Got some rick-rack?

Make some of these..

Here's the size of rick-rack I'm using. It happens to be orange...so these could be artsy pumpkins, persimmons, or fantasy flowers. Do them in green for artichokes...turn the outside "leaves" down slightly, for cabbages. Do them in white, yellow, peach, pink, red....and you have flowers!

 Here's a close up of the finished back.

 The longer the piece of rick-rack...the larger the flower. A 16" long piece makes a flower about the size of a thread bobbin. A 9" long piece made the two smaller flowers at the bottom of this photo...

Cut your piece of rick-rack and fold it in half. Pinch the folded end in one hand (I use my left), and start to"fit" the rick-rack together with your opposite hand. Making this always makes me think of those "scissors" exercises in gym class..."open the legs wide...now close...now open...now close". The difference is that I'm crossing one rick-rack "let" in front of the other. So...OPEN the rick-rack wide...then slightly wiggle the rick-rack as you CLOSE the rick-rack "blades" with the left piece of rick-rack on top. Then repeat, only this time with the right piece of rick-rack being on top. Repeat...until you reach the end.

 The end result will want to twist...but that's not a problem. If you can MAKE it lay flat on the table...without any twists...then it is correct.

Now, trim the raw edges end slightly. Start rolling from that end, and keep the flower as tight as possible.

 Once you have rolled the entire length...take your needle/thread and make a few anchoring stitches to hold everything together. You can also stitch the folded edge down or let it be slightly open. Try folding down some of the "petals" and see if you like that look too!

Incredible! Inspiring!

Wow, after seeing this lady and her accomplishments...makes me feel like getting up and stitching something!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lfaSmDxVZQ
I hope her video inspires you too!

TDiTM Stitch #134

Here is the next little cretan seam...hope you enjoy it! The little swirls could be silk ribbon spider-web roses! Or, if you are in a hurry...substitute beads or sequins!...or buttons!

And, after stitching the button down...add beads to the center to jazz it up some! Even the "empty" cretan stitches could have smaller beads added to them...to change it up again!

TDiTM Stitch #133

 We are nearing the completion of the Twelve Dozen in Twelve Months challenge. At times, I have wondered if it was actually possible to get to 144 simple stitches...but now find that the finish line is coming up fast! So, in honor of this last dozen steps...let's get in a few stitches that have a different in base. These are also simple enough...but, not my first choice as a base...so, I am challenging myself in a few of these.

The Cretan stitch is familiar to lot's of folks...I know this because I see it used a lot by other stitcher's. However, I am still very uncomfortable with it. So, I rely heavily on my templates to keep the seam line neat and straight. In my mind...I think of this as a ladder. Not the kind you use around the house...but the ones seen sometimes on telephone poles...with the steps staggered instead of straight across. And so, I turn my seam so it is vertical to my body when I stitch it. I take little bites of the fabric with my needle always pointing to the center of my ladder...which causes me to change the direction of my needle. First it's pointing left, then it's pointing right, and then repeat. I always keep my thread in the center...and that causes it to get "captured" under the needle with each stitch...making this feel a bit like the blanket stitch as well.
Isn't it scary to see a glimpse inside my head! I'm sure I am the only person in the world that thinks like this! Thank goodness for the little dots to follow...or this would be one hot mess!

Great Shabby Chic!!

Jenny of Elefantz has some wonderful Shabby Chic patterns...here is one of latest blocks.

This is from a full quilt she has posted on her blog at http://www.elefantz.com that I recently ordered. The patterns arrived today in electronic pdf format...and I have printed each out. I love them all!I had already begun a shabby chic project when I saw Jenny's blocks...so I will be incorporating some of them into my original project. And, since it's a surprise...I will not be posting any photos. I hope you go over to Jenny's site and check out all of her great patterns on Etsy too!

Raylan's Blankies...

Working on odds and ends today (trying not to think about cleaning house!)...so wanted to put together a few little blankets for Raylan. He is the newest addition to the family...arrived early...and weighs in at less than 3 lbs. These blankets are super fast since they are so small...lime green fleece (soft as a cloud) on one side and fun cotton plaids and frogs on the other. Each is only 18 inches square, and I rounded the corners...nothing "pokey" to bother his sensitive skin...

There is no time to think about sewing any clothes for him...as much as I'd like to. So, I ordered three gowns...and they came with adorable hats too. So small...amazing!

Now, Aidan and I are heading to the grocery store for "baby washing powder"...so I can get all of these in the laundry. My sister is heading up to the hospital again on Tuesday and these will go to Raylan then. I'm hoping to ride along too...if my life isn't "crazy" that day!

