1 X-mas Item a Month: June Update

Do you remember the Alma Lynn Santa cross-stitch I shared with you the past few months? This month, I dug a Christmas stocking out of the attic, traced it, and added a half-inch seam allowance to create a pattern for a crazy-quilted stocking featuring this piece.

Next month, I hope to have some stitching done. However, we will have house guests, so I am not making any promises!

This is one of two masks I painted as part of Kathy Shaw's Free Intermediate Crazy Quilt Class 102: Working with Paints, Dyes, and Inks. 

I decided to embroider this one and use it to make another tissue cover as a Christmas gift.

The embroidery was completed with size 8 perle cotton flosses. The entire piece was completed using only stem-stitches and French knots. 

Next month, I hope to have the tissue cover sewn together to share. 

You may see other Christmas gifts and projects that have been completed this month here.

I am also linking up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #12 at Super-Mom No Cape. If you have hand-stitched something, I encourage you to join the party and link up! You may see what others have shared this week here. If that is not enough to tempt you, this week's free embroidery pattern is an adorable under-the-sea scene.

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Renee

Free Intermediate Crazy Quilt Course - 102 Update #1

I promised to share a bit of my work from Kathy Shaw's FREE Intermediate Crazy Quilt Course (ICQC) - 102: Using Acrylic Paints, Dyes, Inks, etc.

I have to be honest. This course has interested me for ages. Why? I wanted to learn more about painting backgrounds for embroidery and crazy quilting. 

Yes, I also thought it would be nice to learn how to dye my own laces and ribbons. But, I am admitting that I looked more forward to having those things done than actually doing them.

Guess what? I had SO much fun with this assignment! How much? So much that I wished I had local friends that would be interested in coming over for a lace painting party.

I have used some lace trims and motifs on a few of my blocks, but I tend to stick with threads and beads and the occasional silk ribbon, button or charm on my crazy quilts.

Do you know what I kept thinking as I painted these lace trims and motifs?

I guess there were 2 thoughts. 
First, I need to invest in more acrylic paints.

Second, I seriously need to start using more lace on my blocks!

I have a small stash of beautifully dyed lace motifs that I purchased from Raviolee Dreams at Etsy a while back.

Now I have these beauties, too! The white lace trims and motifs that I dyed and shared were purchased from a variety of locations. 

A couple of the trims were purchased at Jo-Ann Fabric. 

A few of the motifs (and possibly some of the trims) were purchased at Crazy Quilting Supplies.

The basket at the bottom was purchased from Sew Victorian Crazy at Etsy. This shop is closing out and is offering 20%-off all purchases over $10.00 until June 30th. (I may have to go back...)

I have more lace on the way that I ordered through vendors on the... um... either the Supplies for Crazy Quilts and Other Crafts group or the Supplies for Crazy Quilts and Other Crafts 2 group on Facebook.

One of these days, I am finally going to purchase some of the lace I drool over at Cathy's Crazy By Design at Etsy, too.

For the record, I am not affiliated with any of the shops mentioned above. I frequently see crazy quilt embellishments and wonder, "Where did they find those?!"

The laces I shared above are just the beginning of this class. I have worked on a few more assignments, but they are drying and need more work before I will be ready to share them. 

If you are thinking about taking one of Kathy Shaw's free classes, here are the next scheduled registration dates:

Basic Crazy Quilting Course (BCQC): June 27-29
ICQC 101 - Designing and Piecing CQ Blocks : July 10-11
ICQC 102 - Using Acrylic Paints, Dyes, Inks, etc.: July 27-29 
ICQC 103 - Embellishing with Threads: NOW June 23-25
ICQC 107 - Miniature SRE Flowers: August 12-14 

Please note, some courses have a prerequisite course (or two) that must be met first. And, SRE stands for silk ribbon embroidery.

I am curious... Do you have a favorite place to purchase your crazy quilting embellishments that is not listed above?

Thanks for stopping by!
Renee

Work in Progress Wednesday 06/24/2015

The photo above shows where I was last week on the retired Freebie Santa and the Mouse chart from Heaven and Earth Designs. At that point I was 116 stitches shy of completing page 3 of the chart.

Page 3 was completed on June 22, 2015!

On Monday, I completed page 3!

Above shows my progress as of last night. This final page only has a few confetti sections and it has huge blocks of single colors, so it should be a bit faster to stitch. It is also the smallest page of the 4. The end is SO close! It is now 87% complete, with only 2,270 stitches to go.

Notes of Interest:

1. If you have taken Kathy Shaw's free Basic Crazy Quilting Course, you might like to know registration for the Intermediate Crazy Quilt Course 103 "Embellishing with Threads" is open through Thursday, June 25th. There are more details here.

