I was the very grateful recipient of some Amazon gift certificates for Christmas so I bought a couple of things that I think will make blogging and crafting easier and more fun in 2015.
First up - the Artograph Light Tracer Light Box:
I am constantly transferring patterns onto any number of fabrics and even in bright sunlight it's sometimes tough to see all the little details in a pattern that I'm tracing. This often means filling in some blank spots later which is can be hit and miss. With this light box I think pattern transferring is going to be much easier.
Next up - a little photo studio:
This is the Foldio which folds up flat when you're not using it so it's portable and you can take it wherever you want to go:
I took a photo of my solar powered waving Queen Elizabeth to test out the Foldio.
It looks pretty great! I'm excited to use it for nicer photos here on the blog!
I also downloaded iDraw. This is a graphic design and illustration app which I'm excited to get started with. This is all new to me but I really want to create and share some of my own embroidery patterns. I've drawn a few free hand which have turned out ok, but I'd love to have a more crisp, defined, professional look to patterns so I'm going to get smart on the iDraw and see what happens! If I come up with any useful tips along the way, I'll share them here!
For inspiration, the husband gave me a lovely book for Christmas: Embroidered Textiles: A World Guide To Traditional Patterns. This book has so many beautiful photos of intricate embroidery it makes you want to dive into a big embroidery project. The information provided on which stitches are used and how they come together in different parts of the world are fascinating and I've been soaking up every chapter. I hope to share a little more about some of the specifc patterns and techniques from different regions over the coming year.
2015 is already shaping up to be fun! I look forward to sharing lots of great projects and more inspiration.