Saturday, August 9, 2014

cows in a magical forest....

That's what I've named this piece made up of leftover pieces of fabric from past projects that were done in black and white....mostly.

click on the images for close-ups.


the back of the magical forest

It all started with that center image of forest trees and a scattering of cows....added in some musical elements and a magical walking path. lots of hand embroidery...eyelets, stars, french knots and 2 shisha mirrors. This was fun to do. It's edged in piping and measures about 6½" x 6½". I did put some cotton batting between the layers to give it some body.

cows in a magical forest

I've had this coverlet pattern that I sent away for in 1974. I had remembered doing a few of the embroidered blocks but thought I had gotten rid of them remembering that I couldn't get all the wrinkles out.....Well, they turned up this week while going through some old projects that hadn't seen the light of day in years.I tried damp stretching the 10" blocks and was fairly successful except for the tomatoes. I'm going to try and do some free motion embroidery on the piece to see if that camouflages the mess I made. It would all make a nice kitchen wall hanging.


a picture of the coverlet as shown in the magazine

the blocks before damp stretching. I had started cutting out some of the elements to use in applique.

on the damp stretching board

And of course, there was some lace work. Experimenting with more snippets of lace on a lace background but this time in ecru and beige.

lace bits free motion embroidered onto a lace background

I can hardly keep up with all the projects I've started in the past few weeks....so I am keeping busy.

Hope you have a great weekend. We are in the over 100 degree temperatures the past few days so I'm staying inside and staying cool.
 

18 comments:

Anita said...

Your lace piece is gorgeous! Do you use any paper to stabilize the lace for free motion embroidery? I was taught when I took a machine embroidery class to use old newspapers or tissue paper while working on net..so am just wondering how do you work on such delicate fabric..

Rachel said...

A busy week!
I'm sure you will be able to rescue the appliques - the combination of damp stretching and embellishment will give you every opportunity!

Anonymous said...

Your "cow" piece makes my head spin in a good way! The eyes never stop moving in looking at it. & that is an amazing amount of embroidery you've done on the vegetables. I'm usually not so successful when there's a lot of satin stitching.

Els said...

Ohhhh you have been bust Deanna !!!
Love the black and white ... and the dampstretched kitchen garden is so sweet !

Nancy said...

The blac/white - cow/forest piece is so interesting. One could look for a long time!
And I love that you have this not-yet-completed piece from 1974! That cover is sure era-filled! I have a 'craft' magazine from late 1970's that I can't seem to part with, yet I've never made one of the items I liked so much!!

Magpie's Mumblings said...

I can see a zentangle influence in the cow piece. I love black and white!

Jane said...

You'll never be bored Deanna, so much variety. It's amazing what bit of damp stretching can accomplish

Stitching Lady said...

The cow piece and its name ai gorgeous - love this name. We are in a region where cows are black and white - they call them Vosgian (?) race! We are in the Vosges, French mountains up to 1200 m.

MulticoloredPieces said...

Wow! You are on a roll, Deanna! Everything is beautiful. And I loved American Home Crafts. I think I may still have that issue. Seeing that quilt was like going down memory lane. Looking forward to seeing it finished...
best, nadia

karen said...

oh yes Deanna, definitely stay cool...I love how the musical pieces in the top image appear to swirl, as if they are dancing. The old piece you are working on is perfect in my eyes, the history, the memory and I find it very hard to imagine that you could make a mess of anything.

susan hemann said...

Wow!! I absolutely love the cows in the forest!! Do you ever sell your work, I just love this piece. So creative!! We have been fortunate in Ohio will nice cool weather this summer. I have been re doing my studio and coming across old projects as well. It is fun, but a bit intimidating as well. Have a great week.

Mosaic Magpie said...

Your Cows piece is so interesting and I love the Moo you embroidered in! There is so much to look at in that piece but it is not overwhelming....I guess your choice of colors has helped.
The 1974 embroidery brings back memories...I can remember stitching something similar for my grandmother.
Thanks for the memory!
Deb

liniecat said...

lol youll never be bored whilst you've UFOs that interesting tucked away !

Louise@ElsieMayandBertha said...

Cows in a magical forest, a lovely name for a gorgeous piece of work Deanna
We're in the midst of high winds and lots of rain, with the odd bit of sunshine.

Nat Palaskas said...

It took me awhile to find the cows! Love that b&w piano keys patterns. So many nice fabric out there these days. I'm glad I'm locked away at work to see them hehe! It's fun to recovered old projects. I'm sure I will find a lot when I move from the sewing room into the Tree House! Have a good week - Hugs Nat

neki desu said...

in ♥ with the cows

Judy said...

You make me dizzy with all of your projects! It's a wonder you can keep up! I can't believe you've hung onto something since 1974! YIKES!! I do love the lace so very much!

xxoo

margaret said...

had a close up look of your cows, so many pieces of fabric is such a small blog, amazing. Good to see you are finishing off your 1974 project. The lace is so very pretty

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