Pin Cushion Hand

This is a classic tomato pin cushion used by sewers and quilters from years gone by. I don't use it, I use a magnetic pin cushion which is a lot easier. I used large darning needles, a T pin and a corsage pin to make the fingers.

BattleHand

This is a very old Battleship game we have had since I was little. I don't think we played it very much, but it still is a fun and classic game.

Hand Paper Clip

I think I have seen hand shaped paper clips before in a book about scrapbooking, but I have not seen them in real person, so I had to make them myself. I tried to use a real paper clip but it was too short so I used some other wire that isn't as strong. It was easy to shape, but I expect using the right gauge of wire would be a bit more difficult.

Paper Chain Hands

Just like old school, I made some paper chains and used a die cutter to cut out the perfect hand shape. I made quite a few of these chains, so maybe I will decorate my christmas tree with them as a garland.

"HANDS" hand

I used foam stamps originally made for scrapbooking to stamp the word "hands" with acrylic paint to form the shape of a hand. It isn't that great, but they all can't be winners. I did use two different colors for dimension and since the paint didn't show up as much as I wanted it to the first time.

I will miss you Houdini

Tonight I lost my sweet chicken, Houdini. She was the sweetest chicken ever. She has always been so soft and so friendly. She came to know and recognize her name and would come to you if she could see where you were from under her poof on top of her head. She received her name because she was an amazing escape artist and could also fly quite well. I lost her one night and looked all around the ground trying to find her and I looked up and she was perched on the 6 foot tall fence. How she got up there, I will never know. She always loved being with me and would many times prefer to be with me than the other chickens. She was a few eggs short of a dozen, if you know what I mean, but was the cutest thing ever. I will miss her sorely. I made this hand from some of her feathers I saved before her passing.

Straw Fingers

Straws just lend themselves to being long, slender fingers. They are straight, round and can bend just like real fingers; they only have one joint though, so that might be difficult if you had straws for fingers!

JIFfy hand

Do you remember the commercial in the 90's for peanut butter where the mom in the comercial makes a heart in the top of the peanut butter jar? I sure do and I always wanted to do that. Whenever I opened a new jar of peanut butter, I had to make a heart in the top and if someone beat me to the jar, I was quite disappointed. Confession, even now, when I open a jar of peanut butter, I still have to make a heart in the top. I know it is silly. Some things never change. I had to make a hand in this jar of peanut butter instead of a heart. Maybe that will be my new thing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj3pBjl6sjM&feature=player_detailpage

Spand or Hoon

Earlier I made a hand out of a fork, so I had to go on with the cutlery and make one out of spoons. These are actually from an old windchime that was going to the DI when I rescued them for greater things. The spoons were pounded flat so they will no longer be useful to use as a real spoon, just for art and hands. Maybe later I will have to make a hand out of knives... More to come.

Hanger Hand

Wire hangers are surprisingly strong when trying to bend them. I had one shot to bend it which is why it is a bit off. It turned out ok though. Now I need something to hang on it.

Chenille Hand

Another block for my quilt. I used a technique called chenille where you take fabric cut on the bias (45 degree angle), layer the fabric, sew down the middle and brush the dickens out of it to get it to fray. I had a lot of scraps of bias cut fabric from making my quilt I now have on my bed, so I had to use up some and decided to make a chenille hand.

Happy Father's Day

I, of course, had to make a hand out of a tie, the most popular gift on Father's Day. I have to say, I have never given my dad a tie for Father's Day or any other holiday. I think I might have seen him in one or maybe two ties in my entire life. He's not a tie guy.

Thread Hand

I have had some experience with free motion stitching/quilting on the sewing machine so this hand was just some more practice. It was fun to make; lots of circles, the easiest to sew. It was really hard on one aspect though. I had to secure the fabric in an embroidery hoop and since I didn't have a large enough one to fit the whole hand (which is a tracing of my hand), I had to move the hoop over and over again while still secure in the machine so I didn't have to cut the threads a million times.

Bleached Hands

I have loved using bleach to stamp or transform a piece of fabric or paper. It is always a surprise what the color it will turn out to be. This kind of reminds me a bit of Andy Warhol. I think I might explore Andy Warhol's art more later this year. These fabric squares will later appear in my hand quilt.

Silly Handz

I have jumped on the Silly Bandz bandwagon. I just thought it would be a great medium to use to make some hands. I tried with other materials without much success so I googled how to make silly bandz and I found a website that you can form your own. It was perfect for my project. I have no idea if I will ever wear these though.

