Decorating and Stitching

This has seemingly felt like a long and also short weekend at the same time. I suppose that's what you get if you decide to spend five long hours painting your hallway. I haven't even really finished yet. Christ painting can be so bloody boring, and tedious when you have a headache for the entire time. Whinging aside, it's complete and I've even come to the conclusion that it doesn't need me to spend out on fancy light reflecting paint to make the hallway brighter, because the basic white has done a fab job, and has made such a difference! It was so dingy with the cream coloured walls, and now can't wait to paint the skirting and door frames, which will be in either gloss or satin wood pale grey just to give it a different finish. 

The painting has pretty much eaten up most of the weekend, because with the painting you have the cleaning up, and generally passing out from the smell. 

That aside I did get round to finishing stitching the monogram:

Something very satisfying about stitching over thread so it's hidden and has a nice neat finish

So close to finishing...sort of...lots more Satin Stitch to go..

And it's all done. 

Well, not exactly, the image above is the stage before the finish. The finish sees it with a small golden bee and is temporarily held in a frame. I've sent a picture to my friend to have a look at as I'm still a bit iffy about the bee. I did various types, sizes and put in different places and I'm not a 100% sold on it, but you know sometimes you have to take a step away. So everything is tidied up and put to one side. 

And whilst I wait to hear what she thinks, my mind wanders to not just finishing the hallway, or cooking dinner though I am getting hungry, its to what I want to start working on next. Several things are already on the go from the quilt to playing with hexies, I have also three embroidery designs to stitch, one is the next free tutorial so I should be starting that one next (and will)...but I've finally figured out what I am going to use my small stash of these bag handles I picked up seven years ago at M&J Trimming in New York. They are going to be used to hang mini art quilts for the study. Not worked out the design of the mini quilt but I am sure something will be thought of soon. Something bold and bright...

What about you, have you finally figured out to use a very old piece/item from your stash?

Tea Time!

It really sum up my weekend, when I found myself stitching tea, whilst drinking tea....

Text looks a little bumpy, but with a little bit of tweeking with a needle I've managed to give it a much smoother finish...

This is my last full weekend of stitching for what I think will be a fortnight, I have family commitments and I'm moving (finally) into my new flat. Life takes over, and all my lovely projects have to be packaged up safely and carefully, pending it's travels to Farnham. Then well hopefully I'll have my studio/room up and running in quick time. I kind of need to get it sorted quickly, as I have a commission which I will be accepting tomorrow to get done by the end of August. It's not a private commission but something for a magazine. I weighed up everything, and I thought what the hell, what's life without a little bit of pressure ;) 

This isn't of course my last blog for a while, I can still squeeze in time for that! And I have a newsletter to get written and out by the 1st August too. 

Great Oaks from Little Acorns Grow

As the saying goes. 

The little acorn in this case was a design I came up with based on Art Nouveau style, so very organic but with a sense of flair to it. I came up with a repeat pattern which enabled me to mirror it. The design was for a coat collar. A very special commission for a very special lady. It was an utter pleasure coming up with the design and subsequently stitching it. It gave me an opportunity to work on some very wonderful luxury cashmere fabric and to work in pure silk threads. 

I can't wait to see it attached to the coat, and when I do there will be more photographs! 

Following the completion of the collar, I was able to crack on with the second part of the commission which was to create a set of matching buttons. Which I completed last weekend. 

I chose to use the acorns on the collar, rather than try and create mini versions of the leaves. It also gave me more of excuse to do more of the very tactile acorn caps, which I should have added was a combination of hand dyed wool thread with a strand of silk thread, the stitch used was French Knots. 

It was rather tricky to get the fabric round the button blanks!

With the commission complete, I return once more to my own work, and whilst I have been a little lax on this side of things, I am slowly getting back up to full speed!

Finished Commission

Whilst I come too from a cold and wet day at the More London Christmas Market yesterday, I wanted to take a moment to drink a cuppa and show off one my latest commission pieces. You might remember my post the other day of the piece in progress, but I wanted to show you it complete. I am so utterly thrilled with the finish, that next year commissioned decorations will be offered. It is a little too late to be able to do more this year, but they will be back. Opportunity to order will be available over the year, because whilst this one is for Christmas it can easily be adapted for other occasions. 

Its been stitched in Trailing, which as you know is my favourite stitch and on the back it has been stitched in Back stitch (rather apt). Swarovski crystals were used to adorn it, and to embellish the 'i'. 

Very tactile and yummy.

Christmas fair's have come to an end for me this year, I am now starting to look to 2013, and where I go from here. New designs are a foot and actually approaching people to stock my work. Big step for me, but I am up for a challenge, think getting my foot on the property ladder has certainly spurred me on!

Commission Time Makes for Dull Posting

There was me thinking that this month was going to be, following the craftshow, rather quiet. Ha, perhaps not. I have several commissions to work on and another agreed on today. All of which I am rather looking forward to working on, although technically I am working on one at the moment and I am loving it. I have a collar, various buttons to embroidered and monogram, decoration and a wedding gift to sort out. Just as well I have a long weekend coming up and I have eased back on the making stock.

I shall hopefully have some progress shots to show this weekend. Lord knows it would be good to show you lot what I am talking about, being a secret squirrel certainly can make for dull reading!

