Slow Stitching - small fabric collages added to my colourful circles on black fabric

I have decided that these will become potholders so I took some of my sketches and made up some little fabric collages inside my stitched circles.  I made two little cacti in pots and two with tea cups.  I did my best to used my sketches to estimate the size I needed.  I cut the elements from cotton scraps and used regular Elmer's washable glue stick to adhere them to each other and the black backer as I layered them.  I did some research and there are quite a few creatives using regular washable glue sticks for securing their fabric collage elements.  Too easy!!  It simply washes out!!!  I hope to get to start stitching them by the end of the week!!

Therese
 

Cardmaking - large card featuring a wonderful photo of pelicans

What cool photo of a few pelicans just hanging out!!!  I cut the photo off of my 2025 calendar which my sister, Sylvia, gave me last year for Christmas.  I trimmed out a  gray card to fit in my large blue envelope and added three pieces of decorative paper after I had embellished them with paper piercing using my pattern tracing wheel.  I die cut (TH) two borders from brown cardstock, added paper piercing on both edges - one done with the PTW and the other with a push pin.  I mounted this large element to my card front with 3D foam tape.  Therese
 

Cardmaking - beautiful rose photo with rose decorative paper

I have started on the cards I will be needing for the next few weeks as family occasions come up.  

This one is for my sister.  The photo is from our last year's photo calendar which my sister gives us each year for Christmas!!  She does such great photography and so the 4" x 4" photos make such great cards!!!!  

For this card I used a dark rose photo and found rose decorative paper in my stash which worked really well.  I added an embossed strip of gold between the two papers and added a length of knotted yarn before gluing it all down.  Mounted all these elements onto a large dark green card.  

Theres
 

January Card Club - Card #3 - handmade paper, seam binding and a watercoloured image

 These cards came together fairly well with few elements to manage.  We secured our piece of seam binding to the back of our handmade paper and trimmed off the excess.  After adhering our handmade paper to our card front, we coloured our images.  Most of us used watercolour but the pencil crayons were also available.  I added paper piercing to my image before adding them to my card front with 3D foam tape.  We tied the bit of seam binding that we trimmed off to the length on the front using a single knot.  It looks a lot like a bow but is so much easier!!!  I did not realize that both of mine had pink handmade paper and a floral element!!  I love the look!!!  Therese

January Card Club - Card #2 - corrugated paper, raffia, and little tag with die cut elements

 For our second card I decided to make use of some of my corrugated cardboard which has been around for a while.  I cut a strip off the larger sheet and made up my sample.  When I cut the next strip I cut it from the other side and so I have some going horizontal and others were vertical.  They both work!! I cut some 2" paper strips from a variety of colours which coordinate well with the kraft colour of the corrugated cardboard and then worked on the focal element.  I cut the tags (CB) from a thick chipboard with a fold which gave it a bit of texture.  I die cut the small elements from colour cardboard if they were solid.  If not, then I backed the open ones with a different colour of cardstock which made them sturdy.  I mounted the strip, added the little tag and then made three holes with my awl  -  hole in the tag, and one on each side of the strip - for stitching in the raffia.  We threaded a large needle with our raffia - down the middle hole in the tag, up one of the other holes, across the front and down the other hole and back up the hole in the tag.  Both ends are now in the hole and on the front.  I put the length across between them and tied a knot.  Unfortunately, I had not measured the raffia on my sample so I estimated and in the end I cut the ones for the kits a bit too short so they could not be made into a bow.  We improvised and it was OK.  The last thing to do was to add our little die cuts onto the tags with 3D foam tape.  I really like the texture on these cards!!  Therese

January Card Club - Card #1 - a cute card with a "Stack and Whack" collage background and a fussy cut focal element

 So great to see my friends again!!!  I truly love spending time with them creating cards and sharing the goings on of our lives.  

I have used this technique a few before but many years ago so I decided to revisit it.  You layer several backgrounds on top of each other - I used three - and then cut them apart with several cuts - I used three.  This leaves you with pieces that perfectly create a collage background without fussing!!  It is a bit of a puzzle when it comes to gluing the pieces to a card front but with a bit of twist and turning they fall into place.  I glued the first one with the edges of my pieces touching and on the second one I left a bit of a gap between them.  I like them both!!  I added faux stitching with a fine tipped marker in a coordinating colour.  The little bird was laser printed, fussy cut and the watercoloured before adhering it to the front of my card using 3D foam tape.  The heart was colour printed, die cut with Nestibilities and layered onto a green circle before being added to my card front.  These sketch can very easily be used in either a portrait or landscape layout.  Therese

Cardmaking - card with a photo of a butterfly and daisy

 I created a kraft card to fit in the yellow envelope.  I added a piece of decorative paper to the bottom edge and layered my butterfly photo with  green cardstock.  I punched a label punch (SU) from a yellow cardstock scrap, folded it in half over the edge of the photo and punched a hole.  I inserted a pewter eyelet and looped a piece of fancy yarn in it before adhering this large element to the front of my card with 3D foam tape.  I added a few dots on the rounded edge with a marker.  

