Slow Stitching - No. 037 - Home - Village

This is week 37 of K3N Cloth Tales Slow Stitching challenge.  This week was the prompt was HOME.  

I not thrilled about the location I live now - downtown in a large city. I love my apartment.

So, I decided to create my ideal home.  A small village. Starting on the north end there are railroad tracks because I love to hear the train but not too close. On the right is a paddock where horses live.  Next, south of the horses is a field of wheat. Across the road is the start of the row of houses which live along the lake. They have dark roofs. There has to be water so I can photograph birds. 

At the cross roads is a small park with a tree and flowers. East of the park is a bit of woodland. My place faces the park with a fence, flowers, a tree and a vegetable garden behind the building. East of there is a field of sunflowers. That will bring birds and pollinators.  South of my place is my neighbor with a fenced yard with a few fruit trees along the fence. 

To the west across the lane is the commercial district with a church, a library and a grocery store with a gas station. There is a large parking lot. Everything is within walking distance.  My car is parked in front of my house.  Writing about it now I realize that my house would face north west so maybe the house needs to be rotated a bit. We'll see when the plans are drawn up. 

This project was a lot of stitching but I loved creating it.  I used liquid acrylic ink to paint my roofs then stitched around them.  Trees with French Knots, parking lot with grey running stitches,bit of satin stitch for the cars in the parked there, seeds stitches in blue for the lake, green seed stitch for lawn, and on it goes. 

Card - Birthday - Sunflower

A birthday card for someone special who is coming to visit.  It's been a while and I am looking forward to it.

A bright green linen card stock base in the self closing card style. It measures 6x12 scored at 5.5 and just under 1".

I cut the Spellbinder Sunflower from 2 shades of yellow and the leaf from a deep green. The center from dark brown to which I added gold accents with watercolor metallic gold.

I cut the SU DSP to 5.5 x 5.75" then cut again at 2.5" to create a DSP Split card. I taped the 2 piece together at the back then ran a length of deep green grosgrain ribbon across the join. Then I adhered it to the card front.

I then taped the leaf to the right upper corner, then the sunflower with well placed tape then added 3D foam tape to the center and placed onto the flower.

A white insert and carrier tape on the flap.  I am using a clip on this one so she can reuse the card with a new insert. 

Love it!

Sewing Project - Laundry Room Towels

I wanted a microfiber towel in the laundry room to keep the glass lid of the washer clean and see through.

I headed to the dollar store and found a pretty patterned one and I chose grey to keep with the white laundry set.

I cut it in half and planned on just serging the raw edge.  The serger has not been used for a long time and was hidden behind tons of boxes during the renovations.

It seems it was not happy and I had to re-thread the 2 bottom thread several times before it was happy.

I serged the raw edge then serged on the twill tape hangers down to the center of each towel. 

I then hand stitched the twill hangers to the upright position and also tacked the right and left corner to the center to make it hang tall and narrow. 

Very happy with this project once things got going.

Now I can wipe it down every time I use it and the lid will stay clean.

Cards - Christmas - Self Closing

 I am carrying on making Christmas cards.  Again, these are the self closing kind which require no envelope and use up some of the 12x12 card stock I have in my stash.

For this card I used a warm green for the card base.  Cut 6 inches high and left 12 inches wide.  I then scored it at 5.5 inches then just short of 1" on the other edge for the flap.

I used the Tim Holtz Tattered Poinsettia die with heavy red card stock.  I used scrap green card stock to cut 3 leaves. 

I adhered a strip of the same red as the flower along the right hand side. Then a piece of gold gift wrap paper on the left hand side with a ripped edge overlapping the red strip. 

A white insert and some double sided tape with carrier on the flap and it's ready to go.  

I used a teal card stock for the base of this card. 

The decorative paper is from Stampin Up. I trimmed a bit off the bottom and top to have the pattern evenly placed on the card.

I spattered a strip of red with pearl metallic watercolor from my recent purchase. it was adhered on the right hand side.

I cut a star with the Sizzix Primitive #2 die and embossed it with it's folder.

I wrapped a length of red cotton ribbon over the DSP, taped the ends to the back, and adhered it to the left hand side.

