September TIF

Just in the nick of time I have finished my September Crazy Quilt block for the TIF challenge.
I started last night doing the embellishing and I have stitched all day today so that I could get it finished before tomorrow when the October challenge is posted.
As I said before these are the colours that my printer produced and I have taken the easy option and used them mainly because I like the way they work together.
The stitching etc is not up to par with previous months but I have been so busy with other things that I really got behind.
Next month I will try harder.

Tomorrow will be interesting to see what we have to work with in October.

A successful Exhibition

Finally the Embroiderers Guild exhibition is over for another year and to say that I am relieved is an understatement.
It was exhausting but it was worth it.
Here are a few of the things that I had entered and if you are an embroiderer of fine needlecraft then don't look any further if you expect to see something traditional.
Some people think that this isn't embroidery but if you look closer every one of these items has hand embroidery on it somewhere--I love hand embroidery but I don't normally enter any in the exhibition I leave that to others.
I always enter my creative stuff.
Anyway the first picture (sorry about the reflection) is a piece made from painted Tyvek mounted on black Kunin felt and then mounted on hand made silk paper.
It has beads made from Tyvek and commercial ones as well.
This piece has been sold.





Next is a piece of Nuno felt that I made at the second Fiona Wright workshop I attended last year and it had been put away in the cupboard after the workshop and forgotten about.
I decided to hand embroider on it and I mounted it on one of those white box canvas things that artist use.
This one has also been sold.

The next one is a sample that I made at the first Fiona Wright workshop that I did 2 years ago and it was keeping the other one company in the cupboard.

I also mounted this the same way as the other one.

This piece didn't sell.

When I did Dale's Embellisher workshop I made a piece of fabric and I turned it into a book cover and this has been sold as well

And lastly I made 4 Tassels and entered them because they normally sell well at the exhibition and I wasn't let down this time either--all 4 were sold.

Now for the truth--all of the above things that have been sold were sold prior to the exhibition except the tassels
I have sold another 2 of the pieces that I had entered since the exhibition and I thought that I had taken photos of them but I must have deleted them off the camers because I can't find them anywhere.

All in all it was a good exhibition for me.

September TIF block

I have managed to make my TIF block today and as I stated in the previous post I have chosen to use the colours from the print out.
I think I will enjoy working with these colours and I will try to get some stitching on it before the end of the month but I can't guarantee it.
Tomorrow(Thursday in OZ) is setup day for the Embroiderers Guild exhibition and then Friday-Saturday and Sunday I will be at the exhibition all day and I think I may be too tired to do any stitching when I get home.
At the exhibition I am in charge of what we call the recycle table.
This table is where we sell stuff that members have donated that they no longer use--things like embroidery books and magazines-embroidery hoops-fabric-threads-beads-Kits that have been purchased but never done(we all know that story don't we) in fact we will sell anything embroidery related and we do very well also.




Ok now I have to go and make sure I have finished everything.

September TIF

Well finally I have the opportunity to start my September TIF challenge CQ block
All my stuff for the Embroiderers Guild exhibition this weekend is finished(they don't call me last minute Doreen for nothing) so now I can piece my block together.
It still may not get completely embellished in the next 6 days but at least it will get started.
Now I have a slight problem- you see the colour of the top picture is the colour that my printer identifies as the ones it sees on my screen----and the colour in the second picture is actually the one that is on the screen.
Which one do I use?
Well I know I should use the second one but I am actually going to use the top one because I need some more lighter coloured blocks.
There seems to have been a few darker coloured blocks recently and I need some paler ones for balance.

So now I am off to look for the fabrics.

Calendar Girls Postcard for Pat

This month I am making a postcard for Pat and I thought I would try something different and decided to use card stock for my September Calendar Girls Postcard.
The stamp I used is from Sunday International that I have had for several years and only used once--not because I didn't like it but that I forgot that I had it.
I have nearly 100 stamps and when I sit down to make cards do I ever use them?----no-- I go ahead and make collaged cards.
Why do I buy them?----because I like them of course.
Anyway I digress.






The base of the card started out a yellow/gold colour and then I started using my Distress inks to alter the colour.
I used the colours Tea Dye--Black Soot and Marmalade.
I stamped the image on the base card with black ink.






I also stamped it onto a piece of green cardstock and cut out the leaves and stems.
I stamped some flowers with Fired Brick Distress ink to colour them and cut them out.

I then added some foam mount circles so that they would be raised up on the card

I glued the green pieces onto the card over the same image and added the flowers as you can see in the first photo

Oh and I forgot to say that I sprayed the base--leaves and flowers with some Moonshadow mist colours as well.

I hope you like it Pat when you see it in the flesh.

Stuff that makes my heart sing

When I went to the post box yesterday there was this bulging parcel waiting for me from Paula.
She had notified me to say she had sent me a parcel --a sort of belated birthday present.
Not much she said and if I couldn't use all of it I could give some to Ebony.
It's a wonder you didn't hear me shriek wherever you are because I sure made a noise.
I couldn't believe my eyes---------------
All these lovely Sari silks--such yummy Autumn colours.






