Stitching a Story

Karen's class, Stitching a Story, is coming to an end. It has been 12 wonderful weeks of embellishing a storybook of our choice. My choice was THE BEDSPREAD by Sylvia Fair. It is a story of two old sisters who decide to decorate their boring bedspread. I have made a short video where I flip through the pages of my embellished book. There are pages with collages, embroidery, paper work, fabric pajamas, stuffed figures, etc. Some of the pages are kind of blurry in the video but you can still get a good idea of what it looks like. You can see the video here. I did run my fingers over some of the areas embellished in the video to distinguish from what was already on the page.

Here are some stand alone pictures of some of what you will see in the video and a few pieces that are stand alone pieces. Sorry for the poor quality of these images.....I think I need to go back to using my camera instead of my phone. click on the images for a closer view.

Karen's classes are always inspiring and motivating and allow you to move in the direction of your own personal creativity. The next class, WRAPPED AND BOUND IN STITCH, begins on Sept. 5th, so check it out here.

a pocket with the book jacket printed  to hold the book and a zippered pocket embellished with embroidery and a 3D fence to hold all the patterns used.

an embroidered door, a tiled welcome mat and a collaged tree with embroidered flowers.

some of the embroidery and stitch done on a stand alone bedspread piece.

The book is opened to the page where Maud and Amelia are embroidering on their boring bedspread. I created a stand alone piece with bits of fabric and lace to mimic their bedspread. It measures 30" x 11".

Back for an overview....

I haven't posted in so long that I'm hoping I remember how to do this....I post mostly on Instagram these days and some of you have been following me over there....so thank you. Some of you have wondered why I wasn't posting here anymore and there just isn't enough time to do it all so I hope you'll come on over to Instagram and follow me over there. You do not need to set up an account to follow me.

Thought I'd just load this post with some of the images that I've posted over there so you can see what I've been up to....click on the images for close up views.

There have been more pouches:

pouch  with hanky and lace

embroidery cut up and stitched with fabric into a bucket pouch

Lots of embroidery:

monograms on some free motion snippet lace

a tree embroidered onto a page in a story book 

embroidery on cotton. pattern from story book

embroidered names of characters in storybook THE BEDSPREAD

miniature pajama tops with monograms for the 2 characters in the book

The storybook is what I'm working on in Karen Ruane's class STITCHING A STORY. It's not too late to sign up....Go Here

and I've also been working along with Pat Sloan's Splendid Sampler group. Two blocks are posted each week to work up. I'm refreshing my memory on so many techniques I haven't used in years....and it's all FREE....so check it out and see if you'd like to join in. Go HERE Scroll down at that link and you'll see all the blocks presented so far. There will be 100 total so it's an ongoing project done a little at a time. It's amazing how fast the blocks add up. Here are some of mine. I'm working in two different colorways so I'll have 50 in each when it's complete.

a block with lots of embroidery

this one was a challenge with foundation paper piecing

and here are most of them in one colorway

and in the other colorway

Well, I guess that's all for now. Not sure when I'll be back here but hope you'll come see me on Instagram. Hope you're all enjoying life.

and the winners are.....

...chosen with my eyes closed. I have emailed both Christine and Jane. Congratulations to them. Wish you all could have been winners.....maybe next time.

Have a great weekend.

My latest interests....

We had a paper folding play day at Quilt Bee a couple of weeks ago and since then, nothing in my house is safe from becoming a little folder. They are so much fun to create and are nice to have in your purse to carry papers, lists, coupons, business cards, etc. They each have six pockets and I've added note paper to some of them.

If you would like to have one, leave a comment and I'll choose 2 names next Saturday and mail one out to each of the winners. Not sure yet which ones I'll mail out. I might even make some new ones.

The instructions for making them were in the Winter 2015 edition of Pages magazine put out by Cloth, Paper, Scissors.

click on the images for close-ups....

paper folding play

all different sizes depending on the paper size you start with.

