Slow Stitching Project - Memory Game

I was inspired to make a Memory Game as a slow stitching project.

The round game pieces are fleece circles with black on the back side and white with shapes in colors stitched on the front side. The shapes are stitched to the white circle with the overcast stitch in matching thread.  Then the black and white circles are held together with blanket stitch in black thread so the backs are solid color. 

The game rules are posted on the right.

The game pieces are stored in gold spray paint Tetley Tea tins which dictated the pieces would be round.  There are 6 pairs (12 pieces) which are stored in the tin.

Coming to a Christmas Craft sale in November.

Card - Birthday - Orange and Blue

A bright and cheery card for a university student just finished their first year.

I started with the flower sticker.  I then found the extra alcohol ink photo paper background I the other day. Orange and blue works.

The birthday greeting was left over from that project as well.  Trimmed large and ripped the bottom edge.

I found a sheet of  Tangerine Tango card stock and folded it in half.

Added a half sheet insert and a same sized envelope.

It's a bit late but it is now on its way.

2026 Slow Stitching Project - Page 17 - I1

I am following K3N Cloth Tale's Slow Stitch project for 2026.

We are doing A-Z in slow stitching.  This week the prompt is  Inchies to which I added Ivory and Indigo.

I prepared my linen layer with a cotton foundation and invisible basted it.

I added 9 Inchies on the left Indigo dye fabric, in the center Ivory squares and the right plain Indigo squares.  I stitched them down with a running stitch in contrasting thread.  Added something in the center of the square.

Added my page indicator.

2026 Slow Stitching Project - Page 16 - H2

I am following K3N Cloth Tale's Slow Stitch Project 2026.

This week's prompt was Haiku but I chose Hills instead. My piece also includes Hamlet, Houses, Home, Heart and High Street. 

I cut my Hills from 2 shades of green fabric and stitched those with running stitch. I added a High Street in the front with grey fabric. I added a deep green polka dots fabric where I just put a small stitch in each dot.

I painted the sky with my Derwent Inktense colors applied with a brush and dried with a hot iron.

I added some sun in the corner and a couple of white clouds in the sky.  I then added 5 houses with small bits of colorful fabric which becomes a Hamlet. I gave them peaked roofs. I added a pink Heart to the center one. These are also Homes.  In the UK the main street is called the High Street.   This turned out really well.

2026 - Quilt 02

My second quilt of 2026 is done - Musical - Orange Strips Quilt.  

Accents - I chose to make the columns random so there was little chance of my seams looking misaligned.  I chose an orange cotton poly blend and added random strips which were appliques to the 11" fabric squares.  I then added gold sash pieces in different heights and placements to ensure that my columns in the end where the same length. 

Quilting - This was done randomly based on the shapes that were in each column.  The thread is a gold color.

Batting - The batting is a flannel sheet. 

Binding - I was advised to make the binding orange and I am glad I listened.  It did mean changing my mind about the self binding I was going to make with the gold backer.  Cut to 3" folded in half, sewed to the front and fold over to the back. Stitched right next to the binding from the front to catch the fold over on the back. I followed this video for the installation of the binding and will likely continue this process. 

Measurements: 40.75"W x 65" T

It took time over 4 days to get it done. It will be donated to Project Linus.

Note: I made my seam attaching the bind generous because of the width of the binding but in the end I had to trim the quilt edge to have the binding fold over nicely. Not sure what happened there.

It is hanging on the the dowel I set up above the trim on the closet doors in the craft room. You can see more details on it here.

DIY Project - Quilt Design Wall / Photography Backdrop

I finally got my Quilt Design Wall put up so I could hang my second quilt this year and photography it.

This is a multi purpose set up because space is at a premium in this place.

1. I can hang quilts for my final photos.

2. I can use this as a photography backdrop - Hanging fabric/paper from the cafe hooks at the top lets me set up my camera on the tripod and go back 7ft which gives me a lot of flexibility. Always there to use at a moment's notice.

3. I can hang my flannel design wall when I am making a quilt. The design wall is white 100% cotton flannel and the quilt fabric pieces stick to it and make moving the pieces around really easy. The size will accommodate any quilt I will make.  It measures 72" Wide x 80" Tall.

I was lucky to get the right hand hanger and the middle one into 2x4 with the left one in an anchor.  That will support anything I will use this for.

