slow stitching = slow progress

 i appliqued two more tulips onto the second row of my jubilee quilt project this a.m.
i really enjoy working with hand dyed fabrics. the vine and the center part of the tulip are both using  fabrics that i dyed myself.
the second row is looking a lot like the first one so i'll just leave you with this macro of that project.

during the past week i've also worked on several other slow stitching projects:

 my fabric art journal page is finished. i dated it with the date on the day when i was stitching the date and since that happened to be valentine's day i also decided to applique a primitively stitched heart in the remaining space. this page was inspired by the Journal52 project (week four). the prompt was 'building character' and i blogged more about that here.
i'm keeping the fabric art pages to approximately 4 x 6 inches and i LOVE doing them. i'm definitely seeing at least one journal in my future using only these pages . . .
i'm breaking some of the rules so if you are interested in playing along you might want to check the Journal52 site out for yourself.

 this is a project that i started last year in response to a guild challenge. it's currently (approximately) the size of a fat quarter of fabric and once i have joined it with more pieces i'll go back and add some leaves that will bring the areas together.
the challenge was to draw randomly from written suggestions and then use the suggestion drawn in a project. i drew the word 'tree' and decided to work it into a small piece that i want to make that will cover my fireplace during those months when it's not in use. i was supposed to have this finished in december but didn't make the deadline.
since then, my guild has issued another challenge (a paint chip challenge) and i will work on incorporating that next.
ultimately this piece will (hopefully) have a primitive random sampler look to it. i don't think it will be completed with the paint chip challenge . . . who knows, maybe i'll be able to milk it for a few more years' worth of guild challenges . . .
i do expect that at least some of it will be machine pieced so maybe it will go a little faster but i only work on this piece once a week so it's probably not going to be finished any time soon.

i try to work on my long term family christmas stocking project on tuesdays and so far that's working out. slow progress but i may very well get at least this one (wonderful husband's) finished by next christmas and maybe even the last one (mine).
i'm adding lights to that tangled up string of lights and it's coming along nicely.




i'll be joining up with Kathy at Kathy's Quilts today for more slow stitching show-and-tell. Kathy writes that she needs her slow stitching time more than ever today. i can relate to that~! prepare to be inspired by lots of other slow stitching projects if you decide to join in.





recent gifts include:

• a cleaner landscape in the house 'office'
• a day that invited a walk outdoors (i've been missing that)
• a completely defrosted pond and some gold fish slowly swimming in the deepest part (no count yet)
• daffodils and iris pushing up out of the ground

Slow Sunday Stitching ~ January 26, 2014

Sunday Cyclamen

i have been slow stitching my string tulips onto their vine today. all but two of these are appliqued down, with those two being basted in place and ready for applique.
i do wonder about adding leaves?
this is very much a figure it out as i go kind of primitive quilt experience.
i do wish i had the energy to stage and take a better photo but you get the idea.

i'm joining up with Kathy of Kathy's Quilts for the slow sunday stitching event.   

Kathy has written a thoughtful post about how we, as creative's value our hands. she writes:  "They are instruments of our creativity, to work with our tools, fabric, threads, and beads, and turn them into something we love."

do you appreciate your hands and all that they do?

when you see something that has been created by hand do you think about the hands that made it? your mother's hands, your father's, a child's . . .

 

sometimes when i see artwork or hand made things i think about how interesting it would be to have a tag attached to the work itself including a photo of those particular creative hands.

how often might i be surprised by them? they might be older, younger or even crippled by arthritis . . . they would surely tell a broader story for us as the viewer of the handwork itself.

a story i would enjoy knowing.

 

our hands are an amazing gift~!!~

and you gotta love those thumbs too~!

 

;-)

a juicy slice of watermelon for Slow Sunday Stitching

 

the community fireworks display just about goes off in our front yard which is very convenient for us and beautiful to see but some of the people who view it don't remember to take all of their trash home with them when they leave. the morning after the event the wonderful daughter, grand-dog suki and i went out and did some neighborhood cleanup with the intent of keeping an eye out for bits that might work into her postcard for this month. i also had put aside some other bits of this and thats from packaging, etc.
i wanted her july card to be a memory card of the great holiday time that we shared.

it's almost finished and i'm not going to reveal the whole thing just yet but i would like to show you a stitched felt watermelon slice that i added to this card. yes, we did eat lots of watermelon on the 4th and with our recent weather being so hot i have been craving some more. besides being a traditional food for the summer holidays it always tastes so good and is so refreshing on a hot day.

