More to show!

I'm on a roll with finishing things this week, mostly thanks to Lelia and my EGA chapter. On Tuesday night Lelia led a class in making these nifty mixed-media needlebooks. Her gift to each of us was a little tatted caterpillar or butterfly that she made. Her kits were awesome, with plenty of bits and pieces to play with. My dictionary page has "twinkle" and "twirl" on it.  (that's why I picked this kit)

I added some bits from my stash (the fortune cookie fortune and Italian stamp).

I added some embroidery after I got home, a bit of sparkle. A comment from World Embroideries prompted me to buttonhole stitch the edge. I happened to have the perfect color blue floss right there so it was quickly done. It was a really fun project. As it says--play!

Here's the whole outside cover. 

And here's the inside with the felt leaves for my needles.  It was done just in time for the Broken Needle Festival this week.  I didn't do anything (yet) with the bent and broken needles I'd saved. The week's been too busy for me to have any concrete thoughts about it.  I really enjoyed Plays with Needles post about what she did.

The other thing I did this week was to (try) to make a mari for stitching a temari with Homewood Guild in March. It's not very round but I think it's done. Perhaps a good roll around on the kitchen counter...

Finishes!

I've been working on either some longer-term projects or guild projects I can't show yet. Last weekend I really felt the need to finish something, so I completed some smaller and quick projects for that instant gratification.  It felt so good!

This cross stitch was a holiday gift, a kit from DMC with scented floss. The off-white floss did smell nicely of vanilla as I stitched the flower. I had it about half-way done so it was pretty quick to finish up.  The backstitching wasn't as bad as I'd expected. There was a lot of it, though.

These buttons were a kit attached to a recent "Molly Makes" magazine (issue 7).  I didn't use their patterns, but made up some of my own. I wanted them to look like I'd cut them from old dresser scarves.  I used the fabric, threads and button forms from the kit and added the brown, ochre, and yellow flosses from my stash.

I found these sweet little hearts on the Purl Soho blog.  The center seam is actually an opening to a little pocket--a sweetie or two can be tucked inside.  Purl Soho used their beautiful wool felt; I stocked up on what is available--felt from Jo-Anns, with a skein of DMC variegated perle cotton.  They worked up quickly. I hope to make more before Valentine's Day. Every time I make a project with felt, I realize all over again how much I enjoy working with it. 

No matter how much I enjoy my "real" embroidery projects and feel I should devote what stitching time to them alone, I've realized I need the balance of quick, fun projects like this. I'll give them away, poof! they're gone, and I didn't learn anything new or improve my skills, but they add necessary sparks of color and fun to my days. The plain old joy of needle and thread.

Winner and a heartfelt giveaway

Random.org selected #18 today--Mimi is the winner of the needlepoint bracelet.

(I wish I knew how people got the image of the generator with the selected number in their posts--I can't figure it out).

The next giveaway is a Valentine's Day giveaway of hearts.  Three are hand-embroidered Hardanger embroidery finished on metal forms as necklaces; the fourth is a lacy collage pin. Two also have hand stitched ribbon embroidery.

1.

2.

3.

4.

And, yes, 1 and 3 are pretty much the same.  I taught this project at a couple of embroidery groups.

To enter, please leave a comment on this post, indicating which heart you prefer and an easy way for me to get in touch with you.  The first person random.org picks will get the heart they choose. If the next selected person wants the same heart, I'll write with a choice of one of the others.

The giveaway ends one week from today, on Valentine's Day (noon, central time).

Good luck!

Memory Wire Dragonfly Repost

Since it looks like I have some new readers lately, thanks to Craft Gossip, I thought I might give you something to look at.  This is a tutorial I posted last year, on how to make a tiny dragonfly embellishment, using DMC's Memory Thread.  Enjoy!
In 2010 I designed this project for the Homewood Embroiderer's Guild, to teach in spring 2010. I wanted a charm to go on the panel but couldn't find one I liked, so I devised this dragonfly from DMC Memory Thread to add instead.You can make your dragonfly any size you want. These are about 1-1/2" to 2". To begin, cut a piece of Memory Thread about 6" to 7" long. Do not use your good scissors for this--there is wire inside this thread. It's thin but will still mar your nice scissors. Use wire cutters or old scissors.Fold your Memory Thread in half.Tie an overhand knot in the Memory Thread at the cut end.This is the head. Tighten it so that you have antennae of maybe 3/8". You can trim them later if they're too long but you can't make them longer.Now push the Memory Thread up toward the head so it bows out at the sides to form wings. Or pull it apart to make the wings. Make them what ever size you want.Twist the wire just under the wings.Don't worry about the shape, that comes next.Shape your wings like you want them and then twist once at the base of each wing. Continue to shape it until you're happy.That's it. I tacked the dragonflies to the felt at the twists. For this project, it didn't need to do more but you can also tack it down just above the head and at the tip of the tail, too. I found the cut ends fuzzed a bit--if you don't like that, fray check the thread before cutting it, let it dry, and then cut your thread to size.

books and magazines

I've expanded my lists of books and magazines for sale now. The pile is a tottering 5' tall. I've mostly added new magazines in the last few days. The lists are bare bones--just title, author, date, publisher, and perhaps a note on condition. The magazines include current ones and some antiques. The shaded titles are on hold.  If you're interested in perusing the lists, please e-mail me and I'll send them your way.

Crewel Friday

It's been a while. I decided to begin working on the mounds at the bottom and they're taking a lot of time.

I have issues with long and short stitch. I want it to be flowing and elegant. I feel that I'm generally too heavy handed and that my stitching is too dense.  I'm working hard on improving as I stitch the mounds. I've penciled in a lot of guidelines to follow--they really help keep my stitches going in the right direction.

I didn't want them to be left to the last--they're slow going and not as much fun as the colorful leaves.

Field trip to Geneva, IL

Last weekend a group of us from the Homewood Embroiderer's Guild ventured out to Geneva, IL and Designer's Desk Needlework shop.  Details and photos are on the Homewood Guild blog. The photo above is the group at lunch--a requirement for any successful outing!