The tools came in handy. Drill for the anchor install, level, screwdrivers, hammer and nails to assess whether I was in only dry wall or I had hit a stud. I did use my stud finder as well. The square to make sure I was even to the closet wall.

The dowel at 3/8" in diameter and 72 inches long was not straight so you can see in the top right hand photo that I had to tie the dowel to the hook support so it would not pop out of the hooks.  The dowel and cafe hooks will stay there all the time as they are placed above the trim of the closet doors. 

The metal rods which acts as weights for the design wall will stay in all the time.  I fold the wall in half height wise then roll it onto the rods.

To store the wall I made a custom bag to hold it.  This way it stays clean and some what wrinkle free.

I then added a hook to the shelf in the craft room closet where the bag can hang. 

Done and dusted.

Super happy with the final result.

Upgrade: 20260427 - I found out that I could put a larger dowel if I pulled it through the sides instead of passing it by the mouth of the hooks so I headed to RONA and purchased a 1/2" x 72" dowel.  I sanded it and gave it a coat of Tung Oil. I hung it up the next morning.  Much better.

2026 Slow Stitching Project - Page 15 - H1

I am following K3N Cloth Tale's 2026 slow stitching project. 

The prompt was Hexagon.  She taught a new way to do Hexagon in stitching.  Mine turned out elongated.

I chose a variety of honey colored yellow thread from my ORTs tin. 

Make the vertical stitches, offset the second row then wrap between the rows.

She taught a super easy Hexagon accent which I made from golden yellow fabric onto which I  added a Heart Button.  I added a bee button as well to go with the Honey theme.

Cards - Birthday

April birthday cards.

I started with the kraft paper which had gotten wet and created this jagged horizontal line.  Maybe trees or mountains.

I stamped the tree from Stampin Up in Chocolate Chip ink.  I added some ground cover in colored pencil.

Added birds in the sky with a black marker.  Some clouds with colored pencil.

Stamped the greeting with brown as well with a Stampin Up image.

I mounted the paper to a Crumb Cake card base A2 in portrait orientation.

I cut a piece of Whisper White card stock to about 3.75" square. I drew a flower on the right hand side with a fine Sharpie marker.  Added the stitching line all the way around the edge with the marker.

I colored the flower with colored pencils and adhered it to the card front.

I added a strip of orange cotton fabric and tape the ends to the inside.

I added a half sheet insert to cover the ends of the orange accent and a white envelope.

I dropped some dye ink onto a piece of plastic - Prussian Blue and SapMoss Green with a bit of magenta as well.

I spritzed it with water to spread the color and have them blend.

I then laid a 4x6" sheet of photo paper onto to capture the pattern on the plastic and set it aside to dry.

I prepared a light blue card base in the A2 size.

Once the ink layer was dry I trimmed it to 4.00x5.25" and adhered it to the card front.  I printed a greeting in Marina Mist on Whisper White.  Cut to about 1" tall and mounted it over the ink layer with 3D foam tape.

Fabric Flowers - Singles 2

Fabric flowers made with circles which I have made before.

I chose this beautiful pink printed cotton and cut five 4 3/8 inch circles. These were folded in half and half again to quarters. I stitched along the raw edges of each petal with a strong thread.  Once stitched I pulled the thread to gather the petals to the center. Tied off the thread securely.  

I used a bit of black wool fabric to fill the hole in the center and stitched it to the cotton flower. 

The bronze wire stem was stitched to the black center through the hole at the top of the stem. 

I placed a yellow felt circle behind the black textured button and stitched them both to the black center.

A black felt circle was hand stitched to the back to cover the stitches and make it pretty.

Burlap Sunflower - I designed a pattern on paper then cut out the ivory burlap to match which measure 4.75 inch in diameter.  Then I cut a piece of brown cotton fabric about 3.25 inches wide with pinking shears.   Then another layer of ivory burlap fabric again just a bit smaller.

The brown cotton center measures 2" in diameter and was stitched with a running stitch around the edge and French Knots in the center with ivory thread.

The 12" bronze wire stem was attached with stitches to the front layers before the cotton center was stitched on.  

The brown cotton backer was stitched on the back to hide all the stitches.

