Natural Canvas Pillow Collection

I've been getting back into cross-stitching again. I find it fun and relaxing. I designed a few pillows I could stitch relatively quickly and I wanted to work in neutrals. I also found this great canvas that once I brought it home and washed it, it became super comfy and soft. Here are some images of work in progress:                                                                            

What could be more fun to stitch than footprints, flip flops and fish! Ha, ha. I like how they turned out:

They look great together too! These pillows are now all available in  My Etsy Shop.

Anchors Away Nautical Pillow

 

Counted cross stitch on burlap creates these two nautical pillows. The red anchor and white stars are stitched on a natural burlap, while the yellow anchor and stars are stitched on a bright blue burlap. Both are surrounded by strips of coordinated color cotton to form a 'frame' around the burlap. These were very fun to make. The design is a quick stitch project.

 

This fun pattern and many others with a nautical theme are available through Annette Eriksson's Etsy shop here.

Anchors Away Nautical Pillow

 

Counted cross stitch on burlap creates these two nautical pillows. The red anchor and white stars are stitched on a natural burlap, while the yellow anchor and stars are stitched on a bright blue burlap. Both are surrounded by strips of coordinated color cotton to form a 'frame' around the burlap. These were very fun to make. The design is a quick stitch project.

 

This fun pattern and many others with a nautical theme are available through Annette Eriksson's Etsy shop here.

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.







 



Color of the Year - Marsala

Pantone has named Marsala the color of the year for 2015. Now, I've seen many interpretations of :marsala -- everything from mauve to red. But this above Pantone color example is my favorite. I have created a collection of pillows to demonstrate how you can incorporate

Marsala into your nautical décor.

 

 

This deep red works beautifully with blue, white and natural burlap colors. Here's a sampling of the finished pillows.

 

 

Handstitched pillow designs

I used to love to stitch -- cross stitch and embroidery -- I found it to be very relaxing. When I travelled frequently for work I used to take projects on the plane. Long flights and sitting in airports produced a lot of finished projects! But, since 911, you can't bring sewing needles or scissors on the plane and I just stopped working on things.

Recently I found a couple fun patterns and thought I'd take it up again. I just finished this seagull on black denim. I stitched it on waste cloth; when finished I pulled out the cloth, and there you have it. Watch for this to become a pillow in the future.

What's more fun than felt fish?

Not much!
I had so much fun making these little critters. I started out by cutting small felt circles to create the fish scales. Cutting the circles wasn't the easiest thing in the world, but I do like the look:

 

 

I then decided to try using small felt squares to create the fish scale pattern. I sewed the tiny squares in an alternating pattern to a piece of muslin. I found this great coordinating chevron-style cotton which I think works really great with the diamond pattern. I overlayed the felt square pattern onto the chevron fish and cut the squares the shape of the fish.

 

Here's the final product!

 

I'm trying some other combinations in citrus colors and I found another great cotton fabric for the fish. Watch for this project coming soon!

 



Beach Huts

I'm still liking Beach Huts; those little cabanas that you see on the beach are so cute! I found this image for an inspiration shot:

 

First it inspired some pillows and here's an example:

Then I went on to make some little beach cabana appliques and attempt to mimic the beach. I ended up with a small table top runner, 14" x 24". The center is deep blue representing the water. The edges are natural burlap representing the sandy beach. And, I've placed the beach cabanas near the 'shore'.

It was fun to make and I think it turned out pretty cute! I'm trying to make smaller sized table top because I've received feedback that some of the table runners are too large for some furniture. While longer ones work well for dining room tables, many want to have just a little something for a coffee or end table, or even for a kitchen counter.

This item is going to be posted on Etsy for sale. Visit http://www.etsy.com/shop/Floatinteriors to check it out.

 



Outdoor Canvas - Something you should know

Hello! Outdoor canvas is a wonderful fabric for pillows, cushions, you name it! There is a huge variety of colors and patterns to choose from. But, something you should know if you are purchasing handmade products made of this fabric -- it unravels! So what's the big deal about that you ask? Well after continued use you may find that your seams are fraying, which is absolutely not good.

 

In order to prevent this from happening, the edges must be sewn with a serger to lock the edges and prevent fraying. I serge all of the edges on everything I make with outdoor canvas to prevent this and to create a clean, finished seam.

 

When you are shopping online for pillow covers, pillows, cushions, etc. always ask the crafter if the raw edges are serged to make sure you are getting the quality you deserve!

 

 

Nautical Shabby Chic Runner

I just finished this runner and really like how it turned out. It's made of natural burlap, woven with jute and appliqued with  gauze-like linen waves. I wanted the look to be very raw and all natural looking.

Here's how it was made:

I started by measuring and cutting my piece of  burlap. Then I created a paper template of waves, pinned it to my gauze, which I had backed with a fusible fabric stabilizer, and cut it out.

I then pulled out a couple strands and wove in a piece of jute the full length of the runner on each end. Taking a large embroidery needle, I wove in a couple strands of an off-white burlap for some contrast.

Next step was to pin the applique waves in place. And, with my machine set at a very small, tight zig zag, I sewed the applique to the runner. This was a bit tricky with all the twists and turns.





Last, all the edges were zig zagged to lock the weave in place so it will not unravel. I then apply a light starch with a hot iron to flatten and add body to the material. The look is just what I was after -- shabby chic, beachy, nautical and natural! Hope you like it. It's for sale in my Etsy Shop, www.etsy.com/shop/Floatinteriors.

Nautical Christmas

My love of working with burlap continues. I've had a lot of fun making these items. Here's a nautical garland I just finished. It has small 'flags' portraying boats carrying Christmas to port, larger Christmas trees, and fringe with bows. I hand cut all the appliques and iron then sew them on. Finding all sorts of holiday trims to add sparkle has also been a lot of fun.

Then I got hooked on beach cabanas. I just think they are so cute. I created this holiday table topper with a small cabana along side a swaying palm tree in opposite corners.

Next I headed out to the beach to pick up just the perfect size pieces of driftwood to use in creating beach cabana ornaments.