2026 Slow Stitching Project - Page 30 - O2 - Orange, One, Odd number, Opening

My piece for the O Community Choice in the A to Z Slow Stitch Project hosted by K3N Cloth Tales.

I wanted to document the process of creating a cut out patch Opening in a piece of fabric based on this video.

I chose Orange polka dot fabric and trimmed it to 8" W x 7" T.  I cut a piece of white fabric to the same size.

I traced the circle Opening with a glass container and stitched it with the back stitch. I cut out the center of the circle leaving a seam allowance. The allowance was clipped to permit it to turn when I turned to the back.

I found a piece of fabric with a pleasing image - one of a hare which fit in the circle  Opening.  I trimmed it to be about an inch larger than the Opening. I invisible basted the hare fabric to a 100% cotton white foundation layer.

I used several colors of embroidery floss to frame the circle Opening with rows of running stitches. I add the label to the piece to ID it's place in the book. 

2026 Slow Stitching Project - Page 23 - L1 - Lemon, Licorice, Lace & Linen

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

It is 52 weeks A-Z of slow stitching where K gives us a prompt for week 1 and the second week is a community prompt from the suggestions offered in the comments from the viewers.

This week's K prompt was log cabin but I am not much for traditional patterns so I chose my own.

Lemon yellow, Licorice (black) and Battenberg Lace on white Linen.

I started with the square Licorice piece of cotton which I invisible basted down with black. I then added the piece of hand dyed quilting cotton in Lemon. I purchased this from Pat of Pat Man and Bobbin Quilting at a show last fall.  I added stick stitches on the left with Lemon thread. I then added Licorice French knots. I added a length of black Lace along the fuzzy edge of the Lemon piece stitch with black thread.  I then added a circle of Battenburg Lace which was stitched down the white around the edge and Lemon in the center. L1 just left of the bottom of the circle. The base fabric for each page is white Linen.

Card - Birthday Card - Embossed Vellum

This is my first color embossed vellum on this printer.  It worked well.

I used vellum adhesive but I should have used brads. The vellum was curling from the humidity.

Old Olive A2 card base in portrait orientation. I used my own daisy with dirt design with purple flower and greeting. I printed it on quarter sheet vellum and quickly covered it with clear embossing powder and heated it.

I added a pink circle behind and a Bling Zot between the vellum and circle right under the center circle. The pink turned the yellow center orange.

Delivered it in person and we had pizza for supper after the art sale.

 

2026 Slow Stitching Project - Page 21 - K1 - Kantha Stitching

I am following K3N Cloth Tales' A to Z project for 2026.

This week's prompt was Kantha Stitching. No surprise there.

I wanted mine to be bright so I selected a bunch of colors.

I did the 3 outside circles in stem stitch in red, yellow and navy. 

I did the next circle and quadrants in leaf green.

I did the cross in dark grey thread.

I filled the quadrants with orange, purple, turquoise and pink. 

I finished it a needle craft night.
 

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 stem.  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. 

Fabric Flower Bouquet - 03

I combined the organza flower and the green fern vase wrap into a bouquet.

I cut a bamboo skewer as tall as the inside of the bottle.  

I cut a circle of warm blue fabric and put a small hole in the center.  

I put a hole in the center of the metal lid with a nail and hammer.

I then pushed the stem wire through the fabric circle, then through the metal lid and then wrapped it tightly around the skewer.

Then I dropped the skewer/wire into the bottle and screwed on the lid to the bottle.

I placed the wrap onto the bottle from the bottom ensuring the flower was where I wanted it.  

I tucked the blue "water" fabric circle between the jar and the wrap.

And I have another bouquet ready to go.

Fabric Flower - Peach Organza

My aunt offered me some organza for making a flower so I went ahead with cutting circles.  I cut four 5" circles, four 3.5" circles and two 2" circles.  I sewed the layers together.  Started by folding the circles in quarters then overlapped the points of 2 of the circles and stitched then repeated that and placed these offset from the first set. Now I had a full circle of organza.  Repeated the same process with the 4 medium circles.  The small circles I folded in half and then in thirds to make the center. This was stitched horizontally to keep the petals pointing forward instead flattened.  Once this was done I secured my thread carefully. 

