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!

S is for Stitch ... it's HERE!

Yay!  (And can I just say how surreal it is to see my name on the cover of a book?!)

I am sooooooo so so so happy to tell you that I've got a few copies of my book available in my shop today. 

(Fact: 2 1/2 years ago, the ballerina tutu design accidentally started this whole crazy "writing a book" thing ...)

I'd be happy to sign your copy & include a personal message at your request.

(This little guy is a favorite design of pretty much everyone who has seen my book ... he does make me smile.)

I also encourage you to check out your local quilt/stitch/craft shops.

And of course you can get it on Amazon.

2012 Holiday Tag-a-Long Week 3

Before I show you my tags, I need to quickly tell you about a giveaway.  It's for my book, which has started shipping to shops!  (I will have a limited number of signed copies available in my online shop soon.)

Click here to go to the C&T Stash blog to enter!

             *                    *                    *                    *                    *

A few days ago I was wasting valuable time doing critically important research on Pinterest and found myself making a Lovely Lavender board. 

'Cause I love lavender.  (Don't you just love it when people state the obvious?)

And while saving humanity with said ground-breaking research, I came across a few images that caught my eye ...

(Click on the photos to link to the sources.)

So my theme this week is decidedly non-traditional ... Lavender & Turquoise.

See?  Pinterest is NOT a colossal waste of time after all ... ;)

My first tag was totally easy-peasy.  Just glued on a bow & buttons. 

I originally had a purple bow on this tag, but after my Pinterest exploration I switched it to turquoise.  I think it looks more interesting.

Ok.  This next tag nearly did me in!  LOL! 

I won't bore you with the gory details about all the incarnations that poor English paper-pieced, appliqued hexagon flower went through.  But I'm so glad I stuck with it and I'm really happy with the final result.

Those little hexies measure 1/2" per side.  So I had to widen my tag to 2 5/8" to fit the flower.

You know, I thought my hexagon flower was going to be my favorite tag.  It SHOULD have been my favorite.  But this little lovely has stolen my heart.

I pieced together strips of fabric, embroidered the lavender sprig and then fused on the turquoise ribbon.

I started this tag thinking the stripes would be horizontal.  But after stitching the lavender, it all of a sudden wanted to go vertical and I could not change it's mind.  So I said, "Ok, be who you want to be!"

Love it. :)

Click here to see another batch of to.die.for tags from Amy.  Warning: The gingerbread man could give you a cavity just from looking at it ... it is sweeeeeeeet!

So ... how are your tags coming along?  The 2012 Holiday Tag-a-Long Flickr Group contributions continue to come in and there's lots of inspiration over there!

(And remember to enter the giveaway for my book!)

I Had a Nice Weekend

How can I tell?  Here's the evidence ...

I started with red/aqua embroidery.

Not bad, but not quite right.

So I swapped the red for hot pink and used a lighter shade of aqua.

Better.

But I wasn't totally jazzed about the dark chocolate.  It looked more like black coffee to me.  And I don't drink coffee.  So I rifled through my felt stash and found the perfect "hot-winter-beverage-made-with-milk-chocolate-and-whole-milk" shade of brown ...

This one is mine. :)

How I Transfer Embroidery Designs onto Felt

There are several ways to transfer embroidery designs onto your stitching cloth.  When it comes to quilting cotton, I favor a light source and a Micron Pigma Pen.  However that won't work for felt because you can't SEE through it.

In Alicia's pattern, she tells you how to use dressmaker's chalk pencil, carbon paper, fabric marker & and iron-on transfer pencil.  I confess I've never tried that method.  For me old habits die hard because I'm still happy using the way my mom taught me when I was little using cheap and cheerful tissue paper.

You need:

• a pencil
• a few pins
• a sheet of tissue paper large enough to accommodate the design you are transferring (I just dug out a wrinkly used piece from my gift-wrapping supplies & ironed it smooth). 

Here's how:

Step 1 - Trace the design onto tissue paper.

I also trace parts of the outline as registration marks so I can line up the design accurately onto the felt.

Step 2 - Pin the tissue paper to the felt exactly where you want the embroidery to be situated.

