December projects

I've been wanting to make a CQ cat for a long time.  I got around to it this month.

She stands about 6 inches high. The front has a photo of my cat Maxie transferred onto a cotton fabric via my home printer.  She is surrounded by beads, couched thread, Suffolk puffs and a little cat charm is in the bottom left corner

 

Close up of the tail.  Little bluebird stitched on tip with a rambling vine of cast on stitch flowers.  The tail was very awkward when making this up. It was so small to start with and with extra bulk due to the stitching it was hard work to turn it right side out when sewing it.  If I do this again I'll make the tail separately from the body and stitch it on at the end.

 

Front of cat showing lace, and embroidered seams

 

 

This is the back of the cat.  I was going to leave it plain, but then I saw some "normal" quilts on pinterest with a fan shaped cat and thought that would be fun to add to the back.

 

 

Close up detail of the embroidered seams on the back of the cat.  The face and tail are velvet.

 

 I'm also going to be taking part in CJQP2015.  See link on right hand side.  The aim is to complete a block a month, minimum size 8 inches..  I want to make cushion covers.  They will have 4 blocks per cushion so at the end of the year I should have 3 CQ cushions.  The theme will be the 4 seasons.  The first 4 will have Hardanger centres taken from Victoria's samplers free patterns.

I've got my naked block for January and first Hardanger prepared.

The Hardanger will have beads added when I've completed the rest of the embroidery.

another November finish

Yesterday I said I had nearly finished a CQ piece.  I finished the crinoline lady and made her into a Christmas cracker which will have  a gift inside. After Christmas it can be used as a dressing table mat.

Here she is

November update

I had quite a successful month, completing another page of Spirit of Winter a Josephine Wall design by Heaven and Earth, I completed all the tissue holders for Christmas gifts, completed the CQ block I started last month and made it into a bag and have almost completed a CQ block for my mother.  The CQ block will be made into a Christmas cracker with a gift inside.  I hope to finish this today so will post more pictures when that is done.

This is the CQ block made into a bag.  I put a Sunbonnet Sue with a little dog and cat and bluebird looking on.  Cute little basket of flowers at the left.  The lace on the bottom right I painted to match the orange tints of the fabrics.  The fabric of the bag is actually curtain material, which was leftovers that were in the bargain bin at Spotlight.  It looks purple here but is actually a maroonish colour (hard to describe) but is a good match for the colours of the block.

   Below are the completed tissue holders.

W

D

 

 

 M

 V

 

 

E.  I redid this as I didn't think it looked enough like an E, so took out some of the daisies at the bottom and extended the orange bottom bar and extended the orange middle bar.



J

Front of the tissue holders

This is the CQ block I've made for my mother.  It is a small block at just 6 inches square.
Full block

The Crinoline lady is appliqued. She is made out of scraps of sari fabric that I picked up cheap at a quilt show.  The flowers at top right an in the red velvet patch are made from cast on stitch.

A little hedgehog in the bottom right corner.  A bit hard to see on this fabric but I ran out of room to put him anywhere else.

Suffolk puff flowers at top left

 

Spirit of Winter another page completed.

October projects

I had a couple of major finishes this month.  My goldwork stumpwork embroidery and my first crazy quilting project.

For my crazy quilt project I wanted to make a case for my tablet.  I had a peacock theme as you can see. The case is held with a Velcro strap with a brass peacock that I got from a place that sells supplies for paper crafts.  It is lined in a green peacock fabric, padded and the back fabric is a purple peacock fabric, the same as you can see on the closure.

The two peacocks on either side were done using the tutorial on Pamela Kellogs blog
I'm proud of this peacock feather, I found a photo of a feather online and then tried to imitate it in embroidery.

The left peacock is framed by wisteria.

A beaded peacock, with sequins feathers.  My mother reckons this looks more like a kiwi, and every time I look at it now I'm seeing a kiwi.

 

A little ladybird hiding on a leaf underneath the white peacock.

 

I finally finished this goldwork and stumpwork project.   I started this years ago but it became a UFO.  I picked it up again earlier this year.  I'm glad I did as I love how it turned out.  Below are close ups and the framed picture.

