Wild Olive and I are going to tease you. We’ve been working on something together for a while now and we’ll tell you all about it on Monday but why not give you a peek now?
Tag Archives: embroidery
My cup cozy is in the ‘procrastinate’ position.
Weeeeell, maybe it hasn’t been all procrastinate I have been busy with my shop but that was only since July. Remember my counting books? I posted about them in . . . months ago. A big part of the problem was running out of osenburg, which I have only found at Joann’s craft stores so that means a cross boarder trip. When I went in September I bough 10 yards of it. I should be good for a while.
Last night I buckled down and finished one for someone. She asked for 2 of them so I’m hoping to get the other one done this weekend. And spidey senses must have been tingling in my area because just randomly 2 other friends asked where the books are for their babies. So I’ve got a little To Do list for this weekend and those counting books are on it! Along with a few other things of course.
Here are some shots of Mya’s counting book.
I finished it at about 11:30 but wasn’t happy with the size of the first few pages, somehow the pages were getting bigger at towards the back. So I did some stitch ripping and re-sewing until the wee hours.
Thanks to my fancy pants new to me sewing machine I was able to add some fun, and time saving touches.
I also got creative with the tactile side of things and put this fun stuffed cupcake on the first page.
Finished off with my lovely labels, which are iron on but I sewed them as well because I like that look.
Posted in embroidery, kid fun, sewing
Tagged applique, baby, cloth couting book, embroidery, tactile
Waiting for inspiration to strike.
Lately I’ve been building a little fabric stash. Really that’s a nice way of saying I’ve become addicted to picking up fun nifty prints, whether I have a use for them or not. That can be a dangerous thing. When I started my blog and began reading other crafty creative blogs for some crazy reason I went all the way back to the beginning of LA’s blog, Freckled Nest and read it all. Like all all. It was kind of a fast forward glimpse of her growing. I loved these crafty bags she embroidered and/or personalized in her Etsy shop.
But of course because I was late getting to the party she was long done selling them. I really wanted one though. So I sent her an email and asked where she got them from. Then I spent ages trying to track one down. Shipping from the States was ridiculous at the one place I did find them. LA said she got them from Princess Auto but I guess it was so long ago they no longer carry them. A little while later LA randomly emailed me that she had found one in her giant pile of long forgotten craft supplies and offered to sell it to me. It arrived wrapped in wallpaper and I was super excited.
So here’s mine. I’m too afraid to do anything to it! It’s this beautiful blank slate and I’m worried about goofing it up. So there it is, plain and wonderful, like one of my awesome cuts of fabric that I’m scared to cut into. Anyone else have supplies that you’re too afraid to actually use?
Camp themed swap stuff!
I’ve been a bad blog owner, forgive me. My fun package for the Camp Themed Swap that Amanda so willingly ran for me and a group of lucky ladies arrived . . . . 2 Fridays ago. It took me until Sunday to even open the package, I’ve been sooooo busy lately it’s been insane. Hence the blog absence. I’ve been frantically making cup cozies, yes still! Everywhere I go I’m pulling out some stitching, it’s a little crazy. I’ve finally made it into my September orders and I only have about 20 more to make. I sat around all summer on vacation and of course my shop had to go viral (for the second time) right when it was back to school time!
Anyhow, enough ranting, here’s what I’m supposed to be writing about, my haul!
Going across the rows – back row – a fun mixed media painting, a print of a drawing of three bears camping and some awesome hoop art with a happy camper.
Middle-ish my log pin cushion, a CAMPO game, a fun floral case for glasses, some camp themed stationary, a crocheted flower hair thingie, and a heart shaped box.
Front-ish – a little note book with graph paper and camp themed stickers in it, a compass hair pin, a firefly keychain, a button ring, brown bear earrings, and a signed original piece of art work.
All placed on top of a vintage pillow case sending me happy camping wishes!
Here’s some close ups,
It was such a fun thing to be involved in. At first I wondered what on earth we would all come up with for camp themed crafts (especially as someone who’s never been camping) but we did all right!
Posted in crochet, embroidery, other crafts, papercrafts, repurposing, sewing
Tagged art, blogs, camp, craft swap, embroidery, painting, vintage
Girly Handmade Beginnings pants this time!
I was so happy to get to pick out some fun and girl-ish stuff to make for the lovely baby Samantha. I also got fancy and appliqued some t-shirts to go with the reversible pants. Needed a nice thoughtful gift and a break from being a pillow factory.
