A Short Video of some Motifs/Techniques Learned in the Free Courses!
Okay...those of you that are "wizards" at Photoshop will think this is lame...but, I just got my software last month...and am having a real time trying to use it. Apparently, Adobe doesn't see the need to provide text books of "instructions" any longer (or at least not when you get the software via the Creative Cloud subscription route)....so I'm just muddling through.BUT, a blogging friend put me on to a site for instruction...that is having a free five day class on Photoshop this week! If you do Photoshop...go check out Jessica Sprague's site!Here is my Lesson One results...took Aidan's photo (above) and manipulated it several ways. Here is the result...cool right?!
But, that's only lesson one...Check out my Lesson Two endeavor! I did not make the background...that's another class...but I did manage to get the photo and some words on the page!
AND, this is the same site that I found the little class on Illustrator that helped me to figure out how to create multiple petal flowers...easily! And, that class cost me less than $3...yes, three dollars!So, seriously...go check out the site if you want to do more with Photoshop or Illustrator. Cause, if they can teach me...they can teach anyone! The only down side to this...I think that I have a new hobby! Geez!Oh! And talking about scrapbooking...if you are into digital scrapbooking...she is also celebrating her 5th Year Birthday with a blog hop...where you get FREE scrapbooking kits at each stop! Seriously!...go check out all the birthday goodie details for even more fun too!
Here's another little spiral flower for you. Save, print and stitch.Easily re-sized when you print...just reduce the print % or copy/reduce if your printer allows. I'm having fun in Illustrator creating these...so there will be more to follow I'm sure.Hugs!
Literally and Figuratively! Went to a new doctor today...and am having some "old" tests re-done.Of course, labs were today...so I'm pooped out after "donating" four vials.Tomorrow...eye exam.Thursday...mammogram.Tuesday...Consult for sleep apnea study.July...OBGYN (super yuck).Some time this summer...the actual SA Test...No major things...just a real disruption to my routine.But, necessary.Hugs to all!I might not be getting a lot accomplished but I'll be moving forward...and thinking about that CPAP machine...perhaps it will "work" this time around? Do you have one? Has it helped? My first sleep study was over 15 years ago...and the night I slept with the machine...I woke up feeling just horrible. I told the doctor that every joint in my body hurt that next morning...and there was no way I would be using that machine.Well, I'm sure things have changed. And wondering if the darn thing had a bad filter on it? Is that possible? You see, I have allergies...a special pine tree and a shrub are both moderate level allergies...but, I have High and Extreme allergies to roach poop (yes, they must poop)...and common house dust! Seriously!Just shoot me now! I hate to dust!I am in a constant state of drainage...and when it gets out of control, my GERD acts up and my SA acts up...and that kicks in my CFS so I'm extremely tired a lot when my sinus is stirred up.Really, it's a monumental task for me to get anything done on those days.And, if I weren't so "ornery" as Eileene might tell you...Ha!...I probably would not get out of bed! I just won't give in or give up! Anyway...a question for all of you other sleep apnea folks.Do you have a CPAP? Do you use it? Has it helped?Seriously, I'd love to hear about your story.Email me if you don't want to post a comment.My address is in my profile.Hugs!
Here's another little embroidery design for you. Just print the image and size as you need.I'm playing around with Illustrator as you can tell!Enjoy.
Finished up a little six inch block for Lynn, over on the HGTV Message Board. Here are the close up photos.
This is one is a set of six that the group is doing. The other block included already in the set as finished has lot's of beads...and I have tried to follow that lead here too. Of course, I had not problem with that...since I love beads!
and isn't it just wonderful! Just gorgeous!Thanks go to the talented stitchers in the round robin...not to me.Huge thanks to Lorrie R., Lyn G., Meg W., and Cathy L.These ladies really did a super job with this block.Want to see some close up photos?Of course you do!
Isn't this a gorgeous pillow!Sheila...a dear "follower" was kind enough to send me this photo and let me post it. THANKS! This pillow will be a gift to her sister.It is very nice to see when someone finishes a project with one of my free designs.You may remember that the entire alphabet of free "Wednesday Wine Country" monograms was posted last year.Great to see them being put to good use!
