From paper to fabric ...

The photos in National Geographic always capture my attention. Not an issue goes past my eye where I do not see at least one snapshot of life that I want to re-create in thread.
In late 2007 I decided to have a go at doing just that!

We had a lot of old copies of National Geographic we'd picked up at garage sales, or rescued after thrown out by the library - copies we'd saved for Blossom due to her love of wildlife photography - and as I skimmed the pages there were a particular set of photos that were exactly what I was looking for. Desert nomads with their camels...so beautiful in their colours, so dignified in their demeanor. I began immediately.

This was the first photo I chose to work with. I made a photocopy, then outlined the main features I would use as an embroidery.

Then I traced the outline onto some very desert like tone-on-tone cotton. I used vibrant coloured DMC threads, fitting the picture I wanted to recreate. When I'd finished the stitchery I used just a bit of colour pencil to define certain areas, like the camels knees and the nomad's clothing, and added beading to some areas.

I chose red wool felt for the borders of the embroidery, and used Perle 8 threads to stitch with. I chose more beading and with no pattern in mind I just embroidered my way around the cushion front until I was happy with the bohemian style.

The cushion was judged Championship Exhibit for hand Embroidery at last year's Esperance Agricultural Show!

Now that I'd seen this could work I set forth on cushion number two! I chose a complementing photo from the same National Geographic article and repeated the photocopy, highlight, then trace procedure.

Staying with the red felt borders I again winged it as I embroidered! I had a lot of fun with this and the felt is so soft to sew with. I gave this cushion to my son-in-law for Christmas.

There was a third photo in the article that I wanted to work with but decided to put that aside for another day (which has not yet come) and do something different. I chose this elephant - it was a photo of a scarf I found on google, but I could see the potential to do something more with the design.


It became a funky shoulder bag for Blossom, and won 1st prize in it's category at the same Show as the Desert Nomad cushion.


There is really no end to the things that can inspire creative endeavours!
Even now I'm eyeing off a coffee mug with stunning artwork - roses, my favourite - and thinking I need to bring it to life with some pretty thread....

What inspires you to create?

Jenny

Hands, helps, and hoping I can sew again very soon!

I've been a bit naughty about resting my hand, there are just so many ways we use our favoured hand (my right hand) and no matter how you try to avoid it you keep it employed. Whether it be opening a door, getting dressed, washing, replacing lids, driving the car...in the modern life it cannot be avoided, though I am trying.
The splint made my hand much worse, the pain was incredible and the swelling increased terribly, so I have ditched it -


.....in favour of this wrist strap (below), which does not keep my thumb stable (a need-to) but just the fact that I am wearing it means I am very conscious of my thumb so it's definitely resting. Within a day the swelling began to subside and the pain has lessened already. I'm praying I can get back to normal within a couple of weeks if I continue to wear it.

I am catching up on reading and planning new projects during my lay-off, and when I bought the latest bi-monthly issue of Quilter's Companion I was surprised and overjoyed to see another of my sewing projects published in the letter section!


Last year they featured a gorgeous cushion pattern with a Mandala Elephant (designer Karen Hendry) that immediately caught my eye, but I felt it would be much nicer made into a quilt.
My eldest daughter had a birthday just months later so using lots of braid, shishka mirrors, bright fabrics and plenty of Perle threads, I went to work stitching.
Here's a very happy Karen wrapped in her Mandala Elephant quilt!

I also sent in a photo of the original embroidered "Desert Nomad" cushion I'd made and they published that as well. This same cushion won Championship Exhibit for Hand Embroidery at our local Show last October. Later today I'm going to upload here on my blog a short tutorial on how I came up with the idea for the cushion and then the making. (Stay tuned!)

Blossom has been so helpful in the kitchen while my hand has been out of action. Yesterday she baked fresh supplies for us to nibble on. Rock Cakes are one of her dad's favourite, so yesterday she baked two trays. Today she'll be making yummy lentil patties for dinner. (Thank you Blossom!)