The embossed star is adhered with 3D foam tape.  A white insert on the right with double sided tape with carrier on the flap.

This is the second piece of warm green card stock.

I added a piece of gold gift wrap on the left hand side an then added a strip of Soft Sky card stock with ripped edge to the right hand side.

I punched a branch with a border punch by Martha Stewart.  It was adhered with QuickDry glue carefully placed along the stem and leaves.

I cut an ornament with the largest of the 2011 Nestabilities Ornaments from a winter botanical DSP. I cut the hanger from warm green scrap and adhered with QuickDry glue. I punched a snowflake in the center from the same light blue card stock and held it in place with a tiny gold star brad. After punching a hole in the top of the hanger I added a length of Baja Breeze seam binding to it.  The ornament is adhered with several pieces of 3D foam tape.  A white insert and a bit of double sided tape with carrier on the flap and it is ready to go.

Stitching - Needle Cases

Over the last 4 months I have been working away at making a few more needle cases. I have used a variety of tins and several color combinations.  Some of the tins have been altered.

This case is a simple elegant box of silver toned metal in an oval shape.  I don't know what it's original contents were but now it has been repurposed.

It now holds a stitching needle with 3 applique pins on a felt holder.

I chose to make a black felt holder with an accent of red near the bottom.

This mint tin had advertising on the lid which I was not keen to leave there.  I sanded the lid to remove most of the writing.  I then decorated it with alcohol inks in yellow and blues.  Once it was dry I sealed it with a coat of Modge Podge.

The felt holder has a base of turquoise with a yellow accent on the left hand side.  It holds 1 embroidery needle and 3 applique pins.

A safe way to carry your stitching needles.

This tin had the same issue so I handled it the same way as the one above. 

I chose yellow and pink alcohol inks for this lid and again it was sealed once dry.

The felt holder has a flower stitched onto it and holds 1 embroidery needle and 3 applique pins.

This tin has the Vienna Opera House on the lid which needed to alteration.

I stitched a house felt holder in black and turquoise which holds 1 embroidery needle and 3 applique pins.

This is again a mint tin and I knew that alcohol inks would not completely cover the writing on the it but I think it altered it enough to work.

Again, it was sealed once the ink was dry.

This tin opens differently that the others so I had to alter the felt holder.  I added a ribbon at the top of the tin so it can be pull out of the tin to access the pins.

The felt holder is green with blue on the back.  Whip stitching around the edge with triangles and French knots as decoration.

It holds the same pins as the others.

This is a tall and slim metal tin similar in shape to the previous one. The bonus on this one is the lid is clear.  It closes very securely.

I made the felt holder from burgundy felt with a bit of a flower stitch along one side.

It hold 1 embroidery needle and 3 applique pins.

I spent quite a while thinking about how to package these. I did not want the pins to be touched, I wanted the felt holder to stay with the tin and I wanted the beauty of the tins to very visible.

Here's what I did.  I sealed the felt holder with the pins in a cellophane envelope.  The used a Zot to adhere the envelope to the inside of the tin.  This ensures the needles can not be removed nor can the envelope be removed from the tin.

The envelope can be removed and discarded to use the needles then the felt can be placed back in the tin.

I think this will work well.

Stitching - Exercise Mat

With the floor being installed I decided that I would need a mat to do exercises in the living room.  The floor is hard and provides no cushioning.

I researched options and found a large rug at IKEA which was 100% cotton and a color I could live with.  I had bought a yoga mat from my sister who had purchased it for a class and never used it again.  That provides the non slipping base for the rug.  I only do walking videos so there is not much impact exercises.

It is about 5 x 7 feet in size so doubling it up with the yoga mat would provide 3 layers of cushion.  That should be good.

I did try it for a few days until I was convinced that the idea would work.

It would really need to be solidified into a single piece now that it was folded because there were open edges which presented tripping hazards.

The blue yoga mat is just a bit smaller than the mat which is okay.

It really sticks to the floor so keeps the mat in place very well.

It is big enough to do my floor exercises and the cushion makes those comfortable.

I clipped the folded edge first for stitching.  That way any adjustment can be made on the open edges if needed.

I laid the hemmed edges opposite the fold next to each other instead of over each other to make that edge smoother.

