Creative Meanderings

Hedebo Rings

2012-01-27T13:56:00.006+11:00

I made several Hedebo rings to add to this section of block 3 to balance the pink colour out a bit.
I have had two Hedebo sticks for several years now and never used them because I didn't know how-so I Googled it and the information was right there on youtube.
I think they have done the trick here.

I then decided to do a few more to add elsewhere on the other blocks but I did a couple of extra rounds of Buttonhole stitch around the outer edge and I have now got a lace edge.
The smallest one on the left is what it is like on it's own and measures 1 cm edge to edge.
The big one on the right measures 2cm edge to edge and has the two rows of Buttonhole stitch on the edge.

This is what a Hedebo stick looks like-you wind the thread around the section that you want to make the size ring and then you Buttonhole over the threads--easy peasy.

Now I am going to make heaps more and have them on hand when I need them.

Three Close-ups of Block three.

2012-01-25T15:43:00.004+11:00

I have been stitching on block three and it is almost done.
I won't add any more on it until later.
The top section has a piece of embroidered doylie which I have used Running Stitch to attach it to the base.I also added a few Web Stitches plus the pink thing was going to be a very tiny Dorset button but after doing the Buttonhole Stitch around the ring I fount that it was too small to get the needle in to make the spokes to weave on-so I have just attached it like this--I like it anyway.

The middle section has three Guipure lace flowers that came from the lace off a friends wedding dress.
The lace section above the flowers has pink Running Stitch down the middle and French Knots as the flower scentres.
I added this lace because I was previously going to stitch my daughters name on here using waste canvas but I made that many mistakes that the fabric had more holes in it than a seive.

The bottom section some Web stitches have been added and a few French Knots.

I really must try and use other stitches -but I love doing these ones.

Now onto block four.

The Start of Block Three

2012-01-22T15:17:00.004+11:00

Block three is now started and this is on the bottom section.
I have done masses of French Knots in two shades of white Perle Cotton and Coton a Broder and a few pink ones scattered around.
Above that are three Lazy Daisy flowers in white with pink centres and above that is the edge part of pink Broderie Anglace lace held down with Buttonhole stitch in pink and then two more rows of free standing Buttonhole stitch worked into the previous row to give the appearance of lace.

A close up of the section--I should have removed the tacking thread before I took the photo :((

Off to do some more------

Block 2 Stitching Begins

2012-01-20T18:10:00.004+11:00

Here is the beginning of the embroidery on block two of the workshop with Karen Ruane which is contained around the centre of this block.
I am sorry about the quality of these photos but I find it so difficult to take photos of white fabric-If someone has some advice for me I would really appreciate it.
OK--the top right hand corner is part of a table napkin that has a scalloped edge and I have done French Knots in the scallops.
To the left of this is a piece of commercial pintucked fabric to which I have added a strip of tatted lace that is held down with Buttonhole stitch in DMC Coton a Broder size 20.
I have slipped a small white Prairie Point under the napkin as well.
Pink French Knots are along the edge to continue the colour theme.
To the right is a corner of a hankie that has been held down with Running stitch and I also added some more Lazy Daisy flowers in the middle.
I worked a Dorset button in DMC Perle 8 in white and pale pink and added it near the point of the hankie plus I also included three very small white buttons above the pink and white Prairie Point which previously was sitting under the point of the hankie but I didn't like it there.
The section where the Broderie Anglaise joins the white cotton is worked in Buttonhole lace stitching.

I will move onto the next block now and come back to this one later when we learn some new techniques.

Block 1 (starting the embroidery)

2012-01-18T18:30:00.006+11:00

I have been stitching away on my first block for the class that I am doing with Karen Ruane.
The block is 30cm square and made up of old doylies-table napkins-commercial pintucked fabric-seersucker-damask and a piece of a vintage hospital sheet .
All the fabrics are 100% cotton.

This is a close up of the bottom right hand corner and consists of padded puffs made from cotton muslin and anchored down with white pearls- French knots mainly white but there are a few baby pinks ones in there as well.
Also there is Running stitch echoing around the puff section plus some web stitch flowers in the top right hand corner and Buttonhole lace on the seam above it.

This section is in the centre of the bottom half and is part of a table napkin.

There is a tatted butterfly on the top left part of it which was gifted to me by someone and I can't remember who it was but it looks perfect here so thank you to whoever it was.

I decided to embroider a vine in Stem stitch and then add some Lazy Daisy flowers.
The scallop along the bottom is the edge of the napkin and I have added a Cross stitch and a French Knot to anchor it to the base fabric.

I am going to give this block a break and start on a new one as I seem to be getting bogged down a bit-too much of a perfectionist I think.

Self Portrait

2012-01-16T16:30:00.003+11:00

I know you must get sick of me posting photos of Ebony and her stuff but I just had to show you this.........
When I picked her up on Friday she had drawn a self portrait from a photo that she had taken on her ipod several days earlier.
She had just had a shower and her hair was still wrapped in the towel .
She was in my sewing room playing on the laptop and her ipod and she kept clicking photos and downloading them onto my laptop.
The photo that she drew herself from is the one below and although it is not a very good quality you can see all the detail that she has drawn.
How amazing is that?
And yes she is talking to the banana------------

You can see all the boxes of "stuff" that I have stacked in my room which she has also added in the photo.
I am too afraid to ask her to draw me -she may make it too life like--he-he.

Block 1

2012-01-13T15:41:00.003+11:00

Here is my first pieced block--well I should say tacked block for the EEC class with Karen.The block is 12" x 12" and I am now about to work on the seam embroidery.
As you can see I have added my Rouleau loops and I like the way this block is developing.

and wouldn't you just believe it--whenever I work with white fabric I inevitably prick my finger and get blood all over everything.
Luckily I hadn't stitched it down so I just cut another piece and replaced it -saved me trying to clean it with my own saliva,
When I was doing dressmaking I don't know how many wedding dresses I added unwanted colour on to-but I always managed to get it off.

Now I am heading off to do lots of French Knots and other wonderful stitches to add to it.

Lesson one-Points and Loops

2012-01-11T22:04:00.003+11:00

The first thing that I had to do in lesson one of the Embroider-Embellish-Create workshop with Karen Ruane was to make some rouleau loops and prairie points.
I have made them before a long time ago and it was nice to try my hand at them again.
The cloth that I am making was going to be white on white but I decided to add a little bit of pink to give it a girlie look I love pale pink and white -it is so refreshing.
There won't be much pink just a tiny bit here and there.
I am making this cloth as a gift for my daughter for her 50th birthday at the end of this year.
I have just slipped the loops inside a piece of fabric so I could see how they look.

Here I have made three points in the white and floral fabric and then added two pink and white check smaller ones again they are just slipped inside the fabric for appearance.

Now I have to start and create the base fabric---oh it is so nice to be stitching again.

Happy Days are Here Again

2012-01-10T10:12:00.003+11:00

Well we are back to normal again thank goodness and just in time because I have signed up for another Karen Ruane online class and the first day is full of instructional videos.
It was so painful not being able to look at the pictures on peoples blogs because of the slower download speed--I don't know how people get on who still only have dial up connections.
Yesterday some one sent me an e-mail with one of those gushy stories that had so many pictures to it that it took too long to download and it kept on timing out-so it would retry and then it would time out again.
It went on and on and on -I think there were 27 attempts and no other e-mail could get through.
I was waiting for an e-mail about the workshop and I was getting rather p----d of to say the least.
At around midnight I logged on and checked it and lo and behold like magic we had our new new usage rate back and the e-mail had finally gotten through right into the recycle bin where I had sent it.
Anyhow I promised you a photo of Ebony's new hair cut so--ta da--
She has to go back in a couple of weeks to have it re-shaped because the hair dresser couldn't get the comb through it properly to do what Ebony wanted.

And a side view------what she want is to have it cut up around her ears and I think it will look lovely and be so much easier for her to handle when she is a high school this year.

So here's to happy times again and I am off to start making "stuff" for my new class :))

Sorry

2012-01-07T04:54:00.002+11:00

No photos today --just an apology.
It seems that we have reached our monthly allowance of internet usage (the first time ever) and even though we can still use it at no extra cost to us money wise but the speed has been slowed down to the point that it takes forever to download the pictures.
Now I like doing nothing but if I waited for each picture to download I would go insane as well as the fact that my bum would be stuck to the chair.
I am able to read your blogs but seeing as that I can't see any pictures then I can't make any comments about what you are showing can I?
We will be back to normal on the 10th--phew---
Now don't ask me how all this happened except I will say that one young lady who has been spending a lot of time with us these last two weeks has been watching a lot of stuff on her I pod and her dad downloaded some music on Christmas day which seems to be the straw that broke the camels back so to speak.
If nothing else it has made her realise that the internet is not free and that she needs to be more diligent with her time spent on the net plus the fact that she is also affected with the slowness has brought the point home to her.
Oh well what will I do today -------mmmm.
So if you notice that I have dropped by your blog but not left a comment then you will now know that I have a valid reason.

The Dancing Queen

2012-01-02T11:59:00.006+11:00

Ever since she was born Ebony has spent New Years Eve with us.
Her dad was a DJ and he had to work as that was the most important time on the DJ calender.
We would take her to the early fireworks display and then come home and watch the Sydney display on the tv.
This year we didn't even go in to the city to see the early show-we stayed home and did our own thing.
We have always had non alcoholic wine so that Ebony could join in-she wanted to be part of it all.
This year we were watching a music show while waiting for the midnight fireworks and she started dancing away so I took a few photos of her.
She had her braids tied up on top of her head and they were swaying about as she jumped around.

I think she was having a great time until she discovered that I was taking photos of her that is.

Yesterday I spent seven hours undoing those braids -what a nightmare.
Every time she has them done I say I won't do it again but I do.
I reckon there was about two hundred of them.
Her own hair is about seven to eight inches long-the rest is hair extensions.
Her mother is the person who braids her hair and it usually takes about ten hours.
Anyway she has decided to get her hair cut this week(her decision) and I am so happy.
I think she needs to let her hair have a rest from all of this pulling and twisting that goes on.
I will show you a photo later-if she allows me to that is.

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T04:38:00.007+11:00

Happy New Year -gosh it only seems like yesterday when I was saying this for 2011 and now here we are heading into another year.

