This year I enlarged our veggie garden quite a bit and after a rather rocky beginning, this is sort of what it looks like now!!
Then, one day while climbing thru the forest of leaves I can upon this monster! This pic was several days ago, 
It was measuring about 14 inches then..... and i've just discovered a cousin across the patch that is 15 inches! Pink Banana Squash.....shoulda read the package closer. Typical size is....well....what I have... typical weight... 10 to 15 pounds!!! OUCH!!!!! THAT'S a LOT of squash! LOL!!! Now i'll have to figure out a way to store it for gradual use! Boy....looking a little bit like squash cakes, cookies, soups, bread, noodles....ummmm.... any ideas??? LOL!!!
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Tomatoes, pumpkins and squash, OH MY!!!
Thank YOU!
Ohhhhh, myyyyyy!!! I am so humbled and speechless. I had no idea.... Thank you Jo and Hideko for thinking of me. So very sweet and I do VERY much appreciate it. It came at a time that I was needing a bit of a boost and thank you so much!!!
This award will be awarded to those that are just nice people, good blog friends and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration! Those that care about others that are there to lend support or those that are just a positive influence in our blogging world!
Now, I have to nominate which is terribly difficult as there are so many I don't know where to begin.... soooo, I guess i'll start with JO, Hideko, Judi (new on the CQI scene and fast becoming a friend), LouAnne, Mary Frances, Melissa and Jackie Y.....
That's just a bare beginning i'm afraid! THere are a bunch of other wonderful folks out there that have supported, helped, be-friended and in general cared ..... Pat, Clairee, Janet, Lauri, Susan.....just to name a few more! Thank you all ever so much for all you do and for absolutely MAKING my day!!
Hugs...Leslie
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Late Night Musings and Charity
Today, I read on Gail's blog.... Big Horn Mountain Creations - quilting and crafts, about her disappointment with not being able to effectively sell her wares. I want to first say that I really understand where she is coming from! It hurts to hear that something you have worked so hard on is of little dollar value to someone. That said, I believe its symptomatic of the economy, which here in the West is rather tight AND its really important to display our creations in the correct venue. The audience and timing is everything. So.... Gail.... Please hang in there and keep at it! You WILL find your niche and things will work out! Just keep up the faith in yourself and your abilities! It takes time to develop everything! This is an issue I have struggled with for quite awhile, even within my commercial embroidery business as well. Theres always someone out there willing to sell "themselves" for less than you. I have actually done that occassionally just to keep the machine going, but have rather evolved past that of late because the customers themselves are more demanding than the little bit of money I get EVER begins to be worth. It skews the pricing for other embroiders too which defeats the purpose of being in business. So, I fired one of them this week.... graciously....but they have moved on and I can't say i'm sad about it. It frees me up to do what I need to do creatively!
I "think" i'm evolving into what I am meant to be doing, which is using more of my creativity in special projects for folks rather than the run of the mill, 100 shirts with the same logo embroidered on them. I am content to puddle along and experiment with new things as money allows. I'm challenging myself with new ways of doing things and operating under the "pay it forward" type philosophy. Its been amazing what comes back! It feels SOOO good to give of yourself with no expectations.
With that in mind, I have headed up a project for mini quiltlets to be made into a wall hanging for the brain cancer ward of the Childrens Hospital. Why this specific choice? Well, i've been working with a friend for the last several years who participates in the "Ride For Kids". This charity is for children that have been diagnosed with brain cancer. This year, she collected over $11,000.00!!! WOW!!! I am soooooo impressed! And... she said that she is actually seeing that the donations are making a difference for the kids. Many are now in remission and finally enjoying better lives! As a result, I thought that it would be a nice treat for these kids to have a visual wonderland to look at and perhaps help take their minds briefly off their pain and the treatments they are under going and came up with this idea. At first I wanted to be able to give a quiltlet to each child, :(not dissimilar to what Pat Winters wanted to do with her Comfort Doll project) but that would restrict what we are able to put on them, so the project morphed into a wall hanging. Each quiltlet will be attached to the others with free standing fish i'll embroider on my machine. Sounds fun, I think!!! Anywhoo, I would like to invite anyone who might be interested in making one to join in! The theme is Under The Sea. 
