Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Rose Bag and Reindeer Buddy II

When you use these cross-body sling bags that I make,  surprise... they wear out eventually.   No problem.. just means I get to make more.   I had stitched this beautiful red rose from Passione Ricamo with the intention of piecing it with other fabrics and making something completely different.  But it sat for way too long waiting for a finish, so I just whipped up a romantic little bag with it.   I added a bit of crocheted lace, the first two rows of the  Celestial Edging pattern.  Then I threaded a piece of hand-dyed silk ribbon through it from a grab bag of ribbons I once bought from Vikki at HDF.  The cord is purchased.  The piece is lined with no raw edges showing inside.  I took the photos before I added a snap closure.  I have a wedding to go to later in the summer, so I think this will be perfect to use then.

The pattern is called 'A Rose For You' and you  can download it  here.
There are lots of other beautiful freebies on the page as well.







The Aliolka reindeer were just to cute to stitch only one.  Here's a companion ornament to the one I made earlier.    Another fork bow, this one with 2 loops and a bit larger.  I made it on a wide-toothed comb that I use to get the tangles out of my hair.  You can find the pattern here.   The trim on this one is actually a round spiral braid made exactly like a gimp lanyard.  This was a little thicker than my last one, but I still think I could have added another 6-strand length of floss to each of the 4 lengths used for braiding. 



Just for fun I tried a little sample of 3-strand braiding and the 4-strand round braid using 4 lengths of floss.  The 4-strand one on the bottom in the photo below is the same as the braid on the ornament, but by placing the lengths in a different order, you get a spiral effect instead of a diamond effect.

If you want to try it, here's an explanation:  Four-strand spiral braid tute 
I think I like that thickness and I'll try it out next time.  Uses a lot of floss, but floss is the cheapest supply. 

Edited July 11, 2013:  Here's a link to a You Tube video that demonstrates the four-strand braiding technique very clearly:      Four-strand spiral braid video
 



27 comments:

Karen said...

The rose bag is just beautiful, Annie, and the reindeer ornament is adorable, too! Thanks for the link to the free charts and the braid tutorial, it looks like your braid turned out very nicely!

Jane said...

I do love your little bag, it's the perfect size for holding the essentials

Nima said...

wow..that looks lovely...the sling pouch is one of the cutest i have seen recently...beautiful finishing as usualy...and lovely reindeer ornament...thatnk you for the link to the braid tutorial...i would love to try that...

Judit said...

Awesome works! It's very lovely, congrats on your finishes.

Palkó said...

Your rose bag is beautiful! ... and the reindeer is very nice! Well done! :)

Mii Stitch said...

The romantic little rose bag is beautifully finished, perfect for your wedding invite!! An other cute little ornament, I just love that design :)

Anonymous said...

The bag is lovely and it's finished so beautifully!
Your reindeer finish is just so cute (:

Margaret said...

I love both pieces! The bag is just so cool! Beautiful work! Thanks for the tutorial too. I'm going to bookmark it.

Vickie said...

Oh that is so pretty Annie.

♥ Nia said...

You did a great job :D
And I love the reindeer's face heheheh makes me laugh! :D

Cole said...

Great finishes Annie!

Dani - tkdchick said...

Great job on both finishes

Carol said...

What a great idea for a little bag for the wedding, Annie! I love the rose design you showed (thanks for the link!) and the ribbon and lace accent it perfectly. The ribbon looks like the exact shade in the stitched ribbon--how nice is that!

You're becoming an old pro at those fork-finished ribbons :) The reindeer is another adorable finish.

I'm always amazed at how much floss it takes to make cording of any kind--will definitely check out that tutorial you supplied us with :)

Hope you're staying cool down there in D.C!

Anne said...

Wow Annie! That rose bag is beautiful!!I love the added trim of lace and ribbon intertwined!! The reindeer is cute too. I'll have to try that braided look sometime. Good idea :D

Jan said...

You are so creative. The bag is adorable.

Anonymous said...

Fascinating information. Cute ornament. I LOVE that rose bag.

Melanie said...

They are both so cute!!!! I just love the touch of lace on the bottom of the bag. It matches the blue in the rose's ribbon so perfectly. Very, very nice. :)

Heather said...

Both of those projects turned out so well! Way to go!

Gina E. said...

Very creative indeed! And useful as well, which is even better ;-)
Thank you for your comment on my blog re Ken's quilt. He is very happy with it, but I warned him not to spill tea or coffee on it, as I want it kept clean to put in shows later on this year!
The workers on our roof weren't terribly noisy - it was just the sound of feet marching overhead that was a bit disconcerting!

Bernadett said...

Wonderful.:)

Brigitte said...

Oh Annie, this little rose bag is so beautiful. I love the way you finished it with all the nice additions, just wonderful.
Lovely, that cute reindeer. I often use braided edges but had I had never heard of the four-strand braid. Sounds interesting and thanks for the link to it.

Nicky said...

Your rose bag is so very pretty, it will be perfect for a wedding. Your reindeer guy is adorable, love his little birdie friends...

Pumpkin said...

As always, another beauty created by you :o)

Love the reindeer and I can understand why you didn't want to stitch just one! LOL! Very neat idea about the braiding. TFS.

Jeanne said...

Beautiful bag and love the little reindeer ornament! Thanks for the links to the patterns and tutorials for the braided cording. I definitely will try it as I am always making various twisted cordings for ornaments. Looking forward to learning something new!

Anne said...

Love the bag you made with the rose stitch.. Just beautiful! And you reindeer is adorable! :)

Sew Useful Designs said...

Wow Annie! I love your cute creations, you have inspired me to take up some cross stitch! That reindeer is so cute!!! Vikki :-)

Sew Useful Designs said...

Wow Annie! I love your cute creations, you have inspired me to take up some cross stitch! That reindeer is so cute!!! Vikki :-)