Happy New Year

Just dropping in to wish all a wonderful New Year.  I have some mini plans on the back burner to bring to the front and hope to finish a lot of little items that I did not get finished thus far this year.

I did get my quota of hats for the homeless done as well as baby sets , scarves, chemo caps etc. for the local hospital and I feel good inside for having achieved this.

I must admit that I have a list of things I have wanted to finish and in order to do someof the new things I want to do this year have to do two lists, one to finish and one to reward with a new project.

I will post my new system of time management before the first of the year.

Making Memories Block Two

Making Memories Block Two, shades of pink and blue.

Making Memories Block One

Making Memories is a quilt block that is going to Leslie Urhlich of Colorado who kindly donates her time and talent to making quilts for those less fortunate and to aid special causes, this one is very dear to all o four hearts ' cancer ' and is made all with wedding dress materials.  I have a second block that I do as well and this is for my mom who lost her battle at the age of 49.  God bless you mom, I do every day.

DYOB Faces 2 - Colleen's Block

Having finished working on Colleen's block, I fell let down as I wish I had another one to work on, I love this type of work and have headed my cq work off in another direction after all.

I used an antique piece of vintage lace aged naturally at the corners and attached the face cab, which I must admit I love.

I then hand gathered about four inch wide silk/satin fabric and added the rusched collar.  Following this I embellished with mostly earth items and then decided when I was finished it was time for it to take on a new life of it's own and glisten with gold and emerge from it's cocoon.

This block felt so much like " Mother Earth ", when I worked on it, that it was so hard to put dazzling beads on it until I realized the earth is filled with jewels.  I did not add silk ribbon to this one just ran a ribbon wave of burgundy double sided satin and couched it down.  The butterfly is from the scrap booking section and is three dimensional.  I have hand stitched the butterfly down and it does give the block a bit of colour.

Kimono 2010

     Finally the Kimono Quilt is finished and I am pleased.  I have visions of another one in my head and will have to plan it out carefully as I will carry it further than I did on this one.  I loved the actual piecing and final constructing of the blocks and must admit that I discovered a nice way to border a quilt and have it hold it's shape at the same time.

     I hand basted as shown below, then decided to cut the borders back to 2.5" and basted them down. I then added a braided upholstery trim to the front, carried it to the back and tacked it down.  It makes a very nice finishing edge.  I did the same for the kimono collar.

     I am setting aside the ribbons and fabrics that I had intended to use to skirt this one for a future quilt along with some drawings, but must finish some more UFOs that are as large as this and need to be done.

Silkribbon Pillow with design ideas for first sashing on kimono quilt.

On the sides of the above quilt I had wanted to add some dimensional flowers and wanted to audition some floral sprays that I felt would work.

I also find that rather than wasting the thread and fabric that a large gorgeous pillow could result if I were fortunate enough to carry the design through, as it was one I had wanted to try for some time.  It is not an orginal.

I am very pleased with the coloour of the background, the tlace and the threads  as well as the silk ribbon used in the design.

I will use this design with a sweeping type of design down the sides of the kimono quilt in the style of chery and peach blossoms to accent the quilt, just not sure how much of it to work, and if I will fill inthe background with a darker silk or not, but I have won in two ways I have a pillow that will be about eighteen inches squared, to be edged with braid and have a large flouce and done the block of my dreams from a pattern by a desugber in an issue of Embroidery and Cross Stitch.

Victorian Boquet Of roses and daisies.

This is an original design using colours from a kit that I received from Ribbonsmyth.  It was for a basket of flowers and I changed it to meet my own personal design as I love big boquets, baby's breath, fern and beads.  The little butterfly passed his audition and will stay.  this will be a frilly pillow aboout twele inches square with a double ruffle of lace and fabric.

Brazilian Embroidery kits to date

This series of small designs are not going to be framed, rather they will be turned into a good sized wall quilt to remind me of how I got started and the different stitches I have learned.

I highly recommend these kits from Edmar to anyone wanting to learn this beautiful artform.  This is my first attempts at this art form and how I wish the threads were more readily available in my area but I can order them on line.  They are so lovely to work with.   I want to thank those who encouraged me to persue this artform.

Christening dress for 2010

This christening dress has taken over a year of working off and on to create and is a true labour of love.  The full skirt is a true full pleated circle when set out

The hat is an exceptional and pleasant way to create a bonnet that looks both vintage and very modern,....the self gathers of lace at the front and the ruffle on the top set if off beautifully.

