Fond of Dancing and Spring House

I guess I'm in a pink state of mind for spring now.  My latest two pieces are smothered in pink.  The first is a small design I stitched to be given to a bride along with a wedding gift.  It's the Jane Austen ornament designed by The Sampler Girl from the JCS 2012 ornament issue.  The bride-to-be has spent much of her life dancing, so this design was so appropriate.   It seemed to cry out to be a pinkeep, but the last time I tried making one of those, it was not one of my proudest stitching moments.  Since that time, I've found lots of tutorials with various tips, so I gave it another shot. I'm so glad I did, because I really love the outcome.  I replaced the gold dress from the original design with a pink one. The "J" and "A" for Jane Austen, became "J" and "S", the first initials of the bride and groom.   This is a tiny piece done over-one on 28 count  Summer Khaki linen.  The couple lives in a New York City apartment....no space for a lot of extraneous knick-knacks.  I think I'll package it with one of those mini-wooden easels so it can easily be displayed on a desktop.  I'm sure that pinkeeps are a total mystery to non-stitchers and the easel will make it clear that it is for display!

Love the 180° turnout!

The backing fabric is one of my favorites.  This print has come in handy on a number of my finishes so you may recognize it (and perhaps are tired of seeing it!)

 

Continuing in my pink theme, I  signed up to do a house design for a WOCS quilt square.  There are so many cute house designs around, but when I started searching, nothing really grabbed my attention.  Then one cute freebie stood out from the rest, and I'm sure the color scheme is what really got to me.  I also love the use of 'white space' in this design to delineate the sections of the house.  This is done over-two on 25-count bone Lugana...quite a change from the over-one pinkeep. I like both results equally.  The photo makes the fabric look white, but it is more cream-colored in real life.

The design, "Printemps",  is from the blog "Le Tric et le Croc, et la Brod d'Isazabelle".  If you are interested, you can download the PDF chart here.

Zoo Line Up and Holiday Card

When I saw the latest theme for a WOCS quilt, "wild animals", I figured I would pass on that.  I'm not crazy about stitching animals.  But then I discovered the Line Up series from the Trilogy and the Zoo Line Up design kind of stole my heart.  I pictured a gorilla at the Zoo police station, picking out the critter that attacked him!   This was really fun to stitch.  I used DMC of course instead of the hand-dyeds.  Hand-dyed floss is just not a good thing for a quilt that will be washed many times anyway.  I adjusted colors as needed to give good contrast on the 32-ct Jobelan lambswool fabric.    The group is doing quilts for adults with realistic animals and quilts for kids with cartoon/silly whatever animals.  You be the judge for the placement of this one.

In between other projects and for the sake of using up some of the old hand-dyed Aida, I stitched up the "Partridge 2011" design by Jannie Hubble from the 2011 JCS ornament issue.  Turned it into a quick card by cutting a funky opening and adding a few stickers.  I love the hat on the birdie!  This will sit quietly til the season for sending comes around.

Bluebird Alphabet Baby Sampler

And another baby sampler is completed.  This baby is the first grandchild of my first cousin.  I guess that makes the baby my first cousin, twice removed!  The grandfather is very close to my age, and I think this baby fills both of us with joy, but also makes us both feel our age!  The grandfather has refused to be called 'Granpa' or anything like that.  He's going with Pop-Pop.  Whatever feels good. 

The design is Just Nan's Bluebird Alphabet stitched on 32-ct Vikki linen.  I love the overlapping letters and contrasting colors.  The little birds in the corners and that adorable nest in the Y (looks kind of like a champagne cocktail, yes?)  just make this piece for me.  I edited out the baby's last name for privacy.   I had planned to just finish with blue cording around the edge, but I was afraid I would mess up the corners, so I went with a more tried and true finish.  The backing is the same as the borders.  I interfaced the backing and added a layer of batting between the layers, but no board for stiffening, so this is more quilt-like.

I whipped up a quick design for a card to accompany the gift as well.  This is a freebie by Ulrike M. that you can find here.  I think it translates to "Bunny in the Grass", but don't hold me to that.  If you know a better translation, let me know and I'll edit this post.  I took the photo before I added a little heart sticker at the top so that's why it seems a little off.

Bloom Where Your Are Planted

It's a rainy Easter Sunday here, but not as cold as it's been so I think Spring may be trying to pop out.  This design makes it seem like Spring anyway.  I made a baby sampler for one of my Jazzercise instructors.  This is her third child, a baby girl.  It broke the spell on Jazzercise instructors at the facility where I take class.  The previous 10 babies born to instructors at this facility were all boys! The design is "Bloom Where You Are Planted" by Birds of A Feather.  I've been hoarding this design, just waiting for the right baby to be born.  Am I the only one who hoards designs in wait of a special occasion?  Anyway,  I used all DMC. I will say that the DMC color choices were excellent.  They are not just the easy use of some online conversion charts to turn hand-dyed GAST to DMC, the way some designers seem to do grudgingly as an afterthought.  The fabric is a piece of 32-count linen from my stash.  Would you believe that I didn't notice there were numbers in addition to the alphabet until I got to the very end to stitch them? I always stitch from the center out.

