Creative Daily

Got Needles!

2012-01-27T02:00:00.001-08:00

While I was visiting Karen, she gifted me with this. I completed the sections and stitching when I got home and put it all together.

It is a version of a pin cushion that holds various needles - she calls it "Got Needles". She teaches this as a class in southern California at Piecemaker's.

It holds all the needles I use day to day - a great addition to my studio.

Thank you Karen!

Enjoy your weekend.

TAST sampler journal

2012-01-25T02:00:00.001-08:00

I mentioned on Monday's post that I am keeping a digital journal of some of the TAST 2012 participants stitch samples. Above is week 1 samples of the fly stitch.

This is a selection of week 2 buttonhole stitch.

The page template is part of Ali Edwards December Daily template package which I have modified slightly. You can find it here @ Designer Digitals.

TAST Week 3

2012-01-23T02:00:00.001-08:00

TAST Week 3 was the feather stitch. I decided instead of stitching this on my sampler, I'd show some of my feather stitching on some blocks. I tend to use this stitch a lot for vines and stems. The above sample is from one of my fall tone blocks. The sample below is part of my upcoming class sample.

I spent some time last week going through all the wonderful samples for the first three weeks of TAST. Each week Sharon shows some of the participant's samples and having seen this, I decided I wanted to keep a visual sampler of sorts.

This is my feather sampler.

Please stop by and visit these talented participants blogs - all are noted in the photo.

I'll share the first two weeks on Wednesday.

The page template is part of Ali Edwards December Daily template package. You can find it here @ Designer Digitals.

Stitching with Karen

2012-01-20T02:00:00.000-08:00

A special thanks to all of you sending me birthday wishes.

I'm finishing this week off with a special post.

In November I had the pleasure of spending over a week with Karen Fraser (no blog), an extremely gifted teacher. Karen specializes in silk ribbon embroidery but she does ALL types of embroidery. We spent nine days stitching this panel, YES NINE!!! The panel is a piece designed by Di Van Niekerk in South Africa. Stitching is silk ribbon work, stumpwork and a bit of Brazilian.

I came home with the majority of the piece complete with the exception of the darker purple pansy and the panel divisions stitched, both of which I just completed in late December.

I found this a very challenging piece but am delighted with the results.

I learned so much.

I knew how much I liked silk ribbon work so expect to see more in the future. Didn't enjoy working with organza ribbon, quite tricky. I didn't enjoy stumpwork (pansies, butterfly, dragonfly) as much as I thought I would but I'll definitely be attempting some more on a larger scale - I think the problem was more that they were so tiny (Karen helped A LOT). Really enjoyed thread painting (some of the leaves), Loved the cast on stitch so will be playing with this more. Perfected French knots (hydrangeas). Last but not least, LOVED bullions and this piece has several done in different ways. I will be playing A LOT with these soon....

I like to refer to this piece as Karen's and my panel as I could not (nor would I attempt) to have done it without her. I've stretched it on a frame and it now hangs in my studio for inspiration.

Thank you Karen (and Lee) for sharing your generosity, talent and home with me. I sure did have fun....

Yesterday!

2012-01-18T02:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday started off VERY WELL with a bottle of this!

And then a box of Purdy's snowballs - delicious....

And some of these to round it off - quite a treat at this time of the year.
I think you may have guessed I celebrated my birthday yesterday with some decadent treats.
Today, I need to hit the gym......

TAST Week 2

2012-01-16T02:00:00.000-08:00

I'm a little late this week in posting as I ended up finishing several smaller projects I had been working on prior to stitching my sampler. This week it was all about buttonhole stitch. I must admit, this is not one of my favourite stitches. I did end up stitching a buttonhole loop flower (bottom right) which I had not done previously. Otherwise, experimented with various thread weights.

Busy weekend checking out many of the other TAST participants entries and general research online. We had our first light dusting of snow which hasn't lasted long but evidently more snow in the forecast so will see.

Plan to start stitching on my CQJP today - the first block!

Silent Night

2012-01-13T02:00:00.001-08:00

Thanks to all those who left such kind comments over the last couple of posts.

I decided to take a break from stitching posts today. I'm very lucky to live in an area where we experience silent nights. I was playing with the theme of silent night prior to Christmas and this is what I came up with. Quite simple.

Credits - Irene Alexeeva and Lorie Davison

My plan is to get some more studio time over the weekend as I have numerous projects in various stages at present. Enjoy your weekend whatever you get up to....

CQJP 2012

2012-01-11T02:00:00.000-08:00

Over the last several weeks my sewing machine got quite a workout.

I spent several days constructing my blocks, all twelve of them. These will provide the base for my Crazy Quilt Journal Project, the second project I'll be working on throughout the year. YUP, it is shaping up to be a busy year.....

You can read about the project HERE.

I'll be adding some seam treatments using the Take A Stitch Tuesday stitches too. I've chosen the greens as I hope to make this into a wall hanging for one of the rooms in our home. I'll be posting throughout the year with close ups of each of the blocks as they are completed.

A very special shout out goes to Gerry who sent me a lovely selection of greens to add to this collection. Thank you Gerry (do you see them in there?).

Hope you will join me to watch the progress.

For those of you watching Downton Abbey - can you believe the beading in those costumes - GORGEOUS...

New class

2012-01-09T02:00:00.001-08:00

One of our local quilt stores has been discussing my teaching crazy quilting and I have decided to go for it. I was reluctant to do so as I felt I was really a beginner myself but since no one else does CQ locally decided to take the plunge.

This is the block (12") I'll be teaching in the class. I found it far more challenging designing the block for a class than I would have if I were stitching it for myself. I wanted to keep all the stitching basic and yet at the same time show a visually appealing block. There are about seven stitches used in the block with variations of each stitch. Have included a button cluster, an embellished butterfly applique and a doily. I'm hoping that it will appeal and there will be interest. It would be wonderful to have a CQ group locally.

We have many talented machine quilters locally but few using hand work so will see where it goes.

Thanks to Gerry for your design input!