These are my two nekkid blocks that will be formed into quiltlets. If you are interested in perhaps joining in...please let me know and I will HAPPILY send you the guidelines. Dependent on the response, I may extend the deadline that is currently set for September 30. Heck, if this goes well, maybe we'll make this an on going project and donate wall hangings to other Childrens Hospitals! The more quiltlets created in love for these courageous kids the better!! I can't WAIT to see their smiles when its delivered!! Thanks for reading and listening. Off I go to get some things done!!
Its In My Bag swap project
This is the first time that I have participated in the Its In My Bag Swap! It was interesting....even tho I stressed a bit. You see, i'm not a planner. If I get an idea I sort of dive in and work things out as I go. Now, had I planned this would have been a bit less challenging, BUT I learned a lot and truly hope that Clairee enjoys her purse. I am NOT a great seamstress and Clairee is, sooo, i'm still waiting to hear her scream!!! LOL!!! Seriously tho, I am over all pretty pleased with it and am THRILLED to be able to finally show it!!!The front of the bag, pictured above, is fabric manipulation techniques. I created some mountains for her to enjoy with some flowers of ALL kinds tucked in at the base. There are some SRE, some brazilian and some basic embroidered flowers there. Along with another mongram for her enjoyment. I added her charms up at the top. The flap closure has more lace embroidered onto it and the inside is completely lined with a zippered pocket in the middle separating the purse into two sections.
This is the back of the purse. I decided to make it more flat so it would withstand brushing up against her body. There were furry fibers included in the baggie so I decided to play around a bit and VOILA, a willow emerged from the fibers!!! Theres a little nest on one of the limbs with some eggs and a bird I made out of fimo to match the purse. I also added her monogram and a pansy....i'm suspicious that she likes pansies! LOL!! You can just see the handle at the top. I machine embroidered some lace patterns on it to give it some extra zing! Next challenge will be to make some of that free standing to put on some blocks!
These are some extra goodies I added for Clairee. I made an ultrasuede pansy pin with picot beaded edging on it. I also sent along some of the fimo doo dads that I had made...the top one is made into a pin as well. Sooooo.....another project bites the dust! LOL!!! On to the next adventure!!!
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
You Are Sunrise!
| You Are Sunrise |
 You enjoy living a slow, fulfilling life. You enjoy living every moment, no matter how ordinary. You are a person of reflection and meditation. You start and end every day by looking inward. Caring and giving, you enjoy making people happy. You're often cooking for friends or buying them gifts. All in all, you know how to love life for what it is - not for how it should be. |
Monday, August 06, 2007
SBDYB Bonnie
This is Bonnies block from the Summer Breeze round robin. Funky button and bead flowers, a cabbage rose (beaded)... her initial....and the design outlined with beads on the lower corner. The fan is from Carole Samples book...and then the herringbone cretan stitch combos at the top. Hope ya like it Bonnie!!
seasontoseason block
This is my nekkid block for a swap that I joined! A little funky.....but... kind of like me, I guess!!! LOL!!! I have to embroider half, send it off and then someone else will embroidery the other half and send it back! Should be interesting, eh? Mooooorrrreeee later!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
BB coat epaulet
Not a great pic, but I couldn't fight with this coat anymore! LOL!! This is a colonel epaulet. This was machine embroidered then hand stitched onto the leather.
BB coat 2
This is a full jacket back on the same deer skin jacket! I spent a goodly amount of time digitizing a bit of this one....had it at the size the owner said they wanted it at UNTIL they brought it to me....then it changed! LOL!!! Good heavens! Anyway, I will sposedly be doing the beaded version of this jacket, eagle, buffalo, vines, epaulets and all before too long. I just hope it isn't the finished jacket WITH Fringe. Ughhhh.... stuff is a bit difficult to maneuver around! Enought fussing! Off to post a final pic! VBG!
