W15...

Woo,hoo on time today!

In fact the only thing I've worked on this week are these. I've even worked on some of them today!  

I've been making these for the Pittenweem festival. I really need to have a whole load of work done for it and only have a few more free weeks to work on stuff. Oops, obviously left it to the last minute as usual! 

These are a few of my little textile leaves that I thought would make good necklaces. Well it's really a wire choker but I'll just call them necklaces.

The textile pieces are all about 2 1/2" x 1".

Just my usual style, layers of fabric topped with lots of free machine embroidery on a felt backing. The cottons I've used are my own hand dyed pieces and hand coloured velvet. I've used a selection of bought sheers and silks as well. 

I've tried to make my machining a bit more scribbly this time. 

I'm hoping they will prove to be successful. I like to have something new for the festival. I quite like the idea of a series so I may do some matching brooches.

Think that's it for now.

Byeee!

x 

Wednesday...

 Here we are Wednesday again. I've only taken a few photos this time. I was working on a project this morning which I hope I can reveal later but for now it'll have to be what I did this evening.

 I've had a few bits and pieces lurking around for a while so I decided to try and revamp them. I added a little more machining in another colour on the flowers. I had a few pieces that basically haunted me, I could never get rid of them! So I decided to add a few snips of fabric on top then a quick whirl of contrasting stitching.  

Sorry the photos are a bit dark. That's what happens when you take them under an electric light with no flash. Basically too late at night doesn't help.

Another blast from the past, this one definitely has been around for a very long time. I was determined to do something to enhance it so I did some free (motion) machine embroidery in a dark blue thread. I think I can use it now.

This one I like but am a bit concerned that it looks like an eye! That'll probably annoy me.

Also I see that it looks like I've added beads but it's just the lurex thread catching the light.

Got to go, I think I'm into Thursday now and that'll never do for my working Wednesday!

Byee...x

PS> I'll probably use these on cards...surprise, surprise!

www...4? I think!

Busy tidying, not my usual pastime I must say. Well it's more of de-stash time...it has come to a head. Stepping over things just to get into my room, then there's the clearing the table before I can start to do any work. Driving me nuts!

 So here are a couple of photos of my start. Sadly there seems to be more notes of 'keep' on these magazines than there is 'out'.

I just had to stitch the other day, withdrawal symptoms kicking in. I had some room at my little table-top ironing board (Ikea x) and my sewing machine so I made myself a background piece of cloth. Just my usual style, nothing too complicated you understand. Strips of fabric machined down onto a felt background with some further details on top.

 Unusual for me but I decided to do some hand stitching as well as my usual free machining (free motion embroidery).  The above photos shows the pink felt base fabric and the stitching on the reverse.

Above are some shots of the work so far and as I have done some of the hand stitching today I've included them in the 'Wednesday work' post.

The flowers, I have daisies on my mind at the moment so I think that's where they came from. The work is so much more colourful than in my last post. Maybe it's a reaction to all the neutral work I've been doing lately.

I do love a bit of colour. :o)

I hope to have more to report about the clear-up by next Wednesday.

Bye for now

x

Then there were four...

These are a few images from some of my recent, surprise, surprise, heart brooches.

The first two photos are from my large heart brooches. They get a lot more work done on them. I've applied some transfered dyed velvet and some additional free machining and then I'll bead them before finishing them off. I'll sometimes do some embroidery on them as well.

These two photos are from my small heart brooches.

.

What about the title? Well for some reason I can only get Picasa to upload 4 photos although I had tagged six. I tried to upload them from my usual source but blogger wouldn't take the. So I had to go back to Picasa hence the four!
This is what happens when you are not really computer literate, havent posted for a while (sorry! :o() and the grey cells are failing! Maybe I shouldn't overdo the excuses!!
Oh well I'll have to do lots of posts now if I can only upload in fours!!!! :O)
Byeeeee!

on a roll...

finally found out how to post a few photos at a time....


















these were some of the ones I'd meant to post earlier...



















these all come from a piece that I was doing to fit a specific sized frame for a recent exhibition.




















this had quite a few bits added and subtracted!! That was a real pain trying to unpick some of the heavily machined areas. Not really recommended!! I'm not sure if I have a photo of the finished piece. I'll have a look later.
Bye for now.

Sorry!

This was supposed to be me catching up and posting quite a lot today but as usual things never go to plan!!
These two pictures, apart from taking ages to load which is really annoying me, are upside down or on the side and I'm not getting to access them to turn them. Obviously need to do a little bit of testing here and there to get things back to normal! Now I've just deleted one by mistake, grrrr!!! I'll load it another day, honest!