So following that I thought I would end on one of my recent faves on Etsy:

Red White Blue Airmail Stripes Gift Wrap Kit / Address Labels / Washi Tape / Eiffel Tower Postmark Kraft Round Stickers / Baker's Twine - Once Upon Supplies

I am a sucker for stationery...

Pattern, Life, Holiday and more.

Its certainly starting to pick up in terms of my actual paid job and my sideline work as Mason Bee. I love it when I am busy, as I find myself buzzing, no pun intended. Ideas seems to come to me more easily and the enthusiasm to work on prototypes and new projects is readily there.

I have about three private commissions to work on, and I have one and a half designs for those pieces pretty much under my belt. I'm surprised how quickly they come to me. I maybe able to show you the designs, but I will need to seek permission for the lovely ladies I am working them for first.

What else?

Well I am involved in something for &Stitches, which is going to be rather fun as its for their challenge but that's about as much as I can tell you until when it's published. Which is going to be hard for me to keep quiet as I like to take photographs and showing their progress to you all. So I'll have to take the shots and show you at a later date.

I've just finished the embroidery for the sample of the Bee Pattern, which I've been yammering on about for months now. Well the design was finished a couple of weeks back and today I finished the stitching. I've got to work on the pattern it self and make it up into something. The something I've only got a rough idea for but I was thinking a patch for a cushion or a tote. It will be one of those patterns that will allow people to be creative as they want with it. I like giving people free reign to be expressive. So I might make it into appliquéd patch but you might use it to adorn a fabric covered book or whatever.

Hopefully the snippets you see you'll like. This is the first pattern that I will be creating that won't be free, as I want to use it to raise money for the BBKA. So I am really pushing myself to make it so good that people will want to buy it.

What do you think?

I will be able to show you the finished sample within the fortnight.

In non-stitching news, I am off to Boston in the fall! I am uber excited as with Washington it's on my list of places I really wanted to go to. I can't  bloody wait. If you've been would love to know what and where you got up to. Or if you haven't been, where would you like to go if you could? I know on my list I have New Zealand, St. Petersburg, Vienna, Chicago, San Francisco to name but a few.

Oh lordy, I nearly signed off without mentioning one of the most important things that's happened this week?! How remiss of me. I've started to add the new branding around the joint, new blogger banner, Twitter has had a revamp and Etsy shop too. Only the website and Facebook to go! I hope you like it, it was created by my uber talented Uncle, and if you would like to get his contact details to do your branding, then do get in contact.

Now I really well sign off!

Nothing beats starting and finishing new projects! Because it normally means I am out of a funk and back into the rythmn of making things again. I find this does tend to happen when I have a shed load of work on at well my day job. Perhaps its the fact it gives me a release and the more I need to do at work the more I want to do my own thing. 

So the above lovely clock is for a lovely lady friend of mines son and the little beauty below is something I knocked out today. It's completely hand stitched no sewing machine for any of the seams. It was lovely to stitch. I have a few more squeezie frames laying about (now I remembered I have them) I will make a few more pouches over time. They are great for holding needlework tools and other bits & pieces. 

However, with these bits sorted out I can start working on another clock idea I have, which is a little different from the last couple of clocks I've made and also get back to doing more of the quilt. I will get it finished. 

You can pick the pouch up from my Wow Thank You Store 

Sheep!

Working on private commissions can be a love/hate affair, but what is a lovely part of it is when your working on it for a good friend. Finally finished this week the sheep clock. 


Hopefully I will be able to post up some images of the peacock stumpwork finished! I know, very exciting!!

Head in a Vice and Other Things

I think my head is trying to remove it's self or my brain is trying to split in two. Either way I feeling just somewhat rough. Which of course does occur on my day off. Not totally happy bunny as I wanted to do some crafting today but I can't concentrate long enough to thread a needle. So I'm currently lying on my bed having nicked my mothers laptop, and thinking about making yet another cup of tea but groaning at the prospect of having to get up again. I know hard life. Some point this evening I'll be nipping out to vote (that's all I am going to say on the matter because if I see another tweet or a facebook message about someone voting or have you voted I might yelp...okay so I should yelp because I just mentioned it.

Now I seem to have forgotten my train of thought for this blog post...what was it? Oh, yes I have actually finished making something. I know shocking! It's not a great photo, and doesn't quite do it justice but at least you get an idea. For a different edge I've covered the card at the back with paper to give it a bit of colour and because the card I used wasn't white which was a bugger, but I've long since run out of my stash of white card, and well waste not want not I used brown card instead. It works rather nicely. Again you will not the use of the smaller golden hands and anyone wishing to purchase any of my current clocks can request to have gold hands as I purchased a stash of the hands. 

Later on, if I'm feeling better then I might do a bit of quilting, free form like the Liberty mini quilt but might make coasters, got an idea for a new clock and some other bits. I might just do some sketching instead. Or just curl up in a ball and read a book.

For my dear Friend

You know who you are, here is your bag, I started it and finished it yesterday, it aided with my relaxation before today, ie. kept my mind on other matters and not worrying on things that are pretty much out of my hands. Your a darling friend, and I hope you like this and that it will keep you sane (and lunch safe) on your way to Brighton, those 18mths will fly by, and then we will party hard, well go out drinking dressed fabulously, as everyone should do once and a while.