Life, needlework and everything

Ginkgos and geckos

2009-06-23T22:18:00.004-04:00

There must be a warp in the time space continuum of my life because I can hardly believe that it is nearing the end of June. Despite reducing my expectations for what I want to accomplish this summer, I suspect I need to reduce my list even further. But I have finished a pillow. After getting the squares stitched down I decided on a palette of threads to embellish the pillow.
Here is the final pillow all sewn up, but without the pillow form inside so you can see the squares. It is not heavily embellished since it must cater to all the tastes of the household. DD the younger doesn't like it, but she may just be trying to bug me. I carried the ginkgo leaf theme to the middle left burgundy square.
I was really pleased with the way the burgundy outline worked on gold in the corners
Because I mixed up ginkgo and gecko one time while trying to explain the design, I decided a gecko should go in the plain square, but then it needed some background so I used more ginkgo leaves.
As it turned out, the pillow was too small and the colour not quite right for the couch it was meant for, but it looks perfect in one of our chairs. Of course, I make the girls take the pillow off the chair before they sit in it.
Here is our collection of baby geckos by the way - Baby 1, 2a, 2b, 3a, and 3b. Clutches 4 and 5 are in the incubator and we will soon find out if New Caledonian crested gecko females can store sperm!

Just when I thought I had decided

2009-06-09T12:27:00.003-04:00

I have a bit of a break from going into the city for work this week because of school exam schedules and early release. So I'm puttering around the house doing all sorts of things. Today I decided to reduce my stash of fabric by actually making something. I mentioned to DH a while back that I should make pillows for the couch because it might detract from the dingy old couch - it is over 17 years old but it is still sturdy and it is a sofa bed. I'm not quite ready to try my hand at recovering the couch, but colourful pillows I can handle.

So today I pulled together a pile of fabric that seemed to go with the living room and started a pillow. I decided to use some green velvet from old curtains as the base for the front and also the back of the pillows. So after some playing around I came up with this.

With the help of DD the elder, we decided that the greenish pieces in the middle of the top and bottom would help tie things to the back fabric. But then I decided that I really liked the side pieces and tried it with all four center squares the same, but with a brown back.

I really like this one! I like the original as well, but I love the burgundy and gold batik fabric so much that I think I'll stick with the second colourway. Of course that means I've totally covered the green velvet, but maybe it will survive in the second pillow.

The ginkgo leaf piece in the center is a mystery to me. I purchased a huge stack of fabric squares at my EGA guild silent auction last year so DD the younger had some interesting things to quilt with. Well, since that hasn't happened yet, I went through the stack and found the gold leaves. So I can't tell you anything about how it was made. But it is really nice.

Altered tin ta-da

2009-05-01T15:02:00.003-04:00

I've finished the president's challenge for my embroidery group - early! Somehow this past week I had a few quiet evenings (don't ask me how) so I glued the top and finished the inside pillow for my Elizabethan embroidery altered tin.

Here is the top, done mostly in silks and gilt silk twist.
Here is the inside. As mentioned in the last post, I chose flowers based on a Shakespeare verse, so I stuck a copy inside the tin lid, using a lightened flower photo as background. The bottom embroidery is made up as a very thin pillow to set the pin on, to keep it from sliding around.
And this is the finished rose pin. I will be making another rose, in a different colour, although I don't know what that will be. I'm going to take photos for those who are interested in the process, since I forgot this time, I was just so keen on seeing if it would work.

All in all, I'm very happy with how things turned out and I think it will be appreciated by the recipient.

I still don't have a photo of the science fair project. It hasn't come home yet and I couldn't get a good photo at the science fair. But DD the younger seems to have explained it all well, despite her blase attitude going in, and received a 3rd place in the chemistry division. Which I figure is good for somebody who says she hates science. I was personally quite amused by all the 'specialty school parents' - a subset of soccer parents - who were trying to outdo each other with stories of applying for the various specialty schools offered in our county and state. Neither of my girls was willing to give up horses in order to deal with the longer bus rides and mounds of homework - which I'm actually quite happy with since it means they have a life and I do too - because who do you think would have extra work driving and supervising and buying supplies?

This and that and the other

2009-02-24T17:31:00.004-05:00

This, is a wonderful mini reef embroidered paperweight from Paula at The Beauty of Life. She sent it to me as a Pay it Forward gift. I will decide soon how best to pay it forward. In the meantime, if you want to make an undersea garden of your own, check out Paula Embroidered Paperweights post.

That, is another needlefelted creation. I forgot to include this in the last post. DD the elder made it for their riding instructor. It is made to look like the filly we saw born last spring.

Finally, the other is another altered tin, this time for the president's challenge for my EGA chapter. I'm not done with this, but it will be the top. I've based the tin on a quote from Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. "I know a bank where the wild thyme grows...
The top has thyme and oxlips.
Inside, are violet and woodbine (aka honeysuckle). I will finish this as a cushion.