The Purple Tulle flower was designed with strips of dark purple and light purple tulle.  The strips were 1" wide and 5.5 inches long.  Placed on a 1.75 inch ring with half hitch knots. It took about 60 which I alternated with light and dark.

I created the center with a circle of deep purple cotton fabric, some batting and 2" cardstock circles.

The silver stem was sandwiched between the card stock circles and connected with the gold paper fastener. This was stitched to the ring with strong purple thread.

A circle of purple felt was stitched on the back to cover the stitched and make it pretty.  The outside edge of the flower was trimmed with the pinking shears to even out the petals to the same length.

Turquoise felt centered flower has tulle, cotton and felt.

The center was create with stitching felt circles which had been folded in quarters. I put a yellow one in the center.

I added a circle of white cotton to provide texture and definition between the felt and tulle.

The tulle is 10 layers of white tulle which were stitched together. 

The silver wire stem was sandwiched between 2 chipboard circles to provide support to the heavy center. 

I did resort to hot glue to hold these layers together as I was running out of time to have them ready to take to the gallery.

These flowers are at the Art Gallery Gift Shop right now.

Note:  The flowers on average are quite heavy and needed stronger stems than the bouquets as they were just placed in a vase.  During the creation phase I was not thinking of the weight.  Buttons could have been replaced with felt circles. I used tulle to lighten them when I could. Even 8 strands of wire was challenged by some of the flowers. I wanted to make them all unique so that added to the complexity of the project.

Fabric Flowers - Singles

The pink lace was found in my stash. I ran a row of stitching along the bottom edge of the lace and tugged until it formed a circle about 5" in diameter and tied off the gathering thread.  I then stitched the 2 ends together.  

I created the flower center with a 2.5"circle of pink linen fabric, a circle of batting, two 1.75" cardstock circles, a brad paper fastener and a pink felt circle backer.

I added 10 four inch circles of white tulle behind the lace to add some dimension.

The pink wire stem is 6 strands of 24 gauge wire which is held in place between the 2 cardstock circles and the fastener going through a circle at the top end. The linen and batting in front and tulle in the back. The felt backer is stitched on to hide the brad.

I got a ball of natural jute cording from the ReUse Ctr recently.  I cut the jute to 5 inches long and attached to a 1.75" metal ring with half hitch knots.  It took 27 pieces to fill it in nicely.

I cut 3" circles of black plaid fabric. In one I wrapped a pompom which fit in the hole of the jute ring.  The other was placed behind the jute ring. All these layers were handstitched together.

The wire stem is 8 strands of bronze 24 gauge wire to hold this heavy flower.

The same system of 2 card stock circles with the fastener was used in this flower.

A 2" black felt circle was used as the backer to hide the brad and stitching.

I used 2 colors of organza ribbon for this flower.  The loops of ribbon were hand stitched to a circle of ivory canvas fabric.

The outside ivory ones measured 4.5 inches long with 8 around the outside edge. The second ivory row the length was 4 inches long and placed inside the outer ring. The gold ribbon measured 3" long and forms the 3 row.

The wire was placed behind the canvas and stitched on at the center. The large pearl button was stitched in the center of the flower.

A 3 inch of cotton was stitched on as a backer to make it pretty.

The wire is 6 strands of 24 gauge gold wire twisted to a length of about 12" long.

The blue tulle and denim flower features a beautiful seeded button in the center.

The white fine tulle was cut to 4.5 inches round.  I layered several layers of a coarser navy tulle cut to be a bit smaller than the white tulle.

The denim circle was cut to be a bit smaller than the navy and I stitched a row of vertical long stitches all the way around in navy thread.  The edge of the circle was cut to a wavy pattern.

The navy wire stem was stitched to the back of the flower through the hole at the top. 

The seed button in navy with a shank back was stitched in the center.

These flowers headed for the Art Gallery Gift shop.

Art Show - Movement

I dropped off these entries to the Art Gallery on Saturday.

They are part of the Movement Show opening today featuring artists from all over the province.

The Reception will be on Saturday, April 11, 2026 from 1:00 - 3:00 pm at the Spruce Grove Gallery in Heavy Metal Place.

Title: Red Swirl

Size: 9 x 9 inches

Frame: Black Wood Frame

Mat: Single Black Mat

Photograph: 5x5 inches matte print

This is a close up photo of a glass marble being light from the bottom with a red swirl inside. 