And I suppose I better confess that I have veeeerrrrryyyyy slowly been stitching block 3 of Verandah Views. Do you love Cheryl's blocks as much as I? All three so far have been just beautiful!

And what have you been up to?

Happy days,
Jenny

Farewell Shabby Chic...

This is my interior home style inspiration - my favourite three books this year. Cath Kidston, Tilda, and Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic.
Over the last few months I've followed Rachel's blog with increasing sadness for her. I have grieved the loss of her stores, one by one, hearing how desperately she had prayed to keep them all open...until today when she posted that all hopes of saving Shabby Chic have failed and every store will close.
Her life of 20 years will now change, yet I believe she will rise from the ashes, renewed and strong again in time - she has an eye for beauty that will not fade.
I am so grateful for the change her style made in me. The soft and feminine beauty of roses, of whites that soothe and calm and invite you to rest, of vintage china and petticoats and frocks, of the old made new with that subtle facelift of glass knob handles....so many simple and beautiful ideas that carried you away from the hustle and bustle of the 21st Century to a quieter, more gracious and appreciative time. I loved, and will continue to love the Shabby Chic style Rachel Ashwell made obvious to the world.

May God bless her and comfort her in this time of change, because her 'eye' has blessed me so very often.

Jenny

Just simple things

Sewing is slow here while I try and rest my hand, but I still managed some short bursts of production. Two new Tilda hearts now hang in mine and Blossom's bedrooms. The top one is mine and the bottom one is Blossom's - in hers I used the fabric from a dress she wore many years ago to her big brother's wedding. It was a favourite dress at the time and she was most sad when she grew and it didn't. We kept the fabric to use at some point in time and a Tilda 'love' heart was a good place to start.

We're still working on her bedroom furnishings, and she wanted to have this rose fabric made into cushions. Nothing fancy or fussy as she wanted the fabric to shine, so some simple cotton lace and lovely mother-of-pearl buttons on the back was all that was needed extra.

I've been trimming back, and tidying up, our garden today. It's autumn here now and the last of the basil needed to be used before it died away so I have a lovely big pot of fresh pesto made...

...and with plums also on the way out I am cooking up some pots of plum & cinnamon jam for my husband.

Gisa from Germany has finished her second Wonky Houses block - she chose lovely vibrant colours. I'm sure she is thinking of spring coming to the Northern Hemisphere!

This afternoon I am going to begin sewing block 3 of Wonky Houses...oh, but I can't show you for weeks yet.

What are you doing this weekend?
Hugs,
Jenny

Joy, Bags, Painting

Not much has been happening here at home this week. A dear friend of 9 years died in the US and that gave much time for reflection on her life, and pondering the immense value of those we love still here with us. It's a sobering thought, but one that needs to be visited often so that we remember not to lose a minute of the precious time God has given us on earth, and the need to tell those we love often just how much they mean to us.
I finished the third block from Gail Pan's Christmas Wish quilt, and the word JOY took on magnified meaning. My friend was Elaine, and this could well have been her middle name - she exuded JOY in daily life, every day, though her life was a constant drifting between turmoil, trial, and delight. I will miss her terribly.

This morning the mail man delivered a beautiful bag for me, made by Cathy at Highland Quilter! I won her giveaway last week, and I must say this bag is so well made, and much lovelier in real life than it was on her blog! Blossom was most taken by the fabric choices, now she wants to know where we can get some. :-)

Speaking of Blossom, she has decided to try her hand at Folk Art. She borrowed a couple of videos from the library and some books, bought a sample pack of Jo Sonja paints, and visited the loacl art supply store for suitable brushes and graph paper. She needed to practice paint strokes before she painted on wood so we used laminator sheets which can be washed and re-used. I'm looking forward to seeing how she goes in this particular paint medium as she finds painting in general to be a very soothing hobby.

First block photos arrived from Jane at Spreading the Faerie Dust - they have a real wonky look done all in brown, I love them! Jane also gave me a Sisterhood award which I'll pass on next week when I can get my head around choosing recipients. Thanks so much, Jane.