Buffalo Bill Coat
PHEW!!!! Another project done!!! Pics aren't great....taken at ohhhh twelve hundred A.M!!!! This is a deer skin coat WITH fringe.... that was left with me to embroider last friday afternoon! I had to create the flower vines, re-size and make corrections on the buffalo then hold my breath while this things stitched. I don't "think" i've bought myself a jacket yet! BUT....haven't heard from the owner sooooo...STILL holding my breath! LOL! Now, keep in mind, NO design on this jacket is under 20,000 stitches and my machine stitches at a standard 800 stitches per minute. This doesn't take into account for thread changes, breaks, needle changes.... and I have a commercial machine!!! Good HEAVENS I couldn't imagine trying this on a home machine!!! NOT a slam against em.... just couldn't imagine the hourse that would take cuz this took me the whole weekend!!! Tis done tho! YEAHHHH!!!
I have SOOOO got to research and get more designs pre-digitized so I don't have this madness again! Regardless....I think it looks good. Just hoping for kudoos from the owner! G
Friday, July 20, 2007
Hideko's Sampler blocks
Another rr I am participating in, is the Sampler rr! We were asked to create 2 eight inch blocks with loooooonnngggg seams! So we would have plenty of room to practice! I was the first in line and had the herringbone, with the optional detached chain stitch! Watch this spot. I have to get the ol 'puter to cooperate and i'll get closeups loaded for everyone to see! Anywhoo....another one done. Off to embroidery for my re-enactor friends....again....on their deerskin full length jacket. NOOOOOO room for screw up there......sooooo, wish me luck!!!!
SBDYB Jakkie
Second block done in the DYB round robin! This one is for Jakkie! I had a bit of a brain blank and FINALLY at oh zero hundred in the night inspiration came! LOL!! I had some dyed rococo braid that made the foundation of the arbor, the I added sre leaves and roses. Next to that is the sre magnolia tree with beaded flowers and the the wisteria on top. I beaded a cabbage rose up above, and the used a bead treatment to pull out the rose on the other patch that is held down with the herring bone, ribbon woven thru, sequin flowers and then beaded the roses on the lace. I hope she likes it!
Friday, July 13, 2007
Evolution of design cont......
This is the final panel! These are ALL off to their owner for construction now! I hope to get a pic of the completed costume!! I did my best o replicate the original design so that the costume will be authentic. Think I succeeded?
Evolution of design cont.
Almost done! This is one of the panels for the skirt. This is a combination of machine embroidery and hand embroidery! Again, the fabric had to be backed to control the stretch. Approximately 80 hours has been spent in design, digitizing and embroidering this costume.
Evolution of design cont
This is the gaitors. They top gloves in the western costumes....I rather thought that they were cuffs for the jacket. Regardless, they are also entirely hand embroidered with rayon. Thankfully the owner is pleased!
Evolution of design cont
Here is a pic of the collar. This was entirely hand embroidered. The material is a stretch gabardine which was a challenge for me, so I fused a light weight webbing to the fabric to stabilize it. All of the embroidery is done with rayon.
Evolution of design cont.
This is the designs. Hand drawn onto a plastic film that I then placed onto a light box to trace onto the panels.
Evolution of a design
As many have read here, I do a lot of embroidery for a friend that is heavily involved in character re-enactment. The latest project I completed for her is DONE!!! YIPPEEE!!!! I took this pic and then designed the panels on the skirt, collar and gaitors.
Koda
I FINALLLLLLYYYY got this little imp to sit still long enough AWAY from the tree to get a good pic! You'd never know, to look at him that he could wreak such havoc! LOL!!! He brought home kennel cough that swept the house. Thank heavens everyone is finally feeling better!!! After supporting the drug companies for all the antibiotics! LOL!!! He's cute....and DEFINATELY allllll puppy!!! Gooood grief I forgot how busy they can be! LOL!!!
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
New kid on the block!
Looooookkkkk out!!! Here he comes!!! Kona.....THE PESTTTT DOG!!!! LOL!!!! Here's our recent addition.... another "rescue" dog from the pound! All of.... or so they said... 6 months old! ALL energy, pestiness and cute, cute, cute! Still chooses whether or not he'll respond to his name, is ornerier than all get out, but has all the makings of a lover dog! Course.... what four legged doesn't love? I'm sure there will be more pics to come as he continues to grow into those mammoth feet! VBG!!!