You can’t really see but there are little brown, pink and white birds on the first pants. I added some brown with white polka dot fabric to the inside to make rolling up the pant legs more fun. On the second pair of pants I actually cut the leg shorter and added that bank of green apple fabric so when she grows bigger and can’t roll up the pant legs they’ll still look like they have a fun contrasting cuff.
Now I just have to get her counting book all done! :)
Posted in embroidery, kid fun, other crafts, sewing
Tagged applique, baby, clothes, embroidery, handmade beginnings, reversable pants, toddler
Beyond Thread and Floss begins!
Starting yet another online class!! I think I’m addicted. This one is all about cute stitching in fun and different ways. I just love keeping the creative ideas rumbling around in my head by keeping projects on the go. So Mollie, over at Wild Olive, is our lovely teacher and I just joined the flickr group in anticipation of needing to post things there. Then I found these cute little fellows!
You can hop on over to her blog to download and print them for yourselves. She posted them waaaaay back in November when my blog, this creative journey of mine, was still just a little baby so I guess I totally missed it. I can barely keep up with all the crafty/arty/fun blogs in my RSS let alone go back and see what they were talking about pre-SewTara! On that note, off to be creative.
Posted in beyond fabric and floss, embroidery
Tagged bobbins, embroidery, online classes, wild olive
Idea from IKEA!
A while ago my friend and I were browsing IKEA and I picked up this table runner figuring inspiration would hit. I’ve been wanting to make a table runner for ages, I’m dying to make this one but can’t collect all the required fabrics. Instead I decided to embroider the $4.99 IKEA one with some inspiring, warm and fuzzy words. I chose a dark burgundy red-y colour because I liked it and thought it would look nice with our table. Finally finished it the other day!
I thought I had run out of floss on the very last section with about 5 inches left to stitch! I wasn’t impressed. But then I found a little blob of floss that had slipped behind the tissue box. I was so happy, it doesn’t take much lately.
Stitched cardigan.
Went thrifting a while ago looking for things for my Style School assignments, idea by Elsie. I found a cute little green cardigan with sort of flared sleeves and hideous buttons. I’ve had it around for a bit because I couldn’t decide what to embroider on it. Then I figured I couldn’t go wrong with a cupcake!
I wanted to do a silhouette sort of thing so first I Googled images of cameos to find something to base a frame on. My blue wash out fabric marker didn’t really show up too well on the green sweater so I had to free hand here and there. I’m happy with the frame and cupcake outline but once I took the hoop off and slipped it on I’m not sure I’m happy with the placement of the design. It’s a little low I think and not very crest-like, more breast-like! Might have to do some restitching tomorrow.
Upcoming crafts and nothing to do with crafting.
I got mail today!! *insert happy dance here* It’s from my Style School buddy, Peptogirl. I shopped in her store. I’m a good Style School buddy.
I’m resisting packing it to take to work as I will probably spend my entire lunch hour stitching and not get any prep for my classes done.
I also found a clock to reface for Style School. I have my idea all planned out, but it involves spray painting the clock and I get in trouble to stinking up the house so I have to be strategic about when I do it. It’s a bit bigger than I was thinking but it was on clearance and has a flat front.
And in an entirely uncrafting related segment may I present my son Nate eating chocolate pudding on his own. Monday was Family Day here and *most* people had the day off to spend with their . . . families! All four of us stayed in our jammies all day and just puttered around the house doing what we wanted, with some olympic watching couch snuggles here and there. I invited my mom for dinner, because she’s family, and pudding was dessert. Needless to say Nate was the one who broke our jammie day and ended up needing a change of clothes, and a bath!
It’s a tad out of focus but I had to act quick as he was flailing that spoon about a little too much.
Posted in embroidery, other crafts
Tagged clock, embroidery, Etsy, peptogirl, style school
ARGH! . . . and finished!
Ok, I got brave (and had some time) and tried my bag revamp project today. I had no idea how to sew through the layers, and it wasn’t easy. I had to abandon the plan to use yarn as Elsie suggested. I couldn’t get the needle through with the yarn in the eye as well. It took about 20 minutes to stitch one stitch and that was with a a paper piercer, a metal thimble and 2 plastic-y ones that would grip well, wrapped around the end of a set of pliers to try and pull the needle through! So, I gave up, pulled out the 1 1/2 measily stitches I had in it and went at it with embroidery floss instead. It was still a bit tricky, took me an entire movie to complete, but I’m really happy with it and can’t wait to use it! I’m hoping it’ll make someone smile, how could it not? A bright yellow bag with cute little hearts on it!
