A New WIP Challenge

Earlier this year I challenged the ladies in my EGA chapter to complete a WIP.  Sadly, I could not live up to the Challenge.  But, I'm bringing back the Challenge for 2016, and have not committed myself to completing too many projects.  So, I should be able to reach that goal.

First, however, I have to make a decision.  I've got three projects that I'd like to complete, but can pick only one for the WIP Challenge.  Therefore, I have put it up for a vote as to which project I shall enter into the Challenge.

#1 is a Christmas stocking titled Cats on Stairs, meant to be a companion piece to hubby's stocking, and started in 1998...

 

#2 is called Historic Countries Sampler, designed by Papillon Creations.  It was started in 2007, and measures roughly 32" X 36"...

#3 was just recently started, in 2015, and is a design by Country Cottage Needleworks, called Santa's Village.

Check back on New Year's Day to find out which one I will be working on..  I will post my progress each month!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Diane

Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future

This time of year I can't help but think about Christmases past, and always with a fondness.  I've spent Christmas in countries all around the world, especially when I was in the military.  This year I've decided to share Christmas through my needlework.

 

Christmas Past

 

Each year I make ornaments, whether they be to exchange with a stitching friend, or for family to disguise a gift card.  Unfortunately, many of the ornaments I've made have been given away without my taking a picture of them.  I get so caught up in the excitement of wrapping them up and sending them off.  But, here's a few that I've found photos of...

 

 

And, a couple other items that hang around the house this time of year...

 

 

And of course, we mustn't forget hubby's stocking!

 

 

I didn't realize that I'd stitched up so many Christmas items...

 

Christmas Present

 

This year I was determined to finish up a holiday sampler, and I found one that worked up so quickly.  This Lizzie Kate design was perfect!

 

 

It's all framed up now, and ready to take it's place with the rest of the decorations!

 

Our EGA chapter, the Chicora Stitchers, had our annual Christmas luncheon today, and the ornament exchange is always a big hit.

 

 

This is the ornament that I made, a design from Thea Dueck of Victoria Sampler.  This pattern was in the 2013 Just Cross Stitch Ornament issue, so I knew I just had to stitch it up!  Pat Callahan, our Queen of All Things Gingerbread, was the recipient.

 

 

This is the ornament that I received from Connie Hunt.  The stitching is so tiny; it's done on 18 ct. or smaller!  Beautiful stitching!!

 

I have one more ornament done for this year, but I won't be exchanging it until later on this month, so I can't share it yet...

 

Christmas Future

 

Yes, I've already got projects in progress, or WIPs (works in progress) - Surprise! Surprise!  One of them I started a few days ago, and the other I started a few years ago...

 

 

Heirloom Christmas Sampler, by Thea Dueck of Victoria Sampler...  This is only about 1/4 - 1/3 completed, and could take me still quite a bit longer to finish.  It's a stunning design, but that tree is proving to be my nemesis!!

 

 

This is the very beginning of the letter W, in what will eventually be a Welcome banner with a snowman accompanying each letter.  Stoney Creek offered this as a free pattern-of-the-month series.

 

As for other future designs for Christmas, so far I've got one other project planned (and kitted up) - Country Cottage Needlework Santa's Village.

 

It looks like 2014 is going to keep me busy!

 

Oh!  I've also got a few Halloween projects in mind, but that's an entirely different blog...

 

I hope y'all have a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays!!

 

Thanks for dropping by!

2013 Anniversary Meet with Needles 'N Crafts - Fabric House Challenge, Gift Exchange and Goodie Bag - Part Two

In Part One I told you about my contribution to this year's Needles 'N Crafts Anniversary Meet.  Now it's time to show you what I received from the other members who attended.

 

Note:  I say 'other members who attended', because technically I attended, although briefly, even though I'm in the U.S. and the Meet was held in Malaysia...  How did I accomplish this?  Via Skype!  It's become a 'tradition' over the past few years; I call the host, or one of the other members who brings a laptop to the Meet, and I get to chat with each person there!  It's been wonderful to have that one-on-one time.

The hardest part for me about the Meet is having to wait for my Gift Exchange, Challenge project, and Goodie Bag to be sent out to me.  Since the package is coming from Malaysia, there is the mailing time, as well as time spent in Customs, that I must patiently endure...  And it's agony!!  But, eventually, finally, the package arrives, the mail lady stops her truck at the end of the driveway, I tackle her, she comments on my receiving a package all the way from Malaysia, and ultimately I make my way into the house to tear the package open, and savor its contents.

 

All of this was in the box, and that's just the beginning!

 

 

Each one of these packages and bags had yet to be opened... sigh...

 

My Gift Exchange/Fabric House Challenge partner was Usha!

 

 

She'd cricheted a doily, and a pincushion with matching house needlebook.  I love the pineapple pattern on the doily, and the colors on everything are so vibrant!  Thank you Usha!!