CIJ - Round #2

The patterns for Christmas In July...Round #2 are loaded on the Yahoo site in files. Here is a preview of one of the three blocks in this round:

If you want more information on this BOM...or to see a photo of the entire quilt...check out the first post on CIJ in the menu bar on the right. The quilt is done and designed for shadow applique quilt technique...but the patterns are line-drawings so could be done in red work or standard embroidery. Some pattern pieces might be too small for traditional or machine applique...but the design could be adapted or substituted for those specific blocks.

Free Online Quilt Magazine

Check out this FREE Online Quilt Magazine...just starting. I have no affiliation with this magazine, but hope it goes well! We quilters love inspiration!

Books Have Arrived!

Look what the UPS man just delivered!

Woot! Woot!
For those of you that have ordered autographed copies...I'll get busy writing...and get them in the mail to ya'll just as soon as I can! Of course, you'll get an email with your delivery confirmation tracking number when your book go's in the mail.
Some will go out today...and I  hope to get the rest of them in the mail by tomorrow! For the international ones, I'll get postage estimates for you...and email you about that soon too.
Oh, I'm just so excited!!

Welcome Little Raylan!

Raylan is the newest addition to our family. He is my grand-nephew...my little sister Jan's son/DIL first child. He is 2 1/2 months early...and weighs 2 lbs 12 oz. He will be in the Neonatal ICU for 4 to 6 weeks until he gains enough weigh to go home. Mom is doing good...Dad is a nervous mess, but doing fine too!

Photo is a little blurry...but it is from Jan's phone...and I pulled it from Facebook...so that's even worse!

A bit of trivia for you...I was also a preemie. Born at 1 1/2 pounds...then lost weight! Had pheumonia when I was 3 days old. But, I certainly made up for it. Hey, perhaps that explains my love of food!! I HAD TO EAT...so it ingrained in my brain! Yeah, that's the story I'm going with!!

Hugs to all!

TDiTM Stitch #132

Buttons make a good embellishment when you have enough room for them. After stitching a couple of times...add some seed beads to hide your thread.

TDiTM Stitch #131

Next is another herringbone...with a little sequin magic!

One World One Heart 2011

 Hi, my name is Kathy...and I'm a Needle Artist. My love is anything stitched...quilts, crazy quilts, crochet, cross-stitch, beads, embroidery,...you get the idea I'm sure. If this is your first visit, it is probably because of OWOH 2011...and if not, read on and I'll tell you all about it...and give away a gorgeous Swarvoski perle and crystal necklace that I created.

I am proud to participate in the 2011 One World One Heart Event!!

One World One Heart is a worldwide event for bloggers only. It gives all those who blog a chance to meet and mingle and form connections with those they may not have otherwise met from all over the world. In the past 4 years this event has grown to over 1,000 participants with lasting friendships (and even one love connection) formed along the way.  Think of it as a GIGANTIC open house allowing you to travel without ever leaving your home........going from blog to blog(in various countries) seeing the wonder each one has created and meeting all the fabulous people behind those blogs. As a bonus each blogger participant will offer up a "door prize or prizes"....just for dropping by, saying hello and seeing their world.  It's really that easy.

And here is our door prize at Shawkl!!! A stunningly gorgeous pearl and crystal necklace!

The pendant is a vintage drop, and is spectacular! My blog reflects my current passion for beading in jewelry and in crazy quilt embellishments...and my constant needle-art adventures.While you are here...look around...I post a lot! And many of those posts are of the How-to nature...in some type of stitching or beading. So, hope you enjoy your visit!

THEN, leave a comment to this post so you will be entered in the drawing!...and at the end of the event (Feb.17) I will choose the winner of my necklace by use of a random number generator. The winner will be announced on my blog on the 18th of February...and I will attempt to email the person or persons to let them know they have won (so make sure your profile is up to date so your email is accessible)...I will also ask for a mailing address in that winner email. All bloggers are eligible...this is open internationally!!

The door prize will be mailed out within 3 days AFTER the event ends. So, happy One World One Heart!!!

We have a WINNER...Congrats to Naomi of Beeshebags! And she has replied to her notice email and I'll be sending the necklace off to Australia! For those that did not win...and I'm sorry (I didn't win anything this year either)...but stick around, my daughter's birthday is the 4th of March...and I'll be having a give-a-way to celebrate! So check back then!

TDiTM Stitch #130

This stitch continues the herringbone base stitch...and is simple to execute.

The templates help keep the stitch base straight and neat...although, I'm sure some of ya'll are much better at embroidery than me...and could do this without the templates. Perhaps, one day...I can too...but right now, they help me out immensely.

BJP 2011 January Still Going...

