Sew Jenaissance

Too Cute Tuesday!

2014-02-25T11:53:00.001-05:00

Heyo! Look who's featured on Too Cute Tuesday over at Mr. X Stitch! Olisa was kind enough to feature my little bunny trio of patterns on her weekly blog post and I am dead chuffed!

Take a peek over at the Mr. X Stitch site; Jamie has it chock full of stitchy goodness. And, if you're looking to chat up like-minded stitchers join the Weave community.

You should also check out Olisa's blog, she is a very talented artist.

I'm currently involved in a swap at Weave. I can't show you what I'm working on until my swap partner receives it, but I promise to post pics when it's done.

Until then, here's an up to the moment photo of Pretty Little London by Satsuma Street - work in progress.

Total work time: 28 hours 4 minutes. Worked space: 6" x 4 3/4"

Hope you're having a stitch-filled week!
xo

New Pattern - Bee Mine

2014-01-14T15:46:00.000-05:00

New pattern out today in my Etsy shop!

Bee Mine Pattern

I am admittedly caught up in the hexagon craze so I wanted to do a little something with them, but at the same time keep it simple.

Even stitching

I noticed when I began stitching the edges of these little gems it was super easy to keep the stitching even, using only 3 stitches per side.

Where sides meet

Instead of doubling up on the sides that abut each other I decided to do a quick whip stitch along those edges and then return to the normal back stitching.

The bee was originally colored with lemon (DMC 444) and black (DMC 310) but wowza, it was shocking against the other colors. Yucko. Instead I opted for topaz and beaver grey. I think these softer colors work better with the varying shades of pink.

Next up in the hoop? Who knows!

Happy stitching!
Jen
xo

Will you be my Valentine?

2014-01-13T10:45:00.001-05:00

A quick post to share a free pattern with you! I'm busy as a bee working on the next pattern for my shop and finishing up my current WIP.

Here's a little love going out to you, just from me.

X's and O's

Download here!

Enjoy,
jen
xoxo

Pretty Little Paris - WIP

2014-01-08T19:03:00.000-05:00

Now that we have successfully moved and have somewhat settled in, I can get back to blogging and sharing my works in progress, tutorials, and other tidbits with you.

Currently I'm working on a pattern called Pretty Little Paris by Satsuma Street on Etsy.

I'm using Fiddler's Cloth in 18 count. I love the bright colors - and have a room that is filled to the brim (hopefully tastefully!) with all the colors of the rainbow.

I miscalculated while preparing the fabric for this design and am now realizing I will not be able to frame it in a hoop as I originally planned. So once the stitching is done you will all get to see a tutorial on just what to do when that happens. I'm not saying I know now, but hopefully something will occur to me.

Here's the progress thus far:

Progress on Day 1

I love the way counted cross stitch looks, but it is definitely a focus intensive craft for me. I usually add up time spent on a project by how many episodes of a tv show (or movies) I'm able to listen to while working. This one was a movie and a half.

Progress Day 3

This part was done over two days. The tower was the second day and the bits to the left were the third.

Progress day 6

Several days went by before I took another progress pic; much ado over Christmas! I have now lost count of how many hours I've worked on it.

Progress Day ??

This is the point at which I realized my project would not fit in the hoop entirely as I planned. As you can see to the left the trees are now out of frame. I'm not sure if I felt more stupid or more mad. I love the colors though and how it's looking thus far!

Progress Day #@!#^

So that little bit of building on the top right is the top of a windmill, which I *think* might fit without my having to move the hoop. Crossing fingers because there is not enough fabric on the right to move the hoop any further; which I discovered today.

There are two other patterns that I purchased along with this one so I could make a trio of them in my living room. I also purchased Tokyo and London. Jody has seven cities to date and I would love to have them all.

Sadly, while I'm working on personal projects it means I am not working on new patterns for my shop. So the next few weeks will see me focused on a new Valentine pattern and then I can go back to Paris.

