Cut work lace in the hoop

Following on from my last post, I've been discovering some more of Anita Goodesigns amazing designs. I've had this particular set for over 4 years and honestly can't say that I've stitched anything from the set out before now, my bad, the designs are gorgeous!

This particular design is part of a set of 12 designs called cutwork corners projects.

For the centre of my table runner I used Hatch to make my alterations to the design, I took the butterfly from the corner, reduced it's size and placed 4 in a circle to make the centre piece.

My fabric is handkerchief linen, and stitched out beautifully. The thread used is Robson-Anton I didn't want a thread that completely disappeared into the fabric, I'm happy with the contrast.

The runner is 94cm x 34cm (37"x13½").

If you're interested in purchasing this project, you can find the designs here Anita Goodesign cutwork corner projects  the set costs about $55 and was originally release back in 2012.
There is a printable information booklet to aid you in getting the best results.

Thank you for visiting today,
Happy Crafting
Beth.

PS, I've redesigned my banner to better reflect my change in focus, originally I was only posting paper-craft creations, but now it's rather more sewing, quilting etc with some paper-crafts occasionally. Let me know what you think of my new banner.

Free Standing Lace Doily

This project has come about because I've started a Machine Embroidery Group. I looked for a long time trying to find a Machine Embroidery group which could offer support, friendship and a love of all things to do with M. E.
Since I was unable to find such a thing, I decided that I would have to start my own. and that's exactly what I did 3 months ago. I posted on a local Facebook page asking for local interest and was very pleasantly surprised to find that there were actually others like me who really wanted and even needed a group.  Some because they have machines and don't know how to use them, others, like me who want to share knowledge and enjoyment, so the group was born, It was only to be 1 afternoon a month, but then I had several requests for an evening group for those who work, so now I have two sessions per month. It is anticipated that this may very well increase to fortnightly. The interest and enthusiasm are there, and in no way do I wish to dampen it down.
So far there are two types of machines use by the members, mostly Brother machines, and Janome's, a variety of machine ages, capabilities and functionality makes classes 'Interesting' I'm certainly learning how 'other' machines work.
My own beast is a Brother Quattro 4, the INV6750D , love this machine, occasionally could do with slightly bigger than my biggest hoop, but not very often.

Anyway, as the group is new, I'm doing a technique tutorial each meeting, eventually others in the group will share their ideas and projects, but for now it's up to me. September's meeting will be doing Free Standing Lace. Hence this design as a larger sample. The tutorial will feature a butterfly lace coaster, much smaller and quicker to stitch out.  This is the design I'll use to introduce them to Free Standing Lace. It's rather cute and only about 4" square.

This design I'm sharing with you today I bought soooooo long ago, that I can't actually remember when I did buy it, I do know that it comes from S-Embroidery which you can find here:
S-Embroidery  They have such beautiful lace designs that you're sure to find something to delight you.

This design is called SKU 10458 Butterfly Freestanding Lace Doily.

The finished size measures a fraction over 18"

This first picture shows the 8 sections joined and ready to pin to my linen fabric.

the second picture shows the finished doily washed and laid out on a towel to dry.

As it's still wet, the embroidery looks darker than when dry. it's not turned out to badly for my first go at this project. I can see a couple of mistakes which can't now be rectified, but I'll know the danger next time, and will try to not repeat the mistakes.

Free Standing lace, a bit time consuming to sew, but I sat and crocheted poppies for Remembrance day while I waited. no time wasted so its all positive.

Thank you for visiting my blog, 

Happy Crafting at whatever rocks your particular boat.

Cheers,

Beth

Two Zip Hipster Bag

I found this delightful pattern while surfing Pinterest, It's by Erin Erickson it cost $10 and is downloadable so you get it right away. you can buy the pattern here Erin Erickson Store and it's called as above, 'Two Zip Hipster Bag'

The step by step instructions with pictures are easy to follow, and while I'm easily confused, and did have a couple of moments when I had to stop and THINK about what the instructions said not what I Thought is said, besides that, I found the bag easy to make, and have only to get over my hardware supply issues to actually make them.

