Making Lemonade!

I had such big plans -

wonderful, grandiose plans,

BIG, super glorious plans.

My creative hat was on.

Ideas were coming fast and furious.

I could hardly contain myself. And then . . .


and then something happened.

It went from this . . .

It’s Spring!” from Madame la F’ee (here)
25 ct evenweave DMC cotton floss, Kreinik blending filament, beads

to this . . .

and I almost cried.


This is what I salvaged. I just couldn’t toss it aside. I love the design, the flowers, the colors, and most of all I love the bees.

and the Moda fabric on the back.

Here’s another bee closeup -

I wanted that shiny, inky black color on the bees that only shiny, inky black beads can give so – I used - shiny, inky black seed beads on the bee bodies. I also wanted the wings to glitter so I used Kreinik blending filament.

I’ve learned to love my mistakes.

Or should I say - my creative misadventures!!

And Even More Hearts . . .

Just a few days left in February so here are some more hearts to share:

CROSS STITCH Hearts

These are from a band sampler. I think they are pretty in their simplicity.

FROGET-ME-NOT Heart

I found this not too long ago in my pile of 'stitched-but-unfinished' projects. Years ago it was stitched on 28 ct amber linen with DMC floss and Mill Hill beads with a little shank button on the bow. It's crazy quilt look and nostalgic feel was appealing to me. This could have been made into a pillow or even framed. Instead I tacked a narrow tatting-like lace around the edge, backed it with muslin and put a little pearl cotton hanger on the back.

I’ve toyed with the idea of turning this into a card and putting a message on the back like “Remember Me”, or “To” and “From” written in colored ink . I can even see this with a pocket on the back to hold special cards. It could even go on the front of a picture or scrapbook album. The pattern is Victorian Elegance “Forget Me Not” by Homespun Elegance No. 122.

COUNTRY Hearts

I’m partial to the watermelon heart; how about you?

LOVE BIRD Heart

And for all the love birds out there (I see that smile!) – two love birds surrounded by a heart!

I enjoyed sharing these hearts with you; I hope you liked seeing them.

Mini Sampler - February

Mini Sampler – February
Cupid’s Delight (silk & 28 count linen kit) from Periwinkle Promises

Quilted Hearts

The last 2 entries evoked memories of the warmth and comfort provided by quilts. So here goes. A sampling of hearts - quilted, pieced, or appliqued:

Pieced Heart

Quilted Heart

Appliqued Heart

The landscape of hills and valleys created by quilting through layers of fabrics makes a cozy ‘puffiness’ and a play of light and dark shadows dances across the material. The design on the back can be just as pretty as the front. See the heart design here – it was created by quilting around the heart on the front.

Heart Scissor Case

Three separate designs and I wasn’t quite sure what to do with them. I thought about turning each into a separate ornament and then it came to me. . . TA DA . . . I LOVE beads. Since the theme is love, and I love beads, I decided to make something embellished with lots and lots of beads on it. So this is what evolved - a scissor/needle case - to hold a special pair of scissors and beading needles. Well, the scissors aren’t really special, but they’re small and used just for beadwork.

The larger design (back of the case) is a perfect introduction to specialty stitches. Each tiny heart is created using a different stitch – satin stitch, fern stitch, sprats head, queen stitch, smyrna, and more. The how-to diagrams on the chart are excellent! If you’ve never tried specialty stitches then the “Love” design on the back of the case is a perfect ‘try-me’ piece! I encourage you to try this tiny sampler – it is FUN to do! If you don’t want to make a project, just pull out a piece of scrap fabric and experiment with the stitches – you won’t be bored. Find a favorite and you can stitch up a little ornament, pincushion, or scissor fob . . . or . . . or . . .well, you get the idea. GO FOR IT!

The two rectangular designs, “All You Need is Love” (on the back) and “JeTaime” (the flap) are freebies from The Drawn Thread found here. The heart design is the February 2009 pinkeep design from Les Grilles de Maryse. Silk threads (leftover from a previous project), 28 ct pink Jubilee, and beads were used. Green cotton flannel lines the case and a plastic bead rope surrounds the back of the case. The heart design was stitched 1 over 1.

Another FANCY HEART

This is Watercolor Heart from Shepherd’s Bush. A beautiful hand-painted mat was included but is not shown here. Instead I've chosen to display it in a pretty pink fabric frame with vintage ecru lace surrounding the opening. A tiny heart charm and beads adorn this small heart.

Fancy Hearts

Since February is heart month, I decided to round up all the hearts I could find so here goes . . . first up - FANCY HEARTS . . .

Antique Sampler Heart

Pulled Work Heart

Hardanger Heart

Blackwork Heart

Put them all together . . .

and you get Winter Hearts from Shepherd's Bush. Each heart was a joy (and a challenge) to make and could stand alone as a small ornament. Change the colors to suite the seasons, holidays, or just your favorite colors. There’s a little bit of everything here: cross stitch, specialty stitches, pulled work, hardanger, needleweaving.

Surprise!

Calorie-free cholocates!

I had so much fun stitching this - metallics, and beads, and specialty stitches, oh my! Each candy was its own little project stitched one after the other until there was a whole box full of little treats!

Yummy!!! These look good enough to eat – I think I’ll have that one! Which one would you pick?

The chart for this is in the February 1995 Cross Stitch & Country Craft Magazine. I have no idea if it is still available & I can’t remember when I stitched it but I do remember it was one of the ‘funnest” projects I have ever done. I smile every time I open the box.