the piano is finished...

now to create a setting for it in my journal....
click on the images for a close-up view.

a stitching done based on an abstract drawing i did many years ago

 my bobbin lace pear with a weaving now has a place on another pouch.

stitched on brown velveteen

and a cotton lining

stitching on watercolor paper...

3 shades of pink floche thread

and a great find at the thrift store. it had several stains but i've been able to get all but one out. will have to work a bit harder on that last one. this will make a great light throw. it measures 52" x 64".

we've had some rain here for the past couple of days and spring is on its way. i'm anxious to plant some seeds and flowers.

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.

finishing up and moving on...

the back of the jacket was finished yesterday...

stitched with some variegated threads and mixed some of that taupe and beige thread that was wonderful to work with. don't know what it is or where it came from but it was in my stash.

i know some of you like to see the back of the stitching.

stitched onto the jacket using a beige thread and stitched between the seems so it wouldn't show.

working on the pocket today...

i hand dyed all the fabric and a bit of tatting left over from the plackets.

UPDATE ON THE JACKET 5-31-2012:
the jacket is complete and i'm just adding the final pics so they will all be in the same place.

the only machine stitching done was when i added the pocket to the jacket. i added a stiffener within so the pocket wouldn't flop and it was too thick to hand stitch.

 

the completed front

the jacket is now hanging in the closet waiting for fall and cooler weather.
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i stopped in the thrift store this morning as all their clothing was 50% off. picked up a dress and a blouse that will be remade into something...the blouse is a large and the dress is a 2X so there's lots of cloth to work with.  got them both for $3.

cotton blouse with some nice cut work and cotton dress that will be perfect after some major alterations.

and the garden is doing really well...except of course for the indigo that is growing about 1/8" a week...but i'm not giving up just yet.

couldn't resist the thrift store today...

I have been staying away from the thrift stores because I do have enough stuff right here at home, but something pulled me in this morning. I couldn't resist these 2 finds that I got for a song since I'll be able to incorporate them in my Play Ground magic cloth. Click on the images for a closer view.

a partially stitched grid on a light cotton cloth including the green wicking thread. and a partially stitched embroidery with some beautifully colored floss.

I like the idea of incorporating parts of someone's unfinished project into my cloth...a kind of mystery collaboration.

I'm also gathering the supplies I'll need for Karen Ruane's next embroidery class...EXTENDING EMBELLISHMENT. You can read about it here. You might like to join in, especially after seeing some of the embroidery she shares with us on her blog.

I found some wonderful white scrim locally and ordered some interesting papers to play with when class starts.

I ordered the papers from here. They have some beautiful choices in lots of different colors and patterns.

Collecting...

One of the thrift shops had 50% off on most things today in honor of Veteran's Day and I just couldn't pass it up. I am addicted to searching for old and unusual cloths. Thankfully it's an inexpensive hobby. Most of my finds are from the 'bed and bath' department.

thrift store finds

When I got home, I went out and collected lots of leaves to save for the days when there are no longer leaves on the trees. Can't go for months not dyeing some fabric with leaves. They are such a beautiful color right now.

Japanese Oak leaves

Several bundles waiting to be opened after submerging them in water this time instead of steaming. I just love opening those bundles to see the magic that took place.

bundles of oak leaves, rose leaves, small orange flowers, dashes of turmeric