Who said bigger is better?

Lately, it seems I’ve been working on little - no - tiny projects.

Halloween Bits by Erica Michaels
40ct silk gauze
DMC cotton floss, CC, WDW, GAST

Like the acorn fob (Needle Nut) this was stitched on silk gauze. I used that same mat to mount the gauze for stitching. And I was lucky enough to find an inexpensive shiny black frame to put the finished piece in.

From tiny to "can you believe how little this is"????

Another miniature project but stitched on 40ct linen instead of 40ct silk gauze.
Even though the thread count is the same, I found it easier stitching on the silk because the holes were larger for the needle and thread to slip through. The fabric linen fibers are thicker and I had to “hunt” for the holes. (I really do need to get stronger glasses!)

From this . . .

to this . . .

Almost 40 colors worked into this space. Beautiful shading. Do you see the face in the moon?

OOOO fierce looking cat!

(about 1 ½” x 1”)

Boo Pendant by Blackberry Lane Designs, LLC designed by Marie Driskill
40ct light sand linen (Zweigart)
DMC cotton floss

One more -

Just Nan

Spooky Witch Hat
Over The Top! 2009 Series

Finally Framed!

Took a long time, but they’re finally framed:

Houses of Hawk Run Hollow by Carriage House Samplings

The framer & I had a lengthy discussion about this frame. I liked the orangey color but thought the frame was too narrow for this large piece and I wasn’t too crazy about the black beading.
I’m so glad I went with her suggestion because the black beading accents the piece perfectly!

Here's a close up -

With My Needle by The Goode Huswife

And a close-up -







This is a real splurge for me because I usually try to find ready made frames and do the labor myself. Houses was such a large piece I didn't think I could do it properly.

Squirrels' Favorite Nut

Fall has fallen and so have a gazillion acorns in my yard.

Needle Nut by Erica Michaels Needleart Designs
30ct silk gauze
Simply Wool thread from The Gentle Art
Acorn charm

When asked what my favorite season is I always have a hard time answering because I love each of them for different reasons. I have noticed, however, that I seem to have more items in the browns, oranges, and golds of autumn.

I also love acorns and pine cones so I jumped at the chance to stitch this little acorn using the suggested wool threads and loved the warm feel of this slightly fuzzy fiber in my hand. The silk gauze (and acorn charm) was included with the chart along with complete mounting instructions on fabric allowing for the use of a hoop. I chose a mounting method I was more familiar with.

I purchased a ready made framing mat (you know, the kind you buy to put inside a frame to border a picture - cost about $1.50) to hold the gauze. I then taped the outer edges of the gauze to the mat making certain the gauze was square and taut.

This shows the stitched design on gauze mounted to the mat.

Here I’ve removed the tape from the mat (looks like I can use the mat again).

I then cut out around the stitched design, sewed the front & back together and added the charm and hanger.

Now I can use this as a tiny pincushion or scissor fob

or

both!

More Mini Samplers

May, June, and July Mini Samplers. I know, I know. I’m w-a-a-a-a-y behind! Some things just can’t be helped since life does have a way of making demands. I’m frantically playing catch-up now that things have quieted somewhat.

We’re into Fall but here’s a glimpse of summer past.

MAY - yummy red ripe strawberries . . .

May Flowers by Periwinkle Promises
28ct antique white Glasgow linen
Soie d’Alger silk floss

JUNE - flying kites and ice cream cones . . .

Kites & Cones by Periwinkle Promises
28ct raw Cashel linen
Soie d’Alger silk floss

JULY . . . get ready for a picnic. Burgers, baskets, & watermelons and, yes, those are ants running around the border!

Picnic Feast by Periwinkle Promises
28ct antique white Glasgow linen
Soie d’Alger slk floss

Exchange Fun!!!

As a member of Tiny Treasures Exchange I’ve had the delight of making and, especially, receiving small needle accessories. The talent and creativity of the exchange partners is amazing.


Floss Tag Received


Our latest exchange was a Floss Tag. Here is the tag that I received from Rochelle @ Blue Cornflower Stitches.


She chose designs from Cross Stitch Happy .

Rochelle stitched an absolutely beautiful dragonfly in blues and greens embellished with beads (oh, how I love beads!) The beads make the dragonfly sparkle just like a real one!

On the reverse is -
You wouldn’t believe this was her first attempt at a floss tag AND an octagonal shape. She did a marvelous job! She cleverly chose ribbon instead of an eyelet to attach the ring.

I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful "stitchin' friend" and am anxious to put the gold needles and pearl cotton that she sent to use in the near future.

