Threshold Hanging

This one is an example of how I love to reuse/recycle unwanted stuff.

With the packaging material that was a part of a postal parcel, I made a threshold hanging. It has been hanging across the entrance of our kitchen for the past couple of months. V does not like it and says it looks very childish. May be he is right; but till now, I was not able make up my mind to take it down.

I made garlands out of the U-shaped foam peanuts... each with varying lengths...

... And attached them to a horizontal strip of colorful fabric...

I made roses out of pink satin ribbon...

 ... And attached them to the fabric strip...

But it has to be taken down... And soon, a more beautiful ornament will decorate the threshold... V must be really happy with this decision! :)

Earth Day Special

Here is my contribution to the Earth Day: A doormat made out of jute bags.

The rice we buy comes in 10LB jute bags. I cut open a couple of those jute bags to use them a layers for the doormat. I used a yard of jute fabric as a topper for the mat.

I joined smaller pieces of the jute-bag fabric by hand. Then joined all the layers together. At regular widths of 4-inches, I made stitches along the length of the fabric. This is to make the doormat more sturdy.

Using a colorful shiny fabric, I made ruffles and attached it to the doormat at the centre.

I cut the same shiny fabric into thin long strips and attached them as borders to four edges of the mat.

The doormat is reversible too! Like it? :)

Trip Around The World

As Donna said, this project is indeed a success! I finally completed the Trip Around the World quilt and it fits the top of our dining table too! :)

As mentioned in my earlier post, this quilt was for my dining table and it was short by a couple of inches and I was worried that it would end up as a decoration on the wall. 


But no! With Donna's help, I was able to get it into a better shape. I added 4-inch strips on either ends of the quilt to make it fit the length of the table.

I took help from Donna's site and also from this site. Without the links I would have been joining square after square and would have taken months to complete! 


I am on cloud nine today!!! :-)

Lamp Decoration

This post has been long pending; but I thought better late than never! :-)

Around the time of our first anniversary, V and I painted with our bedside lamp with our palm prints. Ain't it beautiful?

You should have seen the look on his face when he pressed his hand on the paint. It was as though he was trying to swallow some bitter medicine. He never likes any mess!

But I had lot of fun doing it. It added a personal touch to our bedroom. Here is a before shot of the lamp - just for comparison!

If you are wondering about the lamp shade, click here for the post.

Project failed?

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I have been working on a "Trip Around the World" quilt for the past couple of weeks/months. I always wanted this one to be perfect and I did not mind the slow-but-steady progress.

This quilt was intended for my dining table.

Yesterday, I joined the three layers (front, batting, backing) and trimmed the edges. Before finishing off the edges with borders, I placed it on top of the table. 

What do I see? 

The size is short by a couple of inches on each side of the table. All my months of putting up with straining eyes, aching neck, long hours at the sewing machine etc. etc. has all been a waste. I feel so bad. 

Of course, I can still use the quilt as a wall hanging but each time I look at it, I know it did not serve its purpose. I do need a nice table cloth for my dining table. And that will remain pending on my to-do list.

I feel so low. I had to start with another sewing project but I feel I have lost interest in sewing. What if the next one also comes up wrong? Hmm... Got to let go off this feeling soon!

Two books in a row...

The habit of reading is strange. There are long periods in time when no book excites me. Even if I start reading a book and keep it by my bedside; it may not interest me to take it up and continue from where I stopped. But there are other times when I pick up a book and can't put it down. I read all the time; all through the day...  and more during night until wee hours of morning... Most of the nights, my tired eyes shut and the book slips off my hand when I drift off to sleep. 

When I finish reading the book, if I find it exhausting/tiring, then I may not take up another book for days. But occasionally, completion of one book fills me with so much energy that I take up another book for reading immediately.

This week was one of those times when I read a lot. I completed two novels in a row and that too in just two days! More about the novels in my next post! :)