Cleaned things up a bit

I decided to do a clean sweep on the blog layout tonight.  I think it turned out well!  Hope you like the new look.

Wow this year has flown by!

This weekend it hit me that Christmas is only 2 months away.  This is the time when all the crafty people start figuring out what to make everyone so we have time to make it!  Of course a few projects end up being last minute but cute none the less. 

 I was browsing through my pattern book and realized I have a lot of patterns bought on a whim but I've yet to try them out.  I decided to try out a notebook slipcover pattern I bought a few months ago.   I'm loving the PDF pattern boom on Etsy.  You can find a lot of really cute patterns with pictures!  Practicing with patterns like this helps me move through the sewing process easier because I know I'm doing it right along the way. 

The pattern is from Virginia Lindsay's Etsy store.  Her blog, Gingercake, is great too!

Lovely!  I'm putting this one on the list for crafty Christmas presents. 

Halloween 2010

This is that one time a year when red eye from a photo is OK!  We had a great time this Halloween!  I decided to be a Voodoo Doll and Michael was the Witch Doctor.  

I made my dress out of burlap and a few scraps from the basket.  Super easy!  All I did was lay an old dress down on top of the burlap and cut out the silhouette for the front and back pieces. 

  Half inch strips were cut and zigzag stitched down the center to keep it from fraying too much.  The strips were sewn onto the edges, front and back locations matching.  The shoulders were sewn together.  The neck and arm holes were altered here with a pair of scissors.  

My friend did my hair and makeup.  Thanks Jill!  Our costumes were definitely conversation starters.  

Good times!

Kitchen Makeover

Before!

I've been wanting to make curtains for my kitchen for awhile but could never find fabric that screamed perfect until now.  I had wooden blinds in there but found out quickly that my cat Lucy liked them more than I did.  She enjoyed chewing the string that each piece sits on...Yay.  We quickly came to the conclusion that we needed an alternative.  I found this great tutorial for Roman Shades on Jen Duncan's What's New blog.  Worked out perfectly!!

The fabric I fell in love with is called Pretty Bird which I purchased from Stitches N' Giggles.  Lori has some great inventory!

Mom, Grandma and my BFF Jill came to my house for the day on Saturday and we finished everything in 10 hours!

Before!  (That's Lucy aka "the trouble maker")

Kitchen Sink Window

After!!

We use blackout fabric on the back so you can't see through the shades at night.

Mom did the whole custom table cover and it turned out beautiful.  We put batting and strips of shelf lining underneath to keep it from sliding around.  Now all I need to do is paint a terracotta pot purple for the little plant.

Quilting Class Take 1

To further my understanding of all things sewing I've signed up for a quilting class at Sew Unique in Raleigh, NC.  Its a 3 week class, 2 hours a week.  The first week we focused on cutting strips of fabric and sewing them into blocks.  I've been sewing for awhile now so this came pretty easy but the tips our instructor provides are worth the class tuition in itself!

Tip #1 - When prewashing fabric cut the corners of the selvage off in a triangle.  This prevents the fabric from raveling.  Not sure why it works but it does!

Tip #2 - Glue small pieces of sandpaper to the back of your clear ruler prior to rotary cutting.  This will help hold the ruler in place on your fabric allowing a cleaner, straighter cut.

Tip #3 - Only backstitch when you absolutely have to.  Backstitching can cause unnecessary bulk in your project.  If you have to stop and then start again, come in at an angle from the edge and back to the stitch line, only stitching over 2-3 stitches.  This will allow the seam to lay much flatter than 3 stitch rows on top of one another.

This is the piece prior to cutting our squares.  

My first quilting squares!

I'll be posting more as we progress.  Stay tuned!

- Christina

FIRST YOU TAKE A…..THEN YOU CROCHET A ……..

I love this tutorial!  In addition to sewing and making jewelry I LOVE CROCHET!  This has been added to the list of To Dos. This tank is made from a simple tshirt and you make your own yarn from an alternate color.  So simple and so cute! There are a ton of old Tshirts in the boyfriends closet...I'll just be sneaky :)

This tutorial is from Dolin O'Shea who has some wonderful ideas that I can't wait to try myself.  
http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2009/05/refashioned_crochet_embellishe.html

Ft Mill, SC Celebration

We had a such a great time helping Ft Mill's number one coffee cafe, BacInTyme, celebrate its second year anniversary. BIT's founder, Georgia Ehrenberg, took a lovely, old homestead and transformed it into a coffee cafe/art gallery. The weather was absolutely beautiful and the vibe of all in attendance was happy and positive! Here are a couple of pix of our set up. Thanks Georgia for letting us be part of your celebration. Here's hoping for many, many more years of BacInTyme calling Ft Mill home. Visit her at www.bacintyme and tell her FrenziedArtists sent you.....

More cute aprons!

Just finished these cute half aprons. I really like the way they came together so this time I decided to make a matching potholder for one of them. My first attempt at one, but because I had to literally machine quilt the matching material it took longer than I expected to complete. So, with that in mind, next time I'll probably purchase matching plain and pre-quilted fabrics and save my machine quilting effort for something else like a bag, purse, etc. I do plan on making more of these sets as Christmas presents for friends that like to cook so, let me know what you think..........

Confessions of a Seamstress

So last night I came home from work and decided to be productive and start a few projects for our upcoming show. I picked out a few patterns and started in on the hardest part for me -- deciding on the fabric. You know when you go to a specialty fabric store and you find wonderful fabric, expensive, but wonderful and you buy it not knowing yet what to do with it? Well that was Mom and me on our mountain trip in Asheville. We bought great fabric but its been sitting on my shelf looking pretty for a month! Every time I pick it up I think to myself, "No, not this pattern. I should wait to use this for something grand."