The swirl suggests movement with leading lines starting from near on the left to far on the right.

Title: Red in the Wood

Size: 14 x 12 inches

Frame: Warm Grey Wood Frame

Mat: Double White Mat

Photograph: 6 x 8 inches matte print

This is an Intentional Camera Movement photo where the camera is moved while the shutter is open for a few seconds which produces blur and an artistic abstraction of the scenery.  There is a faint red spot top right hand corner of the photo which is a red mitten lost along the path that someone hung in the tree. 

The path in the wood curves around and creates leading lines in the composition.

Title: Earth and Sky

Size: 14 x 17 inches

Frame: Black Wide Profile Wood Frame

Mat: Double White Mat

Photograph: Watercolor 8 x 10 inch original

The blue paint was placed horizontally across the paper and allowed to drip down while held upside down. 

Then the paper was right side up and brown color was placed very near the blue which allowed the color to mix along that horizontal line. The paint dripped down to the bottom of the paper.

The colors were used to suggest deep roots in the earth and dynamic atmospheric movement in the sky. 

2026 Slow Stitching Project - Page 14 - G2

A piece for K3N Cloth Tales slow stitching project 2026.

This week was community choice of Garden. 

I chose Geometric.

I pulled several pieces of fabric and cut squares, circles, hexagons, rectangles, and triangles. These I stitched to my background. Then I stitched shapes in between the appliqued pieces. 

I did running stitching in the background.

Again, I got it backwards despite having it pinned and I had to turn it around before I stitched my G2 on it.

A bright and colorful piece. I had a restful day after hosting Easter lunch.
 

Happy Easter 2026

 

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter.  I hope the longer days and warmer temperatures are perking up your spirit. 

I am getting ready to have family over for lunch.

2026 Slow Stitching Project - Page 13 - G1

I am following K3N Cloth Tales' slow stitching project for 2026.  A to Z times 2.

This week's prompt from K3N was Grid.  I stitched my grid on the outer rim in black thread.

I then filled in the lines with green thread in both directions. Some came from the ORTs tin, nice to get rid of a few of those.

I then chose 2 shades of Grey to fill in the spaces with whatever I liked.  Stars, diamonds, running stitch, crosses, circles, flowers, leaves, rectangles, and French Knots.

I am happy with the low key look of this page.

Sewing Project - Every Day Carry Bag

I worked on bags today. I was looking for something I could add slow stitching to which I could sell.

Of course, I love Every Day Carry Bags. I have made a couple. Mine and one for a show.

I started with a piece of blue striped cotton fabric. It was cut to 8.75" W x 11.125" T.  

The flannel was cut just inside the seam allowances so it would not bulk up the seams.  It was quilted to the cotton with the curvy decorative stitch in vertical lines matching the lines in the pattern.  I used ivory thread.

The lining is good weight polyester fabric in medium grey.

It was cut the same size as the outer fabric.  I sewed the side and bottom seams on both outer and lining then boxed the corners to 2 inches wide.  I pressed the pieces then put the outer into the lining and sewed the top seam leaving a gap to turn it right side out. 

The zipper insert was assembled separately with 2 tabs on either side measuring 1.5" finished. I sewed the bottom tab to the zipper then top stitched the top tab on top on both sides. Now, I had to finish the ends. I trimmed the ends of the zipper insert to the width of the top of the bag which is 7.5" wide. I added a binding to both ends in the same fabric. With all the edges finished I sewed it to the top of the bag with the curvy decorative stitch. 

Note: My planning was not good because I could have added the pocket to the front panel before sewing that up but I had to do it after. Same with the handles - They should have been attached to the front and back panels before assembly.

A quick access pocket on the outside is always nice.

The top zipper provides full access to the bag.  I embroidered it with a paisley design in the blue and emerald.

A zipper pull is helpful because the zipper tab is small and it is pretty incorporating the emerald as an accent color.

It is fully lined which leaves no raw edges exposed.

The Clip Strip is handy for things you don't necessarily what to dig for in the bag. Keys, cart token, measuring tape, and who knows what else. Maybe even a pen could live there.

The boxed corners helps to give the bag body and space for larger items. Maybe a small book, post in notes, and whatever else.

The straps measure 12" long which gives enough room to sit on your wrist.

