Not Well and FF Page

I am sorry that I haven't posted for over a week but I have not been a well person.
I came down with a Urinary Tract Infection which really knocked me about and I have spent 3 days in bed because of the pain and I couldn't stay awake longer than an hour at a time.
I am finally on the mend and I must admit it was the wrong time for me to be bed ridden because I have so much to do for the Guild Exhibition and so little time is left.
I do have something to show you though.
This is the August page that I did for Peggy R in the US whose theme is Vintage ladies.
The picture is printed onto fabric and I had embroidered it with silk ribbon to enter into the Embroiderers Guild exhibition several years ago.
When the exhibition was over I hung it on the wall for about 12 months and then took it down and removed it from the frame because I wanted to use the frame again so I put the embroidery in a box and forgot about it.
Recently I discovered it again and decided to use it for Peggy's page for several reasons-first it fitted the theme and also because I felt it would be nice for someone else to have it instead of it being hidden away. Peggy has received it because I posted it off to her several weeks ago.
(Click on the picture to see the embroidery better)
The page is 6" x 6" but it looks like it is taller than that because I wanted to show the silk ribbon
that hangs from her waist at the back of the dress and it hangs off the edge of the page.

Black and White and a Little Bit of Red

Here are the other two pieces of Nuno felt that I did at the Guild earlier this year.
I started out with a piece of fine black cotton voile and then layered the wool fibres finely over the top of it.
Then I put a piece of a black silk scarf that had huge white flower on it over all this.
After the felting process the flowers were all shrivelled up and out of shape and this gave it great texture.
This week I decided to add some stitching to it and I chose red thread to do running stitch around the flowers(but not all of them) and I put a French knot in the centre of the top one.





On the second one I only stitched around one flower and did French Knots in the centre of two of the flowers. (Click on the photos to get a better look at them)

Now all I have to do is decide how to display them.

Nuno Felted Picture

Earlier in the year we did Nuno felting at the Guild and I made this piece to demonstrate to the girls how to make a background scene-and then it was put away in places unknown until this week when I found it again while I was looking for something else.
Seeing as I was looking for stuff for the exhibition and for the sales table I decided to embroider it.

I didn't want to add too much to it-by that I mean I didn't want it to be too bulky so I used running stitch to outline the hills- the sky and clouds.
I then added French Knots and straight stitch to look like wildflowers.
At first I had lots of different colours in the French Knots but I pulled them out because it looked too unreal-what I really wanted it to look like was subtle.
I left the centre grassland area free of stitches to give it a bit of contrast.
I does look nicer in real life.

I am not sure whether to frame it or put it onto a box canvas board.

I found a few more pieces as well and have stitched them--I will show you tomorrow.

TAST2 Weeks 24 and 25

Here I have last weeks stitch(week 24) in green which is Siennese Stitch and below that the pink one which is this weeks stitch (week 25) Vandyke Stitch.
I like both of these stitches--very similar in their action but with a different outcome .

I tried to take a photo today of all the 25 stitches that I have done on my sampler but it wasn't easy to distinguish them so I will try again soon.

If you want to visit Sharon over on Pin Tangle and see what she is up to click here

Crazy Hearts

Back in March I started to make a crazy patchwork armchair caddy and as you can see I pinned on some embellishments to see how it would look.

Later I started to do some stitching on the seams but I just wasn't enjoying what I was doing so it got put in the too hard basket.

Earlier this week I decided to chop it up and I cut out 4 heart shapes to make some small heart shaped pillows to sell at the Guild exhibition.

I finished the embroidery and added a piece of ribbon to each one and bingo now I am happy.

Below are two of them- they are 14cm high by 10cm wide and I think they look pretty nice.

TAST 2 Week 23 Waved Chain Stitch

Week 23 in the TAST 2 challenge was Waved Chain Stitch and my sample is done here.
I like the effect of this stitch and I have used a variegated thread that I purchased from the Thread Studio called Royal Shiraz and I just love the lime green and purple mix of it.

I forgot to post this earlier but I am still in time before the next one is published tomorrow.

If I remember I will take a photo of all the stitches so far and show you next week.

Carole is at it Again

Carole from Madness and mess is running a new workshop starting on the 1st of September and she will be teaching us how to make a new special shabby chic card.

This will be different from your ordinary run of the mill cards and the person who you make it for won't want to toss it in the bin after they have read it--definitely a keepsake.

I have added a button on my side bar so you can pop over and sign in--it will be fun.

If you want to see what the card looks like go here but don't take any notice of the starting date on this post because she has brought the date forward.

Portrait of (Dorian) Doreen Grey

Ebony wanted to draw a picture of me while she was here over the weekend so I agreed to pose for her----If only I looked as good as she thinks I look.
The small marks on my face that she has added are blemishes that I have--the doctor called them age spots and she has them in the correct places.
My glasses are a bit off centre but what the heck ---maybe the square eyes may be from looking at the computer too much--and the dot near my mouth is a mole.
I think she has talent but then I might be a little bit biased--and anyone who can make me look that good has something going for them.

Back in 2007 Ebony drew a portrait of me when she was 7 and I blogged about it here so if you want to see how I looked way back then go take a peek but --be afraid-be very afraid.