Spring Sampler

Finally complete!

Spring Sampler

A lovely design by Lorna Bateman

I have so enjoyed working on this piece 

I have chosen some different threads and ribbon colours for this piece and some of the stump work details, such as the watering can, and I added cuffs to the leather gloves. 

I have mixed feelings now that have no more little bits to do on it 

Delighted its complete sad it's all done. 

Lorna now sells this as a kit.
Working on something new....and a bit different for me, pictures to follow soon :)

Close ups ... Miniature Embroidered Pictures

Little
 'Close Ups'

Miniature Embroidered Pictures

Sketchbook Close Ups
Now available @ ETSY 

A is for Airlie & Agnes

This is the 1st project I attempted using my Silhouette Cameo. I tried to cut the pink silk fabric out but it frayed too easily so here's what I did
I cut the letter out of freezer paper on the cameo. 
Ironed it onto the silk.
Cut this out of the fabric freezer paper intact.
I then coated the back with fabric glue and ironed it onto the batik backing fabric.
Peeled the freezer paper away.
Back stitched round the outer edge of the pink and stitched on the buttons.
This was a gift for Airlie who kindly gave me her grans old button box when she passed away last year I wanted to give her something back in memory of her gran who also shared the same initial

Recycled blanket and jeans

It seems like an age since I last posted on here,

where does the time go??? 

anyway

I wish you all a happy and creative filled 2014

Apart from my little mice added in my last post before Christmas

I have been stitching while away on trips in our caravan all summer,

Recycling old denim jeans and wool blankets

cuffs with hand embroidery 

bookmarks

 hand embroidered

Key fob handbag charms

 jeans handbag

 machine embroidery

glass cabochon detail

a cushion for my daughter for Christmas

and more little mice!

Christmas tree decorations

so I have been quite busy!

Two little mice!

Pincushion Mice

Hand embroidered

A garden for 'Blue Lace Cottage'

My little 'Blue Lace cottage' has been away for a week on exhibit with all the other little houses made by the ladies of Fife branch of the Embroiders Guild.
before it went I completed the base

I had no real idea of how I wanted the finished piece to look so I just had fun,

  cut out fabric added and stitched some by hand
some machined as I went along.

Then I got out the fabric paints and just explored

old lace, new life....

little garden.

 the other 'houses' made by the member of Fife branch, I have kept this image large so you can click and zoom in for a closer look.

Rethymnon Door

Finished! my little door photographed in Rethymnon Crete 

you may have seen my posts earlier about the Alison King workshop 'Entrances & Exits' and this is my finished doorway

the view through the window & door wirework is of Santorini,
a picture from a callander I bought in Crete

Update : the finished piece

Three little sea~side pictures

A little bit of sewing and stitching ....... and a new book

I have had the idea of these little pictures on my to do list for a while, I've got a few of these little wooden hoops and I wanted to make something with them. 

Then just a couple of days ago, inspired by a new book,

I first read about it on Annes blog then when I opened this months issue of Homemaker and read some more about it, I couldnt resist, I popped over to Amazon to see if I could get it there with my birthday gift voucher from David,  it was available. When it arrived, I wasnt dissapointed, it' a beautiful book.
My little hoops were given a quick wash of watercolor paint and hung out to dry on the line before using them to frame my finished pictures.

Spring Sampler ...a little progress

to show....... have worked a little on the insects, 

ants, tiny bees and the ladybird in stumpwork

spiders web is stitched in a double thread of lilac and silver but not sure I like it,

think it needs redoing, 

beginning on the dragonfly.....

stitched wings in fine metallic teal, and legs.

Looking forward to the EG Scottish Regional Day in Dundee tomorrow.