Floss Tag Sent

Here is the floss tag that I sent to Pokua @ Crossed Yarns .

This was my first floss tag attempt and hope to do better with the eyelet attachment next time.

Take a look at Pakua's web site - her pictures are much better than mine.

I chose Flower Sampler 2008 from Rosewood Manor’s "Something Old Something New 10th Anniversary Book of Celebration" using 28 ct linen, stitched 1 over 1 with DMC cotton floss. I personalized the tag with the year, our initials, and TTE.


This shape and the addition of the eyelet was a challenge! I love trying new and different things, don't you?

Another Fish Story

Life has been very demanding this month and my stitching time has been very limited so in keeping with the last entry here's another 'fish story' to share . . .



KOI POND from Cross StitchHappy. A free design available here.


I fell in love with this design the minute I saw it and knew I had to stitch it. I also had the perfect piece of fabric in my stash which had been haunting me for many years. When I began I had no idea that it was going to evolve into a stitcher's wallet but I wanted to use as much of the fabric as possible so the project g-r-e-w and g-r-e-w.

More about this particular piece of fabric. It was originally purchased with a specific design in mind but I didn't enjoy stitching on it so I ripped out what little I had started and put it aside. The fabric is not even (translation - uneven) which I didn't realize until all stitching was completed. The graphed design is square, however, the stitched design is not! Surprise!! It is longer than it is wide! (Lesson learned - beware of older fabrics at bottom of fabric stash that are unmarked and unlabeled.) I believe it is 22 count but for Koi Pond I stitched over 2 threads for 11 count. The DMC colors suggested were used with Kreinik metallics added for shimmer.


The wallet has a front and back cover with one inside page and is closed with a ribbon tie.







A scissor pocket is on the inside back cover, thread rings are on the inside front cover, felt needle pages are on the inside, and a separate scissor fob is included.

Here’s a picture of the page inside. I knew I wanted this extra page but had no idea how to attach it so I enclosed its edge within the front and back pages. (I tapered the bound edges of the inside page to reduce some bulk. ) Then I had the dilemma of what to do with this bulky edge so I added initials and the year. See what I mean by "evolved"?

The scissor pocket shows a repeat of the koi.

An extra piece of ribbon was added to gather thread dangling from the thread rings (hard to see in the photo).

Sizes are approximate: Closed: 3 ½” x 5”. This includes includes ½” on the edge for initials & year. Open: 9” x 3 ½”.

A lily pad was repeated on on the back and the water swirl was a perfect design for the scissor fob.

Here’s a closeup of the beads on the spine. I was thinking 'fish scales' when I added the beads.

I've had requests for a tutorial for this since it appeared on Cross Stitch Happy's site. I've tried to create one (after-the-fact is very difficult) but my attempts are very amateurish and unsuccessful, at least for publication. I did use the backstitch/whipstitch biscornu method for finishing. If I were to do this today I would stitch the front and back patterns, initials and year on one long piece of fabric. Since I really didn't know what I was doing everything is on a separate piece of fabric which made for a lot of extra and unnecessary work in sewing everything together.

If you decide to create something like this, please learn from my mistakes and it's a lot easier if you have a definite plan in mind before starting.

But sometimes the most fun is in the discovery.

Goldfish

While visiting my sister recently, I took a picture of this little hanging that I made and gave to her about 6 years ago. She has a koi pond and I thought this would be a cute, if not unusual, gift for her. And, besides, she seems to really like my 'homemade' gifts. At least, that what she tells me to my face. (Maybe she just doesn't want to hurt my feelings.) Well, here goes. This was an experiment with wire, beads, yarn, and a non-frame finish.

"Goldfish" from Cats of the World in Cross Stitch by Jayne Netley Mayhew & Nicki Wheeler
18 count cream Aida (I think), DMC cotton floss, Kreinik blending filament

Here’s a closeup of the goldfish. I added Kreinik blending filament to the stitching for a bit of shine, some fuzzy 'seaweed' yarn, and various beads at the sides for even more shine and texture. And I didn't stop there. I quilted around the fish and dangled beads and shells from the bottom for even more texture and interest.

If you look closely you can see the quilted outline of the fish on the backing fabric (which is an entirely different story). This was my first attempt at embellishing with beads other than cross stitching them in. If I were to do this today, I would add lots more beads. Oh, yeah!! LOTS more! It was also my first (and last) attempt at twisting wire into different shapes. Not too smooth but I tried and, of course, I had to add the little charm to the hanging.

Because I love my sister!