Fat Tuesday

We are getting ready for our retreat which is called Mardi Gras in the Mountains. We usually have some kind of name tag - last year Lisa embroidered detective badges for each of us since the theme was Murder in the Mountains. Of course, I was the murderer but I didn't know it at the time.

This year, since our theme is Mardi Gras and today is Fat Tuesday, we decorated our own name tags. We furnished each person who is going to the retreat with a cardboard mask for them to turn into a name tag. The only guidance we gave is that you need to put your name on it somewhere and be able to wear it, either by hanging it around your neck or pinning it to yourself.

Here is my mask so far. I fused lime green felt to the back and then used some of my precious Quilt Diva fabric for the front. I then added some yo-yos for eyes and put buttons on them. I have a bag of these yo-yos that I picked up at some sale - not sure why but I have had them for a long time and this is the first time I used them.

I then put little self-sticking jewels in multi colors around the outside of the mask. I glued together flower pieces with more jewels for the center top. Mary had some wonderfully colored feathers that I glued on to the center top of the mask and then covered the bottom of them with the flowers.

On the theory that too much is never enough, I then put some star sequins around the top. I still haven't added my name but when I went to Joanns today I found some embroidered letters that are lime green. I was going to use my 40% coupon to buy them but when I went to check out, they were on clearance. I couldn't use the coupon but the the clearance price was even better so for $2 I have letters for my name. I am not sure I left enough room on the mask for the letters so I may hang my name off the bottom. Sometimes I wish I had a shorter name.


I took a few pictures of some of the other masks being worked on. The one above is Michelle's. Look at the eyebrows and nose on hers.

I am not sure who this one belongs to but it certainly is colorful!

I like this one with colorful fabric on it. Look at all the feathers on this one. She used some nice buttons also.

Karyn does a lot of machine embroidery and her mask show it.

This one says Jeanne - she had a little trouble with the glue showing through the felt that she glued on the front of her mask. The glue marks may go away after it drys.

Elizabeth made another purple mask. Look at all the sequins she put around hers.

We have lots of beads to give out and are having gumbo for our first dinner. We will have a Mardi Gras parade and lots of fun - we may even sew some!