And the cushion will support a rose/eglantine pin in a posy holder. I tried a new technique with the rose. There are 10 petals and I didn't want 10 or 20 wires, so I worked around all 5 petals in each whorl at one time, leaving me with only 4 wires. This had the added advantage of making it easy to embroider and bead the center of the rose.
DD the younger is still writing up her science fair project, but I think I can safely say it is not a good idea to dye anything with koolaid unless you won't be washing it. I'll post more later.

Needle Felting Dogs

2009-02-04T08:40:00.002-05:00

As promised, here is some artwork from my daughter. DD the elder has been slowly refining her skills at needle felting and we finally got her some glass eyes so she can really get creative with felted animals. This is our dog, made with real hair from the dog.

What was especially nice about this, aside from it being a wonderful tribute to our dog Candy who died back in November, is that even though I knew she had made the dog, the girls kept the whole gift a secret. DD the younger sewed up the dog bed, and DD the elder used micron pens to add the pawprints, just like the real bed. DD the elder made the book they used as a photo album at school, but said she had to leave it there so I never knew what it looked like. They printed the photos and card while DH and I were at a Christmas party, after asking for dog photos on the pretense of needing a couple for a school project. You can see the complete gift below. I purchased the leather dog collar that holds the album closed but DD the elder said it was for an art project. My SIL took them out to get the engraved dog tag though, so I didn't have the wool pulled over my eyes on that one.
DD the elder also made a felted basset hound for my SIL. This one is wearing a t-shirt that says 'bad to the bone' because the real dog loves wearing dog clothes and she is rather bad.

Terribly cute post

2009-01-30T09:37:00.003-05:00

I finally came up with something to complement my woven baby blanket, which is a good thing since the twins are due any day now.

I tried to knit a blanket back in December but my heart was never in it. I don't mind knitting, but I don't love it, and the knitting never really took off. Then one day I was in Michael's with a 50% off coupon and I saw some baby afghan cloth for cross-stitching on and it was perfect. I went through my various pattern books and pulled out 8 designs. I simplified the colours and changed a couple of things - a zebra pattern became a horse motif. I had lots of fun, and finished fairly quickly, so now the blankets are ready to send to Canada.

Here is the blanket:

And here are all the motifs close up:

I did make a really lovely ornament for exchange at my EGA chapter holiday luncheon back in December, but forgot to take a photo. It was our Gentle Pursuits hand logo, with holly and mistletoe at the wrist, holding an angel charm - like a hand ready to trim a tree. But I didn't take a photo so you'll have to take my word for it.

I have a couple of things my daughters have done to show you soon. Some excellent needle felting and a science fair project testing the colour-fastness of food dyes on wool - which should be of interest to those of you thinking of doing your own dyeing at home.

And I'm the recipient of a Pay-It-Forward project, so I'll write more when the package arrives and I decide on what and how I will send on to others who want to participate.

Family Gatherings

2008-11-26T08:31:00.003-05:00

Being Canadian, I don't have the same baggage about family gatherings at Thanksgiving as my American friends. But I do enjoy family gatherings and we will have some extra company as well. One friend from Brazil and 2 from Malawi.

One of my favourite Thanksgiving memories is from my time at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York - a while ago now, since I was pregnant with DD the elder at the time. I was put in charge of the Lab Thanksgiving because my husband and I had no family around so we were the perfect people to organize things. It was a communal feast for all those who were far away from home, or in some cases, who didn't want to cook. The food services people provided turkeys and pies and a few other dishes, and everyone brought food, usually dishes from home, so it was an international feast. Imagine if you will, a nice, large dining room (the building had been recently renovated) looking over the Harbor. Lots of food and talking and good smells. Everyone gathered around loading their plates. My husband was in charge of carving one of the turkeys. At one point, he looked down and realized he was about to cut somebody's fingers because they were picking out a piece of turkey! He was horrified to think he might have cut somebody and looked up to see it was James Watson - the Lab director and Nobel prize winner for his DNA structure work! The turkeys were carved with no injury and no further close calls, but I still remember that day.

With our closest family member 7 hours away, we do sometimes miss going to family gatherings. I especially like the time after a meal when we can all sit around and talk, since before the meal, somebody is in a panic getting all the food out. But it seems to me that with computer technology, I can get some of that time back.

It all started when Candy died and my husband put an album of photos of her on his Facebook page. My mother joined Facebook to see the photos and she started having fun checking things out. Then she found my niece on there - I had only been using Facebook for work and never thought to look for family - what was I thinking? And then we got another family member to join, and found another one online, and so on...

So now we are leaving comments, sending gifts, and playing Wordscraper (very addicting) and now I am enjoying family gatherings online, albeit over several days. I agree that sometimes and hour long phone conversation is great, but some days, a stolen few minutes here and there to add a comment or view a status report or play a word are all I can manage, and those moments keep us in touch. I remember reading an article a while back* about texting and Twitter sustaining long distance relationships, and my husband and I have discovered that texting during the day is a great way to keep track of things, and I guess using the same tools to keep up with family on a day to day basis is a good way to feel a part of their lives. And when you know some of what is going on in a person's life, you can ask more questions when you do talk on the phone.

So this year I am thankful for all sorts of family gatherings.