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Buffalo vest 2
Ok.... last post for the day.... prolly for a WHILE! LOL!!! Goodness.... i'm on a binge it seems! VBG! This is for my friends husband who plays Buffalo Bill. I was really challenged to find the right colors to work on black but stay true to a buffalo. Think I did ok tho. Hope he likes it!
Buffalo Vest 1
I've posted some things that i've done before. I do some work for a couple of re-enactors (western history buffs). Anywhoo, this is one buffalo I just stitched for them on a vest. Its to be a giftie for one of their dear friends. Came out pretty well I think!
New project launched!
This is the beginnings of project I WILL finish! LOL!!! Actually I will because of what if means to me. This is a center diamond that will act as the medallion of a small quilt. The surrounding cq blocks that I will attach will all have scans of leaves, trees, etc. This is The Forest Within. I did a TON of fabric manipulation here and am now in the process of beadingand embroidering this baby. In the upper section you will see a clump of beads...well, its a poppy that worked GREAT for the sunset and i'm seeing the flower IN the sunset so i'm playing that up. Makes no sense probbly, but its where my brain went, so there you have it! LOL!! Mountains are figuring largely in my work these days. They are a part of my soul as I was born here in Colorado. More updates as progress is made! Enjoy!
Spirit of Friendship doll 3
Look at this little gem!!! Linda in NY from CQI made her and I HAD to have her. (I was the swap mama.... hehehehe.... ) Isn't She great?? The face is drawn by hand! I keep looking at it and looking at it....just amazed at the talen. All the stitching as with Jo's and Hidekos is eensy weensy and WONDERFUL!!! Sooo, i've taken the leap and have entered another swap due to complete before Christmas! Ohhhhh myyyy...I just can't wait to see the gems that come out of this one!
Spirit of Friendship doll 2
I was a part of a doll swap over at CQI. This gem is from Hideko!! Isn't she wondrous??? Hideko has SUCH a knack with her marvelous silks and wonderful stitching! All my girls are hanging out with me, acting a my "muses"! I love them all!
Spirit of Friendship doll
I just LOVE this little gem! She is a giftie from my fellow group owner, Jo over at CQI. I just adore all the teensy vineys ad leaves and the intricate stitching! She is WONDERFUL and I will treasure her always! Thank you JO!!!
sampler blocks
Another rr entered, 2 more blocks ready to rock and roll!!! This one is alllll about stitch variations so I tried to make some longer seams! Should be fun to see what comes home!
Creativity Strikes Again!!!
I'm on an inner journey trying to explore and "find" what my purpose is. Expressing myself is a big part of that. I'm trying to figure out what i'm good at and develop it. I LOVE nature and find much to stitch about by just walking out into my garden! I am intrigued with textures and colors and love to see how the plants all blend together into one harmonious symphony of color! I often find myself looking at things differently. Through a different set of glasses as it were. I'm in a more creative mode and I "see" faces or flowers or animals in the swirls of plaster on the wall, horses chasing the wind in the clouds. The colors of a flower share the emotion of their incredible ability to burst with life! Does anyone else see things this way? Anyway.... through all this rambling, I came across a blurb I had saved that was given to me bya friend. I thought that i'd share it. Its a great way to help get past a block and unleash all that talent stored up inside! I especially like trying to draw with my non-dominant hand! WOW!!! The things you can discover about yourself! LOL!! Have fun!!
10 Ways to Cultivate Creativity: A WildChild Primer for Kids of All Ages
1. Color. Buy crayons and a coloring book, and purposefully,intentionally, color outside the lines. Scribble, break the crayons in half,smash them into the page. Write in the margins how it feels to break therules.
2. Spend some time thinking about what you loved as a child. Whatcolors, clothes, games, toys, activities, dreams do you enjoy? Which arecurrently in your life? Which have you not seen or enjoyed in years? Make aplan to rekindle some of your childhood loves in your daily life, today.