I was really trying to get rid of my "Happy Easter" so that it wasn't the first thing you saw when looking at my blog. It really makes it obvious if you've not been updating!!!

These two are from some of the many unframed pieces that I've been making for recent exhibitions. Hence the not being here!! In fact now that I look at them they look almost the same. Good grief!!

No,the first picture was actually one that got framed up. Yes the picture that's upside down! mmm!

You know how you talk about a bad hair day, well, I think I'm having on a bad blog day. Does that make it a BBD?

Maybe I need to go before I delete the whole thing!!

OR

Maybe I should just stick to flickr!!

Byeee!

ah ha!

Just managed to do this! I'm fair pleased with myself :o) These are some of the new unframed pieces I've been working on. Just the usual fabric collages using silk, muslin, velvet and free machine embroidery.
That's it for now, byeee
:o)

July!

No way!! Can't believe that time is going so fast. Thought I'd give you a bunch of flowers to say sorry for the lack of posts!

a little bit of colour to help us on our way.

Here's a little WIP

...as you can see most of it was done on the embellisher. Oh!

You'll never believe what I did. I dropped one of the little black screws that hold the needles in place! Yes, it bounced on the wooden floor, bounced to who knows where! I managed to track down someone who had them and arranged to get them sent to me. That done I thought that I'd shuffle things round a bit in my workroom. I hauled a huge bag of fabric out into the hallway, turned round and there it was right in front of me, yes, that little black screw staring up at me. Result! I couldn't believe that I'd found it. I carefully laid it up on the machine and finished tidying up (only a little bit you must understand) I moved a piece of work I had been doing at the embellisher and noooooo!, it knocked the little screw off on its travels again , bounce! Oh how luck must have been on my side thet day because there it was nestling on the non slip mat under the foot pedal, oh joy! ... Somehow I think I'll just keep those extra screws on order, phew!!

I'll finish on a few hearts...

...for cards, yes more of them...

...a nine patch!

Don't think I'll really be able to do many more posts in July so roll on August when I'll be in the throws of the festival. It's going to be a crazy time. I'll try and get a post out mid week to let you know how things are going.

Bye for now,

Moira

:o)

some promised close up photos...

...some slightly clearer than others! I thought that I needed some more heart cards for the shop. These are a few of the results.

I liked the colours on the one above...even if it's a bit blurry!

....obviously forgot to turn the photo! oops!

...and another one!

Pretty basic, nothing too fancy...

They all have transfer painted velvet hearts with some cable free machining and a few hand stitched kisses!!

That's it for now,

Byee! :o)

From this...

beginning to an unexpected end result!I followed instructions from a Quilting Arts or a Cloth Paper Scissors magazine, sorry can't remember which one it was.

I embellished muslin onto a velvet base, then felt circles, then some bondaweb...

Holes cut out, somehow didn't really get that part! Then some hot foiling, think I had gone a bit off track by this time! Look you can even see the iron mark. Tsk, tsk a bit careless I think.

I really didn't like the end result. I'm sure that I could have added lots more to it, hand or machine stitching, more embellishing or even some more iron shaped foiling!! However I took the easy option and cut it up, with a purpose of course. I needed some more brooches for the shop and I thought that fish were the answer! I hated the red circles so I managed to cut out a whole heap of fish shapes narrowly avoiding the nasty red! Here are a couple of snippets...

...yes, I know you're supposed to photograph the things before they go into the cellophane packet!!! (think I may have done that before!!)

I've decided that it was meant as the cellophane looks like water..... a bit!

Oops! Just realised that I'd added a little bit of blue wool tops to the finished piece of fabric before I cut it up. You can see a little of it on the fish. (I really must keep a note of what I do to these pieces, it's amazing how quickly I forget). I added some free machining with variegated thread and free machined satin stitch edge. The tail was made from organza and finally a little sequin and seed bead for its eye.

That's it for now, last post for April. I've decided on a theme for next month. It's going to be "close ups"!

Byee!

A fishy tail...

... Hi! Here we are in a new month already! Can hardly believe it. Anyway I promised a reveal on some of the photos from last month. Here are a few from the black and white ones......you can guess what it is now I'm sure!

... three little fishes!...

Here they are, a bundle of black and white fish cushions destined for the shop, in fact they are there already!

Kept it really simple on the back, one piece of fabric and my name label.

Think this design if my favourite. I'm hoping to do more cushions. I think some tartan fish would go really well in Funky Scottish!

That's it for now, oh almost forgot to say I've got some cushions in the current edition of Classic Stitches magazine (ISSUE 86). There are lots of lovely things in this issue including an article on my City & Guilds tutor and her friend who is also an embroidery tutor!

I'll dig out some photos and add them to my next post.

Bye for now.