Now that the round robin blocks are done for this month...I can get back to working on the January Journal Page for Beading Journal Project 2011. Here is where I am on my dragonfly...

If you want to see where I started...check out the tags for BJP2011 in the sidebar. There is still a lot of beading to do in the wings...and I don't have an idea on completing the blue wings yet...but, it will come...all in due time says my muse! Here's a close up for you...isn't the "bling factor" great with this!

 One thing I have definitely learned...start with smaller projects! This dragonfly is about 7 inches long and has a wing span of about 6.5 inches. So, it's taking a lot of seed and bugle beads to fill it up! I'm not sure what the February project page will include...but, the insect will be small! That might help me to get both of them finished by the end of February. Okay...back to beading...

BE Block for Karrin

Brazilian Embroidery is beautiful! And, I wish I could really stitch in this technique..so, I've joined the Brazilian Embroidery International Group on Yahoo. Hope I learn something! But, before that...I signed up to participate in a round robin exchanges on Crazy Quilters International Yahoo Group...titled Brazilian Embroidery. My first block to stitch on is Karrin's...

Karrin actually created two blocks...the first one was lost in the mail, so it had to be re-created. So, this block required some priority attention when it was received to keep the rotation mailing date from slipping...but, I'm done and it is going in today's mail! Yeah! Karen's instructions included her desire for the finished block to have some bias binding in a vertical and horizontal position...as a window pane...and she wanted the completed block to "be as though you were looking out of my window". So, I added the bits of tape (bandage type) to mimic where the bias binding would go. Since there are four ladies stitching on this...that also divides the stitch space nicely. The Brazilian Embroidery part of the block for me is the flowers...

The pink ones are done in French Knot at the top and Raised Cup Stitch below; the daisies are Detached Chain Stitch; and the little loop flowers have Cast On Stitch green heads with white Bullion Knot flowers. If you look closely at the top photo...you will see that the sky is simply light blue seam treatments...just to add texture and fill the space. The tree truck is stitched...

and the leaves are velvet leaves from a little bunch of silk flowers. I stripped them from their wire stems and stitched them down by a simple back-stitch in the shape of veins. Then I added the "oranges" which are glass iridescent beads. The "ground cover" is tiny little flowers of lace that I detached from some yardage trim I had.

English Garden Finished for Maureen

The last steps in completing Maureen's English Garden block is the beading...here is the finished block.

The silkie had some little pearl beads added to the embroidery "frame"...

Tiny little iridescent flowers were added to the top row of stitched flowers, and butterfly beads were placed here and there to fill in empty spaces...

The bottom two rows were stitched with small filling stitches like the knotted blanket stitch...and tiny beads added for more texture.

You might find it interesting to know that the finished size of this block is six-inches square, so the scale is smaller than a standard twelve-inch block would be. It's ready to mail out...but I'll hang on to it until the due date.

English Garden...Bullion Flower Heads

The dreaded bullion! Many folks are convinced that these are just not something they can stitch. Nonsense...but there is an easy road and a hard road.

The easy road means that you have all the right tools on hand to do the job right. The needle you use is designed for creating bullions and has an eye that is no wider than the needle shaft. That way, the loops of the bullion will slide off the end effortlessly...and not get "hung up" on the eye. When working with six-strand floss...a straw needle or milliners needles does a perfect job!
But, when working with larger threads...like perle...it is hard to find a straw or milliner needle that has a large enough eye for the perle...without the needle shaft being so big that it doesn't leave huge holes in the fabric.
That's when you take the hard road...and deal with what you have.
Still, bullions can be done...without a lot of headaches. So, since this is not a perfect world where I live...and I have to use the best tool I can find..the hard road it is! An embroidery or chenille needle with the smallest eye I can get the thread through is usually my choice. I squeeze the thread at the tip to get it into the smallest needle I can...and the needle eye is long and slender...and the width of the eye is close to the same width as the shaft...but not quite the same.So, here is how I manage.
Needle up at the top of the bullion (or at least where you "want" the top to be)...and then, needle down at the bottom coming back up at the top again...without leaving the fabric.

This stitch will determine the length of the finished bullion. Then, I push my needle almost all of the way through the fabric, so I can get my left index finger under the needle (I am right handed). I start to wrap the thread clock-wise around the needle until the number of loops make a little stack on the needle...about the same height as the length of space between my "top" and "bottom" needle positions were. The wrapping is neat...and snug...but not tight.

Now, I grab these loops in my left hand...between my thumb and index finger. Grab the needle tip and pull the thread through...without letting go of the loops (you'll thank me for that later). Pull the thread until it starts to tighten under your fingers...(I had to put the needle down to get this photo).