I had a busy weekend of stitching completing the last in a four block series. Have also started a new project (more on this later in the week). I recorded Downton Abbey last night so look forward to watching it this evening.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-05T18:46:00.000-08:00

I hope all of you enjoyed your seasonal celebrations.

I had a busy time in the studio preparing several projects I plan to participate in. Without further ado, this is the first section of my "naked" TAST (Take a Stitch Tuesdays). You can read all about it here just in case you may want to participate. I've used Aida cloth and linen as a background, most of which has been dyed - not sure how I got that rather vibrant pink so I'll have to use a contrasting thread there. I'm thinking of doing a band sampler similar to Sharon's but honestly, this could completely change as I progress. I'll also be adding stitching to my crazy quilt project this year which I'll tell you about in Wednesday posts.

This week it is all about the fly stitch.

I ended up doing ten different variations of the stitch. I had not used this stitch before so have ended up adding it to one of the CQ blocks I'm currently working on. Look forward to seeing what is in store for next Tuesday.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T02:00:00.000-08:00

Wishing all of my blog friends a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous 2012.

Credits

Tumblefish, Cemerony, Lisa's altered art, Carla Gibson and Tangie Baxter.

I'll be taking a blog break through the holidays and will return January 9th.

December Daily Day 12

2011-12-23T02:00:00.000-08:00

The santa collection!

Credits Ali Edwards and Carla Gibson.

This is the last day I'll be participating in the December Daily challenge. Will have a Christmas wish for you all tomorrow.

December Daily Day 11

2011-12-22T02:00:00.000-08:00

December Daily Day 10

2011-12-21T02:00:00.000-08:00

I always like to have a welcoming front entrance for visitors during the season. This year the urns are stuffed with various greens. The bird nest was a find from my husband during one of his house renovation projects. The amarylis are artificial but give a nice punch of colour.

December Daily Day 9

2011-12-20T02:00:00.000-08:00

For years when my husband and I are on a trip we always look for a Christmas ornament to bring home. It is small and easy to pack providing it is wrapped well.

The face ornament is hand sculpted by an artist in Missouri which I picked up years ago (am sorry I don't recall her name). The bee ornament is vintage and I picked it up in Eureka California. The bottom ornament was picked up in Banff, Alberta.

Hope your ornaments bring you fond memories too.

Credits - Ali Edwards template

December Daily Day 8

2011-12-19T02:00:00.000-08:00

Today's DD is about holiday decor and in specific mantles. The top photo is our mantle decorated to celebrate the season. Very similar to last year so not much new.

Was visiting Pinterest for some inspiration (bottom two photos).

Credits - Katie Pertiet music cluster

December Daily Day 7

2011-12-16T02:00:00.000-08:00

This is the wreath I bought for the kitchen door. Wish you could smell it. I love the smell of fresh Christmas greens at this time of year.

I was experimenting with using words and will likely use these again where they would show up better.

Credits - day number Katie Pertiet

December Daily Day 6

2011-12-15T02:00:00.000-08:00

Baking Day on December 6th. I love mincemeat tarts and think my journaling tells the story. Was experimenting with creating my own templates in this digital and have a ways to go.

I forgot to add that I make my own mincemeat too which is family recipe passed down several generations with a few changes on my part. I generally make it a year in advance so it "ages". This batch was from last year and I'll be making a new batch likely within the next couple of weeks.

Credits - Carla Gibson

December Daily Day 5

2011-12-14T02:00:00.000-08:00

What can I say, it was our anniversary on the 5th.

I guess you can tell we had my favourite champagne - YUM.

Credits - day number Katie Pertiet

December Daily Day 4

2011-12-13T02:00:00.000-08:00

December 4th I spent the day online getting inspiration from Pinterest! This is becoming a favourite image gallery for INSPIRATION. I love both indoor and outdoor flower arrangements at Christmas and this gave me all sorts of ideas.

Credits - Ali Edwards

Oops, accidentally deleted my signature.....

Lorraine

December Daily Day 3

2011-12-12T02:00:00.000-08:00

I went shopping in the city on the 3rd. Always love to see the decorations both the malls and larger department stores have. I thought the ornament christmas trees were great. Although a red and green theme, the gold and yellow were beautiful additions.

Onto Day 4 tomorrow.

December Daily

2011-12-09T02:00:00.001-08:00

In 2007 Ali Edwards created December Daily.

I have always been intrigued by the

project which is a journal of sorts highlighting a story a day leading up to Christmas. This year I decided (rather late I must admit) to participate and thought it best to create digitally which not only gives me practice but this way I would not have to print up an album unless I wanted to.

You can read all about the project on Ali's blog and follow along with her daily posts and those of others.

SO, December 1st is above and I know it is a repeat of an image I posted earlier in the week! Forgive me for this but I do really like the image.

Credits - Irene Alexeeva

Now for day 2

The journaling says it all! I can't believe DH got it this close - WOW.

Credits - Marsha @ http://tumblefishstudio.blogspot.com/ and Ali Edwards @

http://www.designerdigitals.com
More on Monday!

Gifts and Challenges

2011-12-07T02:00:00.000-08:00

During my vacation in November, I got a note from Sharon of Livewire Jewelry to tell me I had won the lovely bracelet she had offered as a blog giveaway.

It arrived late last week so I thought you may like to share in my excitement.

What a lovely bracelet and beautiful sentiment.

AND look at that lovely embroidered fabric - this is sure to show up in one of my future CQ projects.

Sharon has recently been selected as a designer for Nunn Designs so check out her blog to see ALL her lovelies.

Thanks so much Sharon for this lovely and special gift.

2012 is shaping up to be a year of learning!

Flora Bowley is offering her first online class commencing February 6, 2012. Many of you may not know but I used to paint, in fact I painted for about twelve years then got involved in textiles. I admire Flora's free style so anticipate this workshop will be quite inspiring and no doubt a challenge.....

Sharon Boggon (Pintangle) is once again doing the TAST challenge commencing January 3, 2012. The idea is to experiment with stitches so I'm going to be EXPERIMENTING!

I also decided to register for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project.

Haven't quite decided what I'll be making but lots of ideas running through my head.

Have a feeling I will be quite busy - want to join me!?

