Creating Critters by freehand

In crafting my plush stuffed animals I will just brainstorm and idea onto fabric. That is I don't use any patterns I just start cutting fabric free hand. Yup that's right free hand, I think its easier than you can believe. If you remember to keep it simple, that means if you can cut a circle you can free hand make something. Take Sweet Tooth he was made by cutting circles.

I created the body by cutting round circles, the ears are circles, legs and arms are a long ovals. The head was made by cutting out half circles and sewing them together. What I love most just free hand cutting and designing my plush animals is I never know just how one might turn out. I started first using second hand fabric to teach myself or drawing out first the idea I might want. Another little trick I do is to take took the finished circle and turned or faced it with the seam showing I thought it added a little extra something, although sometimes I will not face the seam to the front but to the sides for another look. Looks like I will have to now design a pattern for Sweet Tooth, I have already added him to my store.

In fact I have been busy again creating here are some of the latest creating that are in my store Frankly It's Kute Productions.


This is Frostbite, She is a very cool cat and another one of my free hand creations. I hope you all will stop in at my store and take a look a closer look at all my new creations this week.





An Angel and a cute mat to sit any where for a center piece. The mat has pieces of chalkboard fabric sewn into the felt. I painted on the chalkboard.

What's up This week

Well it has been one of the busiest weeks for me, I have been creating some wonderful handmade crafts. Of course these crafts can be only found in my wonderful store Frankly It's Kute Prodcutions.
One of the newest items is a set of 3 sisters. That are cloth dolls and are 14 inches. I made them from some cotton robe fabric and filled them with fiber fill. Of course their dresses are all cotton fabrics. They came out so sweet looking.......


The dolls took about one week to finish up then it was not long until I was at it again. This time I got busy painting, but what to paint on. So I found a small chalk board and painted some snow drifts on it and they are thinking SNOW...
I used acrylics to paint the cute little picture.


The drifts are thinking of a happy Christmas time! I also made the chalkboard look a bit ragged with the green acrylic paint so that it has an older look. I have done this by applying the paint and wiping away the paint several times.

The next new item in my store is a Holiday fabric bowl. This time I used a wonderful bright Christmas felt to make the bowl. The felt was simple to work with and it made the bowl stiffer that just using a cotton fabric. The felt is a bright red with sparkles in it. I used a cotton cording and just wrapped cut strips of felt around the cording. You have to have time to sew slow so that you control the fabric and cording. I used a zig-zag stitch and green quilting thread.


This week has been a fun one getting ready and creating some wonderful handmade crafts for the Holidays. I have also created a few more items but I wanted to talk about some of my personal favorites and so I have. I hope you all will come and visit my store and take a look and I keep busying coming up with some more ideas!

My way of Quilting

I love to quilt, but I love to quilt with color and tons of imagination! I wanted to talk a little about the way I quilt, my wonderful Aunt taught me this form of applique quilting. I also call folk art quilting with color.
When I plan out one of my quilts I will first draw out my idea first on paper. Then I will begin choosing the colors for the quilt, sometimes I think of quilting as painting with paints.
What I love so much about this form of quilting is one does not have to be exact just creative and imaginative.



In most of my quilts I try to create a story of some kind, just as the quilt above, its about a crisp fall day and time to start the harvest. There is a small cabin or home, cats, chickens running around, pumpkins but most of all it's a beautiful clear day. In each quilt I create I also try to put all forms of fabrics in it and sometimes I will use fabric from shirts, pants, coats and whatever else I can find.

Sometimes I will use a washable pencil or maker to draw onto the fabric the ideas,I want to cut out, example a dog, cloud, house. Or I will use free hand and just cut the fabric until I like the shape I have.
There are times I will use interfacing, fabric softeners or fabric stiffener just depends on what the fabric might require to firm it up . A lot of times I just use nothing because I like the ragged look the quilt might get.

I always use cotton muslin as the backing and layout for the story I am creating. Next I place the cut out fabrics onto the muslin to see what the story will look like. I will use a dab of stick glue and just a large loose running stitch through, so that I can remove the thread when everything is placed onto the muslin, and ready to sew.
Once every piece is in place I choose the backing and batting, then I pin it on for sewing. I sew with all kinds of thread too, I love the quilting thread the best, I think it brings out the quilt and design.