*yes I am a librarian and I should have a citation here for the article, but at this moment I can't remember where it was at all and I have to get back to work, so maybe later I'll put it here, but in the meantime, you'll have to trust me.

Photo: see the original post

The best dog in the world

2008-11-17T14:31:00.004-05:00

Our wonderful and much loved Candy lost her battle with cancer over the weekend. She really was the best dog, both as a companion to the family and a playmate for our daughters.

Here she is, starting as a puppy in 1999 'til just this past fall.

Libraries and needlework

2008-10-27T17:02:00.002-04:00

As you can see, last week was a great time to visit West Virginia. This is the view from my hotel room - don't ask me to spell the name of the river - but it was flowing through Morgantown and starts with M.
This is the view from the new medical library. The library was really great as well. I had a bad case of library envy. I did not expect to encounter any needlearts on the trip, but this amazing set of quilted panels was hung in the medical science building.
Of course, being a librarian, I had to ask for information so I could tell you about it properly.

Here is what the plaque says:

"A quilt of mountain colors created by Sally Rowe, Cottageville, West Virginia, for The Health Science Center at West Virginia University to celebrate Research, Education, Health Care and Service to West Virginia, 2007"

It was commissioned for the space - a large two story atrium and the panels must be at least 8 feet high. And the pieces that make up the quilt are small so it was an labour of love for sure. There is lots of lovely natural light which highlights the beauty of the quilt. The door to the library is opposite the piece, so you see it every time you leave the library. Lucky people.

Amazing videos

2008-10-13T17:01:00.003-04:00

I'm afraid there isn't much stitching going on here. I've been applying myself to work and so far I'm happy with the results. My genetics wiki is up and running, and I almost have my poster ready for next week. After the meeting in WV, I should have some time to stitch again - notice I say should, not will. I don't want to jinx myself. We've also been busy looking after our very ill dog. She is in the middle of chemotherapy treatments and we're all hoping she'll go into remission for a while. Here is her shaved belly for ultrasound.
I also have something to share with you. While not needlework related, I think it is art and really cool.

Beached from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

What if ...?t for life

2008-09-15T08:17:00.004-04:00

I jumped back into work at the university right after returning from a visit to family in Canada, so I never really got to enjoy the end of summer. I was thinking last week that I really wasted my summer, but then I actually sat down and listed what I had been working on and realized that while I may not have done what I thought I wanted to do, I have done many, many things. I have woven a baby blanket and two linen table runners, I have taught a couple of groups (ornaments and mini-memory tins), I have written an article on the mini-memory tins, I have altered a wedding dress, I have attended a wedding in WV, I have visited family in Canada for a week, I have had carpet installed, I have kept up with the laundry, I have worked at least twice a week at the barn, and most importantly, I have supervised the girls all summer. It doesn't seem so wasted when I review it all.

For photo relief, here is the dog going to the wedding. She is not a great traveller, but she does like fast food.
The summer has also been a time for me to contemplate how I spend my time and energy. As much as I love needlework, I also love being a librarian, and I have opportunities now that allow me to be home for the girls while seriously pursuing professional goals.

On one hand I am inspired by Spirit Cloth and The Beauty of Life, especially Paula's fruit book ( I have been contemplating a cloth florigium book for a long time). I want to stitch like crazy and make wonderful new things.

On the other hand, I also keep up with the science and library blogs, and I'm very excited by all the innovations in teaching using web 2.0 and the ideas of open access for all research. I like to test all the new interfaces for MEDLINE and other geeky sorts of things.

I realized the other day that I haven't felt compelled to stitch every night. And I realized that the work I've been doing, creating teaching materials and wikis and presentations, has been fulfilling so I don't feel the need to stitch. Back in August, I had already cut back by finishing up at the weaving studio. I could see the dates for lectures and meetings piling up in my date book and knew I had to start focusing on work.

So what should I do with my time? It came to me yesterday, What if...I put the same creative energy into my library work as I have with my needlework? What if I threw myself into each project with the same excitement I have for a stitching project? What if I looked at my materials (computer programs and reference sources, say) and thought creatively about new projects? What if I started a library blog to share my ideas and get feedback and reach out, just as I have with my needlework blog?

So that is where I'm going now, to focus more on work. I will still do needlework and blog my progress, but there won't be so much going on. But I will keep up with all the blogs I've been following, because I enjoy seeing how all my stitching friends are doing.

This is my current project, the Tanja Berlin mouse I picked up at auction. It was started by somebody else at a class so there are lots of starts where there were special instructions. But I have gone back and started at the beginning. I've learned so much about this type of work from watching Elisabeth. I commented one time that I would have just started the animals in a piece she was working on, but she patiently explained that she was following the order in the instructions because it was important to the look of the piece. (I'm not sure the exact phrase, the message is on the old computer). So I have done each stem and leaf and now wheat-ear husk in the correct order and I can see the layers starting to show. By the way Elisabeth, best of luck going pro - your stitching deserves to be seen by a wider audience. I can hardly wait to see your future work.

