Ivory tree ornament/ diffuser

My sister requested a little tree ornament to diffuse essential oils for her new Christmas tree.  She made it herself from birch branches and it hangs on the wall.  Takes no space and will hold a curated selection of oraments which will be all neutral in colour.  The ones I made were too bright and busy to really fit in with her new tree.  I dug through my felted wool and found a small piece of ivory and thought that would work well.  I trimmed a triangle shape and kept the adornment to a few lines of stitching.  I added a crochet  thread hanger and then went looking for buttons for the star.  I found two of these cool clear ones that worked really well for the star.  I stitched them back to back on the top of of my ornament.  I think it will work perfectly on her new tree and will generously diffuse pine essential oil to make Christmas memorable.          Therese
 

Christmas card with a vintage Santa, handmade paper background & vgreen intage seam binding

For this card I started with a red card and trimmed a background from a sheet of handmade paper  - white with black and silver inclusions.  I added a length of vintage green seam binding and then tied on a short piece to simulate a bow.  I layered the Santa image with red cardstock and added it with 3D foam tape.  This large element was adhered to my card front.  

Therese
 

Christmas cards with a little trees made from woven paper with a confetti star and embossed background

 I got carried away in my creative mode and made a whole sheet of woven paper strips.  I chose from my stash of Christmas papers and then added greens and reds from my other collections too.  I started by adhering the set of horizontal strips to a piece of tape.  Then I wove strips into them vertically until I had a letter sized sheet.  I added tape on the back to secure the pieces in place.  I trimmed the sheet into triangles to simulate trees.  I did have some loose pieces both on the front and the back so I added dots of white glue to secure them in place.  I have over a dozen trees.  I only used these two this time but have set aside the others for Christmas cards in 2022 as I still plan on making card monthly.  I chose two backgrounds from my stash  and embossed one with birch trees (SU) and snowy dots (SU).  I positioned my trees and stitched them to my background using dark green thread in my sewing machine.  Really like that look!  I added a trunk to the first one and a snow bank to the second one.  They both got large confetti stars  - gold on the first one and silver on the secon one.  I wanted to add a little bird to the birch trees.  I bought a stamp and die set which I thought would work quite well for this purpose.  In the end, the bird is a bit big for A2 cards and the stamping in black made it too dark.  So I cut one without the stamping and added little features using a fine black marker which was much better.  I added it with 3D foam tape.  I glued my large elements to coordinating cards to finish them off.  Therese

Large Christmas cards for my exchange partners

I made up a few large cards from large images I had printed a while back.  The two Merry Christmas greetings are from Graphics Fairy.  I do not have credits for the other two.  

First card - I watercoloured the letters, cut the edge with scalloped decorative scissors and paper pierced each scallop then passed my pattern tracing wheel to paper pierce a line on each edge.  I mounted decorative paper to  a coordinating large card after added red gros grain ribbon to which I had tied a short piec of green vintage seam binding.   Second card - After trimming the Santa image I paper pierced wavy lines on the edges with my pattern tracing wheel.  I added turquoise half labels to the top and bottom which I also paper piereced with a push pin.  I added a silver eyelets to each of them as well.  I mounted my Santa over my decorative background using 3D foam tape.   I created my own baker's twine by twisting ivory, turquoise and green threads together which I passed through the eyelets and adhered to the back with regular tape.  I mounted this large element to a coordinating card front.  

Third card - I used a scallop punch (SU) to trim the edges of the Peace on Earth greeting then ran my pattern tracing wheel in wavy lines on all sides.  I added drops of coordinating nail polish on the scallops and when they were dry I mounted it to the front of my card over my background.  I added an antiqued turquoise ribbon to my background paper and then tied on a short piece with a single knot to  simulate a bow.  I finished off the card by mounting this large element to a coordinating card front. 

Fourth card - I ran my tracing wheel around the trimmed image, watercoloured the holly and added red glitter glue to the berries.  Once dry, I mounted this to a green cardstock layer.  I added and embossed strip to my background of fun snowflakes and tied on a short piece of green vintage seam binding on the right hand side.  I mounted this to a coordinating card then adhered my focal element with 3D foam tape to the front.    I am really enjoying making these large cards - so much real estate to work with!!

