FNwF and Goodbye Procrastination

Last night was my first night joining in with the Friday Night With Friends (FNwF) ladies over at Gone Stitchin

It's kinda nice sitting in on a Friday evening knowing that there are other's sharing their comfy stitching chair with you. I'm sure going to enjoy visiting the other blogs over the weekend to see what everyone got up to.

Thanks for sharing your time with me ladies.

So onto sharing my accomplishments for the evening. I worked on a couple of projects last night. One was an actual finish, the last step for that project and the other was another small step in a very big and very long project.

The Finish....now anyone who follows my blog will know that things don't move very often from the WIPs to the Finishes label. I tend to work on larger projects that take an age and I have many on the go. This finish all up took me only around 48 hours to complete, that's the accountant in me keeping a rough tally of the time spent each day on a spreadsheet, I just knew that career choice would be handy for something I actually like doing...lol. But you need to know that I actually started this project on the 1st January and it is now the 1st of August....7 months for 48 hours work....an indication that my project rotation is rather large....but it was worth the wait....

The Winter Casket Keepsakes is finished. Once I finished procrastinating about starting the jolly finger braiding and did a test sample in a thicker thread, it turned out there were only 8 steps to the pattern and 3 of those steps were tensioning. What was I worried about! Oh, and Amy Mitten's written instructions were as easy to follow as ever and I didn't need a video. BTW, thanks so much to all those of you who sent me a link to a video of the finger loop braiding. I did look at them and they were most helpful for basic understanding however the pattern was specific to the project and so I returned to Amy's instructions.

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Now back to the finish....Here's my sample braiding done the previous day....

....and here's the for real braids x 2 that I did Friday in preparation for my FNwF stitching in my comfy chair....

All I needed to do last night was to thread the braid through the eyelets ....

....and voila....

Aren't they just so darling. A needle keep and a thread winder keep. These are designed as casket toys and only measure a teeny 3 inches from top to toe. Thanks Amy for another cool design. Next is Spring Keepsakes and a truckload of needlelace petals.

So with Winter Casket Keepsakes duly completed I picked up the next project....my Patchwork of the Crosses. This is what block #4 is starting to look like. I am loving this project and getting to actually use my stash in imaginative ways is way cool. PotC is very addictive!!! 

So that was my Friday night....how was your's?....off to make a cuppa and check out what fun the other FNwFers had.

Rae

A Quartet Of Leaves And A Sweetie

The leaves for the mirror are done, done, done, done...finally! They have now been set aside until required near the end of the canopy/drape making process.

I have couched the wire to the support structure but have not yet made a start on the needle lace. Hopefully soon but not for want of trying it is just that life and chores just keep getting in the way as we all know!

I also had a finish finish this past week. It was a super quick and small stitch so was easy to knock this project on the head. I completed the sweetest little scissor fob from the Sheperd's Bush Fold series. It's just too divine for words. I am loving the colour of the linen in this project, the beautiful colour palette of over dyed threads and the overdyed ribbon just finishes this off a treat.

Fabulous....'My Home'.... Scissor FOB....

I live in the semi rural countryside and so am loving the rural vista style of this collection. So glad I decided to go ahead and sign up for the series.

I have given Anne Lawle a rest this week after all that tent over one the past couple of weeks on the gentleman and have picked up my kit again for Amy Mitten's Winter Casket Keepsakes. I am having fun with this just trickling along in the evening. 

Here's my completed pieces so far....

I just love working with that twisted personality thread located in that nest at the bottom of the photo. It sure has a mind of it's own but for some reason I can relate to that....lol

I am about to start the couching of the wire thread on that spiral piece in the middle....cool!

I was spurred on again to pick this up as Amy sent an email out last week to say that the Summer kit was on it's way and it starts on 21st June....our winter solstice in this hemisphere. Spring is still waiting in the queue too!!!! 

Then look what the postie delivered today....squeals of delight at my house....this butterfly and beetle are SO DARN FABULOUS

Amy's creations and her fabulous kits and instructions are beyond amazing and she totally surprises you each and every new project. 

Maybe I can manage to do all these  Amy projects in line with our seasons down here far south of the equator!!!!

Hope your week is as fun as mine is turning out to be.

Rae H

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint & Upcycling

I have spent a bit of time this week using some products I purchased with big plans probably over a year ago now. I decided I needed to get on with this while it was summer, while paint dries quicker and you can ventilate the house with open windows and fresh air. So I took to the ugly old dresser in my bedroom with 'French' in mind and the result is splendid, although it is much better in 3D reality than I can get the photos to show.

 

I started the process by securing the French style appliques I got from do it yourself chic with some E6000, haven't used that glue before but it seems pretty secure. I have used these appliques before and they are an easy way of getting pretty & interesting onto your project.