Spring Sampler WIP

There is a little progress on the spring sampler

I re stitched the border where it was supposed to go

 under the beehive and insects row ....

 then I stitched a double knot row under the letters,

 I used a Caron 'Autumn Leaves'

on the row above I stitched a row of beaded blanket stitch, however the beads covered up most of the stitching, should probably have used a darker colour, I used the Caron 'Lemon and Lime', so I whipped it with another, more colourful thread just above the beads called Chameleon 'Summer garden'

You can also see I have completed the birdhouse and grasses below and began stitching on the flower basket next to it, the next stage of this bit is the basket which will be done in bullion knots so I might leave it until I have completed all the other more flat embroidery and put it back onto the larger frame.

EG Airdrie branch meet again tonight, I was supposed to have some stitching on my Cretan door to show you but I found it difficult to concentrate on it with so much chat and demos going on so I only did a small amount, tonight I will probably do some more on the sampler or my needlepoint nest which I worked on a little at Tuesday's meeting with Fife branch while we discussed ways to display all our 'Houses'.

Spring Sampler & Easter offerings

A little progress on my spring sampler 

I decided to try my hand at Portuguese Border stitch using this lovely Caron Wildflower thread called Raspberry Sorbet.

along the third line 

I enjoyed working the stitch which looks similar to Heavy Chain
 but is worked in a completely different way,

very enjoyable and easy going, 

most of this is worked on the top of the fabric

 love the effect of the thread too

this is the underside,

Unfortunately, once finished I realised that I had in fact stitched along the wrong row :(

so I had to snip it out 

not too laborious, 

quite quick really .... now I get to stitch it all over again ! 

in the right place this time :)

 Primroses on the top row I stitched the stems in overcast stem stitch

and leaves in buttonhole stitch  DMC 3348 lt yellow green thread 

*****

As Sunday was a busy day for us I didn't get to post a picture of the little Easter gifts

which we put together for our family

 Charlotte and I made some more of the little nest that she made at Nursery

We used High Bran cereal  mixed with melted chocolate cake covering, spooned into cupcake cases and topped with sugar coated eggs, delicious!

These were popped into little bags with foil covered eggs and little fluffy chicks and rabbits. 

The Azalea I bought for my Mum.

Painting a Miniature Needlepoint Canvas

Yesterday I began on a little piece I have planned to do for a little while,

 it's more of a challenge, to try something new- painting on needlpoint canvas

do something in miniature again - it is 'miniature' canvas

I found this little image that I liked online at the Graphics Fairy,

 I loved the colours and it suited my little project in mind.

 first i traced the image at 12% on my laptop screen

 then I went over it with my micron pen on the tracing paper

next I traced the outline onto my miniature canvas which is called coin-net

not sure of the actual square/per inch ratio but its very fine

 I did this tracing with the aid of a little makeshift litebox

using a plastic tub and my micro light

 next ....the tricky bit with paint, I read online that acrylic paint is best so I dug out what I had some system 3 basic colours and white, a couple of synthetic paintbrushes and just started, having no idea how it was going to turn out!

I put the larger image on my desktop for colour reference

and this is what I came up with

Im not aiming for an exact copy, I just liked the image and the colours in it, more using it as a starting point

  I'm quite pleased with it :)

Apart from one pincushion and a little sample I have little experience in needlepoint, so this is a real challenge , but I'm looking forward to trying it

Needlepoint is usually worked in fine wool threads but I'm going to use 6 strand embroidery floss.
I found this little card of threads from a kit I stitched a few years ago, a gift from my sister, I used it as one of the samples require for my C&G portfolio. The colours are a perfect selection for my needlepoint nest, although I will have to add a couple more to the mix.

This is the one I stitched from the kit, a letter 'Y' 

It's the one and only time I have did a cross stitch, I really don't find it an enjoyable way to stitch I dislike referring to counted thread charts, that don't make sense to me and I find the process restrictive, there are some beautiful designs out there and my sister Theresa is a beautiful cross stitcher, I do admire those who can sit and do it but I can't, I don't get on with it at all.

I wanted to share this little Easter Nest that Charlotte made at nursery,

 but she assured me it was all for her ;)

I wish you all a Happy Easter x