Celebrating the season

2011-12-05T02:00:00.000-08:00

Today I'm celebrating the season with various retail displays I see locally.

The Swallow's Nest is owned by a very talented friend Ginny who never ceases to amaze with her wonderful window displays. What can I say, she has TALENT.

What is inside is just as nice.....

All of these photos were taken at B and K, a local nursery.

This is some of what I've been up to - what have you been up to?

Block 2 completed

2011-12-02T02:00:00.000-08:00

This is a close up of a small section of block 2. The lace is embellished with french knots (I think you may have figured out by now that this is one of my favourite stitches).

I added a bit of feather stitching for branches.

This is block completed. I added beading to fill in the fan shape space as this shape will be repeated in another block. I'm still pondering whether to fill in the black center - input appreciated!

Although it doesn't show well in the photo, the black velvet is embossed with a butterfly.

Can't quite believe it is December already.

Enjoy your weekend - we are off to get our Christmas tree!

More CQ

2011-11-30T02:00:00.000-08:00

The early stages of the second block in my fall tone series. Silk ribbon roses.

I was playing with straight stitches, lace trim and french knots.

I decided to extend the flower motif in the brocade fabric. These were created with french knots. Branches are stem stitch with lazy daisy leaves.

Thrift finds

2011-11-28T02:00:00.000-08:00

Some of my most recent thrift finds - one can never have doilies!

And what about lace, especially BLACK lace!

They are not really me but since the season is coming up thought they just may come in handy for something.

Well you know I couldn't resist these!

More crazy quilting on Wednesday.

More crazy

2011-11-25T02:00:00.000-08:00

Another seam treatment using silk ribbon work, chain stitch, crocheted flowers and mokuba flowers.

This is the block part way through.

This is the completed block #1. Lots of fun!

Wishing all of my American friends a Happy Thanksgiving weekend and for those who shop on Black Friday, have fun!

Crazy!!!!

2011-11-23T02:00:00.000-08:00

Over the next several weeks I'm going to be sharing an ongoing project I am working on.

In the last post prior to my vacation I shared some close up photos of roses I had stitched during a silk ribbon workshop in June of this year. Prior to the class I decided to use crazy quilt blocks as a base for the roses so put together the above four 12" blocks in fall tones. I started by experimenting with Pam Kellog's technique of using waste canvas for layering stitches.

This is how the seam turned out after adding several layers, beads etc.

Then I started playing a bit with Carole Samples Dream-A-Seam templates. Am quite fond of this seam treatment.

More on Friday!

Thanks to all of you who left comments about our cat. He is on the road to recovery - something we are truly THANKFUL for.

Back again!

2011-11-21T02:00:00.000-08:00

Am starting off this week with a 5x7 fabric collage. Various scraps of muslin, lace, fabric and cheesecloth.

During my absence I purchased a new computer and WOW, is it ever fast. Now I realize how slow my old one was. I am doing a bit of re-organizing of files etc so a bit larger task than I had anticipated.

We had quite an eventful weekend which both DH and I are recovering from. Our cat went out for a short stroll on Saturday (the usual) and was either attacked by a dog or coyote (most likely). He managed to make it home after our searching and calling for him for over an hour. He was shaky and obviously in pain. He has already used several of his nine lives recovering with a large puncture wound in his head. Fortunately no surgery was required, only antibiotics, pain medication and rest. As expected, he is moving very slowly and stiffly.

I'm thinking it is time he becomes an indoor only cat!!!!

Roses

2011-11-04T02:00:00.001-07:00

In June of this year I attended a silk ribbon embroidery workshop taught by Karen which I wrote about previously in this post.

The second workshop focused on silk ribbon roses and we did I believe a total of 10 different roses. As my focus is crazy quilting, I decided to complete these on four crazy quilt blocks I had constructed prior to class. These are some snippets of some of the roses. I am currently working on completing the fourth block and once it is completed, I'll be sharing all the blocks here on the blog.

It has been challenging to design around silk ribbon work already on a block and am not sure if I would do it this way again. I think it would have been better to put more thought into placement first but live and learn!

This is my last post for two weeks as I will be on vacation. I should have LOTS to share on my return. See you all November 21st!!!

Gifts

2011-11-02T02:00:00.006-07:00

I found a wonderful surprise in my mailbox on Monday. Several weeks back in one of my posts, I mentioned I was going to be working on a future crazy quilt in greens. I received an email from Gerry shortly after the post saying she would send me a package of greens. Can you believe it - oh, those wonderful textures. Thank you SO much Gerry. Not only is the selection wonderful but it is very helpful for newbies such as myself to see what an experienced crazy quilter collects. I can see hunting for lots more textural fabrics in my future thrift visits.

I think I may be about ready to start sewing blocks now as I've added these to my collection.

Gerry has an excellent blog called Block Talk. She shares helpful design ideas for stitching crazy quilt blocks. Stop by for a visit.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T02:00:00.001-07:00

"Sinister"

Marsha has a new kit called Slightly Sinister so I naturally had to play with the theme a little.

Credits Tumblefish and Irene Alexeeva.

Have a safe Halloween!

Thrift finds

2011-10-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

All for future use in crazy quilting. I'll likely cut the crocheted doily apart to use the flowers once it has been dyed. The earrings will make nice additions. Couldn't resist the bird earrings too. That's it for another week of creativity. What are you up to these days?

Free Motion

2011-10-26T02:00:00.000-07:00

I decided to take a break from hand stitching and started playing with some free motion embroidery on my machine. When I need some inspiration in my studio I tend to start reviewing my magazines. There was an article in Stitch in this issue. It was written by Kathleen Laurel Sage who is a very talented UK embroiderer. The flowers are made with layers of organza. I was delighted with the way they turned out.

Her website is definitely worth checking out so go take a peak.

Fabric collage

2011-10-24T02:00:00.000-07:00

Playing with some leftover bits and pieces. Must admit, I'm not as fond of this one as others. Think it is the gingham background, just doesn't do it for me! Anyway, thought I'd share.

Am off to play in the studio today. Hope you find some time to do the same.

