A New Legacy!

At our April Colorado Quilting Council meeting, one of our members brought this fabulous old quilt to share.  It is made of Yo-Yos sewn to a solid background.  This alone would make this a very special quilt, but if it’s special to me, it must have…

  Buttons!!!

Hundreds of buttons were added to the centers of the Yo-Yos!  Now that’s Buttoned Up!

The woman who made this quilt must have spent months, if not years, making all those Yo-Yos, but now you can make them quick, easy and uniformly with the Clover brand Yo-Yo makers.  Even small children can be taught to sew using these nifty tools! They come in several shapes and lots of sizes to fit any project.  Check them out on Jillions of Buttons under Patterns.  You won’t find a lower price than mine; I guarantee it!

Jazz It Up!

I Love attending the Pueblo Quilt & Stitch Expo in Pueblo, Colorado!  Not only is it where I first became a vendor and where I met all my fabulous vendor friends, but it is always a showcase of creativity and talent!  One of my past customers came by this year to show me what she had done with the buttons she purchased, and she was happy to let me share this photo with you:

                     

This is so simple, yet so very effective!  The movement created by the beads combined with the size and texture of the buttons is wonderful.  You could use the fringe options from the Beaded Button Bracelets in this same way.  You could even have fringe or beads attached through the buttons’ holes!  Button Up!

        

Colorado State Spring Button Show

Well, we survived a wild weekend of weather!  Could be worse…I could be in Phoenix today (103!).

The State Show was fabulous, as usual and I bought a lot of new buttons to add to my collection.  I entered 2 trays for competition.  One was disqualified for having a button on it that did not fit the award criteria (I should have used my magnifying glass) but the other was awarded a 2nd place ribbon!  This tray was for Butterflies and Flowers, 25 any size (10 each and 5 free choice).  Here is my tray:

I know it’s hard to see all of the buttons, especially with the ribbon in the way.  I’ll take another photo that is easier to see and post it soon.

These are pictures of the showroom.  All the competition trays are hung for all to drool over (about 20 separate awards to compete for).  You can enter as many trays as you have buttons for, as long as they fit the criteria set out by each award.  The clubs write and sponsor the awards.  By the way, my 2nd place card came with a cash prize…$3.00!

  Intense shopping!

Boxes filled with cards of buttons, as well as poke boxes to dig through.  Nirvana!

Tomorrow:  New buttons I brought home with me!

I’m Ready For Spring!

Even though we haven’t had much snow this season, I’m ready for it to stop snowing!  I’m ready to get into my garden and see some flowers!  Until then, here is an idea to cheer you up!

 

I bought a floral bouquet at the craft store and replaced the flower centers and stems with a shank button on a wire.  No cutting, no gluing, just bend the wire with a pair of pliers and plop them in a vase with the greenery!

Here’s a take along version:

With this one, you will need to remove the shank of the button to glue it to a tie tack finding (using E6000 of course!), so DO NOT USE ANTIQUE BUTTONS FOR THIS PROJECT!  You can change the flower any time, and pin it onto anything!  Makes a great little “thinking of you” gift.

Button Up!

Jill

It’s all in the Details

Last October I helped Kathryn Wald choose a button for a quilt she was making.  She had fabric with her, but not a design for me to see.  We spent some time auditioning buttons and finally chose one.  While in Tucson in January for their Quilt Fiesta Quilt Show, I was pleased and proud to see Kathryn again…this time with her quilt!

It is entitled “Caught On A Dream”, and it is gorgeous!

There is beading surrounding the button in the center of the Dream Catcher.  Great job, Kathryn!

From My “Heart”

I met this sweet lady in Phoenix, AZ at the Quilt, Craft and Sewing Festival in January.  She allowed me to share this great design idea with you.  Using the Clover Small and Large Heart Yo-Yo maker, she made 2 colors of heart yo-yo’s, added her favorite buttons to the centers, and attached them to her shirt neckline and sleeve.  My picture does not do her creation justice: it was adorable!  This is just another example of asking yourself, “Where can I put a button on this?”.

Snow Day

Well, it could have been worse…I could still be driving for FedEx!  The snow wasn’t so bad, but the roads are still very, very bad!  Steve stayed home, as his office, and most of the town, closed for the day.  Here are some pictures of him shoveling our deck this morning and our dog, Annie, catching the snow as it fell.  She goes wacko in the snow!

Tonight is a big night!!!  My Arizona Wildcat’s face the biggest challenge so far as they play Louisville tonight for the right to a spot in the Elite 8.  Steve and I spent most of Sunday afternoon at our favorite sports hangout screaming our heads off for my Cats! I even did a solo rendition of “Bear Down” for the whole bar!  GO CATS!!!

Last, I want to share just one picture of my sweet grandson, Tristan.  I recently got a new batch from his Mama and I’ll share more soon.  For now, just say “aaaawwwwwwwwwwww, he’s adorable!”