This bag pictured is actually missing the slider that allows for the strap adjustment, I've ordered them online and now only have to practice that element called patience, (which I don't have much if any of)

I found a supplier on eBay, from china, free postage to Australia, LOVE it, and have placed my order. You can find said supplier here: Jmzcity2046
The items I've ordered are described as follows:

• 20 pieces Belt bag buckles metal wire rectangle Ring loops  strap adjuster DIY 272422412456 25*16*2.8mm $2.59 Free Postage
• 20 Pieces Metal Sides Tri-glides wire formed roller pin buckles strap adjuster 282228714129  25*16*2.8mm $2.79 Free Postage.

The pattern calls for 38mm hardware, which is okay if you can get them, This size is only 1/3 smaller, if you work in inches, then 38mm is 1.5", these are 1" which only means that instead of cutting your strap fabric at 6" wide, you cut it at 4" wide. everything else is the same and I personally don't believe that 1/2" makes any appreciable difference.

So to the bag, The next one I'm going to do will feature some machine embroidery on the front pocket, I'll update this post when that happens. Here is what I've actually done!

This will easily hold my Samsung Galaxy tablet, my Kindle e-reader, my mobile phone and still have room for bit's and pieces, so it's perfect for me to take away on our next holiday in January 2018. (I've stuffed all the above in to make sure)

The inside pocket I divided to make a pen slot, and left the rest open, it will hold my car and house keys, with the top zip, everything is safe and secure inside. 

Hope you like this little project, 

Have fun and do all the things you love, because time is slipping away......

Beth

A Mixed bag today

Today my post is something of a mixed bag as it's about both In the Hoop Machine Embroidery, plus, some card making.

Firstly the cards.

I recently bought a stamp set by Heartfelt Creations, while this is no where near a new stamp set on the market, it's new to me, so of course I have play with it, lots.....

I made several  of these cards, all with slight variations, but basically the same, all were coloured with copic markers.

The next card is another birdy card, I guess you can see I'm into birds at the moment. This one uses the bird builder punch from Stampin Up, and some itty bitty flowers also punched out, shaped and tinted. The embossed background used Couture Creations JO JO embossing folder.

 The following male card used a retired SU embossing folder with diagonal stripes, which I then added gold and silver metallic Washi tape between the wide channels. the Camera is an SU stamp called Snapshot (retired) and the sentiment is from SU stamp set Perfect Pennants (retired).

The In the Hoop machine embroidery, is a design from Anita Goodesign from a collection called Pocket Purses.
This Owl, and I may have at some point in the past mentioned that I love Owls. Anyway, this little fellow is so cute, and the zipper makes him look like a wide-mouth owl sort of, ish.... a little bit anyway.

There are 12 designs in the collection which include:

1. Cupcake
2. Strawberry
3. crayon
4. watermelon
5. Owl
6. Heart
7. Flip Flop
8.  Dog n Bone
9. Cat n Fish
10. Butterfly
11. Tape cassette
12. Tulip

All are done in the 5x7 hoop and the instructions are very easy to follow with pictures each step of the way.  You can find this set here: Anita Goodesign Pocket Purses

Thank you for calling by today to see what I've been up to, having fun and doing the things I love. It's highly recommended, certainly by me!

Happy Crafting,

Hugs n Stuff,

Beth

Machine Embroidery

Since I bought my Embroidery Machine (A Brother Quattro 3, Innov-is 6750D) I have been having lots of fun learning different techniques and at the same time turning out some stunning designs.

The people who I buy my designs from of course play a huge part in my getting such good results, because their designs are so beautiful and easy to stitch out.

My all time favourites, there are two of them are Sweet Pea Embroidery and Kreative Kiwi.  If you're interested just use the links to check them out. They have amazing designs. 

Here are some of the things I've made using Sweet Pea and Kreative Kiwi designs.

The first one is called Hobo clutch Bag. I've also used this design to make a much deeper bag.

 The next is a table runner and it's called Free Form Table runner

 The next two designs come from Kreative Kiwi.

The first is called Swirly Placemat.

 this second one I absolutely adore the look of this, is called stained glass rose placemat and I used Mylar in the white sections to give it a real shimmer.

