The Stitch Up

Spring WIPs and Current Inspiration

February and March have been a little more eventful than usual around here.  We actually took a little trip.  (Head to my Flickr page if you'd like to see some Vegas pics!)  Despite that, I've finished a couple of items on my WIP tracker here on the blog!

First up, the 2021 Tea Towel calendar from September House.  I was happy to kick my stitching off this year with another of her great patterns and I'm happy with the way my color choices worked out:

Next up - the gradient half pi shawl.  I had a much more complex pattern for this, but it was really too much for my skill level so I ended up just searching out a basic half pi pattern online.  I think the yarn itself really elevated the basic pattern though and I'm love the result.  I used a Cashmere Lace weight yarn from Pepperberry Knits in  "Kitten", "Tahiti", "Mrs. Smith" and "Smoke".  Because of how light weight the yarn is I had to knit with double strands which was new for me, but it's such a smooth, soft result I'll probably try something similar again.

Unfortunately I haven't made much progress on the quilt squares.  I've cut out a couple test squares, but I keep going back and forth on the pattern that I want to use so I'm still experimenting.  Hopefully I'll have more on that project soon!

In the mean time, it's onto a couple new projects.  The first is my "travel project".  This is fairly small so it's what I stick in my "carry-on" to stitch on the plane or during down time at the hotel.  As we traveled recently I had some time to work on it and I'm getting close to finishing it up, so I'm going to knock it out.

I think this pattern is from the Colonial Patterns Wild Wild West , but I really have been carrying this around for awhile so I won't swear to it.  The plan was to use it as part of "Cowgirl Quilt" I have planned - it could still be a part of that, but it would also make a nice patch so we'll see!

The next project I'm going add to my WIPs is my Ida Tunnell sampler:

As I understand it, the saying "It'll Never Be Seen On A Galloping Horse was a fairly well used saying back in the day, but it was one my great grandma liked and used regularly so I'm attributing it to her for this sampler.  I'm back and forth on filling in the horse with stitches.  I'll decide after I finish the florals on the side.

One of my goals this year was to blog about what is inspiring me and use that to help focus in on what really resonates with me and my stitching.  Since I haven't blogged for a bit, I decided to combine my recent inspiration with my WIPs for this post.  

My current inspiration has been a really fun and eye opening project I've been doing with my friends.  Each week, one of us picks a few pages from the book Journal Sparks for everyone to work on and then we are sharing what we've come up with in a google doc.  

Much like the Spoonflower Challenge I did with my friend in January, this is really getting me out of my safe space and offering the opportunity to work in different mediums.  It's also making me dig a little deeper into how I see myself, my future and the world around me.  It's a great book and fun if you want something to kind of shake up your creativity.  It's also showing me some new sides to my girlfriends which is especially wild.  I've known these women for 40+ years and yet they still surprise me with their talent, sensitivity, humor and depth.  A few of the things I've made that were inspired by the journal prompts:

I think we'll keep finding ways to inspire each other even when we're done with this journal project.  These ladies really are stabilizing and motivational for me and I'm grateful every day that they are my friends.

I hope everyone is finding inspiration in the beautiful Spring weather, the new blooms, and the new optimism that things will be returning to normal.  Happy stitching!

2020 End of Year Wrap Up

I didn't get as many Christmas crafts done as I had hoped this year however, my friend Teresa and I did do another Christmas themed craft exchange since last years Elf exchange went so well.  This year we decided on Christmas nesting dolls and we got crafty with it.

 

I decided to try making a set of dolls based on the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer cartoon.  I made Hervey the elf, Rudolph,  Yukon Cornelius, Sam the Snowman and the Abominable Snowman.  I'm not a skilled or practiced painter so I sketched things out a bit before I picked up the paint brush which helped.  Overall this was a really fun project and I'm happy with how everything came out.

 

My friend made a more traditional matroyshka style set of nesting dolls with a Christmas spin and they are so cute!

 

Teresa is pretty amazing with a paint brush.  I don't think the photo captures how perfect the tiniest nesting doll is, but it's amazing.

 

As always I had a lot more crafting planned for the Christmas season.  I wanted to make more progress on the table runner I started last year, plus FINALLY complete the tablecloth I've been planning for years.  But despite the fact that COVID has made this a much quieter Christmas season without as many social obligations, work and trying to get gifts out to everyone in time for the holidays put me off my game a bit. 

 

In general, this year was a learning one for me.  I had what I thought was a great plan to pick out 3 or 4 WIPS to do each season so I could really move through my backlog of projects.  And initially I had some good momentum and thought I'd really cracked the code on working through my stash. That lasted about one season. 

