a finished pin cushion...

Back here, towards the bottom of the post, are some images of my play with mother of pearl mosaic tiles. I tried several different things and decided that 6 of the tiles would be the center of a pin cushion. It measures 6" x 6" x 1".

click on the images....

finished pin cushion 6" x 6" x 1"

weaving, grass, french knots, bullion knots, mosaic tiles

some embroidery done on the prairie points

spider web trees and piped edge

the back of the pin cushion

We are making Sally Dolls in knitting class to learn how to do color work. We didn't meet this week because of inclement weather so I moved along with mine because I do want to make more than one. I'm going to do the legs and arms out of fabric. I followed the argyle pattern for one side and just did a checkerboard on the other side....mine will be a two sided doll and a bit smaller than the pattern size.

blocking both sides of the doll. each side measures 5½" x 4"

Creativebug.com (the link is here) is featuring a Calligraphy class and I decided to play along. I learned Calligraphy many years ago but this class is teaching it a bit differently with pen nibs and ink. If you are interested, you can see a preview of the class here. I chose to order the kit they offered rather than trying to find all the inks and papers.

some of the things in the kit

I just received my kit so I hope to start practicing this weekend.

We did have some below freezing temps this week so school in all the surrounding areas was delayed by 2 hours because of freezing rain which made for dangerous road travel. We are not prepared for that kind of weather here and thankfully, it doesn't last very long. Due to warm up by the weekend.

Wishing you a fabulous weekend and creative times.

Started a couple of new things....

I have started knitting a button down short sleeved sweater. I'm not liking the sheen on this yarn but I do love the color. I wound the yarn so it would fit perfectly into my new wooden yarn bowl by Furls. I'm following a chart for this section which is the waistband and I'm sure you can see I've already made a mistake on one of the cables....I do have an idea of how to fix it so that it is not so noticeable but I will not be taking out all those rows.

click on the images

started with the waistband

I've been enjoying crocheting these tiny yarn motifs. I do love all the colors but haven't yet decided how I will stitch them together.

crocheted motifs with 1 ply needlepoint yarn

Also started a new bobbin lace project that is a real challenge. I couldn't do it without the help of my wonderful lace teacher Karen Hickman.

that's a picture of what I hope my tree will look like but I'm doing it in purple, green and lavender.

The Modern Quilt Guild Show is in Austin, Texas this weekend and I went with a few of my quilting friends yesterday....lots of vendors and lots of quilts. Here's a link to their blog where you can see some of the quilts as well as a list of the winners and their quilts. Some very inspiring and creative entries. I only bought a couple of pieces of fabric but ordered a couple more of the ones that were sold out when I came home. Carrie Bloomston is the designer of these Windham Fabrics. It will be fun to cut into the different patterns in these designs.You can see the whole line of her fabrics here.

bought the paint brush fabric and ordered some of the other two.

My front yard is full of double Narcissus and I can see some buds on the Salvia. We are having really comfortable days but a cold front is due in tonight so winter is not quite over. I am so lucky to live where we are not having all the snow, ice and cold that I know some of you are enduring. Hopefully it will be over soon. Have a great week and see you next time.

I DID IT.....

This is the last you'll see of the Downton Abbey coat. I have worn it twice and it's cozy warm. It will be a long time before I take on such a huge project. I started it in November of 2013. It didn't actually take that long to knit....just had to stop and give myself lots of breaks due to boredom.

click on the images...

scrollwork on the collar.....tab with 2 buttons

close up of the scroll work done with a crochet hook through the knitting

2 buttons on the front....black marks are in the wool

I've been playing with mosaic tiles this week...It all started with this video. You can see the tiles about 40 seconds into the video. I was able to get a couple of samples of mother of pearl tiles and I'm doing some sampling with embroidery.

mother of pearl tiles on a mesh grid. each tile is 3/4" square

I took the hammer to some of them and did some embroidery

added some grass through the cracks

and did a bit of weaving

Time will tell where all this will lead....I have some ideas. Sometimes, too many ideas.

We've been having Spring like weather but more cold days are predicted. My double narcissus bulbs are blooming so I know that Spring is not far away. Wish I could send those of you inundated with snow some of our weather. Stay safe and warm.