Playing with scraps

This piece of fabric is made from all of my scraps of fabric, that I have been collecting in a jar since starting Karen Ruane's workshops. I have also added a few snippets of other fabrics as well. The piece measures approximately 50cm x 30cm. To make it, I layed out all of my scrapps of fabrics & lace onto a piece of Muslin or cheese cloth as some would call it. Then I tacked them all in place once I was happy. After that I then took it to the sewing machine & did FME ( free machine embroidery) all over it to hold the snippets in place. I did not use a hoop to do the FME, hence the bubbly effect on the fabric. But then I quite like the looks of the bubbly effect :-)

This is a piece of one of a kind fabric, & you could not buy it :-) ( A Karen thing :-) )

I have made so far from this fabric, an owl. "OWLY" She is my snowy owl for Christmas.

I am hoping to make a few more things from the piece of fabric. So keep watching this space.

Warm Hugs & Happy Stitching
Elizabeth xxxxx

Getting ready for Christmas

I have been making decorations in readiness for Christmas this year. I cannot believe how fast this year has gone. I am also working on a few other projects at the moment as well, & will share them in time. As they are gifts :-)

Warm Hugs & Happy stitching
Elizabeth xxx

Finished my first pin pillow

I have finished my first pin pillow. I am hoping to make more of them & put them into my etsy store, so keep watching this space.

This photo shows the pockets that I have created in the lace & it's main function.
BIG warm hugs
Your Friend
Elizabeth xx

I'm still here

Sorry again for being away so long. Life does get very hectic at time. I have recently gone back to work & have been busy beavering away on different projects. I am still working on my tea pot from the last post. But have been caught up in the bug of making pin pillows with Karen Ruane☺

I am also working on an embroidered fabric book for my grand daughter for Christmas as well. It will be an interactive adventure book. I will be taking a photo of her & making it into a fabric version of a paper doll, then I will make clothes & things for her to put on herself, then each page will be embroidered with different adventures for her to take. Well, this is what I am hoping it will be.☺☺

This is the pin pillow that I have been working on. It is being damp stretched at the moment, & hopefully today will be made into the pillow☺

I am also still working on my quilt that I shared with you a while ago now. It is getting there though☺ I have also made, well, embroidered the front panel of a cushion to acompany the quilt when it is made☺

I will end this post with photos of things I have been working on for the last few months.

Warm hugs to you all
Happy stitching
Elizabeth xxx

 This book is from an amzing quilt exhibition that I went to with my mum recently. It is on at the Brisbane art gallery, & is a collection of quilts from the Victoria & Albert museum. And they also brought along the most amazing stumpwork casket that I have ever seen☺ Sadly I was not aloud to take heaps of photos of it☹

 This piece is a piece of FME scrim that I am making into a lacy kind of quilt. Well mine will be a curatin when I have made more panels.☺

And I recently purchase this book from the book depository. It is an amzaing book. One day I am going to fill the book with my own sketches & embroideries. For all that have seen or own this book you will know what I mean☺

Slow progress

It has been slow going with this tea pot & the work I need to do in the Alchemy class. Life has been very complicated over the past few months & My creative time has suffered because of it.

We had to move from our old house as the owner wanted to sell. We are now moved & slowly settling back into a sort of normal life☺

I spent all day this Sunday just gone stitching on my tea pot & here are the reasults.

At first I was not happy with the owl in the tree. It looked too much like a monkey. But after some careful tweaking. I am now happy with it.

I still have a bit of stitching that needs doing on this section. Then I have the other two sides to tackle. All in good time. For now I am just enjoying the journey☺

There still has been no more progress on my Embroider Embellish & create piece either☹ I am hoping to do a bit more on that soon. Then starting on May 6th, I am doing another of Karen's amazing classes. This one is called Lace. For more details on this class you can visit her blog at: http://karenannruane.typepad.com/karen_ruane/

Just click on the link, Lace. A surface to embroider on.

Happy stitching everyone

Warm Hugs

Your Friend

Elizabeth xxx

They have arrived.

Yesterday after posting my post on here. The post man came with my parcel of threads☺☺☺ YA! Now I can move forward.

Why did the first lot they said they sent, then take three weeks & go back. And this lot arrived in just three days.??? MMMMMMMMM

Oh well, they are here & that is all that matters.☺☺☺ Off now to do some stitching☺☺☺
Warm Hugs
Your Friend
Elizabeth xxx

At a stale mate

Don't you just hate when you are waiting for threads to arrive that you ordered three weeks ago now, & you still do not have them? Because some one in Australia post in all the wisdom, decided to sent them back to the sender instead of delivering them. AAAAAARRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!

This is what is causing my stale mate. There is loads of things that I could be getting on with in regards my tea pot, but not having that one particular thread is causing my to get embroiderers block ☹

While I have been waiting for these threads to arrive. I have been busy☺ Week seven saw us looking at FMEing silk straw paper onto another fabric.