Where has the time gone?

Summing up the past year in one word I would say "contentment".

On the family side I could not wish for anything better--we have been on three wonderful holidays--our children are all enjoying life and the grandchildren are all growing up so fast it is scary.

On the creative side I have muddled along enjoying everything that I do without any dramas.

I keep saying that I will slow down but I never seem to.

I keep saying that I will lose weight but I never seem to.

I keep saying that I won't over commit myself with online classes but -------

So--what I really want to do is to thank each and every one of you who drop by my little space for taking the time to visit me.

You don't have to leave a comment (heaven knows I don't always leave comments on blogs that I visit) but the fact that you dropped by is important to me.

I have made lots of wonderful friends and have been lucky enough to have met a lot of you personally and the amazing thing is that we always feel as though we have known each other for a long time.

May I take this opportunity to wish each one of you a Happy New Year and I hope that you can all find happiness in 2012 no matter what you are searching for.

Don't ask me why blogger has put all the spaces between sentences--I have tried to correct it but he has a mind of his own----maybe he has been eating those "grumpy" pills again.

Happy New Year Mr.Blogger.

Wonderful-Fabulous-------

2011-12-28T20:09:00.004+11:00

What a fabulous Christmas we had----I can honestly say that I don't ever remember having such a wonderful Christmas day as the one we had this year.
Ebony stayed over on Christmas eve because the three of us went to the evening church service at 10 pm.
I had done a lot of the meal preparations on Saturday and I am so glad that I did--it made things so much easier on Christmas day.
We started out with prawn cocktails-yummo.
We always have the traditional Christmas lunch (without the turkey that is).
We had ham and roast lamb plus roasted potatoes-sweet potatoes-carrots and parsnips and pumpkin and then we had peas and broad beans and lastly there was cauliflower augratin.
I had made the mint sauce myself this year seeing as I have mint growing in the garden plus there was gravy as well.
I had also made a beautiful punch (a new thing for us this year) and it went down a treat.
My Christmas pudding was amazing which was a good thing after what happened when I was cooking it--(so I forgave it for scalding me when I was removing it from the water after it was cooked.)
I had brandy cream and normal cream as well.
Needless to say we were all a wee bit full after eating all that and my family all appreciated the effort that I had put in.
I love it when we all get together which usually only happens at Christmas time and everyone enjoyed each others company which was a bonus.
Oh happy days.

Happy Christmas

2011-12-21T03:34:00.005+11:00

Christmas day is almost here and I am going to be a little busy in the next few days so I would like to take this opportunity to wish all who pass buy my blog a very happy Christmas.

I hope that you have a wonderful day with family and friends and that you take time to remember the real reason why we celebrate Christmas.

Happy Christmas Everyone

No More Primary School

2011-12-20T19:44:00.002+11:00

Tonight Ebony had her year 6 leavers dinner.
It is hard to believe that next year she will be going to high school.
Where has the time gone.
Here she is pictured with her best friend Bethany all dressed up and ready to go.
They have been best friends since starting school in Kindergarten and they will be attending the same high school next year as well.

Tomorrow is their last day at school and they will all be going to the swimming pool for the day--life is good.

Nativity Buttons

2011-12-20T08:19:00.002+11:00

Before we went on holidays I ordered this set of Nativity buttons from Carol Daisys blog and they were here when I got home-the two angels at the top were not included in the set.
I am going to make a Christmas wall hanging for next Christmas with them.
The figures range from 5-7cm tall and are beautiful.
I just checked and they are still available if you need them.

I can't wait to use them.

Finally Noumea

2011-12-19T21:50:00.011+11:00

Our final port of call was Noumea in New Caledonia.
I still have reserved feelings about this place--there is the obvious western influence which made it so different from the other Pacific Islands that we had just visited.
This has to be the smallest island ever--I expected to see Robinson Carusoe waving his flag at us.

As we entered the harbour there was this huge smeltering plant --Nickel mining is the main industry on Noumea and this is what greets you as you are about to berth.

There were tall buildings around the island--signs of prosperity.

We visited another Catholic Church (included in the tour) and this one was very much a modern one compared to the others that we had seen.

There was even Grafiti art on some walls--obviously an organised work of art.

We went to the Aquarium and there were some beautiful fish.

The traffic was heavier and the cars were more modern.

This Christmas tree was in the foyer of the Aquarium and the decorations were fish related and to do with the sea--very appropriate.

We were going to get off the coach and have a look around the city shopping area but we decided not to (a) because it was so hot and humid and (b) it didn't look very friendly.

When the people who had got off and went shopping got back to the ship not one person had a good word to say about it- they said it was very unfriendly--glad we didn't go.

Dravuni Island Fiji

2011-12-19T16:33:00.012+11:00

Dravuni Island is a small island in Fiji with less than 200 people living on it and it is not even 1 square Kilometre in area.There is only one TV on the island and everyone gathers around to watch it.
It was 7.30am and we got on the tender and headed off to the island.
The sign said we could walk across it in 20 minute.
Well I was up to that so off we went----

On the way we passed this house with these quaint water tanks outside.

We came to the fork in the road and we kept walking---

We could see the ship over the top of the trees----

Now I was getting very hot as my face will tell you (and it was only 8am) when it dawned on me that we had taken the wrong turn--I was so busy taking photos that I hadn't noticed.

We should have been going across the island (and been on the other side by this time).

We should not still have the sea to our right hand side----and we were heading up this big hill--

well there were two hills and we were half way up the smaller of them.

We looked up and there were these people on the skyline of the bigger hill almost to the top---

I looked at Stephen and said "If you think I am going up there then you are stupid" to which he replied"And if you think I am going up there then you are even stupider".

There were people coming down by this time and they said the view was fantastic(I thought it was fantastic from where I was already) and I told them that even if I was able to make it up there I wouldn't enjoy the view because I would be having a heart attack.

So we headed back down the hill which was even harder than going up and when we got to the beach we found a fallen tree trunk in the shade and sat down and recouperated.

We later rolled up our trousers and went paddling in the ocean----ahh Heaven.
The beaches were spectacular and I could almost feel like I was in Paradise.

We boarded the tender and headed back to the ship and it was still only 9.30am.

I looked back and there were the hills laughing at me(I could hear them-really) and then I saw that there were even more hills.
If you click on the photo you will see the smaller hill in the front of the darker green hill which was my undoing.

Do I look stuffed-my top was saturated-my hat had enough moisture to save me from dehydration-and the shower was a welcoming sight.

Noumea is next.

Savu Savu--the journey continues

2011-12-19T14:37:00.013+11:00

We had to go the the island of Savu Savu by tender(life boat) because the ship was too big to get into the port.When we reached the jetty we then boarded a bus which did not have any windows so to speak--well it had windows but no glass in them.
There were two tour groups on the tender and we were the first group assembled but the second group shoved past us to get on the "proper" bus first which as it turned out didn't have any air-conditioning and they almost stifled on it.
We had this "fully airconditioned" bus and the breeze was perfect.

As I sat on the bust waiting to pull out the traffic had built up a bit--would this be called a traffic jam?
Diving up to the village I noticed most of the houses were built on stilts-I suppose this helps to keep them cooler.

On arriving at our destination we were greeted by the villagers singing us a welcome song and we each received a lei.

I photographed one of the ladies after asking her permission first-I loved her outfit so elegant.

A photo looking out to the sea--does this say South Pacific or what?

We went into the Kindergarten class room and I saw this notice on the wall--they are very religious in thePacific due the the early missionaries that settled there.

The ladies danced for us-----

And the men as well.

And a young lad shimmied up a tree to show us how to get the coconuts.

When we arrived back at the Jetty for our return trip I noticed this sign on the side of the road
--and people took notice of it as well.

Suva --Fiji

2011-12-19T05:06:00.010+11:00

Now we are on Suva Fiji and I am not going to show you heaps of photos similar to the ones that I have shown before but I have decided to show you ones that I thinks are different and interesting.
First up is the sentry on guard at the gates of ????? (I can't remember) and I didn't write it down in my notes either but they must have been important.
He has to stand for 3 hours and cannot even get a drink of water--- phew.

This is a canoe in the Museum--how did it ever float?

Me sitting down because if I hadn't I would have fallen down because of the heat.

This was so funny--it is the door to one of the toilets in the Museum -but the lock is on the outside of the door.

Some houses on the hill built on stilts with their garden in front of it.

This was the pool at a western style motel very modern and beautiful.

And the Christmas tree in the foyer--I loved how this tree was simplistic in its decor.

Next is Savu-Savu.

Vanuatu

2011-12-18T18:05:00.011+11:00

I loved Vanuatu I think mainly because of the culture but especially because of the quirky art that was on display.

Before I get to the art I thought that this photo of a view from one of the hills we were on says it all--peaceful--beautiful--green------

Me looking out the bus door--I played the little old lady to perfection so that the handsome young tour guide helped me on and off the bus.

We went to a Museum where this local man explained his culture to us and then he proceeded to play songs for us on this instrument.He played a local song then Advance Australia Fair and lastly Silent Night---magical.
He also did this piece of sand art whereby the sand was contained in a screen and he started to draw and he never took his finger off the drawing until it was finished--Inspirational.

We went to a village where these shop dummies were painted and embellished on the side of the path in front of a house.
In the same village was this concrete wall with these sculpted figures --so clever.

Tree roots on top of the ground--definitely some inspiration here.

Finally a totem pole in the same village--definitely some very talented people live here.

Lifou New Caledonia

2011-12-17T18:29:00.012+11:00

Here are some photos from our first stop in Lifou-- New Caldonia---
Looking back from the Island to the ship the Dawn Princess with a tender going back to get more people.

A road on the Island-----

The Catholic Church----

Here is the Catholic school---

A traditional meeting house---

Preparing a meal wrapped in leaves and cooked in the ground---

Chopping up coconut---
Dishing out the meal ---
All set to go--there was chicken-bananas-yams-sweet potato-pawpaw-and mango---

Ready to taste---
Yummo---
More to follow

Eating on the Cruise

2011-12-16T22:11:00.005+11:00

I thought that I would show you a sample of what I was eating while on the cruise.
Mind you this was not every day but on the occasions that we ate at the Steakhouse.
First there was the Entree--shrimps ------delicious.

