A Thank You Gift for Kim

I wanted to send Kim at Wisdom with Needle and Thread a small token of appreciation for hosting the 2014 Halloween Exchange.  Unfortunately, I did not have time to stitch anything, so I went with the next best idea I could conjure up!

Not knowing what Kim might like, I decided to take a look at some of her work. The ornament Kim created for this exchange was a cute cross-stitch pattern of a witch. (It is the fourth photo in THIS post on her blog.)  So, I found this witch silhouette amongst my fabric stash and decided it would be perfect.

Above is a picture of the back side of the coin purse.

I am happy to note that every time I make one of these little coin purses, following the tutorial on Sweet Bee Buzzings, I get better at hiding the inside stitches from sewing the frame in.  (After following all of the directions on the tutorial, I thread a size 26 tapestry needle with a strand of size 5 perle cotton and work my way across the frame one last time to add a seed bead over each hole in the frame.)

Imagine my delight when Kim mentioned her desire to look up the tutorial to make one of these coin purses in a comment on my blog.  She had no idea one was already on its way to greet her. I hope she likes it and was able to use it between the time she received it and Halloween!

Thanks for stopping by!
Renee

WIP Wednesday 10/29/2014

This week, I made a little more progress on my Winter/Christmas Wall Quilt. This section actually runs down the left side (I flipped the picture into a horizontal position.)  Below is the top section of the wall quilt now. (Click on any picture for a larger view.)

Finding stitching time has been particularly tricky this past week, so I did not make as much progress as I had hoped.  However, I am happy with what I did accomplish!

If you would like to learn more about WIP (Work in Progress) Wednesday, click here.  To see what others have been up to this week, check out this week's post on pintangle.com.

Thank you for stopping by!
Renee

This next section is mostly for my benefit.  The total number of items on my lists has dropped from 22 to 19.  (To keep it under 20, I need to get to work this week.  Next week's post will have the addition of my CQJP 2014 November block being pieced, embellished and made into a purse...)

 Last Week's List of Goals:

 Short-term:

1. Complete the wall quilt I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks. Complete quilting so it is ready to add the back and bind. You may see the progress above.
2. Make a TAST post. Done. #135 - Beaded Fern Stitch
   
   
3. Complete back for May CQJP 2014 block.
4. Freebie Santa and the Mouse Ornament -  Heaven and Earth Designs chart by Michele Sayetta and artwork by Scott Gustafson. (I believe the ornament is a portion of the chart "Santa and the Mouse.") Complete 100 x-stitches by next week. I completed over 100 x stitches this week, filling in more of the cuff along the bottom of page 1 of the pattern.
   
5. Embellish snowball for Nicki Lee
6. Embellish snowball for Donna. Done! You may read about it by following the link shared in #7 on this list.
   
7. On Thursday, share a post with a picture of the snowball I just received from Donna on Tuesday, 10/21/2014. If you missed it, you may see the post here.
   
8. Piece and embellish a snowball for Lori by end of October. If you missed the post about the one she sent me, you may see it here.
   
9. Share pictures of the gift I mailed after it has been received. This was a thank you gift.  I will share more about it in another post.
   

Long-term: 

1. Make a purse with my April CQJP 2014 block.
2. Make a purse with my May CQJP 2014 block.
3. My CQJP 2013 May block - better late than never?! (It is referred to as Block 4 if you follow this link.)
4. Have a count of at least 50,000 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel.
5. Embellish July CQJP 2014 block.
6. Piece August CQJP 2014 block. 
7. Embellish August CQJP 2014 block.
8. Piece September CQJP 2014 block. 
9. Embellish September CQJP 2014 block.
10. Embellish October CQJP 2014 block.
11. Make a sew-in frame purse for my Etsy shop. 
12. Piece and embellish a snowball for Lynne by November 15th. 
13.  Paint guest bathroom.

This Week's List of Goals:

 Short-term:

1. Complete the wall quilt I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks. Complete quilting so it is ready to add the back and bind.
2. Make a TAST post. 
3. Complete back for May CQJP 2014 block.
4. Freebie Santa and the Mouse Ornament -  Heaven and Earth Designs chart by Michele Sayetta and artwork by Scott Gustafson. (I believe the ornament is a portion of the chart "Santa and the Mouse.") Complete 100 x-stitches by next week. 
5. Embellish snowball for Nicki Lee
6. Piece and embellish a snowball for Lori by end of October.

