Woohoo. I did it!!

Well, I am so freakin' proud of myself. This little project had the potential to go soooo wrong, and it came together really well. No unpicking, no redoing, no complete fuck ups that would require me to start again, which is what I was expecting. This is a memory book for Tiffany's 21st. I will set up a basket with various pens etc and ask people to write something in it for Tiffany. Either a memory of her from her past, and/or a well-wish for the future.

I bought a A5 spiral bound sketch book, and set about making a pattern for the sleeve. This was the first opportunity for things to go wrong. If you are taking the size of a book cover, wrap it around the book to check the size. Do not take the pattern with the book lying flat, it will not be big enough.
I DID NOT get this wrong! yay!
Also remember to mark where the front is. When doing a cover the front will actually be on the right of your template, not the left. More disaster avoided! (see pic at the end)
I cut my template the size of my book sleeve,minus the pockets, and marked where I would piece the front. Because I use the fusible interfacing, when the front was done, I sewed the back on, then ironed it in place.
Jump ahead here. I have cut, pieced and embellished the front, sewn the rest of the cover (back) to the front, just plain black fabric, although it is worth mentioning that , quite by chance, I grab some that had some stretch in it, and this worked really well.
What you see above, is some heavy grade fusible interfacing, cut from my original template, fused to the correct position for the book cover. The extra black to the left, will create the pocket that the cover fits into. More excellent thinking on my part, as I was going to cut it to size, then sew the extra on. Quite unnecessary for the back. You do however, have to do that for the front. The pins are holding down where I will finish the edge of the pocket. I didn't measure this, just made sure it was generous. I also remembered to sew this first, before sewing the pocket down. Disaster number 2, or is that 3, avoided.
I probably could have taken more photos, but I forget when I am in the middle of sewing...
Ok. Next was creating the pocket for the cover to slip into. Right sides together, and I have drawn a couple of black marks where the edge of the sleeve comes to. Sew to here.
Here is the pocket, with corners trimmed, ready to be turned right side out. Do the same for the other side.
After the flaps were sewn down, my only sticky issue now was the raw edges left along the top and bottom, between the two pockets. If I do this project again, I will think a bit more about this, but my solution worked fine. Disaster number 4 averted.
Above you can see 3 orange arrows. I pressed my raw edges down. Ironed on some of my handy-dandy fusible interfacing, then did a row of straight stitch close to the edge.

Here is the book in it's sleeve. Please note everything is fitting PERFECTLY!! (can you tell I am pleased with myself?)
And below, the finished cover. T's colours for her party are black, silver and hot pink.
I have to say the thing I am most pleased about is that the cover is straight. I MUST have things straight, if they are meant to be straight. If it wasn't straight I would of had to of started again. I am so pleased I don't have to start again.

Here is the book lying open...see what I mean about the right side. If I hadn't thought about this, my book would of had a beautiful back.

Round robins and swaps

Here is my most recent DYB block completed. Cathy wanted jewel tones on her black. Despite this block looking very vivid, the colours are actually quite true. Lots of sequins and swarovski sparkle on this block.
And here are the completed tags. 4 for the swap, 1 for the giveaway (conveniently blacked out- haha), and one on the way to a friend...

Holy cow Batgirl...a blog post

Blogging seems to be becoming more infrequent....I have been busy stitching, I usually stitch for a (at least) short while everyday. It is a good indication that I am spiralling into a "depression" if I can't be bothered stitching...any way, I have been stitching, and here's the proof.
I pieced this actually for the 'girls night out'. I thought I would throw together a little drawstring bag for the gift. Well it wasn't going to work, and it was too small.
A while ago, on Barbara's blog, I saw a pincushion she had made and BEGGED for the instructions, which she kindly obliged with. I am not going to give you more than pics though, as I know Barbara is doing an article for the next issue of CQMagOnline, so you will all have to wait.
Anyway, back on task. I made this block, and it wasn't going to work, and I needed a new pincushion, so I decided to try Barbara's recipe. I kept the embellishment reasonable simple (for me), and I added special little things that have been sent to me in squishies.
Here is the embellished block, and ...wah-lah....the completed pincushion below.
The thick black trim stuff is a scrapbooking trim. It is self adhesive. Seemed to stick to the fabric ok, time will tell I guess, however it is almost impossible to stitch thru, so it may not be a versatile as I hoped. I have some leaves too
Here we have some lovely velvet leaves sent to me by Cheryl, ages ago.
The fan was crocheted for me by Cobi, and the oya (the lace fowers) are from Regin. The charms around the block were sent to me too, but by who I don't remember, sorry, however they were perfect for my pincushion.
More of Regin's oya, and of course some tatting, done by some wonderful woman somewhere...

So, while this is not a colour I probably would of chosen to use if I had started the pincushion with a plan, I am pleased that I did something with the original block, which probably would of remained unused forever. While it doesn't look it, this pincushion is BIG , great for 'losing' all those tiny beading needles. Finally, a pic of the base, covered in felt.