 

The WIPs I chose for the Spring season took much longer than I'd thought they would and it threw off my plan for the rest of the year.  The needlepoint bag and the knitted shawl are both still in progress - although the shawl is much closer to completion then the bag .

 

While I didn't get all the projects done that I'd hoped this year, I did learn quite a bit about pacing myself, setting realistic expectations and accepting that sometimes life will throw the occasional twists and turns that might change my plans.

 

I'm hoping to use all of those lessons in the New Year with my NEW PLANS to work through some WIPs. (Yes I am undaunted by last year!) I'm still focused on using the materials and projects that I currently have rather than buying new items - just another resolution to add to my list for 2021!

 

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year that brings health and happiness to all!  See you next year!  (Sorry I can't help myself)

Summer is Actually Still Spring and Inspiration

I vastly underestimated how long it would take me to finish my Spring projects. Either that or I underestimated how much life in general would get in the way of my important crafting deadlines.  Since we are well into Summer, my Spring Bohemian projects are really now Spring/Summer Bohemian projects. It's a little bit of a bummer as I had some desert themed projects in mind for Summer, but there's always next year!!

WIPs

Despite not wrapping them up, I have made some progress on my projects. I'm close to finishing up the Art Quilt project "Little Selfie on the Prairie". This started with a sketch and then I more or less played it by ear to create a portrait with fabric.

I'd planned to give this a crazy quilt look with some finishing stitches.  This has ended up being a little tough with the appliqué layers.  I should have done a lot of the crazy stitching on the background fabrics first, then appliquéd the girl and wagon on after, but - you make, you learn right?  I'm almost done with the stitching now and I think over all I'm happy with the result.

The knit shawl is in progress.  I'm finished with the first color, and have just moved to the next, which is a darker grey.  Two more colors after that so it's got a ways to go but this was another project that involved some new techniques to me, so I'm happy to be learning as I go.

Last but not least, the needlepoint bag - it's so much stitching!!  I finished one side, I'm almost done with the straps and then it's just ("just") finishing the other side.

At this point I think I'll still be working on this needlepoint bag through the end of the year, but it's so pretty it's worth the time!

Inspiration

I've been reading a book by Lisa Congdon called Finding Your Artistic Voice.  It's really helping me identify ways to focus in on what I want my "voice" to be as an artist.  I'm realizing that a lot of the things I've been doing this year with the "Bohemian Frontier" articles, some of the WIPs I've prioritized, and the themes I've been creating for each season are all methods I've been using to pursue a concept - I just haven't put everything together into a cohesive "voice".

Lisa Congdon's book recommends some exercises to get you to work through your inspirations, practice what interests you and get to that original idea or style that makes your art your own.  One of the exercises she recommends is making a "Family Tree" of your inspiration - making each branch one of the things you're inspired by.  I loved that idea but decided to make it an inspiration quilt drawing.

Congdon also has lots of interviews with other artists who give great advice on the process of creativity.  Overall, Im loving the book and I think even as a hobbyist I enjoy what I'm making so much more when everything is kind of clicking together and I think her books helps get you to that place.

 

 

 

Progress with Patches

The end of Spring was officially June 20th but I am still working on most of my crafts for the Spring.  The one thing that I was able to wrap up this week is the patched jeans project.  I started off by repairing the worn out areas of the jeans.

To do the mending I used some tips from the book Mending Matters.  It has great tips for mending denim and also includes some nice essays on slow fashion and using mending as an exercise in mindfulness.  One of the passages from the author Katrina Rodabaugh that I really liked was "...the point is not to have a perfect closet filled with perfect garments, but to cultivate mindfulness-mendfulness-and make deliberate choices, focus on what you can do to make a positive impact, and gain a deeper understanding of your true preferences and style.  Mendfulness is also about growing a deeper understanding of how clothing is constructed, where fiber originates, the exact material content of clothing, and the working conditions of the fashion factories you support."

As part of the repair process I found some denim scraps that matched my jeans, pinned them in place and started stitching.  

The mending style recommended in Mending Matters is similar to Sashiko.  Even though its just patching and mending, the end result is a pretty pattern.

To apply the patches to the jeans, I used two tutorials: one from Sincerely Colleen and one from chezlin.  Both recommended tacking down stray threads on the designs with Mod Podge as a first step to making the patches.

Once the Mod Podge had dried, I used fusible web for the back of the patches.  Then I arranged the patches the way I wanted them and ironed them onto my jeans.

I'm not sure whether I didn't iron correctly or the beading prevented the material from adhering but the patches weren't really secure so I also stitched around each of the patches on my sewing machine.  I like the end result although I'm already thinking that it needs some additional patches and maybe some embroidery along the seam.

