Beading and Crazy Quilting projects, April's block

The butterfly is growing... April is the month for yellows, and it is now complete so here's a peek at the block, with the full details over on the project  page

To see what everyone else is up to visit the Beading 2013 and the Crazy Quilting 2013 projects.

Mum's the word...

It's almost here... Mother's Day in the UK- isn't the US on a different date? Much as I love my mum she can be a pain to gift! She's an accomplished seamstress, has everything she wants, and has been given countless portraits, cases, books and accessories made by me over the years... every year gets harder to find something that will fit her needs and taste... nevertheless, I still would rather make something personal than buy a bunch of flowers!

While at the Bluebird Market this Tuesday I took some aida to start working on... drew "Mum" on it and began working in cross stitch. Once I got going it opened up the possibilities to how I'd complete it... the rectangle could be framed and the square could be turned into a heart.

So today I finished them both...

The question is which one do I give her? 

I decided Saturday morning when I wrapped the heart... thought it the better piece... so what shall I do with the other?

B & CQ JP Butterfly- March block

It's March 1st, where's time gone? Woosh...

I'd been looking forward to making this month's block and I made the base up ready last night... January and February's blocks are reds and orange, this month is orange and yellow so that the whole piece will eventually be rainbow coloured.

I've used a wide range of fabrics, including the sample piece that Spoonflower send, well, it fitted the theme!

For the full pic and an ongoing summary visit the B & CJ JP page .

What a Hoot..y!

I spent yesterday at the Bluebird Indoor Market in Dover, and while we weren't selling we were chatting away... one lady, who makes gorgeous plush fabric doorstops was crocheting an owl from a magazine pattern and having a bit of trouble making sense of it... some just don't make sense! Anyway, it piqued my interest so this morning I decided to make my own... and try to write an easy pattern to go with... so here's the first one, wasn't too hard to plan and he looks great! The instructions are over in my PATTERNS section.

  

What do you think? Sweet or not? I'm going to do a girly version now which I'll probably get finished in the morning...

Why not gather some wool up, it doesn't take very much and you can use scraps for a funky version, pop over to the tute and have a go, promise you'll get hooked and want to do more! 

January and February B & CQ JP blocks

Woohoo!

Well they happened much quicker than I expected, but my eyes are telling me off! On Saturday I put my fabrics together for January and February blocks, then yesterday and today were spent adding the details.

I'll admit now, I was so keen to get going I've messed up my plan already! These beautiful tear-drop shapes were supposed to be orange/yellow, the red/orange were supposed to be the pointy top shapes... oh well, too late now- I'm not starting over, like last year! They kinda look like birds heads, which follows the flying theme, so I chose to add a couple of round mirrors to the stitching...

 Here's how they turned out... 

For the whole design and  more detailed pics pop over to the B & CQ JP 2013 section
I can't wait now to do the March block... I have one extra block- the body, so I could get on and do that early...

Crazy Quilt debut...

I've been trawling the web again, and came across a site that has given a name to something I have been doing since I've come back to textiles... the collaging and building up of fabrics... in a slightly more regimented format it is widely known and practiced as Crazy Quilting. Wow! I love the way it goes alot further than I have with the hand embroidery- I  usually use my machine. 

I've been suitably inspired to join the 2013 CQJP, who are still taking entrants till the 15th. I may even combine it this year with my 2nd year of bead journalling, who are also calling for entrants for a little while longer.

Here's something I have created for a Yule pressie, a bit of CQ, a bit of fibrework, some beading and some paintwork... how could I not mix it up? It's what I love to do!

It's contained in an embroidery frame, with spun wools, silk waste  and banana silk plaited around the frame with a tail. It's about 8" across. I have added a few more details to it now, but thought I'd show an incomplete version in case one of them peeks!

I might have to make something similar for my mum and dad...

Anyone remember the old party games?

Best be quick- It's the last day to sign up for the December Fabric Postcard swap on Stitchin Fingers, the theme this month is "Toys". I wanted to do something special so I planned to do a chess set that folded into the postcard size... but then realised that the squares would be TINY! 