this is my offering for Slow Sunday Stitching. it's a macro shot and this tiny stitched bit is actually only about an inch and a quarter from edge to edge and three quarters of an inch from top to bottom so you are really seeing some up close detail in this shot. i stitched a seed for each person that was here for the holiday including one for grand-dog suki. it was fun to make and i hope that it makes you smile and reach for a slice of this fun summer time treat.
if watermelon isn't your idea of cool summer goodness, share in the comments what makes you feel refreshed on a hot day.

for some more slow stitch eye candy join in over at  Kathy's Quilting for this weeks Slow Sunday Stitching event.




while i'm on the subject of wonderful daughter's postcards i will also show you the completed june card.

if it seems familiar that is because she really liked one that i made recently for her uncles birthday. i decided to make another one that used some of the same elements within in it for her.
hers  has a bit of embroidery worked in as well as a stitched edge treatment. mostly paper but some paint and brads found their way in along with some stamp art.
that crane cut-out comes from the Audubon Society. i love getting their magazine and this crane shows up a lot on their solicitations.   companies spend a lot on advertising and sometimes it's really beautiful so i hoard it away (oh yes, i do have those tendencies) for future projects.

some recent gifts include:

 

~ice water. LOTS of ice water.

 

~communicating with my mom on a nearly daily basis

 

 

~a frilly pink hollyhock debuting in my garden

 

~bunches and bunches of daisy's and black eyed susan's in a riot of summer bloom

 

~enough energy to make a little bit of daily progress on a path project within the garden that i have been thinking about for a long time

slow sunday stitching in the garden

there has been a lot of gardening done here over the last couple of days. it's too cold to plant flowers yet but some of the vegetable gardening can be done so the cold frame has been erected and tomatoes planted inside as well as sugar snap peas, onions and potatoes planted into the larger outer garden plot.
the wonderful husband is also back to work on crafting that beautiful wood fence. it's going to be a busy spring and summer season.

all of that gardening means that i deserve a bit of a rest so a day to sit and enjoy the garden is a good idea. the sun is shining, the temperature is warm without being too hot . . . a slight breeze blowing . . .
and so i declare it perfect for some outdoor slow sunday stitching. it's been a few weeks since i linked up with Kathy at Kathy's Quilting for this event but i've missed it.

it's always fun to see what the other participants are working on and thinking about on a sunday of slow stitching. i hope that they are getting a little sunshine and fresh spring air while they stitch too.

i'm working on a doll sized random sampler. i started it weeks ago using some smaller bits and pieces that were orphaned or left over from other projects. it came together really well and even rather quickly but then after i basted it up for quilting i decided that it needed a little more applique (blending the outer borders with the inner body) and although there wasn't a lot of applique it seemed that the project slowed down a bit. this  was more a result of being occupied with several april postcards than the actual applique itself.
this a.m. i managed to get a bit more done on that piece and hope to do even more this afternoon. once that's finished i'll be at the point of quilting it.

 

 doesn't that dappled sun look yummy~!?

i'll show more of this project as it gets closer to being done.

 

i forgot to post a photo of the fabric postcard that i made for my wonderful MIL (her birthday)  in april.  

 

 i used a fragment from a hand embroidered dish towel that i made more than 20 years ago. i actually used this towel to dry dishes with and in fact, used it to the point of literally being able to see through it. recently i decided that it would be a good idea to cut it up into other projects.

i "reinforced" some of the embroidery, added  a few stitches as well as some fussy cut fabric to a couple of the spots on the butterfly and a few sequins and ta-da~!!

 

i am also showing the paper collage postcard that i created in april. this card was made for another special april birthday that i like to recognize.

  i enjoy working on the paper cards just as much as the fabric ones . . . scissors, glue and odd bits of paper are just as fun to create with as fabric, lace and thread.

 

i'll be able to show you the wonderful daughter's april postcard soon . . .