I was supposed to be eating a steak but they were such huge pieces I decided to opt out and have the salmon----yummo.
I was so rapt when it came out surrounded with all these veges-- if you have ever been on a cruise you will know that the food is very rich and fresh veges are not over-abundent.
In fact-------

I even surprised myself because I couldn't eat it all.

I did order desert--a Creme Brulee--but I ended up taking it back to my cabin to eat later.

And here is a photo of my daily breakfast--note the prunes--a must when I am on holidays.
I also had a piece of toasted brown bread and a cup of tea.

We had some fabulous meals while cruising and their was only one downside to it all-----

I have to do the cooking at home :((

Stitching on the Cruise

2011-12-15T16:17:00.003+11:00

While I was cruising on the high seas I kept myself busy doing some silk ribbon embroidered brooches.
The last lot that I made in the middle of the year have all sold and I thought that I could make some more while I was away.
It was lovely sitting out on our balcony stitching away in the perfect light while the rest of the world drifter by.
All I have to do now is glue the brooch pins on the back and they are done.
The colours are fairly true and they really are pretty.

The next thing I have to do after Christmas is get all my stuff ready for the workshop that I am going to do with Karen Ruane from Contemporary Embroidery which is called Embroider Embellish Create so if you want to join take a peek you may want to do it as well.

Princess Annorexia

2011-12-14T14:28:00.003+11:00

Not a very good photo but it is the best that I could do under the circumstances.
She does not have any lights on her this year-I couldn't be bothered because we put her up before we went on holidays.
Every year I decorate her in different colours and this year it is the traditional reg-gold and green.
I have our Nativity scene underneath her this year.

If you want to know why we call her Annorexia you can go here to find out.

I'm Baaack

2011-12-13T15:59:00.003+11:00

No photo's yet so I am just letting you know that I am home safe and sound and to tell you that we had a fabulous holiday.
It is such a priviledge to be able to vistit these islands in the South Pacific and to see first hand how the people live and to learn about their culture.
It is so different to what we are used to and I am honoured that they were so happy to share everything with us.
Our tour guides were exceptional and showed us all that there was to see nothing was left out--just a lovely experience which I know that both of us will treasure forever.
I was dissappointed to hear fellow female passengers describing their on shore tours as disgusting and how they were horrified at the living conditions.
When I tried to tell one lady (and I use the term loosely) that this was their culture and that they were happy in how they probably wouldn't be able to cope in our situations she just snorted at me and said "well maybe they should learn".
I can't understand why you would spend all that money on a cruise to these beautiful places and want to change everything.
We went to one island that only had about 220 people living on it and there was only one TV on the whole island so everyone would gather around to watch it when it was on which was not very often.
You could walk across this island in about 20 minutes-which Stephen and I thought we would do but--we took the wrong turn and ended three quarters of the way up this steep hill.
It was heart attach material and I refused to go any further.
The next problem was getting back down--aaaggghhh sheer agony.
When we got back to the shore we sat on a log at the edge of the sand and also went for a paddle-which was perfect.
Let me tell you that this all happened befor 9am--the humidity was awful and I was perspiring like a tap--but it all added to the experience.
The cruising was wonderful and I wasn't sick once--I sat on our balcony and watched the world go by--life was good--and it still is--if I could just stop everything from swaying from side to side
that is.
I'll be back soon with some photo's--promise.

Off on the High Seas

2011-11-26T03:43:00.003+11:00

This will be my last post for two weeks because we are off on another cruise on Monday to Fiji-Vanuatu and Noumea.
I am so looking forward to this holiday and if it is only half as good as last years I will be very happy.
This is the ship we will be sailing on -I stole (borrowed) the photo off their web site Princess Cruises.
So all I have to do now is finish packing our cases and finalise a few other things and then I'm off.

See you all when I get back.

Christmas is coming

2011-11-18T21:25:00.005+11:00

I know it is a bit early but there is a reason that I am showing these.
The Christmas bird is a swap from Penny in South Australia and it is already hanging on our Christmas tree.
I can't show you what I sent to Penny yet because she hasn't received it yet.
Yes you heard correctly our Christmas tree is up already.
In ten days time we are heading off on another cruise--for fourteen days--to Fiji-Noumea and Vanuato--so I have had to put the tree up now because it will be too late when we get back.
I will show you how "Annorexia" looks in all her finery in a couple of days.

And these are samples of the Christmas cards that I have made to mail out this week.
I have two different shapes for the baubles.
I used stamps to get the shapes--I stamped them onto white card stock using different coloured ink pads and then cut them out.
Next I attached them to the card using double mount tape and also added gold strips to resemble the string that they hang from.
I further embellished them with stars and greeting messages.
I think they look great.

But wait there's more

2011-11-15T13:55:00.007+11:00

I have made some more cotton reel tassels----some red and green ones for Christmas...............

Some pastel ones with a pearl trim..................

Some that are blue................................

All clumped together.

Altogether so far I have made about ten and I think I will stop now --well until I need more that is.

Something New

2011-11-12T21:19:00.002+11:00

Today I have been playing with old wooden Vintage cotton reels--I have a few of them that have been given to me over a period of time.
I decided to make some small tassels which would be gorgeous hanging off a chest of drawers or even as a decoration on a Christmas tree.
I have used vintage ribbon and braid to wrap around the reel and I then added a small commercial tassel from the bottom and some hand made cord that I made myself.
I also added a vintage Mother of Pearl button on the top of the reel and passed the cord through it and then tied a knot above the button.
I will show you some more later when I have made the cords for them.

Different colours

2011-11-02T03:46:00.004+11:00

At last I am away from pink and white--- these are made from one piece of fabric and it has 1 and 1/4 inch stripes-the yellow stripe has white spots and the white stripe has yellow spots.
I folded the fabric for the toggles so that only the white showed on one and the yellow on the other.
With the button I folded it so that the yellow is in the centre and the white on either side.
I found it very difficult to stitch on this fabric due to the make up of the very tight weave.
I have another toggle rolled and ready to stitch which has half yellow and half white on it but the thought of having to use a small set of pliers to pull the needle through the fabric again has put me off for the moment.
I don't really need another one do I?

If you would like to see some of the buttons that the other ladies in the group have made follow this link. --you will be amazed at what they have come up with.

Buttons 11 and 12

2011-11-01T10:10:00.006+11:00

These are officially the last two buttons from the class with Karen but I am making more of some of them so you can expect to see the trend continue for a while.
The first one is called a Half and Half button for obvious reasons because there are two different fabrics on it.
I have joined the seam with Cross stitches and then added some French Knots

The second one is a Ball button or sometimes called a Knob button.

I think it looks like an arthritic Sea Urchin but you can't see all the bumpy bits because of the way I photographed it.

I will make a better one later.

I am sorry that this class is now finished because it has been a great learning experience for me as well as having been a student with some very talented people.

Thanks Karen and all the class --you were all great.

Christmas Cards

2011-10-30T15:39:00.003+11:00

Yesterday our Church ladies group had an afternoon making Christmas cards.
One of ladies from our sister church led the group and provided all the bits and bobs and we only had to assemble them.
Some of the ladies had never made cards before and where happy with what they had made.
These are the cards that I made--it was hard to get some decent photos but you can get an idea as to what we did.
The card on the top left and the two bottom ones were made by using a punch to cut out the shapes and then I assembled them.
The one on the top right is made from tiny triangles of collaged paper which we could assemble however we wanted to.
I chose to make starts from two of the triangle--others made Christmas trees and wreaths.
Gold and red stickers were added to finish them off.

All in all a good afternoon of fun and fellowship was had.

Dorset Button

2011-10-28T10:14:00.004+11:00

Today it is Dorset buttons-----which I really love doing.
I had made some of these a long time ago and had forgotten how lovely they are.
This is the basic design but there are litterally oodles of other designs that you can do..in fact you are only limited by your imagination.
They make gorgeous brooches but this one will go into my pink and white theme.

I have been busy making more toggles as well.

Toggle 1

2011-10-26T11:05:00.005+11:00

When is a button not a button?
When it is a toggle..............
This is the latest in our "Buttons and More" class with Karen and I think I am in love with these.
I have again used the pink and white theme and I hope in the end I will have a fabulous display to arrange on a small wall quilt or whatever I decide to display them on--I keep changing my mind.
I have used the pink and white cotton gingham and pink broder cotton but I am running out of this beautiful fabric so I must use it sparingly from now on.

This is the last week of the class and I will be dissappointed when it finishes.

I have learned so much from this..not so much about embroidery but about myself and how I approach what I do.

There is more to embroidery than working on doylies etc. and I had forgotton what pleasure

it gives me to do beautiful delicate work.

Thanks Karen for guiding me back to a love that I had many years ago.

Button 8

2011-10-25T15:20:00.003+11:00

Button 8 is called Half Cutwork which is self explanitory really.
I love the textural look of this one and the small peek of the patterned fabric in the cut out section.
The stitches I used are Running stitch-Buttonhole stitch-Lazy Daisy stitch and French Knots again on Cream Duchess Satin and using cream Perle 12 thread.
The button size is 38mm.

Tomorrow we learn something new-I can't wait to find out what it is.

Button 7

2011-10-24T07:25:00.003+11:00

Here is the seventh button that I have made in Karen's class and it also involves cutwork.
The centre hole started out as a circle but lost it's shape in the process.

Now to work on the latest one.

Button 6

2011-10-23T16:50:00.006+11:00

This is the sixth button that I have made in the class with Karen and it was the most difficult one so far.
I have problems with fiddly bits where I am working in confined spaces but after several attempts I managed to get this one right.
The centre part is made from a piece of silk organza which had the cutwork design on it and I have layered it over a piece of pink cotton Voile to give it a little bit of colour.

I had a slight accident yesterday which could have been worse than it was.
I was making my Christmas pudding and when it had finished cooking I was lifting it out of the boiler when it slipped out of my hands back into the boiling water which then splashed up onto my chest and arms.
After screaming like a mad Banshee woman and uttering a few unlady like words I pulled my top off and immediately and went and had a cold shower.
I rang the help hotline who put me onto a doctor and luckily I had done everything correctly and she gave me advice on what to do next.
Luckily it did not blister so I realise that I was very lucky indeed.
Oh and the pudding was not hurt in the drama.
Hope the family appreciate it at Christmas time.