Finished table runners

2008-08-13T10:51:00.003-04:00

Last week I was able to finish my second table runner and take the warp off the loom. I'm especially pleased with this project since it is really the first weaving that was totally my style. The first two projects were made with materials provided by the Visual Arts Center, so I was choosing from a limited pool of colours and materials. My third project, a baby blanket, had appropriate colours for a baby. But this time, I was doing exactly what I wanted so I chose a wonderful linen, Louet 20/2 variegated linen in lichen, and a couple of huck lace patterns from Anne Dixon's book, the Handweaver's Pattern Directory.

Here are the two table runners, hemmed and wet finished and ironed.
Here is the close-up of the two patterns. It is so hard to get a photo to show how really nice these look. The depth of colour just doesn't show up.
Despite the selvage flaws and the odd mis-treadle here and there, I'm pleased with my work and I loved doing it, which in the end, is how it is supposed to be.

We had a laugh over that in the class I helped teach over the weekend. We all just do embroidery for fun, and yet sometimes it can be very frustrating. One woman mentioned how her husband reminds her she is doing it for fun when she gets upset with a piece. Of course some people are able to recognize when it is no longer fun and give up. I have a wonderful Tanya Berlin needle painted field mouse to work on because somebody in the group decided it wasn't for her and put the whole kit in our silent auction. Little did she know that I have been dying to work on a Tanya Berlin embroidery. And yet there is such a fine line between giving up too soon, and recognizing that you can't really do something. When DD the younger was doing the metalwork jewelry she wanted to quit after the first day. I encouraged her to give it another chance and she tried again and really enjoyed it, although she loved beading from the moment she started it. Of course if your embroidery/weaving/painting, etc. is your work, that is another story.

White or red background?

2008-07-30T14:29:00.005-04:00

The carpet is in, the computer is back up and I'm getting used to the new keyboard and operating system. I was able to finish up some ornaments I'm making as samples for a Christmas in August program I'm helping to teach for my EGA chapter. But I need some opinions on the backing for this stocking. I've used the needle card blank from Tokens & Trifles but used my own designs and a couple of other motifs from various ornaments. I can't decide if this should have white or red backing. What do you think?

I also need an opinion on this piece. It is weighing me down. I charted out some motifs from the ballroom rug in the Governor's Palace in Colonial Williamsburg. Somehow I slightly miscalculated so the ribbon that joins the motifs doesn't fit. I'm also tired of the cross-stitch and colours and I now hate the light blue linen I purchased for the ground fabric - this was going to be a pillow by the way. But I love the center motif. So I'm considering cutting things up for crazy quilting. What do you think?

By the way, this is the other ornament for the class. This is actually the shape we are using in class but not the chart. I used the blank chart on the web site to take another chart and adapt it to this shape - again just to show the group how it could be done.
Finally, another Tokens & Trifles project. I've just written an article about this one (and other tins like it). I call it a Mini-Memory Tin. It is an Altoids tin decorated up - in this case as a vacation memory with pink sand and shells inside. I'm really pleased with the top design.
Off to attend the wedding I fixed the dress up for. I'm hoping West Virginia is cooler than Virginia or I will be a puddle of sweat at the end of things!

Waiting for carpet

2008-07-29T08:15:00.002-04:00

I realize that I should be doing something more substantial than a blog entry today, but I'm waiting for the crew to come and install the carpet so I don't feel that I can start something big since I'll have to unhook the computer when they come. I also have the excuse of needing to practice on our new computer. I needed to upgrade for work and since my DH is a Mac person we went with this lovely new iMac. What swayed the balance for me was the huge number of cables and the two pieces of computer hardware under the desk, as compared to the photos of this iMac on the website with just two cords! Of course I have to learn a new operating system but I've used Macs before (our first computer back in the 80s was an Apple with a 5x7 screen) so it hasn't been bad. I'm finding some things much easier, once I figure out where everything is. My address book is another thing, but since I get to use the iTouch that we end up getting free once the rebate comes in, I figure I can live with that.On to something more substantial. DH the older chose stained glass instead of jewellery making for art camp last week and this is her first attempt. She made some really nice choices for the glass so there is lots of texture and movement.

With all the time I had to weave while the kids were at the arts center, I was able to finish my first linen runner. I'll hemstitch then start on the next one, after leaving some length for fringe.

And their are some new additions to the family. DD the older now has two crested geckos. We went to a reptile show, which was fascinating, and she finally decided on these two, about 3 and 4 months old. This is the older gecko - we think it might be female.
This is the younger one. It has a really nice flame pattern along the back.
They hide for much of the day but their tongues are so neat it is lots of fun to watch when they do come out and so far the cricket colony has not been noisy!

Some More Stitch Along and Weaving

2008-07-24T11:02:00.004-04:00

I received the book Wessex Stitchery by Gay Eaton a while back from a friend and I've been contemplating what I could make using the patterns. I first saw Wessex work done on a band round robin piece by Christine. When you look through the book you realize what a huge range of patterns there are. I worked this biscornu for a larger project but I thought I'd include it here because the center of the flowers is Algerian Eye and the petals are really a form of eyelet stitch - 5 straight stitches coming from a single point. The border is the next stitch in the alphabet of the Stitch Along - the Arrowhead stitch. There is arrowhead in many of the Wessex stitches, including a border stitch where it is called a 'stacked wave stitch'. I plan on doing a sample of some of the more complex Arrowhead stitch patterns for my stitch book.
I was able to get my loom up and running so I could start weaving in class last night. I love the look of the linen warp!

