Creative Catch-up

It has been a hot and humid, sunshine-filled summer in Iowa...and in an effort to get back on the blogging track, I thought I would end my day with a quick visit. I have been up early every day, getting in some very hot and sweaty training sessions - I have been lifting weights, then walking/running 5-6 miles daily with a training partner, using a set of 5-pound dumbbells. With all my traveling done for a while, I follow-up my morning workouts by focusing on business - finishing up some HUGE deadlines earlier in the week and now targeting several piles of needlework finishing for customers...I've also had the chance to get quite a few sewing/quilting projects done and a plethora of new items for my Etsy shop. Yep, the creative wheels keep on turning and I am feeling more inspired than ever!

Today, I thought I would share some needlework finishing I recently completed. I have been doing limited custom needlework finishing for clients when my schedule allows...and I am blessed to have wonderful customers (you know who you are!) that send me projects that allow me to be creative and choose the materials and finishing touches with minimal direction (thank you!) - those projects are my favorites! I do all hand and sewing machine finishing and stay away from projects that require glue - even attaching twisted cord (that I make myself) with a needle and thread. Today's projects were all stitched by the same customer and I chose all the materials and embellishments for finishing...I was told the type of finish (these are all flat-finish ornaments), but other than that, I was able to take creative license - this is the type of work I truly enjoy the most! Here are images of the fronts and backs of some beautifully stitched ornaments (not my designs or stitching, just my finishing work):

I will definitely be focused on needlework finishing for the rest of the week, along with completing a long-overdue detailed quilting appliqué project - I have some VERY patient customers that kindly wait until I can fit their pieces into my daily lineup (again, you know who you are - thank you so much for understanding my bizarre schedule)...so I will have some more exquisite cross stitch finishes and a lovely wall hanging to show you very soon! I will also stop back (hopefully tomorrow) to share some of the sewing/quilting projects that have been keeping me busy the last couple months...

Fancy Finishing

It is a gorgeous, sunshine-filled day here in Iowa...and before I get started on my work for the afternoon, I thought I would stop by for a visit. I was up early again today, got in a good training session (I'm training to hike the Grand Canyon in less than two weeks!), caught up on some correspondence, filled a couple Etsy orders, and even got a couple chores done before settling down at my desk. I am working on several large custom orders for my zippered pouches (28 bags total) and I am hoping to finish one of the large orders this morning, then start on the next this afternoon.

Today, I thought I would share some needlework finishing I recently completed. I have been doing limited custom needlework finishing for clients when my schedule allows...and I am blessed to have wonderful customers (you know who you are!) that send me projects that allow me to be creative and choose the materials and finishing touches with minimal direction (thank you!) - those projects are my favorites! I do all hand and sewing machine finishing and stay away from projects that require glue - even attaching twisted cord (that I make myself) with a needle and thread. Today's projects were all stitched by the same customer and I chose all the materials and embellishments for finishing...I was told the type of finish (such as flat-finish ornament or pin cushion or bowl filler), but other than that, I was able to take creative license - this is the type of work I enjoy the most!

Prairie Schooler - Santa 2005 - Quilting Santa

Misty Hill Studio - Patriotic Medley

Prairie Schooler - PS159 - Fall Fields

Blue Ribbon Designs - Friendship in Bloom

You can see more colorful needlework finishes in my Instagram feed (https://www.instagram.com/brdgirl/)...and I'll have more to show you soon, as I have received several finishing orders in the last couple weeks (with one more on the way).

A Pair of Pink Ornaments

Now that all of my handmade holiday gifts have been distributed, I can share a couple with you. The ornaments shown in today's post were made for my dear friends Mary and Lorrie...they both have a "pink" Christmas tree on display during the holidays...and I thought, what could be better than a pink cross stitched ornament to add to each of their collections?. The stitched design is Christmas Keepsakes II from JBW Designs...and I stitched them on 40-count Wild Rose hand-dyed fabric from Lakeside Linens with Anchor cotton embroidery floss. I used a pair of Oval Metal Needlework Finishing Forms (1 3/4" x 2 1/2") from Flying Needles to finish each one and made two-tone twisted cord from DMC cotton embroidery floss. The back of each ornament is fussy cut cotton quilting fabric (Colorful Christmas by My Mind's Eye for Riley Blake Designs)...I wanted to back to be just as cute as the front! These were a quick stitch, easy to finish, and I thought they turned out adorable. Finishing forms are a quick way to make your handmade ornaments look professional...they come in a variety of shapes and sizes...they are cost effective...and they are quite versatile, as you can embellish both sides to suit your needs...

Each December, I pull out my ornament project bag and work on several hand-stitched holiday decorations...this year I realized my project bag has over 25 ornaments that are stitched and ready for finishing...and since I really enjoy the finishing process, I need to get them put together for next year - time to pull out my big bag of finishing forms and make a dent in the pile. Plus, Mary and Lorrie want to get together later this year and have an ornament finishing party, so we will have to get that on the calendar for a "friendship Friday" (doesn't that sound like fun?!)...maybe I will actually get an early start on gifts for next year...

Bats, Cats, and Ravens

My embroidery machine has been stitching up a storm - filling some customer orders and making more Halloween and autumn freestanding lace ornaments for my Etsy shop. I have replenished some of the sold out Halloween ornaments, as well as the autumn leaves...and I have been working on two brand new ornaments, as well - a handful of "Gothic Bats"...and several "Soaring Ravens". These two new ornament additions to my shop are digitized by Urban Threads (should you own an embroidery machine and want to make some for yourself)...and I just adore them! The bat has quickly become one of my favorite holiday ornaments and I have several hanging on my small Halloween tree...and the soaring raven is so wonderfully unique with it's moving parts. The raven is actually four individually embroidered pieces - the body/head, a tail feather, and two wings...then they are attached together using small brads, making the wings and tail feather movable...I was just tickled with how these stitched up!