Padded Embellishments

2011-10-17T23:55:00.005+11:00

Todays button as part of the Button's and More class is a padded embellishment--you can just see the outline of the covered button behind the green fabric.
The fabric I have used is one of my hand dyed silks--it is Silk Georgette and has French knots in Silk Ribbon and thread which were hand dyed at the same time as the silk.
I am going to wear it as a brooch because I love this green.

I am going to experiment and make more of these using different fabrics.

Finished Buttons

2011-10-17T14:26:00.003+11:00

Here are the 4 buttons completed ---I am so pleased with them .

Now I must start on the next items-----mmmmmmmmmmmmm

Damp Stretching Done

2011-10-15T15:43:00.004+11:00

The next step in the procedure in Buttons and More was to damp stretch the fabric with the embroidery on it in preparation to cut out the circles around the embroidery ready to put them on to the metal button bases.
This part was new to me because I have always ironed the fabric after I have finished the embroidery which I now know is a no-no.
I can see that by damp stretching the fabric it is perfectly flat--something that Ironing would not achieve.
I do know how to cover the buttons but I am going to wait for my instructions from Karen just in case she has
a tiny tip for me----always willing to learn something new.
Gee I wish that white on white would photograph better.

Oh and another thing---whenever I check my photos after posting them on my blog--instead of seeing what I used to-ie a photo that I could click on and it would then allow me to enlarge it-----I now get a black screen that shows all my photos for that post in a line and it becomes a photostream.
Why has this happened?
I haven't changed any settings on my blog?---is blogger being a pest again?
Please leave me alone when I am happy Mr Blogger I do not need attitude from you.

UPDATE-------------------

Thanks to Penny my problem is solved.
Next time Mr Blogger should ask me before he changes something --or maybe he did and I wasn't listening.

A little bit More

2011-10-14T20:37:00.005+11:00

Three more little pieces that will be turned into buttons.
I am doing the "Buttons and More" workshop over on Karen's Contemporary Embroidery sight.
The idea is to embroider within the circle and then make it into a covered button--you can see my tacking thread in some of the photos.
This one looks like a vase of flowers--not planned but that is how it turned out-there are Spider Webs-French Knots and Bullion Stitch.
I have decided to add a small amount of pink to each one which will tie them all together.

Little worms?--- I think I can honestly say I can do Bullion stitch now.

This one is hard to see because I was having trouble with the camera.

There are three bands of needle weaving and one of them has a row of pink Buttonhole stitch which then has another row in white to make it look like lace.

The other stitches are mainly French Knots (with three pink ones) and lastly is a spider web but it is not in the usual shape--just to be different.

My intention is to mount these on a box canvas but Iwill have to make one more (so there is an uneven number)
I am enjoying this class.

Now I have to try my hand at damp stretching---------------

Hello Remember Me?

2011-10-12T17:33:00.003+11:00

Did you all think I had fallen off the twig?
Well to be honest with you I have not had anything to write about until now that is.
I have signed up to do a workshop with the fabulous Karen Ruane called "Buttons and More".
If you don't know about Karen and her amazing white on white embroidery(where have you been) click on the link above and go check it out.
Karen is a very talented embroiderer and I have admired her work for a while this year and I follow her blog daily (because she posts daily).
This is the second class that she has offered this year but I couldn't do the first one because it crossed with the preparation that I was involved with for the Guild exhibition.
Now I know you are going to say to me "but Doreen you can embroider and do these stitches"--true---but anything that I can learn from Karen that will improve what I already do has to be a bonus.
The design that I have worked here involves French Knots (my favourite stitch) Bullion stitch (one of my least favourite stitches) and a spider web wheel (but with a few more legs).
My first sample was white on white but I then did a second one and added a small amount of pink which I am very pleased with.
This will eventually be made into a button after Karen shows us a few tricks.
Watch this space as the saying goes.

Spring has Sprung

2011-10-03T15:40:00.005+11:00

Finally a week later I have fully recovered from the hectic weekend of the exhibition.
We are having typical Spring weather in Canberra, beautiful sunny days and then several rainy days which is great for the gardens.
As you all may well know I am not your average keen gardener --I love looking at beautiful gardens but I just don't like all the hard work involved in having one.
This weekend Ebony and I brought some new Herb plants and transplanted them into bigger pots and replanted the two that survived from last year.
There are a couple more that I want to get and I think I will be capable of looking after them-well time will tell anyway.
So here they are freshly planted and standing up straight -from the left is Parsley-Oregeno-Basil-Chives and Mint.

Now I am off for a Nanny Nap.

Ask Me How I feel?

2011-09-24T19:43:00.004+10:00

Well the answer is --exhausted.

I worked seven hours on Thursday setting up the recycle table--very tiring- then back for the official opening at 7.30pm then seven hours on Friday selling the stuff on the recycle table and today it was 6 hours.

Friday was a busy day and we had lots of customers but today was a cold and bitter day so things were very quiet.

Tomorrow it will be nine hours because after it closes we have to pull everything down and pack all the stuff up.

Thank goodness it only happens once a year--I don't think this old body could take another day.

It has been a great time meeting up with old friends who seem to show up annually to check out all the work that the members have done.

I thought I would show a photo that was taken of Stephen and his gorgeous wife (me) at the opening night--and I can tell you that after standing for all that time selling stuff I am even more shorter than him now.

OK I know it is early but I am off to bed.

Diaries

2011-09-16T10:32:00.005+10:00

There's no stopping me now-----
I have finished the diaries that I started yesterday and I am happy with the results.
The first ones are made from some of our hand dyed felt overlaid with hand dyed silk organza and then machine stitched for hilights.

These two were made using some of my samples that I had tucked away--there was a third one but I have decided not to go ahead with that one as I don't think it will stand up to the wear and tear that it would get.

Next I have to make some cards and then that's it--I think !!!

Lavender Bags

2011-09-15T12:18:00.003+10:00

Something else for the Sales Table at the exhibition--some Lavender bags.
I have made seven of these and I did the embroidery on them when we went to Melbourne in June this year then I finished them off yesterday.
The embroidery is done in either Silk ribbon or Perle cotton and the cords were made on the machine bobbin in Perle thread as well.
I had to leave the filling of them with the Lavender until Stephen was out of the house because he is allergic to it and when they are done I have to put them in a plastic container and store them in the garage until next week--"or else"--------------------

I also made four smaller pillow ones from Silk fabric with Silk ribbon embroidery on them so now I am off to finish covering some diaries (for 2012) that I have started----busy busy.

Another UFO Bag

2011-09-13T09:43:00.003+10:00

This is the last UFO bag that I have finished.
It started about seven years ago when I had woven the panel on the front and I sat it on the purple piece of fabric and thought that it was a good match.
I made the length of cord that became the handles (on the sewing machine) at about the same time and that was as far as it went.It has lingered in the same box as the others-only seeing daylight for as long as it took me to decide not to finish it at that stage.
It is not a big bag but it does look nice--my colours- but not my style so along with both the others I will try and sell them at the exhibition which starts on the 23rd September.

Now to finish all the bits and bobs that will go on the sales table.

Every year I say I won't leave everything until the last minute but I still do and I'm too old to change now.

Another One

2011-09-12T14:34:00.005+10:00

Another UFO--this time the fabric was pieced together about two years ago and I cut the shapes out of felt and pinned them onto the piece of fabric where it all sat until last week.
Nice to have another one out of the way.

One UFO Done

2011-09-11T09:32:00.002+10:00

About five months ago I made a list of the UFO's that I had and I am ashamed to say that there were over twenty of them.Many of them had the stitching finished and only needed to be constructed.
This Sashiko one has been lurking around for about 6 years --I had finished the stitching but I didn't know what to do with it after that.
I didn't need anymore cushions and I didn't want to make it into a wall hanging because I had nowhere that I could hang it so it just sat in a box with the other stuff.
This week I decided to make it into a bag and it is now finished.
The corded handle is made from commercial cord which I zig zagged together and I added a small hand made tassel on one side.

I have another one almost finished--today could be the day.

Silk packs to sell

2011-09-08T11:04:00.011+10:00

Previously I had shown you about our dying day where we had dyed silk fabrics and ribbons etc. to sell at the Guild exhibition in two weeks time--well yesterday I packages some of the things into packs in colourways that will be handy for Crazy Patchwork and embroidery.
Each of the colourway items were dyed in one jar together so that they could be used together and it is amazing how different fabrics etc. take up the colours in different ways.

The last two packets had Pumpkin Spice as one of the colours in it and it seems to have taken over but I rather like how they have turned out.

Now to pack all the silk ribbons and threads.

More Stuff

2011-09-04T10:29:00.002+10:00

I seem to be only able to manage a post every fortnight at present but it should improve in the future.
What I have been doing is getting stuff ready to sell on the sales table at the exhibition in a fortnight.
I have been busily stitching all the embroidery parts and now I am at the stage of constructing it all.
I first cut out all the little bags etc then I do the embroidery on all of them then I stitch them up and make the cords etc.
Just like a little production line sweat shop.
These little bags are lined and they will contain a little bag with lavender.
The fabric is silk with silk ribbon embroidery and the cords are made using the bobbin method on my sewing machine.

Can't stop here chatting --must get back to it.

What have I been doing?

2011-08-20T11:04:00.006+10:00

Well I didn't realise I hadn't posted for 2 weeks until I logged on today.
Nothing is wrong with me--well nothing that a bit of energy wouldn't fix anyway.
I have been making this little embroidery kit and a bag to store it in for the Guild Exhibition this year.
This will surely knock the socks of the other Guild members when they see it because I don't usually do things of this nature.
Why did I do it?
Well--I found this beautiful piece of pink and white cotton check fabric and it said to me "Do something different with me" so after much thought I decided to make this little embroidery kit and embellish it with Silk Ribbon embroidery.
I made the cord that is couched around the edges on the sewing machine by using the bobbin winder.

Then there happened to be enough fabric left over to make a dilly bag to store the kit in.
I didn't add embroidery onto the bag because I felt it looked better left plain.
Again I made the twisted cord on the sewing machine and I added four buttonhole loop carriers for the cord to go through.

I had intended to sell it at the exhibition but alas my daughter said she wanted it for a friend so........