What projects are you working on this year?

Create!

2013-07-27T08:56:00.002-04:00

It's free pattern Saturday over on my Facebook page. Normally I find a vintage pattern to share, but today I'm sharing one of my own.

Go forth and create!

click for full size

Hexagon Granny Blanket Update

2013-07-16T12:05:00.003-04:00

The hexagon granny blanket continues! It's amazing how doing these hexagons a few at time makes this project seem easy.

I decided to border each hexagon with just one color and while I was busy choosing my husband suggested I use a rich red. I took a look at the reds that were available and selected Serrano, from Knitpicks Shine Worsted collection. But wait, you might be thinking, the original hexagons are in sport weight! Yep. They are.

I happen to know that the worsted weight from Knitpicks is slightly thinner than the worsted weight I normally use, especially for amigurumis. I needed to make a slight adjustment to the hexagons while using the worsted yarn, I simply made 2 clusters of dc's in each space instead of 3.

Super bright - see the clusters of 2?

Another beautiful thing about using this thicker yarn is that it gives each hexie a bit more sturdiness. This came in handy when I tried connecting some.

Connecting a few hexagons as a test

Here's the spot in the project where I literally said "OOF FA! What did I get myself into?!" After all the end tucking on each of the hexies I'm now faced with many, many more ends than I ever imagined possible. Yes, that's because you cannot go along blithely connecting these in a row. There is no row! This might be obvious to everyone but it sure didn't occur to me until I began.

Back side of connected hexies

So here you can clearly see that I've use a slip stitch to connect these and once they're all connected I will go around the entire thing with a few rows of single or maybe half-double crochet to give it a finished look.

I'm loving the colors and even the red, though I am somewhat disappointed in how that edge dampens some of the colors. I think in future I would choose worsted weight entirely as well, though when I went to purchase the yarn, the sport weights had the most color variety.

I literally have no idea how big this blanket will wind up being, or if I have even bought enough yarn to finish the project. Seems a bit slap dash, but that's kinda how I like it.

Craftsy Class Review - Quilting Quickly - Part 1

2013-07-04T11:19:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago I signed up to be a Craftsy affiliate. As part of that program they offered me the opportunity to take a class for free. I'm glad they did! After more than a decade in retail, I'm a huge proponant of believing in what you're selling. Taking a class lets me evaluate the service both for myself and for you.

Here's a screenshot of the class specific overview - this is what you'd see while browsing.

Basic course info

I really like that they list for you exactly what you'll be learning; this is one of the factors that led me to pick this specific class. I wanted to learn quilting basics and the finishing techniques specifically.

This class is taught by Jenny Doan from Missouri Star Quilt Company. You have the opportunity to read about her and learn her credentials. As it happens, I ran across the MQC website while searching for charm packs for my summer stitching club project. I thought it was kind of neat that I was already familiar with that company.

The next screen is the lesson plan:

List of lessons and their lengths

This list was another factor in choosing the class as I was able to see that the final lesson on finishing techniques was nearly an hour long.

I watched the entire class before delving into any actual work. I wanted to be sure of what I was doing first - measure twice, cut once - right?

Lesson 2 - the Quilter's Toolkit was excellent. So many tools are available to make your work easier, and while Jenny gives an overview of all of them - she also gives you a list of the essentials so you do not have to break the bank to make the projects.

One of the most exciting tools for me was the needle threader - how had I never seen this before? I could do an entire post about this product on it's own. Suffice to say, here it is, and I will be buying one - an amazing tool for my poor old eyes!

Needle Threader by Clover

Lesson 3 - the Charm Pack quilt was perfect as I've been buying charm packs like candy. This lesson goes into depth on all the pre-cut packs available, how many you'll need for the size quilt you'd like to make, and how to separate and arrange them while laying out your quilt.