A great shot by my sister, Sylvia, which I cut off of the 2025 photo calendar she gave me last year for Christmas.  Therese

Slow Stitching - colourful circles in chain stitch on black squares

 While I was away over this month I ran out of slow stitching and decided I needed to invent something new.  I bought a new apron made from black cotton, raveled the seams and washed all the pieces.  I managed to get ten 7.5" squares from the body of the apron.  Then, I needed a design.  Without a lot of tools at hand I used a large glass and drew 4" circles centered on the squares using a regular pencil.

  I chain stitched these in the colours of floss I had on hand - brights!!!  It served the purpose very well and I got all but two done before we headed home.  They are now all finished and I have started brainstorming ideas of what I can fill them with.  I am thinking small fabric collages would do nicely.  

I have sketched a few ideas and it remains to be seen which ones will survive the culling as I move ahead.  Not sure where these will end up - they could be potholders at that size with bright backings or they could easily be accent squares for a quilt.   Only time will tell!!  Therese

Slow Stitching - finished the little hearts

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!!!  

I am just getting back into the groove with my blogging after a busy holidays season.

I have been working on these little hearts for quite a while off and on and managed to get them all done since the beginning of the year.  

These are hand cut hearts about 1.5" or so cut from bright fabrics.  I stitched them down on the edges with embroidery floss and then added stab stitches on the inside in a variety of ways - all over, following the fabric patterns, a few stars, etc.  Just whatever seemed necessary at the time.  

These will be framed with bright fabrics (maybe quilt as you go) into squares that can be stiched into a small quilt for Linus Project.  

Therese

 

Gifts - two card holders make from cotton, batting and CDs with button accents

 I made these as Christmas gifts for a couple we know.  They play cards and I thought this little gift would be the perfect thing for them.  

Quick and easy - four 6.5"circles of fabric, four 5.5" circles of light weight batting and 4 used CDs.  I used heavyweight thread to make running stitches around each fabric circle, put in one circle of batting and then the CD.  Pulled that tight and tied it off.  Repeat 3 more times.  Place two of these CD sides touching and add buttons - one on each side - and sew them tight and secure the heavyweight thread with several knots.  The gathered fabric grips the cards and keeps them in place - works really well when you have more than handful of cards!!!  Therese

Sewing Gifts - unpaper towels can be used as everyday napkins, to wipe up small messes or as a small placemat

I sewed up three sets (8 - 12 per set) of these unpaper towels for Christmas gfits.  Before I started I found the little trays at the dollar store that would store them nicely.  It is easier to make the towels to fit the container rather than the other way around.  I made them up by upcycling flannel from my stash.  I cut them about  8.5" x 9" and used a decorative stitch on the raw edge which will be sturdy enough to keep them from raveling and leaves no thick edges.   

I used some of them to decorate the snack jars I made for the guys and tied them on with some cording.  No waste!!    

I made a bowl cozy in coordinating colours for my oldest grand daughter who is at university. Useful for so many tasks and easily washable.  I managed to find a clear glass bowl for the cozy at the thrift store.  Therese

 

Sewing - tea towels made from a cotton sheet and hemmed with a decorative stitch

I made these four tea towels from a cotton sheet I had on hand.  They are approximately 18" x  24"  - I maximized the fabric and was able to get these four from one end of the sheet.  I simply folded the edges over once and stitched them down using one of the stretch stitches on my Husqvarna.  It will be very durable and is also decorative.  They will be eminently washable.  She is quite creative and has been doing some hand stitching so I have collected a few supplies for her so she can customize them for herself with embroidery. I used a glasses case to hold a 5H pencil which she can use to transfer her personal designs to the towels before stitching them.  It gives a very light line and easily washes out later.  She requested a thimble while she was working on a different project so I gave her one I inherited from my Mom.  She had several so I still have a couple that she passed on to me.  A few needles as well which store very easily in the felted wool insert.  I did not find a pair of scissors but I expect she will find a pair in her thrift store travels.  I have a stash of embroidery thread as well so picked out a couple dozen skeins in all the colours of the rainbow.  I found a really great book on Embroidery stitches at a thrift store last week which gives instructions on 101 stitches with good visuals.  A bit of inspiration on the front and back and all the stitches in colour on the inside as well.  A very comprehensive book!!!  I have also included a hoop.  I am not sure if she uses a hoop or not but should she want to give it a try she will have one.  The little stitching book I printed off from a PDF provided by Stitched Stories.  It has very good basic information and is what I had prepared before I found the embroidery book at the thrift store.   A birthday gift!!