More Dying

2011-08-05T08:14:00.006+10:00

We also dyed silk ribbon-threads -braids and laces while we were at it and I am sure going to find it hard parting with these--but I know that I would only store them away and just look at them.
The first picture is the silk ribbon and threads-for some reason we don't have a green.

This bundle is the braids-laces and some motifs.

This is some silk velvet-very pretty soft colours.

This is silk dupion dyed in the same jars as the velvets above.
We had several metres of cotton lace that we dyed with the stuff I showed yesterday and for some reason it came out with big white blotches so Suzanne overdyed it with pearl grey which toned down the original colours and gave the white sections a soft muted colour.

Very happy with the result.

All we have to do now is iron all the stuff and package it--phew not looking forward to that job.

Our Dying Day Results

2011-08-04T11:57:00.017+10:00

Finally I have photographed the stuff that we dyed recently to sell at the guild exhibition.
Each bundle was dyed in a jar-there are 5 different silk fabrics plus threads-laces and Silk ribbons.
We are a bit hap hazard with how much dye solution is poured into the jar so we would not be able to reproduce the colour-way exactly the same again.
Our idea is to produce one off colour-ways that are special--not a commercial amount.
The photos are true colours (thanks to a beautiful sunny day here) so I think they will sell well.
Sorry about the long line of photos but I don't know how to set them up in nice little boxes side by side.
The dyes we used were Procion-----------

Chartreuse and Purple---------
Old Rose and Pearl Grey----------

Bronze and Turquoise----------

Intense Blue and Fuschia-----------

Pumpkin Spice Sun Yellow and Intense Blue

Pumpkin Spice and Chino------------ Chino and Golden Delicous------------

Robins Egg Blue and Antique Gold-----------

Uh Oh

2011-07-29T00:07:00.005+10:00

Well the story goes like this----I was cooking dinner tonight and I had some vegetables in a plastic bowl which was sitting on another oven plate waiting to be added to the steaming pot.
I then turned on another plate to cook the chicken strips that were going into a small frying pan.
I then noticed smoke coming from the plate--------------------

which had the bowl sitting on top of it------------
You don't have to be a genius to guess that I had turned on the wrong plate.
Uh oh one holey mess you could say.

The bowl --minus it's bottom with the coil plate showing through the bottom of it.
I will be trying to get the pieces of gunk out of the coils for ages not to mention the smell.

For my next trick---you'll just have to keep on waiting I suppose.

Who's a Lucky Girl ?

2011-07-25T22:40:00.007+10:00

Recently I won this absolutely beautiful piece of embroidery in a giveaway on Karen's blog Contempory Embroidery
Karen works these amazing pieces on watercolour paper and they include Straight Stitch-French Knots and pin pricks.
This piece measures 6 inches by 3 inches (you work it out in centimetres) and is so delicate and white that I could not get a decent scan or photo of it so I asked Karen to e-mail the photos that she took.
Her photography skills are as good as her stitching.
The first one is a full view------------

And the second one is a close up of the top section.

Karen also has an Etsy shop here

and a Facebook site here --------
so please go visit her and see what she has to offer---- you won't regret it.

New Glasses

2011-07-24T18:54:00.003+10:00

I have new glasses (and a new haircut)so I thought that I would show you---please ignore all the skin blemishes-the doctor told me that it happens when you get older-what about the double chin as well.

Ah well that's me anyway.

Dying Day

2011-07-23T11:54:00.005+10:00

Early this week I went to my friend Suzannes place and we did some more dying in preparation for selling at the Guilds annual exhibition.
After we had all the important fabrics-threads-and laced dyed we had some dyes left and I decided to cram jar a few bits and pieces to see what the outcome would be.
Among what I shoved into the jar were these paper napkins.
They are not like the ordinary thin napkins that you see in some restaurants --these are large and thick and they feel like they are made of cotton.
I discovered them a few years back when I was taken to a posh restaurant by a friend and I kept mine and while playing with inks at home one day I discovered that they held the dye brilliantly and I decided to make some paper beads with them.
Until recently I had not seen them anywhere else-but I went out to lunch with a friend after attending the Guild and lo and behold this place had these napkins.
I instructed my friend not to make a mess on her napkin and I neatly folded up mine and put it in my bag as well as taking the other two which were also on the table-(cheeky).
Now I had 4 pristine white napkins to play with.
Back to the dying---I didn't know if they would fall to pieces or not but I poked them in the jar with the dye and soda ash and waited to see what would happen.
The dyes were procion in magenta-sun yellow and intense blue.
As you can see they all have a strong magenta colour --------the first one was on the top and the yellow and blue colours are visable.

This one was in the middle and only the yellow got through to it---------------------

The final one was on the bottom and is only pink and it is half the size of the others.

I think I will stitch on them and make book covers out of them.

Another Bargain

2011-07-15T12:27:00.005+10:00

I hadn't realised that it has been 2 weeks since I have posted anything here but I have had an excuse---honestly---because we have had the pesky flu running rampant through our family and I am fed up with it.
All is back to normal now thank goodness but I haven't any stitching to show because I haven't finished anything.
But I do have another Op-Shop find.
Yesterday I had to work at our church Op-Shop because the lady who is in charge on Thursdays has taken 3 weeks leave and I am the person who fills in for her.
Now it turns out that the other lady who was working yesterday is the "bag lady"--she is in charge of pricing the bags and putting them in the shop.
My lucky day-------so look what she was putting out---this fabulous black leather shoulder bag and it only cost me $5.
It was shouting at me "Don't let her put me out there Doreen--I want to come home with you".
Well what was I to do?
This is the front that has a pocket------------------------------

And the back which has a zip---------------

And the inside that has two sections---one section also has a zippered pocket in it and the other has a place for my mobile.

I have two more Thursdays to work this month so who knows what I will come home with next time.

Op-Shop Find

2011-07-01T20:52:00.005+10:00

Today I went down to our church op-shop (thrift shop-charity shop) because I had taken home last week 14 Barbie and Ken dolls to wash and also wash their clothes.
I spent ages washing Barbies hair and coming it and if you have ever spent time doing that for your little ones you will understand it when I say what a time wasting job it is.
Anyway I digress--while I was there I noticed this wooden sewing box that had just been donated.
The stars sparkled in my eyes when I was told it was only $5 and my hand was in my purse quicker than a rabbit down a hole.
It is missing the handle that goes up and over the centre section but I can understand why it has been removed because I think it would have gotten in the way.
The man of the house said he could put new handles on it but I think I will decline the offer.

The lid on the top opens up and then----------

The centre section concertinas out and has all these little compartments.

What a treasure.

It is Finished

2011-06-30T12:22:00.003+10:00

I have finally finished the scarf that I started several months ago and I think it looks rather nice.
It only took me a couple of hours to complete it--probably 4 hours from start to finish and I didn't use one complete ball either.
Now the big test is will it be warm or not.

My only complaint is that it was so awkward to knit that I won't be rushing off to make another one in a hurry.

Gifts from Gina

2011-06-25T21:49:00.008+10:00

Recently when I was in Melbourne I met up with Gina(see post below) and she gave me this lovely gift.
It is a mug rug...."A mug rug" I hear you ask "what's a mug rug"
Well a mug rug is a placemat for you to put your mug of coffee on and there is also room for a couple of biscuits as well.
I tried to scan it sideways but the scanner wasn't playing ball.
What a neat gift.

Then this week I received this ATC from her as well.."gingham and cherries" it is called.

Thanks Gina.

Melbourne photos

2011-06-21T13:49:00.008+10:00

Here are some photos of Ebony taken on the last day of our trip.
The first one is on the plane waiting for our take off--she looks a bit tired --in fact we both look a bit tired.

This one was taken while we were waiting for the traffic lights to change.
In the background is the Flinders Street Station which is the central point for the trains in the city.
By this stage she was sick of me taking photos of her but I wanted her to have a record of her first trip to Melbourne.

This was in the Lego exhibition--it was so clever what they were able to do with these tiny blocks.

Here is a dinosaur built from Lego blocks--brilliant.

When we got back Ebony decided that she wanted me to teach her to knit again and I think she has got it this time.

Here is the photo of Gina (my blogging friend)and myself taken in our apartment.

We didn't have anyone else there at the time to take the photo so we set up my camera on the timer and took
it--so I am sorry about the flash off our glasses it couldn't be helped.

What a lovely lady Gina is and it is amazing how well we bloggers get on together when we meet for the first time--there definitely is a great friendship that is created from blogging.

Now back to stitching--I have an order for my silk ribbon button brooches that must be done by Thursday so I must get into it.

I'm Back

2011-06-21T00:25:00.004+10:00

Well I have been back since Friday but I have been trying to get things sorted out and get all the washing and ironing done.
Had a great time in Melbourne--met up with some friends,one being Gina a blogging mate and I will show you a pic when I get them all sorted out.
Ebony had a wonderful time and she loved her first trip on a plane--well when we finally got up in the air that is.
I am not sure how many of you are aware of it but we have had problems with the ash from the Chile volcano eruption.
We weren't affected in Canberra-that wasn't the problem but the problem was in Melbourne.
We were supposed to fly out of Canberra at 10.05am,so our daughter dropped us off at the airport at 9am and went home, only for us to discover that our flight had been cancelled and we were rescheduled to fly out at 5pm.
So they booked our luggage in and we decided to go back home--in a taxi--$55 later.
Then we decided that we would take our car when we went back to the airport and leave it in the longstay car park.
On arrival we discovered that the flight was now delayed until 6.30pm.....grrrr.
Now I can hear you asking why didn't we phone up and find out if the plane was still going to be on time--well I did try to do that but there was a permant delay on the phone due to the fact that everyone else was trying to do the same thing.
6.30pm came and went and we finally got off the ground at 7.30pm.
We arrived in Melbourne at 8.15pm and were booked into our apartment by 9pm.
That was one day lost from our holiday...grrrr
On Friday we had to be out of our apartment by 10am but we left our luggage there and headed out to see the Lego exhibition which was magnificent.
We left there at 11.30 and Stephen decided that he couldn't be bothered tramping around so we went back and got our luggage and headed off to the airport arriving there about 12.30pm.
The only problem was our plane didn't leave until 3.30pm....more waiting ....grrrr.
Another half a day wasted...... grrrr.
I'm glad that I am home but I don't want to see another airport for a long time.