Star

2011-10-21T02:00:00.000-07:00

She is a "star"! I had fun playing with some simple digital recently. This is one of the creations. I love those stars....

Credits: Tumblefish, Cemerony and Irena Alexeeva.

Enjoy your weekend whatever you get up to.

Felted Flowers

2011-10-19T02:00:00.000-07:00

I continued on with some wet felting experimentation last week and came up with these.

They currently do not look like much but I have a feeling with some beading and various embellishments they will sing when they are done. I am thinking they will look good against a crazy quilted background. I am going to experiment a bit more to make some smaller ones.

Green

2011-10-17T02:00:00.000-07:00

Since I posted on Friday about my love of green thought it appropriate to share one of my thrift finds last week! Can you believe they were still in the box and all for 50 cents. Oh, I love it when I find a bargain.

Happy hunting to YOU too.

Thank you all for such lovely comments on my "green" CQ piece.

CRAZY....

2011-10-14T02:00:00.000-07:00

I've been going CRAZY lately.

I'm fond of green, in fact the main floor of our house is painted in shades of green. I've been pondering an idea for making a CQ wall hanging so I started experimenting with piecing a background early last spring using what fabric I had on hand. I realized I'd need to purchase (or trade hint hint) a lot more fabric, especially silks, satins, brocades if I wanted a variety of values (which I do) and textures in a larger piece so I decided to use this for stitching experiments and silk ribbon motif practice.

I don't like it so it is incomplete and will likely remain in the drawer for awhile until inspiration strikes (or not).

I learned a lot when piecing and stitching this. I'm in the process of collecting more green fabric for a larger piece.

I recently have pieced several 12 inch blocks (not greens) which I am currently stitching so expect to see more in the upcoming weeks....

TOLD YOU I WAS GOING CRAZY....

Just a shout out to thank those of you who leave comments.

Enjoy your weekend

COLLAGE

2011-10-13T02:00:00.000-07:00

A 5x7 collage I made awhile back.

I think I may have to make a book for all these little collages.....

Something crazy for tomorrow's post.....

WET FELTING

2011-10-11T02:00:00.000-07:00

I am a member of a small stitch group locally, all with an interest in hand embroidery/stitching. We get together once monthly and last month one member's sister-in-law was visiting. Jill is a felter from the UK. She gave us a wonderful demonstration on wet felting. I took a few photos of her work above - isn't it fantastic! She is coming back next year with plans to teach a workshop so I just may have to attend.

After the demo I came home and created this.....

Wool/bamboo rovings in a green/yellow blend. I'm happy with the results but not sure what it will become yet (what else is new!?)

CURTAIN CALL

2011-10-07T02:00:00.000-07:00

I've been playing digitally lately and this is one I came up with. Layers, brushes etc., generally just playing around...

Credits - Tumblefish and Irena Alexeeva.

Wishing all of my fellow Canadian bloggers a Happy Thanksgiving.

I'll be back posting next Tuesday after the holiday weekend.

CHARM/LACE BUY

2011-10-05T02:00:00.000-07:00

The Crazy Quilt International Yahoo group recently offered participation in a group charm/lace buy. Thought I would share the stash that arrived in my mail box last week. Quite an assortment of treasures. Can you believe all those charms!!!!

They are now tucked away in my drawers when inspiration strikes!!!

Enjoy your day whatever you get up to.

EXPERIMENTING

2011-10-03T02:00:00.000-07:00

What the heck happened to September!!!!

The last several weeks I have been experimenting with various techniques, supplies etc. This is a machine needle felted piece I was playing around with. Background is black felt with foil. Wool and silk rovings were layered over this then topped with thread bits. A layer of chiffon was placed to hold everything in place then needle felting.

Yes, I do keep my thread bits left over from both hand stitching and machine work!

I'm pleased with the results - no idea currently what this will become.

Watched Downton Abbey season 1 on DVD this weekend - well

worth watching. Looks as if the second season started airing in the UK this past month so will look forward to watching this next year.

USE

2011-09-30T02:00:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling blue but a good blue!

Interestingly blue is one of those colours I rarely use. I like blue, I just don't seem to use it much. On one of my studio purge/cleaning binges last winter, I decided it was time to use some of the fabric from my quilting days. After all, it has been sitting in those drawers for years. Amazingly, I DID NOT purchase any fabric for this quilt top - frightening isn't it!?

Most of the blues were leftover from the one and only blue (and yellow) quilt I made years ago.

I did end up buying the backing fabric as my pieced backing just didn't work. It also means I can reverse the quilt. I came across a pattern using various size squares by Kaffe Fassett online which made construction very fast and easy. Quilting was done by my friend Hilary on her long arm - thank you Hilary!

I added the yellow borders on only two sides as this covers an outdoor sofa.

A wonderful way to USE those fabrics!

Enjoy your weekend and chat again Monday.

POSTCARD

2011-09-28T02:00:00.000-07:00

I have a variety of projects in varying stages on the go. So, decided to post another CQ postcard I played around with not long ago.

Very simple stitching. A great way to practice.

More Friday.

MORE COLOUR

2011-09-26T02:00:00.001-07:00

What can I say, I'm on a roll dyeing these days! I need more variety in greens for leaves etc.......

Paler shades of greens. Overdyed some previously dyed ribbon which turned out orange!!!

Then since I had more dye, MORE THREADS!!!

I'm afraid to say, it is a bit addictive....

Thanks to all who commented on my little "gem"...

A GEM!!

2011-09-23T02:00:00.000-07:00

Isn't she a beauty!

You just never know what you'll find at the thrift store.

During my blogging absence this summer, I came across her one day. She is a Smith Corona Corsair Deluxe circa about 1970.

I have been looking for a small typewriter for the past year or so.

Who could resist the colour! I cleaned her up and she glistens.

This is what she looks like in the case. Measures about 13" square. I had no idea there was one made this small and light weight.

The best part $5.00!!!

Oh, how could I resist.

GIFTS

2011-09-21T02:00:00.000-07:00

Several posts back I posted about my participation in the All About Grey challenge with the CQ International yahoo group. What a surprise last week when I opened a surprise parcel from Colleen who organized the challenge.