The loops will be sitting above the fabric...and I like to put my needle under the line of loops and continue to pull my thread tightening them closer and closer to themselves. My needle is handy to use as a "nudge" to keep them tidy and in order. (If you forget to "pinch" the loops in your fingers first...this group of "loops" will just look like a tangle mess..but just keep pulling the tail thread...and use your needle to create that "nudge" from under the loops...soon, they will start to fall back in line and tighten up to something that resembles a line of loops once more.)

After I have pulled them as tight as I can from under the bottom...I move my needle to the top of my thread and push the loops some more to snug them as close together as they can go.

Lastly, I needle down at the bottom of the stitch. That completes one bullion.

Repeat to stitch as many as you need. Remember that the direction and length of the bullion is set by the first steps...needle up at top...needle down at bottom, and back up at top without exiting the fabric. If you load more bullions than will neatly fit into this space...the bullion will curve. If you put too many in the space...it will have the center core thread showing out the bottom. For this flower, I stacked the bullions one next to the other...and started the next one at the half way point of the one on top. The first bullion is stitched at the end of the vine/stem...then the left side ones are done...then the right side ones.

 Practice makes perfect!

English Garden...Fly Stitch Leaf Tutorial

The fly stitch leaf is my very favorite style of leaf to stitch. I have shown you this technique before...done in perle cotton. Today, I'm stitching some leaves on the English Garden block in silk perle. I started this motif with a vine done in stem stitch. I created the vine by taking my pencil and drawing a "wandering" line with some little "branches" coming off of it to fill in the general area I wanted to complete. Then I stitched from left to right...little back stitches with the thread always hanging down below the needle...and there was my stem stitch. Here is the finished vine and leaves...

And here is how the leaves are done. First, I like to start with a simple detached chain stitch (lazy daisy) starting at the tip of the leaf and working back about 1/4 to 1/3 of the length of the leaf. You can also see that I have drawn the general shape of the leaf with my pencil, this will keep me on track. Some folks put a pencil "dot" at the leaf tips and sides...but I find that the entire shape is what I need to create a nice shaped leaf. After completing the detached chain stitch, bring the needle up at the left side of the leaf...right next to the start of the detached chain stitch.

Now, from here on...we'll be stitching fly stitches. Fly stitches are really similiar to detached chain stitches...but instead of having the needle going up and down in the same starting spot...you have space between them. So here is the beginning...needle up at the left side of the detached chain. Needle down at the right side of the detached chain...staying close to the top...and on or just outside of the pencil line of the leaf shape. You don't want to see pencil lines when you have finished your leaf.

Start pulling your thread through and needle up at the bottom of the stitch...just like you would when completing a detached chain stitch. Get ready to anchor the stitch loop down.

This next photo is a little blurry...but that is my needle at the bottom of the stitch...going back down into the fabric...just couching the last fly stitch in place. This will anchor the loop down...just as you do with a detached chain stitch. These little "anchors" will become the spine of the leaf. They can be right down the center...or curve them to the left or right to get more "bend" in the leaf.

Once you have anchored the stitch...do the next one. Needle up again on the left side...needle down on the right side (following the pencil line of the leaf shape)...and needle up at the bottom and down again while couching he thread in place.

Keep going until the entire leaf shape is full. As you begin the leaf the stitches get wider and wider apart at the top...because the leaf is getting wider. Towards the halfway point of this specific leaf shape, the leaf starts to narrow and comes to a point at the bottom end. The flystitch is the same technique...the space between your needle up (left side) and needle down (right side) just differs depending on the shape of the leaf. Don't stress over it...just stay with the line.

If need be...you can also add a single stitch at the bottom of the leaf to fill in any remaining space...or to make a stem. Now, wasn't that easy!

I like to fill my leaf with stitches...so I snug them close together...but another option is to open the stitches by dropping down a little between each of the fly stitches. This produces a more "spiny" style of leaf. Try that out as well...

Tomorrow, we'll stitch some flower heads on those stems!

UTS Finished Jacque's Block

I have so enjoyed working on my part of Jacque's Under The Sea block...and it is now ready to move on to the next person on the Round Robin list...

Here are some closeups...the only things added are the beads and charms. But, they finish off the stitching nicely I think...and make it look like a real scene. I can almost see those fish swimming! Here are the rocks...some clay roses are added to the green stump-work plant, and a purple glass one is added below. A couple of German glass beads in blue, and some flower iridescent type beads are added for more color.

And, next the fish. Here is the large one...

And the small one...

The fish are brass charms, and while I often ink these type of charms...this time, I painted them...with fingernail polish! The feather stitching has been adorned with multiple seed beads in three different colors.