 

recent gifts include:

• morning birdsong
• slow sunday stitching
• seeing that the grosbeaks have returned

• digging in the warm dirt of the garden





the creeping thyme has started to creep

 

 

 

 



linking up with:

 

  

 

 



TAST ~ linked chain stitch

lace
or profound fragmentation
half full
or half empty
choose
and ye shall receive

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last week (25) on PinTangle the stitch was the cable chain stitch.

a new stitch for me, so i attempted it on some aida as a sample first.

then, just for fun, i experimented with working it using a fine piece of copper wire. this was interesting although a bit problematic . . .

in the end i used a metallic (like) thread on a short seam within the wonderful husbands stocking.

*******************************

this is the 'surprise applique' that i've been working on. i've given them as a gift and can finally show what i was doing.

55 very simple/primitive basket blocks with sweet curvy appliqued handles.

these were made for a friend's birthday.
she seemed delighted and i have to say that after working on them all this time i'm still quite happy with them myself. in fact, i'm making myself a few with the leftover bits that are hanging around in the studio.

LOVE those colors together~!

and of course there was a little party with flowers, and dark chocolate and a few other fun presents.

*******************************

for the 15 minute challenge  during last week all went well on all seven days with work being added to my own baskets as they get handles, some experimental stitching on atc's, and of course, the TAST/christmas stocking project.

if you think adding a 15 minute sewing session to each day is something you would benefit from head over to Kate's at Life in Pieces.

15 minutes doesn't seem like a lot but this challenge has kept me puttering forward on many things this year. thank you Kate~!

*******************************

recent gifts include:

• a weekend visit from the wonderful daughter
• the accomplishment of a really tasty pasta salad lunch
• further work and even some planting on the pond rehab project 

15 minute challenge report ~ may 22

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."
Maria Robinson

jude hill from Spirit Cloth recently requested (from those interested in participating) small stones appliqued onto squares of cloth for her Magic Feather Project.

i've been very interested in this project and have enjoyed seeing it come along.

unfortunately, i was unable to create any feathers when they were being requested so when i seen that she was needing the stones to balance things out i was happy to contribute a few.

how many is a "few" anyway?

one seemed to lead to another and another and so i just kept on stitching . . .

i may eventually stitch some more.

this busy little ant was quick to inspect my stones as i was photographing them.

jude has fascinated me for quite some time with her unusual and intuitive approach to needlework.
observation of her blog has taught me a lot but what sticks with me when i go to stitch with my own needle is that one cannot properly "listen" to any given material or project let alone one's own thoughts if there is a constant worry about what is "correct" or what may have been planned previously.  this is important if i wish my work to be original. and quite often i do.
it does not mean that the work is done without thought to integrity (the skills it takes to carry out the work itself) but it does mean that any given piece could lead you on into territory that may not have been previously imagined as the work is being carried out . . . thus one finds oneself part of a spontaneous "story" that is being told through one's needle.
i enjoy it when i can tune into the work and relax enough to do it myself and i love seeing what jude has to share in regards to this process as well as being able to see what 'stories' her and her needle are telling.

i will be blogging in the near future about where this intuitive approach/participation in needlework is now taking me.

my weeks worth of 15 minute challenge work included time spent on the stones as well as the hexie quilt top. there was also embroidery done on the TAST project/christmas stockings, the surprise applique project is coming along and i made a prayer flag (my first). it was a busy but enjoyable week for me.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *   *  *  *  *

recent gifts include:

• finding the red and white parrot tulips gracefully accepting their morning watering. bowing their heads in the early morning light.
• rediscovering that very special color: robins egg blue, while on my morning walk around part of the garden.
• perfect temperatures. not too cold, not too hot and breezes just when you need them most. 

15 minute challenge ~ march 27

"Thus nature has no love for solitude, and always leans, as it were, on some support; and the sweetest support is found in the most intimate friendship." - Cicero

my weekly report card for the 15 minute challenge:

tuesday, mar. 20th: leaf onto AAQI quilt 

wednesday, mar. 21st: postcard work

thursday, mar. 22nd: flower garden top ~ TAST practice (barred chain & alternate barred chain 

friday, mar. 23rd: TAST (barred chain & alternate barred chain) onto two stockings 

saturday, mar. 24th: quilted on pink lemonade  (alternate blocks) 

sunday, mar. 25th: quilted on pink lemonade (alternate blocks)

monday, mar. 26th: quilted on pink lemonade (alternate blocks) 

i was out of town for a couple of days which totally messes with all of my schedules but i still did manage to get all 7 days in for the 15 minute challenge with the group found at  Kate at Life in Pieces.
once again i was grateful for the easily carried along pink lemonade quilt. i now have just over half of the alternate blocks quilted.

