some of the ground covered this week....

I moved from this project to that project and back again. Trying to finish up some UFOs and started something new. Can't ever resist starting something new. Here are a few images....

click on the images for a better view...

doodles on cloth, sashiko stitching, bumpy bits 

preparing fabric circles for embellishing

doodles on cloth enhanced with chain stitch

stitch embellishment

Finished up a flextangle that was started a while back.

color catcher sheet attached to flextangle pattern and adding stitch

2 completed flextangles

Determined to finish this wrapping cloth started in one of Karen Ruane's first embroidery classes. Added some embellishment to this panel.

broderie anglaise, vintage linens, toile, embellishment

And....a few of you asked how I was managing to control all those loose threads on my bobbin lace piece, so here's a picture. The threads are temporarily wound around four large pins stuck into the pillow. The nightmare will be untangling them and braiding them into the trunk of the tree when the lace work is finished.

managing the bobbin lace threads

Hope you're all enjoying your weekend. Have a great week.

Chasing a VW Bug....

Spent most of the week on finishing up my bobbin lace VW Bug and creating a scene for a pillow. The fabric was showing through the lace so I did lots of weaving through the spaces. This will be a fun pillow to have around. Looks like the helicopter is chasing the Bug....still more work to do on this one. The helicopter does need a pilot....or something...and there will be embroidery in the background. The car still needs some doors. It measures about 12" x 12" so far but it will get a border.

click on the images for close-ups...

the scene so far. the cut off piano keys fabric made a good roadway.

helicopter appliqued on with lots of black stitching.

used some wrap stitches for the front grid and shisha mirrors for the hubcaps.

I tried doing a patchwork lace piece. I drew a pattern, cut out the pieces and used them as templates to cut out the lace. The lace was then free motioned onto a muslin background and still adding lots of embellishments with hand embroidery. It might wind up on the front of t-shirt if I can make it removable. Don't think I want to throw this in the washing machine. It is 6" in diameter.

drawing a pattern

stitched down with free motion embroidery and auditioning beads and buttons.

hand embroidery in progress

still needs more embellishing down on the bottom half.

....and I did do some meandering between the tomatoes I showed you last time and I think it will work to camouflage all the wrinkles.

meandered between the tomatoes

Our temperatures are still in the 100s almost every day without any sign of rain. Can't wait for the Fall season to arrive.

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.

some more knitting...

I finished up a bag I've been knitting on and off for over a year. I thought it would shrink more when felted but since it didn't, I cut off a section and made a little bag as well. They are both lined with a soft pink flannel and have an i-cord handle. I did put a cording within the i-cord so that the handle would not stretch. That little bag might wind up in a giveaway sometime soon.

click on the images for close-ups.

I've done a bit more work on the leaf scarf. I'm so anxious to get to the berry color in the variegation...maybe another leaf or two...

I finished up a small bobbin lace piece that didn't turn out great and I haven't yet decided how I'll finish it up....maybe a pin cushion.

the gray thread is a silk and stainless steel that's nice to lace with but not easy to stitch with needle and thread.

Karen Ruane has started up the Alchemy class again so I'm back to finishing my family memory album. I'm working on a page of my mom. The picture is of my mom modeling a bathrobe from the time she worked for Matsil Bros. (a bathrobe company) in NYC in the 1930s. I did some line marking on the image...something I learned from Lisa Congdon on Creativebug.com.

some line markings on an old image of my mom

Wishing all the moms out there a Happy Mother's Day. Hope it's a great weekend.

where do i start....

i did so many things this week that i can't possibly get them all into this one post so just a few of them....
the top of the silk cloth is finished and i'm almost finished embroidering french knots on the back. just french knots scattered in color blocks to match the colors of embroidery thread used on the front. it will be stitched today and i will start working on the edging.

click on the images for close-ups...

pale pink cotton backing with french knots

i did some more smocking on the toile fabric i'm using in my 'fun times' cloth. haven't worked on that cloth in a while. i used a section of the smocking to make a toggle...something Karen demonstrated this week in Simply Stitch 2.

smocking on the toile fabric

the bottom toggle is the newly made one with smocking in the middle and web stitches on the edges.

i did start the embroidery based on the watercolor i posted previously. i'm using white dupioni silk and floche thread.

those are bullion knots stitched on the bumpy bits. i stitched those on before cutting out the circles and applying it to the base cloth.

i have lots of what looks like a rayon thread that my grandma gave to me way back in the 1970s and i decided to try using it in my bobbin lace. she used it to crochet doilies. i thought it might be too slick but it does hold the tension needed and is quite nice to work with.

a lace pricking of leaves. just started doing the leaves and a couple of stems. i have lots of different shades of this rayon thread so i'm mixing them up to give a variegated look.

for those of you who like to try new knitting patterns....this one was new to me and is called 'Cross Stitch Knitting'. i just loved the way it looked and had to try it. there is a video here if you would like to have a go at it. it's quite simple once you see how it's done.

this is my sample with some yarn i had left over. i just love it.

i'll have another knitting sample for you next time. i'm working on it right now and it's not quite finished.

the weather is slightly cooler and we've had a bit of rain which has been wonderful. more expected today.
my plumbago does so well this time of year. glad i can see it out of my kitchen window.

blue plumbago

hope you're all having a great weekend and i'll see you next time.

pleating of sorts...

my latest obsession is forms of pleating. Karen Ruane demonstrated pleating on her little pleating machine and i've been experimenting ever since. i'm doing another form of irregular pleating by hand and am loving the way it's turning out. i've completed two 5" square patches so far.