This is where I have fun with my sewing machine! So many ways to stitch on the quilt. This is the funniest form of quilting and I thankful my Aunt taught me about it, there are so many ideas to come up with and so many stories, most of all the color is unlimited. You can find more of my quilts in my store www.franklyitskuteproductions.com




The quilt is one of my largest quilts.

Sharing a visit to the Talking Tombstones

One of my most favorite things to do during the Halloween time is go to the Talking Tombstones! The Astoria Historical society puts on the event and it is just wonderful! Its a great to learn about the past and the trials that people went through....
Its also a wonderful way to help preserve history and teach others. What happens is the Historical Society dress in costume and select an old grave site. Then they research certain people who have passed on. They find the history of the person, who they were, how they lived, why they came and more. The event is free and as I have said before its the most wonderful way to learn about the community, history, and about that person who brought about change or had something to do with what came to be...
In other words they become the voices of those that can no longer speak...
Here are some pictures of the day. The Judge telling us his tale...



This gentleman helped establish the church that is pictured in the back round. He also helped in the rights for women.

A very strong lady, and helped in establishing the church pictured above.


This wonderful lady traveled a great distance walking from Kentucky to Oregon and she even shot a 300 pound bear! with a shot gun.

This is a doctor being a doctor back then was way different than today, can you imagine waiting sometimes more than a year to be paid a $1.00 to be paid for services, or given a wheat, chickens, or whatever else people could give back then for treatment and services? This doctor did many things. There was so much to learn and find out and the Historical society and their helpers were so wonderful to put this on!

Happy Haunting Halloween

Happy Halloween! Just a few days till the big day!
So have a fun one but a safe one.....
I found a great site for ideas on decorating and here it is http://www.madhauscreative.com/Halloween%20projects.html There are some really cool ideas for Halloween.
Football comes to an end this weekend for us here on the coast, but the eigth grades boys are still undefeated, Hooray for them.

There is a SALE going on in my store http://www.franklyitskuteproductions.com/ Halloween items, 30% off and an extra 10% off when you check out! Or just get 10% off on all items, so its a great deal and it ends Monday!

It was a busy week with Homecoming, the dance, football games, and getting my yard in shape for the kids this Halloween! My daughter looked so pretty for the dance.

In crafting I am working on a wonderful set of dolls, 3 sisters and they are 18 inches, I have just finished the bodies, adding the hair and eyes. Now I am set on making their dresses. The bodies are from craft velour. I am also working on a wall hanging quilt that has some cute snowmen. But more is in the works.

Here is a Halloween treat idea!
Get some Keebler short bread cookies, the kind with the chocolate frosting, some chocolate frosting, and a orange decorative frosting tube, and some chocolate kisses.
Flip the short bread cookies over on the chocolate side add a bit of the frosting and place a kiss on. Now take the orange frosting and make a bow around the kiss.
You now have witch hats and this all comes from my wonderful Betty Cocker cookie recipe cook book!

The Butt Naked Doll

This is one of my most favorite creations, The Butt Naked doll you can find her at http://www.franklyitskuteproductions.com/

You can find the already made doll or purchase the pattern to created this doll yourself. I made her from flesh colored craft velour and added powdered blush for her checks. The dress is a plaid flannel. I love bright colors, bright colors say a whole lot, that's what I think. Her hair is an orange red and the eyes are green felt with white acrylic paint added. Her butt is a bit of soft sculpting ......

A sweet idea to add to those Batty Halloween treats

I did this one year for my kids and there Halloween parties at school, you can also use it for all those tricks and treats this Halloween.
What you will need: Either black card stock or black craft foam, glitter glue(blue), wiggle eyes, a small amount of red acrylic paint, a hole punch and some ribbon.

1: First draw out your bat, have fun designing a cute little bat. Cut out the bat and use the cut out to trace onto to craft foam. I personally like craft foam its more easy to work with.
2: Now with a hot glue gun, glue the wiggle eyes onto the black craft foam. If you are working with small children to do this project then use the tacky glue.
3: Now take some glitter glue and a sponge paint brush and apply the glitter glue all around the edges. Carefully brush the glitter glue towards the center. Add a dot of red acrylic paint to make nose
4: Once everything is dry then take the hole punch and punch 2 holes into the black craft foam. Finally glue a bow with ribbon under the chin of the bat and now add a small lollipop through the punched holes. Now you have a GREAT TREAT IDEA!