Well guess what, that fabric won't ever come to life if I keep putting it back on the shelf. So I decided to get it all down today and start cutting away! Seamstress reasoning of course. If I don't use it up I won't have a good excuse to go fabric shopping again! Who's with me?

Cute Little Japanese Purse

This little wristlet was quick and easy to make and it only requires one fat quarter. Take the long strap and weave it under the short strap and voila! a wristlet large enough to carry your cell phone, keys, a picture id and even lip gloss if you like. I watched the tutorial on YouTube then went to Fiona's site, fatquarterfun.com.au. Her tutorial is easy to follow and the pattern is FREE. When you get there be sure to peruse her fabrics and note you can purchase a FQ for charity, too. So cute and great for times you don't need to drag your larger bag around. I really like this one!

My first attempt at free motion quilting!

I just love my new little bag. It's about 6"X8" tall. It's my first attempt at free motion quilting and I am HOOKED! I had several pieces of batik fat qtrs and didn't quite know what to do with them, so I put three layers together, lining, batting and exterior piece, changed the foot on my sewing machine and away I went.....It was really a lot of fun and mistakes, no worry.......there are NO MISTAKES IN ART!! The pix show front and back and it became even prettier with the embellishments that I hand sewed randomly. The colors are fabulous! You should try it out for yourself. I know you'll love the technique as much as I do.

Crochet Hook Caddy

Look how cute this turned out! The pattern is FREE from a download at Quiltingarts.com. Theirs was for a 12 pocket colored pencil roll, but I made mine for crochet hooks. Easy to do and quicker to make than I thought it would be. I love it and will no longer need to worry about losing my hooks in my yarn bag. If you would like me to make you one, let me know. I've got lots of fabric colors to work with.

Dew Drop Handbag!

I just finished this today! I bought the pattern on etsy from Keyka Lou Patterns. I also follow her blog which has some fun projects and tutorials. I made this handbag from my favorite owl fabric and matching pink for the liner. It was a lot of fun to make! I think the next one I'll do will be in Moda Blush. I'm going to add a magnetic snap at the handle as well to keep it closed. Let me know if you want one!

-Christina

Imagine That...grrr!!

Okay...so Christina told me all about the Blog and at first I was like...ummmm...no. But now that I've got all my little fun projects going on and I've dusted off my old camera, I'm excited to post the things that I'm doing and take pics of my progress.

EXCEPT...now I can't find the freakin' cord to upload the pics from my camera to my computer. I've searched high and low...in all of Greg's boxes and boxes and boxes of cords and cables and still nothing! Who wants to make a post without a fun picture (hence the bestbuy logo...smiles!) Therefore...unfortunately I have to wait until tomorrow to make a trip to Best Buy after work to pick up an xD-picture card reader.

All that being said, I just couldn't go to bed without posting something...even if I am venting...just a bit. I'm sure you will find in time that I may tend to rant about things...sometimes, well...lets be honest...sometimes often. :)

Alrighty...my heart is finally content with just this little baby post...just wait until I have my card reader!

night all! - nat

Bugg's Island Adventure

For Memorial Day weekend Michael and I went to Bugg's Island on Kerr Lake in VA. His family has owned a place out there since he was little. We went fishing, my new hobby, but the fish were hiding from us! We only caught a few and threw them all back. While fishing in a little cove two deer came out to visit. I love nature!

- Christina

Ready to go to the beach??

I am! I just finished this cute bag tonight. The sandal fabric was perfect for a beach bag so I found this one on Etsy. Thanks Shannon! I'm still new to the world of sewing but the pattern was easy to follow frustration proof.

I was so excited to get it done! It's big enough for all your beach or pool necessities: large towel, book, sunscreen, water bottle. I've also added a pocket on the inside for your keys and phone. I decided this was perfect for a friend of mine. I'll be making more soon and adding them to the FA store!

- Christina

About Us

Welcome and thank you for visiting!

Frenzied Artists was founded to help women be as beautiful on the outside as they are on the inside.  Utilizing quality components such as sterling silver, crystal, glass, gemstones and designer fabrics, Frenzied Artists offers an array of classic yet unique looks that can be worn everyday.

Our handmade jewelry, handbags and accessories will give you the pleasure of owning something that will become part of you and your daily life. Our innovative craftsmanship will give you the assurance to stand proud and feel great at any occasion, whether you’re going on a job interview, attending a glamorous party, a date night, or just hanging out with friends.  These pieces of art will make a stunning fashion statement and will set you apart from the crowd.  Frenzied Artists takes pride in offering solutions to the everyday dilemma of “I have nothing to wear!” or “What do I buy her?”  With our classic pieces you can spice up that little black dress or even update a sweater from last season.  Feeling good about yourself everyday not only puts a sparkle in your eye, but adds confidence when you need that extra little boost.

How Frenzied Came To Be!
Frenzied Artists was founded in 2007 by Sandra Burris, and her daughters’ Christina Harper and Natalie Harper Yesayan. The launching of Frenzied Artists became their lifelong dream come true!

Mother-daughter time was never an issue with this family, as they always enjoyed bouncing ideas and designs off of each other to create the perfect pieces of art. Today, instead of working from “Mom's Studio,” they travel to three studios across North Carolina to creatively collaborate throughout the year.

They have been creating and crafting for over twenty years using materials ranging from paint, clay, fabric, gemstones, crystals, and everything in between! As requests for their creations began to grow rapidly throughout each of their circles, they decided it was time to show their uniquely, handcrafted creations to the world.  So, what better way to reach all of you lovely people than through the World Wide Web.  With individual studios located throughout the state, they continue to meet regularly, to “dream up” their new and exciting creations!  They have also turned their girl trips into Frenzied Artists retreats, which they do throughout the year for creative inspiration.