I chose some heavy 100% cotton crochet cotton for the stitching. It is Clark's Anchor Cronita size 10 in Turquoise to add a bit of color to the mat.

I am so grateful for what I have learned on my slow stitching journey this year.  These experiences gave me confidence to know I could do this.  I found a heavy needle in my stash. 

I used a back stitch which doubled up the stitching on the back.  Hopefully that will wear better than single stitch.

Now there were a lot of inches to go about 250 of them so it was going to take a while.

The weaving of the thread was quite open considering the size of needle I was using.  The weaving was very even so I could just follow the edge of a row.

I made crosses at the corners to really tied down those thick corners.

I am very happy with my even stitching.

The turquoise color is great.

It took about 8 hours of stitching to go all the way around.

It feels and looks great!

I found a piece of webbing and a clasp to make a strap to keep it closed when I roll it up every day when I am done.

This clasp just traps the webbing in a clip on both sides so no sewing was required.

I am amazed sometimes at what I have in my stash.

It was exactly what I needed.

Everything needs a home at my house so I placed a basket on the bottom shelf of my IVAR shelving unit to hold the mat and my indoor exercise running shoes. 

That works very well tucked away in the corner of the living room.

A two week project but bodes well for regular exercise with  my walking videos now that fall is here and the temps will be cooler.

 

Stitching - Embellishment of Linen Coasters -Sashiko

I decided to do some tone on tone textured stitching on this mustard colored set of coasters.

I used some heavy cotton thread that color matched pretty well.

This is Sashiko stitching which went very well with the needles I bought a few days ago.

It is just basically running stitch trying to keep the stitch very even.

I did my best.

With the overall pattern it does not create bulk in the center of the coaster.  It is stitch that runs through the coaster so the back side is the same.

Another set done.

Stitching - Embellishment of Linen Coasters

For this set of coasters I decided to use stab stitch in other words just pushing the needle straight up and down in hopes of duplicating the pattern on both sides.

I pulled my knot through the 2 side seams into the middle between the layers. A bit tricky. 

I started with the little red crosses which I positioned based on a 4" stencil.  

Then I chose a round object and aligned as best as I could and then stitched in running stitch all the way around in yellow.

I chose a navy thread for the center star.  It was harder to align perfectly.

Art Show - Open Arts Reception

Well, it was quite a night.  We have 140 pieces in the show and we had a great number of people in attendance. The food was good, sorry no pics.

I headed to the reception with no idea what was coming. The email with the news arrived after I checked email this morning.

All three of my pieces placed!  Wow, what an amazing thing.  I hit a cord with the judges. 

You can find my submissions post here. 

First and Honorable Mention in photography and Honorable Mention for my watercolor!

I met a few new people.

You can find all the art in the show and in the gallery at this link. Allied Arts Council - Spruce Grove Gallery. There are links for each category.

Here's a few of my favorite pieces.

Stitching - Embellishment of Linen Coasters

I am working on ideas to embellish the linen coasters I made last year as I did not sell one set.

I found some lace in my stash and the pattern fit nicely on across the coaster.

I used lemon yellow embroidery thread and stitched it along the edge and did French Knots in the center of each flower.  

I added the lace to both in this set. 

Is rick rack too tacky? Double sided might work but again thicker than I would like. Single sided?

Here are a few things I am trying to see if they will work for the embellishing of the coasters.

I just did needling weaving on my slow stitch challenge but that is too much with trying to keep both sides pretty.

The yellow is just doing a bit of embroidery but I need to not pierce through the coaster.  I am investigating simple blackwork stitches.

I am looking at felt but it just does not feel like the same level of material for linen plus it is quite thick and would likely have to be strategically place not to interfere with your drinking vessel on the coaster.

I will post my progress as I go.

Cards - Self Closing Cards - Christmas & Poppies

I made this card the other day but did not have double sided tape to complete the cards.

This is a card that does not need an envelope because the tape on the small flap will close the card once you have written in it.

This card has a turquoise base that measures 5.5" W x 6" T and a 1" flap to close.

I place a piece of lavender origami paper which was spattered with watercolor.  The white frame was cut with the Stampin Up Clear Oval Accent die with the matching mover shaper die. Spattered with same watecolor.