Have a feeling you'll see these in upcoming blocks!!!

Thanks so much Colleen...

DIGITAL

2011-09-19T02:00:00.000-07:00

After talking to my friend Joanne last week about digital, it reminded me I have not worked on any digital projects in quite some time. I came to realize that I tend to work on digital art when the weather is poor in the late fall and winter - lots of dreary days waiting to be brightened up with some digital colour.

Some time ago I played with backgrounds and mail art envelopes so thought it was about time I played around with some digital mail art so here it is.

Credits to Cemerony, Tumblefish Studios, Irena Alexeeva, Moonlight Journey and Lisa's Altered Art.

GLORIOUS SILK

2011-09-16T02:00:00.000-07:00

I completed only a very small amount of silk ribbon in the class BUT I continued on at home and came up with this selection.

Thought a close up was warranted.
Well, I most definitely learned a lot in the workshop.
Enjoy your weekend, back with more next week.

THREADS

2011-09-14T02:00:00.000-07:00

This gives you an idea of what I accomplished. Quite a variety of colours and threads. Varying sizes of perle cottons, silk thread, buttonhole twist and silk ribbon.

I thought you might like to see them close up!

Another close up of the silks!

More to come....

COLOUR!!!

2011-09-12T02:00:00.000-07:00

Look at those glorious colours!!! I recently attended a 3 day workshop "Dyeing to Stitch" taught by the very talented and knowledgeable, Elin Noble. The samples above are some she dyed during the workshop.

This is a photo of our "yarn" tree, dyed and hung to dry!

The workshop was held at FibreWorks which is about a 35 minute drive from me in Pender Harbour. We are so lucky to have this wonderful facility.

The other attendees were all spinners/weavers so I got to see rovings dyed - the colours were incredible!

Various fibers including ribbon were dyed!

I did tell you, this week would be all about colour!!!

What did I do in class, stay tuned....

Fabric collage

2011-09-09T02:00:00.002-07:00

I'm not doing much fabric collage these days but thought I'd share this one from earlier in the year. Very simple piece I'll likely use in a future postcard.

Lots of leftover lace, upholstery fabric, muslin and cheesecloth.

Next week will be all about COLOUR!!!

Enjoy your weekend...

Thrift treasures

2011-09-07T02:00:00.002-07:00

As most of you are no doubt aware by now, I visit our thrift stores about once weekly. On occasion, I admit I do miss a week. Several weeks back I came across this bag of ribbons, to be precise mostly VELVET ribbon - what a find! All for a toonie - for my international friends that is $2.00!!!

These are now stored for future use - have a feeling you'll see these in some seam treatments on crazy quilt projects....

Vacation is over!!

2011-09-05T02:00:00.007-07:00

Yes, I am back after a very lengthy vacation/blog break. I thought I'd share a photo of one of my garden pots earlier in the summer - I'm enjoying our late summer this year with lovely warm temperatures.

First, thanks to all of you who left comments on my last post about my grey challenge. All were appreciated.

I wish I could say I did lots of art related projects during vacation but must admit I read, gardened, relaxed but DID NOT do much art. I did manage to keep myself VERY busy purging most of my scrapbook supplies (a massive project I might add) which as you can guess took me many more days than I had anticipated. Having said this, I do like the results - more drawer space. I decided it was time to part with items I simply was not using much. So off went most of the brads/eyelets, papers, punches and rubber stamps. I am left with about 3 boxes of various tools, stickers and stamps which I hope will go to good homes when participating in a couple of upcoming garage sales. I have re-organized (I'll share in future posts) and generally cleaned up - it feels SO good....

I'll be back on Wednesday to show you some of the things I DID do....

HOW ARE ALL OF YOU?

Shades of grey

2011-07-15T02:00:00.043-07:00

The Crazy Quilt International yahoo group recently had an "All About Grey" challenge. We were to construct a 12x12 block in shades of grey (includes silver and pewter), use some glass, fiber and metal in the piece. This is the first challenge I've ever participated in and I must admit, it was a challenge! An excellent study in the use of value.

So, how did it start....

I started with laying out elements. I dyed some silk ribbon and laces. I also coloured polyester laces with transfer dye. I didn't use everything in the photo but was surprised to find I had far more than I thought!

A close up of the SRE motif. I would have liked to have more variation of colours in the silk ribbon but found it difficult to achieve grey without getting black or blue, so went with what I had.

Had never stitched a spider web before. I like it but would stitch it differently next time. My spider is pitiful - I need to learn how to stitch one properly! I made it far more difficult than it needed to be. Many of the buttons I used in the cluster were from Pat's stash (remember all those buttons last year!). Added some brads (as in scrapbooking), a broken earring and beads.

I found Gerry Krueger's new blog, Block Talk very helpful in designing this block - thanks Gerry!

I have decided to take this summer off from blogging. I find I want to spend more time outside in the garden and enjoying the weather than I do with creative pursuits at this time of year. Having said this, it doesn't mean I won't be playing around with something, just not as much as usual. I'll be working on various projects both ongoing and new so hope to have a variety to share when I return in September.

Enjoy your summer!

Sister

2011-07-13T02:00:00.012-07:00

This is one of my favourite ATC's. I like the image and colours. Layers of scraps from other projects, bits of rag, cheesecloth, printed muslin, trim etc. Lots of bits!

Inspiration!

2011-07-11T02:00:00.004-07:00

Thanks to those of you who commented on my silk dyeing - plan to do more of this!

I found some inspiration on ebay several weeks ago. I don't shop much on ebay but came across this stash when I was looking for something else. When I contacted the seller turns out she lived just outside of Vancouver so DH picked these up when he was in the city last week.

These books provide a tremendous amount of inspiration for new projects this summer....

Playing

2011-07-08T02:00:00.002-07:00

When I was dyeing recently I threw some silk velvet into the leftover dye and look what came up! The dye took beautifully and am thrilled with this piece.

Some beading experimentation on a machine needle felted background - just playing! Enjoy your weekend.

Innocence

2011-07-06T02:00:00.001-07:00

Not so long ago I was on a roll with fabric collages so an ATC to share today. Lots of little scraps used surrounding this image.

