Before and after . . . Matroyshka doll Christmas tree decorations. One can never have enough bling!
Ready to hang . . .
. . . with an embroidered doll, almost finished.
And this lovely little flashback is now complete.
TGS
I am getting a real buzz out of working with these colours!
An experiment with felt and left-over wool from a scarf which I finished today.
I finished this (very shiny) painting.
Actually got around to organizing some threads! (I think I need about 5 more boxes!)
You know it's Autumn when . . .
Don't worry - he lived to tell the tale of how he found himself in my bedroom.
TGS
Here it is! A long time coming!
I've also been busy making these little ladies. . .
Now for some 1960's cross-stitch!
TGS
I've been sitting on the floor all morning, surrounded by paint, sequins and fabric! Heavenly! I love that holiday play feeling!
Inspired by a phone conversation with Jen yesterday I've come up with an idea that might be saleable. Stitched and beaded fabric matroyshka brooches. Here's one I made earlier!
I like the "folk-art" feel of having very visible stitching, and the beaded edge makes the whole thing nice and sturdy.
I added a few sequins to this painting.
This painting was inspired by something I saw in a copy of Marie Claire Idees. (It's not finished yet)
I used the left-over gold paint here, to make a card. any excuse for sequins!
Playing with paint and (more) sequins.
Using up left-over paint and preparing the foundations for some floral frames.
I really MUST go and finish that sampler now!
TGS
I haven't done much this week except work on getting this sampler finished. This has been an on and off project since last year and I set myself the challenge of getting it finished this week while I'm off work. My back aches and my eyes have ached and now the end is in sight!
I just need to finish the border and add some bullion knots to the centre of the flowers. And obviously give it a serious ironing! The pattern is from "Better Homes and Gardens - Stitching Pretty"
I also decided to do a bit of relaxation painting. This is a very child-like cheer-me-up kind of picture. It needs bringing together a bit more. But it served it's purpose!
Had to go to the GP and nipped in to buy this magazine on the way there. Look at that huge Poppy! It has a beaded centre! It's one of Maria Diaz's designs. She's going to be at my local Embroiderers' Guild this Autumn! There were a couple of nice scandinavian-style Christmas card designs which I like too!
Here's what I did with the piece of felt I made at the NEC. I used the left over sequins from the crazy patchwork project to add a bit of spangle to it. Not sure which lovely person will be the recipient of this card yet.
Well - back to work!
TGS
I started making this crazy patchwork cushion at a workshop by Sally Holman at the festival of Quilts yesterday, and spent the whole of today finishing it off.
I finished this little Heritage Crafts kit last week. I'm thinking of doing another butterfly and making it into a brooch - somehow.
This is my £60 pile of fabric that I bought at the Festival. I have plans for most of this - but there are a couple of fat quarters here that I bought just because I had to!
I just loved this cheesy kitcsh strawberry piece of Japanese fabric. £1!
This green floral fabric would make a nice little baby dress and matching shoes. The blue fabric with roses is either a table cloth or quilt - I haven't worked out which yet. And a lot of the other fabric is lilac or pale yellow - destined to be a patchwork quilt to match by colour scheme.
The Button Lady was there - hurrah! I bought an absolutely gorgeous huge mother of pearl button! And I think I was quite restrained in limiting myself to these little ones. You'll notice I used some of these on the crazy patchwork cusion cover.
I finished my crochet moomin! This was made from a pattern by Getfun who sells on Etsy.
This is a piece of felt that I made at another workshop.
It has silk, nylon and sparkly inclusions.
When I learned on Thursday that I hadn't got the job I was going for, I was surprised by how upset I was. I think I'd psyched myself up, which was pretty stupid really. And the weather felt like Autumn which didn't help. So I started working on this groovy little retro number from a 1967 craft book which Libby bought me from Hay-on-Wye book festival last year. It can't fail to cheer me up!
I have now got one glorious week off work to regroup myself! And to finish some of the myriad of jobs I've got on the go.
TGS
Here's a selection of my favourite quilts from the exhibition.
Fantasy
Afghan Field
Dear Amy
Branded
In a spin
Sunset (Detail)
Traumhauser
Elemental
The Beauty of Flowers
Squares on squares on strips on stripes
A garden of daydreams
Seasonal joy in the borders
The revery alone will do
Wishes
Baby Baltimore
Creator's garden
It was all about Pansies
Tournesol
Birth of a planet
Summer Madness
Recycled
Flower Power
Ginger's secret garden
by Katie Reid
by Katie Reid
Liberty Jack
TGS
Just what the doctor ordered. A day trip to stratford, paid for by the Library! The weather was perfect and everyone had a really great time. We visited the Shakespeare Institute Library (I won't bore you with the pictures but fellow Librarians can see them on flickr if they follow the link), then to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust where we saw a first edition folio worth about 3 million pound. We then visited Shakespeare's birthplace, and finished off the day with a trip down the Avon on a narrow boat. You'll see that one or two of us went on the carousel!
The Turret - now a study room for graduates at the Shakespeare Institute.
Lovely Tudor houses and Georgian fronts.
Shakespeare's Birthplace
The river Avon
Librarians let loose!
TGS
I don't think I've ever blogged about this scarf that I made around last Christmas. I made it from a DMC kit. Then I used the left over cotton to make a pair of earrings. Today I'm wearing them both together.
I am off into town today to buy buttons for the baby hoodie I'm making.
And I now have 2 pattern sets to work from. I bought some cute fabric from Etsy, which will hopefully become the first of many summer dresses for baby Millie.
I started making a Moomin last night during the Tudors, but it was a bit hard to concentrate on the pattern, what with Anne and Henry finally "making their son"!
TGS
I've found a great "baby hoodie" pattern free on the net. This stich is a modified treble stitch, but the trebles are crossed, like hands on a piano. It just gives it a bit more texture without being overly complicated.
Here's another pair of booties for the lovely Millie.
My favourite wool again!
Look what arrived in the post yesterday morning! I'll be able to make a lot of jewellery with these!
And I couldn't resist a quick hello from Noo noo.
Still as tiny as ever!
I'm off to decipher a book of Japanese amigurumi instructions that I just bought from Etsy. And worry about what to wear to a job interview on Wednesday! And sleep!
TGS
