WIP Wednesday 08/13/14

This week, I began embroidering the front of my Winter/Christmas Wall Quilt. (Click on any photo for a larger view.

Work in Progress (WIP) Wednesday is a support group for those of us working on (or meaning to work on) stitching projects.  To learn more, check out the WIP Wednesday FAQ's at pintangle.com.  Check out this post to see what Sharon B. has been up to this week, and be sure to check out the links in the comments to see what others have been up to - I find some pretty lovely eye candy there every week!





Now, to take a peek at my goals... (I really need to stop adding to them - lol! One list went down by one, but the other went up by one...)  I am planning to paint the bathroom as a surprise for my hubby.  I thought I would have the perfect opportunity last week, but that fell through.  Maybe this week, but his schedule just changed again.  We'll see!

Last Week's Goals:

Short-term: 

1. The wall quilt I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks. See progress above.
   
2. Make a TAST post. Two stitches done! To see the post, click here.
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. Completed over 200 x-stitches.
   
5. Embellish Barbara's block for CQI Hearts Round Robin. Done! To see more pics, click here.
   
   
6. Paint guest bathroom.
7. Weed front yard.  (Like the way I added my chores - lol!)

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. Embellish crazy quilted hexagon to participate in my first swap with the World Wide Crazy Quilters Yahoo! Group
5. A change purse for myself. I worked on this with my TAST stitches.
   
6. Have a count of at least 50,000 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel.
7. Embellish June CQJP 2014 block.
8. Embellish July CQJP 2014 block.
9. Piece August CQJP 2014 block. (I may combine this with #10)
10. Make an up-cycled coin purse. Done! To see it, click here.
11. Open an Etsy shop and list up-cycled coin purse! (I am excited and nervous.  Any Etsy tips are welcome for this newbie!) Done! My Etsy shop is called Hand Stitched Treasure.
12. Piece and embellish snowball for Kathy S. by September 30th.
13. Piece and embellish snowballs for Nicki Lee (partially pieced), Donna (partially pieced) and Lori by end of October.
14. Piece and embellish snowballs for Lynne by the November 15th. 

This Week's Goals:

 Short-term: 

1. The wall quilt I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks. 
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. Paint guest bathroom.
6. Weed front yard.  (Like the way I added my chores - lol!)

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. Embellish crazy quilted hexagon to participate in my first swap with the World Wide Crazy Quilters Yahoo! Group
5. A change purse for myself. 
6. Have a count of at least 50,000 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel.
7. Embellish June CQJP 2014 block.
8. Embellish July CQJP 2014 block.
9. Piece August CQJP 2014 block.
10. Make a sew-in frame purse for my Etsy shop.  Here is a sneak peek of it so far.
    
11. Piece and embellish snowball for Kathy S. by September 30th.
12. Piece and embellish snowballs for Nicki Lee, Donna and Lori by end of October.
13. Piece and embellish snowballs for Lynne by the November 15th. 
14. Embellish next block for CQI Heart Round Robin. 
15. Complete and mail a gift.

TAST 08/12/14

Tuesday has snuck up on us again.  Is it just me, or is this year flying by?!

I managed two TAST stitches this week.

TAST 124: Closed Herringbone

 

The EdMar rayon floss I used is rather fine.  I look forward to trying this with a thicker floss.  However, I love the little diamond shapes this stitch created along the seam.

TAST 85: Raised Cup

I really love the way these little raised cups can become flowers.  I look forward to making more of them in the future!  These two are a little lonely on this seam; but not to worry, I have plans to fix that!  (Sorry, I just could not bring myself to crop Benny Beaver - the OSU mascot - out of the picture.)

Take a Stitch Tuesday (TAST) is a challenge offered by Sharon B. at pintangle.com. Although it is a challenge, you set your own goals.  There are currently 125 stitches Sharon has shared.  If you want to participate, you set your own goal - learn one stitch a month or two or more each week. Take pictures of your work to share on your blog or Flickr account and link back to the TAST post on pintangle.com.  Leave a comment on the current TAST post with a link to your blog or Flickr account so the rest of us can admire your work.  To see what others have been up to this week, click here - do not forget to check out the links in the comments!

Thanks for stopping by!
Renee

Hand Stitched Treasure

Last night, I finished this little coin purse.

The exterior was created with a re-purposed pair of blue/black denim jeans. 

 And the lining was created with a re-purposed 100% silk purple dress.

Hearts are my favorite shape, so I embroidered one on the front.  Well.. two if you count the one in the butterflies flight path.