3. Create with your body. Take a break from the gym and work out at alocal playground. Playing hopscotch, pumping legs on the swings and climbingjungle gyms aren't just for kids! Or try gardening or hiking to cultivate akid-like connection with nature.
4. Draw your goal. Grab some crayons, markers or colored pencils.Imagine a goal that you'd like to meet, and draw a picture of what it willlook like when you've reached this goal. Make it detailed, vivid andkid-like! This isn't about drawing skills - it's about representing a visionin a fun and uninhibited way. When you're done, hold it up proudly and sayout loud, "I DID THIS!" Tape it to your refrigerator!
5. Make a set of "trading cards." Cut out images that you love fromcatalogs, magazines or greeting cards. Focus on images that make you feelfull, alive and truly happy. Glue these images, collage-style, to an olddeck of playing cards. This is a project you can work on a little bit at atime until you have a whole deck of cards that inspire you to dream big andlive your fullest life! Don't forget to collage the outside of the pack!
6. Redecorate, kid-style. Walk through your living space and find areas- even small ones - that could use some Wild Child whimsy. Maybe achildren's book belongs with the serious coffee table books. Maybepipe-cleaner flowers belong in a vase on a kitchen shelf. Find corners wherea little smile goes a long way.
7. Imagine new pictures. Find an image from a magazine and tear it out.Place it on a flat surface and turn it upside down. Try to find an image,activity or story in the lines and spaces of the upside-down image. Ifyou're having trouble seeing anything, ask, "If I were a child, what might Isee in this picture?" Doodle with markers and pens to expand on andilluminate your image. Add words, if you are drawn to do so.
8. Write your to-do list on poster boards taped to a wall. Write withmarkers, and with your non-dominant hand (or put the marker in your fist andmake broad, childlike strokes). On one poster, write a list of things youneed to DO. On the other, write a list of things you dream to BE. Movebetween the two, allowing a free-flowing relationship to develop betweenthem. What do you learn about yourself and your priorities?
9. Find a board or card game from your childhood and change the rules.What if CLUE became a game about decorating rooms in Fun House style? Whatif Twister was a massive canvas for art? What if chess pieces were purple,pink and polka-dotted and the game was about cooperation instead ofcompetition? If possible, alter the actual game board and pieces tocelebrate your rebellion against the rules. If that's not possible, writeabout your new rules in a journal.
10. Go on a nature walk with child's eyes. Challenge yourself to makeeach of your senses more open and aware, in the way that a child takes inthe world. Gather interesting leaves, rocks or little flowers. Bring themhome and arrange them to create your own little nature shrine.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
20 yr project bites the dust
Not a huge project. Nor an elaborate one. BUT, it IS now complete!!! LOL!!! It only took twenty years, but is now awaiting its frame (specially made by hubby) the at long last to be hung with pleasure after so long in the dark depths of the UFO drawer! I'm just tickled a bit of progress has been made. Now to continue with that and get some others taken care of!
chocolate quilt
I posted a month or so ago about having to help one of my "buddies" over rainbow bridge. My heart has been so sad and there are soooo many ways that I have been seeing that he was such a part of our lives and now there is large void. I HAD to do something for his memory. He was such a special boy!! So, I decided to make a small wall hanging with pics that we had over the years. My....THAT was hard. Now, i've decided that I ought to probably add ALL of his friends that have been with him over the years and will probably have to "grow" this block. That's ok. He's worth it. This project of scanning the pics and sewing them down...and now embellishing the paches has soothed me and helped me heal a bit. More on this project as it moves along.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Summer Breeze rr block
Here we are!! I have completed my work on Jo's block for the Summer Breeze DYB rr!!! I cannot for the LIFE of me get it to load over at yahoo. Sigh... anywhoo, I'm hoping that she likes it! Got an eensy little BEE, some vintage buttons from grandma's button box, some sunflowers that are thread painted and beaded, Miscellaneous seam variations...and... of course, beads! Enjoy Jo!!!
