A Day With A Designer

Tomorrow I am off to the Hawkes Bay for a 'Day With A Designer'. The designer is Ellen Chester of With My Needle . It is very rare that an American designer lands on our shores to teach a course being as we are so very far away so an opportunity not to be missed.

 

 

 

My flight from Auckland to Hawkes Bay departs at 6.45am so I have to get up super early. There is a tropical storm predicted to arrive in the upper North Island later Friday/Saturday and I am just hoping like heck that it doesn't speed up as I sure want to be back on terra firma Friday evening in Auckland before it starts to blow a gale. I am only going for the day.

 

I will tell you all about the course next week. It is hosted at the Mission Estate Winery which is somewhere I have never been before. It is quite appropriate really because the piece Ellen is teaching is the 'Fruit of the Vine Sampler Huswif'.

 

You can read Ellen's blog here

 

Our darling feline patient Louis is back at the vet today. As the swelling has subsided and he has been catching it on everything the cast has slipped and so they need to recast him. His hock is still very unstable. $$$ :( but oh so glad he is still with us.

 

Despite his injuries and being a very good patient he is still as keen as ever to bolt outside. Husband's who leave doors open don't help!!!

 

The girls and I couldn't help ourselves graffiti-ing his cast

I finally and with much glee received my Cabinet of Curiosities casket form on Tuesday. I savoured the moment on my ownsome. The packaging was amazing and made the unveiling a bit like layers of paper in a game of pass the parcel only it was...unwrap a layer....take a photo...unwrap a layer....take a photo....

 

 

It is all very much in pieces at the moment as the hardware does not get attached until all the lining and stitching is done. I won't glue the wooden bun feet in either as Tricia is having metal ones made and I may well change when they are available. But I have it in front of me and I can now start to visualise my design in 3D. Woo Hoo.

 

I have been in a couple of times this week to the printer trying to get the pattern for the mirror with doors to size correctly and it is very frustratingly not being helpful. At this point I cannot just trace it onto the linen as the dimensions will not be right so I have may have to trace the outline and fit the design in. Painful but doable.

 

 

I have a huge stack of design ideas piled up in my room for both the casket and the fancy mirror. Need to organise my thoughts around all this.

 

 

I received a lovely package from The Little Quilt Store during the week. This is the beautiful studio of Lynette Andrews quilt designs. I purchased the set of Apliquik Tools. So far I have used the Perfect scissors both large and embroidery and they are brilliant. They have little serrations on the blade a bit like metal thread scissors and really grip the fabric. Of course her fabric designs are just gorgeous and I now have all the bits to make the Chateau Hexagon Quilt.

 

The Di Ford Mountmellick attempts at hand applique have been driving me crazy this week and I finally decided to be kind on myself and only do hand applique for the broderie perse. Trying to get the vase all lined up and hand pieced was difficult to say the least for a newbie to hand applique. So I reverse stitched it all and machine appliqued.  Too little time and too many projects to feel guilty over this failure. I just was not happy.

 

This is my failed hand job....so uneven and yuck

 

 

This is my moving on using stitching technology....nice and even and balanced

 

 

I have layed out the swags and diamonds and you will see that next week. The latest Quiltmania magazine came out today with the next border instalment. Need to move on with this...

 

The Needleworker's Pocketbook is still trucking along...

 

 

Oh, this week I also received a package I ordered of ETSY after seeing the work of a cool needlefelter. Sarafina Fiber Art supply the necessary supplies to make the animals she has video tutorials for on her website. I got the fox....too cute

 

Enjoy the rest of your week

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Family Member's Distress Causes Small Achievements

My little helper 'Louis' has had a tough time of it this week not to mention causing us, his family, a great deal of angst. He was missing for two days before he wandered into my daughter's bedroom at 1am in the morning looking VERY beat up and VERY sorry for himself. He could hardly walk so it must have been a real challenge to get home and up all the stairs to the bedrooms. Your eyes just well up thinking about the effort and how scared and sore he must have been and knowing that cats don't normally come straight home when they are injured. So straight off to the vet we went in the morning with much concern. They knocked him out to take x'rays and to our huge relief there was no ligament or obvious bone breakage. Just a LOT of swelling especially around the hock area  and lots of grazes & cuts consistent with impact with a car and tarseal. There is however massive soft tissue damage and so the vet has put him in a cast to help stabilise it for a few weeks so it can heal. He's not that enamoured of it but he's tolerating it and the acrobatics are diminishing. Sleeping is very much on his agenda and there's no way he's going outside any time soon.