 

Sabariah sent all these goodies, souvenirs from a recent trip to Turkey:

 

 

Thank you Sabariah!

 

Radha made a nice soft scarf using hairpin lace crochet:

 

 

Thank you Radha!

 

Faizon sent these beautiful batik paintings:

 

 

I must consult with my framer how best to show these off!  Thank you Radha!

 

Nik sent me a needlebook with matching drawstring purse, and a gorgeous red caftan:

 

  

 

Thank you so much, Nik!

 

MW sent me some green tea that her son had gotten during a trip to China:

 

 

I made a small pot of tea, pulled out one of my small teacups, albeit a Japanese teacup, sat back and enjoyed a nice cuppa!  Thanks MW!

 

Then it was time to lay out all of the items from the Goodie Bag...

 

 

Radha made a biscornu for each one us, based on our likes and tastes, Sally made a heart-shaped origami box with several more hearts inside.  There were a few items that were house themed, like the keychain from Bee Ee, a package of buttons with a house, a postcard that was hand painted with a house on it, pincushion, the house tape measuring kit that I'd contributed, and even some candy!

 

I've already eaten the Milky Way candy bar that was included, and I think it tastes better than the American version.  It tasted like it had more cocoa in it... even hubby liked it better than what we get here.

 

This was like Christmas in May!  The creativity of our members is just amazing!

 

Some other blogs that you can check out about the 2013 Anniversary Meet:

Shanny

Sally

 

I'll edit this list as I get links from other members on their blogs...

 

I'm already looking forward to next year... and at the same time dreading what MW will come up with for the Challenge project, lol!!

 

The next Exchange on the 'roster'...??  A pincushion exchange!  I'm off to go do some more stitching on that now.  Who's my partner?  Sorry, you'll have to wait for me to blog on that later this year as it's a secret who my partner is...

 

Thanks for dropping by!

2013 Anniversary Meet with Needles 'N Crafts - Fabric House Challenge, Gift Exchange and Goodie Bag - Part One

One of the things that I love about the Yahoo! group Needles 'N Crafts is the exchange part of the group, and the exchanges are also my excuse for not blogging very often!

 

This year's Anniversary Meet Exchange was no exception.  It definitely kept me busy for several months.  Not just the stitching and sewing part, but pondering what to make, how to make it, and then the finishing after the stitching is done.

 

You see, MW gives us a challenge project each year, based on a 'theme'.  Now, while it seems that this should be an easy challenge, well... it is just that... a challenge!  One year the theme was hearts, another year... birds.  This year's theme was 'house'.  It had to be three dimensional, made out of fabric, not so tiny as to be the size of a thimble, but not so big as to be an actual house that you could move into (there is shipping to be considered, after all).

 

And there is also the Gift Exchange, a handmade item given to whoever's name is drawn to receive your gift.  That person also receives the challenge project made by you...

 

So, I pondered for a while, I searched online for a few weeks, questioned my choices several times, and finally started the stitching.

For the Gift Exchange, I found this pattern online, for free:

 



I decided to make a fabric book cover, using an online tutorial that I'd found during my search, and this is the result:

 

 

For my Fabric House Challenge project, I decided on this tutorial:

 

http://uklassinus.blogspot.com/2008/08/fabric-dollhouse-tutorial.html

 

and this is the result:

 

 

 

Vivian received my Gift Exchange and Fabric House Challenge project this year, and I've been told that her 3-year-old daughter has taken ownership of the house!  She even carried it, very carefully, all the way home after the Meet.  Too cute!

 

Another part of the Anniversary Meet is the Goodie Bag!  I LOVE to contribute to this, because I get so many interesting items in return!!  The creativity of this group spills over into the Goodie Bag.  One of the requirements for receiving the Goodie Bag is that you must contribute enough items to be put into ALL the Goodie Bags, so that each member receives something in their bag.

 

In keeping with the house theme, I decided on a house measuring tape, a pattern from Patchwork Pottery:

 

http://patchworkpottery.bigcartel.com/product/house-tape-measure

 

I assembled the house halves:

 

 

and made up kits for everyone to finish up.  I did not include instructions, as this would have violated the copyrights of Patchwork Pottery.  Instead, MW gave a quick class at the Meet on how to finish them, and everyone had to take their own notes.

 

Nik embroidered 'NNC 6th Anniversary' on the back half of the house.  Thank you Nik!  And MW put in the tape measures (saved a teensy bit on the shipping...) and batting.  Thank you MW!

 

I've yet to complete my house tape measure, but several of the members have finished theirs.  You can see one of them here.

 

Well, thanks for dropping by, and I should have Part Two up later today, hopefully...

 

 





The Other Side

The Other Side of the Postage Stamp Quilt A-long

As soon as I finished the front side of the Red White and Bold PSQAL, I was determined that I was done, I was not going to do anything for the reverse side of it except a solid piece of fabric. Yeah! Right! I woke up the next morning with ideas for the back.

