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 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 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.

Fabric Flower - White Tulle with Hot Pink Accents

I made a flower to coordinate with my Hot Pink Vase Wrap.

The white tulle was cut to .75 wide and 4.5 inches long.  I put 65 of them onto a 1.75" metal ring with half hitch knots. Then I added 5 hot pink lengths of frilly yarn. That took a long time.

I punched a 2" heavy cardstock circle to create the support for the wire.  I stitched the gold twisted wire onto the card stock.  

I then placed a layer of batting and the hot pink cotton fabric to create the center of the flower.  I stitched these layers from the back with heavy thread over the covered ring. 

I then stitched a hot pink fabric circle on the back to cover the wire and stitching. 

Sewing Project - Fabric Vase Wrap - Hot Pink Sparkly

During my visit at my sister's on the weekend we sorted through fabric scraps.  We found a piece of stretchy white sparkly fabric which was no doubt part of a fancy evening dress at one point in its life.

I had been thinking of making adjustable vase wraps and this fabric was the ticket!  I brought it home.

I wanted to change the color so I checked the fabric dye I had and it indicated it would not dye polyester fabric.  So I headed into my paper dye inks.  I chose Ranger Alcohol Ink because that is sticks to shiny surfaces.

Into a yogurt container with tap hot water and several drops of Plum alcohol ink and I set the timer for 20 minutes.  My hopes were not high.

Well, once I pulled it out it was dyed!  It was pretty bright and I added some blue to change the color but it was not alcohol ink and did nothing at all to change the color.  I rinsed it thoroughly and dried it.  It is what it is!

I wanted clean edges so I decided to overlap the raw edges (which don't ravel) over each other flat against the glass. I pinned it well. Now, I needed something to over the one raw edge visible. I chose a piece of white double edged lace. I was not sure I could sew it with the machine because of the small diameter of the wrap. After at lot of hemming and hawing, I just took action.  It went better when I turned it inside out.  I chose a curvy stitch on my machine which is not really a stretch stitch but it's all I have. The stress will be horizontal so it should be okay.  

The embellishments could not be placed horizontally on the wrap because that would limit its ability to expand to larger sizes.  I added French Knots in the open spaces of the lace to repeat the color in the flower.

The fabric measured 12" tall and 9.75" wide.  I realized that I would have to double up the fabric with the join in the middle to have nice smooth edges on the top and bottom.  With about 3/8 inch overlap the final wrap measured 4.5" across folded in half.  It measures 5.75" tall.

Bouquet - Embellishments

I added some stitching to the first bouquet Vase Wrap.

I chose alternating running stitching in red along the height of the vase wrap.

Gives it an additional touch of red to highlight the color of the flower.

You can see the bouquet here. 

On the second Vase Wrap I stitched around the flowers on one of the fabric strips.  I added some yellow running stitching along the edge of that strip as well to work in the yellow color of the flower.

You can see the bouquet here.

On the 3rd bouquet I added some color to the edges of the organza flower with Peel Paint Distress Stain.  It provides a bit of definition to the flower and works with the color of the vase wrap.

You can see the bouquet here.

2026 Slow Stitching Project - Page 12 - F2

I am following K3N Cloth Tales' slow stitch project for 2026. We are doing from A to Z where she chooses the first one and the community chooses the second one.

The community choice was Found Object. I chose this yellow button as my Found Object then created a Funky Flower around it. I chose a variety of threads from my ORTS box and made each petal a different color. I added a green stem and leaves.  

Then I added a Frame in purple with the chain stitch.  I added several rows of stitching around the Found Object in the center of the Flower.

You will notice the Frayed edge of the linen Fabric on which I am stitching. All good!

Art - Coloring Contest - AAC

The Allied Arts Council is having a Easter coloring contest and adults can participate.  I was in for sure!  Coloring was my favorite thing as a kid. You can find the coloring pages at the bottom of the Home page by following the link above. Have a go and a bit of fun!

I love the small Forget Me Knot flowers in the basket as well as the colorful eggs. I used my collection of Prismacolor pencils which were delightful to use. 

2026 Slow Stitching Project - Page 11 - F1

I am following K3N Cloth Tales' slow stitch challenge for 2026.

We are working through the alphabet A-Z. First is her choice and second is the community choice.

K3N chose Feather but I did not. I chose Fish, Five Fantastic/Fabulous ones. 

I chose a bluish background cotton fabric and invisible stitched it to my thin white foundation layer.

I chose fabrics for my Fish from bright cotton scraps. I pinned them in place and used a running stitch to secure them to the background. 

I then decorated them in bright colors and stitch patterns. French Knots and running stitch in a variety of patterns.

I then used green thread to create plants in the water from the bottom and water pattern along the top of the piece in blue embroidery thread. I left space on the left for the eventual binding the piece into a book.

I think I got carried away with the stitching.  Decompressing from a very busy week. 

Sewing Project - Tea Pot Mats

I made up some tea pot mats for my sister as the fabric did not speak to her.  If for sure did to met.

The fabric was square panels of these tea/coffee related images. The panels measured 11.5 inches square with a black border. 

The sandwich is 100% cotton. The panel on the top, then a layer of cotton batting, then a layer of cotton terry cloth and a bottom layer of cotton for the backing.

I used my walking foot to sew this project. With black thread in the machine I topped stitched around the image.  The backing was cut to 14" square to allow a self binding. The backing is black so that worked well with the black border around the image. I used clips to hold it all in place and then made my final top stitching seam all the way around.

For the red one I chose red cotton fabric for the back because I did not have enough black.  It would have been better but we can always have what is best.

On this one I quilted the square on the red with red thread in the machine which I think worked better. 

The self binding was folded once and then folded to encase the sandwich edge and the fold is on the front.  I decided to leave a small line of the black border to add contrast.

Same sandwich as described earlier in this post.

The blue one got black backer fabric as well.

The quilting was done just inside the center panel edge with black thread.

The black backer was brought forward to create a self binding on the mat.

On the corners I folded the sides first then the top and bottom and stitched a square on the corner.  With such small dimensions mitered corner would have been challenging.

Finished size is just a slight bit over the 11.5 inches I started with.

These are headed back to her.

2026 Slow Stitching Project - Page 10 - E2

I am following K3N Cloth Tales' slow stitching project for 2026.

The community choice E2 that K3N chose was envelope.

I chose an Easter Egg on an Ecru background. I nested it against the trunk of an Elm Tree. The Elm Tree is done in Espresso thread.   

I chose Electric Blue fabric for the Egg applique. The stitching is done in Emerald, Ecru, Eggnog, and Eggplant thread. Electric blue thread selected for the blanket stitch Edging. 

I added an Ermine Stitch star in the center with small star stitches in yellow. 

The grass is done in Emerald green and other shades of green thread.