TDiTM Stitch #118

Reference: Twelve Dozen Stitches in Twelve Months

 Okay, first off....lay your head down on your shoulder...cause the photo is upside down. (smile)

Isn't this the cutest! I have not used sequins behind my beads for a little while...and I'm in love with them again! So quick...and so dramatic! Loving it!

Luke's Blankie

 Here is Luke's rag quilt.

My grandson Luke is the second boy. You know the story..he always seems to get left out. Chase, his brother, was the first grandchild...and was doted over. Aidan, their niece, was the first grand-daughter and is certainly a Diva in that role! ..and Luke is stuck in the middle.

Chase got a baby quilt...and Aidan helped me make a doll quilt and pillow for her...but Luke is still waiting for something sewn by Grandma. I want to make his quilt super duper special...And, although I had loads of ideas this year to make this happen...I never could settle on one of them long enough to select fabrics. Something "better" always seemed to come into my head.

So, when December arrived...I was feeling like a pretty bad grandma. And of course, there isn't enough time before Christmas now to do a really special project. I'd love to complete a hand quilted bed-size project for each of them...but, that will wait until they are older...at least in middle school!

What I really needed for Luke was a quilt he would snuggle up with. One that he could carry with him in the truck...without his mom worrying too much about it "getting dirty". It needed to be special...but not TOO special...if you know what I mean. He is almost six...so still take naps...but is a 'big boy'...so no baby themes!

Then, in a flash...it came to me. He needed a flannel rag quilt...bigger than baby...but not quite bedsize!

 

And even at the first week of December...I can get a rag quilt done! Yeah! They are the very easiest of quilts to create. It took a day to cut out all of the blocks (9 1/2 inch flannel squares). Then, the next day...I sewed the whole quilt together...and washed it for the first time.

If you have never made one...try it. They are super soft...all flannel! Great for a crawling baby...or for a bed or napping spot! Layer 3 squares of flannel for each block. The top one faces front...the bottom one faces back...and the middle doesn't matter which way it faces. Treat this layer of 3 as one block...and sew it with the next block (there will be six layers). The seam allowance is about an INCH...so easy to sew up. It does not have to be exact.

When the rows of blocks are all stitched together....snip each seam allowance every 1/4 of an inch...and cut almost to the seam line...but do not cut your seam! 

Sew around the outside edge of the entire quilt to keep those outside block layers all together...and snip the outside edge every 1/2 of an inch also! 

Viola...you have a soft and durable quilt to snuggle with! 

Every time you wash it...threads (LOTS of threads!) will come loose. Over time, the seams look like chenille. Of course, that also means you will have lot's of threads in your lint traps...so keep those filters changed. 

I recommend you take the blanket to the laundromat for the first washing...and use an industrial size washer. You want a lot of agitation to loosen up those threads! I washed this one once...at home...and my machine was really complaining!! It sounded like a bunch of squealing pigs were caught in there! Scary!! But, all seems well now...

If you have a really great quilt pattern for a little boy...please tell me about it. I'd love to get more ideas...for a "real" quilt...maybe next year. (smiles)

I had such fun doing this one...I might see if there is enough fabric for a rag quilt for Chase and Aidan this year too! See, here it goes again!!

TDiTM Stitch #117

Reference: Twelve Dozen Stitches in Twelve Months

 

This stitch is a little wider than the previous double herringbone, and the flower beads increase the bling factor...along with the seed beads.

TDiTM Stitch #116

Reference: Twelve Dozen Stitches in Twelve Months

 This is a simple little stitch...yeah, I say that a lot! The double herringbone stitches add some movement and width, and the embroidery combination stitches are just simple straight stitches. It would be a great canvas to add some bugle beads to the center!

TDiTM Stitch #115

Reference: Twelve Dozen Stitches in Twelve Months

 I like the idea of this stitch...it is extra wide, and will fill a lot of space. That can be great when you are working on an area that just would not look good with a motif between the seams. But, don't stitch it with a seven-year old wanting to color and play dominoes when you stop to re-thread your needle...or your beads won't be straight! LOL!

And, the scale of the middle beads is way to small...they needed to be about 4mm and not seed beads. So, learn from my mistakes!...

TDiTM Stitch #114

Reference: Twelve Dozen Stitches in Twelve Months

 In this stitch, the large circle represents any object you want to use. In this example, a 4mm pearl bead was used...but buttons, sequins, or other items could easily be used here. Porcelain roses would be gorgeous!

