Large all occasion card with a floral heart and rose paper background

 I am working on card for my family's special occasions.  I started with a brown card which fits in a large envelope from my stash.  I had decided to use this rose paper which came in a paper pack quite a while back and I chose two identical sheets, stacked them to keep the flowers and make a piece that would fit on my card then made a diagonal cut.  Worked really well with the diagonal cut not too distracting.  I added a pink strip backed with a green strip to which I added brushed nickel eyelets and some paper piercing with my pattern tracing wheel to add texture.  The floral heart image (Simon Says) was stamped on another sheet in the pack of the rose papers in black and then die cut.  I layered it onto another more pink section and fussy cut it.  I added some watercolour to help define the flowers and leaves.  Love this stamp set and look forward to using it more often.  Therese

Slow Stitching - Leather covered thread cutter - tutorial

For the project I am workig on I needed a compact tool which allowed me to cut my thread while I was doing my slow stitching embroidery.  After a bit of brainstorming and a lengthy online research session I came up with this idea.  It is a regular sized single edged razor blade with a leather sheath with a hole in it to allow you to cut your thread by pulling it across the very small part of the blade which is accessible through the hole.  

Here are the supplies I used:  

Leather - 1.5" x 2"

Single edged razor blade

Sharpie marker - any marking tool would work

Awl - a large sharp needle could be used instead

Wood block

Japanese Screw punch

Needle

Heavy duty thread

Not shown - glue

I folded the leather piece in half to 3/4" by 2" and used my awl on my wooden block

to make three evenly spaced hole on each side about 3/16" from each end. 

I threaded my needle with my heavy duty thread and stitched each end and tied the end off at the top. 

For the stitching I started on the top hole from front to back, thorough the second hole from back to front, through the third hole front to back.  Across the bottom fold and through the third hole from the front to the back, through the second hold from back to front and lastly through the top hole from front to back.  That leaves your two ends on opposite sides and then I tied them off with three knots.  

I threaded both ends through my needle and slid it along the seam on the outside and came 

out at the fold which nicely hides the threads between the two layers of leather. 

 I decided to run a bit of glue in the gap and secured both ends with little bull clips until 

the glue dried. 

Once dry, I trimmed off the ends of the threads even with the fold.  

I used the marker to indicate the middle of the fold and used my 

screw punch to make a small hole overlapping the fold of the leather which 

leaves a little gap.   

 I trimmed corners a bit to smooth out the sides of the gap.  You then insert

the blade into the sheath with the sharp edge in first which allows it 

to be accessed through the little hole.  You simply hold your thread

 on one side and pull the length across the blade in the gap to cut your thread. 

Easy peasy!!!  I love that this cutter is so small and effective.  

It will work very well in my new little project.  More to come later!!

Therese

Slow Stitching - Needle Keeper and Threader

I had the inspiration to work on a project that I have been thinking of for some time now.  

I made these needle keepers as part of this project.  These are wooden beads which I trimmed with a 1.4" forstner bit to create a cavity which would hold a small rare earth magnet and a piece of thin wire to make a doubly useful tool.  I drilled the holes centered on the holes in the beads, formed the wire hoops for the threading part and then used Goop glue to hold the pieces together.  The two beads each have an indentation.  I placed some glue in the bottom of one, added the magnet, then the folded wire with the ends to each side then looped them around the magnet.  I added glue to the other bead and pressed them together tightly which had glue coming out of the holes that needed to be wiped away.  I made severn of them.  The bottom one was my first and I used thicker wire which won't accomodate all the needles I might be using so I switched the thinner wire for the subsequent ones.  It is a double duty tool in that it will hold your needle when you are not using it and also help you thread your needle when you change threads.    I have a few more ideas which I will see about doing some R&D on later.  
 

Large all occasion card featuring a collaged background and a tag with a globe and rick rack

 For this large card I started with a large brown card which fit in an envelope from my stash.  I cut some pieces and collaged them for my background.  I added a strip of striped paper to a dark brown one and added three little navy eyelets to the right hand side.  I collaged several papers and then die cut the large tag.  I watercoloured the globe (Wikiclipart), added a row of paper piercing on each side before adhering it to my tag with 3D foam tape.  I had embellished my tag with two pieces of blue rick rack and a blue satin ribbon at the top.  I added the tag to my card with double sided tape.  Therese

Country quilt featuring panels with farm animals

I finished this quilt yesterday.  I had hoped to incorporate the panels with a QAYG by Darlene Michaud which I am very interested in trying out but in the end I could not make it work so I simply pieced the top and backed it with a black fleece blanket which I turned to the front and top stitched into place.  I cut off the extra fleece after I had stitched all the way around.  It is 36" x 47".  I bought the panel pieces as an unfinished project and used the cut up pieces to finish off the panels and then added the top and bottom border which had also been cut out.  I like the bold look!!!

