Spent a really pleasant day finishing Maddy’s mid summer nights dream dress for world book day at school . I was looking through my craft stuff and came across a box of red, pink and lime flowers which were ideal for attaching onto the dresses ribbon strands and neckline. The head dress was made up from the left over ribbons and flowers. I hope it fits and isn’t to long or worst doesn’t fit. I’m taking it down to her this Wednesday and really hopes she likes it.
My sis in-law has been in touch and asked for help with a fancy costume for my nieces World book day at school in Early March. I said leave it with me and now I’m so exited that I have spent most of the day fiddling about and stamping a piece of fabric to make it from. Yesterday a good friend said she had some jersey that I could have so I stocked up on trimmings and ribbons to decorate it and away I went today. So far I have stamped images of flowers and leaves over the top of the square fabric acquired to make it look more forest like ( the book my nice has chosen is “a mid summer nights dream” and she wants to go as one of the woodland nymphs.) I have also painted an old head band which I will customise with flowers and leaves wired to it. eBay has found me some yellow tights and a cheap lime green t shirt which I will also paint and alter. Along with some woodland bangles and a necklace that I need to quickly create. This will complete the look.
So far I have cut the dress out stamped and glittered it and am just starting to add the ribbons to it. I just need to then sew the two side seams together and that’s it. I am not sewing the shoulders together as my friend had the good idea that my sis in- law would then be able o tie the shoulders as straps, therefor she could adjust the if needed.
Check it out so far.
I had a lovely time at Tudor rose patchwork shop on Saturday where eight ladies worked so hard to achieve their panels. Several had never done free motion embroidery before but they sat quietly and by the end of the day they turned out a very high standard piece of work for a first attempt. I was so pleased for them and hope it has inspired them to join me in some other classes
Today’s weather wasn’t much of an improvement on yesterday’s so I spent a second day glued to my sewing machine. I am hooked on embroidering these little squares and am pleased with the final outcome. I would love to find time to make some more to use as greetings cards and I can now keep my scissors safe with a posh new scissor keep also made from two of the little embroideries . Found my stick it and save it book where I had some more small embroidery tile samples so now all I have to do is drop everything off at the shop and hope they inspire students to book on the workshop.
It was sooooooo cold today and going out was not something I fancied so I busied myself and spent a very pleasant day sewing on my sewing machine and making my next workshop sample.
These little embroidered tiles are 2″x 2″ in size and made entirely from stitching. I cut them out close to their edges and then used glitter glue to seal the stitch edges. I just need to think about how to mount them now and that will be another sample done and out of my hair
Saturday 9th saw me teaching stump work dragonflies at threads n patches. 12 lovely ladies came out on a wet snowy day to learn how to make and assemble these delicate creatures and by the end of the day we had some real beauties
On Sunday just gone I spent most of the day wasting time instead of just getting down to it. So on Monday morning with a Million ideas rattling around in my head I started out to get my mixed media class sorted. Having spent the day before wasting time ( no thinking very hard) I decided to make a fabric with plenty of texture and then paint it with acrylics, inks and anything else I could chuck at it. I decided to use Angie Hughes, textile artist in this sort of approach as my inspiration (check out her book, it’s great) and I must say I really enjoyed myself . When I painted my created fabric I also painted papers in the same range of colours so that I could use them to apply to the fabric surface. I finally used my paper punches to punch the flowers and really enjoyed working with the air drying clay.
Now I just need the class to fill and my students can all have fun too
Well I now have sore fingers from all the stitching I have been doing lately but I’m now a dab hand at applying shisha mirrors which was the main aim of the project. Finished the Elephant last night while catching up with all the program’s we had taped on sky. I love to sit and sew when I’ve got plenty of TV to keep me entertained and I’m nice and cozy while the winter weather rages outside. I get most of my hand stitching done during the winter months this way
I have just spent the last couple of days sewing like crazy, mainly because I have a virus and have completely lost my voice so what else can you do but sit quietly and sew. This is yet another workshop coming up and I am quite pleased with the outcome. I have used simple surface embroidery to outline the horse and add his patterning . My problem came when I had to sew the shisha mirrors in place. They are not easy to do and all instructions are diabolical. In the end I watched an Indian lady on You Tube and after no five practice I achieved. This is number one embroidery of three to make a triptych and the elephant and camel will be following over the next week of evening.
I spent a pleasant couple of hours working these easy free motion embroidered flowers using two layers of organza between two sheets of water soluble film. I have worked them all with black thread on the top and bottom of the machine, reason being that they are for my learning curve stint at the Festival of quilts this August coming and it’s easier if the machines are pre threaded. ( Boy I am organised) I’m not really its just that Pam NEAVE who organises it saw me demonstrating several different types of flower making on the machine and thought they would go down well for those of you that like to embellish your work or have a raised effect . Due to the weather being so awful with snow snow and a lot more snow I have been somewhat confined to home the last couple of days and they were what I decided I wanted to play with. I just need to put them in a box for safe keeping and remember where I have put them when I need them later in the summer
