Muskegon Sailboat Project

I love how this project turned out. See all the details below.

I received a note via Etsy asking if I could customize the head sail on a driftwood sailboat. I responded 'most likely send me a picture.' This is what I received!

 

Woo, that wasn't what I expected. I thought maybe the sail had a blue stripe on it or something. At first I thought 'no way' but then I started to study it a bit further. I was asked to make two. Luckily I had two pieces of driftwood nearly the same size but they faced opposite ways. So I started by drawing out the colors and then creating a mirror image of the drawing. I then cut out each of the pieces.

 

I was able to find batik fabric which I think looks a lot like water color painting in all of the colors I needed.

 

 

Then I drew the warrior facing both directions and cut him out of black fabric.

 

 

I fused and appliqued all of the colors on to the sail and here's the final product!

 

 

This was a very fun, challenging project. The sailboats are gifts to two children who lost their father. This was the head sail on his boat. It was a pleasure to be a part of preserving his memory.







 



Driftwood Candles Centerpiece

 

I made this centerpiece for my table. I found the 3 glass cylinders at Joann Fabrics for 40% off.

They also had the flameless real wax candles for which I used a coupon :-)

I cut three pieces of green floral Styrofoam to create candle pedestals for inside the cylinders. I then surrounded them with pieces of driftwood and Petoskey stones to hide them and hold them in place. You can use narrow blocks of wood as well, but that required power tools; the foam just required a butter knife! The candles sit on the top of the green foam. You can pick them up easily to turn on the switch on the bottom to produce the flickering. I felt flameless candles were a better bet with dry driftwood from a safety standpoint.

The cylinders measure 12"H x 6" dia.; 8"H x 6" dia., 10"H x3-1/2" dia. 

I love how they turned out!

Beach Sign

I know this isn't a sewing project, but I just had to share because I'm so thrilled how it turned out. This is a piece of driftwood I found on the beach and hauled home one wet, cool day. I purchased these ceramic letters from one of the artists at Creative Corner and have created this fantastic beach sign! I really like how it looks with the upholstery fabric on my screen porch furniture. Don't you just love when a plan comes together.

Driftwood Valance

This post is compliments of my friend Ruth who created this unique valance out of driftwood pieces and I wanted to share it with all of you!

 

"Here are the pictures you wanted of my driftwood valance.  After several beach walks I had enough pieces to span the window.  I laid them all out on the basement floor until I was satisfied with the arrangement.  I was able to purchase a metal rod in the correct length from my favorite local hardware store but if you couldn't get the correct length a longer one could be cut down.  I chose metal over a wooden dowel for overall sturdiness.

Then I got busy with the drill and a bit a little bigger than the metal rod and made a hole in each piece of driftwood.  I have to admit to splitting a couple pieces and having to replace them.  I threaded them on the rod until I had almost the width of the window casing.

I purchased wooden balls with one flat side at the hobby store and drilled a hole in two of them with a bit exactly the same size as my metal rod, then inserted pencils into the holes and stuck them in a block of styrofoam so that I could easily paint them.  When they were dry I put them on the ends of the rod using a little dab of good glue.

The brackets are simple cup hooks screwed into the window casing.  All I had to do was lay the rod into the hooks and voila!  Beachy, unusual and fun."

Driftwood Christmas Tree

Hi all, not a sewing project, but a fun project. As some of you previously have read, I have pieces of driftwood all over the house from my collecting on the beach. So I thought I'd try making a Christmas tree out of some of it. I took and laid out all the pieces in order of size. I decided to put smaller pieces in between the larger ones because I liked how it looked and made my tree taller. I then went to the hardware store and bought a 1/8" dowel rod. Got out the old drill, found the right bit size and drilled a hole in the base piece of wood. Once I stuck the dowel rod in the base, I began drilling holes in the center of all of my driftwood pieces and lacing them onto the rod. I was lucky enough to have a triangle-shaped piece for the top! Merry Christmas!

Wine Bags with Driftwood Buttons

Well, here's a first couple ideas on what to make with all the driftwood I pick up on the beach! I love the driftwood buttons! Each piece of driftwood is drilled for either sewing on or knotted. Oh, Oh, now I'm using power tools! The bags are made of burlap. All the internal seams are serged for strength. But, I wanted the final look to remain 'rustic'. Visit Float on Etsy to see more.