Long-term: 

1. Make a purse with my April CQJP 2014 block.
2. Make a purse with my May CQJP 2014 block.
3. My CQJP 2013 May block - better late than never?! (It is referred to as Block 4 if you follow this link.)
4. Have a count of at least 50,000 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel.
5. Embellish July CQJP 2014 block.
6. Piece August CQJP 2014 block. 
7. Embellish August CQJP 2014 block.
8. Piece September CQJP 2014 block. 
9. Embellish September CQJP 2014 block.
10. Embellish October CQJP 2014 block.
11. Make a sew-in frame purse for my Etsy shop. 
12. Piece and embellish a snowball for Lynne by November 15th. 
13.  Paint guest bathroom.

TAST 10/28/2014

This week, I completed one Take A Stitch Tuesday (TAST) stitch. (If you are unfamiliar with TAST, I encourage you to read about it on pintangle.com here, and join the fun!)

TAST #135: Beaded Fern Stitch

I do not know about you, but when I am working on a specific theme, I have a tendency to see some stitches in a whole new way.  For example, when I make snowflakes, I almost always use straight stitches, fly stitches or a combination of both.  Sometimes, I even add French knots.

When I saw the Beaded Fern Stitch on pintangle.com, I was just about to begin working on my Winter/Christmas Wall Quilt.  The stitch struck me as a perfect snowflake stitch.

I just LOVE the way this snowflake sparkles.  Thank you for sharing another fantastic stitch for us, Sharon!

To see the two new stitches introduced this week, and to see what others have done with their TAST stitches, check out this link and the links in the comments.

Thanks for stopping by!
Renee

A Snowball from Lori F. in Canada!

On Saturday, I found this lovely "snowball" from Lori F. in Ontario, Canada in my mailbox.

Lucky me!

What a fun, fun way to make a snowman!  Isn't it darling!  The eyes, nose and smile - complete with rosy cheeks - are all perfect!

Lori's stitches are lovely.  I just love the seam treatments she used.  The feather stitch with French knot berries is delightful. The arches (at the bottom) and little sequins remind me of snow drifts.  The silver snowflake trim is so sparkly  and festive.  The blue buttonhole stitch with sequins and beads is fanatastic.  And I love the herringbone stitch with the little blue French knots and silver bugle beads.  Although they point upward, this seam reminds me of the large icicles we frequently found hanging from our home in the winter months during my childhood years in Oklahoma.

Thank you so much, Lori!  I just love it!  (Now, I am off to work on yours...)

Thank you for stopping by!
Renee

Another "Snowball" for and from Donna A. in MT!

On Tuesday, I found this wonderful treat in my mailbox!

Donna A. sent this beauty to me from Montana. It is just adorable!

The snowflakes are fabulous.

Just look at the cute little bead used to dress up the word, "Snow".

As you may have noticed, I love trees; so, I love the tree fabric and sequins along the bottom.

The snowman fabric is absolutely darling!  I love the way Donna added a Christmas tree charm and an ornament to the snowman on the right.  They look perfect in his grasp!

Donna, Thank you SO much!  I just love this snowball.

This is my second snowball swap with Donna.  In June of 2013, Donna sent me this fabulous snowball.

Donna was also in the Crazy Quilting International Winter/Christmas DYB Round Robin with me.  She embellished my "Joy" block - as seen here.

I feel quite lucky to have 3 of Donna's works in my possession.

This is the snowball I made for Donna during our first swap in 2013. She had requested a pond theme. (The post I shared in 2013 is here.)

Swan pattern from DMC Collection: Mini Motif Designs by Mary Bartley Stockett

This year, I tried something new with the snowball I made for Donna.  In addition to pond scenes, Donna also requested blocks with a winter/snowman theme. 

I had just stumbled across this gorgeous dragonfly created by Chris Richards on the blog Ella's Craft Creations.  (The blog is no longer active, but the photo was still viewable at the time of this post.)  Until reading this post, I had no idea watercolor pencils could be used on fabric.  Let me just say I LOVE the Internet.  I chose the "Fun With Fabric Painting: Supplies and Techniques" article from Craftsy.com from the list a Google search provided on the topic.  The article provided a link to this fabric tinting tutorial at Petit Design Co.  So, I decided to try this technique on Donna's snowball.

Using a set of watercolor pencils I bought years ago to make homemade cards, a bit of textile medium, freezer paper, a sharpie and some white denim fabric, I created the scene pictured above. (The design was sketched onto freezer paper and traced with a sharpie so it would show through the fabric.  The freezer paper had already been discarded at the time the photo above was taken.) This was actually my second attempt.  I tried outlining the snowman with a black pencil the first time.  Bad idea.  When the fabric was moist, the colors bled.  With the blue outlining that worked out perfectly for shading, as you can see on the right-side of the snowman.

