wedding quilt 2

My other idea for a wedding quilt will be given to my older sister at her first anniversary.  She's getting married next june and my idea for her quilt is the following.  Take her favorite wedding photo and get it enlarged or shrunk depending on the original size, get it transferred to some fabric and put it in the middle of the quilt.  around that, take about 4 of her engagement photos and place them at each of the corner surrounding the middle wedding photo.  The rest of the quilt will be some different pattern, but I especially love the idea for the middle.  I think that she'll love it and it will be worth all the time and effort I put into it. 

Wedding Quilt

I have a friend thats getting married and I have chosen to do a rag quilt for a gift.  At first I was going to do a type of pinwheel and then a star pattern, but with only a month till the wedding, I don't have enough time to do anything extremely time consuming.  I was talking to my mom about it and we decided to make the centers of the blocks spell out their names and wedding date and do some other pattern for the rest of the blocks.  I think that it will be a good gift for them as they're going to need their own blankets and this one will be the perfect reminder of their special day!

Glass Blowing

If you've ever been to Silver Dollar City, then you've probably seen the glass blower's place.  I think that it is so amazing the work that they do.  The amount of patience they have is astounding.  I once watched as they made a duck out of liquid glass.  The glass was so hot that it was liquid and they took the liquid and with incredible precision, made a little bitty duck.  They also have places like that in Disney World and the people there make spectacular creations ranging from Cinderella's Castle to Pluto.  With such a wide variety of things that can be created, I just wonder. Where do they learn how to do it?

Pottery

It was in Kindergarden that I discovered that art was not the path for me.  I ruined everything I touched and it seemed like I would never create anything pretty. Now, almost 15 years later I find that I was right.  Especially in Pottery.  The best thing I ever created was a crown for my little 6 year old head.  It looks like crap and it doesn't even look anything like a crown, but to a 6 year old, the sky's the limit. 
I wish I was talented enough to make the vase's that look so beautiful and have such unique shapes, but i'll leave that to the professionals.

Embroidery

While most embroidery is done nowadays with a computer controlled sewing machine, there are still people that take the time to hand embroider.  To the side is a great example of someone doing hand embroidery.  It takes a firm, steady hand and a lot of patience to do something this large, but I think it's worth it. 

 I used to make different quilt blocks and was quite talented, but after summer ended, so did my summer projects.  When I started up again, I had to rip everything out because it just didn't look quite right.  I had lost my touch. As with most gifts, if you don't use them, you'll end up losing them.  I suggest that if you start a project and find that you're really good at it, keep with it and perfect your skills and show them off!

Cross Stitching

There is a wall hanging in my bedroom at home of a cross stitched Precious Moments figurine.  It was made by a relative of mine and I don't know how long it took them to finish it, but I think it is so beautiful.  I know that kits that come with patterns and the cloth do do it can be found anywhere, but taking the time to complete these works of art is priceless.  Cross stitching can be done on any surface to create wall hangings, pillows, blankets, and more.

Beadwork

While it may not be the most sophisticated project, the little beaded lizards are a great rainy day activity to do with the kids.  Simple and cheap, these projects can build in intensity and difficulty depending on the age of the person doing the project.  I took beads and some string to a sorority rush event and girls bonded over these tiny beaded pets.  Pony beads are the best to use with beginners because they're bigger and easier to see and keep track of.  I have seen people do beads as small as seed beads though.  How-to books can be bought at any hobby-lobby or michael's with different projects and what beads to use.