click on the images for close-ups.

habotai silk, pleated and tacked down to a base cloth with french knots. a 5/8" embroidered band between the patches that are 5" x 5"

the plan is for a nine patch of these silk, pleated squares with the embroidered band between each patch. i have no idea what it will be used for...maybe just to admire, as it is so soft and light.
i already have a label for the back. i embroidered the first band in white, forgetting that i wanted to do it in pink and other pastel colors, so that first band now has my initials and the year and will be a perfect label.

a label for the back of the nine-patch

i continue to go to bobbin lace class on Tuesdays and still struggle to do this craft on my own, but i do enjoy it, so i continue. here are the last 3 pieces i finished. they will, eventually, be stitched onto a cloth project.

bobbin lace on a silk eco-dyed background

and couldn't resist this cloth at Joann's last week...don't those bonbon yarns match perfectly. i have some ideas in mind for this.

nice way to buy a variety of yarn colors for a small project

we finally got a good rain on Wednesday night...with lots of thunder boomers and lightning. lots of damage in my area with falling trees on houses and roads. the trees are so dry from the drought. i guess the trees, being so dry and unstable,  couldn't handle that downpour and strong winds. i was lucky and had no damage.

NOTE: Karen Ruane is contemplating another class real soon. it will include so many wonderful techniques and you will be able to just watch and/or participate when some technique appeals to you. check today's blog post for more information.

all about white...

in organization mode here but only with things white...i've always loved white and have lots of bits and pieces of things that needed some organization and deconstructing. in the past couple of years i have been very influenced by Karen Ruane's stitching. she works almost exclusively in white. she posted a ruffle/flounce yesterday...you can see it here...that sent me rummaging through my stash. i found one that is from an old wedding dress gifted to me by a friend. it was not in great condition and needed some mending. i think i will be able to use it for what i have planned.

click on the images for close-ups.

white trim

white cloth and old garments that need deconstructing

mending a white ruffle...will add some tatting to the band

 i also did some crocheting in white over some lace made with cheesecloth and free motion embroidery.

the crochet was done on a white cording that was incorporated into the lace

and finally...even my bobbin lace is being done in white as i hope to include it in a white cloth and lace piece sometime in the future. bobbin lace is a very slow craft for me as i usually only work on it when i am in lace class on Tuesdays.

bobbin lace in white 30 weight cotton thread

our weather here in Austin, TX has been unusual for this time of year but very pleasant. we have even gotten some rain which is desperately needed. the flowers are blooming and there is green everywhere. there was a very interesting segment on CBS Sunday Morning today called 'Flower Power'. it's only 6 minutes long and i think you will find it interesting. even flowers have the sense of sight and touch. the video is here.  have a good week and stay safe.

just a bit of stitching this week...

trying to finish up this and that to eliminate some of the clutter in every room.
this will be the last pouch with bobbin lace for a while. it's a small one lined in silk. it just needs a closure...maybe a bead or a button...and then it will be gifted.

embellished with bobbin lace...measures 5" x 5½"

lined in pure silk

getting toward the end of Karen Ruane's Alchemy class and my ledger isn't anywhere near finished. i'm determined to continue working on it to completion. i did a piece of embroidery this week that i thought would be included but it's turning out to be a piece that will stand on its own...i think.

the embroidery is finished but it will sit within an embellished piece of acrylic paper that will be hole punched and stitched.  embroidered section measures about 7" x 8".

we've been having temperatures ranging from the 40s in the morning to the mid 80s in the afternoon and it's only March. looks like it will be another one of those very hot summers with very little rain. need to get all those seeds planted. have a good week.

choices...

i have so many projects in progress that it's sometimes hard to choose which one to work on. this week i decided i had to finish making the pouch with my bobbin lace piece. it's tall and slim so will be good for knitting projects.
click on the images for close ups.

lush purple velvet with a green upholstery lining

close up view

more journal work is happening every day. i need to start working on completing pages now as there are lots of bits and pieces of things all over the place.

working on thick acrylic paper

the old style telephone

and a wonderful surprise from Nat...some hand dyed thread and a beautiful bag embellished with indigo dyed color catcher sheets. check out her blog. it's always chock full of gorgeous and interesting info.

hand dyed bag and thread from Nat. even the wrapping paper is beautiful.

wishing you all a creative week.

all over the place...

i'm trying to spread myself all over the place and do a bit of everything. i stopped at the thrift store this week looking for something specific and found two things i couldn't pass up. they both will be used almost immediately for projects planned.
click on the images for close-ups.

both are runners...crochet lace and a thick cotton embroidered white on white

more journal work with free motion embroidery on paper and scrim.

free motion embroidery on paper and then hand embroidered. insert of grandma's picture.

a test sample piece of watercolor painted paper with scrim...free motion embroidery...and hand embroidery

i got close to the end of the wool unraveling that i've been posting about and it all started tangling. i have enough to start spinning and the rest will be untangled little by little.

and finally, i'm back to my bobbin lace that's been on the pillow for over a year. it's close to being finished and will become a pouch. it's stitched onto purple velvet and will have a green lining. it's a beautiful green, linen thread. could not capture the beautiful color with the camera.

bobbin lace stitched onto purple velvet. adding some beading to the fringe.

 February went by so quickly. i'm looking forward to March. the bulbs are starting to bloom and Spring is on its way. we've had a real mild winter here in Austin. some of the plants didn't freeze back at all this year. wishing you all a good week.