Scratch Hand

This is the classic- color a whole page with crayons, paint over the top with black paint and scratch off whatever design you want- technic. What is that even called? I think I did it in Elementary School as many people have and sometimes going back to basics is kind of fun! I enjoyed coloring with 7 year old Dillon and 3 year old Ryker Denson (cutie patooties!!). Good Times!!

Noodle Hand

I went back to preschool and made a hand out of noodles. I had the tri-color curly noodles and glued then into a hand shape with a bit of movement this time. I am going to have to frame all of these hands. Wow, what a collage that would be.

Put a Cork Hand In It

These are cork panels I cut out into hand shapes. I will have to add them to my bulletin board and post items on them.

Fuseable Beads Hand

I have never used these fusible beads before and I now know why. They were so annoying! I did make it hard on myself by making a design and having to cut multiple beads in half because I didn't want a jagged line on the fingers. I had a headache and my eyes were crossed after finishing this hand. If anyone is in need of some fusible beads, I have a whole jar that I do not see using in the near future!!!

Chalked Hand

When I was little, I was not allowed to use sidewalk chalk. It was too messy and my dad did not like it on his clean, pristine driveway. Once I got into High School, I went crazy. My friends and I, instead of toilet papering, we would decorate people's driveways with chalk. It is so much fun!! Obviously I still like use sidewalk chalk.

Tie Dye Hand

Here is another example of my adventures in dying. I have tie dyed one time before at Girl's Camp and it was a dismal failure. I watched numerous you tube videos to see how to tie dye and the best techniques to the desired designs. I did not find instructions for making a hand, but from all the tutorials, I was able to come up with my own technique. I think it turned out pretty good. I must wear it to my hippy get togethers!

Batik Hand

Today's project was so much fun to do. I have always wanted to make Batik fabric and this was the perfect opportunity. Batik is made by applying wax onto fabric to resist the dye,  then dying the fabric. After the fabric is dry, you iron the fabric between paper towels to remove the wax and viola, you have Batik. It was really fun to do with a bit of trial and error. More dying projects to come...

Mouse Pad Hand

Mouse pad special from IKEA. Super easy to cut with just scissors. Maybe it will guide my mouse to all the right websites and click all the right buttons for work.

Button, Button, Who's got their hand on the button?

My mom is obsessed with buttons. She absolutely loves them. She says it reminds her of her childhood and her Grandma with her big jars of buttons. I spent many hours in my youth searching through those large bins of buttons in craft and fabric stores. If I would see one, I tried to steer my mom away from them. This will also be included in my future quilt.

Clipboard Hand

We made decorated clipboards a few years ago at Girl's Camp, I liked them so much, I have made multiple ones for work and friends in regular sizes and a smaller size. I had to make one in a hand shape. Once again, the fabric I used matches my room.

Ruffle my Hand

Here is block #2 for my future quilt I have decided to make during this year. I have a ton of scraps from hemming numerous formal dresses. I have saved them hoping to make a scrap quilt or something in the future. The pink ruffles making the hand is one of those scraps. It was fun to make, but kind of time consuming. More blocks to come...

Wisk by Hand

After a trip down to IKEA, I have a few new supplies for hand making. This utensil was a wisk like tool, but after I got to it with a sturdy pair of scissors, it is now a very slender hand. I don't think it will be as effective like it used to though.

One, Two... Twelve Hands

There is a clock in my classroom I have spent the last year and half in that has the numbers covered up with pictures of numbers in ASL. It inspired me to make my own. That is fabric behind the circle and the flower in the middle is a photocopy of other fabric (shrinked to fit) of a quilt and bulletin board I have in my room. Everything is all coordinated. Notice how 3 is different from most people's 3, which is what the number 6 looks like. Interesting, huh.

Patch Hand

This is another find at Smith and Edwards. They have a huge bin with lots of patches taken off of other uniforms and a few new patches. I love going through that bin and seeing all the many patches and wondering where they have been in their life. I hope I did not commit a faux pas by using these patches in an unofficial way and tilting them. Hopefully since they were just thrown in a bin, it is ok.

I Want To Hold Your Hand

Who knew cutting a vinyl record would be so hard? I didn't. They shatter like nobody's business. Thankfully I had a really thin record that I could cut with an exacto knife. Can you see the label on the record? It is "I Want To Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles. You gotta love them!! Don't worry, it is not the real record. It is a cheap album that I got at the DI but I got the image off the internet so it looks like it is a Beatles album.
PS. This post makes me think if a joke I loved to tell when I was little. You ready?? K, here goes...

What did the boy octopus say to the girl octopus???

I want to hold your hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand.

Gotta love it!! Who knew I would be obsessed with hands later in life. I guess just a precursor.