I printed on watercolor paper, used maps, napkins and wrapping paper.

an iron on transfer on newsprint, napkins, album page and moire fabric with lace.

the magazine with the instructions

I've also been playing with the light that comes through my kitchen window during the afternoons at this time of year.

shadows on the kitchen table

playing with a small prism and the light from the window

There are more images on Instagram. click HERE if you're interested.
Wishing you all who celebrate a Happy Thanksgiving. We have had our first really cold days this weekend and it feels good. Stay safe and enjoy whatever it is you are doing.

it's been awhile.....

since I posted but I have been stitching, lacing, crocheting, knitting and doing a whole lot of experimenting. I've been creating a lot of small scraps and hate to throw anything away so I've started a scrap scroll that is attached to a wooden spool. I'll have a scrap scroll library someday as I have quite a few wooden spools to fill.

click on the images for closer views....

scrap scroll on a wooden spool

The triangular shawl I was making for my knitted coat is finished so I'm ready for winter, if it ever arrives.

crocheted triangular shawl....goes over my head like a cowl

The bobbin lace tree is finally finished. The finishing was a nightmare...trying to manage all those hanging threads with knots in them. I did think I would be able to hide the knots but didn't do a great job of that. I finally gave up and tacked it all down after spending hours trying to make neat braids. Not a perfect ending but I am pleased with it nevertheless. It is in a glass shadow box frame.

this is what it looked like before braiding

after auditioning lots of backgrounds, I decided on this green wool felt. The color is much more vibrant in person.

....And I've been having lots of fun making all kinds of paper and fabric samples in Karen Ruane's class Sampling for Stitch.

an accidental happening ... letter over fabric and doodled circles

There are more images of what I've been up to over on Instagram. So hop on over there if you're interested to see them.

Have a great weekend and see you again sometime soon.

Another pouch....

which has already been put to use. Not sure when I'll get tired of making pouches but that seems to be my main focus these days when it comes to stitching. This one is all blue and white and started out with an almost square, cotton, vintage doily edged in lace. It just grew from there and developed into this tall slim pouch which now holds all of my white and beige tatting and bobbin lace threads.

click on the images....

it measures 4½" wide x  12" tall

a ruffled cloth added between the edges to enlarge the diameter and separate the lace edges.

it stands up on its own.

a 4" steel ring is stitched into the base.

a 4½" jewelry wire ring is stitched into the top. a gingham lining.

a perfect fit for all my white and beige tatting and bobbin lace threads.

another view...chicken scratch on pocket

I've also been practicing the art of Armenian Lace which is a needle lace, after seeing this video on Facebook. I'm getting better at it and would like to incorporate the stitches in some of my embroidery work.

Armenian Needle Lace

There's been lots of inspiring work going on in Karen Ruane's Sampling For Stitch class. Here are a couple of my latest paper and stitch design sheets.

paper, stitch, fabric grid, gimp, stencil work, tile

watercolor bits, newsprint, stenciled letters

My bobbin lace tree is completed in terms of the lacing but I have not yet had the time to pull all the pins and form the trunk shape....hopefully next time.

Hoping you all have a great, creative weekend.

moved into creating something a bit strange.....

Last time I showed you a hand quilted piece of muslin where I started using some inktense pencils with textile medium. I wanted to give it up several times because some of the colors were just not the way I planned them but I was determined to make something of it.

click on the images for close-ups...

hand quilted muslin with inktense pencils and stitch

completed color work and stitch and marked grid where no stitching was done with micron pen. piece marked for cutting into sections.

used binding to finish off all the sections.

joined them together with hand stitch.

formed into a basket shape with a fun cow lining.

it is a very strange shape.

made a small pouch and scissors keep with the leftover pieces.

and a small pin cushion with that one lefter over triangle.

It is all a bit strange looking but very usable as a basket.

Pulled out another tray with UFOs and finished up a small triangular pouch. There are several more to do but waiting to receive the zippers I ordered.

velvet pouch with silk print lining.

bottom side. the fabric was purchased that way in patches so easy to put together.

....and a new class has started over at Karen Ruane's place...SAMPLING FOR STITCH. I'm already having lots of fun with this one. Check it out here...

Here are my first two design sheets...

Lots more going on with knitting, crochet and another pouch but I'll save that for another time. Some of you might remember the bobbin lace tree I was working on here. It's at the bottom of that post. Well, it's almost finished and I'm hoping it will be finished and framed by the next time I post.

Hope you all have a great weekend. We finally got some rain here yesterday after no rain for a couple of months.....so all the plants are happy.

these were purchased....not from my garden.