I added a 2.5 inch cardstock circle to the back of the flower with thread and then stitched the wire stem to the flower and card stock to ensure it would stay in place. I cut a piece of the lining fabric from the fern wrap and and hand stitched that to cover the mess at the back of the flower.

Fabric Flower - Yellow Fluffy

I am trying different techniques to ensure all my flowers are unique.

For this flower I used yellow cotton fabric which I ripped into .5 inch strips.  I cut the strips to 4.5 inches long and wrapped them onto a metal ring that measured 1.75 inches in diameter. I used 25 strips to fill the flower. 

Once, I had that done, I cut a piece of cotton in yellow gingham about 2 inches square double and added a bit of batting in between the layers and a 2 inch circle of card stock to provide support. I placed it on the back of the flower and stitched all the way around through the yellow cotton petals. I then secured the metal wire (4 lengths of 24 gauge wire twisted together) stem through its circle at the top to the center of the flower back. I cut a 2.5 inch circle from the same yellow fabric and hand stitched over the wire to hide that connection.

2026 Slow Stitching Project - Page 5 - C1 Colors/Chain Stitch/Coil

I have been working on a big project so I am behind in my stitch book.

I am following K3N Cloth Tales Slow Stitch Project 2026.

She chose Couching for her C1.  I agreed and Couched a Coil of CottonTwine with Chartreuse thread on my page. Then I added a Circle of Corduroy in the middle. I chose scraps of Cotton in Colors that start with C. Cerise, Chocolate, Coral, Citron, Crimson and Cobalt. 

I added a frame in left hand corner with Chain Stitch in Crimson and Cobalt thread. 

Sewing Project - Card Wallets

 The next set of wallets I made this morning. These are made with a circle of fabric.

What cards do you put in these wallets? All kinds - credit cards, transit cards, library cards, loyalty cards, business cards (yours or those you need to access regularly) and a few I am sure I have not thought of.

Top Left: I love this feather fabric.  This time I paired it with a teal green solid fabric.  

Top Right: I tight plaid in white and navy.  I did not want to stick with those colors so I chose a yellow fabric.

Bottom Left:  This rust colored patterned fabric is really nice.  I paired it with the yellow subtle patterned fabric.

Bottom Right: This is gorgeous floral fabric with pinks, green, yellow and some deep read. I chose a sage green solid for the petals on this wallet.  The piece was a bit short so the tabs at the top are straight instead of curved.

A very productive morning. 

Sewing Project - Card Wallets

I am way behind on my product for the Christmas Store.  I found these card wallets which I thought worked really well.  The wallet has 2 secure pockets as well the center pocket which is just open.  I love the contrast between the print and the solid fabric which creates a petal pattern in the middle of the wallet.  Sew on snaps keep the front and back pockets closed. 

You can carry all kinds of cards in this wallet. Loyalty cards, library card, business cards, and maybe even credit cards.  I prefer to carry those cards protected with RFID. 

It starts with a circle measuring about 11.50 inches in diameter.  I added an extra layer in the middle center to stiffen the wallet a bit.  It was sewn to the back lining before I sewed the circles together.  Once stitched I turned the right side out and ironed fold in half along the stitch lines of the bit of extra fabric. I top stitched all the way around to finish off the circle and close the slit.

I ironed the circle in half with the patterned right side up. I measured 4 inches from the fold and sewed a seam creating the petals. I then opened the petals and aligned that seam with the fold in the middle of the circle. Ironed that very well.

I folded the piece in half backwards keeping the petals on the front and now on the back.   I marked the top of the petals and marked the place on left and right edges. I sewed the edges closed.  I hand stitched the snaps on the front and back pockets.  And that was it

Here's the second one I made with feather fabric and red solid fabric.

I paid better attention to the sewing of the circle and I think it turned out well. 

Slow Stitching - No. 046 - Kantha Motifs

K3N Cloth Tales Slow Stitching Challenge 2024.

This week's prompt Nakshi Kantha Motifs which is part 2 of last week's Kantha Stitches.

