assembling a VW Bug...

with thread, of course. The body of the Bug is done with Lizbeth #20 cotton thread in bobbin lace. I've been working on the interior and the wheels with bakery twine using a combination of techniques...a Romanian Point Lace type cord for the wheels with embroidered centers and a crocheted frame for the interior with wrapped thread windows. I'm going to try dyeing the white wheels and interior with onion skins to give it a rusty effect....we'll see how that works out. Hoping to have this all finished within a week or two. The pieces will be combined on a cloth background.

click on images for close-ups.

bobbin lace exterior of VW Bug

working on interior

and.....I've been meaning to do this but keep forgetting. Time for another blog giveaway. I had mentioned that this little pouch would probably wind up in a giveaway. I posted about it here.

felted pouch with flannel lining. it measures 6" x 9".

If you leave a comment, I will assume you want to be included in the giveaway unless you indicate otherwise. I will announce the winner in my next weekend post. Everyone is welcome in this giveaway....no matter where you live.

We have been getting some rain on and off so the grass is nice and green. My heritage vege seeds did not fare well. I picked one lemon squash and zero cucumbers and both plants just died....withered brown leaves. I never planted these seeds before and will not ever again. That one little lemon squash was quite good in my salad.

Have a great week and see you next time.

connections....

I love when this happens....someone from the past resurfaces in the present in a most unusual way. When I first came to Austin, TX, in the 1970s, I took a community school class that was offered in quilting for beginners. I'd always been a stitcher but never did any quilting. Connie, a very accomplished quilter, taught me the basics and then I was on my own. I never did come in contact with Connie again. Some  25 or 30 years later, I joined a quilting bee and met Barbara and Margaret who talked about Connie as they were all members of the Austin Area Quilt Guild. Connie had passed away in the early 90s and Barbara had quite a few of Connie's pieced blocks that had never been quilted. About two weeks ago, Barbara showed some of those blocks at quilt bee and there was one that I admired because it looked like an old cotton hanky. Barbara generously offered it to me and I said I would make a pillow. Well, I so enjoyed hand quilting that block that I did nothing else for a couple of days. I put an edge on it with some fabric from my stash and made it into a pillow. I just love it....especially the connection that this is Connie's pieced block and she was the one who taught me the basics of quilting. I will gift the pillow back to Barbara if she likes it.

click on the images for close-ups...

hand quilted and edged

the backside showing the quilting

the finished pillow measures about 12" x 12"

I was also given this small patchwork piece that I hand quilted and edged with piping. It will become an outside pocket on a future pouch.

measures 4½" x 9½"

I stopped at the thrift store this week looking for something specific and couldn't pass up this beautiful white tablecloth, in pristine condition, that measures about 36" x 60". It was $4. It looks like Indian Chikan Embroidery.  Hoping Anita from India will weigh in on this and tell me if I am right.

I have managed to spend some time knitting in the evenings and made some headway on this Love and Loyalty Pinball. It is done on size 0000 double needles so it's quite fiddly to handle. I do love watching the pattern emerge with each row.

Love and Loyalty Pinball

Have a great week and enjoy the present moment.

a week of computer and printer woes....

I'm hoping I've straightened out all the computer and printer glitches I encountered this week. I know enough to be dangerous but I managed to get things working again....I hope....

these flowers have reproduced themselves more this year than any other year and I've had them for many years. I clean out the bed every few years but lately, it has to be done every year, but they are so pretty and I do love anything pink.

click on the images for a better view...

Physostegia-Virginiana also known as Obedient Plant

I finished the Joomchi piece I was working on (Korean Papermaking) but it's hard to get a true picture of what it looks like. It is very fragile and embellished with bits of lace and hand embroidery.

2 sheets of manipulated paper, fme with bits of lace and hand embroidery

I did receive the book Joomchi and Beyond by Jiyoung Chung which explains the Korean paper making process in excellent detail. She has several tutorials in the book and beautiful pictures of some of her work....outstanding images. I am glad that I ordered the book. If it interests you, you can find it at Amazon and at Beyond Above.com. Here are some images of the book.

 

Wishing you all a great week with the kind of weather you love the most. I'm into rain lately. It is so nourishing for all the plants and we need it so badly here.

how lucky I am that green is a color I love...

the garden has so many wonderful greens...

click on the images....

a small garden but so very satisfying

lettuce, sweet potato plant & one little lemon squash

the leaves on this scarf have gone from gold to green to a berry color...

I couldn't resist this green and white yarn but I'm removing all the sequins scattered throughout...

it's taking longer than I expected to remove all the sequins

and last time I showed you a Korean paper making technique that I was experimenting with called Joomchi. I started embellishing the paper with a scrim backing, free motion embroidery with lace bits, etc. and then started hand embroidering. the paper is so fragile that I had to stop. I'll show you the finished piece next time. I did order the book (Joomchi and Beyond) and hopefully I'll learn the proper technique.

felted paper, scrim, fme, lace bits & hand embroidery

enjoy every minute of every day. see you next time.