Here is the tabby start with hem stitching - please ignore the blip where I stepped on the wrong treadle.
Here is the huck lace pattern I'm doing. This is really one of those things where a photograph doesn't do justice to the texture and colour of a piece. Again, there are a few places where the pattern is a bit off because the linen threads stick together and the shed doesn't open fully in some places. I've slowed down a bit and I'm being more careful. This will be a table runner for my home so I'm not worried. Hopefully I'll have everything perfect for the second one which will be a gift.
I wonder if every weaving project is a learning experience no matter how long you weave. This is only my fourth project, but this time I've learned about working with a high epi (ends per inch) piece, adding heddles to a frame, fixing a misthread and weaving with linen (lovely but challenging). I'm sure I'll learn another lesson soon, something is bound to happen!

Keeping Busy Despite the Heat

2008-07-22T20:39:00.003-04:00

I thought I'd start with some bling. DD the younger is taking metal jewelery design and beading in art camp this week and these are her Monday creations.

It is funny how she has no patience to do cross-stitch but was able to create and join all these swirls into a bracelet. I guess we all have patience for what we really like!

No photos of DD the older's stained glass or graphic design because nothing came home. Maybe later in the week.

I love the new linen I'm dressing the loom with. I'm making a table runner and it will look so good on the black table we have in our living room. This is really a peaceful green. I've had lots of time at the weaving studio. The girls art camp is near the studio so I have some extra weaving time this week. I threaded all 420 heddles yesterday and sleyed the reed today and tied up the pedals. I will wait now to see if I did everything right before starting the weaving. I'm doing a huck pattern using the same green as weft.

I did have some excitement while starting yesterday. I had to add 50 heddles to two of the frames. Cherri tried to show me a way to thread them on but I hadn't paid attention to the direction the heddles were facing well enough so it couldn't be done, so I had to put heddles on by hand. I mention this because even though I couldn't get the threading technique to work at first, I had to use it later because I didn't do a good job keeping the tops and bottoms of the heddles straight as I put them on. As I started threading heddles I discovered that some were crossed. I should have realized that it must be me because I had used the same frames for the baby blanket, but at first I wouldn't admit it. After finding three crosses and realizing that I wouldn't have enough heddles if I had to skip all the problems, I decided I had to fix it. For those who might find themselves in the same predicament, here is what I did. I tied together all the heddles I had threaded so they wouldn't slide off. Then I tied one end of a piece of yarn to the frame and after pulling out the top heddle rod, I started sliding the tops of the heddles off onto the thread until I had removed all the crossed heddles. I put them back on a few at a time to be sure the were straight, and when I reached the good part, I was able to easily slide the heddles on with the thread next to the rod and then pull the thread out. I wish now I had taken pictures, but at the time I was embarrassed that I had been so careless. The main thing is, it worked, and now I have even more appreciation for how the loom works!

Sunday, DD the older and I finished her bedroom painting. She really wanted to get rid of this peachy colour. So here is the room all taped up and ready to go. We had to start with primer so the peach wouldn't affect the blue. After the first coat of blue DD was agitated by all the spots that weren't perfectly covered so I told her to put a bit of blue tape by the bad spots after the paint had dried for a day, so we would be sure to get them with the second coat. The room looked diseased! My husband thought she was maybe trying to see what it would look like Dalmatian-style, since that was her favourite movie as a child. I never realized what a perfectionist she was. I don't recommend anyone doing the same thing by the way. It took some time and was occasionally awkward to get the tape off, and a couple of times it pulled off the new paint!
And here it is done, but without the new Roman shades that are on order, or the furniture back where it belongs. The main thing is, the painting is done and she is very happy with the colour.

Another eyelet and some finished work

2008-07-11T09:22:00.003-04:00

I started the stitch along with Algerian eyelet stitch and late last week I found another variation on Jenny's blog. It is called a single cross eyelet from Mary Fry's Pulled Work.
I think Jenny's have more threads around than mine do, but I like the floral look of these two.

Here is my big finish! The baby blanket is almost done, except for some hem stitching, which I must do soon since things are unraveling!
This is my mini-tapestry done. Rather meager but I do have a better feel for technique and where things can go wrong - lots of places actually! This will soon be a lavender sachet. I will be sending it to my MIL. It was going to be an ornament, from the Just CrossStitch ornament issue, but I didn't have it done for Christmas and I don't want to try to find (and pay for) the special holly leaf beads that were supposed to decorate the ornament. So it will be sewn up and sent of just plain. Don't be too impressed by the blackwork. The back is horrible but because the linen is dyed and I've used dark brown rather than black, the errant threads don't show. I have great respect now for those who can create perfect front and back blackwork!

