Field Trips in Fiber - Adventures in quilting, hand dyed fabric and fiber art.

Handwork Wednesday

 

Done!

It doesn't have a name, it's just done. It still needs to be blocked but that will wait until I find something to do with it. I am thinking that it may make it's way into a tote bag some day.

 

This is my favorite kind of embroidery. I love using the silk and cotton threads and I like that it goes fast!

 

I purchased this kit in London in either 2002 or 2003. I suppose it's about time I got it done!

Next I will start an appliqué project. I haven't really done any appliqué before. I'm going to start with some blocks from Deb Levy's Go! Garden. So, I have a couple of question for the experienced appliquers out there.

1. Do you match your thread color to the appliqué or to the background? I just know you are going to say appliqué because that will require me to haul around a lot more thread!

 2. I have 2 threads to choose from (because I'm not going to buy special thread for this). Do you recommend that I use Masterpiece (cotton) or Bottom Line (poly). I am NOT a cotton purist. I just care about which thread will be easiest and give me the best results.

 

 

Handwork Wednesday

<== 2 weeks ago  

today ==>

It looks like I changed the orientation again but you can see there's lots of progress. I have had some great TV time and I got to work on it last night during our Guild meeting. 

It was so nice to go back to the Country School Quilters meeting. They are such a wonderful group and I've missed them!

Handwork Wednesday

I'm not going to show you the ornament this week. I did make some progress but you are going to see it for so long that I'll give you a break from time to time. I've made more progress on the small embroidery. I love this project, it goes very quickly!

   

This is how it looks today.

Here's last week.

I'm also working on a lino carving project. This one is going to have at least 2 stamps.  

 

Handwork Wednesday

It's actually been a good week for hand work. Isn't that a nice change of pace? Football season is starting, Project Runway is on along with The Closer and Mad Men. Lots of good TV to do handwork by.

   

I got Blue Footed Boobie started. Now, this might not look like much but it has over 320 pins stuck in it at this point! Next I start making a million dangly things.

 

Then while I was hanging out with Mom for a few days I made some progress on this. The center square was completed and about half of the lower right section was done. This will only be about 6" square when it's done and it goes pretty quickly.....my kind of embroidery project! I will want to complete this soon because I think I have identified my next hand needlework project.

Deb Levy has designed a free EQ project that has floral appliqué blocks. You can see it here. She designed it using only Go! Cutter shapes. It doesn't look like a 10 year project so I think I will give it a try.

 

She must be anxious for someone to try it because she sent me a giant stash of pre-cut shapes. These are cut from something like Ricky Tim's Stable Stuff.  You use the shape like a template only you don't have to remove it. Just leave it in the quilt and it becomes very soft once the quilt is washed. It will be fun to try! Of course she sent me enough for 15 quilts!

 

I may use hand-dyes for this project but I am also considering these fabrics that my friend, Anne, brought me from the V&A. 

Lots of ideas now! 

Handwork Wednesday - She's Done!

Oh yes, she's DONE! 

Maggie the Messmaker

EXACTLY 9 years after I started (7/18/01 - 7/18-10). I had to get a massage Monday to get over all of the hours of stitching this weekend.

So, bear with me as I post a lot of photos of this beast. There was a LOT of couching on the last day.

I should have stitched her ears last so she would not have to hear all of the profanity.

I'm not sure why I finished it because I really dislike (hate) it. But I have learned a valuable lesson about starting projects on a whim. I bought this kit because it was only $30. I never considered the hundreds of hours that it would take to complete. The gold stitching on the sewing machine took about 3 hours and the couching of the mice and backstitching on the linen took about 5 hours.   

I don't know what kind of handwork project I will start next but I can assure you that it will not be a cross stitch project!

I will work on my sparkly Christmas ornaments for while I contemplate  my next thread work project.

The end.