So I racked my brains a bit and remembered a game we used to play at parties... great fun running around with a blindfold, and to get to stick pins in the wall, my word, such wickedness!

So this is my tiny, portable version of an game- Pin the tail on the donkey.

Here's the outside, there was  little point making it just 1 postcard size, I doubled it so you get a bit more to play with, well, my swap partner will...

And here's the cute little donkey. His tail is secured onto a piece of velcro, which sticks nicely to felt. Hours of fun, eh! Well, maybe not, but it was fun to make and I hope it inspires a few more portable games to be created. I've just heard, my swap partner is in Oz, I know there is still a memory of alot of our old traditions so maybe my partner will be familiar?

Here's a link to download andd print your own donkey... printable_pin_the_tail_on_the_donkey

Felting again... spirals and cuffs

While I've been juggling sorting the studio and working at home I've found pieces of work "in progress", a few of which I've now taken a stage further. I created 2 felt panels a long time back with a view to making book covers in  gorgeous oranges and purples... but I changed my mind and shall make matching wall hangings instead. They were half felted as a first stage so ready for cutting.

This is what I did on Sunday- using a template I cut spirals simultaneously and reinserted them into the opposite piece.

I tacked them in place with orange thread which disappeared nicely once it had been felted... how nice it was to take it all outside and felt in the sunshine!

I had to adjust the semi-felted sizes to match and cut some off the purple one... this was fully felted too and I spent the evening decorating it with previously crocheted flowers, beads and embroidery silks... I love how it turned out and might have to make a few more for the studio shop...

and then on to the next layer of the hangings... collage and embroidery....

I HAVE BEEN BUSY...honest!

Shock horror- it's been a week since I posted! I must admit it was my birthday on Saturday so the weekend was fairly off limits for crafting.... but I did spend earlier in the week turning skirts into summer tops for me. I had several indian skirts that I barely wore and decided to get some more use out of them... I didn't take pics but I can do for the last one...

I have been busy since then having a huge tidy up and in-depth sort out of my home studio space in lieu of shuffling disciplines between here and my studio in town... I shall concentrate on textiles and crafts at home, and my art/sculpture/ messy work at the studio. Isn't it amazing how much stuff you accumulate- yet you never have what you need! How is that? 

Continuing with my monthly fabric postcard swaps over at stitchin fingers I had two to create: Trees; and Hats and Bags

Here is trees

 

I've only done the zodiac wall hanging as a quilting project, and that's more applique, so this was an exercise for me, working out how to make a pattern, cut and sew to make it look right. I think I need  a bit more practice- how do you make sure it sews flat? I'll get the hang of it...

I also played with some embroidery stitches and added sequins for the leaves. My new machine has been great for the altering projects, but this is the first time I've tried satin edging on it... not too bad, a bit of tweaking and it should be perfect- saves me blanket stitching everything- woohoo!

Hats was suggested really early in the month so I jumped on that, and then it expanded to hats and bags... oh well, never mind. Like my previous shoe FPC I wanted to make this a postcard version, rather than an image of a bag. So here it is with pockets, flap and fixings... getting the hang of that edging too!

They've been sent off now- I hope they arrive safely...

I've also been beading my BJP blocks for my zodiac wall-hanging, Cancer, Leo and Virgo... pics and things are over on the BJP 2012 page  Enjoy!

Beautiful beetle...

I'm taking part in my usual stitchinfingers monthly FPC swap. June's theme ended up being Egypt. I love working with angelina and I couldn't think of anything more deserving or appropriate than a jewelled scarab beetle, so here she is...

I laid a base of fibres for the wings and embroidered feathers with silks. The body was a piece of thicker angelina tacked over a wad of quilting filling. I then added beads as a border, to define the wings and create legs. This is a traditional Egyptian design, I've just used it in a contemporary fashion with new materials. I hope the recipient likes it as much as I enjoyed making it!