My other Spring project are coming along pretty well although I'm only about half done with the needlepoint bag.  It really is such a big project, I'm thinking it's going to take all of summer to finish, so I'll probably be rolling it over into my list of projects for the Summer.  Still, I have one side almost totally complete which feels good.

The art quilt IS close to completion.  I have all of the parts combined and my plan now is to just enhance it with a little embroidery.  I have in mind some crazy quilt stitching for the background.  I'll see how it looks on the hills in the background and then decide how to go forward.

I like how the colors are coming together but it does need some extra detail.

Last but not least, I was really dragging my feet on the knit shawl.  Truth be told, I just didn't really understand the pattern I'd intended to use as I'm still too much of a novice with knitting.  I decided to go with a very simple, triangle wrap pattern by Mama in a Stitch.  I'm not too far on it yet but I feel more confident about my ability to complete the shawl with this pattern.

I'm giving myself until the middle of July to finish everything but the needlepoint bag and then move on to new projects for the Summer.  

Everything is still so weird with the constantly changing COVID rules and requirements.  I'm finding a lot of help for anxiety and generalize worry by concentrating on some simple projects and being in the moment for an hour or two each day, just contemplating stitches or gauge or thread.  I hope everyone is able to find some peace in these crazy moments with a little craft. 

Bohemian Spring WIPs

Time to move on to a new round of WIPs!  It's Spring and we've been doing some weeding and planting and trying to get outside as much as possible, but after a really nice week of warm weather it's been cold and rainy - so a perfect time to snuggle inside and get crafty!

My theme for the next few months is "Bohemian Spring":

I took this photo at a shop in Phoenix and then did a little graphic work on Picmonkey!  I tried to choose 4 WIPs with a little bit of a 'hippie' vibe.  I've put the inspiration photos on my project board with my "theme" photo.

Without further ado - here's what I'll be working on:

1.    Embellished jeans 

As part of my effort to reuse and recycle I've been saving jeans that wear out.  Some I'm cutting up into squares and they will be part of a quilt project I'm planning for the Summer.  But for jeans that are more "gently" worn, I want to just repair any holes and then fancy them up with some embroidered patches.  I have a sweatshirt with embroidered birds that does not fit great and I wasn't wearing it too often.  SO - I just cut the birds out and I'm going to use them to embellish the jeans.  I also bought some cool notions at Mood on one of our trips to New York a few years ago and I think one or two of those will go with the birds I'm using.  I'm also thinking to add some additional patches that I'm making from designs from a Tattoo coloring book.  So far, I've spent some time transferring the designs and organizing all of the embellishments on my jeans.

I think once I've embroidered the additional designs I'll pin everything on the jeans to make sure that I like the placement.

2.    Needlepoint Bag

The next project I've been working on off and on for awhile.  It's the Bergama Shoulder Bag from Anchor Crafts.  I bought it a couple years ago at Craft South in Nashville.  It's sold out now unfortunately so I'm glad I picked it up when I did but it's a big project to complete and kind of unwieldy to work on so its been slow going.  In order to get it done in the next few months I'm utilizing the husbands saw-horses so I can handle the large frame. It's working pretty well.

I've been working on a small section each night and I'm making some progress!

3.    "Little Selfie on the Prairie" - Embroidered Art Quilt 

I sketched this out last year with the plan to make an appliqué, embroidery art piece.

So far I've picked out the fabrics and I should be able to fuse the background together this weekend.  After that I'll need to make patterns to appliqué the girl and wagon and then start embroidering.  I'm excited to see how it turns out.

4.    Gradient Half Pi Shawl

I bought the Gradient Half Pi shawl pattern at Fibrespace here in Virginia a few years ago.  I also bought some really pretty yarn to make it with!  I'm nervous about this one - my knitting skills are still pretty basic.  If I do have trouble I've found a lot of half pi tutorials on YouTube so I'm hoping I can follow along.

So those are the plans!  Writing it all down here has helped to keep me on task so far so I'm enjoying the process.  I hope it's also enjoyable to read about!
 

Return of the Mac

I'm back!  It's no excuse for missing so much blog time, but here's what I've been up to instead of blogging:

1.  Enjoying the beautiful Spring (and now Summer) weather outside with some gardening.

I planted a bee garden which is bringing so many happy honey bees to our yard!  I also planted a blackberry and a blueberry bush which are both doing great.  I don't think we'll have a lot of fruit this year, but hopefully I'll be in business for canning and jellies next summer.  The cat loves being outside with us.  She chases a stick like a puppy which is a crack up and in the evening runs after lightening bugs which is also adorable.  

2. I celebrated a couple of extremely important holidays.

I think St. Patricks Day and Cinco de Mayo might be the best holidays of the year.  No stress, not a lot of planning required, just some cocktails and awesome food!

