A Short Video of some Motifs/Techniques Learned in the Free Courses!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
Found a great blog!

This is NOT a Joke or a Skam!

Flashback Fridays
As I was blog surfing the other day, I came across a topic titled "Flashback Fridays" which included older photos of the blogger's family. This was intriguing to me. So, thought it might be of interest to ya'll as well. My photos will include family...but will also include past fashion and such as well.
To start off, this is my Great-great grandmother Farmer. I was too little to remember when she passed. She was a large woman; very tall and very sturdy. My mom thinks that she could be where my love of stitching came from...as she was always doing something with her hands. In her time, it was usually hemming pants, sewing buttons, darning socks, or crocheting. She was a work horse...cooking 3 large meals each day, washing clothes by hand, canning foods, gardening, taking care of the house and her seven children. Sunday was the only day she was still...and Mom says her thumbs were constantly moving as she rocked in her chair...as though they just could not keep from doing "something". She is the mom to my Grandfather Robert Farmer her youngest child...and she babied him.
Here are my grandfather and grandmother...Rob and Margaret Farmer. My grandmother did not sew that I am aware of...but she is the only grandmother I have as my dad's parents did not live near us. I only met my grandmother Seaman once in my lifetime...and I was in my 40's by then. But, that's another story...for another time perhaps. I spent time in the summer helping them in their chicken houses when I was a teenager. When I was younger, we lived with them some of the time, and played in their yard. My grandmother always made the best breakfasts when we stayed in the summer!...or perhaps it was just that I was so hungry after working!

Thursday, May 5, 2011
First Thursday Thimbles -- May_2011

Wednesday, May 4, 2011
More Brazilian Embroidery

Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Beading Lust is Alive!!!

Monday, May 2, 2011
Marvelous Monday Motifs - 5/2/11
Please NOTE: This catalog is not under copyright any longer; but the scanned version released to the public domain on 17 July 2007 (the source of my information) does come with restrictions. None of these designs can be sold. They are for your individual use.

Sunday, May 1, 2011
Mother Nature is Busy!

Friday, April 29, 2011
The Dress...
- The RSN was founded in 1872 and will celebrate its 140th year in 2012
- The RSN was granted Royal patronage in 1875. Its current Patron is Her Majesty The Queen
- The RSN is a charity. It receives no government support and has to generate all its own funds from student fees, donations and Studio commissions
- The RSN is the only embroidery school in the world which teaches so many types of hand embroidery to the highest standards
- The RSN has created many pieces for past Royal events including The Queen’s coronation train in 1953 and the Buckingham Palace balcony hanging for The Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002.

Queen Elizabeth's Coronation Train in 1953.
“ A six yard train in best quality handmade purple silk velvet, trimmed with best quality Canadian ermine 5" on top and underside and fully lined with pure silk English Satin, complete with ermine cape and all being tailed ermine in the traditional manner, and including embroidery by the Royal School of Needlework” were the royal design specifications based on tradition.
And...a little off topic...but, what wedding day would be complete without the cake! Princess Catherine's was stupendous! Bet it was super yummy too!
* Thanks to all my UK followers whom graciously informed me that Catherine can not be a princess until Queen Elizabeth bestows that honor on her. However, in my fairy-tale world...if you marry a prince, you are a princess...just like Cinderella! How wonderful that would be...and I'm sure it's only a matter of time before "Kate" will be given the title.

Thursday, April 28, 2011
The Night The Lights Went Out...

Why Can't Teachers Follow Directions? Or am I just too sensitive?
Here's what I'm sewing on today...
Right after Christmas Holidays ended, I approached Aidan's 1st-Grade teacher with an idea for an art project for her class. She put me off for a few weeks because it was so hectic right after the holidays...and we got together in late February. I asked her to invite the other first grade teachers to the meeting...cause I was considering doing the project with the entire grade if they wanted to.
Of course, they did. So I have blocks from all of the teachers. I asked them to keep each class separate and I'd deal with them that way too...so we didn't have a big mix up of blocks. The project was a Crayola block...any design of their choice. I offered to create the muslin square (with freezer paper backing), purchase all of the fabrics (front, backing, batting) and sew all of the pot holders. Their job was to come up with a design in black Crayola (not the cheap crayons...); trace that on to the muslin squares (center the image) and have each child color their square. Then, when the squares were ironed (by me) the dye in the wax would go down into the fabric...and it would become a washable product. I brought a sample of a Crayola quilt, and showed them how the process would work. They all agreed they could do that, what a wonderful idea.
Here are my instructions to them: 1) Each drawn image needs to be no larger than 7 inches...so it would "float" in the middle of the 8 1/2 inch muslin square without getting into the seam allowances. 2) Crayons should be used so that the finished pot holders could be washed...cause they would get dirty. 3) Make sure each block had the students' name on them and keep each class group separate.
As you can see from the photos...they sent me 93 blocks back...all with a simple hand image done in Tempura paint. Many of the hand prints are larger than seven inches...so some fingers are being chopped off in the seam allowance or some names are being truncated in the seam allowance since they are not inside the seven inches either.
All ninety-three blocks are done in Tempura paints...which I am pretty sure is water based and washable paint. So, I have effectively purchased, measured, and cut fabric for the backs, fabric for the fronts, batting, and freezer paper...for a project that when washed...will be just blank squares of muslin with a calico back! All, because six teachers decided it was fine NOT to follow instructions...NOT to do what THEY agreed to do...and none of them even had the manners to call me about this change BEFORE doing it. (And I wonder who thought this was okay...I hear my Grandmother's voice (if one jumped off the bridge, would all of you jump off too?!?) Sure, the kids won't care...and probably the parents won't either. The people that should care...if they knew...would be the 2nd Grade Teachers...because I will not be offering to do a project like this for them next year. And, I have lost a great deal of respect for these first grade teachers...whom I'm sure could really care less about that too.
ETA (5/3/2011): Thanks for all the comments. In the end, I returned the potholders to the teachers and decided just to keep quiet about my disappointments. After all, it's just a simple little art project...not important in the larger scheme of things. Thought ya'll like to know that I did receive a nice thank you note from Aidan's teacher yesterday...and thank you notes from the students in her class as well. That was a nice thing for them to do!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Severe Weather Today/Tonight

Cabochon Brooch

Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Getting Personal

Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)