More silks......................

What about these fibers

And laces...................

More lace-black and navy...............

Beads..........................

More silks.................

Now I know I am a good Grandmother but if anyone thinks that I am giving any of this to Ebony well they can think again.

Thank you Paula for such a wonderful gift and I will put it all to good use.

I can hear my embellisher calling out to me--"come show me what you got"

Yummy Pencil Rovings

I received these Pencil Rovings from Dale at the Thread Studio this week.
The colours are wonderful and so bright I can't wait to use them on the Embellisher.
They arrived in bundles like this------------






Then when I undid them -wow- how cool are these-------------

Here are a couple of close up photos of 2 of them.

My favourite------

Just look at all the colours in this one.

My only problem now is I haven't got time to experiment with them.

I still haven't started my TIF crazy Quilt block for September or the Postcard for the Calendar Girls swap---Yikes I'm in big trouble.

Not quite a Dressel

I know that I have been quiet lately but I have been busy making "stuff" for the Embroiderers Guild exhibition held on the last weekend in September.
Most of the things I exhibit are not the traditional embroidery items and this year is no exception.
We do have a very active Creative and Machine Embroidery group and now an Embellisher group has been added to the ME group.
This year I have made a few wall art pieces and also this "Not quite a Dressel" piece.
Lynda had an article in the June edition of Workshop on the Web about how to make a Dressel.
This piece started out to be a dressel -but I couldn't bring myself to slash the required lines in the piece of fabric that I made on the embellisher with a soldering iron.
I decided to make it into a "vase" and instead of the flowers going in the vase they are on the outside.
The base fabric was made as per the instructions in the article and I cut the flowers out of another piece then stitched 2 of them together to make a flowers.
These were hand stitched onto the base and then the copper coloured pearl beads were added for accent.
I also hand couched a Stef Francis thread around the flowers.




This is a view of the vase on it's side and you can just see the cord twisting around the flowers.

I am pleased with the end result.

More ATC's

I received this ATC from Kate in a one on one swap that we had arranged.
The flowers are tiny flower brads that are arranged on fme stalks.
It is much nicer in colour that my photo shows.
Thank you Kate I love it.





This is the ATC that I sent to Kate and I had another senior moment and forgot to take a photo of it --but Kate kindly e-mailed me a photo--Thanks Kate.

Swaps to and from

There has been lots happening in my mailbox this week----
First I received this beautiful postcard of a Ginko leaf from Ilse who lives in the US and I am not sure if she has a blog or not.
This swap was arranged through one of the sub groups on Stitchin fingers and it is needle felted.



In the same swap I didn't send one to Ilse but I had to send one to Patsy.
I made this postcard from all the little bits that I had left from one of my workshops with Dale working on the embellisher.

Next is a postcard from Heather who lives in Queensland Australia.

We arranged this one on one swap through the Embellish Stitch and Enrich group which was formed on NING after Dale's workshop.

Don't you just love the dragonfly?

Here is the postcard that I sent to Heather--it has a background of commercial wool felt on which I embellished a square from a sample that I did when I first got my embellisher.

I don't think Heather has a blog either.

I received these bookmarks in a swap with Anna--she has made them from photo copies of work she had done in her journal and then she has cut the pieces up and stitched them back together in a lovely organic pattern.

I sent Anna 2 postcards in return-----

The one on the left is a card one and the one on the right is made from Silk Dupion.

Thanks to all the ladies for the beautiful swaps I have received and I love them all.

More gifts

This week I recieved these lovely gifts from Mary-Anne in Canada which were a total surprise to me as I was not expecting them.
First there is this lovely Birthday card--I love the lady in the front-I would love a figure like that.
I have a collection of birthday cards already and my birthday is not until Sunday.



Then there was this postcard--if you could only smell it--I think MA must have used a rosehip teabag somewhere in the making of this because that is what I can smell --I know-I know the tag says Red Rose and it should be obvious but I can't figure it out.

Also she included a piece of this wonderful rusted fabric mmmm I have an idea running around in my head as to what to do with it--not telling yet what it is.

MA also included a bag of goodies for my card making--lovely--a girl can't have enough bits of paper and ephemera can she.

Last there was a package of paper art stuff for Ebony to use in her craft- I know she will love it because she is becoming a real bower bird collecting stuff for her creative art.

Thanks MA you are one really generous friend.

I'm late -- I'm late

I am behind in posting the things that I have received and sent since I have been sick-but now that I am on the mend I hope to catch up.
Firstly Maureen and I had a one on one swap involving a wild woman brooch.
This is the one that she sent to me and I received it a week ago-- I love it Maureen

This is the one that I sent to her---my WW is living out her hippie flower power days again.

I know that Maureen has receiver her by now.

Also included in the parcel were these 2 beautiful ATC's--the one on the left is for Ebony and the other one is mine.

Maureen also included this lovely Birthday card for me.

Thank you Maureen for these wonderful gifts--you are far to generous and I love them all.