You know that it can only last as long as it takes for all the plastic parts to melt!Oh, I surely hope to have to "eat those words"...and that the Emerson folks prove me wrong!Today, after two days of back-breaking work...seriously...I made a trek to WalMart with my SIL...to get a new television for the sewing room. It is 22" size...cute little thing...about 2 inches thick...on a little plastic stand...and still cost a whopping $160 before taxes! I know, it's "unseemly" to talk about money...but really...for less than 5 lbs of plastic?The one good thing about it is that it has a connector for a computer...so I can use it as a monitor too. And since I need one of those for the desktop computer...perhaps it will do "double" duty.After another trip to town tomorrow...for the right cable at Radio Shack of course! Sure hope the extra load of being a television and a monitor doesn't cause it to melt faster!Oh, the back breaking work part was re-shuffling all of the "stuff" in the craft room, the sewing room, and the bedroom (half of this little house!) to make room for a double-recliner (think loveseat on steroids) in the craft room.Only, it now is not a craft room...cause it was only about 8 x 10 feet in size to start with...and the addition of the new furniture and moving my largest television in there (with a reading lamp for stitching of course, and side table) sucked up all the space. The only evidence left of crafts is my design wall, a long 8 ft table on one side (with sheet covering the legs...so don't look underneath)...and a family of plastic drawers holding tons of stash!The television came from the sewing room...so a replacement was needed. Took me three days to push, pull, nudge, tug, and shove...and hours more time to organize, vacuum, dust, etc as I went...just to end up with a "space" in the sewing room that needed a new television.I'm so sore, tired, and "kinked up"...that I could not sleep last night. Seriously, not a single minute...so got up finally around 3 a.m.after rolling over and over in bed like an alligator had me at the bottom of the swamp marinating for his dinner! Aidan was asleep, and I was too tired to stitch...so read instead. Hope, that I get some sleep tonight!Thanks for hanging in there with me these past couple of weeks...I know that I have not posted much. But, just have too many "other" things going in the family right now.I'm too tired to cook! And, almost too tired to eat...yeah, I said ALMOST! Got some deli meats and cheeses today...so that Aidan doesn't starve before I get my energy back. Or, some energy...think, I'll go drag the Geritol bottle out and take a swig...wonder if that will keep me up tonight?Well, we'll see.... BTW...received my Midnight Fantasy Garden block back in this afternoon's mail...and the ladies did a spectacular job with it. I just adore it...and will try to get a photo tomorrow to share.
Okay, here's the deal. I woke up this morning...and could not believe what I had been thinking. Now, usually, dreams are just not very memorable at my house. And, as a result...I don't usually recall them at all. Or, if I do, they slip out of my brain pretty fast after waking up. But, not this morning. And that fact alone is somewhat disturbing...why remember THIS dream? Well, I'll let you decide.Last night, I was a pollster...yep, a lady with a clipboard (it was before internet) asking burning questions to the public. And here were my questions...ready...really this is just too weird...or perhaps I'm seriously disturbed? I'll let you decide that...Q: When sleeping alone, do you sleep in the middle of the bed or on mostly one side?Q: If you sleep mostly on one side, is it the side nearest the clock?SEE...Weird! Or should I be concerned and seek immediate medical attention!
I seriously love this block! And, am really surprised...because the "theme" really was a difficult one for me to get a good grasp of. Wine=grapes to me...and I had a hard time going beyond that. But, lucky for me...the other ladies in my group...the ones that stitched this block! for ME...had no difficulty at all!
Here is the simple empty block that I mailed off to the group...And, I so love the results that returned to me! I'm searching through my fabric stash for just the right piece to create a pillow from this. I want it in view all the time. It might just have to live on my permanent design wall for a while...just so I can enjoy it each day.Thank you ladies (Beryl, Carol, Darlene, and Meg) for the wonderful job!And to my blogging buddies...here are some closeup shots of the block, so you can see how great it really, really, is up close!