Giveaway winner and stuff!

Giveaway winner for May is....

KARRIN HURD

congrats Karrin. PM me your addy, and I'll get it out to you soon.

Below are some blocks for a charity quilt, for Breast cancer. The blocks are to be Cream on Cream, and they are constructed from (donated) wedding dress fabric.
Here are my blocks. Can you notice the difference in the piecing? The one on the right, I made first, and used a fabric foundation fabric. I thought I might want to insert laces etc during embellishment.
The one on the left I pieced in my usual fashion, onto a fusable interfacing. I like it sooooo much better. It is flat, it looks nicer. It is stable and will not lose to much size during embellishment, and lets face it, I don't usually add lace etc (under seams) during embellishment.

Now, here are my blocks with some burnt silk leaves. You like?? Thank Allie. She showed them on her blog this morning. I think they are cool. We will have to wait and see how they want to be attached and further embellished.

And finally after all that cutting and burning, I dyed! Thread and ribbon for the blocks. lthough the colourway is predominantly CoC, we can add touches of other colour. The theme is also hearts....I haven't been focusing on that, so I will have to think about incorporating hearts while working on it.
I have another tag in progress (black) and a DoYourBlock RR block. Rob offered me a weekend away at the bach this weekend, but I declined seeing as it is too difficult to decide what I want to work on and what stash to take....I am kinda regretting it....I crave peace and quiet. They are at the park at the mo. Our deaf neighbour has his garage stereo cranked up, but the soundz are ok, and it is not children whinging , moaning, fighting, crying.

ps Paula...no spills or spews to date :)

First tags complete

Here are the first couple of tags completed. For an idea of size, these are the width of a ruler (very technical, I know) and about 8cms long. Approx 3 1/2 " long and about 1 1/2 wide.


Have you been to check out Stitchin Fingers yet? You really must check it out.

Tag II

Here is my second tag. A pink seascape. Those clusters of silver beads are very dimensional. If you want dimensional, check out Helle's blog and the pics of the crocheted reef exhibition she was part of. Just amazing!

and the art shot.

twice in one day...

No...not what my man wishes...posting twice in one day. POSTING...what else would I be talking about . Get your minds out of the gutter. LOL
We are having a tag swap at CQI - kinda like ATC's, but, well, not. The lovely Sharon (G) is hosting this swap. I have decided to do mine in an underwater theme. I got some cool charms a while ago, and this was the ideal time to use them.
This is my first tag, embellished only, Still need to back, and add the hole. There may be 'stuff' hanging off the bottom as well.


You better go and rest now...twice in one day is overdoing it a bit...

Healing heart

Everything around here is back to normal....kids are over the festivities and back to being loving and caring toward each other (yeah, right!!). We have had the usual tears over pressies that aren't doing what they are supposed too. Sugar overload, and tired little peeps that need to go to bed early, but fight it every step of the way.
,
Despite all this, I still prioritise, and find time to stitch. It is my stress reliever, my quiet time in the evening once finally getting everyone (including Rob) off to bed.

This is a healing heart for a friend on one of my groups who just lost a loved one. I won't say her name, but maybe you (and she) will figure it out by the type of heart it is...a landscape.

I am so freakin' pleased with the way this turned out. Not only is it exactly as I pictured it, it has turned out even better. I tried many colours for the background, and this neutral one seemed to work best. I thought maybe blue, but it takes away from the effect of the pool at the bottom.
Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I would greatly appreciate 101 recipes on how to use up a leg of ham...I am trying something at the moment with the leftovers from yesterday, if it is any good, I'll post a recipe.

Here we go, and not a moment to soon, the 2007 family ornies!!
First are the boys/menfolks. I am still not happy with these. They were going to be the present that I did in my article here, but, as I said previously, I decided to take a shortcut, and heat'n'bond the backing on. These are still going to fray, probably after this christmas alone, but at least it is only 2 sides... I left these as squares (because I would of ruined the stitching to cut them), folded them in half diagonally, and sewed that one seam. I actually really like the shape of them. A few lovely danglies (were time permitting) from the point, and these are a shape that holds much potential for future tinkering.
I stitched these in the DMC metallics thread, they are a "Bee-aach" to stitch with, which is why I started again with the girls ornies...

So, the gals got mini trees/cones . These are only about 2.5" tall. I stitched these with perle 8 & 12 white cotton, and beaded with clear seed beads and wee pearls. I wrote the names on with pigma pen.












Below is a new round robin I am working on. This one is being done a little differently. We are doing a certain 'step' each time. This being my first block, I was to do the basic seam treatments. No beading, no SRE, argh....just basic seam treatments. Helina has made a wonderful landscape block, which I found to be very challenging. My usual style is loud and proud when I am first to stitch on a block, but being a landscape, I had to keep things nuetral and in keping with the block. I have added weight to the foreground with heavier laces etc, and gotten smaller as the perspective has moved further away. I felt that the blue (under the green tatting) was to bright for block, which is why I added the tatting. I have a vision of the block completed, and it is going to be a wonderful excerise to watch it develop and see where the other stitchers take it.

