One FO and Two UFOs

I've posted this little bag before but I finally figured out a closure for it and now it's done, done, done! I had planned to add a handle, perhaps bamboo. While the flower is pretty well centered, it seemed to me that the bag needed to be taller to be balanced. But I didn't like it when I experimented with handles in the store.

I took it to the Homewood Guild and the suggestions I got there were all for soft handles--cords and drawstrings. But I felt they would take too much off the top, so it sat another month until I was cleaning this weekend, putting away some beading supplies. What I ended up doing was sewing large gold-colored jump rings all around the top edge and stringing the cord through them. A soft closure but in better visual balance, I think.I'm working on a project that's a gift so I can't show it here. I'm also getting back to some ufos. I began the washcloth above after the other two I did for holiday gifts. This one, though... I ripped that third section out at least four times. The washcloths are a series of eight short-row sections and I put a life-line at the end of each section--and I'm glad I did. I ended up ripping back to the lifeline twice! I finally just put the thing away. This time when I picked it up I was back on track and completed two sections this weekend.This little tree is another random project. A few years back I made a bunch of stuffed shapes from printed and tone-on-tone fabrics. Trees and pumpkins. Some I beaded and most of those are done and gone--I have a paisley tree with a bit of beading on it but I'm not sure it's done yet. I found the beading tedious so I stopped.

This year I found the stuffies and I picked this one up and just began stitching it with random chain-stitch tendrils in the two colors. It's also tedious and surprisingly time consuming but I like it so I keep going. I'm finding this color combination pleasing.

Holiday Stitching

Last week I had four days off of work. I didn't just sit and stitch (really), but I did have a project and goals. In the next couple of weeks I'm getting together with friends for some belated birthday lunches and needed gifts, so I made a towel for each friend featuring birthday month. My goal was one a day...I didn't quite make it. I'm still using what's upstairs and handy and most of my thread is in the basement. I had everything I needed except for black for the cat. I braved a gusty storm on Monday to get that and finished up the four towels. Phew!On Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, I started off my project with this turkey. I stitched all of the towels with DMC perle 5. Probably not my first choice, but it was handy and I really ended up liking it. The stitching, mostly outline, is very dimensional. For this design, I stitched the leaves in backstitch and the rest in outline.February came next. For this one I stitched the ruffle around the heart in split stitch. It is not the best stitch with perle in my opinion, but I wanted the line to be less firm and more, well, ruffly, and the split stitch did that. It was also easier to maneuver around the curved shapes.July gave me fits. So far, I'd gotten away with outlines, but if I just outlined the stripes, they would just be a mass of confusing thin lines. And the stars were gray, the color of the transfer. So I outlined each stripe, staying to the "inside" of the line for each red stripe. Then I filled in with chain stitch. It's pretty heavy but okay. I tried doing the stars in white and outlining them or filling in the background in blue but it was awful. So, I pulled it all out and made the stars in blue.

I used the star stitch from the Kissing Pillow chart to stitch each star. I gave it a nice shape and a bit of an open center on some (hard with a tiny shape and such thick thread). I stitched the fireworks using whipped back stitch with some French knots. Again, backstitch is not a stitch I would usually use with perle cotton--it looks very wiggly because of the sheen of the fiber. But it worked quite well, I think, for fireworks. I did some of the smaller ones in plain backstitch.October came last. I liked this one a lot and had fun with it. The turkey's eye is a French knot but I stitched the eyes of the doves in February and the cat's eyes with a granitos stitch and I like the shape it gave. Just not quite round.

You can find really good instructions and tips for these stitches at Mary Corbet's website, Needle 'n Thread. I found myself recalling a lot of her tips as I stitched this weekend.

More stitchin'

This project is what stopped my stitching, I realized. I was doing buttonhole stitch with pale pink on the dark green fabric and I hated it. I ripped it all out and then just stopped. With a couple of weeks of thought I started in again--but in a different spot where the color of the ground showing through wouldn't bother me as much.It's moving along, finally. Since taking this photo, I've completed the three yellow petals. I've also decided to pad the pink area at the other end with pink. That should solve my problem. I'm not sure if I'm going to fuse on pink fabric or if I'll use pink felt (which may be too thick).This is another project for the YMCA, for fall classes. We'll call it "Tattoo Your Jeans" and ask students to bring in a garment (with parental permission) to embellish with embroidery. This is a WIP because I hope to add a lot more embroidery to these teeny (toddler size 2) jeans from Goodwill. This week was our last class for this session. I hope we can find more teachers so everyone gets more of a break--we're hoping to find people willing to teach four weeks (one month), and then have a few new people take over for the next month. Hopefully we can rotate and no one will get as burnt out on it as we are right now.

