Stitching fun....

At the end of her online Crazy Quilting class, Kathy suggested a Yahoo group that we might be interested in called StitchMAP.

The MAP in the name stands for Mentor Apprentice Program.  Since they are offering a further class in Crazy Quilting  I decided to join up. Not just for the CQ but because they offer so much more.

"Crazy Quilting, Hardanger, Redwork, Silk Ribbon Embroidery, Surface Hand Embroidery, Brazilian Embroidery, Needlepoint, Quilting, Blackwork, Color Theory for Stitchers, Cross Stitch, and other Counted Thread techniques."

I think this group will give me the much needed push to learn new stitching techniques and keep me focused:) 



In order to be able to take the CQ class you first have to complete two initial programs...Colour Theory and Red Work Embroidery.  Since those classes are currently running and can't be joined mid way they offer quite a lot of fun stuff to do while you wait.

Such as "Fun Friday Tut".......to make an Origami Lotus Drawstring Bag.

You can find the how to's here......Exchanging Fire.

The challenge is to of course make the bag but to also add some embroidery. The area you have to work is very small so I decided to do a tutorial and motif that I saw on Mary Corbet's Needle 'n Thread.

Buttonhole Stitch Leaves.........find the tutorial  here

Be warned.......those leaves are so cute and so addictive....LOL

Here's my finished bag.

I didn't do too bad on the leaves but the flowers....hmmm. Too teeny tiny for me.

Take care:)

Crazy Quilt Along 2014......

I joined up with Carli from Good Earth Quilting for her Crazy Quilt Along 2014. We are going to be doing a wall hanging representing Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.

I am not a quilter at all....never did one in my life. I love them and admire the work put into them but I'm a small project type of person. So my mindset is that this CQA project has four small pieces and then the finishing to make it a wall hanging. I figure that I can handle that...hopefully:)

I'm very new to crazy quilting so I'm a bit nervous. 

Just deciding on what fabrics to use was my first hurdle. Carli has a free spirited approach to crazy quilting which I like but the conformist in me is really having a hard time putting the crazy into the quilting....LOL

I have a shoebox of small pieces of fabric that I have been gathering up for awhile......satins, brocades, velvets, laces...that sort of stuff. I got some of my bits from Diane's Etsy store when she had a fabulous sale last year. I also won some from her in a blog giveaway too:)

The first square we are doing is winter. So Carli asked us to gather together bits and pieces that suggest the colours of winter to us and build a block to work on.  I have a ton of white pieces......I'm thinking winter is mostly whitish isn't it?

Just for fun...while I was considering my options.... I found a stock photo of winter scenery on Google and  loaded in on Palette Builder at Play Crafts.

Lots of blues and grays. It even gave me the Kona cotton colours!

Source

Well after fooling around with winter themed pictures for awhile I put some bits together. Lots to ponder:

I think it should have some shades of white, blue and gray.......I also found a piece of bluey purple which is very pretty.......decisions........decisions:)

Once I get it all together I'll post my nude block for you to see. Stay tuned. 

A Finished Make......

I decided to make myself a Stitch Diary as a place to keep my odd little bits of embroidery and crossstitch that I do.

I made the cover using plastic craft mesh that you can buy in craft stores. I bought about 10 of them eons ago when my favourite craft store (White Rose) was closing. Ten plastic mesh for a dollar. I finally found a use for two of them...LOL

I then covered the mesh with a thin padding on one side...almost like a very heavy Pellon interfacing....and regular quilt batting on the other. I had this gorgeous fat quarter with a Lily of the Valley pattern to use for the front book cover and a plain fat quarter in a matching green for the back. I believe it's a Robert Kaufman fabric.

The pages are fabric too. I had bought some packs of Pellon stabilizer....4 packs for $3 at Fabricland. It's supposed to be used for appliqueing, embroidery and monograms but what the heck. I used it as a stabilizer for my book pages. I covered the pages with some broadcloth that I inherited from my mum's stash. I was glad I finally found a use for it:) The pages are just a plain pale green and a very pretty pale blue that I can embellish on both sides. It sounds strange but they do match the book cover.

So now I have this nice soft squishy book...very tactile.....

Everything that I used came from my stash...bonus:)

Vintage lace and trim....and vintage buttons too.

A pretty dancing fairy pin..

I'm joining up with The Needle and Thread Network......come over and visit and see what my fellow Canadians are up to today.

Take care.

Year In Review.....

I thought I'd review what I have made this year just for the heck of it. I never realized how much I had done.

Here in no particular chronological  order are my makes for 2012...I think I may have missed a few but whatever....I think I'm safe in saying I was productive.

Unfortunately there are a couple of largish UFO's :(

I'm joining up with The Needle and Thread Network today......I've been a bit lax in my participation recently but I intend to get with it this year.....take care:)


 

Make the 10-Minute Tablerunner

Stash Play......

I thought I'd join up today with M-R over at Quilt Matters and play with some fabric....lots of fun:)

The idea is to pick any colour palette from Design Seeds (or another palette source) that appeals and play around with the fabrics in your stash.

I chose one with colours that I don't think I would normally put together ever and I was really surprised to find that I had most of the colours in my stash.

Finding plain fabrics that matched the palette was the hardest. I came pretty close though I think I need to buy some more blues and yellows and oranges.

Kona solids

The real challenge was photographing the fabric and getting the true colour which was impossible using my wee camera. The orange is much deeper and the brown is rust...honest:) Not quite the right blue or pink either.

I was actually really surprised that I had so many prints in these colours. Specially orange and pink...my two least favourite colours:)

I don't think I would put any of these fabrics together though??

Not true colours I'm afraid...again:(

Cottons and batiks.

 
An interesting exercise and I rediscovered some bits of fabric I had forgotten about which was very nice indeed:)

Monthly Make-It Challenge - August

 

I'm cutting it close this month for the Monthly Make-It Challenge. I really didn't have anything to show.

I rummaged around and found a piece of embroidery that I had done about 2 years ago. The embroidery pattern was a freebie but I can't remember the source that I got it from at the moment. If anyone recognizes it let me know.

I had a fat quarter from the Sew-Sisters Bargain Lover's Club that I really didn't think I could use for anything but it matched the embroidery perfectly. I teamed them up together and made this little tote bag last night. The embroidery was done on a piece of unbleached cotton and I lined the bag with a remnant of sheeting which is a bit lighter shade than the fabric.
                                                                   

I had some flat faceted "buttons" that I used for the eyes...sparkly:)

The finished size is about 10 1/2 in. by 13 in.

Perfect for carrying a book or a magazine:)

I'm also joining up with the Needle&Thread Network. Please come over and visit and see the work of some talented Canadians.

I usually link up my other blog A Cloth Doll Maker's Diary and it's not a WIP but today I thought I'd do something different.

Take care:)

Handmade bags with textile artist Marilyn Pipe

I thought this was pretty interesting. I'm still looking for an idea to use the bag handles I received from the Felt Fairy in January....maybe I will give this a try.....

Monthly Makes For July....So Far

The Felt Fairy

    


I think I have been busier this month making things than I usually am. Maybe because the weather is so hot and I'm inside trying to stay cool.

Here is a Goddess style doll.......sort of a Wild West vibe:)

Here are two Dotee dolls I made for a swap......

I made another Woodland Elf this time in blue for my sister-in-law......

And, a faux crazy quilt scrappy pillow......yesterday's experiment.

I have also been taking a five week on line class to make a doll called Water Lily. This is the last week and I'll show that finish next week:)

Take care.