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.

spinning in many directions...

you might remember the wool i was unraveling back here in February. well, i've finally started spinning it. my goal is to spin one ball every night so that i can ply it and actually make something with it. it felt good to be spinning again.
click on the images for a close-up view.

have no idea how much i'll wind up with after plying

still working with white over at Judes What If Workshop so i played a bit with a white cotton rag that Home Depot sells in small bundles. loved making the eyelets. i now want to make eyelets in every piece of fabric i pick up. after manipulation, the cloth wound up to be a diamond shape and just hangs on my design wall.

stitched false seams on front and back with lace and cording

love the cording extensions

and still doing embroidery with lace in continuation of my Alchemy Journal. this piece will be a header for a page with old memories. i had lots of trouble photographing this as it is see through and the layers of ribbon have a metallic quality.

cross stitch, free motion embroidery, hand embroidery

this piece measures 8½" x 3½"

the weather is getting warmer each day so summer is on its way. we never have much of a spring but we do have mild winters. i have to get out there and do some planting but i can't seem to pull myself away from all my indoor projects. wishing you all a productive week.

finally got back here...

i've been busy these past 2 weeks but didn't have much to show you. we are playing with 'white' over at Jude's What If forum so i did some experimenting. click on images for a better view.

with a prism...

playing with the light coming through the kitchen window

love the curved rainbow up above

turned a dyed piece into black and white and printed it on cotton cloth...

cut out the center and added some white lace. planned on stitching on this but the cotton was too tough for the needle so i gave up on that.

 here is the actual dyed piece that will become the top part of a hassock/stool i am covering.

not too much stitching ...maybe just a little bit more needed around the center circle.

and there has been some knitting happening as well.

a pinwheel purse with some sewing equipment within to carry for emergencies. i made 8 of these for my quilting friends.

the pinwheel purse opens up origami style and the pattern is here on Ravelry, if you want to try it.

and i also started knitting a purse that will be felted when finished...

this yarn is a wonderfully soft wool

i was thinking this week how lucky i am to be doing exactly what i love doing every day. it took some planning through the years to get here but it was so well worth some of the struggles. wishing the same for all of you.

mostly white this week...

Jude has been Whispering White in her latest What If workshop and that fit right in with the lace work i'm doing in Karen Ruane's Alchemy class. so not too many words just a few pics.
click on the images for close-ups.

cheese cloth, cording and free motion embroidery

a piece of lace, cheese cloth and free motion embroidery

 some more white on white work.

a new cell phone case from a thrift store table runner

the drought we've been having for the past 2 years is showing itself lately with limbs and trees just breaking off and falling to the ground. it's taking me lots of time to trim this up so i can put it out for recycling. hope this is it for awhile.

this youpon just broke in half. hope the rest of the tree survives and puts out new shoots.

more next time. have a great week.

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.

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.

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.

mostly journaling...

i did get a bit further in unraveling this raw wool mess. another week or two and it will be ready for spinning.
click on the images for a closer view.

more than double the size since last week.

while searching through old pics and documents for my family memories journal, i came across this abstract drawing of a piano i did about 5 or 6 years ago. i modified it some and transferred it to cotton cloth. after it's all stitched, it will become a journal page.

i'm having to do the satin stitching of the keys wearing a magnifier. the black keys are wrapped bars so they are raised up off of the cloth a bit. all the keys measure 4" x ½".

both sides of this journal page have been finished. the mandolin was my grandads. my dad played it quite a bit when i was growing up. he couldn't read music. he played the mandolin and the harmonica by ear.

the negatives are from pictures my dad took in the 1940s

the bars of the mandolin are wrapped threads on wire for a 3D effect.

i'm working on lots more journal pages...so more next time.

have a great week.

if only i knew...

i ordered this wool from ebay several years ago. had no idea what i was going to do with it but it was such a good buy for wool. well, when i received it, i realized that it had to be spun and plied before it could be used. i knew nothing about spinning back then. now that i am learning to spin with a drop spindle, i pulled it out of the closet. i quickly realized that this was going to be a difficult task, as you can see. i will wind a little bit each day and hopefully it will get done sometime soon so it can be used. it took me a while to figure out a way to manage winding 6 balls at once.
click on the images for close-ups.

why would they have wound it this way????

 i spend most of my time working on my Alchemy journal in Karen Ruane's class. here are a couple of pictures of what i worked on this week.

my dad played the mandolin. printed a picture of a mandolin and did some coloring with my inktense pencils. the strings are wire wrapped with floche thread. each string is 7" long. it took hours to do but i like the 3D effect.

i finished embellishing this lace frame with embroidery and it is stitched on to a journal page.

hope all of you who have been inundated with snow are staying safe and warm.

a new pin cushion

i saw a wonderful vintage pin cushion on facebook that inspired the start of a new pin cushion for me. it involves some wooden parts that i haven't managed to put together yet but this is the start...i made that little bear head many years ago and stitched it onto some of my grandmother's crochet. the ball measures about 3" in diameter. click on images for close-ups.

3" diameter ball made with kimono silk cloth. hand made bear head on grandma's crochet

in the last post, i showed you some fabric wrapped cording. the basket is now complete and this one will be mine. all the others were given as gifts.

fabric coiled basket made with cloth scraps

and still working on samples for my Alchemy class journal with Karen Ruane.

an old family photo...a map-like collage in cloth...some musical notes with names of operas. my mom loved to sing opera.

have another great week. i'll be back soon.