Lesson 4 - the Disappearing 9 Patch. This is the lesson I decided to follow for my first ever quilt attempt. While I've been paper piecing along quite nicely with Wild Olive and friends, this quilting method requires machine sewing. Can I just say ACK! Up to now machine sewing has been something I have assiduously avoided. Oh well, I withstood it as long as I could.

I selected Alpine Wonderlan d by Riley Blake for my 9 patch. This particular charm pack only has 21 pre-cuts, half the amount most charm packs have. I decided to make a little quilt to hang up at the holidays so only having 2 9-patch blocks to work with was ok.

Here are a few photos of my time spent in Lesson 4:

Arranging the 9 patch

Yucky, corners don't meet! Pick it out!

Perfect corners!! Did I do that!?

2 finished 9 patches

Back of a 9 patch finished

Using the skills I learned in the class, I was able to complete 2 9 patches as you see above! It may not seem like a big deal to veteran quilters out there, but for someone like me who hand sews everything and never thought to do a fiddly thing like a quilt, this is amazing. A. MAZ. ING!

I couldn't be more pleased with the class thus far. Jenny has a lovely personality and was fun to watch. She's obviously a long-time quilter but she paid special attention to the beginners and had dozens of tips and tricks to share.

As part of the class, there is a section for you to ask questions and have discussions. Jenny is quick to respond and very helpful in her answers. The best part of the question/answer feature is that it scrolls by on the side as you're watching, so the questions & answers that have been asked for the part of the class you're watching are right there for you.

The class will never expire from my account - which is fantastic. There's so much info packed into each lesson that I know I'll go back to watch parts again. Which I already have done. Many times.

As I continue making my quilt I'll post the second part of my review along with more photos of my project. I hope you'll stay tuned!

If you've taken a class at Craftsy I would love to hear about it!

If you're interested in taking the Quilty Quickly class, click here to sign up.

Wild Olive Mini Quilt - Week 4

2013-06-26T10:00:00.000-04:00

It's week four of the Wild Olive Summer Stitching Club. I cannot even believe it. The weeks are flying by!

This week the pattern is a little sun hat. I chose to stitch it with a split stitch to make it look a bit more like straw.

A happy sun hat

A proper split stitch actually splits one thread, so this is a modified version using 3 strands of floss. Thankfully I'm not terribly OCD about how many threads end up on the left as opposed to the right. I just go along and I think keeping it imperfect adds to to the texture and effect.

Here's a shot of the first four weeks together:

Mini Quilt Week 4

I've already started my quilting class and I can tell I'm going to have to borrow some tools from my MIL in order to finish this project, not to mention doing a bit of practice on a sewing machine. My WIPs are building up and thanks to Pinterest they have no hope of slowing down.

Be sure to link to your Wild Olive Summer Stitch Club project in the comments, I'd love to see what you're doing.
xo

Quilting Class with Craftsy

2013-06-25T09:27:00.000-04:00

I recently signed up to become a Craftsy affiliate. You may have noticed the banners around my site. I did this because I love what Craftsy offers to crafters, both hobbyists and small businesses.

I joined Craftsy just about a year ago, and started with my pattern shop there. I especially love that they don't charge me listing fees or take a percentage on my sales. As a seller with low price point items this really makes a difference!

After signing up to be an affiliate I was offered a free class! Fantastico! The class I chose is called Quilting Quickly and is taught by Jenny Doan from the Missouri Star Quilting Company. Concidence that I only just discovered their online shop and am now taking their class on Craftsy? (Add eerie sound effects here.)

My main reason for picking this class is so I could learn how to finish a quilt. With my Summer Stitching Club mini-quilt and all the charm packs I've purchased I figured I'd better learn pretty quickly how to complete these things or I will quickly run out of room for WIPs. This class looks to be just the ticket.

Here's the charm pack I'm going to start with for my class, which I received courtesy of my friend Paula at Miss Paula in Stitches.