Foiled Again

2011-06-11T17:53:00.006+10:00

A few more pieces of hand dyed laces that I have foiled as part of the Gilding the Lily workshop run by the Thread Studio.
The first one is a bridal fabric (Guipure lace flowers) --it is hard to see exactly how wonderful they look because foiling doesn't scan or photograph very well.

Again another piece of bridal lace that was hand dyed and it is foiled with the pewter coloured foil.

Lastly this is part of an old collar that was hand dyed and foiled with the same pewter colour.

I won't be posting for a week as we are off to Melbourne for a small holiday and taking Ebony with us.

The weather has been cold here lately and it is nearly as bad in Melbourne.

I noticed that their minimum overnight temperature one night this week was 8 degrees Celsius ---lucky them --our highest temperature one day this week was 8 degrees Celcius.

Oh well I'll just chuck another jumper in the suitcase.

See you when I get back.

Second Time Around

2011-06-10T12:53:00.006+10:00

Last year I signed up for the Gilding the Lily workshop with Dale at the Thread Studio but somehow I never did get started on it so I have decided to join in again this year.
First up we are using foil and I have been foiling everything in sight.
First up is a croched doiley that I dyed last year when we were dying fabrics for the exhibition.
I like the way that the gold foil has stuck to some of the raised sections adding hilites to the piece.

This piece of fabric is from a blouse and was tossed into the dyepot at the same time.
I only foiled two of the leaves and I rather like the effect.

Here we have a piece of Panne Velvet that I placed a stencil on top of and sprinkled Audrey's Bonding powder over it-then removed the stencil.

Next I placed the foil over it and ironed it.

I think that I will stitch around the edges at a later stage.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr Solved

2011-06-08T11:33:00.002+10:00

I have received an e-mail from MA saying how to fix the Blogger comment problem and I thought I would pass it on if anyone else is having this problem.
She has seen it on someone else's blog but I had discovered it myself somehow and I had forgotten to let you know.
Thanks for reminding me MA.
This is how it is solved.
************************
"When you sign in to your
google account, uncheck the
stay signed in button

***************************

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

2011-06-06T04:00:00.003+10:00

I am having trouble leaving comments on blogs that have a word verification attached.
I seem to be able to leave comments on ones that don't ask for verification but on ones that do ask I have to type in the word and when I enter it I keep getting taken back to the sign into my account section.
So I resign in and a new word verification pops up and my message now says the "Anonamous" said--blah blah etc.
I don't know where to look to rectify this problem--can anyone help me-pleeasse?
I think Big Bad Blogger is taking his problems out on us and I wish he would get over whatever it is that has upset him.
Grrrrrrrrrr.

Get thee behind me Satan !!!

2011-06-03T23:10:00.004+10:00

Well after I spent 2 weeks sorting my workroom out and taking stuff to the Guild for the recycle table what did I do?
Yep you got it right I went and ordered more stuff from Dale at The Thread Studio.
How can I resist when she keeps buying in all the things that I just can't live without :#)).
First up were these cards of felt rope --the colours are so beautiful and I only purchase 7 of them but there are a lot more colours.
Oh and I did buy 7 --there is a lovely green one but it decided to drop onto the floor and I didn't realise until I had posted the photo here.
I can see many projects coming from these.

Next there are these lovely hand made buttons --so beautiful.

And lastly Dales latest little book--this time about what you can do with the fabulous Sari silk ribbons that she sells.

I have several bundles of the Sari silks and I could only think of a few things to make with them-but now I have plenty of ideas after reading what Dale has created.

Sorry about the flash on the book but you can get a good idea as to what the book looks like.

What's going on here?

2011-05-25T18:31:00.004+10:00

Well let me tell you there is nothing creative going on that's for sure.
I have spent 10 days sorting out stuff in my "studio" and I use that term very loosely at present.
I was looking for something--I can't even remember what it was anymore--but like what usually happens one thing lead to another and the next thing that I knew I was cleaning-sorting-tossing out-rearranging, you know what I mean---a bit like shifting the deck chairs on the Titanic just shifting things around.
Well I now can see the desk and what's more I can see carpet again.
The recycle table at the Guild will make a huge profit on all the stuff that I took in there.
Then Stephen decided to re-cover the back yard area with new mulch---and I decided to help.
You girls would have been proud of me--shovelling all that lovely mulch into the wheel barrow so that he could spread it around.
There was almost 100 wheelbarrow loads full and I was on a roll.
Then we decided that we wanted to take Ebony on her first plane flight--to Melbourne.
So I was on the internet booking the tickets and the accommodation--got that all sorted out--but then realised the next day that I had booked the flight for one week and the accomodation for the next week.
Geez how many senior moments can one person cope with.
Anyhow it is now sorted out and the dates finally coincide and I have made arrangements to meet up with our dear friend Dot (of Dotee doll fame who no longer has a blog).
Now all I have to do is figure out how to keep the secret from Ebony until closer to the time when we leave.
Next I need to get back in that lovely tidy room and make a new mess.
Yee-haw.

Finished--Done--No More

2011-05-14T12:18:00.002+10:00

That's it--no more--I am happy with what I have achieved so you don't have to put up with my rabbiting on about Creative Canvas samples anymore.
I have made two scissor keepers (fobs) which I am going to donate to the sales table at the annual exhibition(minus the scissors of course) and I have one to finish for myself and that's it.
I am glad that I persevered with this but I now know that it is something I had to try and I have satisfied the burning desire that I had for learning how to do it--but I don't want to do anymore.

I don't know if you can see the beads and gold thread or not but they are there.

A few more

2011-05-12T22:05:00.000+10:00

I have been sick for several days with a cold/flu like lurgy so I have been doing a few different patterns to keep myself amused.
I am coping very well at present with these designs--as long as they don't get any bigger I should be ok.

I have made a small tassell and some cord to go with this pink/purple one

And I rather like this one made in Variegated thread----with a tassell--now I have to make the cord.

All I have to do is add some beads to them and I will be able to make them all up----whoo hooo.

Sorry about the quality of the pictures but my scanner was not behaving itself tonight.

By George I did it

2011-05-11T15:23:00.003+10:00

Well I did a small sample anyway.
Firsly I would like to thank those who commented on my last post--you all got me thinking about why I was going through the frustration of trying to learn how to do Canvas Work.
I realised that I wasn't trying to be good at it -I just wanted to know how to do it.
I have admired this form of embroidery for a long time but I was always daunted when it came to doing it.
Finally on Monday I had a lightbulb moment---I realised that it was the size of the piece of canvas that was terrifying me not the working of the stitches.
We have all had that experience whether it be a piece of fabric or a sheet of artist paper--when we have a big blank object in front of us where do we start.
On Monday at the Embroiderers Guild someone gave me a bundle of offcut pieces of tapestry fabric about 6cm wide which I imagine had been trimmed off the edge of something that they had worked on.
I brought some of these pieces home with me to practise on and voila I could do it.
No problems -no fears just happy little stitches smiling back at me---well a couple of them got in the wrong holes but I managed to see them before I got too far along the row.
These little blocks are only 3 cm square and I think I will make them into a scissor keeper.
I will add some tiny beads in the centre and make a cord to go around the edge and also form a loop to attach to the scissors plus I will make a small tassel to hang off the end.

I think I will try another design and see how that goes.

What's my problem?

2011-05-09T19:54:00.003+10:00

This year I decided that I would attempt to learn new techniques in embroidery and several things have been offered at the guild that I thought I would try.
First there was the Japanese darning and you have seen the results of that class.
Next it was Long and Short stitch---well I haven't shown you that because I am embarrased.
I hate doing Satin stitch--when I did Sharon Boggans first TAST online challange it was the only stitch that I did not do a sample of--hate-hate-hate it.
Long and Short stitch to me is another name for Satin stitch-I know you are saying to me under your breath "No it isn't" but my tiny brain is telling me otherwise.
Well we had a 3 hour lesson and all I came home with was a design drawn on a piece of fabric with holes in it where I had stitched and unpicked so many times that it looked like a seive.
Are you still with me?
So on Saturday at our Creative group we were shown how to do Creative Canvas work by one of our Guild members who is brilliant at it.
OK -below is the photo of how far I got.
Nothing -zip-zilch.
I threaded the needle and no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't get it to go through the fabric.
Oh it would go through it but my tiny brain was at work again-planting the seeds of doubt again.
I always struggle with counted thread work---but all I have to do is count in lots of four I hear you say.
I know-I know but it terrifies me.
When we had childrens classes at the guild there were several times where the lady who was the leader decided to teach them some canvas work and I thought "here's my chance" but I was humiliated--the children had all of there 3" x4" samples finished and I was still unpicking mine--oh the shame.
But I have decided that I will not let it beat me this time I am going to master it.

I know I can --I know I can--I know I can.:-(

The Box is Finished

2011-04-29T11:17:00.003+10:00

Yeh----it is all stitched up-amd I am pleased with the outcome.
It was a very time consuming job stitching all the individual pieces together and the more pieces I had stitched together the harder it became but I got there in the end.
I have tried to take the best photo that I could without showing some of my donkey stitches (big and uneven) so that you still believe that I am a neat sewer.

At least it hasn't become another UFO tucked away somewhere.

The Two Faces of Ebony

2011-04-22T22:49:00.003+10:00

This is a photo of Ebony that I took earlier this week.
She has had her hair braided by her mother and no it isn't all her own hair-she has hair extensions in it.
Oh and no she doesn't wear glasses either there are no lenses in the glasses--she just likes doing things like this just for fun.
She was also wearing a pair of red and white striped sox that came up over her knees and she had on a pair of dark blue denin shorts as well.
I am always amazed at what she turns up wearing but then her dad was the same when he was her age.

This is what she looked like the week before.

A surprise gift

2011-04-21T21:32:00.010+10:00

Recently I sent Jen a pile of old paper patterns for her to use in a mixed media project.
Yesterday I received this wonderful journal as a thank you gift from her.
She had used the patterns to make a fabric by stitching them together and then she painted them with gesso (I think).
Next she added some embellishments----------------------oh so beautiful.

Here is a close up of the embellishments-------------

And this is a close up of the back cover...................

And the inside sleeve and journal pages.

I love it Jen and thank you very much for making it for me.

Guess What?