I cut the flowers with the Row of Poppies die by Memory Box in the same card stock as base. 

They were adhered to a watercolor background with Scotch Quick Dry Glue but they are difficult to glue down.  An insert was glued to the right hand side. Finally, tape with carrier for the flap.

I have not used this type of double sided tape for a long while because I don't run classes anymore and I am always crafting at home.

I needed it for the flap so that I could put it on when making the card.  I could have waited till I prepared them in December but having to cut tape then would have been a pain.

My sister let me know I could buy it at Dollar Tree.  This roll should do it.

I folded the card so that the pattern was on the inside to keep the solid side for addressing.

I cut the arch with the TH Arch Frame die out of deep red card stock.

I cut the Nativity with the QuicKutz Nativity long die.  I just cut my So Saffron cardstock to 5.5 inches and took the characters I could get with was the Shepherd and lamb. I adhered the manger section onto the deep red arch.

I added gold stars with a paint brush and metallic watercolor.  I painted the large star onto of the stable too.

I added a plain insert which I will just hand write when I prepare them in December.

Tape on the flap.

This card base is royal blue linen finish card stock cut 6x12 inches scored at 5.5" and then 1" for the flap.

I cut the ornament with Sizzix Ornaments #4 die in blue, then cut just the hanger from silver card stock. I used a decorative paper background from my stash as the background. The ornament is held in place with a silver glitter swirl brad. I added a few more around the card.

I added blue vellum on the left hand side to add some interest adhered with vellum adhesive.

White insert and d/s tape on the flap.

I created 2 Snowman cards.  One with a royal blue card base and the other with a grey card base. I cut the snowman with the Sizzix Snowman and Hat die.  On this card there enough space for the hat! I added a ripped snowbank. Painted buttons on this front and a face, added a ribbon scarf.  I watercolored the hats which turned out great. Added a snowflake die cut/punchie in the top right hand corner. Really happy with these.  The white insert on the right hand side and tape on the flap.  I can always stamp a sentiment later on the insert.

Art Show - AAC - Open Art Competition

I squeezed in preparing 3 pieces for the Open Art Show while my transition strips on the floor were drying.

This piece is a close up of a Salsify Seed Head taken against the light. It looks like a giant dandelion.

To me this looks like paintbrushes on my desk.

Title: Brushes

Size: 11.00 x 14.00 inches

Medium: Photography

Mat: 11x14 Black Double 

Print: 8x10 inches

Frame: 11x14 Metal Black Satin

I was working on the idea of glazing where one applies layers of watercolor as you go down the painting and the color get darker at the bottom. Many layers of color then outlined in black marker.

Title: Moonrise

Size: 12.50 x 11.75 inches

Medium: Watercolor

Mat: 11x14 Warm White Double with Blue back layer

Art: 5.5 x 6 inches

Frame: 12 x 11.75 Metal Blue Satin

Captured the morning dew on a spider web on on my walk.  Beautiful and delicate structure.

Title: Morning Lace

Size: 12.00 x 14.25 inches

Medium: Photography

Mat: 11x14 White Single 

Print: 8.5x11 inches

Frame: 12x14 Metal Silver Satin

These are my entries into the show.

Reception: Friday, Sept 06/24 at

7 pm

Some wonderful art to behold.

Slow Stitching - No. 036 - Needle Weaving - Pearl Cotton

This is a stitched piece for K3N Cloth Tales slow stitching challenge 2024.

Week 36 - Needle Weaving - I used Pearl Cotton.

I prepared by foundation piece by placing a piece of olive green felty fabric onto a piece of poly cotton in light green.  Folded over the edge to the front and stitched it with sewing thread.  I then basted the middle with the same thread.

I laid down my warp thread in navy blue pearl cotton.  Drawn lines or a couple lengths of tape may have ensured more even top and bottom edges. 

I then wove my short lengths of pearl cotton and wonderful colors all along the length of this little weaving.  I used the head of the needle to go over under all along the warp threads. Tacked the ends and started again with a new color.  It was nice to use pearl cotton - worked really well.   The shape is organic and that is all well.