I also stitched up this sweet little old freebie from Brightneedle, called "Bunny Hop" to use on a card to accompany the sampler.  So simple and just grabs at my heart!

Hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday, and to those who celebrate, Happy Easter or Happy Passover... whatever your pleasure.

Good Luck Lady Lexi

Well, it's been about five weeks since I sent what was to be a surprise gift to Michelle.  Don't know where the package is, but it hasn't reached it's expected destination.  Michelle and I decided I could blog about it in hopes that just after I do this, the package will arrive as sometimes these things do.

Originally I had planned to do a Valentine's gift, but I fell behind on that score.  But then Michelle opened an Etsy Shop, Lady Lexi Designs, so I thought a little good luck gift was in order to wish her well on this venture.

I decided to stitch this pretty pink flower from the Workbasket.  You can find the pattern here.  It seemed perfect for an Altoid tin top and I love the design.  I had planned to put Michelle's initials on it, but then the shop name seemed like an even better idea.  Actually, the shop is named after Michelle's dog, so may this is a tribute to her dog as well!  It's stitched over-one on off-white Monaco.

To go inside, I crocheted a cute little pincushion sunburst granny square with #10 crochet cotton.  I made two sunburst granny squares and joined them together through the back loop.  There are two squares of blue felt underneath and some fiberfill inside.    If you are a crocheter and want to make your own,  you can find the instructions for the square here.

And hoping to provide a guardian angel, I included an adorable angel bead fob from Melanie's Moonraker Lampwerks.  I hope the angel doesn't let us down!

I also included a pretty bookmark made from a design by Pelin Tezer.  I don't see it online any longer.  This was done on 14-count Aida, a piece that Michelle sent to me as a gift previously!  It's very soft Aida and nice to work with.

If we all keep our fingers crossed, maybe this package will find it's way to Michelle!

Sleeping with Polar Bears

I really wanted this post to be about a gift I made and sent to a blogging buddy, but that mailing seems to be hung up in the maze of international postal operations.  It's been three weeks since I sent the package.  At week four, I will blog about it in any case.  Keep your fingers crossed that this is not a permanent loss in the ether.

Meanwhile, I had a pillowcase sitting around that was begging to be decorated.  I adapted another of Helen Dardik's design from Orange You Lucky.

I just picked a pile of embroidery floss in different colors and started stitching.  I mostly used satin and  stem stitch, but I threw in some buttonhole wagon wheels and some lazy daisies for fun.  I had thought I would try out lots of different stitches, but I didn't seem to have the energy to do the research.  I'm very happy with him.  It's nice to have a security polar bear!

My Jazzercise instructor and one of my cousins have each had a new baby.  One  girl and one boy and all are doing well.  Stitchertunities!  Yea!  So my work is cut out for me now and indeed, my fabric is cut out as well!

Halloween card and Ladybug Square

Not a lot of crafty things happening lately.   But I did get the urge to try making a card with an irregular cut-out frame.  And I wanted to try making little free-hand silhouettes to embellish it. Real card-making aficionados would be using a fancy die cutting machine for the embellishments or at least a craft knife.  I used whatever scissors was lying around.  When you are playing like you are in grade school, you just go with what you have.   The design is from Prairie Schooler, the 'Boo' mini-card.  It was just small and cute.  Plus Halloween has so many interesting motifs to use.  I think it turned out pretty well and I'm sure I'll be using this technique again.  Hope it doesn't scare you!

I finally finished a square for a ladybug-themed quilt.  I stumbled on this design in a folder of designs from magazines that I had saved before disposing of the issues.  Frankly, I rarely go back and stitch them so I guess it's a hoarding instinct.  In this case, I finally found a use for this cutie pie.  The design is from Cross Stitch & Needlework, May/June 2000.  That's a long time ago!  So many people have stitched a ladybug square that Bonnie, the quilter for World of Charity Stitching, plans to make two quilts.. one a 'silly ladybug' quilt which this one is destined for and one a 'realistic/elegant ladybug' quilt.

Thought you might like to see where some of these squares I've been stitching ended up.   Bonnie makes a lot of the quilts and the following three are ones she made.  She comes up with really interesting designs and she's fast as lightning.  You wouldn't believe how many of these she turns out.

Here is the teacup quilt that includes the Vermillion Poppy teacup on the right that I stitched:

Here is the birdhouse quilt with my Expect a Miracle square at the top center:

And finally, the lighthouse quilt with the square I stitched in the center:

You can see more WOCS projects on their blog.