And now for something completely different...

2008-07-08T13:58:00.003-04:00

..well maybe not that different, it is still in the realm of textiles.

Inspired by Annie's Crazy World and Spirit Cloth and of course all the TAST and Stitch Along challenges of Sharon B, and all the blogs I have read, I have decided that now is the time to make t-shirt memory quilts. There are piles of t-shirts from all members of the household in various nooks and crannies around the house that have been waiting for me to do something with them. But I've never been inspired until now to start the project. I've been making excuses about space for a large quilt, but I see that I really don't need lots of space for a long period, I just work on a block at a time. And I don't need a full size quilt for a bed, just a nice comfortable quilt for an afternoon nap or something cosy for reading time. I guess as I looked at the great fabrics of the old clothes that were too worn in places to be sent to Goodwill, and as I enjoyed the feel of the old fabrics I used on the horse CQ pillow, I realized that I wanted to hold all that fabric in my hands and work with it. So I'll do a bit of planning to decide on block sizes, and pull out some appropriate fabric to surround the important bits of the t-shirts and see what happens.

Stitch Along and weaving sampler

2008-07-02T16:26:00.005-04:00

As I gazed at the list of stitches sharonb collected for the Stitchin Fingers Hand Embroidery group Stitch Along, I couldn't figure out where to start so I decided to work alphabetically - not particularly creative, but some days it is easier not to think too much.

The first stitch is Algerian Eye. I worked on Algerian Eye last year during TAST but my goal with the Stitch Along is to fill in gaps with the way I used stitches. Last year I did a ribbon picture which I do like, but it doesn't help me visualize Algerian Eye as a seam treatment. I have a basket where I store all the ends and extra strands from projects for small things, so I'm using those threads in this project - unless I want to test with something in particular.
In this case I used cotton floss, the gold and rainbow are overdyed, some very light blue silk (3 strands) and a bit of ribbon.

The ribbon doesn't do anything for me, but I really like the single strand of rainbow floss. I used the sequencing technique taught by Catherine Jordan at my EGA chapter back in January. It was a departure for me to use a single thread in something like this because usually I like really full coverage in a stitch, but I like the delicate look of a single thread in this case.

As you can see, I didn't do much stitching, but I've been reworking a gown that my SIL will be using as a wedding dress. I had to remove 3 full length lace panels and sew on a ribbon with pearls and beads.
I've also been weaving. I'm up to 30 inches on the baby blanket, no photos since it really looks no different than my last post, just more on the front roller. And I've added a bit more to my tapestry sampler. I'm working from 'Tapestry Weaving' by Kirsten Glasbrook. I'm not doing all the rows, just a quick test, and my colours are totally different, but it is helping me get a feel for the technique.

Finishing and starting

2008-06-27T22:23:00.004-04:00

I'm trying very hard not to take on too many things over the summer. Since I stopped working full-time nine and half years ago, I've had this awful habit of thinking that I'll have lots of time in the summer since the kids are out of school and I stop leaving the house for my part-time job (i.e. I still work on the computer from home, but I don't go to the library every day). Somehow the time never materializes and I'm frustrated. So this year I've set very modest goals - work on the Stitchin Fingers Hand Embroidery Group Stitch Along, do some stumpwork, and do some weaving.

But first I thought I'd get a few things out of my done but not finished pile - you know the stuff that has the embroidery done but needs sewing up or framing. I started with the little topiary piece by Catherine Jordan that she taught at my EGA chapter. Catherine's kits included cute little metal finishing forms, which I found quite easy to use. The project was originally finished as a pin keep, but I have a large pair of scissors I'm using in my weaving kit so I made a scissor fob - it would be too big and heavy for embroidery scissors.

These photos are before framing, but I did frame these two pieces from Colonial Williamsburg that I stitched up for my SIL. Quick and easy, which was good for evenings watching mysteries on TV. I've discovered you can't do extensive counting while watching a good mystery - maybe while watching a bad one, I haven't tried that.

This project is from way back in September 2007. I decorated the flap of a neat, fold up embroidery blanket. You put it on your lap or table to provide a clean working surface and it is white or dark (green in my case) depending on what sort of background you need to work on. I've had the stitching done since last year and finally stitched it up on Saturday. You can see the fancy topstitching I did with the machine - I haven't used it much so the fancy stitching is still fun. It folds up into a neat little packet that easily fits in an embroidery bag.

My starts are weaving projects - although I will be starting some embroidery soon as well. I was able to get to the weaving studio this week and got a good start on the baby blanket I'm making.
Of course it didn't turn out quite as I expected - I thought the coloured weft crossing the white warp would be lighter, more like the white weft crossing the coloured warp. But I am happy with the result and it will be a soft, washable blanket in the end. I am doing double weave so there are two layers, one side open, so when I'm done it will open up to a 48 inch wide blanket. Because I am just doing plainweave, I have a chance to concentrate on my edges this time and work on tension. In retrospect, I should have done some practice weaving to get comfortable with the tension of this particular yarn, but after over a foot of weaving, I'm not starting again.