For those of you who are not familiar with an embroidery machine or freestanding lace, here is a little idea of how these ornaments are made - using digitized designs, the machine embroiders the ornaments on water-soluble stabilizer...once the design is completely stitched, you put it in water and the stabilizer dissolves, leaving you with a beautiful piece of lace made completely of embroidery thread. I like to put a piece of ribbon through the hanger on ornament before placing it in a card or on a gift. Each large motif can take anywhere from 45 minutes to well over an hour to make...the larger and more detailed the design, the longer they take to embroider. They are quite sturdy and will stay looking great for years to come...and freestanding lace can be pressed with a hot iron at any time...and starched, if needed...

 

         

Also currently in the shop - more Mischief at Midnight Finishing Kits...and a limited number of Harvest Huswif Finishing Kits - these are the same finishing materials used for the model and original class kits...and all the supplies are pre-cut and ready for use (NOTE: these are finishing kits only - you will have to purchase the chart and the stitching supplies from your needlework shop of choice).

I am now headed to my sewing machine to work on a custom order...then I am off to my stitching nest to do some model work - I am knee deep in fast approaching deadline that I am hoping to finish up in the next day or two...I hope you are having a creative and productive day!

Tidbits and Teapots...

Hello friends - happy Tuesday! So today, we will start off by talking about the finishing kits for "Mischief at Midnight". I have put together 50 more finishing kits and will be listing them in my Etsy shop tomorrow morning (Wednesday, September 25th). These are finishing kits only - you will still have to purchase the needlework chart and stitching supplies (linen and threads) from your favorite needlework shop. These are the same kits provided when this project was taught as a class. The finishing kit includes:

13 Pre-cut pieces of stiffened felt - Eazy (E-Z) Felt:
  • 2 - 8½" x 8½" (tray base)
  • 8 - 1½" x 8½" (tray walls)
  • 2 - 2" x 2" (pinkeep)
  • 1 - 3" x 8½" (needlebook)

4 Pre-cut pieces of fusible lightweight interfacing
  • 2 - 2½" x 2½" (scissor fob)
  • 2 - 3½" x 6½" (needlebook)

1 - 10" x 10" pre-cut piece of  cotton quilting fabric (tray bottom)
1 Small bag of transparent nylon thread (approximately 4 yards) (tray)
2 Round neodymium magnets ½" diameter (tray and needlebook)
1 Pre-cut piece of black Moda wool fabric (needlebook)
2 - 12" pieces of ⅛" black grosgrain ribbon (needlebook)
2 - 2" x 2" pieces of heavy cardstock (pinkeep)
1 - 9" piece of black baby rick rack black (pinkeep)
12 Black ball point pins (pinkeep)
#10 Beading needle (found on the precut piece of black wool)

NOTE: These pieces are cut specifically for use with 30-count linen (as instructed with the chartpack) - if you have adjusted the count of your linen, these pre-cut pieces will not fit accurately.

I have completely used up all the cotton quilting fabric that was originally used for the bottom of the tray and it is discontinued, but (thanks to a very dear friend) I have been able to locate a fabulous substitution that matches perfectly. The original fabric is shown on the left and there are only a few kits with this print - the new substitution is shown on the right and is in the majority of the new finishing kits. This fabric is used on the bottom of the tray. I will list the two separately in the shop and once the kits with the black polka dot fabric are gone, that fabric is completely gone. I do have more of the fabric on the right arriving, so if the demand is high, I will be able to make more kits in the near future.

Orders placed for the finishing kits (through the Etsy shop) on Wednesday will ship on Thursday.

Also ready for the Etsy shop are some new freestanding lace ornaments - this time, an assortment of teapots! I recently received a message from my friend Missie (Traditional Primitives...formerly Hallbrook Designs) with a photo of a 3D freestanding lace teapot - it was the neatest thing...and it inspired me to make some teapot ornaments. I found some wonderful digitized designs by C-Some-Stitches that stitched out beautifully - there are 10 different teapots, each one unique! They measure (on average) 3.9" W x 3.7" H and are absolutely perfect for including in a card to surprise a dear friend. I have already made them in white and a lovely shade of blue...and photographs have already been taken to list them in the shop (hopefully this evening). I think these are just perfect for my ornament collections...

...and I have replenished the Halloween ornaments....and more seasonal items are in the works! So, check out my Etsy shop on Wednesday morning for the "Mischief at Midnight" finishing kits...and while you there, check out my other special items...

Tomorrow I will be back to tell you about the new Blue Ribbon Designs shipping to needlework shops on Friday...

Finishing Kit Update

Folks - as I posted yesterday evening, the finishing kits for "Mischief at Midnight" sold out almost immediately - thank you for the truly overwhelming response! I only had so many supplies leftover from the class on hand, therefore, there were a very limited quantity. I have ordered additional supplies to make more finishing kits and once they arrive I will have more available. Once they are ready, I will post about them here before listing them on Etsy - these will be on a "first come, first served basis", I will not be taking pre-orders. Please expect the wait to be about two weeks (if all goes as planned), as the ordered supplies to need arrive and then the kits have to be prepared. NOTE: these are finishing kits only - you will have to purchase the design chart and stitching supplies from your favorite needlework shop. I truly appreciate all the enthusiasm and excitement (I really do), however, I do not have enough hours in the day to answer all the e-mail inquiries, Facebook messages, and comments - please be patient and keep an eye on this blog for up-to-date information. Thank you so much!