Tonight I have three more Tilda hearts cut out and ready to sew. What are you up to?
Hugs,
Jenny

Bored, but then....

Like a good girl I've been trying hard not to use my injured hand very much, and allow the tendonitis to settle. But...even good girls get bored.
Last night I decided to make my very first Tilda Heart, from the Sew Pretty Homestyle book. It seemed silly to use the machine for such a little thing so I hand stitched the whole heart and in the process got hooked!
Today I'll start choosing fabrics for many more Tilda hearts.
I'd like to hang them on the bathroom cabinet doors, perhaps filled with lavender for that sweet, relaxing fragrance. In fact I think every door could use something nice to adorn it, maybe not all Tilda hearts, but something similar.
I've got some lovely felt that would look good used this way...hmmmm.


Have you made one?

God bless!
Jenny

Blossom's cushion

Today was Blossom's day for some soft furnishings. She's patiently watched me make cushions for the home over the last few weeks waiting for something to come dropping by her door.
Using more of those gorgeous vintage linens I found last week I made her a very sweet cushion today. The vintage mother-of-pearl buttons were just too pretty to hide around the back so I buttoned this cushion at the front to show them off, then added a sweet ribbon rose. Blossom loved it!

I also made her two tablecloths to go over her bargain $5 round table she bought last week at the charity store. The longer bottom cloth is made from the creamy rose chintzy fabric that I had metres and metres of - can you believe I've almost used it all now? Round tablecloths certainly use a lot. The top cloth was a lovely sheer floral curtain we bought for $2, all I had to do was cut to size and hem it.
Bit by bit Blossom is getting the decor she wants in her bedroom, I think next she'll be painting picture frames (for me too, I hope). Can you see her little dog Bob asleep on the floor? He matches her colour scheme perfectly!

Last night I finished block 3 of Bea's Fairy Tale BOM, "Snow White and Rose Red". I'm not sure if I'll add the ribbons to the tree trunks, I may try and do some tiny ribbon roses instead.

Tonight I'm working on some more BOM's, and if I have some time spare I'll start the final layout for WONKY HOUSES. Have you downloaded block 2 yet?

For now I have dinner waiting to cook, and hungry bellies rumbling in the background, (most notably the belly of a certain 16yo lad!) so I'd better go.
Happy sewing,
Jenny

It's ready! WONKY HOUSES Block 2!

You've all been so patient waiting for Block 2, and here it is!

You can download it here and you shouldn't have any problems this time round. :-) I think I've worked out Scribd at last!

As an addition, I was inspired by the way other crafters have been adding their own style to Block 1, so I decided to make an alternate colour-way with block 2 for my own enjoyment....actually I made both and then chose the block above as THE one for the pattern! Hope you like it.

If you do something different please email me a pic...I love to see other's interpretations of any patterns.


I'll share the layout for the finished hanging with Block 3 on April 9th.
Happy sewing,
Jenny

Sweet fragrance divine....

The weather is cooling, I can feel autumn approaching at last. This brings inward twirls of delight (cause if I did them outward my family would confirm with each other that I truly am nuts) as I love to sew in the chill of winter and winter 'aint that far behind autumn! \o/

With all the clearing out of 'stuff' and re-organisation of our home this week I stumbled across something very nice. Maree sent me a beautiful soap with my birthday fat 1/4's, and it smelt SO good that I knew I had to do something with it. When I was cleaning I found a little cotton sack with green crochet insert in my big tub of charity-shop-bought linens, just the right size to hold the soap - the idea being to put it in our linen cupboard so that it's sweet scent would permeate all the sheets, blankets and towels. All I had to do was thread some satin ribbon through the top, drop in the soap, and now every time I open the door of the linen cupboard I am greeted with this heavenly fragrance.