What's been going on...

I didn't do much stitching last week. I've been doing more reading and crochet in the evenings. My large tote is coming along. I think the sides are getting about halfway. (that wide dark green band is the edge of the bottom) I did stitch a couple of things this weekend. I made an embroidered picture of myself for my photo here and on Facebook. I didn't like the front side too much--it looks like me but it doesn't--- and I can see where I got the shape of my glasses right on one side and not on the other and I have too much teeth... But I do like the backside so I'm going to use that until I redo it, if I decide to.

I also did part two of the turkey Valentine towels. Now Ms Turkey has the flowers and has given Mr Turkey a peck on the cheek.
More on my reading in my next post. I've been having fun with my stacks of books.

Crazy Busy

Time to post is hard to find right now. I'm about up to my eyebrows in planning a conference for next weekend. It's a bigger than usual event with a few more pieces than normal.

And I've had Finished Objects to show! This weekend I got the sewing machine out and finished some things. I'm going to put them all here in one post, because I know I won't get back to the computer for a while.
This 1970s Columbia Minerva, Erica Wilson design chatelaine is brand-spanking new. I bought it at an antique shop several years ago, all in the closed package (probably what's called "mint in box" by antiquers and they'd probably be appalled that I opened and stitched it). It took me a long time to stitch. I found it a bit fiddly but fun. The duck fabric was hard to sew and my hands hurt from the finishing by the time I was done--and I did all I could on the machine. But I like it, it's so bright and colorful.
The loops at the bottom hold strands of thread or scissors. The pattern had them stitched but I sewed on large snaps.This little pin doll is another long-languishing project. It was just a pattern so it took forever to find all the bits of fabric and trim and get them all in the same place at the same time. Once I had that, it went together quickly. The design is called Lil' Butterfly by Susan McFadden (1990--I told you it sat around a long time!)I know I've shown this before, with the knitting complete. But now it's really, finally done. It has ties and a lining (red corduroy). I also have a lovely little red corduroy gift bag when I cut the original lining piece too small and didn't notice it until it was stitched, French seams and all. It will come in handy for the holidays.I found these nifty little bits at J0-Ann's. The are preprinted fabric designs but instead of buying yardage, you get a small piece (fat 1/8th?) with the two ornaments (printed front and back) or the pincushion (front, back and sides). Both came with instructions and the ornaments came with the ribbon for hanging. I added some touches of embroidery to the angel but left the others alone. The bottom of the pincushion has the blue of the angel on it. Everyone needs a holiday pincushion! I also stitched the completed pears. Here are the third sides. I began stuffing them and ran out of polyfill. The pattern suggests doll pellets to weight the pears and I think that or a large washer is a good idea, but I haven't had a chance to get out to the store. Maybe Friday.

We're off for the long holiday weekend and I can't wait. (although I know I'll be tempted to come in to work--it's just looming!) Thursday we're going to Brookfield Zoo with a friend. (it's free day, too!) We're doing the family gathering on Saturday. Sunday is a car event (a collector is hosting an "open garage"). Busy weekend.

Tuesday is my first holiday party and I need to have gifts done, wrapped and ready. Yikes!

holiday gifts

My friend Jenny always sends the very best presents. This year for Christmas she gave me a needlpoint pincushion kit. Not a stitcher herself, she nonetheless finds unique designs made by small designers that are always great fun.

Here is the kit cover, the colors and my beginning row and the designer information. This kit is for charted needlepoint and is very complete with all of the threads, canvas and a lovely coordinating backing fabric.

Jenny also sent an incredible book. It is in two languages and I don't know what they are other than Eastern European (one is cyrillic and the other roman letters). The range of topic is amazing--embroidery, sewing (with patterns), knitting, weaving...anything to do with textiles is included. If anyone can identify the languages, I would be most apprecitative. Even without the text, the pictures and charts are quite complete and detailed... Here are the covers and some of the pages from this book. I've never quite seen anything like it and am finding all sorts of inspiration. I hope you do too.

I managed to get a scan last night of my progress on the pillow:

It's coming along. I stitched two more silk feathers last night after I scanned this. It doesn't sound like much but each takes about twenty minutes. Seven more feathers and I'll be done with satin stitch.

As I'm stitching I'm thinking about finishing. I'm still thinking twisted cord. I'm debating endlessly whether twisted cord or ribbon would be better for holding the rings---which might be easier to untie and not knot.

I'm also going to make two small felt pillows, one for the ring bearer to "replace" the fancy pillow and one for the flower girl. I plan to put their initials on them and perhaps a pocket on the back for a note of thanks.