Friday, May 25, 2007
Summer Breeze Blocks - Again!!!
Well, yahoo is not cooperating in letting me post to the groups, so I will try here to at least let others in my group see the replacement blocks! Goodness!! Here's hoping that this works AND that the first batch of blocks shows up!
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Creativity and where it comes from?
I have been doing quite a bit of review of me and life and all that jazz lately.... and because i'm in the middle of a couple of large projects, I have pondered on where the ideas and inspirations come from. For me, I feel like I have to almost "forget" about what i'm working on and then, what turns out to be a super idea, comes into my mind! Rather a "zen meditation" type of thing I think. LOL!! Regardless, I find that when I can relax and play in my garden or cavort with my fur kids (aka, throw the ball
Along with wondering "where"creativity comes from, I have wondered how some things in our lives that occur also impact our ability to think or create more freely? I had a serious fall four years ago that resulted in two back surgeries that have left me with needing to take meds to control constant pain, a numb leg, arm pain and a life that has been significantly altered. I cannot sit at the computer the way I used to be able to (like to surf the wonderful blogs, etc.) as it causes even more problems and I cannot type well due to losing feeling in my hands. Why am I bringing this up? NOT to garner sympathy or whine!!! I truy wonder how has this impacted my creativity? I did not participate in rr's much prior to this injury. I was busy trying to bring a commercial embroidery business online. Now... well, the business is basically gone BUT I have fallen in LOVE with my hand embroidery and been able to explore forms of expression I may not have "seen" for a considerably longer time. The injury has helped me focus on what I really feel I want to do and to express parts of myself that have longed to be seen. So, it's been a positive experience in a lot of ways. I am quite a bit slower at things now, than I was. BUT, everything I do has meaning and thought behind it. I can't seem to stitch any other way. I just find that interesting, as I look at the incredible talent out in the world of cq. Where does inspiration come from for others? How do they create? Why???
I wonder....
CQI Spirit of Friendship Dolls
As I mentioned in my previous post, I have been involved in a Spirit of Friendship doll swap! As the honorary host of this swap AND of all these lovely creatures, I have gotten to ohhhhh and ahhhhh over them as they flew in! I have ALSO lost sleep as these little lovlies have been quite verbous and have been having quite the party!!! LOL!!! OHHHHH, the tales they will have to tell!!
Enjoy everyone! There are some real gems here! :_))
Spirit of Friendship Dolls
Over at my most favorite group, we have been having a
I had a lot of fun with this swap and will be trying to make some more in the not so distant future I think. I certainly learned a bit too! I sooooo envy those talented ladies that create some of these AWESME dolls out there... like Stephanie Nowatski (sp?).
This is my bear that has a beaded, ruffled edge, embroidery and beading on both front and back. I hope my swap "sis" enjoys her!
And last but not least, is my "Tree" friendship doll!!!!! LOTS of beading, a hand created "wood" face and embroidery!! Enjoy!!!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
7 ThingsMeme
AWCKKK!!! I've just been Tagged! LOL!!! Boskez just tagged me for the 7 Things Meme..... nowwww...... what to say? LOL!!!
Ok....
1. LOVE critters
2. Crazy bout cq
3. Have a commercial embroidery biz
4. Love gardening even though I don't remember the flower names all the time! LOL!!
5. A bit sad, but just lost my first "son" who was twelve and half. What a great pup he was!!!
6. Love snow, not cold....Love sun, not heat!!
7. Love the mountains, ocean and TREESSSS!!!!
A bit more than you wanted to know maybe. Now.... I will have to go figure out who to tag and come back here! :_)
Link
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Closing of a chapter
Stitching is one of the many parts of my life. As are my dogs. Four legged pampered kids! :_) They bring such joy to my life and many smiles. They have also quietly shared much sadness without question. Today we had to help our beloved "Chocolate Chip" (VERY aptly named as he adored chocolate!!) over Rainbow Bridge. My heart is breaking and his brother and sisters are missing him sorely, but he is out of pain and hopefolly trotting thru the fields and around the mountains that he loved to explore. I will miss you terribly sweet boy.....
