October 2012 Embroidery Journal Project

I am ahead this month! Actually it wasn't planned, but I was working on this little project and since it was the same size as the others, I decided it could be my journal project.

I started it out as something of a study in using different yarns to help add interesting textures and surfaces. I found a great yarn that I thought would make an interesting sea, so this because a little seascape project.

I didn't really plan the project out at all. I just started with the water, then built up the land area with some different types of yarns. I made the rocks along the shore out of fimo clay, as are the bigger rocks. I didn't work off a photo, but I did take inspiration from my time along the coast in SE Sweden. It's very rocky and in places there are a great number of large boulders. There isn't much by way of sandy beaches, but the coast is interesting and varied!

It was fun just letting the project develop as I went along. There will be more of these types of projects in the future.

September 2012 Embroidery Journal Project

Here I am with this past month's embroidery journal project!

This project was inspired by the maple outside the living room window. I often sit near this window where you can see the afternoon sun shining through the trees.

So this represents one of the branches that hang down, filled with leave turning all sorts of beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow. I painted the background with watercolors. I was happy with the way it looked. I wanted to have the feeling of the autumn sun lighting up the leaves. For this project, I just started with an idea, I didn't make a pattern or any lines on the fabric.

I picked out a few threads that I thought might be interesting to use, and among those I had the brown threads I picked up at the flea market. It's a bunch of very thin threads all twisted together. No idea what the thread is for, maybe weaving, but it made a great branch.  I couched them down and left the ends loose to give the feeling of even smaller branches.

This one was fun! I'm off now to go out in the fall sunshine in search of my next project inspiration!

Witch Doll

I just finished this little doll yesterday. I consider the doll finished, but the project isn't. But my friend Starr was chomping at the bit for a look at her. So here she is.

With her treat bucket, broom and crystal hanging from her belt, she is ready for action!!

I've been meaning to try a little doll for ages, so finally, I thought it's time to do this. Making dolls is a fun change. While constructing this one I remembered how many little things needed for this type of project. I enjoy looking for different ways to solve the problems.  This doll has a needle felted head. Actually she looked a lot scarier before I put the features and the hair on. Now she just looks like a nice, little witch, but very serious about this Halloween business!

My intention is to make a background for her to be attached to.

I hope to work on that soon, but first a couple other things get attention, like my September Journal project. It's coming and will be done soon!

Let them eat cake!

I'm surfacing again! The cross stitch projects are done for now, and I'm working on some new things. One of them is something I started many months ago. I ran into some road blocks because my idea for how to assemble it didn't work, so I needed a little time to figure it out. Or a lot of time as it turned out!

I got this idea for a different sort of project when I saw someone's art project that had a whole room set up with with places settings like for a party. Each plate had a different sculpture on it in some kind of clay or some such material. It made me think of doing something with needle work and food.  And since there is no better food than cake, so I thought I might start with that.

I decided to begin with fairly simple embroidery on this untested idea. I used fabric paint for the colors of the cake.

I sewed the pieces together by hand.

This project is not a "softee". There is sturdy matboard giving it shape inside.

I made the cream blob out of fimo. The plate and the spoon are part of the project. They are not just props for the photo. Unfortunately, I haven't had time to go scouring flea markets for the ideal plate, which would be some nice little china piece with delicate flowers around it. The spoon is a silver spoon from Mr Floss Box's grandmother. I will replace it with a cheaper small fork though. So I don't consider the project quite done yet, but it's time to post it anyways.

This was fun to do. I could imagine doing a whole series of them. I am not sure I will make it, but I will at the very least do another that is more elaborate. A family member who saw my cake actually thought it was real!!!!

August 2012 Embroidery Journal Project

Hi all,
My embroidery journal project is now complete!

 I wanted to do something different this month, something that would be a little challenge of a different sort. So I chose a door to a magical, walled forest. I had to figure out ways to make the walls so they had dimension, and the door I wanted to be able to open. The walls are bits of a stiff interfacing that I covered with fabric.  The gate posts are wrapped up pipe cleaners. I couldn't get the wire through the back of the fabric so I glued the ends so the floss wouldn't unwind and cut off the wire. I used a black permanent marker to cover the white that showed.  My door is fabric covered interfacing too. I used several layers and ended up using glue in the end to hold all the layers together. If I did it over, I would have planned that part differently. The door is held shut with the help of an eye. It lifts up, so the door can open.

I had to put something behind the door, so I choose to represent a magical rose bush that blocks the way in.

What does my little walled in world represent? Good question! I will answer with it's the way into my magical embroidered world where anything is possible, and there are always great projects to be done!!!

We've had a heron visiting us during August.  I suppose it found out we have little fish and crayfish in our water. No doubt a tasty snack!

The Quilter Cross Stitch

August has flown by. I think because I spent a greater portion of it digging around in a blueberry patch! I lost count of how many I collected, but it must have been upwards of around 50 liters. A new record! The freezer is bulging of berries.

The picking stole time from everything else, pretty much, but now the berry's days are passing, so it's time to get back to stitching and other fun things. I started The Quilter Cross Stitch maybe in February or maybe it was March. Quite some time ago, in any case. I got distracted by many things, so I just decided it had to be finished.

Actually the main reason I had to finish is because some new cross stitch projects have to be done, but they are top secret. Yes, I am getting published, in a book ,even! It's a Christmas book, but I am not certain when it is to be released. I am furiously working on stitching my pattern, so I can ship it off. Then next up is another cross stitch pattern for another publication. More on these when the time comes.

About The Quilter here then. The inspiration came from my mother who is a quilter. I wanted to do a little celebration of the quilted arts in a fun way. This design was the result. I felt I really must stitch this one to do the full honor to my mother!

Now August is winding down, time to think about the embroidery journal project before I throw myself into more cross stitch!

July Embroidery Project

Hi all,
I am posting my July embroidery journal project today. It was a bit of an experiment! The idea of red stuck in my head. I wanted to do something with summer fruit. I ended up with currants, raspberries and cherries represented in this little project.

I was a bit free with my interpretation as you see. Actually I really wanted to do just the currants like in one of the photos I pasted in my little book using a bunch of beads, but it didn't quite work out.  I covered some wooden beads with crewel threads, and they were too big to fit with the smaller beads, so they became cherries.  I wrapped up the stems in some thread and attached them.  They are a little floppy, but I like how they look. I will definitely find a way to use that idea in another project.

My lines of currants actually look kind of cool. They look realistic, so something esel I can use too.

I have made a couple watercolors too with red fruit and a mushroom. I'll get those scanned. I'd say I've learned a lot about working with colors! I don't know if I will continue making more color pages with other colors, maybe. This was mostly a fun exercise to do while I taking a break from the usual tasks.

I will say though, that I feel myself noticing the color around me much more. It's so easy to just dismiss things as being one solid color, but they aren't, and the light changes the color we see.