The bare pieced block is pictured above.

Yesterday, I completed my work on the snowman.  I was really nervous about stitching a carrot.  A padded satin stitch worked out really well. The linked chain stitched scarf and little tassels turned out better than I had hoped.  I contemplated adding snowflakes to fill in the space and complete the snowball, but felt he needed something more - like a tree.

I used the fern stitch to create an evergreen. (My needle was threaded with a strand of metallic green and a strand of metallic white floss to give the tree a snowy look.)

Last night, I showed the completed snowball to my boys.  They both liked it.  However, my youngest admitted he preferred the projects where I "put stuff everywhere."  It was a fun way to learn he prefers encrusted crazy quilting.

Donna, I do hope you like your snowball!  It will be heading your way in Friday's mail!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Renee

WIP Wednesday 10/22/2014

This has been a very busy, productive week! (Enlarge any picture by clicking on it.)

I finished adding beads to the snowflakes in the upper-right-corner of my CQI Winter/Christmas Wall Quilt and began a beaded snowflake on the left side. (You may read more about this project HERE.)  It was not a lot of progress for this particular project; but, I'll take it!  Here is how it looks now:

 I am linking up with Work In Progress (WIP) Wednesday on pintangle.com.  To see what others have done this week, check out this link.

The real progress I made was on my list of short-term goals.

Thank you so much for stopping by!
Renee

 Last Week's List of Goals:

 Short-term: 

1. The wall quilt I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks. Complete quilting so it is ready to add the back and bind. Progress seen above.
2. Make a TAST post. I completed the Fern Stitch and the Triangular Buttonhole Stitch.
   
   
3. Complete back for May CQJP 2014 block.
4. Freebie Santa and the Mouse Ornament -  Heaven and Earth Designs chart by Michele Sayetta and artwork by Scott Gustafson. (I believe the ornament is a portion of the chart "Santa and the Mouse.") Complete 100 x-stitches by next week. Done! I worked on the cuff of the sleeve this week.
   
5. Piece and embellish snowball for Kathy S. by September 30th as soon as possible. - An Africa theme - new for me. Completed, mailed and received by Kathy!  Please note, the elephant cross-stitch was adapted from the 1993 Graphworks International Inc. cross-stitch booklet, "Baby Afghan Safari" designed by Mary Bartley Stockett and Norman B. Brown. (I am not affiliated with the book, but if you purchase it from Amazon through my website, I earn a bit of credit toward a gift card. I made the Afghan for my eldest son many years ago.) If you missed my post about this snowball, you may view it HERE.
   
6. Embellish block for CQI Hearts DYB Round Robin.  This will be the last rotation before my blocks return home!  Done! If you missed the post, you may view it HERE.
   
7. Embellish snowballs for Nicki Lee and Donna by the end of October.
8. Piece and embellish a snowball for Lori by end of October. 
9. Mail gift and share pictures after it has been received. Mailed Friday, the 17th.
10. On October 18th, participate in my first Halloween Linky Party - sharing the Halloween Ornaments exchanged through Wisdom With Needle and Thread.  (I am thrilled to know the ornament I made arrived safely in Ireland and the recipient liked it!) If you missed it, you may see my 2014 Halloween Exchange post HERE and/or follow the links to other blogs HERE.  THIS POST also shares photos of goodies Kim shared pictures of because Anna did not have a blog. This is the fantastic ornament I received from Evalina in Canada.
    
    And this is the ornament I made for Gaynor in Ireland.
    

Long-term: 

1. Make a purse with my April CQJP 2014 block.
2. Make a purse with my May CQJP 2014 block.
3. My CQJP 2013 May block - better late than never?! (It is referred to as Block 4 if you follow this link.)
4. Have a count of at least 50,000 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel.
5. Embellish July CQJP 2014 block.
6. Piece August CQJP 2014 block. 
7. Embellish August CQJP 2014 block.
8. Piece September CQJP 2014 block. 
9. Embellish September CQJP 2014 block.
10. Embellish October CQJP 2014 block.
11. Make a sew-in frame purse for my Etsy shop. 
12. Piece and embellish a snowball for Lynne by November 15th. 
13.  Paint guest bathroom.