I do have other designs to share with you, most of my work I've given away as per usual, and some I forgot to take a photo of before I did, never mind, I'll just stitch them out again, and again and again.

Love them!!!

Thanks for calling by today, hope this inspires you to get embroidering.

Hugs

Beth 

Time for Some Card Making

I'm still sewing, quilting, embroidering etc. I thought it's time I shared some of my card making since it's been a while since I last posted any cards here.

At the beginning of each month I check to see who I need cards for during the month. This month I needed 6 cards, and since none of what I have on hand screamed "pick me" I had to make 6 cards in preparation.

I really like the Stampin Up Cable Embossing Folder. Hence my use of it here. A variety of looks, I'm really happy how each one turned out.

Card one uses Pacific Point and Whisper White and a lace doily, the tiny punched flowers are using a mini punch set now retired. The sentiment is from Birthday Banners Stamp Set.

 Card 2 is using Swallowtail Stamp from Stampin Up, this now also retired. I really wanted to do this technique, I've not seen it anywhere else, but they do say there is nothing new under the sun.
After stamping the image in  Bermuda Bay ink, I use a craft knife to cut around the wing then I brushed Wink of Stella clear over the wing to give it some glitter. The sentiment is from Rose Wonder.

 Card 3 again uses the cable embossing folder, with a piece of lace doily around the neck. I placed pearls down the front and will add the same sentiment as shown in Card 4 ( I left it sitting on my desk when I took the photo.)

 This next card (4) is another one of my own designs. I've a number of dies which you can once cut thread ribbon through. I decided to keep my theme with doily and colour and matched the ribbon. The sentiment is as before, from Rose Wonder. I used a retired SU punch to punch it out.

Card 5 is a CASE card I saw on Pinterest, the person who  posted it saved it from somewhere else, who the actual designer is I don't know. but would acknowledge them if I knew.
I use Whisper White, Pretty in Pink and a white doily. some pearl brads, tiny pearls, my corrugater, I used SU Large Circle Punch, tiny flower punch and tiny blossom punches and a Heart die. some edges are inked in Pretty in Pink.

 This final Card (6) is very simple in its layout. No matting, I used SU Rose Garden Thinlits to cut the basic design from Pretty in Pink, then cut again selected sections from Melon Mambo, and Pear Pizzaz. Next time I do this I'll add layering I think. Again this is not a card I've seen anywhere, it could be an original, but then again..........
you never really know.

So that's my cards made for this months birthdays. Now back to the sewing machine.
Thank you for calling in today.
Happy Crafting.
Beth

B&W With a Touch of Blue

I have reached a level of confidence in my quilting where I’m comfortable in changing elements to suit myself. I have even designed a quilt of my own, very basic, let's not get too excited here.... a simple 4 patch for a very fussy granddaughter who despite looking through my dozens of quilting books, and even more quilting magazines, was unable to find a design she liked.

After a lot of questions, I did eventually get an idea of what she would like, and the B&W touch of Blue was born. Since it’s a simple 4 patch, it didn’t take long to both design cut and piece.

For the quilting, I used one of the Westalee Rulers called ‘Circle on Quilts, Wreath 15 COQW15’. If you're interested in these rulers, which are becoming quite famous, you can find them at www.punchwithjudy.com.au   Judy has worked closely with Bill and Leonie West who developed and produce these rulers, I have participated in two on line courses  in the use of these rulers, and there are now a myriad of You Tube videos showing how to use them.

Other places to purchase these rulers are Cynthia's Ark and Kornacraft.

These rulers are for guided free motion stitching, and do take a bit of practice to get used to, but let’s be honest, if I can do it, then anyone can. Some people have natural talents, my humble skills are born of sheer persistence, and a refusal to be beaten till I’ve given it my very best shot.

That quilt is long finished and here it is.

Jaime-Leigh's colours of choice were black and white with a touch of blue. hence the name 'B&W Touch of Blue' I believe she really likes it. It is what it is, made with love just for her.

Thank you for viewing my blog today, hope you call back again soon.

