2012 Holiday Tag-a-Long Week 4

Well here we are, the last week of our Holiday Tag-a-Long.  Wow.  Is it just me or did the last 4 Wednesday's go by really super fast?

So. I have a small confession to make.  Remember how I said I wasn't going to buy any new supplies for my tags ... just use what I already had?  Well, I kinda sorta cheated a little.  I didn't mean to, but I met a friend for lunch last week.  And the cafe was "conveniently" located next to one of our favorite shops that happens to carry some crazy beautiful embellishments, like these sequins. 

Aaaagh!  They're like jewels!!!  And I didn't even buy them with my tags in mind.  I just bought them ... just ... 'cause.  I was feeling a little guilty 'bout that, but then my lack of discipline led to a lovely moment of inspiration for this week's color theme ...

Hot Pink & Kelly Green

Yeah, baby!

For some reason I had "Baltimore Album" on my mind and I've always loved this classic laurel wreath.  I started with the embroidered branches, then added my pretty new colorful sequins, a few pink knots and some green leaves and voila! 

It's a bit bigger than the template because I wasn't going to frame it.  But it didn't look finished so I added the pink border and the ribbon trim  ... which you can't really see except up close.  But it makes for a more elegant finish.

I also thought a lot about embroidering the year or a monogram or a little festive word in the middle, but I couldn't make up my mind.  So I left it blank.

Next was this stitched wreath with the teensiest little irridescent flower sequins ever. 

I embroidered a simple feather stitch wreath and randomly added the flowers with greens knot. 

It looked a little naked so I added the white knots in the middle.  Not sure if I like them, but they're staying.  And solid pink for the entire tag was too much for me, so I added the green fabric and then covered the seam with a pretty white ribbon/bow.

Last but not least ... I used the fabric as the feature. 

I was just going to add the 2 ribbon stripes and be done with it.

Sigh.

But it reminded me too much of the ugly tube socks I used to wear for gym class.  NOT the look I was going for.  So I girlied them up with little embroidered bows and some sequin hearts.

I love them.

In fact, I'm pleased with all my tags.

And I LOVE Amy's tags too, of course. 

We hope we've inspired you to make some pretty tags too.  Or that you've at least enjoyed seeing our creations.  If so, then we have succeeded in our mission to spread some pretty, crafty holiday cheer.  Thank you to everyone who participated!  Please keep adding your lovely tags to the 2012 Holiday Tag-a-Long Flickr Group.

But you know what?  I've decided to sell my tags.  I know, you might think I'm crazy.  But I've already had my fun designing and making them and for me, it's always more about the making than the having.  I've listed them in my shop as their original sets, if you're interested.   UPDATE:  SOLD OUT!

Daisychain Sampler "Z"

Or rather "ZED" as we call it here in Canada ... to much irritation of some foreigners. ;)

Is it just me or is it kinda sad that my Sampler is done?

Well, I guess now I'm faced with deciding on how to finish it.

I know for sure it'll be a wall hanging of some sort.

But do I just stick it in a store-bought frame?

Or do I do some sort of patchwork frame around it?

'Cause remember, I based all my floss colors on these fabrics ...

and these ...

So, I've got a lot to work with.

Any suggestions?

Daisychain Sampler "Y"

This letter makes me smile.

Wanna know "Y"? 

(LOL!  Ah geez, sometimes I just crack myself up ... !)

It reminds me of Laura Ingalls from "Little House on the Prairie".  Laura had long brown braids.

I remember a scene from one of the books where Ma was in a hurry getting Laura and Mary ready for church and accidentally tied Laura's pink ribbons onto Mary's braids and Mary's blue ribbons onto Laura's. 

Laura noticed the mistake right away, but didn't say anything because she was so happy that she got to wear something different.  She stared at them all thru Mass.

I have absolutely NO idea WHY I remember that from some 35 years ago ... but I do.  And it makes me smile.

See?  Totally looks like braids.  That chain stitch is amazing ... one of the coolest stitches I know.

Daisychain Sampler "X"

Ok you guys, here we go.  For all of you who've been waiting for me and gently nagging me ... I'm finishing the Sampler this week!  Cross my heart. 

Get it?  Cross?  X? ... ;)

X marks the spot.