Way back in my January "Grow Your Blog" post, you may remember I was toying with the idea of opening a shop on Etsy.  Well, today I finally did!  I am nervous and excited all at once.  And this little coin purse is the first item in my Hand Stitched Treasure Etsy Shop.  (I know, in January, I thought my little under the sea themed purse would be the first item.  However, that is currently checked in with the Clackamas County Fair - which opens tomorrow.  I do not expect any ribbons, but it was fun just to participate!)

Now, I am off to finish a few chores and try to work on a few more projects so this coin purse is not so lonely.

Thanks for stopping by!
Renee

First CQ Messener Bag Post 13

If you have been following my blog long, you may have wondered what ever happened to the messenger bag I started last year.  (Sorry for the lighting in the picture above!) To be honest, I find it difficult to spend my time working on items for myself.  So, I set it aside to work on other projects. Gifts, round robin blocks, and items for swaps are easier.  It could be because they have deadlines.  But, I think it is because I enjoy giving hand made gifts to people in my life.  (The deadline thing does light a fire though...)

While working on the block I embellished for Flora, I wanted to try a different idea for the wings on a dragonfly.  In the past, I used strips of 4mm silk ribbon, this time I wanted to stitch them. I knew I wanted dragonflies on a specific section of the panel of my messenger bag, so I pulled it out to practice before adding one to Flora's block.

I also wanted to try using the straight and long stitch method (needle painting) to create a birdhouse.

Hmm... Looking at the first picture in this post, I realize the dragonfly and the birdhouse are definitely NOT proportional.  Oh well.  This will be for me and I like them anyway...

Messenger bag panel - bare

Messenger Bag panel - with topiary

While working on Barbara's block, I wanted to test out an idea I had for a topiary.  As I planned to use silk ribbon, and silk ribbon is not cheap, I did not want to test it on a doodle cloth.  There was not an ideal place for it on the panel of the messenger bag I had been embellishing; so, I pulled out another panel I had pieced for the bag and found a home for the topiary.  (This topiary was inspired by the memory of a motif in The Silk Ribbon Embroidery Bible by Joan Gordon. And the beads were purchased from Crazy Quilting Supplies - I am not affiliated with the book or the shop.)

Once I finish my Winter/Christmas wall quilt, I believe the messenger bag will be my next Work In Progress (WIP) Wednesday project.  In the meantime, perhaps I will find a few more ideas I hope to try out that will work on one of these panels!


Thank you for stopping by!
Renee

CQI Heart DYB Round Robin 2014 - Set 3 Complete

Last night, I finished my work on Barbara's beautiful block!  This block was a challenge for me, as it forced me to step out of my comfort zone.  Had this block stood on its own, I would have embellished it using only whites/creams, reds, blacks, and a minimal amount of green for stems/leaves.  However, this block is part of a set and the other blocks include various shades of pinks, and one includes purple embellishments.  When put together, I wanted this block to coordinate well with the others.  So, I added in various shades of pinks, greens and a bit of variegated blue/purple/pink.  I almost tore out the red along the seam beneath the Scottie Dogs (one of the first I added), as I feared it was too overpowering.  Instead, I tried to add red in the upper-left and upper-right to balance it out.  I think it worked.

 

Here was the bare block. (Click on any photo for a larger image.

Barbara asked for one heart to be added to the block and lots of flowers.  I hope this meets her expectations!

The cyclamen were made using stitching instructions from the book Embroidery for All Seasons by Diana Lampe, but using EdMar rayon flosses.

The butterfly bead is a Swarovski Crystal Element I purchased at JoAnn Fabrics.  (They may be cheaper at Amazon.com.)

These darling flower beads came in a bead package I purchased some time ago from Evening Star Designs (and they did not go out of business after all.  However, their website was undergoing construction at the time of this post. I am not affiliated with the shop.)  These are larger than beads I normally use, but I love the way they turned out.  I secured them to the fabric by stitching a Mill Hill Petite Glass Seed Bead in the center.

This topiary was inspired by the memory of a motif in The Silk Ribbon Embroidery Bible by Joan Gordon.  I purchased the darling tiny pink 3/16th inch porcelain flowers some time ago at Crazy Quilting Supplies.  (I am not affiliated with the shop.)  Due to the size of the beads, I knew I wanted to use them with silk ribbon.  This topiary idea popped into my mind.  I tested it out on another project (I will share soon) and loved the results.  The pink pot felt a bit bright to me, but it really goes with a shade of pink on another block (as seen below), so I went with it.

Here is a picture of the blocks Kathy S. (Clothqueen) and I embellished.

Thank you for stopping by!
 Renee