This Week's List of Goals:

 Short-term:

1. Complete the wall quilt I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks. Complete quilting so it is ready to add the back and bind.
2. Make a TAST post. 
3. Complete back for May CQJP 2014 block.
4. Freebie Santa and the Mouse Ornament -  Heaven and Earth Designs chart by Michele Sayetta and artwork by Scott Gustafson. (I believe the ornament is a portion of the chart "Santa and the Mouse.") Complete 100 x-stitches by next week. 
5. Embellish snowball for Nicki Lee
6. Embellish snowball for Donna.
7. On Thursday, share a post with a picture of the snowball I just received from Donna on Tuesday, 10/21/2014.
8. Piece and embellish a snowball for Lori by end of October.
9. Share pictures of the gift I mailed after it has been received. Mailed Friday, the 17th.

Long-term: 

1. Make a purse with my April CQJP 2014 block.
2. Make a purse with my May CQJP 2014 block.
3. My CQJP 2013 May block - better late than never?! (It is referred to as Block 4 if you follow this link.)
4. Have a count of at least 50,000 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel.
5. Embellish July CQJP 2014 block.
6. Piece August CQJP 2014 block. 
7. Embellish August CQJP 2014 block.
8. Piece September CQJP 2014 block. 
9. Embellish September CQJP 2014 block.
10. Embellish October CQJP 2014 block.
11. Make a sew-in frame purse for my Etsy shop. 
12. Piece and embellish a snowball for Lynne by November 15th. 
13.  Paint guest bathroom.

TAST 10/21/2014

This week I finished two TAST (Take A Stitch Tuesday) Stitches.

TAST #101: Triangular Buttonhole Stitch:

This seam was created using a single strand of blue size 8 perle cotton.  I wanted to created a seam that appeared to look like water, and this looked like tiny little waves to me.  It was a relatively easy, quick stitch and I really enjoyed working with it!

TAST #134: Fern Stitch:

I used green size 8 perle cotton to stem stitch along the seam.  Then I added three curvy fern stitch "stems" along this "grassy" line.  Straight stitches in a variegated pink size 8 perle cotton created flowers at the top of each stem.

This stitch was incredibly easy and fun.  I have no doubt it will be used again.


To see what others have been up to this week and to see the stitch Sharon has shared at pintangle.com this week, check out this link and the links within the comments.

Thank you for stopping by!
Renee

A Snowball for Kathy S. in MD

Last week, I finally finished the snowball I made for Kathy S. (a.k.a. Clothqueen) and mailed it to her in Maryland. (Click on any photo for a larger view.)

Our goal was to swap in September, but I failed miserably with our deadline.  Thankfully, Kathy was quite patient.  She asked for an African themed block, which was completely new to me.  I had a few ideas, but failed to find a fabric that even closely fit what I had in mind.  So, I took a different approach.

In 1999, a friend and I both cross-stitched a baby blanket for our sons following the 1993 Graphworks International Inc. booklet "Baby Afghan Safari" designed by Mary Bartley Stockett and Norman B. Brown. (Please note, I am not affiliated with the book. However, if you access Amazon.com through my website to make a purchase, I earn a small credit toward a gift card.)

I made a few adjustments to the trunk, so it would connect, and did not complete the lower section of the elephant for this project.  (Apparently, I also failed to note the back-stitching on the water spray was blue in the pattern.  Oops!)
 

Confession time.  I don't know why I thought it would work this time, but I decided to try cross-stitching over a single square with 2 strands of floss on 32-count linen again (because it would fit onto my snowball stitched so small.) The only other time I made that insane attempt, I threw in the towel.  Every row of stitching squishes the fabric below it together, making it almost impossible to see where to place the needle.  By the time I was 1/4th of the way done with the elephant, I almost tossed it and started over.  But, there was so much time invested, I opted to keep going.  It was s-l-o-w progress, further hindered by the fact that I could only see to work on it at all near the window in the early morning light.  I am not about to point out all of my mistakes.  (I might confess a few x's actually go over one strand from side-to-side, but may have caught 2 strands from top-to-bottom. Removing threads to fix the errors was literally not possible.)  In the end, I think the errors were hidden well enough.  I was still quite happy with him when he was finally completed!

The seam along the right side of the elephant was embellished with a simple stem stitch in a similar shade to the fabric.  Blue size 8 perle cotton was used to create "waves" beneath the elephant using the triangular buttonhole stitch.  And the section at the bottom was embellished with a Cretan stitch and topaz seed beads.

The tree was the element I was most excited - and intimidated - to try.  I did a Google search for "African trees" and looked through the great variety of photos and sketches.  Then, I set to work creating my own.  I couched down two brown shades of size 5 perle cotton for the trunk and branches. At the base, small straight stitches of "grass" were added using the same variegated green I used for the leaves.