Finished size is 10" tall and 8" wide at the top with 5" wide at the boxed bottom.

Sewing Project - Front Zipper Pouch

I made another bag the other day.  I wanted to give the Front Zipper Pouch a try.

I chose this beautiful floral print in cotton.

I chose ivory thread and a taupe zipper.

I added a layer of flannel for a bit of padding.

The lining is gorgeous navy microfiber fabric which will wear well.

The cotton outer layer was cut 9 3/8 inches x 23.25 inches.  The flannel was cut 9 3/8 inches by 21.75 inches long.  The zipper is a 9"/23cm one.

The flannel was quilted to the cotton with the curvy decorative stitch vertically along the full length. 

I made a wrist strap by cutting a length of the cotton outer fabric, folding it in half then in half again and top stitching both sides. Finished it measures 4 inches long.

Then I inserted the zipper on the short end between the outer and the lining.  Now, I have a tube with the zipper inserted.  It was a matter of deciding where the zipper would be placed. I could be at the very top or some where along the top third of the pouch. I chose 2.5 inches down from the top fold. Once decided, I pinned the side seams right side out, added the wrist strap above the zipper and stitched about 1/8 inch from the edge then turned inside out and sewed the side seams at generous 1/4 inch to enclose the first seam inside. Turned it right side out.  Pressed really well.

I added a metal charm on the zipper pull so that it would be easy to open and close.

Note: I should cut the flannel from the sides seams as they are quite thick.  I was planning on doing some stitching on it but I have not come up with an idea that seems to fit so I will pondering it over the next few weeks.

Finished size is 8" wide x 11" inches tall.

Fabric Flower Bouquet - 05

Bouquet number 5. 

I placed the yellow stretchy sparkly vase wrap on a straight sided drinking glass.

This wrap featured the flap from the earlier ones because of the ease of sewing.  It gives a place to do some slow stitching.

I added the navy linen flower with the same fabric as the wrap in the center of the flower.

I had to make a spacer on the inside of the glass to keep the flower in the center.  I cut a 3.5 inch piece of chipboard onto which I scored a line at about 2.25 inches. I then cut slits all around the circle which allowed me to fold those over to fit inside the glass. I added a blue water fabric onto the top of the spacer then punched 1/8" hole in the center.  It was tucked inside the glass.

All five bouquets are now at the Spruce Grove Art Gallery Gift Shop.

Fabric Flower - Navy Linen

I cut 12 strips of the navy linen fabric about 1" wide.  That covered the silver ring nicely. Makes for a heavy flower though.

I chose a scrap of the vase fabric to make the center of the flower.

I started with the wire stem stitched to a 2" circle of heavy cardstock. Then I placed a piece of batting and the yellow fabric and stitched all the way around the navy ring using navy thread.  I then stitched a yellow backing fabric to hide the wire and stitching.

Note: I should make my next wires heavier and I should chose lighter fabric.

I really wanted to get these bouquets to the Gallery yesterday.

Sewing Project - Fabric Vase Wrap - Butterscotch Yellow

Another stretcky and sparkly vase wrap from the fabric given to me by my sister.

I dyed this one with Rangers Alcohol ink in Butterscotch color. Beautiful warm yellow. 

The fabric measured 12" x 10" and again was folded in half on the width to ensure solid color for the full height.

I chose to put a flap on this one because the doing the side seam was much easier.  I did put a seam through across from the side seam after which would have been much easier before.

To finish the edge of the flap I cut it with pinking shears. This fabric will not unravel.

I added some French Knots in a random pattern on each of the layers of the flap then just added some stitches in yellow to keep it from opening.

Fabric Flower Bouquet - 04

I combined my Hot Pink Vase Wrap with my Tulle flower into a Fabric Flower Bouquet.

I cut a blue circle of fabric for the water. The glass I am using for the bouquet is a drinking glass so it has no lid. I cut a piece of chipboard bigger than the opening of the glass.  I made some slits from the outer edge to the size of the opening. I tacked the blue "water" fabric to the chip board and made a hole in the center. I pushed the wire from the flower through the hole then I twisted the wire stem onto a piece of bamboo skewer which measured just under the height of the glass.  Then I placed it inside the glass making sure the fabric was pressed between the chipboard edge and the side of the glass.  This keeps the flower in the center of the vase.

A very bright and cheery color for spring.