Collage card

2011-07-04T02:00:00.001-07:00

Am sharing a fabric collage card size (5x7) today. The background is an old tea towel layered with rusted textured wallpaper, laces, cheesecloth with various bits of trim added. I've added a special lace motif on top of the image (thank you Viola!).

Happy 4th my American friends...

Silk Ribbon Embroidery

2011-06-30T02:00:00.010-07:00

I recently took several silk ribbon embroidery classes with a very gifted silk ribbon embroiderer, Karen Fraser in southern California at Piecemaker's. Karen has assisted Di Van Niekerk teaching in Australia and will be doing so again in 2012.

This is what was stitched in the Silk Ribbon Embroidery 101 class. A wealth of information in a very small 10x10" piece! Regretfully, it is not finished as I've run out of the green silk ribbon for the leaves so will need to get some more.

I'll start by saying the very detailed fine feather stitch is NOT stitched by me - I only wish! I arrived to Karen's class and she had stitched up the grid for me - can you believe it! This left me time to focus my attention on learning the flowers. I have played with silk ribbon work a very tiny bit but Karen's classes gave me the confidence to move forward. Thank you Karen!

Happy 4th of July to my American friends and Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians! Enjoy your weekend festivities.

Fabric Journal Finished

2011-06-29T02:00:00.002-07:00

Free motion stitching and bits!

More rust stained pillowcase bits.

This is what it looks like put together. Added a corset on an embroidered linen doily, just because I felt like it!!!

So, there you have the journal. Guess I'll have to start adding some photos now.... Onto something new next.

For those of you who have left comments on this project, thank you!

Fabric Journal 6

2011-06-27T02:00:00.003-07:00

The page on the left has some edge stitching with a rusted portion of a lace edge pillowcase. Just prior to my departure I received a card from a friend (thanks Donna) so decided to use the envelope.

I've added bits of trim to the page on the right and an embroidery transfer I picked up at the thrift store on some dyed muslin on the left.
Am almost finished this project, only one more post then moving on.

Fabric Journal 5

2011-06-24T02:00:00.019-07:00

I've used some lace on the border of the left page along with some upholstery fabric and a fabric star. The right hand page has some stitching. Decided to add a couple of eyelets and some dyed thread so I could attach objects to in the future.

More gesso and paint on the left and a torn bit of embroidered tablecloth tea stained on the right.

Enjoy your weekend!

Fabric Journal 4

2011-06-22T02:00:00.001-07:00

I've added some stitching, paper ephemera and fabric bits. Added some eyelets to the bottom of the right hand page to provide an option to hang items or fibers.

Stitching, fabric bits, paint splatters, gesso and free motion stitching.

Fabric journal 3

2011-06-20T02:00:00.001-07:00

I was playing again with some paint and gesso on the left hand page. On the right bits of a tablecloth layered onto a damask fabric. This creates a sleeve.

More gesso and paint on the left. On the right is another overdyed lace tablecloth with a portion of a hankie with scraps and a printed word.

Fabric journal 2

2011-06-17T02:00:00.006-07:00

Thanks to all who left comments on my fabric journal, always appreciated. Sounds as if photos should be added....

I washed colour, spattered and sprayed on the left and created a pocket from an old pillowcase (rusted) on the right. My thought was I could add various bits and pieces in the pocket.

All kinds of fabric scraps on the left. Played with a bit of lace and gesso. Do you recognize the fabric collage on the right? It is postcard size collage that I had created and posted about a ways back.
Am into the city to see Wicked this weekend so back again Monday.

Fabric journal

2011-06-15T10:50:00.001-07:00

Have returned from my California trip, fabulous time! Learned lots from the most incredible silk ribbon embroidery teacher, Karen Fraser! Thank you Karen, I so enjoyed my classes. Also managed to squeeze in a crazy quilt stitching class - thanks Di! I'll be sharing photos at a later date.

Prior to my trip to Paris, I debated about making a journal for several months. I should clarify, I've never kept a journal so really wasn't sure what to write in one and my drawing is terrible! At one point, I considered collecting bits and pieces during the trip and then construct it on my return but in the end decided to make one prior to departure which as you can see, I did not use!!!!!

Over the next week or so I'll be sharing pages.

I free motioned stitched on the left page over 90 lb watercolour paper and the doily creates a pocket on the right.

I'm open to suggestions - am thinking of adding photos - what do you think?

CQ Postcard

2011-06-08T02:00:00.001-07:00

Another crazy quilt postcard to share today. I was practicing some silk ribbon embroidery on this one, a ways to go!

I will be away from posting for the next week as I am attending some silk ribbon embroidery workshops. Look forward to sharing some photos on my return.

Mail!

2011-06-06T02:00:00.000-07:00

I got mail from Trudi! This is a parcel that arrived about a week ago. The Duck Whisperer is Trudi's skinny for me from last year. The original was published in an article in Somerset. Trudi made the most incredible envelope (dark blue). A lovely hand made card, small hand made sketchbook, an ATC and ATC backgrounds and envelopes! Rather a nice parcel wouldn't you say!?

Thanks so much Trudi, love them all.

Playing with fibers

2011-06-03T02:00:00.008-07:00

This was one of my experiments that I decided to make into a skinny (4x8). The background is needlefelted by machine then practice beading from Lisa Walton's online class. Had fun with this one.

I believe there are some issues with leaving comments on my blog. I appreciate your comments and am looking into this problem.

Bright ideas!

2011-06-01T02:00:00.002-07:00

I know I've mentioned before that I fairly frequently come up with these what I think at the time are GREAT ideas! I picked up various colours of yarns at the thrift store weeks ago and came up with this BRIGHT idea of making granny squares. What was I thinking!? The idea was to make one a day - what would I do with them? - who knows, maybe a pillow, throw for outside???

After about 30 or so, decided it wasn't such a great idea after all....

They are going to the thrift store.....

What happened to May anyway!

Sun....

2011-05-30T02:00:00.003-07:00

I think we could all use a little spring! I planted some pots over the weekend as the SUN actually came out!