2. Heaven and Earth Designs has a 25% off Father's Day sale through midnight on June 26th. (I am not affiliated with the site, I just find their charts amazing.)


My list of goals for next week is huge. I don't know if I will make it through them all, but I know I will try after sharing them here with you!

Last Week's Goals:

1. Complete 250 x-stitches on the HAED Santa & the Mouse chart (which is no longer available, but it is a part of this chart at Heaven and Earth Designs.) 286 stitches completed! Pictures above.

2. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #11 at Super Mom No Cape on June 22nd. (If you missed the party on the 15th, you may check it out here!) Done! You may see my post here.

3. Put together a 2nd raised bed for our garden with my husband. Finally finished!

4. Finish the CQI UTS RR block for Mary (This should be done by tonight, but I plan to share it on Monday.) Finished on Sunday night. It took me sooo much longer than anticipated. I do hope Mary likes it!

5. Finish a project or 3 to finally add inventory to my Etsy shop. (I may be uncomfortable selling items I make, but I have a kiddo with college tuition beginning this fall. Yikes!) I finished the embroidery on one piece. 

This Week's Goals:

1. Complete 250 x-stitches on the HAED Santa & the Mouse chart (which is no longer available, but it is a part of this chart at Heaven and Earth Designs.) 

2. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #12 at Super Mom No Cape on June 29th. (If you missed the party on the 22nd, you may check it out here!)

3. Finish a project to add inventory to my Etsy shop. 

4. Share a post for the 1 Xmas Item a Month blog.
5. Share an update on the ICQC #102 Class I am taking from Kathy Shaw at Shawkl Designs.
6. Piece a snowball to swap with Donna A. in July.
7. Piece a pincushion to swap with the Crazy Quilt Divas on Facebook.

CQI Under the Sea Round Robin - Mary's Completed Block

Last night, I finished Mary's block for the Crazy Quilting International Under the Sea Round Robin I am participating in. (If you are curious about what a round robin is, this post may help.)

Above is a picture of the block before it was embellished.

For this round robin, I have added a seahorse, tiny fish and French knot coral to every block I have embellished. I used my original seahorse pattern for this block. (A link to the sketch may be found in this post and is referred to as "Seahorse 1 Sketch".)

Along this blue section, I really wanted to try out a tutorial for a treasure chest that was published in the Crazy Quilt Quarterly Summer 2015 magazine. However, I was hesitant to try it for the first time on a block that did not belong to me - just in case I messed it up. Instead, I found an anchor pendant at Jo-Ann Fabric and added that to the block.

I did try a couple of new things. I made coral using a beaded feather stitch. A search on-line took me to a nifty tutorial at the Kerry Katie Cakes blog.

The jellies were also new for me. They were inspired by the amazing jellies Kathleen Klein created on one of her under the sea themed blocks. (Her work blows me away!) Hers include beaded sections for the tentacles, too. They are fabulous! For mine, I used detached buttonhole stitches for the first time to make the bodies. The body for this one was too small for the drizzle stitched tentacles, so I added a few more rows of detached chain stitch to the top of my chain stitch and tacked the top row down. I also loosened the drizzle stitches on this jelly.

For this one, I pulled the drizzle stitches tighter. My hubby said he likes my button jellies better, but I love the added texture these give to the block!

Please accept my apologies for the photo quality. Normally, a lack of lighting makes it difficult to get good pictures. This morning, it was so sunny that I had a hard time.  (Go figure!) 

Above is a picture of Mary's 4 completed blocks together. The one in the upper-left was embellished by Kathy S. (a.k.a. Clothqueen), The upper-right block was embellished by Sandra T. The lower-left block was embellished by Nicki Lee S. and I embellished the block on the lower-right.

Soon, I will be receiving the last set of blocks to complete for this round robin before my blocks are returned home. (Time really does fly, doesn't it?!)

I am linking this post with the Monday Stitchery Link Party at Super Mom - No Cape. I do hope you will hop over to see what others have been up to this week. If you do any hand stitching and have a blog, I encourage you to link up! The free embroidery pattern today is gorgeous.

Thank you for stopping by.
Renee

Work in Progress Wednesday 06/17/2015

Above is a picture of the progress I had made last week on the retired Heaven and Earth Designs Freebie Santa and the Mouse chart.

This week I managed to add 272 stitches. Page 3 is SO close to being done! Last week this cross-stitch was 84% complete. Now it is 86% complete.  With only 250 stitches per week, this will be done by September 1st. I plan to finish it earlier! 

Right after hitting the publish button on my WIP post last week, I realized I was not going to have time to stitch until possibly Sunday night. Needless to say, I did not mark many items off my list of goals this week. However, I did spend an amazing weekend in Lincoln City with my family and my in-laws. 

We saw several jellies along the water's edge.

On our walk along Highway 101, we met up with Betty Boop.