Roses

I love my new roses! The other flowers were very pretty...and fun! But roses ...especially fabric that has cabbage roses on it...are some of my favorite things. They make me smile inside...feel girly...and special. So, I really like the new borders...hope you enjoy them too!

Kathy

TDiTM Stitch #113

Reference: Twelve Dozen Stitches in Twelve Months

This little three straight stitch grouping reminds me of a little flower with 3 buds. Especially with the Swarvoski crystals used in place of the ending French Knots. The stacked knots were substituted with German glass octagonal beads.

TDiTM Stitch #112

Reference: Twelve Dozen Stitches in Twelve Months

 We go from very simple number 111 to this more complex...but, even so...it's easy to stitch. Only French knots (or beads) and straight stitches. The vertical straight stitches have been replaced with bugle beads...

 They remind me of little firecrackers...and would be great on a patriotic block. Of course, I'd have to use red/white/blue instead of pink/white/green!

TDiTM Stitch #111

Reference: Twelve Dozen Stitches in Twelve Months

 It might be difficult to find a herringbone seam treatment any simpler than this...well, I suppose we could take it down to only one french knot! But, even though it is simple...isn't it cute!

 Using the little pearls instead of French knots does dress it up somewhat!
And, here's a little bonus photo...this block has three pieces of lace...and then nothing but herringbone stitches! Specifically, it is TDiTM Stitches 100 through 111...and I think they play nicely together!

Who says that the same style of stitch can't be used multiple times in a block! Ha! Now, it's ready for some motifs in the patches!

Blue Box Progress--Finished

There are two previous posts about the blue box...so check those out to get the progress as I've moved along.
For today, let me walk you through the stitching on the mermaid herself. First a reminder of how she looked when I started....

Since she is already a redhead...and I like that...here are the colors of silk thread I shall use for her.

These particular threads came from Thailand, off of Ebay. Gorgeous colors, but I have to tell you to beware because when they arrived (about 50 spools) I thought I'd have to throw them away...they smelled so badly. I could not determine if it was from being stored too long...mildewy...or from something else. I loaded them into a plastic container...sprayed (soaked!) them in Febreze...and closed the lid. After about 3 months...they smelled better. So, I sprayed them again...and 3 months later...all is well. The colors did not bleed either..and I was glad and fortunate for that!

Okay, here is the beginning of the hair. I stitched usually in a simple split stitch...and back stitch sometimes to fill in space. I use a divide and conquer method...by stitching along the direction the hair would be flowing...and use the image to guide me in that.

Then I continue this process until all the areas are divided up, and I can clearly see the direction the hair would be flowing...that is the direction of my stitching.

Truly...this is not a difficult thing to do. Just use really thin thread...and do lots of "rows". If you don't have any silk thread...use any type of rayon embroidery thread. It will give you a good sheen and is fairly thin. Combine three colors (as I did here)...or even 3 threads of the same color. The stitching actually goes pretty fast. Here is the final hair...it took about 2 hours to stitch it all.

Next, I debated several ideas for the "fins". They are very fluid with all the dips and valleys and creases in the artwork...and I didn't want to loose that. In the end...I decided to let the art speak and only accent it by stitching along the outside edges of the fins.

And, here is a closeup of the jewelry she is wearing...now she is ready to swim back home to Eileen! She'll be arriving soon gal!

Teddy Bear Tutorial

 I'm busy cooking...but wanted to share a little friend with you today!

This is a little teddy bear I stitched on a friend's crazy quilt heart. He is about 1 1/2 inches tall and is really cute. And, he was not too difficult to do! Really, he wasn't.
Of course, it would be best to try a little larger version first...so, here is a tutorial if you want to give this dimensional technique a try.

Cross-stitch Butterfly #1

I'm really liking this Cross-stitch software! So, here's a chart for you...technically, I think this is a moth...but I still love the colors!

Here's the symbols for Butterfly #1...and next the color chart.

 I'm off to find a good photo of Buddy...to see if I can chart him. I might need a new photo however!

Birthday Celebration!

And we're going to have a Give-A-Way to Celebrate It! All make it pretty simple...cause I'm just too old (and too full of turkey!) to make it very complicated! But, let's make it fun too!

To keep the postage costs down...the prize will be soft...as in embroidery threads, lace, silk ribbon, silk threads...etc. The twist is that there will be FIFTY SIX items!! So, celebrate my birthday with me by posting a comment...and you could be the winner!!