2011-04-18T09:36:00.004+10:00

I'm doing some knitting---------------- Now knitting is something that I don't do much of anymore but I saw this strange looking fibre in our local fabric /craft store and it had a funny looking scarfe displayed near it that took my fancy. Well the blurb said it only took one ball and could be knitted in a couple of hours so I thought why not.

When you stretch the fibe out it looks like this-----

You loop the R/H needle through the pieces that I have pinned out above making 5 stitches then you turn the 5 stitches around and taking the next 5 pointy pieces you knit them through the previous stitches like normal knitting-----

and you end up with this ruffle scarfe..

Confused---well it is easy to do just not easy to explain.

Here is another view of it hanging.

I now just have to find another 80 minutes to finish it.

Makings of a box

2011-04-12T23:30:00.006+10:00

Recently I did a class at the Embroiderers guild in pattern darning and I did a sample of Kogin darning -you can read about it here. A couple of weeks ago in our Creative group we were shown how to make a box and I decided to use my Kogin sample for the top section. I did two rows of running stitch around the edge of the section to give it a border and made the lid of the box. For the rest of the box pieces I used a fabric that I had rescued from the Op-shop which was made out of had dyed Shibori fabric. This is the base of the box------ These two sections are the sides of the lid (top one) and the sides of the bottom of the box (bottom one). It took a bit of fussy cutting to get all the sections out of the same design but I think it will be worth it in the end. Sorry about the pins sticking out of the top one but I still have to stitch it and the others. All the top pieces of fabric are plain and the sides of the bottoms have the same pattern on them

Hopefully I will get it finished soon----:-))

Fairies in my garden

2011-04-09T07:40:00.008+10:00

This morning when I woke up and went out the back door I was greeted by a heavy fog---but that was not all. I could see that the spiders had been busy overnight on my clothes line. Because we have had a rather wet summer this year there has been a lot of those long spindle legged spiders all over the place. As soon as we remove the webs they are back again. Anyway this is what greeted me this morning-------

Very pretty with the moisture from the fog on them.

Oh and these pictures will definitely "embiggen" just click on them and see.

Ta Da

2011-04-07T15:50:00.005+10:00

The Church banner is finished----and it will be officially hung on Palm Sunday April 17th. The sides are straight even though it looks as though they are slightly curved in. The cross was sewn on first but the sections where the crown of thorns and the palm leaf go under the cross were left unstitched so that I could slip them under at a later time. I am not sure if it is noticeable if you click and enlarge the photo (or as MA says "embiggen"it) but the crown of thorns has thorns that are 3D. that stand up. I also added rows of stitching in variegated thread on the cross to resemble the look of the grain in the timber.

All in all I am rather pleased with the way it has turned out.

Oh and I received my Cloth Paper Scissors magazine this week after it had a holiday in New Zealand.

Not a Happy Chappy

2011-03-31T14:50:00.004+11:00

I was always under the impression that if you subscribed to a magazine you would receive it before it hit the newsagents--after all the supplier already has your money. Late last year I subscribed to the CPS magazine for 12 months and the sub started with the January/Feb magazine which I should have received at the beginning of January. Unfortunately it arrived 3 weeks late much to my annoyance. Now I am still waiting for my second issue which was due out at the beginning of March and it is the 31st of March today and still no show. I had subscribed for 2 years to this magazine when it was first issued and I did have similar issues with it but never this late. I had hoped this problem would have been solved by now but obviously not. My point is are other people in Australia or other parts of the world having the same problems or is it just me.

I do know one thing --I will never subscribe to magazines from these people again--never ever.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Green Green Everywhere

2011-03-30T10:27:00.006+11:00

"It isn't easy being green" sung Kermit the frog----------------- For the last 10 years our back yard at the beginning of Autumn was dry brown dirt where the grass should have been and the shrubs were dying one by one and the whole area was an eyesore. But look at it now----the grass is green (I won't call it a lawn because it isn't)--the trees and shrubs are green and growing every day and we have been able to replace three of the shrubs that had died previously. It is a pleasure to walk out the back door and see all this lovely green space..

You can see in the middle of the photo a green bird bath under a shrub--well at the beginning of Summer that bird bath was out in the open and now it is totally hidden by the foliage of the shrub.

If you enlarge the picture you will see it better.

The dirt area will have mulch on it very soon.

It is wonderful to drive around Canberra and see so much greenery.

Oh and Robin did you notice that the two trashpacks have gone--we had to get someone else to take them.

Stuff and a Friend

2011-03-27T22:54:00.003+11:00

Well here is the "stuff" that I purchased from Dale all piled up on the table --- There is a book The Found Object by Cas Holmes that I have wanted for ages--a "Flimsie" wool pre felt which is so soft and beautiful in the Paris colourway plus some Sari Silk ribbon strips which I have ironed out flat ready to use. I also bought some Silk threads in the Paris colourway to go with the Flimsie. A huge bundle of Colourstreams silk threads (I still have 3 more to come). Three cards of variegated cotton threads and a jar of printability stuff. Oh joy is me------ Back at the beginning of March(I think or late February) I had a visit from a blogging friend who lives in Sydney and she wanted to come to Canberra to see Ballets Russes so I offered her a bed for the night and we both went to see the exhibition the next day. We also met up with Sharon Boggan for lunch before going to the exhibition. Christine who's blog is Lady Janes Journal belongs to the NSW Embroiderers Guild in Sydney and we had met previously when she came to see an earlier exhibition in Canberra. Christine and I talked and talked non stop because we have so much in common--in fact when I picked her up from the train station and we were heading home I kept taking the wrong turns because we were talking so much. No I wasn't a dangerous driver I was looking where I was going but not actually going in the right direction. Anyhow we had a great time which was over all too soon. We asked a stranger to take this photo of us while we were waiting for the train--I know we were told not to talk to strangers when we were young but how else were we going to get this happy snap.

I'm Back

2011-03-25T17:19:00.005+11:00

minus my money-----and do I look like I am having fun--you betcha--like a kid in a lolly shop.
Talk about stuff-my little fat fingers fondled just about everything.

Dale and I in the back garden waiting for Ian to cook the lamb on the barbie-----

and it was worth the wait.

This is a leg of lamb that was boned and then butterflied out flat and marinated for a couple of days.

I have never tasted anything so beautiful and tender in all my 70 years of eating and he cooked it on a little Hibachi cooker.

All that was left after we all had two helpings-----I would probably have had an extra piece but I thought better of it.

I haven't taken photos of my purchases yet but will do so tonight.

Oh and the wedding was lovely as well which was the reason that we went to Perth in the first place.

Blog Break

2011-03-16T23:06:00.003+11:00

Just letting you all know that I will be away for a week--we are off to Perth again -for a wedding this time and a spending spree with Dale at the Thread Studio--I can hardly wait to enter her Aladin's cave of wonderful treasures.
See you next week.

A Great Day

2011-03-11T21:24:00.004+11:00

Today we had a visit from my dear blogging friend Robin from Robin's Ramblings and her husband Bill.
We chatted for 4 hours non stop except for when we were poking food into our mouths.
I have known Robin for over 4 years now and we have met on several occasions before when she had come down from Queensland to visit her son who now lives in Canberra.
We had a lot to talk about because we have so much in common and the words kept on flowing with hardly a breath taken in between sentences.
We got our husbands to take our photos together using both our cameras and all I can say is thank goodness they don't take photos for a living because we would all probably starve.
But we got there in the end.

Robin gave me this beautiful box that she made--I saw it on her blog the other day and secretly admired it little knowing that she was bringing it down here for me.
Robin does the best edges using zigzag stitch on her sewing machine and the beautiful gifts that she makes are fabulous.
I tried to take a nice photo of it but to no avail so I nicked this one off her blog-hope you don't mind Robin.

It's nice having good blogging friends.

New Banner

2011-03-04T15:17:00.005+11:00

I'm in the process of making a new church banner for my local church(St Barnabas) which has to be ready for Palm Sunday on April 17th.

My friend Dimity who attends the same church is helping as well.

As you can see there is a cross with a crown of thorns over the top and there will be a palm leaf behind the lower half of the cross.

We are also making 3D thorns which will be attached by hand to give it texture.

Sorry about the bump underneath but that is the carpet behind it.

The pins at the bottom are there because some of the palm leaves have to be attached under the cross.

I will show you the finished banner when it is hanging in the church in April.

Final Pattern Darning class

2011-02-28T23:13:00.005+11:00

The final lesson today in Pattern Darning was what the tutor calls Two way Darning.
This was the technique that was used back in the "olden days" and I mean "olden days" when young girls would stitch away mending garments---and I don't know how they ever managed to do it with out the aid of electricity and magnifying glasses.
The first lot of stitches I worked were the green vertical ones and I made a couple of boo boos along the top but if I didn't tell you then you probably wouldn't have noticed.
The horizontal pink ones were worked next and they were woven in and out of the green ones in the centre.
I had to unpick a few rows every now and then-one would really wonder how much of a problem it is to count "under two and over four" and keep getting it wrong-but I did with monotonous regularity-but in the end I finished it and I am very happy again.
The first photo is the front --------------

And the second one is the back---------------

I have a couple of other small patterns that I will try later but I now have a new Church banner that I have to make up--so it will be heads down for a while now.

My Finished Book

2011-02-25T18:05:00.006+11:00

Sorry about the dull photos but Murphy's Law has again reared it's ugly head.
This is the finished stitched front cover.
As you can see I have used Running stitch to outline some of the petals and also some French Knots to hilite the centres.
I did not want to fill the centres with French Knots because I wanted to give the appearance of flowers that were disintegrating.
The gold and copper hilites appear well with the book slanted slightly when I took the photo.

In this photo you can see the front -back and the spine-------------

Here is the spine showing the stitching over the tapes---------------------

This is the centre of the book not that you can see much really but you can see the stitched threads as they go in between the tapes that hold the pages into position.

I am very pleased with the finished book and I would advise anyone who has the opportunity to do this workshop with Isobel to do so--

January Fibre Fever Page

2011-02-24T15:25:00.003+11:00

This is officially the last page for the Fibre Fever group swap and is from Kath in Crete.
If you remember my theme was for "the country you live in" and each month I received a page from one of the girls depicting the country where they live.
Crete is Kaths adopted country and if you enlarge the photo you will see that she has embroidered the words "fruit and flowers of Crete" and she has embellished the page with a bunch of grapes -a pomegranate and an olive plus a purple Anemone.
I love this page as it shows me something of about Crete that I was not aware of.
Thank you Kath.

