All Scream for Ice Cream

Ice Cream Bow Embroidered Collar

Made the full most of the weekend to not only wizz up another collar, the second design in the Ice Cream collection but I also made a clock in the third out of the three designs! Can't say that's not productive. Also fit in breakfast out with my mum, let's hear it for french toast, bacon and syrup, and got my haircut. Still have time left over.

I am making the most of having a weekend like this, as I am predicting in April they are going to be pretty non-existent. Reason being I've given notice on my flat, and I have until the 25th April to get move out, hopefully into the new place, if not it will be stowing my worldly possessions away and moving back home. Scary notion.

Till that point I am trying not to get too stressed out and enjoying my time embroidering and thinking about the future. And thinking about this has prompted me to book a ticket for The Startup Showcase at Somset House next Saturday. It was a spare of the moment booking and I also pinged off emails to Farnham Maltings to find out more about their creative fairs and shows. And byjove there is a lot to get involved with. I can't wait to knuckle down, but I have to be patient and concentrate on one thing at at time. But yep, I have itchy feet and fingers to get going.

In the meantime, let me show off some pictures of the latest items:

Ice Cream Bow Collar - Ickle bows in silk thread

Ice Cream Bunting - Silk embroidered wall clock

All items can be purchased in my Etsy store. If your in the UK, you can enjoy free shipping until the end of March, just use the following code during check out FREEMARCH13. 

Spring is here - Let's Polka

So on Monday, Blighty was treated to a day of brilliant sunshine. It felt to me, and others, that spring had finally sprung.

It was fantastic timing too as I had booked a day off from the day job to spend the day with my best mate crafting, drinking tea, chatting and eating plenty of cake.

Of course, no day could start without a decent breakfast and this put us on the path to a fantastic day looking colour. We toddled around for a bit in town which meant I was able to pick up some thread, and as these things happen I also ended up buying fabric. Yes, the sun had done a marvelous effect on my mood and colour palette. There was also a brief stop in Farrow& Ball for paint and wallpaper charts. I love their colours even if my bank account doesn't.

The remainder of the day was naturally spent looking at the colour swatches and playing with the various threads I had picked up earlier that morning. We flitted between looking at ideas for the soon to be new flat (yes, getting there slowly) and new project ideas. The sun pouring into the livingroom, whilst making the room hot, certainly aided our colour picking abilities.

Aren't they smashing colours, the three spools at the bottom are the silks threads I purchased at the beginning of the year, the skeins above at the ones purchased on Monday, just your standard DMC cottons.

With the colours chosen for the new project ideas picked out on Monday, it meant I was able to get on with one of them today. Now, originally I had planned on using the DMC threads to stitch the projects but I was nudged into using the silk threads, so I ended up doing just that, except so not to waste the limited amount of silk thread I had I used the cotton as the padding for the satin dots. It was pure fate that the colours picked up on Monday matched the silk.

Work in progress - seeing dots.

This is the first of three new spring/summer collar designs, and the first one made up is Ice-Cream Polka. Every time I look at it I just want to smile, and then poke the satin dots (I haven't...yet). I backed it in the new purchased cotton fabric too. Using my previous collar pattern means this design is fully reversible. And look it features my logo as the fabric label.

Dots...lots of dots

Now, all I need to do is crack on with the other two designs! Ice-cream polka will be available to purchase from my Etsy store.

Kandinsky Inspired Trinket Box

It's been a while since I made a fabric covered box, so it was nice to do one again, even if I don't particularly like working out the maths to construct it...but that grumble aside I like the final outcome. It was good to turn the Kandinsky inspired piece into something practical and not just framing it. Not that there is anything wrong with framing embroidered pieces, it has its place and I normally do frame my pieces but I've always liked to turn my work into something more useful or have some practical purposes or another. From clocks, trinket boxes, coasters to Peter Pan collars I've turned my hand embroidery into something other than something that can adorn a wall and looked at from a far...

I'm sure this says a lot about me or simply shows I get bored with framing, I like to think it's the idealist inner craftsperson. Anyway, before I go off onto another path have a look at the box for yourself, smashing isn't it? I know, so modest.

The turquoise lining works well, and compliments the stitching on the outside as well as giving the inside a great big, eyeball grabbing zing of colour. 

Speaking of colour, and reminding myself something I said in a previous post I will be doing something more with this design, colours and the stitches I've used. I have in mind a set of really bright, cheerful and playful Peter Pan collars, just designs mind you at this time, no wait three. 

And it's also helped me come up with a couple more thoughts for the stitch along that I mentioned on Wednesday.  So with that said, I must get the ideas down on paper, and start trying them out and then blitz the flat for tomorrow I have a day off and I'm having a crafting day with my best mate.

Huzzah for tea and cake.