Pictures of Kimono quilt in progress

Kimono Quilt

     While I would like to post pictures of how far I have come with my quilt I am holding back as I have found it difficult to go further.

     Yesterday I added six inch silk borders around the "T" shaped quilt and put a collar on.  I had originally wanted to add pleated flowing skirts of silk from the edges and after it was laid out changed my mind over and over again.  Now I have decided that I will wait and see as I can always add them later and make them truly a skirted edge.

     I also wanted to silk ribbon embroider a floral arrangement similar to cherry or peach blossoms around the exterior as if they were falling from branches and add some small items such as little birds etc., but not sure what I should do at this stage as it is a wall quilt.  It is very heavily encrusted.

     The original pattern belongs to a quilt block of a month series from Victoria Adams Brown of http://www.ribbonsmyth and it was so beautiful to work with.  I received mine as a gift and I worked on it for more than two years to make all of the work my own as well as taking the ideas and instructions from the wonderful handouts that Vicki added with each block. 

     I decided that I did not want this to stretch so used warm and natural batting behind it and to date have tacked it with long running stitches every two inches so that it does not move and will now proceed to think of how I truly want to finish this quilt.  I have felt wonderful working on it and did most of the work on a fold out fabric board over my ironing board so that I could bring the quilt to my level. 

     I have decided to use a small oriental inspired bead or miniature butterflies to secure all of the blocks so that they do not move around.  I can do this from the front and have it go through all layers as I have enough of the silk left to back it with.  I chose a fawn beige silk that has some stiffness to it and it does bring out all of the colours.  I was first going to use black.

     After perfectly mitering the inner corners under the arms I am tempted to now go in and add a piece of fabric to bring it out to the arms edge, perhaps in a darker brown, and this would allow the break that I want to make the kimono look like it is walking in through a door.

     I will lay the whole quilt onto the dark silk and see what it looks like.  This has now given me more ideas on how I would finish blocks that do not belong to any set pattern and are all stitched and sitting in a safe box in my sewing stash. 

     I am proud to say after almost eleven years of doing blocks I finally have a quilt that will have all of my own work in it.  I also have a collection of oriental fabrics that will go into a fan quilt that will not be as decorated as this one as I want to be able to drape it so heavy encrusting would be out of the sorts, and I do want it to be all mine with seams done in the " Carole Samples " style of quilting.    I also draw inspiration from J. Marsha Michler books as well as my books from all of the quilting artists out there.

     A special bouquet to Sharon B., Allie in Stitches, Jo in NZ, for trying to make us the best at what we do and, of course, to my mentor Vicki whose choice of colour and design have taken me from upholstery fabrics to silk.

     I will share some before pics and then add the others as the day progresses.

Bead knitted amulets.

I should be ashamed to admit but all that these two needed were to be sewn together and have their necklace portion added.

The champagne coloured one is a bride's bag and the gold one is a swag bag.  I love knitting them and have a few more I would love to do when time permits.

Faces RR Juli's Block

     Having a beautiful stitcher with a creative mind to set the theme in a round robin is the best asset in the world in stitching and with Kathy ahead of me I can follow normally in her slippers, but not her shoes.

     I chose to use the lace that I hand coloured with pastel oils in three shades.  I beaded around the cab and added dimension.  I did a few beaded seams and added some sparkle and as Kathy used butterflies I wanted to continue that theme as well.  I also chose to do a silkribbon rose.  I truly loved the challenge of what to do with a face, and now I would not hesitate to use lace cut outs as a swirling spring setting.

Faces, Faces, Faces

Kathy's beautiful surprise block turned into a Queen for a round robin.

I truly loved dressing the silk and working some of my own techniques on this gorgeous block and it has made me want to play doll's and dress silkies in this way now.

Beautiful idea Kathy, I have to try this one on a silkie as well.

Kimono Wall Quilt - Ribbonsmyth original design

I have once again started to finish the series of six blocks that will turn this into a kimono wall quilt. I feel good when I am working on this one as it challenges me to think " outside the kimono ", and I know one on line friend Thelma has her finished and it is drop dead gorgeous.

Time to take more time for myself

Prayer Shawl

The above is a picture of a prayer shawl that I finished and have since gifted to a local chaplin at a nursing home. She has been of great help to us as well as fighting a battle with her own health medically and I felt she needed to be snuggled.

DIY Faces Block Challenge

The following are six, six inch blocks in tones of gold that I have designed for the design your own block challenge on cq international. I also included the six faces that will go on the blocks that I made when I first started working with fimo.