I also found a small wood frame loom that belongs/belonged to DD the younger. I've taken it over and I'm working through techniques in a tapestry book I have out of the library (sorry I'm too lazy to walk to the other room to get it right now, I'll tell you the title later). Eventually I want to do real tapestry weaving, but I'm learning from my TAST experience and making a sampler to practice things first. The pale blue is the header so it isn't part of the piece - although I have been know to make some poor colour choices. Not much yet, but I'm learning, which is the main thing.

CQ Horse done - for now.

2008-06-18T09:04:00.003-04:00

I was working right up to the end yesterday, and still didn't have a chance to fix the blue tinted bits on the horse, but my pillow was ready for last night's meeting! Ta-da!

There were four others who finished and of course they were wonderful and had so many great ideas I want to redo all sorts of things. I will probably add a few things when I pick apart the closing seam to fix the horse (which won't be until I have taken care of some of the things I have put off while rushing to finish this). The lower left corner, around the poppy, is not much embellished so I want to add to that, and a few other spots need something.

This is my favourite bit. It was fun to work all the swirls. DD the younger picked this out from my TAST collection - you can see my original sampler of the stitch in this older post.

Again at DD's request I did some buttonhole pinwheels because she liked the TAST sample.
I really enjoyed the feel of holding the fabrics to do the embroidery work. Each kind of needlework seems to have its own joy. With stumpwork it is figuring out how to get from 2-D to 3-D and have it look good. The cross-stitch work I've been doing lately has been nice because it seems to work up quickly, so you get gratifying results soon. But holding the various layers and weights of fabric yesterday felt wonderful. I guess that is why I've taken up weaving, I love the feel of fabric.

The photo below shows one of the requirements of the challenge - a spider. According to our president, it is good luck to have one on your CQ. I searched for a spider charm, though not too hard, and couldn't find anything so it is just a small black bead with thread legs. One of our prizes was a spider charm, so next time I'll be ready.

Also last night was our silent auction to raise finds for the chapter. I have added some spectacular threads to my stash, at an excellent price. I'm looking forward to thinking of something to make with them all! I also have the leftovers to use for children's programs, although I think the charts and books will be donated to the public library. I haven't looked through things yet, but I'm sure if nobody in a large group of ladies wants to pay 25 cents for a stack of patterns, they can't be that good.

On the weaving front, I'm off to class tonight to learn how to sley the reed for double weaving. Once that is done, I'm sure I'll have a baby blanket in no time.

Moving right along

2008-06-16T08:55:00.003-04:00

With suggestions from the future owner, I've been adding seam treatments to my block and it is gradually looking better. I am especially pleased with the orange/yellow ribbon roses, since this is the first time I've tried to made them and I suspect the ribbon wasn't really meant for the task, but they look nice. The felt flowers and butterflies were purchased - the local Ben Franklin has all sorts of felting supplies now. My stitch notebook, created while following TAST last year with sharon b, was most helpful. I wasn't able to keep up with the last couple of months of TAST but my book has been so useful, I think I'll finish it up this summer.
I should have finished photos on Wednesday, since I need to have the whole pillow ready for tomorrow night's EGA chapter meeting - this was our president's challenge for the year.

And now I must share a new to me blog with you all. I made the mistake of following a link in the Chilly Hollow newsletter, which is posted on the needlework guild newsletter editors list as well as Jane's blog. I guess I've missed this blog, Two-Handed Stitcher, because I've been concentrating on embroidery and fibre art related blogs, and this is needlepoint, but boy am I impressed by what you can do with needlepoint - the otter is adorable, the patterns in the Pacific Grove Collage are wonderful and the Pacific Tide Pool is to die for. I envy the people at EGA's Western Pacific Region Seminar at Asilomar who get to do the pieces Laura is teaching. I'm trying not to check out everyone on her blogroll and add them to my Google Reader because then I will get nothing else done but blog reading! Of course I had to check out one by Glenda, a fellow Canadian - Life, the Universe and Stitching.

Horse CQ progress and a new weaving start

2008-06-14T08:12:00.002-04:00

As always, I seem to be learning from my mistakes with this project. For some reason, I think because the material was at hand, I used a light tan fabric to stitch the horse on. So, when it came time to paint a background, which I had to do because I hadn't thought ahead and didn't know I would want to make a sort of landscape around the horse, the colours of the fabric paint took on different hues than they would have on white. That was lesson one. Lesson two was, no matter how careful you are, if your colours have lots of water, they will soak into your threads, which is fine if the threads are gray, but not so fine if they are white. This leaves me with some touch up work.

Lesson three, don't paint yourself into a corner, or rather, paint all the way to the corners so you don't have to be so careful when piecing your quilt. If you look closely on the right side, you can see a couple of non-blue angles on the center section.
I must admit, when I finished this at 11 pm I was not a happy camper. Nothing seemed right, although I did figure out which embellishments would cover my unpainted angles. Luckily, when I looked at this piece in the morning light, which was much kinder than the yellow bulbs in the craft room (which is really the garage) I started to like it. By the time I started embellishing seams (photos tomorrow) I was happy with it. And both my daughters like the fabrics used. The red flower in the lower left is actually from DD the younger's riding sock. She has zip up boots and regularly catches her socks in the zipper, which ruins the socks. But this pair was so colourful, I knew I had to use it for something!

