Kelly Casanova Weaving Lessons

Kelly

My Creative Space

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I thought it was about time I made some more gowns and blankets for Bonnie Babes. Unfortunately some dear people will be needing them over the Christmas period. These lovely soft knits were donated to me by Peta.
I must say this is one of the coolest salt resists I’ve done so far. I hand painted blue and purple on cotton in a wavy sort of a pattern then laid on the rock salt. I think this piece needs to be free motion quilted and made into a journal cover.
My darling daughter of 5 years has been desperately waiting for me to turn this redwork into a cushion for her bed ever since she saw me working on it. I might even get to it before Christmas – amazing things can happen! (ie. I’m procrastinating on this one!)
Thanks for visiting me today and don’t forget to check out other Creative Spaces here.
A reminder that my Christmas giveaway ends Saturday!

Care for Creation book review

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I was at first a little skeptical when asked to review “Care for Creation” by Christy Baldwin, as I think the whole “environment thing” has been blown way out of proportion and terms like “climate change” or “globalisation” have been misused and misunderstood.
I’m glad to say this book takes a commonsense and, very importantly, a biblical approach to environmental care and every day living. Christy writes about caring for God’s creation – reminding us that the world is not ours to own. 
The well illustrated book is a common sense guide for children (and perhaps parents?) and introduces ways to make a difference each day. Every page includes a bible reference. At the end of the book are suggested activities and discussion questions.
Christy is a stay at home Mum from Ohio. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a master’s degree in Special Education.
You can also win a copy of the book here for a limited time.
Don’t forget to enter my giveaway this week!

Moving things along…

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Apparently some of you are having trouble entering the giveaway because a Youtube video I posted is covering the followers section on the sidebar! The funny things that happen in Blogger hey?


Anyway, enjoy the sunset and hopefully this post will move things so you can access the follower button again!

Christmas giveaway!

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As promised, it is time for my Christmas giveaway! I’m running it early so the winners (yep, two prizes!) can have their goodies in time for Christmas.

First up is a $25 gift voucher to spend in my Etsy store on whatever your heart desires!


Runner up will receive:

A patchwork needle book
Complete with a packet of very lovely Richard Hemming & Son crewel embroidery needles, size 2.
Plus this pretty cushion cover. All handmade by moi of course. The insert isn’t included so you would need a 36 x 36cm insert.
Now for the serious stuff.
To enter: 
1. Leave a comment here. You need to be a follower. New followers are welcome to enter. 
2. For a second entry into the draw for either prize please blog about this giveaway and link back to here.  Then comment again telling me you blogged for your additional entry. You are welcome to borrow images from this post.
Winners will be drawn Saturday 4th December 2010.

Good luck!


Finished and well received!

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I’m happy to say I did finish the needle books in time for stitching group lastnight. It’s surprising how long it takes to hand paint, free motion quilt, then sew up one of these. Well worth the effort though – the stitching ladies loved them!

The interiors have a contrast fabric, a wool felt pocket and sheet of wool felt for the needles. They fasten with snaps.

So, this afternoon I’ll attempt to continue working on a skirt for me that has involved a little too much unpicking for my liking! Then there are those cushion covers to be made up, the top to be re – dyed, the baby gowns I really should get to, the multitude of embroideries to choose from………….

I should mention that I’ll be running my Christmas giveaway very soon so stay tuned šŸ™‚

My Creative Space

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This week I’ve been hand painting and free motion machine quilting – both a lot of fun!
I’ve been making needle books for my friends in my stitching group for Christmas presents. Now the pressure is on because tonight is our last meeting for the year and the needle books aren’t finished!
This has been great free motion practice for me and I think I’m starting to get a feel for it now.
I used salt resists on the hand painted fabric for lots of texture.
Love the colours and textures in this one. Hopefully I’ll get these finished early enough to photograph the final product.
Of course, Thursday is our busiest day of the week with piano lessons and errands. Wish me luck!
You can join in My Creative Space at Kirsty’s and check out all the other participants.

Spring around the garden

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Our little suburban space is looking pretty special right now and is a beautiful place to spend time. The garlic is nearly ready to flower.
The apricot tree is laden with fruit this year. The war will soon begin between the humans and the birds!
Love in a mist is so pretty.
One of the first morning glory flowers.
The  rest of my Saturday will be spent sewing skirts and Christmas gifts, in between “everything else”. In other words, I may actually get some sewing done but who knows? If not, at least I can enjoy the comings and goings of the children and be thankful for them.
I hope you enjoy your family today too.
God bless.

Dyeing to know what’s missing

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Last summer I did quite a bit of dyeing with Drimarene K dyes. I love everything about these dyes except their price tag. I always had excellent results using these dyes.

So this time around I’m trying Procion simply because they’re a fraction of the price. I’m now getting mixed results and am not happy with it all. The colours are strong (I make them strong because I like it that way) but lack the vibrancy of the Drimarene K items I’ve previously done.

I dyed some Stella for the first time this week when I made shorts for the girls. I think I oversaturated and lost definition in the designs. A lesson for next time.
Maybe I’m not combining the right colours? For example, the yellow I have is a golden yellow which is almost an orange – my next order will be for lemon yellow.
Another distorted design and way too mottled for my liking. The good news is the girls think they’re wonderful and want to wear them a lot so all is not lost.
I also made a top for the boy that I dyed with the immersion technique (very carefully) that came up really disappointing. To be specific, it looks like an older and worn top rather than brand new and vibrant. I’ve trawled information to find what may be wrong – the only thing I can think of is the curing temperatures may be a little low as the weather hasn’t really warmed up yet.
I know other dyers get great and vibrant results with Procion, so there must be something amiss with what I’m doing.
Any suggestions?

My Creative Space

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I’m joining in My Creative Space for the first time today.
I have dyed shorts and a top awaiting completion.
The Maisy quilt continues, along with some little needle book Christmas gifts for the ladies in my stitching group.
We have a new camera. YES!!! No more point and shoot for us, we love our Nikon SLR. Husband has been experimenting in his favourite place – the garden.
Possibly the most photogenic member of our family and certainly the most arrogant šŸ™‚