Presents!

Birthdays are great - and it doesn't even have to be my own! Everyone is in a good mood and there are presents and cake and ice cream to be had. This time around it was Mr Floss Box's turn. I took the chance to make a few things, because he always appreciates things I make so much. First thing was pot holders. He loves cats, so I used some colorful cat fabric.

Actually they are the second version of some potholders I made at Christmas with the same fabric.

They are easy enough to make. I don't bother with a binding or anything, just sew the two right sides together and turn them out.  A bit of machine stitching around the seams, then sew  the hole closed is all it takes.  Pretty quick and easy, and they have a nice solid feel to them. A bit of hand-made, personal style instead of mass-produced, made-in-some-country is far better, if you ask me.

Next, I put together some placemats. They took a bit of work to do with all the borders, I can tell you, but it was satisfying work. I chose an Ikea print for the center section. It's a big print, so all the placemats are different.

It's a fun print with fun colors. Perfect for summer.

I have to admit that I am a bit jealous of the paper crafters with their personally made cards.  But there is no reason textile crafters can't do the same, is there? This is the second year for making a fabric card.

This design was unplanned. I just added stuff as I went. Of course, I wanted it to say Happy Birthday David, but beyond that, I just added things I wanted to try. I'm not sure it was 100% successful, but it is definitely personal, and that is what matters most. This card doesn't open, instead I printed on fabric a little birthday message and sewed it all together. Here is last year's card for reference:

This one was a planned out design and opens like a regular card.

All in all, a fun day!

There was more weekend fun beyond the birthday party. We went by a couple flea markets. I found some more vintage patterns.

I love the old alphabets. I'm certain it's just a matter of time before I do something with them.
I also bought a bit of embroidery that was super cheap:

We also spent hours out watching the coastal birds. There were lots of baby birds out. I have to see about the photos though.  I might have enough good ones. All I can say for now, is that the variety of birds was quite impressive. In the meantime, if you want to enjoy these poppies, best to get up early. The flowers only last about 7 hours.