch or dinner destination. It's also a great place for walking--along the beach, down the pier, around the town, through the interesting streets of eclectic homes.

At the north end of the beach, there's the San Gabriel river that lets out into the ocean. You'll also find a beachfront cafe, River's End Cafe,  where you can dine outside and enjoy the sun, the breeze and the views. A long riverside bike trail also lets you off right there for a beachside break.

Riverside Rabbit

It's kind of fun to see a town you've known your whole life through tourists' eyes for a day. Some day I should visit the Red Car Museum. Located in the middle of town, it's a Pacific Red Car from 1925 that houses a museum. These train cars used to run between Los Angeles and Newport Beach from 1904 to the 1950's.  It's one of those places you think  'I'll go in there, someday'.

 

 

Photo Credit

 

Thanks for visiting the Sunset Coast! I would love you to join this site as a follower and have blog updates emailed to you, if you wish.

 

Have a Groovy Day!

Cindy

  Come see where the parties are!
http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

Saturday Coasting

Hi there! I didn't post much this week. It's been crazy. Just letting you know there will be more coming your way! Have a great Weekend! Cindy

IT'S MAY, IT'S MAY



Graphics Fairy

Hi everybody! It's May already! Time does a funny thing when you get older. It's spins out of control. I'm 57 and it goes way too fast. I know, you've heard it before, but it's hard to believe unless you experience this time thing. Then it's like you want to grasp onto time with a chain and slow it down.

 

May 1, May Day! What does today make you think of?   When I was a child, I always wanted to make a May Pole. You know those ideallic pictures of girls in Spring dresses, and perfectly mannered little boys,  dancing and weaving a perfect pattern on a May Pole.

D and D Digital Delights Etsy

 I think we made a May Pole once in Brownie, Girl Scouts. It took lots of practice to get it right. Then, I tried it at home.. actually, I tried to make a lot of stuff. Making 'stuff'
 was in my bones even as a child. But it was a failure trying to get my brothers to weave the strings or whatever I had, into that perfect pole pattern.

The other thing May Day brings to mind, my ex-husband's birthday. He said his parents told him he was named Bill, because bills come at the first of the month. I must have heard that corny joke every year!

But the one thing that really sticks in my head on May Day is a tune... My friend Ginny always sings the song, "The Lusty Month of May" from  Camelot. She's a wiz with song lyrics , especially from musicals and can sing it all the way through. It's hilarious.. gotta love a bestie!

 

Tra la! It's May!
The lusty month of May!
That lovely month when ev'ryone goes
Blissfully astray.

 

DandD Digital Delights Etsy

 

Graphics Fairy

Tra la! It's here!
That shocking time of year
When tons of wicked little thoughts
Merrily appear!
It's May! It's May!
That gorgeous holiday
When ev'ry maiden prays that her lad
Will be a cad!

My Front Garden and Steps

It's mad! It's gay!
A libelous display!
Those dreary vows that ev'ryone takes,
Ev'ryone breaks.
Ev'ryone makes divine mistakes
The lusty month of May!

 

Tra la! It's May!
The lusty month of May!
That darling month when ev'ryone throws
Self-control away.
It's time to do
A wretched thing or two,
And try to make each precious day
One you'll always rue!

Carol Robinson (thanks cousin!)

It's May! It's May!
The month of "yes you may,"



Graphics Fairy

The time for ev'ry frivolous whim,
Proper or "im."
It's wild! It's gay!
A blot in ev'ry way.
The birds and bees with all of their vast
Amorous past
Gaze at the human race aghast,
The lusty month of May.

 

Wow! Those song lyrics are pretty suggestive. I don't know what you have in mind for May Day, but I hope to spend sometime outside today. I've got a new patch of garden I've been working on and the sun is going to come out today!

 

Have a 'Lusty' May Day!!!

Graphics Fairy

Cindy

 

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