i used a tailor's buttonhole stitch to attach the leaf onto the AAQI quilt. it worked well as both a way to outline the leaf and sew it onto the piece.

this is a shot of some felting that i managed to get done on my felting machine last week. i'll be fiddling with it a bit more and then using it for postcards. i think.

love the new felting machine but i'm not very good at it yet so it's costing me a fortune in needles~!

recent gifts include:

• the joys of friendship
• a spare hour to hang out at barnes and noble, sip a smoothie and peruse the art magazines
• indulging myself with the purchase of a few of those magazines

report card ~ jan. 17

i have committed to 15 minutes of sewing a day. today i'm giving my first "report card".  if you want more information on this there is a button on my sidebar that you can check out or you can visit  Life in Pieces.

• tuesday, jan. 10 ~ CPS mixed media postcard
• wednesday, jan. 11 ~ hexie project and cutting half blocks for  the pink lemonade quilt-a-long
• thursday, jan. 12 ~ sewing half blocks for pink lemonade
• friday, jan. 13 ~ applique on secret birthday blocks
• saturday, jan. 14 ~ applique on secret birthday blocks
• sunday, jan. 15 ~ applique on secret birthday blocks
• monday, jan 16 ~ made the four corner blocks for pink lemonade and embroidery on a christmas stocking  

i know one thing. i'm going to have to start writing it down on the day i do it because i cannot seem to remember just exactly what i did on what days . . . what i do know for sure is that i did get some sewing done and i generally spend quite a bit more time in the studio than 15 minutes once i get started.


the blanket stitch was the challenge for last week on Take a Stitch Tuesday.

i've used it here to attach the stem of the pear on my current AAQI project. very tiny stitches. very tiny thread. love the results~!

this week the stitch to use/explore will be the feather stitch. one of my favorites.

today's gifts have included:

• not having to do the dishes this morning
• a bright sun on snow creating millions of sparkles everywhere i look
• a visit from the resident wild bunny "nibbles"

just a quick post featuring a couple of postcards that i managed to work on and finish during the last few weeks.

this first one was a birthday card. i used a bit of an old tattered hand embroidered towel (both the embroidery and the  lace edge) and a piece of my own hand dyed orange fabric. the sun has been reverse appliqued by me and i did add a few more embroidered stems and flowers.
last year i did a similar card for the same person using old linen bits (an embroidered handkerchief) and a hand dyed fabric. i think i'll make this theme a tradition for her birthday cards as she seems to really love them.

this second card was made for  a friend who has been going through cancer treatments. she will be finding out very soon the results of all of that . . . keep her in your thoughts and prayers please.
i found that skep and bee fabric years ago and because it was on sale (and i loved it) i bought a few yards. now i wish i'd bought the whole bolt~!!~


i want to thank every visitor who has returned to my blog and especially those that have left a comment. i feel such joy being back within this friendly blog world.


this morning i discovered that Somerset Studio's has a new blog. i'm a huge fan of many of their publications (and secretly dream of someday being within those pages).
are there other Somerset Studio's fans out there?


it's early yet, but today's gifts already include:

• the joy felt when i see that other bloggers out there haven't forgotten me and the sweetness of their recent thoughts and prayers
• my morning mug of hot chai tea (with it's overtones of coconut) with milk and honey added
• waking up to a newly mucked out pantry ~ organized and tidy

i've had this post partially prepared since mid september and am happy to finally get to share it.

this is a small quilt that i made for a very good friend in celebration of her birthday.
she seemed to really love it and i enjoyed making it for her.

i used a pattern called "Crow on the Pumpkin" designed by Lisa Bongean of (Primitive Gatherings) that was featured in the fall issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine. it measures approximately 16" x 20". my version used a homespun fabric background as instructed but i also used cotton fabrics (rather than wool) for everything except the stem on the pumpkin. the fabrics were all within my stash and/or scrapbasket so i was pleased with myself for not needing to purchase anything for this project. i just didn't have quite the right fabrics in wool . . . btw: that wool stem was snipped out of a particularly hideous tie. it made a much better pumpkin stem than it did fashionable(?) menswear~! you should know though, that Lisa sells kits of the suggested fabrics within her shop for those wanting to duplicate it exactly. i also did not use fusible web as instructed. i needleturn appliqued it and made the necessary adjustments to the pattern provided in order to do so. i hand quilted it using a cotton variegated quilting thread in fall colors.