We had an area of the garden under a tree that not much grew so decided to add rocks a year or so ago. This past winter we trimmed the branches of an evergreen up so the area could have more sun. Decided to create a vignette with some broken pots, a hosta I divded and potted and an old rotting wheelbarrow retrieved from one of our neighbours. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out.

What can I say, my favourite part of the garden....

Mail!

2011-05-27T02:00:00.000-07:00

I recently swapped a selection of ribbons and trims with Susy who I met through the CQ International yahoo group. We had both participated in a group swap and then decided to do a second personal swap. This is what arrived in the mail last week. Must admit, it put a BIG smile on my face!

Thank you for your generosity Susy! I have a feeling you'll be seeing some of these in various upcoming stitching projects.

It has been a busy television week what with watching Oprah's final shows and the finale of both Biggest Loser and Idol. I know some of you watch these shows also and hope you enjoyed them as much as I did. Such talent on Idol, will look forward to watching Lauren and Scotty's careers unfold along with many of the other very talented rising stars.

Crazy postcard

2011-05-26T10:00:00.001-07:00

A short time ago I posted about some crazy quilt postcards I had played around with. There was a lovely article in Crazy Quilt Gatherings, Pat Winter's magazine, by Lilla. The second edition is out now.

This is the second of six postcards I completed. Leftover bits of fabrics and trims.

Fast and easy!

Thrift treasures

2011-05-24T02:00:00.002-07:00

I hope those of you who had a holiday long weekend enjoyed it! I sure did. I did manage a quick trip last week to the thrift store and picked up this lovely embroidered linen piece - oh, I can just picture it in a crazy quilt block.

I also managed to find a box of hankies - brand new, not even opened. Interestingly, I visited a couple of other stores after this and had these hankies in a bag. I thought the sales staff in both stores had on pretty heavy doses of perfume. Low and behold, turns out it was my "scented" hankies. They went into the wash on arrival home......

For sale!

2011-05-20T02:00:00.007-07:00

Over the last number of weeks I've been cleaning up the studio and have decided to sell some of my completed fabric collages. "Fly" is the first of these I'm offering at $50.00US plus the cost of shipping. The collage measures 20" x 16" and has a small pocket at the back for hanging with a dowel. I've used paper, muslin, damask, printed cottons and various bits and pieces.

If any of you are interested, please email me directly.

As this is a holiday weekend, I'll be back again on Tuesday.

Charms

2011-05-18T02:00:00.005-07:00

Several weeks ago I was asked to teach a mini workshop at a local stamping group. I wanted to do something a little different as most of the ladies make cards but do various other art related projects. I had the idea of making charms which could be attached to gifts or used as Christmas ornaments hanging from a tree - something fun that wouldn't take up a lot of time. I started with an oval chipboard base, covered it with paper, attached a bottlecap, some paper shavings and a glass nugget. The clock above is a little button.

Lots of things those of you who are into scrapbooking might have on hand.

Dyeing experiments

2011-05-16T02:00:00.003-07:00

It all started with some yarn I picked up at the thrift store! I wasn't sure of the content but it looked to have at least a component of cotton so decided to experiment. Later this summer I'm going to be taking a workshop dyeing yarn with Elin Noble so at that point, I'll learn more about some of the mistakes I made!

Having said that, here is how some turned out.

Don't you just love the colours!

Thought you might like a close up of one I had done with leftover dye.

Now, what to do with them!!!! Hmmmmm.....

Fabric collage

2011-05-13T10:30:00.002-07:00

Am a bit late posting this am due to blogger issues but better late than not at all!

One of my recent fabric mini collages in a card size. Background is an upholstery fabric which just happens to be a scrap from my dining room chairs. Layers of patterned cotton, muslin stamped and dyed laces. I squeezed in a few French knots in the corners. Fast and fun to do.

Why don't you give one a try this weekend!!!

Crazy quilt blocks

2011-05-11T02:00:00.001-07:00

I was very inspired the last several weeks with blog posts popping up on various blogs about the recent CQ Adventure in Conneticut hosted by Maureen Greeson.

As a result, I've been constructing a variety of CQ blocks paying closer attention to a variation in fabrics - texture, content, pattern and colour. I would have liked to have more value variation in the block but regretfully did not have light colours in a similar hue so I went with what I had. I can work with lighter threads instead in some areas.

I think these will become a binder cover which I am in the process of designing. I've used silks, satins, cottons and velvet. I'll be keeping you updated with my progress.

Dyeing experiments

2011-05-09T02:00:00.002-07:00

I picked up some damask napkins at the thrift store some time ago. I'm never sure of the fabric content hence am unsure whether they will hold the colour when dyed. I'm really delighted with the results so plan to pick up more of these - they are rare!

I've included the before above so you can see what they looked like. I used some bits in constructing a crazy quilt block recently.

Here is another style, again picked up at the thrift store. You can see they've absorbed the dye differently, more pastel.

Thought we could all use a little colour today.....

Is it spring yet!?

2011-05-06T02:00:00.007-07:00

I haven't been doing much digital of late which I find I am missing. I managed to capture this image of a butterfly in the garden one day several years back. A situation - the right place the right time! I've used various blending modes and layers to create this digital version.

I'm hoping for some "warm" weather SOON! The sun has been intermittent but it is remaining cool.

Thank all who left such lovely comments about my ATC.

On another note, I'm an Idol fan - isn't the talent incredible this year. I am not sure who will win...

Enjoy your weekend.

ATC

2011-05-04T02:00:00.013-07:00

An ATC to share today!

I don't often work with blues but as I had some bits and pieces in my scrap bin decided it was time to use them up.

Received some Rainbow Gallery petite braid I ordered last week yesterday so plan to experiment with some stitching with this today. I've been sorting through my fabric the last several days so have a box for giveaway then ended up sewing up a number of crazy quilt blocks with various scraps for practicing.

Studio organization

2011-05-02T02:00:00.027-07:00

I posted last month about a fiber swap I had participated in. This is the stash that arrived at that time. Always a challenge figuring out how to organize our "stuff". I decided to wrap them on chipboard so they could go in my fiber drawer posted about here.

