Seduction 2

 I finished my Altoids tin sewing kit....the design from EGA that seduced me with it's usefulness and embroidery. 

Stitches used were: outline, stem, lazy daisy, bullion, french knot and fly stitch. After finishing the embroidery I sewed on the pearls one by one.

When that was completed the top was cut out along the pattern lines and I ran a gathering thread around the circumference. 

The plastic piece (cut to fit from plastic packaging I had saved) was covered in batting. Then the batting side was laid down against the wrong side of the embroidered top and laced.

I "tricked" out the inside with two elasticized ribbons to hold scissors and needle packets. I added a tiny wool felt needle book (all sewn on by machine) on the inside lid. I used padding on the inside lid and bottom.

Then I hot-glued the top and bottom into the tin. Then the embroidered top was hot-glued in place. Next came a piece of trim with the join covered with a small mother of pearl heart-shaped button. Easy!! 

But the padding caused a little problem: the tin was hard to close and the tin's hinges gave me some problems. So I would suggest if you want to make one for fun, don't add two layers of fiberfill batting like I did in top and bottom, use only one! Or maybe one layer of thin cotton batting. 

All in all, I love my little sewing kit tin. I'm tempted to make more when I empty the Altoid tin that's in my car!!

Carrot Time

I absolutely love what I do and am grateful everyday that I can stitch, sew, embroider and design when I want to...which usually is each day! But when I have a big project....that drags on and on...then I have to use other tactics to get myself to finish it: carrots. Dangling out there to bribe myself to get more work done on that BIG project, the Christening Gown.

 

Carrots are rewards. Kind of like treats are for my big Golden boy named Barley to get him to do something he really doesn't want to do. So what carrot am I using today? This gorgeous wool shawl project from a class at the Embroiderers Guild of America National Seminar last year. It's called "Flowers for a Fall Evening" designed and taught by Kris Andrews.  Here she is demonstrating on a student's green shawl.



I'm slowly improving on the Long and Short Stitch used in the flowers and leaves. I've finished the yellow Lily side...love it!

Now I'm working on the Red Poppy side and just completed the big poppy, beads and all.

I still have to finish the vines, leaves and poppy bud (not to mention lining the shawl and beading the ends). But a little a day in between working on the ivory and white version of the Elegance Christening Gown is all I need to make determined progress on both. Soon this carrot will turn into a big bunch of carrots, and a completed project in no time at all!

Making Embroidery Easier

I love hand embroidery but sometimes I don't have the right equipment on hand to get the job done quickly and easily. I do love my sit-upon embroidery hoop (the Elbesee Seat Frame). I can have hands free stitching without holding the hoop.

But what is even better is the Elbesee Floor Frame. I just got them in from Britain and I absolutely love mine! It can be adjusted to two different heights. And the 8" hoop on the stalk can be moved up or down to adjust even more. I can sit in any chair and pull the frame up to me and just stitch away at a comfortable height. Much easier on the neck and shoulders! The wood hoop can be tilted back to reach the underside of the embroidery. The floor frame is light (easy to move around) and doesn't take up much room. It's made of beautifully crafted highly polished wood.

Here's a photo with a piece in the hoop that I've been working on, a kit from one of my EGA classes. I can move the stand anywhere to take advantage of the good light. It's a wonderful to sit in front of the fireplace enjoying the fire and stitching. Or I can easily move to another room for strong sunlight. I love it when stitching equipment works for me!

EGA National Seminar

This has been the year for continuing education for me. I just got back from the Embroiderers Guild of America (EGA) National Seminar which was held in Alexandria, Virginia this year. What a wonderful event attended by so many fellow needle enthusiasts. I was able to take two classes so I experimented outside my usual realm of preferred projects. The one-day class on Wednesday was what I call bead weaving....this was a beautiful beaded necklace using Nymo thread, needle and various seed beads and Czech fire polish beads.

It took a while for me to get my "sea legs" (or should I say "bead legs"). Getting started was the hardest, but once started correctly, it's the same stitch (herringbone in this case) going around and around. Repetition pretty much. Easy to do in front of TV as long as the cat doesn't want to be in my lap......

The teacher was Linda Chirby of Chirby Designs. Here she is working with a fellow student.

The class was called "Colors of Abalone Necklace". So pretty with colors of black, opalescent turquoise, green/turquoise...love the colors!

I've gotten this far on it with  more to go. I think I have the hang of it. Now all I have to do is find time to finish it!