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Leaf Tutorial
Over at one of my favorite groups, CQI, there has been discussion on how to make fly leaf and feather stitch leaves. I made a stitched sample of both and sent them off to a friend in need and then thought I would post a little graphic version of how to make these leaves for everyone here! Sooo, here we go!
First it is easier if you draw an approximation of the shape of the leaf that you would like to fill. It simply helps with locating your stitches more evenly. The first graphic is the fly stitch. You will bring your needle to the top of the fabric at A then down at B. Leaving the thread loose, come at C and catch the loop of thread, and go back down close to the same location you came up at, at C. I tend to work left to right with my fly stitch. If you work from right to left, please just flip flop the directions! Next, come up at D, just above A and repeat the stitch again. When you take the needle back down after catching the loop, try to place the straight stitch as close as possible in the joint of the previous stitch. Continue filling your leaf in the manner. Remember that as you draw closer to the tip, the stitches will be closer together. When you have filled the leaf with enough fly stitches, you can either complete the tip with a single long straight stitch as I have done in this example or you can place a small fly stitch with the two tips virtually side by side in the space. Totally up to you and the effect you would like to see! Another option is to place a bullion stitch at the tip for a bit of dimension!
Next, is the feather stitch leaf! Again, for an easier time, it is best to draw the shape of the leaf that you want to work in until you have become accustomed to creating the leaves. It actually is very similar to the fly stitch except the stitch that catches the loop is set at an angle and begins the next leg of the stitch. So, bring your needle up at A and down at B, being sure to leave the thread slack. Also, with this stitch, we are starting at the top of the leaf, not the bottom so place your two legs more closely together, making a smaller stitch and progressively grow your stitches as you reach the middle. Then you will reverse the process to complete the bottom. Come back up at C, catch your loop and proceed to the left to take your needle back down at D which will be parallel with the joint of the stitch, but set to the side enough to create a separate stitch. Leaving the thread slack, come back up at E, catching your loop and moving over to the right to place your thread just as you did for the previous stitch. Continue to fill the leaf until you are content with how it looks. If you prefer, you can place a small straight stitch on the bottom stitch to extend the stem and create a more life like appearance.
This is a fairly brief explanation. If any one has questions that I can answer,I would be more than happy to help at any time! Enjoy!!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Windsong DYBrr, Cher
This is the final block in the Windsong round robin. Cher choose such wonderful peachy colors and I tried to stay within that color range. I added some seam variation that I then beaded, a bit of a buton trail, a "fan" made out of an earring finding and a beaded cabbage rose with beaded fly stitch leaves and beaded feather stitched greenery! Enjoy!
TradeWinds DYB rr, Jo
This is another block that I stitched on for Jo in the Tradewinds round robin. I wound up being a "stitch angel"! LOL!!! On this one I tried to give her more of a flavor of Colorado. There is a small mountain scene on the upper left wit a beaded reflection of the sunset. I put some lilac and Colorado columbine in the lower right corner, a pinyon pine tree in the center and a pine cone and needles off to the right. The seam treatments are varied , but pretty much my standard. One day i'll get caught up enough to go back and do some exploration with TAST! I also added a butterfly motif and complimented it with beading.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Ramblings....
I'm not one to typically sit down and chronicle.... I just meander around in my head, checking out a myriad of paths and thoughts. I've been working on one though for several days (it originated from reading a blog of another cqer) and decided that its just plain screaming at me to be physically expressed.... SOMEWHERE! So, I chose here! Who knows, might start a new trend for myself! LOL! I am going to refrain from "pointing" to the post of my cyber friend. I don't know all of her story, but I do feel her pain and disappointment. I too have had that experience and am trying to find ways to help deflect further negative experiences from happening if possible.
I LOVE crazy quilting!!! It is the best overall way to express EVERYTHING that I am or could be. All kinds of "art" processes are used and many, many more are just coming into being as TONS of creative folks explore textiles and its assorted mediums. There are a bunch of online groups, such as those at Yahoo groups and Quiltropolis, that help support the addictions that go along with this form of creative expression....and within those groups are sub groups of folks that participate in what is called a round robin.