Valentines and a Birthday Card

Just a few cards to show today.  I've been fighting off my intermittent headaches lately, so I stitch a bit only when I'm pain-free.  Luckily, I started these cards early so I had plenty of time to finish.  The first is a San-Man Originals design, taken from the February installment of a snowman of the month SAL from a couple of years ago.   I realized that if you are not a stitcher, you may not understand the incredible appeal of snowmen on everything.  Hopefully, by adding the words, I gave the snowman cupid a reason for being.  This one goes to a recuperating friend of mine.

Next, I thought I would experiment with a little stitchery for card-making.  I love the work of Helen Dardik, an illustrator of colorful, whimsical pieces.  I seem to see her work everywhere.  The latest was on some Target gift cards.  I follow her blog, "Orange You Lucky", and when I was seeking inspiration for this Valentine, I searched around and found a cute older design she had that advertised a giveaway.  Click here to see it.   I just turned it into a "Cup of Love" design and I will send it to a family with whom I always exchange Valentine cards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, I made a birthday card for my brother.  I had sent him an ornament last December that had an owl on it. He remarked that he really liked owls and had a pillow with an owl design that he loved.  I can't believe I'm finding this out after all of these years!  So it gave me a reason to stitch that cute French Country owl from JBW.  I saw someone else use this goofy color scheme, and it appealed to me so I used the sincerest form of flattery and copied it! ;-)  The owl is done in DMC color variations.  I know it's not a traditional birthday design, but who gives a "hoot", right?

Me and Mr. Jones plus an Angel Bookmark

The fabulous interwebs have once again presented me with an experience I could never have imagined in earlier times.  A delightful guy, Mr. Jones, contacted me via e-mail recently after seeing some of the Altoid tins with cross-stitched tops that I have shown on my blog.   Mr Jones is a guitar player. It seems that guitar players often use Altoid tins to store their guitar picks and other small items.  Mr. Jones asked if he could pay me to make one for him.  He wanted to install it on his pedal board.  I had no idea what a pedal board was, and for those of you in the dark like me, it is the board on which a guitar player mounts the pedals that control various audio effects.  Hope I said that right.

Of course I saw a fabulous stitcher-tunity!  I told him I would be happy to do this at no charge, just asked him to PIF.  He had an idea in his head for what he wanted that included his name and date on the top.  He knew the color scheme he was looking for and he sent a photo of some kind of logo in the 'vintage' style he had in mind.  I had no idea how to really do what he wanted, but I just started making designs for him to choose from.  We settled on an Art Deco alphabet and an interlocking knot border.  Came out looking kind of like a movie marquee from the old days to me. 

Mr Jones also asked if I could add a pink ribbon as a tribute to a breast cancer survivor who is close to him.  We decided to put that on the inside of the box. 

The stitching is on 28 count dove gray Monaco, 1 over 1 with DMC floss.

The box is completed and Mr. Jones has received it.  He seems pretty happy with the result.  It was a pleasure doing 'business' with him.

The sticker looks multi-colored, but that just a reflection.  It's black and silver in person. 

 

The ribbon is stitched 1 over 1 on 32 count jobelan.

 

And now for the real fun photo!   This is Mr. Jones' pedal board, complete with the mounted tin.  He used velcro for mounting, a pretty cool idea!

Just got word that another little gift was received from me by  Annette.  I started experimenting with different ways to make fabric bookmarks and this little country angel just made me think of Annette immediately.  She always makes such cute things for her kids.  The little stitchery is based on a digi stamp by Robyn's Fetish.  It's just kind of a funky, country thing.  I've seen similar things on the web and just wanted to try this out.  It's much faster than doing a cross-stitch bookmark and opens up all kinds of possibilities to me.  I'm always looking for ways to use stitchery designs too.

Ink Circles T-Shirt

Why is it that whenever I get sloppy and spill strawberry yogurt on a T-shirt, it has to be a new T-shirt?  Story of my life.  But waste canvas to the rescue plus a little freebie from Ink Circles,  Ink Spot #11, Celtic Swirls.  You can get the freebie by subscribing to the Ink Circles Newsletter. I changed the colors to try to match one I saw that someone stitched, but I kind of made that pink too light.  In any case, the strawberry stain is well-hidden.  Some weird rogue stitches with this as always happens when I work on this fabric.  T-shirts are just so stretchy and not at all well-behaved!

I finished another pair of fingerless gloves with the Fetching pattern, but I forget to take a photo before I gifted them.  They were done with Knit Picks Swish.  I love that yarn.  Just such a soft super-wash wool.

I had a surprise find a couple of days ago.  I was moving a bookcase and discovered I had stored and old piece of crewel embroidery behind it.  It wasn't in great shape at this point and I had completely forgotten about it.  It dates back from the 70's when you could buy marvelous crewel embroidery kits everywhere.  Take a look at all the different yarns and stitches.  Doesn't this look like a fun project?  I think it might be an old Bucilla kit or maybe some manufacturer that has long since bit the dust.