Therese

Christmas cards featuring stitched elements - stamped handmade paper trees and greeting

This was a fun card.  The focal element is made from handmade paper onto which I added a stamped piece of tissue paper when it was wet.  The tissue paper incorporates into the paper and disappears.  I tore the image from my sheet of handmade paper and found this background paper which so nicely highlighted the image with little fun sparkly snowflakes.  I used shimmery embroidery thread to stitch this element into place and then I added the greeting which I also stitched to my background.  I stamped the greeting (SU) added two lines of paper piercing then added a small piece of 3D foam tape in the middle and double sided taper to the sides so there would be more relief in the middle.  With everything in place I adhered my backgound to a green card front.   I really like this card - will have to make more of these elements.  Therese
 

Christmas card featuring little chickadees, some string and a stamped greeting

I have been admiring these simple cards on line for quite a while and finally took the plunge to see if I could actually make one.  Generally, I like much more paper and embellishing on my cards.  I started with a kraft card and added the cording.  It is three pieces of thread - white, red and tan which I simply twisted together.  It worked well but the twisting made the bow really distorted so I let out the twisting which was much better.  I layered the little chickadee image (reused from another card) with red cardstock and adhered it with 3D foam tape.  I stamped the greeting (SU) in black ink.  Done!!!  What a quick and easy card!!!  Therese
 

Slow Stitching Project - cat squares - Q2 - R7 - 1-5

 I have finished another set of cat squares in my slow stitching project.  I have two more rows to go to finish quilt two and stil have all the squares for quilt one to go.  I will be taking a break and doing something else for slow stitching in the next while and will come back to these later one.  I did enjoy using a chain stitch on two of these and it was fun to make one using a rainbow of colours instead of coordinating with the squares which has a limited palette.  

Therese

Brown embroidered quilt

I worked on the top for this quilt (48" x 35") a week ago and managed to finish it this weekend.  The center is two embroidered pillow shams sewn together in the center and to add the length I needed I added a green/coral border on each end using scraps of upholstery fabric.  The batting is a flannel sheet and for the backing I used a floral fabric with a brown background.  I stitched the batting to the front and then added the backing which I simply folded over on the edges to make the bindng as well.  I added some horizontal lines to the end pieces and then about five more through the dark brown section of the quilt.  Not too much puckering on this one.  I used a plastic foot on my machine and it seems better for letting the top and bottom fabric move together.  Another one ready to go!!    Therese
 

Christmas card featuring a little tree die cut, a collaged vellum background and a little embossed greeting

This card started with a little strip of very beautiful handmade paper.  I added the little embossed tree die cut and the little gold star.  I auditioned quite a few backgrounds before I decided to create a collaged background with torn strips of vellum.  I mixed in a couple of embossed ones for a little more texture and interest.  I adhered them with double sided tape position on my card where it would be behind the strip.  I added the strip and then the little embossed and die cut JOY greeting (SU).  It still needed a bit of something to I added two little gold stars which made it better.  I really like the layered background.  Therese

 

Christmas card with a collaged background, embellished tree die cut and a bit of lace

For this card I started with a dark green card front.  Using a few pieces from my stash I collaged a background then added a piece of brown handmade washi tape and a length of lace.  I added some lines of paper piercing before adding my little kraft tree die cut.  I added a gold star with a tiny gold brad at the top and some red star confetti with white glue (fine tip applicator) before adhering it to my card front.  I thought it still needed a bit of something so I added a garland to the tree using a clear glitter gel pen which was just enough  - I considered it finished.  Therese

Winken, Blinken quilt

 I finished this quilt (33.5" x 44") more than a week ago but just finally gave it is final wash.  It is a panel I bought for a few dollars at a thrift store.  I added a thin cotton batting and a green cotton backing material.  I finished it by layering the front and back facing each other and then laid the batting over it.  Trimmed them to the edge of the front and stitch all the way around leaving an opening on one side so I could turn it inside out.  I finished it by stitching two rows of straight stitch about a quarter inch apart around the outside edge.  For inside quilting I used black thread on the top and green on the bottom and stitched several of the black lines in the pattern to keep all the layers together.  There is quite a bit of play between the back and the front but fortunately there were very few lines except the wavy border that went all the way across so the play is manageable.  Therese

Christmas card featuring a vintage Santa, ribbon and handmade paper

 I have made up a few Christmas cards for a friend who has found herself a little short of what she needs.  Fun to make cards that are unique with little bits from the stash.  The Santa image is stamped and from a swap so I am not sure who it is made by.  I trimmed it to size, added four lines of paper piercing using my pattern tracing wheel and distressed the edges.  I added navy gros grain to my ripped piece of handmade paper and then tied on a small silver piece.  I adhered this large element to my navy card front and then added the focal image with 3D foam tape to finish my card.  Therese

Birthday card featuring a sparrow photo, some ribbon and a fancy greeting

I made this card for my Dad whose birthday was this weekend.  He will get a surprise in the mail instead of it being delivered in person. 