 

So with all that drama going on which interrupts your sleep and can't help but cause worry and fear, I have not focused so much on stitching.

The Thistle Threads  CoC II Stumpwork course started over the weekend and I have read the first lesson. Tricia has such an informative manner of getting the information across, it's great. I did order the mirror form she is working on some weeks ago but it has still not arrived along with a bunch of overseas orders and my flat top casket. I hope they are not all sitting in customs while they get ready to bill me! aaarrrggghh

I am nearly, nearly at the end of the main piece of the Needleworker's Pocketbook. Just the last eyelet band and the back stitch to do on that bit. So keen to get that one knocked off.

I want to start a Scarlet Letter sampler and contribute to the Nicola's Scarlet Letter Blog. It will be good motivation to continue and I like doing these in the evenings. But I am not starting anything else until the pocketbook is done.

I did manage to do a little quilting during the week but it was slow going.

I stitched the stems onto the Di Ford Mountmellick which seems like such a pathetic effort for the week but I was fussing a bit as this is the first hand applique quilt I have attempted. I had to do some reverse stitching on them as I hated the look and thread and stitch I used the first go.

 

I did nearly complete the machine applique on the Civil War Bride quilt. I didn't do the apples as I didn't have the right colour thread. I really like using the Gutermann 100% cotton and need to go get a bunch more colours but with the Louis saga I just haven't been up to the 60-90 minute round trip to the shop I have to do to get them. Maybe in the weekend as the kids like going to the shop to as it has other crafty stuff. Only trouble with that is they want everything!!! Can't think where they got that from!!!!!!

 

 

Yesterday I traced out the second block onto the heat n bond and now to choose colours from the myriad in the kit. There's lots of leaves in this one, second along from the left in the top row of five.

 

 

 

 

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.

Late Summer And Weeding

It's late summer here now in New Zealand and I have been neglecting the gardening. The weeds have multiplied. Today I had a burst of energy while it was a little cloudy. I got about an hour in and the sun came out and now it's too hot to toil.

When other people look at our garden they see this....

 

When I look at the garden I see this.....

 

and this....

I did quite a bit in an hour, several bucket loads and I feel good. Still more to go, but that's for another day.

 

All this weeding does not make for quality time spent on stitching. For all of you in the Northern Hemisphere who are continuing to get rained & snowed upon there is an upside. While you are forced to be inside you can stitch and NOT weed!

 

Pretty soon it will be all turned around as it is only two weeks until official Autumn here in the Southern Hemisphere. We will be inside stitching and you guys will be weeding! I hope we don't get the extreme weather down here but I don't think we will as they say it relates to the dipping down of the jet stream in the Northern Hemisphere and our air here does not do that. Here's hoping, but if it does you can count on me stitching up a storm!!!

 

It was what seemed to me a not so eventful week stitching this past week. I have been catching up on appointments now the kids are back and trying to sort out my studio which is still a WIP.

 

I was totally foiled in my attempts to complete the floral glove as I ran out of the Tire silk for stitching together the glove pieces and couching the Elizabethan twist. So it was a case of so near and yet so far. I have placed an order for some more silk and so will just have to wait to put this project to bed.

 

I have continued to plug away on the Needleworker's Pocketbook. I am now up to the verse and can imagine the finish line in the vague distance.

 

I received my kit for the first part of the Di Ford Mountmellick BOM from The Quilt Room. The patterns are issued over a 6 month period as part of the Quiltmania magazine. Di's designs using lots of Broderie Perse are just so fabulous and I am tempted to try and keep up. I have so much else on....