Today I decided I would have a go at making something similiar for Blossom's wardrobe. Last year she had a bit of a crochet obsession - she had just learnt from a friend at sewing group and she spent a couple of weeks just making these tiny crocheted squares and circles! We ended up with heaps in all colours that just got tucked away till such a time as they could find a use. These little fragranced soap sacks seem now to be their destiny!
All you need is a little crocheted piece, some calico, old lace, some ribbon, and a highly fragranced soap.

Here is the first one I made for Blossom. I just cut around the inside where the crochet piece is stitched and remove it so the fragrance has 'air' to seep through. Tomorrow I'll make more for my own wardrobe, the bathroom cupboard, our drawers...well, you get the point. ;-)

We've also removed every cushion cover in the house (except the four I made the boys last month) and now have a hUGe pILe of nude cushion inserts sitting in the corner of my bedroom waiting to be dressed in finery! My goal at the moment is one cushion per day so in about two weeks I should be done.
Again I searched through all the old pieces I've found at the charity store and garage sales. I had a fat quarter in mind, lovely blue roses, but needed something else to add that vintage chic. I dug deep in my plastic tub and found this very pretty piece of embroidered cotton. It used to be a summer top but I loved the design so much that I cut it up and put it away until I could use it. Today was the day!

My friend Liz had sent me some very nice blue and yellow rose cotton strips for my birthday (you just have to love friends who give you pretty fabrics for your birthday!!) and they matched perfectly with the fat quarter and the cotton lace.


As I was sewing the front of the cushion I noticed these tiny little holes along the edge of the cotton lace...
...so I made some little french knot roses to cover them. Cute.

And here is the cushion! It looks so much nicer in real life, and the yellow is much paler than the photo shows, but I'm sure you get the idea how old things become new again if you just think outside the square.


And here is the back of the cushion. I think this is my favourite cushion in the house right now!

Well, on another subject, it's only two sleeps till Block 2 of my Wonky Houses BOM is blogged for you to download.
Loralynn sent me a photo of her first block last night, and what a funky one it is! She's used needleturn applique instead of embroidery - don't you love it!
Have you finished your first block yet?

I hope you're enjoying the weekend, it just doesn't seem to last long enough!
Hugs,
Jenny

The storyteller and the linens....

Our autumn cleaning has been quite ruthless, and with the first carload of 'stuff' delivered to the local Red Cross store this morning I decided to take a 1/4 hour break and browse the linen section of the shop. I'm so glad I did! Hiding beneath piles of weathered poly-cotton serviettes and doilies I found these delicate beauties.

They are the softest of linen, aged and delectible, just the way I love them. The embroidery is exquisite, all hand made, the work of gifted fingers. I always wonder why such valuable pieces find their way to an op-shop, don't you?
I like to think about the story behind their relinquishment to strangers. Today my story was this: I decided a lonely old spinster, nearing her 90th birthday, had passed away. In her will she had left all her belongings to the Red Cross, and after they sent her furniture and a few (what they would call) 'useful' items off to the Victorian fire victims they tossed these beautiful linen pieces in the op-shop box because 'no-one would want them'. And now I am the grateful owner of some little things she cherished and I should make sure they are displayed beautifully. I wonder how close that is to the real story? :-)
They were only 40c and $1 each (I bought 5 pieces), and as soon as I came home I knew how I would begin to make use of them.

As I've mentioned I am re-doing a large part of the house in a very relaxed, vintage, shabby style. I used one of the embroidered linens in this cushion cover for our bed - it's so pretty!
Another was used as part of a pillow sham, also for our bed. With this one I was also able to use some vintage cotton lace I've been holding onto for a couple of years. Honestly, I am so happy with my work today! These pillows already bless me with peace in my soul as I look at them. I find the whole vintage shabby style to be incredibly stress-relieving on the eyes and thence the mind and heart. Do you?

I had no patterns, just kept making things up as I went along. I'll do more in the days ahead and see how else I can use the linens.

And a parcel arrived! Dear Maree sent me my last two fat 1/4's from the birthday swap! Thank you so much Maree! The pink is already claimed for a cushion, and the spots...I already know how they'll be used but it's a secret.

What have you been making?

Hugs,
Jenny