Spring Break in Texas!

This August will be 5 years since we moved from Houston, Texas to Littleton, Colorado.  Although we love living in Colorado, we always look forward to spending time with our family and friends. We have many friends in Texas who are part of our extended  family and are very excited to be spending time with very soon!

So, it's only fitting that I create some Texas inspired projects.  First, in an effort to re-organize my craft room, I came across many decorative pins I wanted to display rather than leave in a box.  Previously, I created pin cushion for Staci's birthday...now, I created a Texas inspired pin cushion.  All the fabric I used for these projects are fabrics from Moda, Wildflowers IV.  Naturally, my Texas pin cushion was created using the bluebonnets prints.

Besides our friends and family, one of the things I miss about Texas is the wildflowers along the roads like Highway 290 during the spring.  Thankfully, there is a very good chance I will get to take pictures of  bluebonnets along the road. 

  

My tote bags were inspired by three things.  The wonderful Wildflowers IV Moda fabric, create ruffles with my ruffler attachment and Donna Downey.  Last week she had an entire week of inspiration videos.  During that week, she tried various techniques to work on a canvas journal.  Among other things, I learned how to use Golden's Gel Medium to create an image transfer onto canvas.  This inspired me to create my project using canvas....except, I used canvas fabric to create Texas Inspired Totes!

I took the fabric, scanned it to create an inkjet copy of the fabric.  Using the gel medium and inkjet image, I transferred a portion of the image onto the canvas material.  I love butterflies, so I had to include them.  I used my sizzix machine and the butterfly die to cut butterflies from the same canvas material.  And, inspired by Donna Downey's inspiration week, I used my Texas stamps, stazon ink pad, clear beads and black india ink brush pen to add layers to my canvas bags.   This felt more like an art project than a sewing project to me!  I hope my Texas friends like them too.
 

Fabric lining - Blueboonet & Indian Paintbrush Wildflowers -both found on East Texas Road!

This Texas inspired tote bag is slightly different.  Instead of writing bluebonnets, I wrote Wildflowers.  Mostly because the fabric lining for these totes has a wildflower print.

Moda's Wildflower IV fabric - assortment of wildflower print, including what I believe to be Columbine flowers...a new favorite since moving to Colorado.  I have seen them mostly in the  Mountains.