We did not check this bar out, but everyone chuckled at the play on words as we walked by.

The house we rented had several displays of amazing shells and items from the ocean. This is one of two cases that contained the remains of a seahorse. 

I love seahorses. Although seeing this one made me sad, I also found the intricacy of it fascinating.

Last Week's Goals:

1. Complete 250 x-stitches on the HAED Santa & the Mouse chart (which is no longer available, but it is a part of this chart at Heaven and Earth Designs.)  Done! See pictures above.

2. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #10 at Super Mom No Cape on June 15th. (If you missed the party on the 8th, you may check it out here!) Done! The post is here. 

3. Put together a 2nd raised bed for our garden with my husband. Sigh... No. We did spend 3 lovely days at the beach though. Perhaps this week?! I did make some progress, but it was slow on my own... 

4. Finish the CQI UTS RR block for Mary (hopefully by Monday so this will complete goal #2, too!) Almost! I did not dare take it with me to the beach. However, I will be able to share pictures next week with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #11. Here is a sneak peek: 

This Week's Goals:

1. Complete 250 x-stitches on the HAED Santa & the Mouse chart (which is no longer available, but it is a part of this chart at Heaven and Earth Designs.) 

2. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #11 at Super Mom No Cape on June 22nd. (If you missed the party on the 15th, you may check it out here!)

3. Put together a 2nd raised bed for our garden with my husband. 

4. Finish the CQI UTS RR block for Mary (This should be done by tonight, but I plan to share it on Monday.)

5. Finish a project or 3 to finally add inventory to my Etsy shop. (I may be uncomfortable selling items I make, but I have a kiddo with college tuition beginning this fall. Yikes!)

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Renee

Monday Stitchery and Joyful Embellishments

Those of you that have been following my blog know I had hoped to finish my work on one of Mary's under-the-sea blocks to share today. Last Wednesday night, I wondered what I had been thinking?! Time crept up on me again and the trip we had planned to take to Lincoln City had nearly arrived.  Thursday was filled with chores and Friday with packing and driving.

We thought it would be fun to take a trip with the grandparents and cousins before my eldest heads off to college this fall. We left on Friday and returned home yesterday. It was a bit windy and chilly, but the sun was out and the company was wonderful. It was a perfect weekend at the coast.

We rented a house with an ocean view (translate this to read 'with 3 flights of stairs') and within walking distance of the beach. The house had a hot tub on the deck and a game room featuring a poker table, a pool table and a projector movie system. Basically, we were pretty spoiled. We were also within walking distance of Highway 101. We took the teens on a walk and this Prehistoric shop was so popular that we had to stop on our way to the Candyland store and on the way back to the house.

Last night, it was very clear I would not have time to stitch enough to share with you on Mary's under-the-sea block. What to share, what to share? It was a perfect opportunity to start on a new goal... (My second new project in 2 weeks, and my friend at Magpie's Mumblings and I were just discussing how I was NOT going to start anything new. I caved, what can I say...)

At the beginning of the year, Valerie Bothell started a group on Facebook called Joyful Embellishments. Every Monday through Friday she introduces a new stitch combination that may be used to embellish a crazy quilt. This morning, Valerie introduced stitch #116.

I joined the group last month, but had not decided if I wanted to put all the stitches onto crazy quilt blocks or if I wanted to create a booklet of stitches like the one Annet at Fat-Quarter created with her Take a Stitch Tuesday (TAST) stitches. (Here is a link to her completed booklet. I love it!) Last night, I decided on making a booklet of stitches. Valerie has a Joyful Embellishments Pinterest page that makes it super easy to find the stitches in order.

Using 2 strands of DMC 701 for the feather stitch and 2 strands of DMC 223 for the lazy daisy (also called a detached chain stitch), I completed Stitch 1 on 28-count Monaco evenweave.

I am linking with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #10 at Super Mom - No Cape. If you do any hand stitching, I encourage you to join in the fun. There is another great free pattern available today, too!

Thank you for stopping by!
Renee

Ever want to dye your own fabric or lace?

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/7758055/?claim=avsy5g5w4s3">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Sorry for the late notice! Last night, I saw that Kathy Shaw has opened registration for her Intermediate Crazy Quilt Course #102 (ICQC-#102). There are NO prerequisites for this FREE class as it teaches different techniques to paint or dye fabrics, laces and silk ribbon. 

I would love to know how to dye my own CQ backgrounds and how to dye my own silk ribbon (I'm thinking variegated ribbon at the cost of solid here...)

If you want to join me in this class, please hurry. Registration ends today. If you want to sign up, details are here. There is no charge for the class, but you do need to purchase your own supplies and the supply list may be found through a link at the bottom of this page.