Step 3 - Embroider your stitches through both layers of felt and tissue.

Step 4 - Remove the pins and GENTLY tear away the tissue paper.

You may find a pair of tweezers helpful for picking out some of the little stubborn bits of paper ...

especially within enclosed stitches or underneath satin stitches.

I just eyeballed the few sequin placements.

That's it!  Easy peasy.

I wrote a similar post last year when I was making this other felt ornament set, if you don't mind listening to me repeat myself repeat myself.

A Red Coat

As I've said before, I'm not really a red girl.

I don't wear red.  And I don't decorate with red ('cept a little bit a Christmas & Valentines).

But I am absolutely head over heels in love with this red coat. 

It feels so good to finally have one of my own after coveting this pattern for the past few years.

I have the bear cut out.  But now I sorta feel like making my pink coat next.

Might come down to a coin toss. 

Or the always popular eeny meeny miny moe approach to decision-making.

My Victorian Strawberries Scissor Keep

There was a special reason I used this pretty strawberry fabric for my biographical embroidery/quilt project.

(By the way, a few of you asked about this fabric - it's Lecien's Old/New 30's collection from last year.  It's hard to find, but this Japanese fabric is similar and equally adorable.)

I didn't choose it just because it's pretty and it suited the quilt. 

The main reason is this ...

... a scissor keep I made for myself 12 years ago.

The kit was a gift from one of my oldest and dearest friends who thought of me when she saw it while on a British holiday.  She found it in the gift shop of a castle.

Now, I wouldn't call myself a royal watcher or anything, but I do enjoy British history ... especially when it's spoon fed to me in the form of terrific movies like this one.  And I've only ever been across the pond once - 10 memorable days in London, England (in 1994).  Plus I can boast British lineage (surnames such as Ferguson and Bowes are found in my family tree).  So I was particularly attracted to the story behind this pretty design.

I want to visit the Museum of London ...

just to see the slippers for myself.

Someday.

It's on my bucket list.

PS:  I learned how to make tassels from my macrame days in 8th Grade with Miss Moody ... the scariest teacher ever ... think Robert De Niro at his most intimidating - but as a very short woman with horn-rimmed glasses, no makeup and the most sensible haircut one could have without being in the army.  And she always made a point of bringing her prized Doberman Pinchers to school during the first week to set the tone in her classroom.  Like that kind of scary ... the kind of scary that made even the worst kids keep silent as church mice when she left the room for 10 minutes to soothe her nicotine craving. 

But I digress (again).  My point is that Miss Moody taught me how to macrame and it was - hands down - my favorite school option of all time!  I made some impressive plant hangers back in the day and finishing them off with a tassel was the best part.

PPS:  Please notice how I'm already making good use of my recent Ikea score ...

I'm usually not very good at this sort of thing so I'm feeling particularly smug today. ;)

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?

Find original pattern here.

Daisychain Sampler "Y"

Find original pattern here.

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"

Find original pattern here.

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,

for sewing, (I really 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. 

I hope 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 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 I love the cute little cases they come in.

Purpose

I have four types of needles in my sewing arsenal...

(not including the curved upholstery and super long soft sculpture needles from a bear-making class I took some 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.  I don't know why, but the bigger the number, the smaller the size.  I'm sure there's a very logical explanation for this nomenclature ...

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 don't care.  But I've found that most stitchers who spend a lot of time with a needle in hand will develop preferences based on everything from the task to the size of their hand to their technique. 

Sharps

This is my "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 bet 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!  Major bonus for me if it's already threaded with the right color. ;)

Currently 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 a 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 these work great for hand-stitching quilt binding.

Betweens

These are designed for hand quilting.  Whereas Straw needles are very thin and long and therefore bendy, Betweens are thicker and shorter 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've 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 ...

I only know about these needles because I've taken applique, hand-quilting and embroidery classes ... and used them all ... a lot.

Small Things Progress Report

I'm working on it ...

Honest! 

But 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. 

Wait, What?

(Imagine soft, lilting background music ...)

