Slow Stitching - wool trivet with a maple leaf and a diamond design

Another wool trivet - part of a project which I have been working on for a while.  This one combined and brown felted wool square (7") to which I slow stitched a orang maple leaf die cut.  I used small stab stitched around the outer edge using coordinating cotton embroidery floss and then added some running stitch inside the leaf to simulate the veins.  For the other side I used felted wool which I had to join.  I stitched the two pieces together butted cut edge to cut edge and then added a strip of camel light weight wool with turned over edges with running stitch to cover the butt joint I had stitched.  I stitched down both ends as well to prevent any fraying.  I laid these back to back and ran a double row of running stitch all the way round filling in the gaps on my second go around.  I added a cotton cording hanger to allow it to be hung as art while it is in the wings waiting to protect a surface from the heat of a hot dish or tea pot OR from a vase, candle or sculpture.  Therese

 

Cardmaking - handmade paper, die cut hearts in red and white layered on gold with a little knot

 I started with the layered heart which I found in my stash.  I embossed a white background and added a coordinating wide grosgrain ribbon which I adhered on the back using double sided tape.  I layered this onto gold.  I trimmed a coordinating piece of handmade paper (my own), tore it into two strips and adhered them to a red card.  I added my large focal element and then used glue dots to add a little knot made from gauzy gold ribbon.  Therese