 

Then I ventured into my stash of Annie Sloan chalk paint. Again, I have used this several times before now and it is just the BEST paint ever, no sanding, you just slap it on in any direction and one coat will do. Of course if you like French Shabby it is fantastic but not for those who like clean modern lines.

No modern minimalism for me, I am definitely a maximalist girl.

 

The colour I chose for this project was 'Paris Grey'

Next I cracked open the Annie Sloan soft wax. First a coat of clear wax and then a coat of dark wax wherever it takes you fancy. Rub some off for lighter of leave heaps for darker. You can see where it sticks in the applique you get nice amounts of darker bits.

 

I also finger rubbed some European Gold Rub n Buff onto the appliques for some metallic shine and so they sparkle a little.

I also updated the hardware to some bling bling pieces I purchased from House of Antique Hardware.

LOOKING FABULOUS with just a few hours effort.

 

I have been a busier little beaver this week. Not only did I achieve the dresser makeover but I also started working on two quilting projects and finished the stitching on the second piece of the Winter Casket Keepsakes.

 

I now have the two sides done on Amy Mitten's Winter Casket Keepsakes for the Pin/Needle Keep. They are just so cute and were fun to stitch. It's slow going though as I have not been spending a lot of time on this project.

 

 

I started some preparation for the Quiltmania BOM, Di Ford's Mountmellick. I have decided for the first time ever as I normally machine applique that for this one I am going to attempt to hand applique, at least for the centre block. As there is a lot of Broderie Perse I think the result will be more pleasing. I want to start now so I am not too far behind when the next magazine comes out. So I have cut out and marked the background where the main pieces go and cut the stem strips on the bias. I purchased some hand applique needles yesterday and am now ready to attach the stems. Hopefully I will get that done this week. I also tea dyed the dutch chintz as per Di's video so it more closely matches the background. It has turned out great and I am now a huge fan and will be no longer afraid.

 

 

I also decided that after quite sometime of having all parts of the Civil War Bride Quilt BOM in my possession I should really make a start. So I got all the pieces out and made a start on the first block. Due to the primitive and chunkier nature of this quilt I am going to machine applique as Michele Hill of William Morris fame does with a 1.5 blanket stitch, nice and fine. The first block pieces are all fused on and my Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.0 is looking forward to the action.

 

 

The evenings are still dedicated to the Needleworker's Pocketbook. I am now onto the cartouche strip with a last eyelet strip after that for this particular piece.

 

Apologies for the blurry pic.

 

 

Whew,  I think that's it...

 

...except for the mega excitement building due to the Thistle Threads CoC II Stumpwork course starting this weekend AND my casket is finally winging it's way here and I cannot wait for it to arrive all safe and sound so I can start to envisage my designs upon it. I need it before me in all it's 3D glory to envoke that creative process and to try and get all the swirling ideas out of my head and onto it's form.

 

What a fantastic week.

Two Little Dickie Birds Sitting On A Casket Frieze AND In A Tree

Most of my stitching time this past week has been spent on two projects with a wee little progress on starting another.

 

My daytime stitching pleasure has been taken up with the two little birdies on the Essamplaire Burrell Casket Reproduction. I hadn't spent any time on this for a while and have been enjoying catching up with it. The lessons have also been posted for some time for the side of this casket and so I want to move on with this frieze portion of the lid. I also completed the branches for the fruit and have done the cordonnet for the leaves of both. Need to now start the detached buttonhole stitch then it is on to the detached butterfly wings and the flower petals before doing the grass and putting some little beads on the birdies for eyes once all the possibility of snagging threads is gone. I am beginning to understand just how much time these 17th century ladies spent on loads of closely packed stumpwork in a relatively small area but then this is a several years long project and one step at a time without looking ahead is working for me.

Getting Closer!

 

 

 

One Little Dickie Bird....just a bead to slip into where the slit is in the needle lace for an eye and he's all done. I love the feathers along his back.

 

 

 

Two Little Dickie Birds....just lovin those tail feathers... awgh I just love the way he turned out.

 

 

My night time stitching pleasure has been spending time with my May Your Hands. So so pretty and slowly very slowly progressing. Lots of reverse stitching with this free hand embroidery if the shapes don't turn out quite right.

 

 

Two Little Dickie Birds Sitting in a Tree.....maybe they are Peter and Paul.....I hope they don't fly away!

 

 

Two sets of leaves awaiting detached buttonhole.

 

I made the tiniest of starts on the Winter Casket Keepsakes. I need to do the running stitch around the edges.

 

Oops I got my feet in the piccie. Sorry abut that....jandals though....you can tell I am not living in the Northern Hemisphere...no polar vortex or storm flooding down here in the warm southern climes.