Therese
 

Slow Stitching - triangle trees - final six

 Here are the last six of my little trees!!  I have worked quite a bit this weekend taking the time for slow stitching over other items on the "to do" list.  I have enjoyed this series of little trees and they all have a unique look which will work well into a quilt.  #1 - curved lines in back stitch in a variety of green emboridery thread, l#2 - ine of blue chain stitch with the spaces filled in with seed stiches, #3 - outline in stem stitch with spaces filled with linear running stitch, #4 - pink star stitch on the white polka dots encircled with circles in stem stitch and stab stitched in green on the edges, #5 - edges done in fly stitch and the internal elements highlighted with colour coordinated seed stiches and french knots, #6 - Outer edge done in red blanket stitch which is echoed to the inside in yellow and green and the interior area filled in with french knots in the same colours.  

I am linking this post to Sunday Slow Stitching @ KathyQuilts.  Always lots of inspiration on this blog so take a bit of time to check it out.  

Therese

Slow Stitching - more triangle trees

I have been doing a bit of slow stitching when I have a bit of time.  Last time I posted I had only finished the outside stitching on this tree.  I added some curvy lines using stem stitch in light green embroidery floss and then added little red french knots where it seemed appropriate.  The trunk I stitched with scraps of floss - an outer row of stab stitches and then filled in with different colours.  

For my second one, I used coordinating thread for the stab stitches all the way around and then added wavy lines and circles in red floss.  I added more in green, gold and orange in the middle section.  I added stars in all the circles and secured their centers with a tiny stab stitch.  The truck was finished with yet more small scrappy leftovers.  

It feels good to have a bit of time to stitch.  

Therese
 

Card Exchange - folded house shaped card featuring watercoloured laser printed digital images - sunflower and a globe!!

I made another two of the folded house shaped cards for my exchange partners!!!  For the first one, I used the polka dot green paper to create the peak and added three other pieces of coordinating paper to create the body of the house.   The sunflower (Wikiclipart) is a digital image which I laser printed, trimmed and then watercoloured to coordinate with my background.  I layered it onto a deep orange red piece of cardstock after running my pattern tracing wheel along all four edges to add some paper pierced texture.  I used my distress tool on the edge of the red layer.  I added some coordinating ribbon flags on the right hand side using double sided tape.  This focal element was mounted to my card using 3D foam tape.  

My second card was created in the same manner using different colours and papers.  The globe is a digital (Wikiclipart) which I laser printed, trimmed and then watercoloured to coordinate.  Fun cards to share with my partners in the CCE card exchange!! Therese

 

A house shaped folded card featuring a little bird and some heart punchies

I made this card a few weeks ago and I am just getting to blogging it now after the recipient received it!!  This is a new fold for me and variation on a card I found online a while back.  For this one, I die cut a hole (Nestibilities) in the front and added a branch (TH) and a little bird (SU).  I tore the bottom off the paper after cutting the house shape and glued the background to my folded card base.  I added the little heart punchies overlapping the line created by the two torn edges.  The inside was lined with a green polka dot paper to which I added a little sticky note with my greetings!!!    Therese
 

New Fold - house shaped aviation themed card with decorative paper, paper airplane digital and filmstrip die cut

 I have worked with this new fold for a card!!  I was inspired by a card online that had a double front and was folded to create a house profile.  I cut this large card from a large sheet of cardstock from a pad I bought a while back.  I marked and and then scored the fold lines that create the roof line and then down the center of those triangles to get them to fold in half into the card!!  Totally cool!!  It stands up very nicely and there is room inside to write on the house shaped insert.  I started with the body of the shape and added a collage of vintage airplane blue print paper which I designed with several images of planes I found online for a previous card.  I added the gray triangle at the top and then worked on the focal element which combines a filmstrip die cut (SX) in black with a printed digital image of a little paper airplane (Pixabay) and a bit of fiber to make its vapor trail.  I added the little ribbon after the fact which took a bit of fiddling but was worth the echo of my watercoloured sky on the little airplane image.  After finishing the front, I thought it needed a bit of something so I added some texture to the peak with a Sharpie marker.

Really like how it worked out!!  Therese

 

Butterfly embellishment for an assemblage curated by my aunt

 My aunt, Maria, is an artist and about a year and a half ago she challenged the female members of our extended family to produce a piece of fabric art from which she would create a large piece of art which she would label Family Connections.  She received several submissions early on and others continued to trickle in.  In all she received 11 submissions and she added one of her own creations as well.  

She requested that I add a butterfly to the top left.  She had started an outline and I was free to add, embellish or replace it.  I chose to remove the outline and added a fabric die cut in blue.  I used blue shimmery rayon thread to stitch the outer edge down with small stitches close to each other and then added a row of small stitches on the inside of the edge going along it.  Then, I added a layer of shimmery silver paint and added more stitching once it was dry.  I did the outline of the top and bottom of the wings in the same blue thread and then added some yellow accents in the same shimmery thread - little stars and two rows of back stitching on the outside edge and seed stitches on the inside of the top of the wings.  Using multi coloured variegated rayon thread I added lines of stitching to the bottom portions of the wings.  It was fun to work on this little embellishment and much more fun to see all the other pieces of fabric art that had been submitted.  Her sister added the border and the loops at the top for hanging.   We are having a family reunion this summer and it will be on display and part of the Silent Auction.  

Therese