I am still waiting for a page from last year but I am not worried because I know that it will turn up eventually.

Pattern Darning (Kogin)

2011-02-21T19:56:00.005+11:00

Today in my Pattern Darning class we did Kogin which is a form of pattern darning that was developed in an area of Japan to improve the warmth and strength of fabric.(quote from Tutors notes)
Traditional Kogin designs were worked in white thread on dark blue (indigo dyed) fabric on clothing and now can be seen on bags-purses-wall hangings etc.(more quotes)
Once you get into the rhythm of the stitching it all falls into place- but again if you make a mistake it is very obvious.

I struggled with the back because I like it to be neat(I know you all said not to worry about it) but- you have to leave a loop at the end of each row.
The reason for this is that when the garment was washed the thread would shrink and without the loop of extra thread the garment would pucker.
I did forget to leave a loop a couple of times but by the time I noticed I was too far down the track so I just left it.
The long tails still attached were from starting and ending threads--I didn't have to weave them in because they will get caught up when I make the sample into a pin cushion or something else.
Or I may just leave it as a sample--who knows.

I think next week is going to be a real eye strainer :0(

Pattern Darning.

2011-02-19T18:29:00.006+11:00

Here are the samples of my first attempt at Pattern Darning.
To say that I am very pleased is an understatement--to say it was easy would be a lie-but- to say that I have enjoyed it in the end is the honest truth.
Yes my eyes hurt even with the magnifying glasses but that was because I was getting tired and wouldn't give up --nope the stubborn part of my being kept pushing me on.
I made plenty of mistakes and unpicked lots of stitches but it was all worth it in the end.
I started out using variegated Perle 8 cotton but in some of the designs it looked awful --especially the one which I eventually worked in cotton a Broder worked in the red thread on the top left.
The aqua one on the bottom left was printed wrong on the instruction sheet and the tutor said she would correct it and bring it back on Monday.
After I had completed the other five I thought that I would try to work it out for myself-which I did and I am not sure if it is correct but I think it looks ok :-))

Then when I turned the piece over to look at the back--horror of horrors I had made two mistakes on the back--see the aqua sample on the bottom.
Then I decided to work it again in a lime green coloured thread and bingo it was ok.
I also got the tail of the green thread caught in the needle of the green one on the centre left side which caused a length of thread to carry down the side.
Ah well it is only a sample and the Tutor is a friend so I don't think I will be shot at twenty paces.

You can see the long threads carried across the bottom third of the diamonds--that's a no-no--------------

This is what it is supposed to look like.

I am a happy chappy anyway.

OWOH Winner(s)

2011-02-17T23:14:00.005+11:00

Yippee---- I have used the random generator and I now have a winner for my little white quiltie----------
Drum roll please-----the winner is Sandra of Thistle Cove Farm.
Congratulations Sandra --I will post it off to you as soon as I get your address.
Because I had over 200 responses I have decided to give a second prize which is another quiltie that I made using patchwork fabric woven through warp threads which was then embellished with machine and hand embroidery.
So another drum roll please-----this one goes to Jan at Jans arty atc journey.
Congratulations Jan I will send it off to you as soon as I have your address.

Thank you to everyone who dropped by and left a comment I hope that you have enjoyed your visit.

2011-02-16T16:02:00.004+11:00

What have I been up to recently--well there has not been any blogging which is quite evident-but I have been busy.
Last weekend I did a 2 day workshop with Isobel Hall at the Embroiderers Guild on Embroidered books.
Isobel is a mixed media artist from the UK and has written several books including "Bags with Paper and Stitch"-"Embroidered Books" and her latest book"Mixed Media :new studio techniques" was written in conjunction with Maggie Grey.
There were 15 of us in the class and we all had a great time and learnt so much from such a giving teacher.
We found new ways to use "stuff" that we already had-different ways that is.
Isobell's husband Eric travels with her and what an asset he is-doing all the odd jobs for us like drying our painted papers so that we could get on with the next new technique.
I can honestly say that I have never enjoyed a class so much-no stress involved-no pressure to get things completed-which is a good thing because my book is far from being completed.
We made the book pages and stitched them to the tapes and then went about making the covers.
I am not going to show you much at present------------------
Here I am with Isobel having a good time-----

-----------but here is a sneak peak of my paper which had been stencilled with Light molding past using a floral stencil.
I know it is a bit hard to see but that adds to the mystery.
I won't be able to do anything more to it until the weekend because I have a fellow blogger coming for a sleepover on Thursday night and there won't be much time for craft when there is so much chit chat going on.

On Monday I started the first of 3 x 2 hour classes in Pattern Darning which I never thought I would do because counting stitches and rows on even weave fabric is not my idea of fun.

But I have admired the work of the person who is teaching it at the Guild so I decided to bite the bullet and give it a go.

I had to enlist the aid of a magnifying glass because I am working on a 28 count fabric and perle 8 thread-need I say more.

So far the stitching and "unstitching" are about even in time spent-- because if you make a mistake (and I do) you have to correct it otherwise it stands out like a sore thumb.

If you don't know what Pattern Darning is go to Sharon Boggans blog here and see how it is done.

I will show you my efforts when I finish the sample (that's if my eyes hold out).

Next week we are doing Kogin embroidery and you can see a sample here

And lastly the OWOH event finishes tomorrow and if you want to enter my giveaway you still have time --just scroll down to the previous post and leave a comment just remember that I must be able to contact you to let you know should you be the winner.

Oh and I have decided to give another prize as well because of all the comments.

It will be another Quiltie but not the same type as the first one.

One World One Heart 2011

2011-02-01T12:22:00.004+11:00

I have decided to participate in this years One World One Heart event run by Lisa Swifka .

This is the fith year (and final one) that Lisa has run this event and I have at last made the effort to join in.

The reason that Lisa started this event 5 years ago was to connect bloggers with each other.

Each of the bloggers participating in the event are offering a "door prize" as a giveaway.

So to the people who don't know me let me introduce myself----------

My name is Doreen and I am a dabbler in many things.

I started my Journey as a dressmaker many moons ago and in my fifties I rediscovered hand embroidery.

Next it was Machine embroidery-then felting -then card making and then mixed media work.

Gradually I am doing the circle again and I am back doing hand embroidery but this time in a more creative way.

I love what I do and I love having the freedom to change my mind and try something new without feeling guilty about not finishing the last project that I was working on.

The idea of OWOH is for people to meet each other and maybe become great friends into the bargain.

The event is open to all bloggers worldwide and all you have to do is leave a comment here on my blog to be in the draw and I must be able to contact you if you win.

If you would like to see the list of the other participating bloggers click here and then you can leave a message on their blogs as well.

Now about my door prize---

It is a small quiltie which measures 6 and 1/2 inches square and is made of embroidered silk chiffon with cotton laces attached.

It has a small photo of a little girl printed on fabric and embellished with silk ribbon embroidery,buttons and flower motifs.

The blanket stitched border finishes it off.

The event closes on February 17th 2011 when the winner will be announced.

I will contact the winner by e-mail.

Good luck.

Final Fibre Fever page

2011-01-23T21:48:00.004+11:00

This is the final Fibre Fever page that I have made for the swap that I am in.
The page is for Ati and her theme is yellow.
The background is a piece of felt that I had dyed and the lady is from a panel of patchwork fabric which has all these ladies in different outfits on it.
I added some tiny buttons on the jacket front and on the flowers on her jacket and hat-2 tiny black beads for her earings -plus a necklace out of beads and a pair of gold scissors on the bag she is carrying.
I also worked french knots in black thread on the black spots on her jacket.
I finished it off with a blanket stitch edge.

I am still waiting for two of my pages but they will arrive soon.

Quilts for Comfort

2011-01-22T21:45:00.003+11:00

This is the quilt that Jan has made up from the blocks that I sent her for the queensland flood appeal.
I posted the blocks to her on Wednesday afternoon and she received them on Friday and she finished the quilt today Saturday.
What a wonderful lady she is.
Not only did she finish my quilt but she also finished 4 other quilts as well today.
If you want to see what she has been doing then go here and here and read all about it.
Like I said in my previous post about these blocks-they have been in a box for about eight years because I couldn't be bothered finishing the quilt--this lady did it in about one hour.
You are an angel Jan and I hope whoever receives the quilt will get a lot of pleasure and comfort from it.

.

I have some other quilt tops that I think I will send down to her for the appeal as well.

They aren't much use to me stored unfinished in a box.

Creative Meanderings

Hedebo Rings

Three Close-ups of Block three.

The Start of Block Three

Block 2 Stitching Begins

Block 1 (starting the embroidery)

Self Portrait

Block 1

Lesson one-Points and Loops

Happy Days are Here Again

Sorry

The Dancing Queen

Happy New Year

Wonderful-Fabulous-------

Happy Christmas

No More Primary School

Nativity Buttons

Finally Noumea

Dravuni Island Fiji

Savu Savu--the journey continues

Suva --Fiji

Vanuatu

Lifou New Caledonia

Eating on the Cruise

Stitching on the Cruise

Princess Annorexia

I'm Baaack

Off on the High Seas

Christmas is coming

But wait there's more

Something New

Tags

Different colours

Buttons 11 and 12

Christmas Cards

Dorset Button

Toggle 1

Button 8

Button 7

Button 6

Padded Embellishments

Finished Buttons

Damp Stretching Done

A little bit More

Hello Remember Me?

Spring has Sprung

Ask Me How I feel?

Diaries

Lavender Bags

Another UFO Bag

Another One

One UFO Done

Silk packs to sell

More Stuff

What have I been doing?

More Dying

Our Dying Day Results

Uh Oh

Who's a Lucky Girl ?

New Glasses

Dying Day

Another Bargain

Op-Shop Find

It is Finished

Gifts from Gina

Melbourne photos

I'm Back

Foiled Again

Second Time Around

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr Solved

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Get thee behind me Satan !!!

What's going on here?

Finished--Done--No More

A few more

By George I did it

What's my problem?

The Box is Finished

The Two Faces of Ebony

A surprise gift