Happy crafting, Sewing etc.......... and remember, 

Life is too short to fill it with things which don't satisfy your soul, Quilting is one of mine, housework is not! fortunately for me, I have a very lovely husband who takes care of all those mundane things for me. Yes, I know, I'm truly blessed.  (and I do help occasionally)

Hugs

Beth

Tiger Tiger Burning Bright

Cynthia's Ark is a small quilting business, mainly on line, but Cynthia does have a shop in Mallala here in South Australia.
I've known Cynthia for quite a few years now mainly though a mutual friend, but more recently I've attended one of Cynthia's uninterrupted project weekends, and later this year we are going on a 3 day retreat in the Adelaide hills for Project Uninterrupted. Here is a link to Cynthia's Ark should to wish to go visit her online shop.
Anyway, the reason I'm mentioning Cynthia, is because that is where I bought the kit for the quilt I'm sharing with you today. I did however slightly change it, I turned the image panels into picture windows because that is what I wanted.
Having reached a level of confidence in my quilting, I now like to make changes, to individualise my quilts, to make them 'mine'.
This lap quilt, as I said earlier came as a kit, I bought extra fabrics to do the looking through a window effect. I also, added the words which are appliqued in black fabric.

I did a lot of free motion sewing to give dimension and accent areas of the tigers.

This quilt was for my Daughter in Laws birthday, she has a passion for Tigers so was perfect for her.

Thank you for visiting today.

Happy crafting.

Live, Love, Laugh, life is too short to do anything else.

Hugs

Beth

My Labyrinth Walk Quilt

It's been quite a while since I last posted on here, and for those of you who are actually waiting for something to happen, I'm sorry, life has a habit of getting in the way of all good intentions, and mine is no different. The ideas are there, the skills are continuing to grow, but my enthusiasm for putting out there via this blog has definitely been somewhat 'weak' shall we say and leave it at that.
That said, onward we go.
When I last posted I mentioned my Labyrinth quilt. Well, after quite a few months of cursing myself for deciding on doing pebbling, it's finally finished. AT LONG LAST.. It's really finished!

I took it along to my local quilting group last night and it was very well received. We are as I'm frequently being told, our own worst critics. I was so hesitant in displaying my work, but it's not a critic session, it's an appreciation of our achievements to have our work on display, I'll need to remind myself of this often in the future as I agonise over whether I should show, or not show my work.

As to the Quilt, here it is in all it's glory.

The pattern was designed by Christopher Florence, I purchased my pattern from 'The Guilty Quilter' you can find them at www.theguiltyquilters.blogspot.com
As per the pattern, I cut and labelled all my pieces before hand, There are only two blocks, Block A (5) Five of the  'Walls of Jericho' and Block B (4) four of the San Luigi. All 5 of the Block A were made at the same time, so by the time I'd finished one complete block A I had five of them. Same with Block B.
There are only White, Black, Medium Gray and Light Gray fabrics used in the construction of the quilt. Some people  I know have used different colours, but I LOVE this combination for this quilt.
Cutting and Piecing are not difficult, if you take time and care, I had no real issues. It only took a week to make the quilt top.
HOWEVER, it took me over 6 months to do the pebbling on all the light Gray pieces. I'm not fortunate enough to have a long arm quilter, but my domestic machine does have a decent sized throat, but this is a BIG quilt. Surprisingly, or not, it measures what the pattern says it should. which is 84" square.
One change I did make, and I make no apologies for this, it's my quilt, my preference. The pattern says to take the points off two opposite corners to continue the  squared off  'wall' look. I didn't do this. I left my pointed corners all 4 of them intact.

I found when I was doing the pebbling, that I could only sew for about 20 minutes at a time, the strain on my neck and shoulders was quite intense, manipulating this sized quilt through a domestic machine is not easy, but well, WELL worth the effort. I finished it off with stitch in the ditch and a geometric border design which refuses to show in a photo, as it's black on black.
Would I do another one? Not on your life, life is too short to deliberately repeat a trauma, Love it, but won't go there again.
Now if I had a long arm quilter, hell yes! I'd start another one right away. So it's all in the quilting.
Thank you for visiting my neglected blog, I'll try and do better in future.
Stay Happy,
Keep sewing, crafting whatever floats your boat, go for it.
Hugs
Beth