The third last spot to be specific.

Slight modification again due to my smaller scale ...

only did 3 rows around instead of 4.

If I'd added the 4th row the letter wouldn't be hollow.  I kinda like the hollow.  Plus omitting the 4th row = less stitching. ;)

I only have TWO MORE LETTERS!

Yay! 

No, wait, I mean ... Xcellent!

Daisychain Sampler "W"

Ok, so how cool is this leaf?

I made it with really small, tight fly stitches. 

This is not how the leaves are stitched in the original pattern ... I just felt like making mine this way.

They're fun to stitch and look pretty realistic, I'd say.  Sorta like a Boston fern, maybe?

And I had to do more alterations to this letter.  The flowers on the original design are really cute, but because I've reduced the size of my Sampler by 30%, those flowers became too small to look good.

So.

I came up with these tiny little pink bells.  I have a thing for bell/drop type flowers.  I just made 4 or 5 straight stitches for each flower.  Easy peasy.

I'm not sure these flowers exist in real life.  I think of them as stylized pink Lily-of-the-Valley.  I bought one once from a mail-order garden nursery.  It died.  I'm not a very good gardener. 

On the other hand, however, I'm a decent embroiderer ... happily these little pink bells will last forever!

Oh, and I added a little yellow knot - single strand only - to really emphasize the bell-ish-ness.

I think it worked out rather nicely.

Speaking of work, there are a TON of stitches in this little W ... (actual size is less than 1 1/2"!) ... and totally worth every single one.

Daisychain Sampler "V"

LOL!  V stands for VERY LONG TIME since I worked on this poor, neglected sampler! 

It was a bit of an archeological dig to even find it buried under layers of Quilt Market sewing fabric & mending & ... stuff ... you know how it goes. ;)

ANYHOW, here's where I left off ... 3 months ago?  Yikes!

I used the same brown as U. 

And that long/short stitch again that I love so much.  You just can't beat that texture!

The palest pink makes for a sweet little scallop trim.

And pale blue for the dots.

Reminds me of a nursery.

Which reminds me of my babies.

Which makes my ovaries ache.

Better move on to the next letter quick!

I Did a Small Thing ...

and I did it with great love ...

love for making things,

for pretty fabric, (I took a cue from Amy's version and chose a pink dot for the inner circle, and then I alternated my blades pink & cream ... perhaps a little too soft with some of the creams, but I don't care about that.  I love it.)

for sewing, (I totally should hand quilt these blank corners ... but I know I never will ... )

quilting, (this is the back, another print from the same fabric collection I used for the dresdan plate)

embroidery, (omg do I ever love that hit of orange ... seriously ... who woulda thunk ... certainly not me!)

for my sweet friend Amy and ... and for YOU of course!  Every single one of you who takes time to say hello, whether you comment or not ... 'cause I know you're there. 

(WARNING, WARNING ... long-winded tangent alert!)

And if you've been so kind as to have left me a comment and I didn't reply, please accept my apology.  I think because I try to blog every week day, I seem to get overwhelmed trying to keep up with my replies, but the further behind I get the harder it becomes to catch up.  Or even start fresh. 

Please know I deeply appreciate your visits and notes.  I promise I read every single message and I always get a chuckle or smile and - believe this or not - I always reply to you IN MY HEAD.  I've even been known to have entire conversations with you, lovely stranger/friends, in the solitude of my imagination.  I guess that's what blogging is for me ... conversations with you, albeit mostly one-sided.  But I love hearing from you and knowing that something I do, make or talk about delights you in some way.  (Well, I don't know if "delight" is the right word to describe my motive for sharing my colonoscopy story with you ... however ... )

I hope you enjoyed watching me make this lovely (if I do say so myself!) little wallhanging and that you're inspired to make something too.

Thanks again Amy for designing this free pattern! 

Loved.every.stitch ... yes, even the ones I had to take out ;)

My Needles - A Primer

Yesterday I had a few questions about needles so I thought I'd write a post on the subject. 

Brand

There are probably a bazillion needle manufacturers out there ... and I never exaggerate. But my favorite needles are from Jeana Kimball. 

If you know anything about marketing, you would label me as a "brand loyal" sort of person.  Jeana's got needles for all my sewing needs, the quality is really nice, I never have trouble with them, I can find them locally ... and plus I totally love the cute little cases they come in.