These are the organized results.

Have also included my dyed silk ribbon wrapped on floss cards. This is working well for me.

Au revoir to Paris

2011-04-29T02:00:00.006-07:00

Am saying until next time to Paris. A few photos of some of the places I visited and sat for a time.

Pont Neuf park above.

Notre Dame.

A distant view of the Eiffel Tower.
Am off to enjoy a Royal Wedding Brunch this am with a "hat" no less! Hope you enjoy the royal celebrations on television.
Back to art next week....

Backgrounds

2011-04-27T02:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but there are times I just feel like playing with paint. I shared several backgrounds I had been working on last month and these are the last of my experiments. They have all become mail art in some form or another and have new homes in various parts of the world.

I used acrylics and colourwashes - messy!!!!

Perhaps I've inspired you to make some backgrounds today - hope so!

Purchases

2011-04-25T02:00:00.004-07:00

Several of you have asked about purchases I made during my recent trip so thought I'd share a few of these today.

Just loved these buttons - I can see them in some crazy quilting.

I believe these would have been on doors in the past with those small keyholes. Thought they would make great additions to future books.

Glorious trims - picked these up at one of the local "Passementerie" shops!
Hope all of you enjoyed your Easter weekend.

Food glorious food

2011-04-21T02:00:00.006-07:00

Thanks to those of you who left such lovely comments yesterday.
Not much to say about the photos below other than YUM!!!!

Happy Easter weekend to all.

Crazy Quilt Postcard

2011-04-20T02:00:00.002-07:00

I'm departing from Paris photos today to share a peek at what I have been working on of late. Last week I shared some silk ribbon I had dyed. I needed various colours as I have been experimenting with flowers and leaves. For those of you who know or follow Pat Winter's blog, she recently published a magazine on crazy quilting. Well worth getting.

There was an article in it on crazy quilt postcards so thought I'd experiment. This is the first but there are several more to come.

Paris in the spring

2011-04-18T02:00:00.001-07:00

We had a lovely weekend with the sun shining, birds singing and flowers blooming although I must admit rather chilly with frost in the early morning! Did manage some gardening.

I thought I'd share some flower photos of Paris today. Above is a tulip tree - I had never seen one - gorgeous!

The flower shops are beautiful. Do you see the lovely black and white postcards!?

I took a stroll very early one morning in the gardens of the Sacré-Cœur. I had heard there was a colony of feral cats living in the gardens. This one popped out to enjoy the early morning sun.

The bouquets were exquisite.

The art of display

2011-04-15T02:00:00.003-07:00

The art of display is evident everywhere in Paris. Thought I would share some window displays that I found inspirational.... I adore the one above.

Laduree is well know for their macarons. I bought a box for DH and planned to take a photo of them but low and behold he ate them too fast!!!

I loved the jewelry displays.

If you look closely you'll see me taking the photo.

More jewelry. I could window shop all day.....

Enjoy your weekend.

Paris flea markets

2011-04-13T02:00:00.001-07:00

I attended three flea markets during my Paris trip. These photos are of Les Puces de Saint Ouen aka Clignancourt market. Quite a large flea and spread out between indoor and outdoor booths so much to see. I would have loved to include most of the above booth in my garden!!!!

If you enlarge the photo above you will see ALL of this is lace!

It was gorgeous.

This was a booth entirely devoted to clocks and clock PARTS....

I gather from your comments that you want to see some of my purchases so here goes. I saw multiple cabinet card photo albums during my market visits but decided on this smaller one below as the price was good as I will be deconstructing it.

What really sold me on it were the cabinet cards it contained inside.

Not only did it contain cabinet cards, also some old photos and a letter too!

I'm thinking I perhaps should have got another one now - oh well, next time!!

Silk ribbon

2011-04-11T02:00:00.000-07:00

Just prior to my departure and again last week, I've been keeping busy dyeing. I have various wools on the go but thought I would show some silk ribbon in varying widths. It takes the dyes beautifully. Many of these are shot with other colours. I've been experimenting with stitching and they look lovely.

Spring seems to have arrived as shrubs are budding. We've had intermittent sunny days along with rain. Woke up to frost a couple of mornings last week too.

Along with spring my creativity seems to be blooming.....

Visited a lovely fiber art exhibit locally over the weekend by Hilary Rice - do check out her work.

Back with more Paris later in the week.

Ile de Chatou flea!!!

2011-04-08T08:00:00.001-07:00

One of the main reasons I have always wanted to see Paris is the flea markets. I was lucky enough to attend the biannual Chatou flea market aka National Antiques, Flea Market and Ham Fair. A 10 day flea with over 800 vendors on about 8.5 hectares about 15 minutes west of Paris.

The above photo was taken approaching the RER station (rail system). Minutes before there had been a cyclist on that path by the Seine - how lovely is that!!!

Well, you can't have a ham fair without ham!

An entire aisle is devoted to food and wine! Unfortunately, it was far colder than I had anticipated this particular morning so opted for hot chocolate instead!

And then there are the booths.....

Be still my heart! I could have taken all the entire booth below..... Look at those drawers, drool....

More fleas to share in upcoming days along with some purchases.

I'm home!!!!

2011-04-06T10:17:00.000-07:00

PARIS, truly a city worth visiting - definitely not my last visit!

I know I could share many travel photos and I likely will sneak the odd one in now and then but I have decided to post about places/shops I visited that I think would interest you as much as they interested me.

The French have fine tuned the art of display.

This is an incredible bead shop called Tout a Loisirs located in the 3rd arrondissement. I spent quite some time chatting with the lovely sales woman in this shop and considerable time browsing.
An entire display case filled with mother of pearl/pearl treasures....

Gorgeous!!!

More photos (eye candy) and places for YOU to visit in the future next week!

Crazy Quilt Block #3

2011-03-15T02:00:00.027-07:00

This is the third completed block in my ongoing crazy quilt project. I have accidentally deleted the "before" photo so apologies. I was practicing some ribbon flowers on this one. Once I decide what this project will become (21 blocks) I'll likely add more embellishing.

I will be taking a blog break until mid April. Look forward to catching up with all of you then!