I started with a large blue envelope and created a blue card to fit inside.  I found this wonderful music paper in my stash (donation from my sister) so I trimmed out a piece for my background.  I trimmed this sparrow photo from a calendar page (photo calendar from my sister) added some rows of paper piercing with my pattern tracing wheel and then mounted it onto black cardstock.  I added a strip of black cardstock below to which I had tied three little pieces of ribbon and a chalk board greeting with little white brads.  Therese

 

All occasion and birthday cards while I was at it

I was on a roll the other day when I made these cards for my parents so I made these four as well.  They are small cards I made to fit in small envelopes from my stash.  The top two feature white handmade paper with embedded silver embossed images.  I tore them from the large sheet and then stitched them to my trimmed backgrounds.  I adhered them to my card fronts and then added layered oval font greetings.  

The bottom two were made around two images from my stash.  The blue one features a butterfly stamped image (SU) over a collaged background with a little bit of ribbon.  The other one features a watercoloured coffee  cup (BlackBerry Jelly) with paper pierced lines and bits of ribbon over a leafy background.  Alway nice to have a few cards on hand for giving as gifts at this time of the year!!!  Therese
 

Lap quilt in plaid and dark green

 I made this lap quilt for my Dad.  He was moved to extend care this week and they are getting him up and out of bed into a wheel chair for his meals.  My sister indicated that he could use a small quilt for his lap when he is in the wheel chair.  I made it 37" x 39" which was along the lines for what the recommendations online for a lap quilt for a wheel chair.  The plaid is flannel which was recovered from a large pillow sham and the botton is brushed cotton in a dark green.  I used a light weight cotton as a batting inside.  I laid them out on  top of each other right sides together and then the cotton batting.  I stitched all the way around leaving an opening to turn it over. Once pressed, I stitched all the way around the edge and then added a few rows of stitching following the plaid design to keep all the layers together.  I am sure it will do the job nicely.  Therese

Thank you cards with removable watercoloured heart ornaments

 I made these cards to thank my parent's neighbours for the generous support they have shown them since they moved into their apartment a few years back.  Dad fell and broke his arm in October and is going into assisted living and Mom is moving into senior accomodation.  They will be across the street from each other so will be able to see each other every day.  It is a blessing that things have fallen into place for them.  They will not be far from their neighbours in the apartment building either but we thought it was important to let them know how much we appreciate all they have done for our parents.  

I watercoloured a piece of cardstock with permanent inks - blue and green on one side and yellow and red on the other which created a wonderful piece of duplex paper.  I die cut hearts from the paper and added a hanger so they can be hung in a window, on a knob or even used as a bookmark.  I created little white cards to fit in small envelopes from my stash.  I created backgrounds using coordinating papers and added the little vellum greetings (gold embossed) with eyelets before adhering them to the card fronts.  I added the hearts tucking the bottom under the vellum and securing the hanger on the inside of the card using regular tape.  I am very happy with how they worked out and I will be bringing them when I go for Dad's birthday.  

Therese

My angel tree topper all spruced up

I spent the afternoon sprucing up my angel tree topper.  It is a vintage tree topper for sure.  My good friend Lorraine crocheted it for me over forty years ago and has been the only tree topper we have had ever since.  She had stiffened the body, wings and halo with sugar water over a cone form.  Over the years they had discoloured and I wanted to redo it.  Removing the sugar water and redoing it seemed like a very daunting task and therefore the process kept being put off.  Last year when we took it down after the holidays I decided to give it a coat of paint which was much less daunting.  Needless to say she has spent the better part of a year near the family room fire place and today with a bit of time on my hands - my Christmas cards have been mailed - I thought I would see what I could do.  I took the pieces apart as they had been simply hand stitched to each other.  The halo, the wings and the head part were seperated from the body where they were stitched.  I did make a few notes about where they had been stitched together so I could replicate the process once they were painted.  I chose a warm white acrylic paint and applied it with a stiff brush so it would get in between the stitches and in the insides of the openings.  I covered all the areas even though they were not all discoloured to ensure that she had a nice even colouring - inside and outside of the skirt, the wings and the halo.  The head and bodice had not been starched and was still in really good condition.  Only four little spots which I painted over using the end of a toothpick.   I painted the halo in gold but that did not work as well as I would have liked so I added some yellow paint and then a thin layer of silver gleams which was the best I could hope for.  After all the pieces were dry I stitched her back together.  She is looking so much better.  I decided to make her a little muff because with only the ends of the pink pipe cleaners twisted together did not really do hands all that well.  I dug through my fabric stash and found a piece that was the right colour.  I trimmed a small piece and stitched it together to created a tube.  After turning it inside out I folded the bottom edge up into the opening and then placed the muff over "her hands" and then used the end of a large needle to stuff the top edge into the top opening covering the ends of the pipe cleaners. That was much better.  I am auditioning a gold star sequin held in place with a head pin to see how I like it.  It might be replaced with a silver one or might just be removed instead.  We shall see!!  I expect she has another 40 years to go so at some point she will be gracing someone else's tree but that will be fine when the time comes.  Therese 

 

Slow Stitching - cat squares - Q2, Row 6 - 1 to 5

 I have finished another set of slow stitched cats!!  It has been a while since I posted these ones.  Seems I might have missed blogging row 5 - will have to check on that.  