this is the fall issue of Primitive Quilts but their winter issue has arrived at my house and i'm inspired to try many of those projects out too. i'm a big fan of this publication and have resubscribed for another two years. if you enjoy primitive you should give it a look. i like that there are a variety of needlework projects within it's pages such as quilting, cross stitch, rug hooking,wool mats and, pillows, stuffed bears, etc.

the pattern was actually for a two piece finished project with a 'background' quilt that left a space for overlapping the smaller piece onto it. the magazine promises "more little quilts for your seasonal banner in future issues".
what a great idea and i may re-visit that idea and the upcoming patterns that are shared within this great magazine at some point in the future . . .

i LOVED the way that it was displayed and photographed in this shot~! one of my favorite things about the primitive look is that it's always warm and comfortable looking.

today's gifts included:

• a short walk with River
• a slice of my daughter's homemade persimmon bread (still a bit warm from the oven)
• time to hand quilt
• finally being able to post on my blog  :-)

the weather today is a bit grey but so far we've only gotten rain . . . the weatherman says it could turn to snow but the temps are currently in the mid 40's so i've got my fingers crossed that it won't. the leaves are beginning to bud out and the trees are wearing that misty light green veil that they get before their buds all go completely into leaf . . . very pretty and very promising~!

this first one is one of the ornamental fruit trees that we have in the yard. there will not only be leaves soon but also blossoms (if the frost doesn't get them).

last summer i planted false spirea in one of the gardens. i like it's feathery leaves and it's supposed to be a fast growing shrubby/ground cover. so the second shot is the leaves just beginning to form for it's new year. it's always good when a plant makes it through it's first winter here and i have hopes that it's going to be happy and healthy. i really like the way the new leaves have a rosey red blush to them. the plant that i planted last year had only green leaves so this was a surprise. possibly the color will only be a spring thing . . . ?

the columbine has been growing leaves for a few weeks now and i'm also pleased at their robust sturdiness. i love the way that the leaves look like a blossoming rose at first.

i have quite a lot of artemesia in various places throughout the yard and it does very well here. this year it began to show some growth way back in late february/early march which is VERY early here. i'll be making this a staple. i like it's sagey green color and it's feathery soft growth. it makes for a lovely small shrub-like plant along walkways and around the pond and i have a feeling i'm going to come up with a lot of other places to plant it as well.

so all of these spring leaves have gotten me in the mood to applique some vines and leaves of my own. and if there's a vine with leaves . . . there has to be berries, right?!?
i always keep my leftover vines and leaves from past projects. i tuck them away in a box and draw out of it before i cut more for new projects if i can. i have used this design element in so many quilts that i have  quite a few little bits and pieces to choose from.
i happen to really like the look of a pieced quilt with some appliqued accents or features; sometimes within the border, sometimes an oddball applique strip or block tossed in among the pieced ones, sometimes a surprise bird or blossom randomly placed onto an otherwise pieced top, etc.
i think the possibilities are probably endless.
one day recently i felt the urge to applique but didn't really have a project in mind so i went through the box and chose a length of prepared vine and started sewing it down to a 5 inch wide piece of muslin cut from selvedge to selvedge (approximately 40 inches long). what you see here is a portion of that strip which i have now completely filled with applique. it was so satisfying i think i'll start another.  (-:
i have no idea what exactly i'll do with them but i do know that they will find a "home" within something eventually, after all, is there any quilt that can't somehow benefit from a bit of "greenery" within it~!?!
feel free to share your ideas on how you have added applique to piecework projects.

i mentioned in a recent post that i was playing around with using paper, fabric and stitch. i'm still playing but this is what i have so far. the hexagon pieces are a variety of papers that i had on hand. i've added a piece of an old embroidery linen to one corner and a fabric fussy cut butterfly as well as some random embroidery stitches. i've used a thin scrap of muslin batting for the base. i think i may be cutting a postcard and some atc's from it and then finishing them up according to what each small piece "tells me" it needs . . . still experimenting and having a great time with this and as you can see my "green garden fever" has infected this piece as well.
i hope to show more as i get further along.

today's gifts included:

• the soft light of a foggy morning
• the shimmery veil of green leafy buds that trees wear in the early spring
• bearing witness to my daughter's blossoming into womanhood.