I chose the fish as my motif.  I drew a circle which I stitched in black stem stitch. Then added my 2 fishes going around in it.  The central element is a lotus flower reflected.

I chose two different shades of green threads and alternated them on each fish.  

I used blue thread and seed stitches for inside the circle.

I used the Double Running Stitch in blues for the background quilting stitches. Alternating with single running stitches in darker blue. 

Inktober 2024 - 12 Doodle Around

Inktober 2024 Challenge

12 - Doodle Around

Dip Pen with Black Daler-Rowney Acrylic Ink

on Canson Fluid Mixed Media 154lb paper.

I created the circle then just drew shapes leading out from it.

I then filled each shape with marks being careful to not touch wet areas with my hand.  Not easy but possible with patience.

Triangles, circles, straight lines, wavy lines, scallops all came into play on this piece.

 

Inktober 2024 - 11 Wheat

Inktober 2024 Challenge

11 Wheat

Micron Black Marker & Watercolor on Canson Fluid Mixed Media 154lb paper.

Wheat is common in the western provinces. I have drawn wheat many times on ceramics, cards, etc.

I created my circle for the wheat the watercolored around it. Blue sky and golden yellow wheat fields. I added a granary in the background.  I colored the wheat stalks in the circle.

I added a black marker after the watercolor. 

Inktober 2024 - 07 Boxed In

Inktober 2024 Challenge

07 Boxed In

Feeling a little bit like that this week.

I cut 3 squares measuring 3", 2" and 1". I traced these in pencil into a geometric design on my 5x7 Fluid Mixed Media 154lb paper. 

I used my dip pen with Rotring Payne's Gray acrylic ink to trace the boxes.

I added the pop of yellow in the .75" circle. 

Slow Stitching - No. 040 - Enso Circle

K3N Cloth Tales Slow Stitching Challenge 2024

Week 40 - Enso Circle - Zen Buddhist philosophy - symbolizes an expression of life, showing both the beginning and end

My top layer is linen and my foundation cloth is similar.

I used a large tip permanent Sharpie marker to make my mark.

It is quite open.

I couched variegated yarn onto my marker shape. I have green to blue in the colors. The inner one I stitched in blue and the outer one in green. 

I like the puckering of the fabric which has taken place.  I place the pieces so the color were offset.

It looked a little empty so I put a shell button in the bottom.

Slow Stitching - No. 033 - Nature of Cloth

This week's prompt in the K3N Cloth Tale's Slow Stitching challenge is "Nature of Cloth".  

Kathryn explored her bundle of fabric.  How does it feel? Does it pass the needle test? Does it ravel? Does it have texture?

Once we had selected our fabrics then we were to make a fabric collage.

I chose a corduroy, wool plaid, orange cotton, yellow cotton and a small triangle of mustard colored silk. 

I placed a circle of stitching around the intersection of these fabric pieces.  Then random running stitching, seed stitching, with a sprinkling of French Knots.  This was a lot of fun to make.

Car Coasters - Set 2

I wanted to improve on my first set of car coasters, you can see here. 

I made these bigger so finished they are 3.25 inches in diameter. 

I used heavy navy felt for the large circle.  

Then I added the half circle of royal blue felt. 

A length of royal blue grosgrain ribbon to fit in the notch and help me take them out for laundering.

I sewed all the way around with a zigzag stitch with blue thread.  This seam captured the bottom of the half circle and the ribbon.  Then I went across the top of the half circle to stabilize the center.

I decided to add some cotton (2 thin layers) to the bottom to improve how the coaster absorbs moisture. These were captured in the seams then I trimmed them to be smaller than the navy large circle.

I decided to add a bit of stitching to the ribbon.  I found some purple to pink yarn in my stash and split into 2 strands and added a shape on the ribbon.

This gives me a bright spot to see them at the bottom on the cup holder and an idea where there pull ribbon is.

They fill the cup holder much better. 

We shall see if they work well.  I will post after some use.

Here they are in the car.

The felt fully covers the bottom of the holder. 

The tabs fit in the notches.

Coordinate well with my blue water bottle in the car.

Happy with these.