Purpose

Basically, I have four "styles" of needles in my sewing arsenal...

(not including the weird curved upholstery and super long soft sculpture needles from a bear-making class I took like 15 years ago)

... each for different uses.  Sharps, Straws, Betweens & Embroidery.  (Keep reading for an explanation of each.)

Size

As with other manufacturers, Jeana's needles are sized according to length.  Don't ask me why, but the bigger the number, the smaller the size.  I'm sure there's a very logical explanation for this nomenclature ... however my curiousity simply never proded me to spend time researching the answer.

Also, it's important to know that a #size of one type does NOT translate to the same size in another type. 

For example, see the difference between a size 11 Straw and a size 11 Betweens?

Does Size Really Matter?

That depends.  ;)  Lemme 'splain. 

If you find yourself trying a new sewing method and aren't sure what size needle to use, I know Jeana sells Sampler Packs - an envelope with one of each size of that type of needle.  The fact that Jeana and other manufacturers actually SELL Sampler Packs should tell you something.  I suggest getting one of these  packs and trying out the different sizes.  Some people really don't care.  But I've found that most stitchers who end up spending a lot of time with a needle in hand will develop size preferences based on everything from the task to the size of their hand to their technique. 

Sharps

This is my basic "go-to" needle for general things like mending, reattaching buttons, that sort of thing.  I'm not really picky about size with these ... whatever I have on hand usually does the job. 

Although you can rest assured that I've used Straw needles to hem pants and Betweens to sew on a button ... most of the time my mending needle is the first one I pull out of my pin cushion!  LOL!  Major bonus for me if it's already threaded with the right color. ;)

At the moment it seems I have a package of size 9 Sharps in my drawer.  

I seem to go through a lot of these.  Not sure why.  I think there's an invisible needle black hole somewhere in my house.  My husband used to find them with his feet ... a lot.  But since becoming a mom I'm better at keeping track of them ... sorta.

Straws

I only use these for applique.  They are thinner and tend to bend - which is a good thing for applique work.    I like size 11.

I've heard more than once they work great for hand-stitching quilt binding.

Betweens

These are designed for hand quilting.  Whereas Straw needles are very thin & therefore bendy, Betweens are thicker and much less flexible because they need to endure a lot of pressure from the thimble and being loaded with multiple, heavy stitches.  And after a lot of use, however, my Betweens will still develop a slight bend. 

Again, size 11 is my preference. 

Embroidery

I used to buy 11s but now I find my poor aging hands are more comfortable with the slightly longer 10s.

I think it's kinda funny that I used 3 of my 4 needle types just for this one project:

Embroidery for the embroidery ...

Straw for the applique ...

and Betweens for the hand quilting ...

(omg, I am SO not winning any ribbons for my hand quilting!  I'm totally rusty.)

I also used 3 different threads ... but I'm not nearly as well versed on threads as I am on needles ... and I only know what I know about needles because I took courses on how to use these the particular ones. 

So don't ask me about syringes or body piercing.  ;)

Small Things Progress Report

I'm working on it ...

Honest! 

But I swear I didn't mean to go THIS crazy overboard with the hand quilting ...

(And boy is my needle rocking ever rusty!)

Yeah, no.

I tried something new ... new as in I've never done it before ... not new as in I'm so brilliant to have just invented quilting with embroidery floss.

Amy quilted around her circle with floss and I love hers.

And Monica did an AMAZING job quilting her Granny Squares with floss.

But I'm only lukewarm about my circle quilting.  And this edging?

Hmmmm, yeah no.

Don't like it.  It's too ... I dunno ... loud?  Too chunky?  I'm not doin' so good with my adjectives today.  It doesn't have the  refined daintiness (better) I'm going for with this project.

And plus I think I pulled my quilting stitches too tight so the circle is all ... hoochy coochy poochy.  (HA!  Take THAT you troublesome English language!!!)  (Just please ignore the "and plus" at the beginning of this paragraph ... I know it's naughty ... but I did it for comedic effect.)

So I unpicked.  All of it.  This pretty little thing is too ... pretty ... to not fix.

Sigh.  No pain, no gain.