I am looking forward to a challenge and can hardly wait to get these in the mail.

Sandi's Africa RR Block

Sandi this block was very challenging when it first arrived and it took me a few days to try and find a theme as Rita had already done such marvelous work prior and it was leaning so much to a show piece.

I started first on a purple seam and put some star flowers on this. I use caron wildflower for the herringbone stitch and the metallic yellow is from a krenink cord. The little star flowers are my gleam from Walmart.

I then wanted to do something to the beautiful " King of the Jungle " block so went into my cabs that were waiting to have something done and had one that I had made and put a metallic coat of nail polish on....it does make a difference. I then peyote stitched using a size 6 bead around the exterior and held it in place with a small piece of double faced tape while I stitched the bottom row down. It is large, but seems to fit the block well.

Following this I moved over to the lion and took one strand of the new dmc metallics in a copper tone and separated it into six strands and then into twelve strands and did an overlay on the mane of the Lion which makes his head look like stump work. The stitch used here is called exaggerated herringbone. I then wanted to bring him to life so added to size 12 champagne antique mill hill beads one in each eye. He is staring at me as I type now.

Below this is a chain of wooden beads that came from a collection that Barbee had and was in one of the boxes that the littlest angel sent so I knew it had to go here. I let the string of square beads stay as they are, did not clean them up and beaded over the chains. I then added three little butterflies flitting amongst them, another Walmart gleam.

I wanted to do more so went to the top and used a piece of gorgeous braid that Carolyn had sent and added it in a movement across a patterned block to accent it. I then added a collage of beads at the base of a very old metallic bead and went back in and beaded with assorted copper tone beads in size six.

I must now let this block go or will have to keep it, so travel safely to Marianna my little King of the Jungle.

African Round Robin

An African mask that I beaded with size 11 multicoloured and abalone style beads and then used some gun metal type size 6 beads for eye collages. I then outlined the complete mask with kreinik metallic braid in overdyed golds to oranges.

A collage of leopards peeking out from behind a cave. I used black anchor floche to outline the leopards and would, if this were my block, trapunto the leopards, by slitting the back lining and inserting some padding.

Also at this stage. I allowed the branches to fall onto the opposite block where the african beautiful lady is started.

I chose to also put a line of orange metallic rick rack and beaded the tops and bottoms.

Personally, I fell in love with this piece of ruffling and have had it for some time now and felt it would look wonderful on a curved seam. I then went back in with size 11 mill hill metallic green beds and tacked down the ruffle on the edge.

The line that is showing above is herringbone stitch in wildflowers by caron in the colour brass. I then went in with metallic dmc harvest and later added a bead at each straight stitch.

This was my first start and favourite piece of the whole block to work on. I chose to use graduated french knots using black anchor floche and allowed it to follow the lines of the hair and become three dimensional. I then added a spangle with seed beads for an ear ring. I used a solid colour in both green and orange for following the lines on the hair band and on the waist of the dress.

Overview of completed block that is leaving tomorrow to go to Marianna's for her artistic talents.

Verendah Views

This was the most adorable quilt I have done in a long long time. I truly enjoyed embroidering the little pictures from Willowberry Designs and then chose my own soft colours............well I added what I considered a two wide border and then decided to add some ruffled lace and ribbons to take away from the width, so now it becomes a wall or lap quilt. I have yet to do the label.

Art Bra Block 2010

I am pleased and sad at the same time to finish this block, very pleased as I truly enjoyed working on it, and sad because it is now finished and there is truly no more room for embellishment, a first for me.

When I started to piece this block I was scared as I am not a paper piecer, let alone a fabric paper pieced block, and dh looked at me strangely. He said wow, that is some block when it was pieced as he said he did not know what I was doing with all the fabrics, that seemed to be flipping over one and another. I am impressed.


I chose the bright colours as a fan to me is radiant and should show through and in the dull winter days something sure has to sparkle. I added all seams with krenik metallic threads. I then beaded them in size 12 to larger beads. After adding the lace at the bottom which was so much a part of the fan, I decided that a butterfly and handmade pansy were the only embellishments I needed in the wedge part of the fan.

I wanted to do some silk ribbon work so chose to do a variety of different flowers that I enjoy making and haven't made in a while. I also chose to put a pearl angel that I had made into a pink cluster of silk ribbons as it looks like she is flying down the fox glove to the ground.

Hope you enjoy this as much as I did piecing and thanks for the challenge. This one will be mailed out on Saturday.