I just realised I hadn't posted this block either. Jewels on Black RR. I just loved doing this work on the black. I went completely overboard with the SRE and beads and embellishment. This block belongs to Hideko. She didn't have a theme or name for her block, but I have called it "midnight in the garden". Remember that loud and proud thing, yep, I was first to work on this block. Despite the fact that it looks like I have done half the block, I have actually only done two seams and two patches...a little less than I would normally do on a RR block!! I will post some close ups over on my flickr site .
I am all ready for christmas. Having Rob's girls over tomorrow (christmas eve here), for roast lamb, and my parents and sister and nephew over on christmas day for a glazed ham. YUM!!

Special projects

This is the absolute last pic you will see of this block! Promise. LOL. It has been backed and turned, and guess what?? I found a place to add more bling! I beaded around the edge, not too much, just enough for some sparkle. This block is 6" (15 cm).

The heart is a 'healing heart', another one of those wonderful things that CQers do. We send out hearts to those who we think need them. This will be heading off this week sometime.

block completed

This block is finished. I don't think I could add anymore if I tried! lol I am still unsure about the button in the bottom corner, but it was a gap, and it had to be filled.
I have also added this pic into the previous post so your can look at the progress of the block easily. (I have tacked up the beading around the face for when I do the backing, that's why it looks funky)
A couple of detail shots

Block for a friend (edited)

This block is for a friend. It will be surprise for her, so I can't tell you until she receives it. Just a couple of progress shots. Will start adding the 'bling' next. I had forgotten how much I love these colours, the autumn tones, but I like 'muddy' colours. Don't think this block will see a needle today, busy busy busy all day. Have a good one.




(edited to add)
Thought I would keep the pics of this block all together. I think with all the work on the black CQ, I have experienced a little more withdrawal from embellishing than I realised.
I am loving doing this block, and I just want to go crazy and fill the whole thing up. All the "rules" have gone out the window. I might have to whip the stem stitch around the dragonfly wings, as in reality, the dragonfly 'disappears' and compared to the rest of the block, it looks like a big hole... watch this space for the finished block.

I'm off, but I leave you with...

...eyecandy!!
I am off to a Playcentre National meeting tomorrow. Gone till Sunday. Bliss. 3 days away, with NO KIDS, good company, all my meals cooked for me,no dishes, and I believe and extra bonus this time is single rooms ( it has been bunks in the past!), or shared accomodation. It is being held at Lincoln University in Christchurch. Lovely city. I have only been once before, and we don't often get the chance to sight see, but just going away is enough for me.
At these meetings, You often get time to do stuff, while listening to whatever is being discussed, so I am getting the supplies ready. I whipped up this wee needlecase. I have a big one, but I wanted something small to take with me, so it's not obvious that I am there for time out..LOL. This was a pieced CC/ID holder that I hadn't embellished yet.
So first we embellish. The teeny fimo face was perfect for this (remember, ATC sized). There are a couple of the Sassa Lynne threads that Susan sent me on this. They are N.I.C.E. to stitch with. Can't wait for my order to arrive....
I then "heat and bond"ed some felt to the back of the front. Stitched a felt page in for the needles...
Then added a little felt pocket for my scissors. Cute and compact or what?? The ties will go thru the scissor handles so I won't lose them if they fall out.
Here is postcard I finished, and IT IS like card! LOL. The foundation was heavy fuseable interfacing, then heat and bond, then a final layer of fuseable interfacing. Nothing is bending this puppy. You will notice it is all embellished in one colour thread...
and these are what I have pieced to work on over the weekend at the meeting. I don't know where the bags came from , but they are purrfeeect postcard size. Each postcard has it's own bag, and I will add only 2 thread to each bag for stitching. Should make it nice and easy. I was going to attempt tatting, but I am still not good enough, and it is SO frustrating to spend ages on a piece, only to muck it the pattern at the very end.

just a post to keep you interested...

I have been stitching....honestly, but on what I couldn't really tell you. We have had a busy weekend. Jono's birthday on Friday, and my step daughter is leaving on her OE on Tuesday, so really just a weekend of time with her, a family lunch, more birthday stuff for Jono at nanny's today. The plus side of going to Mums was that they have broadband, and I get to 'youtube'. I was sent a link to a guy called Danny Dunn. Go see (if you can) He is just fantastic.
I have done a little bit on Cobi's second RR block, her theme being Jugendstil (art nouveau) . I spent a while looking at flickr images and sketched a few ideas. These gals are lucky I stitch better than I sketch!!
The black block is for a "crazy" I intend to make for myself, but you know...best intentions and all that....don't hold your breath. It will be prodominantly stitched, so it can go on my bed.