The rules: (1) Comment must include a way for me to contact you...so make sure your profile (or the comment itself) has a good email or I'll just move to the next winning entry! (2) Include in your comment a birthday wish rhyme. Yep, ya have to work for it a little...so put your thinking cap on!! (3) Everyone only gets one chance...so repeats won't be counted.

Good Luck!

 

Congratulations to Cathy K. as the winner of the birthday give-a-way. Thanks to all the folks who left comments, they were funny and I enjoyed reading them...and some of you are very clever. The winner was selected using a random generator number.

Cute Line Drawings for Redwork

Stumbling my way through various blogs (I'm too slow to call it surfing!)...I came across a magical site of coloring pages, puppets, and craft projects. Beautiful images!

The artist is just wonderful and includes dozens and dozens of line drawings on her site. She has fairies, holiday figures like bunnies and elfs, and she includes puppets and stories! A real delight!!

 And, since these are mostly line drawings...they could be stitched as redwork too! Please go check out her site, it truly is fantastic...especially if you love fairies, elfs, angels, and fantasy!

Santa Claus Shadow Applique Tutorial

Okay, it's the day after Thanksgiving...are you thinking about Christmas? Yeah, I know you don't WANT to think about it....but it will be here soon!
So, to get you in the mood for the holiday...how about a quick shadow applique (or regular applique if you prefer)...Santa face block or pillow!

This design is from my basic shadow applique class, first taught on the HGTV Message Boards (Crafts: Quilting and Needlework). Here are links to the instructions sheet, the pattern, and the layout guide. Hope you try it...and come back to comment a link so I can check out your work too.

The instructions are for the shadow applique technique, but can easily be adapted to needle-turn or freezer paper applique methods. All files are Adobe Pdf, so if you have problems opening them...just go to Adobe.com and download their free software for reading any Adobe pdf formated files. Have fun!

Blue Box Progress--Embroidery and Beads

About a month ago, I started a crazy quilt project...for a friend. She sent me a beautiful cobalt blue box and wanted a crazy quilt scene on the top. We discussed the project, and since the box was so gorgeous...and so blue...we decided an underwater scene would be best. Plus, it's the fastest theme for me to stitch! LOL! The basic beginning was blogged the end of last month, check it out here.

My progress over these past four weeks has been sufficient to finish the stitching and the beads and "do dads" along the sea floor. My stitching is done in little bits of time here and there...along with other stitching projects too! I never have just one thing going at a time...that would be too sane!

Here is the overall project as of today....

 

If you have ever wanted to "step outside the box" and go beyond the traditional crazy quilt patch work...past the seams and motifs...I hope you will consider doing an under-water theme project. I think they are easy to conceive and the stitching can be as simple with trims and just some feather stitches. Then go nuts with beads, charms, and a few unexpected things to create your fantasy under-water world! 

I think that it does not have to be as realistic as say flowers or insects...so, it is easier to create. And there is so much color, texture, and just LIFE under water all sorts of beads can be used to dress the project up.

Think in layers...stitching, lace, more stitching, beads, charms, until you have built everything up. Then, when you think it is done...add more beads!! 

Here are some closeups of the status so far.

Lastly, here is the middle so far. I will now move on to stitching the mermaids hair....and see where that leads me next! Almost done Eileene, she'll be swimming home to you soon!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

The First Thanksgiving

painted by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1863-1930)

The Thanksgiving Holiday is celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. It began as a celebration of a plentiful harvest where everyone gave thanks to God or their bounty. Today, we give thanks for our family, friends, and any thing else that we count as a blessing in our lifes.

One of those things...in my life...is to have good friends. And, I count my "cyber buddies" in that group as well...so I wish for you a very Happy Thanksgiving Day...wherever you might be living at the moment!

TDiTM Stitch #110

Reference: Twelve Dozen Stitches in Twelve Months

This stitch is so simple, it is deceiving. After sketching it, I almost discarded it without trying it out. But, I love it when it was stitched! Go figure??

Instead of three seed beads or even three beads of the same size for the "dots", I used a 3mm German class bead anchored on each end by a rocailles bead. I like the look!

Hope you give it a try too.

Really, I've got to stop...

but this is too much fun! Gerry, this little dogwood is for you...small, and simple too!

 And the symbols (I figured out how to keep colors behind the symbols! Yeah!)

 And the collor key, in DMC type threads.