Christmas Tree Scent Ornaments

For those of us who put up artificial Christmas trees wouldn't it be nice to still have the smell of a real tree during the holidays?

I love the smell of a real tree.  I received one of these last year for my tree and I was on the search for the right scent.  I discovered that it can be tricky.  I believe we always had spruce trees at Christmas when I grew up.  Others will have different types of trees in their tradition therefore a different scent.

There are quite a few Christmas tree blends available as well.

I bought Pine Needles last year which was not quite right.  I will add Spruce this year in a blend and see how that goes.

I have hung these on a tree ornament stand.

I started with traditional green triangle trees for the first set.  I cut them 3.5 inches high and 3 inches wide at the base.  Triangle trees are very efficient in materials.  I cut 2 exactly the same size. I embelished the front triangles. On the left with red embroidered garland with gold e bead ornaments. On the right with small round felt button ornaments tied on with gold thread.  Of course the need a star and a trunk. 

Once the fronts were done, I layered them together, put my trunk and my hanging thread in between and sewed very close to the the edge all the way around.  The stars were added on last with a bit of hand stitching.

I made 3 felt ball wreaths with these non traditional colors of white, black and aqua.  I strung them onto string cotton thread and tied them really tight.

I added a white thread hanging loop.

For these ornaments I would recommend put the oil on the black balls so no discoloration will show.  For the other ornaments I would put the oil on the back so again if the oil causes some discoloration it will not be on the front.

I made some round ornaments featuring reindeer die cuts.  The white one is sporting the red nose of Rudolph. 

The reindeer were layered on a medium circle then onto the 3.25 inch circles.  The reindeer and the medium circle were attached to the front large circle then they were sewn together very close together in coordinating thread with the hanging thread in between.  

The one on right I tried making my own grey hanger and on the second I just put a small circle of felt in between the large circles and stitched it in. 

I made one with a white snowflake die cut on red medium circle on dark green large circles. Then used a small felt circle for the hanger. 

On the right, I made a non traditional colored one with purple, white and some blues.  The focal element are white and blue layered hearts to which I stitched some silver ebeads. I added an tiny felt button with silver ebeads again on the right hand side. These were stitched together with a small purple felt circle hanger with white thread loop. 

I ended up finding some die cuts in my stash which I used to make a couple more.

The pink and white dove has a pearly ebead for a eye and again is in not traditional colors. The wings are stitched on both sides and it has a felt hanger.

The gingerbread man was cut from ginger looking felt and blanket stitched around both layers with a piece of red fabric put in between for the hearts and a bit of white for the eyes.  The mouth was outlined with black permanent marker.  Just a simple thread loop to hang.

These can just be ornaments on your tree with out having scent added to them.  If you are going to add essential oil to them be sure to put it on the back in order to avoid discoloration on the front of the ornament.

Small Gift - Oil Diffusers - Felt Stacks

These are my felt stack oil diffusers.  I up cycled tealight holders to hold a stack of felt circles.  The circles were cut 1.5 inches in diameter and stacked until they filled the cavity of the holder.

 I believe this one has 10 layers of royal purple felt. I added a silver flower accent topped with a 12mm crystal glass faceted bead.  The purple thread runs from the bottom through the accents then back down to the bottom of the felt stack where it was securely tied.  The heavy glass holder ensures that oil drops don't damage the surface the diffuser sits on.  

I worked with a winter theme for this diffuser.  I chose a blown glass tealight holder.  I cut 1.5 inches felt circles in turquoise, aqua and light blue felt and layered these into the stack.  I topped the stack with a white diecut snowflake and a 12mm clear crystal glass bead.  The accents are held in place with a turquoise thread.  Starts at the bottom through the accents and back down the other side of the bead then back down to the bottom.  The thread is knotted securely fastening the layers together.

This diffuser features pink and grey felt stack.  The holder is a clear glass heavy with smooth sides.  The felt stack was topped with a white diecut daisy and a 12mm clear crystal glass faceted bead. This accent is held in place with grey thread which starts on the bottom, thread through the accents and the goes back down the stack and is tied securely on the bottom.  The glass holder protects the surface from oil drop damage.