Ok.  So I was happily stitching away, playing around with floss colors, making a few mistakes, unpicking some stitches, being impressed with my redos, enjoying my work ... and then deciding I needed one more color for the flowers.

This is the color I picked.

(Insert "needle scratching record" sound effect here ...)

Wait, what?!

I KNOW! 

I had to go look in the mirror and ask, "Who ARE you and what have you done with Kristyne?!  She would never ... ... ... what's the word ... VANDALIZE ... her pretty pink & ivory & sage green embroidery with ... with ORANNNNNGE!"

Well, apparently she would. 

I don't understand.  It doesn't make sense.  In my mind it's practically sacreligious what I'm doing!

But there's a new muse in town ... she knocked on my door and I invited her in for tea.  (I think she probably would have preferred to simply text me ... if I knew how to do that sort of thing.)

And I'm liking our conversation.

But don't worry, I promise to end my relationship with her if she starts talking about the 70s ... and avocado appliances.

Happy Camper

My little dresdan blades have gone from these ...

to these ...

to this ... (wheeeeeeeeeee!  Yes, I totally squealed out loud when I pressed this little section together and flipped it over on my ironing board!!!)

(There may have also been clapping and jumping.)

And then this ...

Amy, if you were here right now I'd kiss you on the mouth!  LOL!

Kidding.

Maybe. ;)

And now I'm moving on to the embroidery.

I am one SERIOUSLY happy camper right now!

For the Fun & the Pretty

I've mentioned more than once how much I admire this girl.  I mean, seriously.  As far as I'm concerned, she is commander-in-chief of all things pretty. 

Just sayin'.

So when she posted this free pattern last week I practically knocked my chair over as I jumped up to grab fabric from my stash so I could start making this thing already!!!

I've had these FQs of old "Durham" prints from Lecien since it came out about 5 (?) years ago ... 

Until now I just didn't have the nerve to cut into it because I love them so much.  Sometimes I would pick them up, look at them, inspect them, arrange them on my cutting table, smile at them, study them, admire them, imagine making something with them ... break out into a cold sweat ... and then put them back on the shelf.

But if EVER there was a perfect project for my prized fabric ... am I right or am I right?

I've started on the dresdan blades using a new-to-me method I learned from another lovely lady I admire.

And I've tentatively selected these Cosmo embroidery floss colors ...

Very excited over here! :)

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

We have to say goodbye to someone special today ... my daughter's Grade 3 teacher (who also taught my older daughter).  As far as teachers go our family has been pretty lucky, but Mrs M really topped them all.

She got married last summer and in September when we found out she'd be my daughter's teacher for the second year in a row (yay!) I informed her that she & her husband were allowed to ... you know ... "get busy" in another month because we needed her until the end of June. 

Jokingly of course. 

Sort of.

Sometimes I say inappropriate things like that to people, especially if I've known them for a while.  But she got this weird look on her face.  I thought she was just a little surprised that a parent would say something that ... personal.  A few months later I learned the reason for that look ... she had NOT waited for my permission to get busy!

Anyhow we are all very happy and excited about her new arrival due later this month.  But we're also very sad to lose the best teacher ever.

My daughter - the same little munchkin who made this,

and this,

really wanted to make her a farewell gift.  So here's what she did.

Found a font she liked for the letter "J", Mrs M's first initial, and printed it out.  I gave her a piece of white fabric, she picked a floss color, grabbed my light board and got to work. 

The note on her Template says "Don't throw out! Thx :)"   Apparently my children are used to me tossing out unidentified bits paper they leave lying around.

She stitched this up in about 25 minutes. 

Did I mention she's 9?  You can't see me here but my chest just exploded all over my keyboard with that special & unique sort of pride that can only be known by a mama for her little one.  You know, the kind that can reduce you to a puddle of tears?  Especially if you have PMS?  (Excuse me for a sec while I go get the mop ...)

When she finished the embroidery, however, she didn't know what to do with it.  I suggested a lavender sachet ... 'cause ... well ... what can I say ... I'm just really excellent at solving crafting emergency problems.

Another 25 minutes later and we had this ...

I wish you could smell it.

Happy motherhood, Mrs M.  We will miss you!