Have a wonderful day!
Renee

P.S. I am finally trying to figure out how to "claim my blog" on Bloglovin' - thus the link at the top of this post... Technically challenged? Who? Me?! :)

Work in Progress Wednesday 06/10/2015

The photo above shows where I was on the retired Heaven and Earth Designs Freebie Santa and the Mouse chart I have been working on.

I completed the 7th column of stitches for this chart and began on the 8th - which is the last column on page 3!

I completed over 400 stitches this week and you can now see Santa's belt buckle! This one is now 84% complete (last week it was 82%) and is getting so close to the end that I can almost hear a hearty, "Ho! Ho! Ho!" (As fast as this year is running by, we may all hear Santa soon!)

Last Week's Goals:

1. Complete 250 x-stitches on the HAED Santa & the Mouse chart (which is no longer available, but it is a part of this chart at Heaven and Earth Designs.) Done! See photos above.

2. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #9 at Super Mom No Cape on June 8th. (If you missed the party on the 1st, you may check it out here!) Done! (I caved and started a new project... I plan to share photos of my progress the first Monday of every month. However, I will be updating my little progress bar on the right side of my blog more frequently. At the moment it is 1% complete.) 

3. Put together a 2nd raised bed for our garden with my husband. Ugh. No. I did spend a couple of hours working in the yard and made some progress. However, the farmer harvested part of his field behind our house the night before and my allergies finally chased me inside. Maybe next week? The boys will be out of school to help me. (Insert evil laugh.)

4. Share photos of the next set of blocks I received for the Crazy Quilting International Under the Sea Round Robin I am participating in. Done. If you missed that post, it is here.

This Week's Goals:

1. Complete 250 x-stitches on the HAED Santa & the Mouse chart (which is no longer available, but it is a part of this chart at Heaven and Earth Designs.) 

2. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #10 at Super Mom No Cape on June 8th. (If you missed the party on the 8th, you may check it out here!)

3. Put together a 2nd raised bed for our garden with my husband.

4. Finish the CQI UTS RR block for Mary (hopefully by Monday so this will complete goal #2, too!)

CQI Under the Sea Round Robin - Mary B.'s Bare Blocks

A few weeks ago, I received another set of blocks for the Crazy Quilting International Under the Sea Round Robin (CQI UTS RR) I am participating in.  This set of blocks was pieced by Mary B.

Embellished by Sandra T. for Mary B.

Mary's blocks made their first stop with Sandra T. This was Sandra's first time joining a round robin and I think she did a fabulous job on Mary's block. I love the way she created a sea floor and dressed up this block!

Embellished by Kathy S. for Mary B.

Next, the blocks visited Kathy S. I just love the green stitch she created in the upper section of this block. (If I remember correctly, it is a cast-on bullion stitch. A new one for me to learn!) She used fly stitches to create a school of fish. And, I love the purple seam running through the center of the block. The colors are so much prettier in person. The silk ribbon and beads beneath the star fish are fabulous.

Embellished by Nicki Lee S. for Mary B.

Nicki Lee S. received the blocks next. Mary had already added the seahorse to the block. Nicki Lee added tiny little beads around the seahorse applique. Her beautiful laces dress up the block. I love her clusters of shells. And, I particularly love the way she created little blue metallic fish swirling around with the swirls in the center fabric.

There are three blocks remaining for me to choose from - decisions, decisions! I am leaning toward this next one.

These are all just lovely. I hope to have a block completed to share on Monday. We'll see which one I go with! Until then, if you want a real treat, I encourage you to check out Mary's blog. She does amazing crazy quilting. You can even have a peek at the block she embellished for Nicki Lee, the block she embellished for me, and the block she embellished for Sandy, And, you should really see the mermaid block she made that is not part of our round robin. It is so much fun!

Thank you for stopping by!
Renee

A New Cross Stitch

As much as I planned to finish Santa and the Mouse and one other cross-stitch before beginning something new, I really needed a break from the large "confetti" sections in the ongoing projects. So, I pulled out the QS Red Hearts (QS = quick stitch) chart I purchased from Heaven and Earth Designs. The artwork is by Ching-Chou Kuik.  I love pink and brown and hearts and vines, so I just love this chart!

In November of last year, I put about 3 hours into this chart. However, with 2 over 1, I feared it was going to get bulky and difficult to stitch. So, I tore out all of the stitching (which also took nearly 3 hours, as it was all so tightly packed in) and began fresh with 1 over 1 on 28-count Monaco Evenweave.  Here is a link to what it will look like.

This is roughly 6 hours and 15 minutes of stitching. I cannot wait to see this one grow. I will share another update on the first Monday in July.

I am linking up with Monday Stitchery Link Party #9 at Super Mom - No Cape. (If you hand stitch anything, I encourage you to join the party!)

Thanks for stopping by!
Renee