First off, I coloured my silk straw paper with Ink tense blocks to give it more of a tree like colour. Then I tore some holes into the paper. I tacked the silk straw paper onto some silk dupion, as I was tacking it down, I caught in snippets of other fabrics behind the holes. My favourite piece being the bit with the owl on it☺☺ Then FME'd ( Free Machine Embroidered) the whole piece in a thread to match the paper. Then I went over it again in a green to replicate leaves.

Once all the FME was done I then added some hand embroidery to highlight the holes. To give a look of peeling bark & lichen on a tree. And some beads to add a little highlight to the piece.

I am currently working on a second piece & will be framing them  as a series of pictures to go with my tea pot. So keep watching this space ☺
Warm Hugs
Your Friend
Elizabeth xxx

Moving on

Moving on. In these two photos. It shows the idea of how I want my tea pot to look in the way of embroidery. It gives an all round view of the tea pot & what each side will look like.

This next lot of photos looks at the kind of embroidery that I will be doing on my tea pot.

The piece in the hoop is there just to show the kind of surface embroidery that I want along the bottom of the tea pot.

Some time today or tomorrow, I will be making a start on the actuall embroidering onto the tea pot. Then I will cut out the felt & assemble the pot together, then add the 3D elements. So keep watching this space☺

Warm Hugs
Your Friend
Elizabeth xx

Starting to take shape

This image was created with Instagrams Instacollage. It is of some of the elements from my Alchemy work book. The photo in the top left of this collage is the knitting after it has been felted. This will be the base fabric for my tea pot.

This is a paper 3D model of my tea pot. I am a bit ahead of everyone else in the class on this. But had to make it as my inspiration was fastly dieing on this idea. I needed to see it in its 3D form, so that I could work out sizings for the stumpwork elements that will decorate this tea pot.  The spout & the handle in this paper model, will be joined with a strip of felt. When it is in the fabric form. I could not quite work out at the time of making the paper one, how to achieve it in paper.

Happy Stitching everyone
Warm Hugs
Elizabeth xxx

Haven't gotten off to a good start

I haven't gotten off to a good start, have I? Life has been turned upside down at the moment. January has seen so many changes.
First I started a new class with Karen Ruane. Called Alchemy. This has been great & taking up a lot of what little spare time I have these days.
Then I was told a few weeks ago, that we have to move out of our house as the owner wants to sell it vacant possesion. So time is being consumed with packing & looking for a new home. No joy so far.
Then we where told over on the Embroiderers Guild site that they will no longer be housing the forum, where I personally have made lots of dear friends. We now have a new home independant of the Guild called Embroidery friends. You can drop me an email if you would like to join us.

Well enough of the doom & gloom. Here are a few photos of what I have been up to since my last posting.

This is where I am up to with my Embroider, Embellish & Create quilt. When I have finished all of the blocks, it should measure 60 inches square.

This is a snippet from my Alchemy class ledger. I have chosen the subject Nature & tea pots. I hear you saying, "Nature & Tea pots"! Yes. I am going to be making a series of fabric & felted 3D tea pots & am then going to add stumpwork elements of nature to the surface of the tea pots.

My first tea pot is felted knitting based, & will have 3D elements of nature on it.

When we where first given the breif for this class. We where asked to choose a subject that was close to us. I first chose nature. But them my dear friend Isabell, brought to my attention my love of tea pots. So I got to thinking, why not merge the two, & creat a series of fabric based tea pots with my other passion stumpwork of natural elements.

They will be my version of myjolica tea pots☺☺I have gathered inspiration from many people, as well as my extensive collection of nature photos that I have taken myself. A few of the other artists out there that study nature. That have inspired me are: Jane Hall, Julie Crabtree & Gilda Baron. Their work is amazing & so inspirational.

I am hoping as I always say. To keep a record of my work through out the Alchemy class, here on my blog. So keep watching & see what comes up.

Warm Hugs
Your Friend
Elizabeth xxx

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Sorry it has been so long between posts. I hope that in 2013, I can devote more time to keeping my blog up to date.

I hope that everyone had a safe & Merry Christmas, & an even safer & Happy New Year. I pray that 2013 is the year for us all to shine & achieve all our goals & dreams.

This year I will be teaching online classes in stumpwork embroidery. So watch this space. I was lucky to be given a camcorder for Christmas this year from my DH & My son bought me a tripod for the camcorder to stand on. So I thought, why not use it to teach. This way I can reach more people around the world.

There is a bit for me to learn before I start the online classes, so hope to be ready for my first on line class around May.

Over the past few months I have been doing an online class with Karen Ruane as most of you know. I am making a highly embellished quilt/throw for my bed. It is a slow journey. But one I am enjoying greatly. Here is a photos of what I have done so far.

I am currently working on two more panels for this quilt. I think for it to be big enough for my queen sized bed I may have to make 20 panels in total. I am making the quilt out of old napkins, vintage fabrics & laces & anything in my stash that is white or cream. I have also added embroideries done for me by my mum & dear friend Isabell.

Well, on that note. I will close as I am off to pick my daughter up from the air port. She has been in Cairns this past week. Then home to do some more on my quilt blocks.

Take Care all my blog friends.
Warm Hugs
Your Friend
Elizabeth xxx