I won, I won, I won! And I finally have photos to show. Over on World Embroideries's blog a while back, she had a contest for counting the squares in a children's book she made (hey, if a kid can do it, I can do it , too. Sometimes!) And I came closest to the correct number and won. This was my prize--an original temari. Pretty cool prize, huh? I love it.
I've been stitching tea towels as my "carry along project. When I saw the blue transfer on this blue-striped towel, I liked the way the image only showed up in the white stripes. So, I thought, what if I stitch just the white parts, like you're viewing the cup through a screen.
Check out Fraser Smith, a guy who makes these absolutely incredible (hard-to-believe it) wooden quilts (and also wooden clothing).
The first issue of Needle. I haven't spent as much time here as I would have liked, yet, but have it bookmarked. The online magazine is slow to load but it is full of very interesting articles: artist profiles, the textiles at St. Paul's Cathedral, London, African needleworkers, a couple of projects.... I love the star. It's put out by HEN--the hand embroidery network. I really like that name! Here's a link to their site.
This is where I got some of my twill tape for the chatelaine. Great service and interesting products to browse. I love twill tape for apron strings, totebag handles. To me it has a nice antique look and feel.
Last weekend I started in with the cleaning out of my endless stash. I cleared a shelf and sorted--the "I'm likely to do this one day" items went back. The "I'll never do this items" have been given away or put into a bag for future blog giveaways. And then there was this large bag with a mass of lilac Hardanger fabric.
So, I've been doing Hardanger instead of my crewel scissors case. Here's the start of the scissors case. I've also been spending time reading through some of my books. This began when I wanted to look up hemstitching before beginning the Hardanger project. I can't tell you how many books I have that I thought would show hemstitching and don't, and how many more I have that do show it. But then I just got into browsing the books....bliss!
Here is the crewel pincushion, all done. And photographed to show the bright colors. I almost had it done by new year's day but decided I wanted to steam the completed crewel and let it dry well before finishing it up. I really like it. The stitching is Appleton crewel wool on hand-dyed doctor flannel (backed with muslin for extra body). The edging cord is a silk fiber. 
This is a project I completed about a month ago but only showed it to one friend (I HAD to show someone or I'd burst!). It's a crewel chatelaine that I designed as a teaching project for my local EGA chapter (July 2010). All of the 2010 projects were revealed to chapter members last night.
I put loops of tape on the back of each strap so you can loop your wools for a project through and have them handy. I didn't count but I think it will hold about a dozen colors. The bows at the bottom are to hold tools, like scissors. With my name on it, it can also act as my name tag at meetings.
I have a hard time letting go, and that's true with years, too. So here's a few last items from 2009. I made these little felt items for some small friends. I hope the green creature resembles the Mario character it's supposed to represent. (I was working from an 8-year-0ld's description.)
This is the third entrelac bag, all complete before the new year arrived. It was knit from the leftover wool from the first bag. I put a zipper in this one.
It's cold here. Not nearly as cold as friends further north are experiencing (brrrr-- 16 below!!). We're between 10 and 20F most days, which really isn't too awful. We've had some sun, which has been nice.
A last Christmas shot--on our trip we visited Birdhaven greenhouse in Joliet and their poinsettia display was just finishing up. I think these would make a lovely holiday greeting card.
These two towels are gifts for friends. They are Aunt Martha's iron on designs from Jo-Ann's and they worked wonderfully and washed out completely. Both are stitched with floche, a fiber I love to use. The majority of the designs are done in stem stitch with some straight stitches, French knots, and lazy daisies thrown in.
I began a new project from my stash last weekend. The three crewel kits below are from Australia and by Lorraine's on Capri (they don't have a website). The colors are bad on these scans of the photos that came with the pieces. I began this pincushion over the weekend and am about halfway done. (I'm staying up way to late at night to stitch!) The background is greenish and the central flower is bright pink. The red stem and yellow leaves are the only colors close to what they should be. Once it's done I'll get better pics.
These next two projects are ready to go. The colors on the needlebook are closer to those in the magazine and kit. These are unusual colors for crewel projects and are what had me interested in them. This project was featured in Australian Embroidery and Cross Stitch magazine a few years ago. (You can see some of the issues here atErica's.)
They're stitched on hand-dyed doctor's flannel with Appleton wools. The wool fabrics in the kit aren't as mottled as those in the magazine and the photos. I love the concept, but I'll have to dye my own. The scissors case below is more traditional. The kit includes the strawberry fob. All of the designs are finished with cording made from silk threads included in the kits.
I've been keeping track of the projects I completed this year over on Flickr, in Finished in 2009. It's a new way for me to keep a record and I like it. I've found out I can import the images to Snapfish and make them up into a little book. I may need to do that!
