Auntie's Workshop

Why do we love handmade cards?  From the crayon-scribbled cards we made for our parents as children, to a store bought card with a genuine handmade, handwritten message, cards show caring and creativity. When I took painting back in the 90's, painting books full of card patterns intrigued me, but not enough to try it.  Years later, I saw a Pinterest pin of an embossed card to paint. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford the embossing machine or the paper to make these cards.  So, I tried an economical version. Nope, not as pretty.  Plus, since I used glue to try to get the embossed look, it made for a very sticky card. Since then, I've thought about cutting watercolor paper to the size of card I want and painting them one at a time.  But, what if I want to make a set of 12 for someone?  That would take way too long.  So it hit me. Why don't I paint something.  Scan it into the computer.  Use a program to create the car...

Quilting has always fascinated me.  Taking tiny cuts of cloth and stitching them together to make functional art has been a staple of American society.  From  the intricate quilts of the Native Americans , to First Lady Martha Washington to the freedom quilts of Gee's Bend , quilts have warmed bodies and souls, told stories, and become family heirlooms.  I have longed to make fabric art of this magnitude.  My first foray into sewing was in 7th grade when I took Home Economics (which, sadly, isn't taught in many schools now--but that's a rant for another day).  Between high pitched insults and rants about how much she hated kids, the teacher (name withheld to protect the guilty) at least taught us how to thread the machine and to always backtack at the ends of a stitch.  After a semester of sewing C-grade items, I was glad to move on to something else...like 8th grade!  On of my best diaper bags After not touching a sew...