Drool. Sigh. Would.. so.. love.. to.. go. Sigh.
Sigh.
embroidery
Today is..
Admiring pretty new blooms in the garden.
Looking forward to picking our very first lemon. 22 isn’t bad for a first fruiting!
Working on the machine and with a needle for a certain swap.
Love my bias binding maker!
I’m also quite excited that we’re traipsing out to the country on Monday to view some properties. The weather is fabulous here today – I hope the sun is shining wherever you are.
God bless and keep smiling!
On embroidery, business and list writing
So I didn’t get time to stitch lastnight as I’d hoped but I thought I’d share one of the embroidery projects I have on the go. One of my Mother-in-law’s oldies that was never started, a printed linen table cloth. I was really unsure of colourways but eventually decided on a fresh and modern take, so nice and vibrant but harmonious colours.
I was more than a little excited to open a little box of my very first business cards! Surely someone will take me seriously now? (Total tongue in cheek). At least I don’t have to hastily scrawl down my details when someone is interested in my work now, and these certainly look better than my handwriting!
Now for the list writing. Last year when I was homeschooling with a baby and life was mostly an insane and hardly bearable chaotic rush I let a lot of things slip – including the writing of lists. I’m determined to start afresh and make this year different.
Yesterday I crossed off 8 items out of 11 – pretty good for me! What wasn’t completed yesterday transfers to today’s list. This is so important for my organisation, crossing items off my list makes me feel in control and makes a sometimes overwhelming day of tasks achievable. (I can just imagine Posie nodding emphatically!)
If you feel snowed under try writing lists – even if you only get one thing crossed off it is a way of laying out your tasks so that rather than feeling that you’re drowning in work you can have a detached sense of what you have to do.
Once you have a basic daily list you will probably find yourself writing a list for everything – goals (short and long term), shopping, trips away, purchases needing to be made, schedules….
Embroidery progress
If I’d known how long these projects would take to complete would I have started them in the first place?
Probably. Yes. Absolutely!
My crewel piece has come a long way since here. In fact, I’m not too far off finishing, hooray!
I’ve made a lot of progress with the ribbon work since here too.
Unfortunately most other things get priority over embroidery so my monthly stitching group is wonderful .
Have a marvellous Saturday that hopefully involves some stitching.
Another embroidery?!!!
I can’t seem to help myself, I’m now working on 5 separate embroideries and all I want to do is sit with my hoop and needle. This is my first attempt at ribbon embroidery and I think it is a gorgeous craft, so fine and dainty. I picked this Helen Dafter kit up from the Craft Fair. I’m only part way through but it’s already so pretty! For my next project I want to try dyeing my own silk ribbon.
In other news, we awoke after a particularly blustery evening to find out Hills Hoist had snapped and collapsed. I wasn’t too impressed when I realised how much new clotheslines cost (who would have thought some pieces of metal and plastic made and assembled in China would be so expensive?) but clever and thrifty husband has rigged up a temporary solution (kids, you don’t mind those lines tied to your trampoline do you?)
Little A has taken her first unassisted steps and is quickly mastering the step – step – step – stumble – fall – giggle. I love this age – so much is new and wonderful.
Crewel embroidery, I think I’m in love….
I ventured out in the wild, cold and wet evening lastnight to attend a crewel embroidery class. It was wonderful – the ladies were all warm and friendly, the teacher was professional and knowledgeable and the project is really enjoyable. How nice to have a craft session without noise and interruptions!
The crewel design is by the teacher Lyn and the fabric is linen twill from Canada (ooh!) The beginning of the project above shows couching, cross stitch, split stitch and french knots. No new stitches for me, but quite different working with linen and Appletons wool to the usual homespun and cotton.
I think the more embroidery I do the more I realise it’s potential and the more enjoyable it becomes. I love the intermingling of different styles so that you can build on your experience rather than learning completely new skills with each new style of embroidery.
I’ll keep you updated with this WIP.
UFO or PFP?
The former being Unfinished Object and the latter being Partly Finished Project. I think I like PFP – it’s a little more positive, more like a WIP (Work in Progress) and less like a FTF (Failure to Finish).
Whatever you choose to label it, I have 13 of them! Now, I know I’m not alone on this, and probably like me you avoid the fact that you have so many projects on the go at one time. It’s your little secret, am I right?
As finances are a bit tight at the moment and I can’t indulge in new materials I’m finding it a perfect time to finish off a few of those projects that had just been “put aside later” AKA “I’ve lost motivation and can’t be bothered”.
Here are a few things I’m working on:
Baby gowns and blankets for the Bonnie Babes Foundation. Some finished, many unfinished!
A cute waldorf softie doll (needs hair)
Embroidering vintage pieces (pure joy!)
Baby Mary Janes (need snaps).
So, how about you share your little secret? How many PFP’s do you currently have?
For the love of stitching
My introduction to the vast and wonderful world of craft many moons ago was in the form of an old biscuit tin. It was a gift from my mother in law and contained a variety of embroidery threads she had used as a young woman and nurse (before she married and had 10 children!)
Since then I’ve tried many, many (too many!) crafts, but when all is said and done I find myself content with a needle and thread. Maybe it’s being able to produce something beautiful over time. Maybe it’s the combination of artistic and needle skills. Probably it’s the opportunity for a little bit of therapeutic quiet in a noisy world.
My particular interest is to produce a beautiful thread painting that I’m proud of. I came across some excellent lessons by Mary Corbet at Needle ‘N Thread which I’m starting to work through.
Have a great day, I’m off to do some stitching!
Thank you all for your supportive comments and emails yesterday. After I posted it here I thought I may have been overly sensitive and over reacting, but I see from your responses that you understand. Thanks again.
So, what do you do to improve the day when you’re not feeling great? You sew, of course! My little one even indulged me yesterday afternoon by sleeping for 4 hours straight! I made her a bib and some much needed nappy covers (she insists on growing so fast!)
I continued the stitchery project I’ve been working on (yes, you’ll get to see it when I’m done š
And I made some shorts for little half pint. I love this fabric, it’s so cheery. Unfortunately she wasn’t so cheery when I took this photo (missed her afternoon sleep).
Who needs a pool when you have a bucket? I’ll admit it’s not quite as fun, but it sure is a lot cheaper.
We’re heading to the farm tomorrow to visit my husband’s parents so I won’t be around for a few days. See you when we get back.
God bless.
https://kellycasanovaweavinglessons.com/2009/11/thank-you-all-for-your-supportive.html
Help needed!
I have a growing interest in Crewel embroidery but haven’t gone so far as to buy the crewel wool needed yet. The design above is a simple one from a crewel work book which I worked in stranded floss. I’d love to have lots of little framed embroideries around my home, so this one will be the first. I actually want to do one for the laundry, seeing as I spend so much time in there these days and it’s possibly the least attractive room in the house!
I love hand embroidery very much and hope to increase my skills to teaching level one day. It is such a rewarding pastime and is so rich in history.
I do have one problem (see above). My mother in law kindly gave me her embroidery tin many years ago and this is what sparked my interest. Each new lot of cotton I buy ends up in here – a tangled mess! I would like to treat my cotton respectfully and increase my stash, but this is holding me back. I’ll consult my friend Google for solutions, but if anyone has any helpful suggestions I would be most grateful!