Stumpwork pansies

 

Goldwork

 Completed picture

Framed

 

Spider and web

I am wanting to try different seam treatments and also wanting to make some Christmas gifts for my girlfriends.  I thought a way of combining the two would be to create monogrammed tissue holders, like the one I made for my mother last month (see September post).
 Before embroidering the monogram I wanted to practice the pieces so ran up a quick crazy quilting block made from a pack of charm squares.  They aren't normally colours that would draw me, but pieced together like this I quite like them.

Below is the crazy quilt block and seam treatments.

Block.  Flowers are lazy daisy (detached chain) filled with French knots with chain stitches for leaves and more French knots scattered.  To the right of daisys are bullion roses with fly stitch stems.  At top left you can just make out twisted chain stitch with oyster stitch flowers.

 

Interlaced chain stitch, to the left is woven chain stitch

The left seam is buttonholed chain stitch with French knots, at bottom is wheat stich in yellow with an orange straight stitch down the centre and French knots.  The right seam is raised stem stitch.

I've completed 3 monograms so far.

C.  Stitches are raised stem stitch, detached chain, French knots, twisted chain, oyster stitch and beads

E:  Stitches are  Interwoven Chain stitch, wheat stitch, French knot, oyster stitch, twisted chain, straight stitch, detached chain

M:  Stitches are detached chain, plaited braid, oyster, bullion rose, fly stitch, French knot, twisted chain

More finishes

I've had some more finishes since my last post.  I made this tissue holder for my mother.  The back is embroidered with an R for her initial.

 

The colour in the photo looks grey, but is actually a pale green.

 

 

 

I finished the remaining 2 panels for the 5 sided box.  Wild strawberry

 

 

 



 

And clematis and bee.  The bee was tricky to stitch as was stitched onto wired petals.



   I was worried after all the stitching the assembly of the box wouldn't work out.  However it was pretty easy to put together.  The pieces of embroidery were mounted on cardboard (cereal packets), inner lining also mounted on cardboard then an outer and inner piece whip stitched together.  These were then sewn down the side seams, before the last side seam was sewn they were sewn to the base, then the final side sewn.  While the stitching on the sides wasn't too bad it definitely needed something to tidy it up, so I glued ric-rac down the side seams.   I was disappointed with the top, as I mounted the top embroidery on an inner piece made from the lining fabric.  This lining fabric just didn't look right with the rest of the outer box, so I added ricrac around the embroidery to conceal the lining fabric.

If anyone is interested in more information, I got the idea from Janet Grangers blog

A further update on HAED cross stitch Mini Intermission. Page 6 completed.

I bought a cheap "lucky dip" packet from my local fabric store.  It had lots of wonderful material and a huge piece of purple polka dots.  Luckily purple is my favourite colour.  As I'm setting up a craft room I'm using this purple fabric to decorate with.  I made this cute little owl and pincushion jar.  She has a little yellow apron on in front with pockets for storing sewing bits and bobs.  I stitched the wings together to create extra storage space.  She now sits on my sewing desk holding pens, scissors, etc.  I made a pincushion on top of an old coffee jar, trimmed with matching purple ribbon.

The pattern for the owl is here

I also made a sewing machine cover.  The front has an embellished picture that I found on the internet and printed.  A frame was made using a silver fabric covered in silver sequins from my mothers sewing box.  Its been in there for as long as I can remember.  I added a few silk ribbon flowers and a piece of green tulle in the top left corner.

 

 

The reverse of the sewing machine cover has an appliqued sewing machine in contrasting green fabric. When sewing this on I've sewn across the top horizontal part of the sewing machine but left the top open so it can be used as a pocket. The side panels are in the same green fabric.  The applique design is available here

I had an old corkboard.  To brighten it up I painted the frame in yellow and glued some of the polka dot fabric to it.  I added a trim of a thin purple ribbon.  I'm very pleased with it, it definitely brightens the room, instead of the drab old corkboard.  I forgot to take a photo.  Maybe next time.