So, I went through the fabrics that I had from the Red White and Bold line, and decided to do 5.5" blocks of solid red, solid white, and solid blue squares, with a blue border. I went into one of my cross stitch software programs, and designed up the quilt. Then on Tuesday I cut out the squares, and got them into piles by rows.

The squares are all cut...

I've got a pattern to go by...

The rows are all ready for sewing...

 

Wednesday morning I went into the craft room, determined to finish up the back, and this is the final result: 

Thursday morning I took both tops to the quilter, along with some of the red fabric for the binding. Funny thing is, what I thought was going to be the front is now going to be the back... Why? you ask... Since this quilt is going to a 14 year old boy, we asked a gentleman, who was waiting for his wife browsing at the quilt shop, to help us decide which would be the top or the back. This was his choice, and my hubby's choice the night before!

Pat, who owns Quilter's Cottage in Surfside, does my quilting for me. I've asked her to do big stars and little stars, using a red, white, and blue overdyed quilting thread. We had to make a decision on the front of the quilt so that she would know which side to do the quilting on. The stars will also show up better on the bolder side.

I can't wait to get it back to see what magic she has worked on it!!

The Other Side of the world, where the Needles N Crafts online group is based, has produced another exchange, this time a pincushion exchange. Vivian was in charge of this exchange, giving us our partners. I had Vivian, and Nik had me!

Now, what is more American than pie??!!?? So, I crafted a blueberry pie for Vivian. Her daughter must've been hungry:

  

Isn't she a sweetie?!?!?!

I added a few other items in...

 Today I received my pincushion from Nik:

It looks like a big flower!

Nik also sent a pearl brooch and a bag kit...

Included in the package was a pearl brooch (I wonder if those are real Sabah pearls and diamonds... lol) and a kit to make a felt bag. Good thing the instructions have pictures, because the directions are in Malay! I'd better get out my Malay to English dictionary, or type the Malay into Google Translator!!

So, now I'm off to stitch on the Blackbird Designs Stitch-along that MW and I are doing, and I have two Christmas ornaments do stitch up also...

Thanks for dropping by!

Red White and Bold Postage Stamp Quilt

Finally!  1200 blocks later, each one a 2.5" square... the top is done!!  At first, hubby and I had some serious doubts about how this would turn out...  After all, I was using the most wild and funky print that I could find... Okay, maybe not THE most funky print that's out there, but this print is OUT THERE, if you know what I mean, lol.  Kind of reminiscent of a dress that I wore in the late 60s/early 70s (Hey! I was just entering my teens then, and everybody was into the flower power thing, lol)

a sampling of funky prints

I'm pretty sure I had a dress like the print on the left!

I started the evening with a pile of blocks:

These were all 25 Patch blocks, 48 of them...  About 7 hours later, this is the end result:

So what's next??  Well, if you'd asked me last night, I would've said just a solid piece of solid colored fabric for the back.  Of course, I woke up this morning thinking about something different for the back, like another quilt top!!  Perhaps solid red, white and blue 5.5" blocks...  After all, it would only take 192 of them...

You know what!?!?  I think I'm going to head off to Melanie's for a Stitch & Bitch session... I have some needlework to catch up on!

Thanks for dropping by!

Postage Stamp Quilt Progress - June

Whew! Have I been busy, busy, busy!!  Jelly roll strips have been paired up, sewn together, and now I've got a LOT of cutting to do.  Well, to be truthful, I'm just one quilt behind... Let the pictures show you what I'm talking about...

This is what 240 strips look like - that's six jelly rolls, two per quilt.  Some of them are already paired and sewn, but not yet ironed open, and some are ironed.

After sewing up pairs of strips, then I had to sew two of those pairs together, plus a third strip of either a solid or a print.  This is from the 'Red, White & Bold' collection by Sandy Gervais, Moda Fabrics.

Here's a few pictures of some strip sets sewn together:

 

  

 

Two nights ago I'd hoped to finish sewing up the strip sets for the 'Dogwood Trail' quilt, but as I was getting the first two together, the sky was darkening.

 

Since I was sitting in the corner by two windows, I decided to turn off the sewing machine and start cutting rows out of 'Red, White & Bold'.

Last night I finished sewing up the strip sets for 'Dogwood Trail', and got them all ironed out, ready for cutting.  This fabric is also from Moda, from Sentimental Studios.  The colors are not really to my own liking, but I fell in love with the fabric design anyway.  Don't know why....

Matching up strip sets for 'Dogwood Trail'

Two quilts ready for cutting...

And finally, today I matched up the third quilt, 'A Morris Garden' (Barbara Brackman, Moda), into strip sets...

Now I'm off to go sew these up.  Then it's LOTS and LOTS of cutting.  Each strip set yields 17 rows, 16 strip sets per quilt, 3 quilts... 816 rows...  Here I come!!!

See you on the other side of all those rows!  Thanks for dropping by...