If the elephant had not taken me so long and put me behind schedule, I believe the tree tops would have been made with French knots.  To save time, I couched down 3 strands of a green variegated floss, beginning at the bottom and folding it back and forth to create the desired set of leaves.  I love the way that turned out.

Kathy, I do hope you like it! Thank you SO much for swapping snowballs with me!  I just love the snowball you sent me, and I look forward to swapping again the beginning of next year!

Hugs,
Renee

CQI Heart Round Robin Set 5 - Completed!

CQI Heart DYB Round Robin - Tahlia's block embellished by Renee

This evening, I completed my work on Tahlia's lovely sea turtle block!  Coral reefs and an ocean theme were a few ideas on a list of things Tahlia pictured for this block.

Schools of fish in two variegated shades of DMC floss created a bit more movement within the block.  A small jellyfish and some coral - created with French knots in a third shade of variegated DMC floss - completed the motifs within the heart.  The seams were created with a buttonhole stitch on one side and a feather stitch on the other.  Mill Hill Petite Glass Beads dressed up the seams.

The heart was framed using light blue size 10/0 seed beads, a size 26 tapestry needle, and size 8 blue perle cotton for a beaded linked chain stitch.

Tahlia mentioned her blocks would be used in a friendship quilt and she would love a signature block.  I tried to stitch my name in black along the bottom, but it simply did not show up at all - even in great lighting.  So, I tore that out and started over.  I decided to try to make a snail trail along the ocean floor with my name and the city I live in.  (The snail was inspired by directions in Diana Lampe's book, Embroidery for All Seasons.)

I added more coral (using the 2 shades of floss used for the fish in the heart), a sandy ocean floor and a variety of starfish to complete the block.  I contemplated adding more fish on the black fabric for a more encrusted look, and adding waves along the top section, but I feared it would detract too much from the central heart.

I do hope Tahlia likes her block!  I truly enjoyed working on it.

It is so hard to believe this is the last rotation of our round robin.  The next set of blocks I will receive will be my blocks returning home.  Tomorrow, these are the lovely blocks I will be mailing home to Tahlia.

2014 Halloween Exchange Linky Party

Wisdom with Needle and Thread 2014 Ornament Exchange from Evalina to Renee

Kim, at Wisdom with Needle and Thread, hosted a first annual Halloween Exchange this year.

I love decorating for Halloween, so I just had to sign up for this swap, and I am SO glad I did.

Just look at this beautiful ornament.  It traveled to Oregon from Canada, and was made by Evalina of This and That...

At first glance, I thought the image was a fabric print.  The stitching is all so incredibly fine, it took my brain a moment to recognize it was actually cross-stitched!  I just love the owl on the tree branch (many of you know how much I love trees) and the full harvest moon. 

If you click on the image, it should enlarge for you.

Here is a close up of the stitching:

The words within the moon read, "A harvest moon so big and bright watch over us this Hallow's Eve night."

The decorative fringe around the edge and the wonderful ribbon hanger are perfect.  Thank you SO much, Evalina.  I absolutely love it!


The ornament I made was mailed to Gaynor  in Ireland.  (I encourage you to visit her blog at Stitchers Anon!) Although Kim let us know our ornaments did not need to be cross-stitched, I had picked the perfect cross-stitch pattern out.  Then, I made the mistake of  I was smart enough to ask my husband what he thought.  He told me he did not really like projects I made using cross-stitch patterns as much as the ones I make up as I go.  Back to the drawing board.

So, I crazy quilted a circle around a scrap of some haunted house fabric in my stash.

The spider web was stitched with glow-in-the-dark floss.  The eyes on the backing fabric also glow.  (I love glow-in-the-dark...)  I did not have any grey fabric, so I mixed black and white acrylic paints.  The resulting grey paint was applied to some white felt for the gravestones. 

I had so much fun making this for Gaynor!  I did worry though.  This was my first exchange with someone that did not include a list of things my swap partner liked and did not like.  (What if she hated spiders as much as my sister?!) So, I decided to add a small gift, too. (Oops.  It also had spiders...)

Front of Halloween Coin Purse

Back of Halloween Coin Purse

Inside Halloween Coin Purse - "Boo"

Thank you, Kim, for hosting such a fun exchange!  Evalina, I LOVE my ornament.  Thank you so much!

Please check out the 2014 Halloween Exchange Linky Party at Wisdom with Needle and Thread to see the other fun exchange gifts!

Have a great weekend!
Renee

Note: The coin purse was made using the tutorial for a sew-in-frame on Sweet Bee Buzzings.