What is a round robin? It is an activity where a person creates one or six cq blocks. That block(s) is then mailed to an assigned partner within a group of 5 or 6 people. It will be stitched on by that partner, adding stitch variations, embellishments, fibers....whatever "means" they want to decorate their portion of the block. Then the block(s) are moved on to the next person in line. This is a great way to see new ideas and LOTS of creativity.
Hand in hand with this, however, comes the occassional problem and disappointment. Not everyone puts the same amount of effort into their work and at times do no more than add a button or two then send it on. The reasons for this could be as simple as they had "life" get in the way, but couldn't find a way to tell anyone about it. Maybe illness, maybe they got overwhelmed seeing all the other work being done or had too much on their plate to really be able to give the block the appropriate attention. This wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that, that person is very likely to get a wonderfully embellished block back without putting forth any true effort.
I don't know where the answer or solution to this problem really lays. I do know that we all are easily distracted and can quickly become overwhelmed with projects because there is SO much out there to learn and experiment with. I would like to encourage (whomever may pass this way) to stop for a moment, before committing to a new swap or round robin and think about everything that has to be done in your world. Maybe you will discover that the timing is just right for that particular rr and you will be able to show your best work and skills. Or... maybe you'll find that there is a little too much going on and need to wait for a different opportunity. Regardless, it is important that we ALL give our very best when sharing with one another so that disappointment or hurt feelings do not occur. Think how you feel when you get your gorgeous block home.... the excitement and wonder it creates! Lets ALL try to give that feeling back! We are, after all, Crazy Quilting Buds!!!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Trade Winds rr block for Emiko
This block is for Emiko! The last for this round robin! I really enjoyed working on this block! The colors are so soft and I can almost smell the roses! :_)) wanted to maintain the garden feel of this block so I created some vines over the blocks. I also added some seam variations from TAST (altho i'm waaaaayyyy behind there) and finally added a cameo and created some fimo flowers and a little hummingbird...to show a bit of the US/Colorado for Emiko!!! I hope that she enjoys the block! It was fun working on it!
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Art Bra Quilt Block 2
Hhere is the second block for the quilt. LOTS of sre, some beading, dimensional embroidery and stitch variations. This block is symbolic of life bursting forth on sparkling wings from a "broken" heart flying joyously to health and happiness!
Art Bra Quilt Block 1
Hi everyone!!! Goodness, I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted! I've been busy stitching and changing email addies and, and, and!
This is the first of two blocks that I did for the Art Bra Quilt project. The quilt itself will be hung in a cancer center in tribute to women and breast cancer. The theme this year was hearts and the colors were to be purple (primary) and jewel tones or victorian tones. Purple is NOT one I work with a lot so this is definately a challenge for me! :_) This particular block is a healing block. I have stitched lemon citrine and aquamarine into it along with a lot of other beads (of course)!!! On the left side I embroidered "dream", on the right side "hope" and at the bottom "life". All the blocks were to have our name and city/state or country in the bottom right corner. I have lots of stitch combos on here.... a tribute to TAST (www.inaminuteago.com) along with silk ribbon embroidery,dimensional embroidery, lace embellishment... hmmm....did I leave anything out? LOL!!! At any rate...enjoy!!!
This is the first of two blocks that I did for the Art Bra Quilt project. The quilt itself will be hung in a cancer center in tribute to women and breast cancer. The theme this year was hearts and the colors were to be purple (primary) and jewel tones or victorian tones. Purple is NOT one I work with a lot so this is definately a challenge for me! :_) This particular block is a healing block. I have stitched lemon citrine and aquamarine into it along with a lot of other beads (of course)!!! On the left side I embroidered "dream", on the right side "hope" and at the bottom "life". All the blocks were to have our name and city/state or country in the bottom right corner. I have lots of stitch combos on here.... a tribute to TAST (www.inaminuteago.com) along with silk ribbon embroidery,dimensional embroidery, lace embellishment... hmmm....did I leave anything out? LOL!!! At any rate...enjoy!!!
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