I tried a few new stitches and arrangement of them on these squares.  I like to change things up a bit when I am doing my stitching.  For the first one, I added red crosses on the edges of the first one and then added a green stitch across the middle then filled in the space with orange running stitch.  For the second I added blue crosses on the edge and yellow stitches across the middle of them.  I filled in with yellow stab stitches.   For the third one, I did wonky orange stab stitches in several sizes all around the edge, added a double row of running stitchin orange around the cat  and then filled in with purple running stitch.  I also added white french knots to the dots.  For the fourth one, I ran a double row of running stitches in yellow around the edge, added triangles in yellow outside of that row and then added blue triangles inside with one french knot in the middle.  Finished off the edge with wonky orange stab stitches in between the tops of the triangles.  For the fifth one, I added long stab stitches all the way around in green a bit apart and then added short stab stitches in between.  Added a row of  triangles all the way around in blue running stitch.  It continues to be a fun project and I have started on the next row.  Therese

Fabric gift wrapping

I have decided to embrace fabric gift wrap this year.  My daughter and I discussed fabric gift bags a while back and she managed to stiffen several yards of fabric with white glue in order to be able to make gift bags out of them.  That worked quite well but was a bit time consuming.  I did a bit of research this week and decide to try Furoshiki  - a Japanese technique of gift wrapping which uses just squares of fabric tied with two knots.  They are a gift in themselves as they are completely reuseable.  I decided to delve in my stash of fancy fabrics and see how many I could get done in a day.  I managed several different ones and six of the red ones.  They range from about 36" square to about 15" square.  Online, they indicated that 12" x 12" was a mini, 15" x 15" was small, 24" x 24" was medium and 36" x 36" was large.  

I used what I had for fabric and made them about 34" square.  The pink is the smallest and was ready made in my stash - a dyed hankerchief.  The purple and orange are a bit see through so may have to have another one layered below them but that is easy enough to do.  I really like the shimmery one which I used to tie up a gift in the first photo.  It is very quick and easy to use these fabric wraps and they look elegant!!  I have a few more to finish but I should have what I need to wrap my gifts for the box that I am sending off soon.  I will be able to make up a few more if I need for closer to Christmas.  It was a full day in the sewing room but I am very happy with my progress and will be augmenting my stash of wraps over the next year or so so I can liquidate the bit of gift wrap and curling ribbon I have on hand.    

UPDATE:

I have made up a few more fabric gift wraps from a few of the other pieces of fancy fabric I found in my stash earlier.  They range from 36" to 24".  The floral one on the left is actually a square scarf  that was ready to go!!   This supply should be enough for this holiday season and into the new year!!

Therese

Christmas tree ornaments from felted wool which can be used to diffuse essential oils

I made some little Christmas tree ornaments to include in my Christmas cards for friends I don't see during the year due to how far apart we live.  I started with little green felted wool triangles.  I just recently read that wool is a very good diffuser for essential oils so these will be ornament/diffusers.  Some with artificial trees are using them to diffuse pine essential oils to give the scent of a real tree.  I decided to decorate up the front leaving the back to be used for diffusing.  I dug out some small green fabric scraps and cut little strips for all of my little trees.  I hand cut little brown trunks from felted wool and little circles for my stars from yellow orange cotton.  I stitched the little strips down the middle of my tree using my sewing machine and green thread incorporating my little trunk on the way down.  I turned my tree and then stitched back up to the top.  I created a hanger of heavy weight crochet thread in deep yellow which I stitched through the top of tree and tied a knot.  I used a tine tipped brown permanent marker to draw a star on my little circles and then hand stitched them in place at the top of my trees using coordinating thread.   It was fun to create these and they are flat enough to be easily be mailed inside my cards.  I am well on my way getting ready for Christmas.  My parcel is ready to go and will be mailed tomorrow.  All my Christmas cards are done and I have written my newsletter which I will include to friends and family.   I created fabric gift wraps this past week to and the post will show up tomorrow.  They make very nice looking gifts for under the tree!!!  Therese