My next weaving project (my third) will be a baby blanket and I will be doing double weave so it will be double width - 48 inches wide - plus there will be a checkered pattern. I chose to use acrylic baby yarn because it will be the most practical in terms of washing and even washable wool still has the chance of causing an allergic reaction. One couple in my family is expecting to baby via adoption any time this summer, so I thought this would be a nice thing to make for them. The variegated yarn is bright rainbow spectrum with nice mixes between the main colours. I like it better than the pastel version and if my placemat testing experience is any indication, the white and pastel would have been too close in hue (or is that shade, I'll have to read up) and the checked pattern wouldn't have shown up well.
By the way, here is the pillow I finally made from the fooling around I did at the end of my last warp. You can't see it well, but I left a fringe of warp at the top of the pillow. It seemed to fit with the fun yarns used in this piece. Posting this photo has made me realize I didn't post a photo of the finished placemats. I'll try to do that soon. Of course, during the final stitching I realized that I had made 7 placemats, instead of the expected 6! This doesn't say much for my counting skills while weaving.

Value of backstitch and a finished horse

2008-06-11T10:46:00.002-04:00

I have a few memories of embroidering as a child, but I really don't remember much of what I did until I started doing reproduction samplers about 25 years ago. When you stitch samplers, back stitch is usually for letters but usually there isn't much. Occasionally I'd do some cross-stitch pictures as gifts and there the value of back-stitch really shows. I've been working on a couple of baby-bibs and as you can see from this photo, a blob of brown is transformed into a bear with some back-stitch.

I've finally finished the horse for the center of a CQ pillow that needs to be done next Tuesday night for my EGA meeting where we need to present our president's challenge CQ items. The front half of this horse seemed to take forever. I never felt like I was getting anywhere. All the gray, gray and more gray! But then suddenly, it was done. I'm quite pleased with the result as is DD the older who did the initial drawing, and DD the younger who asked that the horse look like her favourite from the barn - she will be getting the pillow. I have a CQ landscape sort of idea and I will be painting the fabric around the horse - hopefully without staining the horse! But you never know with me and paint. Maybe I'll stick with the watercolour pencils?
Here are the two newest members of our family, Chocolate and Dude. You can't really see it in this photo, but Dude has a forehead cowlick which gives him this funny little bit of hair sticking forward. They can both climb out of the pen they get to play in, so they must be watched constantly
The girls did the photo session and had trouble keeping the boys in line. I find this photo very funny.

I've been tagged

2008-06-09T08:02:00.002-04:00

My weaving instructor Cherri has tagged me and since this is my official first day of summer (no daily commute until September) I am going to enjoy my lazy morning and have fun blogging and stitching.

Questions and Answers
What were you doing five years ago?June of 2003:
1. Working part-time in a research library & archives
2. PTA web site and other activities
3.Stitching reproduction samplers
4. Teaching myself classical guitar
5. Trying to learn to paint with watercolours.
(Note: I wasn't doing any of that by the end of the month because the kids were out of school s that became my main job. Now they can amuse themselves quite well - what a difference 5 years makes!)

What are five things on your to-do list for today (not in any particular order)?
1. Clean some of the garage craft room so I can get to the sewing machine to I can start my CQ pillow.
2. Finish horse embroidery for center of CQ pillow
3. Pick up DD the younger from school.
4. Make sure DD the older studies for tomorrow's exams
5. Try to stay cool!

What are five snacks you enjoy?
1. Mocha Caribou Bars
2. Frozen strawberry bars (or peach or coconut)
3. Chocolate anything
4. Ice cream ( which I really can't have often since I'm allergic to milk)
5. Scones with Double-Devon cream (I agree with Cherri on this one)

What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?
1. Make sure my family was living comfortably
2. Have a house by the sea
3. Give lots of money to environmental charities like the Jane Goodall Society
4. Travel the world
5. Get horses for the kids (and hire somebody to clean up!)

What are five of your bad habits?
1. Procrastination
2. Spending too much (just ask DH)
3. Drinking too much coffee
4. Eating too much
5. Ignoring the cleaning until company is coming.

What are five places where you have lived? I haven't lived many places so I have to itemize within my home province
1. Windsor, Ontario
2. London, Ontario
3. One summer in Alberta
4. New York
5. Virginia

What are five jobs you’ve had?
1. Education manager
2. Car assembly line worker
3. Lifeguard
4. Mother
5. Librarian

Which five people do you want to tag? I'm tagging more since I'm tagging all my Stitching Sisters
Bits of Beads and Fiber - Denise S.
Crazy Daisy - Mandy
Ever Embellished - Sarah E.
Jenny's Australian Needlearts Journey
Lady Jane's Journal - Christine M.
Made by Misa
Norma's Needleworkz

With any luck I'll be able to post some CQ pillow progress tomorrow, along with some other stitching I've been doing.