3.  The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival

There were so many cute sheep at this festival - plus I bought some beautiful yarn.  I posted more sheep pics on my flickr page if you love photos of adorable sheep like I do.  

4.  Family Time

One of our adorable nieces and her lovely mom came to visit.  We did a bunch of fun stuff including some sewing.  The niece is super crafty and I love getting into new projects with her.

5.  Book Signing

I got lucky and was able to meet Lyndsay Faye, an author I love, at a book signing at a local book store.  Her Gods of Gotham series is awesome if you're looking for a great summer read.

6.  Caught a ball game

It's that time of year - perfect weather for a ball game, and The Racing Presidents are always a little extra fun at the Nationals games.

7.  Finished My First Pair of Socks!

These took me a LONG time - but I'm excited to have the finished product.  I learned a lot and I think my next sock project will be much better.  Actually I think any knitting project I do next will be better since I know a little more about increasing, decreasing and working in the round.

So, a fairly fun and busy Spring and Summer so far.  I'm looking forward to what the rest of Summer will bring!

 

January WIPs

I'm getting back on track after the holiday craziness and I have a couple of WIPS I'm in the middle of.  First up is a little stitch project for my craft room.

This is yet another great pattern from Sew Lovely Embroidery.  This was a from a folk pattern collection I don't see in her shop right now, but she has lots of other wonderful stuff.  

My other WIP is the second sock in my first pair of socks:

I've obviously got quite a ways to go on this!  It's a great in front of the t.v. project though.  While I'm in this first stage of just building the top portion I can kind of zone out.  Plus I love actually making knits while it's cold.  It will be a first for me if I can get this done while it's still chilly and I can use what I've made to stay warm.

I'm also working on my first pattern in iDraw that I hope to be able to share soon!  It's a sampler that I submitted in free hand to a competition, but it really needs to be cleaned up and made a bit prettier, so I think it's a good first project for trying out the graphic design program.  

I look forward to showing my progress on all these things soon!

 

WIP Update

I made some progress on the WIPs I started back in September.  I finished the pretty Cameo lady pattern from Sew Lovely Embroidery:

The plan is to frame this - probably just in an embroidery hoop - and hang it in my craft room.  I really love all of the patterns at Sew Lovely Embroidery.

My other September WIP was my first pair of socks.  This project is going a bit slower but I do have one sock done!

I don't like to point any fingers, but I might have finished both socks by now if this didn't keep happening:

Seriously, this kitten loves to eat my yarn!

So I feel like I'm in a good spot with crafts to just focus on some Christmas projects.  I've got a stack of felt screaming to become tree ornaments!

Hope everyone is having a great holiday so far!

 

September WIPS

I feel like I've always got 5 or more projects going on at once.  This might correlate to how long it takes me to finish stuff. But I do have 2 projects that I'm focusing on.  First, my ongoing sock project.

I started these socks quite a while ago, but as I mentioned in a previous post I was having all kinds of laddering going on.  I found a very useful tip on Wonder How To that explained how to prevent this going forward.  There is even a short video which I like as it's often much easier to follow directions when you can visualize what to do.  So I had to restart this particular project, but as this is the first pair of socks I've ever worked on I figure it's all good experience.  I'm not as far along as I'd like to be but I think I can get them done before the weather actually gets chilly.

My other project is a little embroidery:

This is another pattern from Sew Lovely Embroidery.  I pretty much love everything she designs.  This is part of the Running With Scissors pattern set.  I've used this pattern set before for a cute project bag.  I've also made up some tea towels with the adorable Pin Up Girls pattern set.  I want to stitch them all!

With Labor Day over, we're slowly inching toward Fall.  I am getting excited about all of the pumpkin recipes and the autumn craft ideas showing up on Pinterest.  But we're eeking out every last ounce of Summer while the weather stays nice.  I hope everyone is enjoying the last of the long, warm days of Summer and looking forward to some fun Fall activities!

Garden Time

We put seeds in a month or so ago but because the cold hung around for so long we were a little worried we wouldn't see much grow.  Happily, this month things have started to sprout and the garden is our favorite place to be.

This is really the perfect time of year.  Everything is green and growing, the mosquitos haven't really come out yet and since the husband loves to grill, I get to enjoy it all with a glass of wine and some knitting.

This is the first pair of socks I've ever tried to make and after putting in a little time I realized I was getting some "ladders" on the sides of the socks.

 

 

Through the wonder of the internet I found some tips on preventing the laddering when working in the round, so I've now ripped this all out and started over.  I would be frustrated but I'm a fairly inexperienced knitter and I really feel like I'm learning a lot with this project despite - or maybe because of - the set backs. 

I love this time of year.  I'm always excited at the end of the day to know we're going to be able to sit in the yard, soak up the last of the sun and relax.

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