Wish you could see it in person...it is even so much better than photos show!
A while back...I posted about a ribbon embroidery style basket...here.
This is that same design, modified some...and done in embroidery.
I'm thinking this might make a good class project...and am also thinking about adding some more floral volume ...but, no time for that right now. We'll let the muse mull over the design and then see how that turns out.The basket is stitched first (stem stitch), then the vines (back-stitch), then the leaves (feather-stitch), then the cluster flowers (French knots), and last are the rose flowers (woven rose stitch). Take it one layer at a time. It is seriously not difficult and was finished in about 3 days. The threads are all Perle Cotton, sz 8 for this project; in colors #1201, #1216, # 1208, and #1221; purchased from Thearica over at CrazyQuiltingSupplies.
Here is Ellie's second embroidery bib.It would be just as appropriate for a boy as for her.It is done is simple back-stitch embroidery. My flavors of choice were chocolate, pistachio, and strawberry (dark brown, light lime green, pink perle cotton threads, size 8). The cone is done is dark gold perle 8...all threads are cotton.
And, I'm thinking that the design would also be really cute done in fabrics...as applique layers. If you do fusible applique...then you already know that each ice-cream layer shape would be traced on to the fusible webbing and then ironed to three different fabrics (remember to add a little for tucking under each other). I might just try that myself sometime soon...maybe for a pillow top? Oh, wouldn't that be cute ironed to a little t-shirt front! I can picture some plaids, polka dots, stripes for the different ice creams. (If anyone does this before me, please send me a photo of the finished work...I'd love to post it!) I have no idea with I'd have the time to actually get it done...but will now be shopping for plain little t-shirts I'm thinking! Yikes! More projects!Next, I've got to get back to my "regular monthly stitching" before I get too far behind on my Block of the Month quilt blocks...and my Take A Stitch Tuesday samples!
Here is the ice-cream cone embroidery design for y'all! Hope you enjoy stitching it!Both this design and the monogram design I posted yesterday too about 2 hours each to stitch, an extra hour for sewing on lace, turning, tucking in ribbon ends...it was about six hours from start to finish to complete both bibs. Don't think everything "hand-made" takes loads of time..you will seriously be surprised at how fast things can be stitched. Especially a design like this, where you can do the entire think in simple back-stitch! Give hand embroidery a try if you have not done so already. You can so impress your new mom-to-be with a hand made gift that she will (hopefully) cherish enough to have a family keepsake.By the way...a question for you...as I'm sure some of you already do this...I want to purchase some hang-tags to insert into my hand-made baby things. I want them to say something simple so that they can be used on quilts, garments, purses...etc. Not sure if I just want them to read "Handmade by Shawkl Designs" or something else. Do you have any recommendations for having these done? I don't want thousands...but still would like a decent price for them.Thanks for any suggestions.
Ellie's monogram bib is finished.
The pattern for the bib is really simple...an extra large bowl...and a cup will make the circles. You can then elongate the circle if you desire. Or just use a rectangle shape with curved corners...and the coffee mug. Large children than newborn-3months?...use a bowl instead of the cup. Viola...you have a pattern! Do you have an "E" in your family...if so...here is the embroidery chart for you.
It does not have to go on a bib of course...try it on a tote-bag, or book cover, or countless things!
Ellie's initial was stitched in shadow embroidery, as were the tiny leaves. The large leaves were done in feather-stitch, the flowers in back-stitch, and the vine in stem stitch. All of the embroidery work for this was stitched two strand Silk Mori embroidery floss from Krenik because a friend kindly gifted me some...too expensive for me to purchase on my own. It is glorious to stitch with, but I'm saving it for small projects since I have just a wee bit to work with. It would be bad to start a project and run out...there is no where around here to get more...and ordering online and waiting would be pure torture!I highly recommend the thread however...if you have not tried it...and get the chance, do it! And if you have some and don't like it...mail it off to me...I'd gladly use it! Hugs!I have not forgotten about the "generic" bib design I promised...and am stitching on it...so hope to have that for you tomorrow!