Still in the package.. I can't wait to tear into it!

If you're interested in taking the class, or any class on Craftsy for that matter (they have a tremendous selection!), click over from one of my links and have at it! It's a great site and I'm sure you'll be pleased with it. As I write this the Quilting Quickly class is on sale for only $14.99! So clicky click and take the class with me! I would love the company!

I'll be posting a special page just for Craftsy and will be reviewing the class as I go along, so stay tuned!

xo

Playing with PB&J and friends - A quilting charm pack extravaganza

2013-06-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

I recently discovered the Missouri Star Quilt Company online while searching for charm pack deals.

As it happens, my friend Paula told me about them the very next day because they have a daily deal, in which something awesome is on wicked sale. Last week it was a deal for a mini-charm pack.

As they go, charm packs come in a mini size- which measure 2.5" square and a regular size which measure 5" square. Usually they consist of 42 pieces of fabric, but can also be half that size. My experience has been that each pack contains some duplicates. There are many other sizes of pre-cut quilting packs, but as yet I haven't opened my purse that deeply.

The charm pack that was on sale last week was Bake Sale by Riley Blake. It was a full 42 piece pack and I got it for $1.95! I know, right!! Normal prices for 5" charm packs range from $6-ish to $13-ish. So this was a serious bargain. What will I do with it? I dunno! But how do you pass up $1.95?

Bake Sale by Riley Blake 5" Charm Pack

Given that I was already spending a bit of money on the Missouri Quilt Co site, I figured I would pick up a couple of other charm packs that I'd had on my favorites list. The first is Comma, by Moda.

Comma, by Brigitte Heitland for ZEN CHIC for Moda

Comma, is a mini-pack, and it's so darn cute! The photo also doesn't give much indication as to what kind of colors this pack has so I took a side view shot.

Side view Comma, by Moda

As you can see these packs are trimmed with pinked edges so that they won't fray on you. I will say that so far the mini-packs shed a bit while you're working with them. And by shed I mean you're covered in bits of fabric before you're done.

To give you an idea of scale, here's the two packs together.

2.5" & 5" charm packs

I also purchased PB&J by Moda. I loved it so much I immediately opened it and began making honeycombs. So, no stack photo of PB&J. Alas! Instead I have photos of some finished honeycombs that I was arranging. I'm thinking I might make hoop art with them, or even sew them on to tea towels. Mollie at Wild Olive has a neat tutorial for hexagons and tea towels.

PB&J by Basic Grey for Moda

Some of the patterns in this stack have letters on them. This next picture has an "M" in the middle. It's totally cut off because of it's size and further obscured by the shape of the paper piece, but I think it only adds to the visual appeal.

Honeycomb Hex Flower

Possibly a B. Maybe an E.

Shortly after this photo, our cat 6 jumped up and laid his big cat bum onto the table where I had these laid out. Glad I got photos of the arrangement as they scattered to the wind when I yelled for him to get off. CATS!!

Do you have a favorite charm pack? Have you purchased any of the charm packs I've mentioned? If so I would love to see what you've made with them! Please do share!

xo

Urban Cowgirl - Mini Quilt in Progress

2013-06-23T09:13:00.001-04:00

By now you may have heard about my latest obsession - charm packs - the little stacks of pre-cut fabrics already mixed and matched for you. I first discovered them while choosing fabric for my Summer Stitching Club project. At this point I've collected nearly a dozen packs. They are completely addictive. Seriously.

I saw a pin on Pinterest that featured a mini-quilt by Diary of a Quilter. The project was done nearly two years ago and is something I never would have found on my own. So YAY for Pinterest!

Using Urban Cowgirl by Moda, I've created this mini-quilt top:

I want to be a Cowgirl

I added some hexagons of this crazy fabric I purchased, which my MIL thought was ugly.

Yee Haw!

This little fat quarter was sticking out of the shelf at a jaunty angle, which is why it caught my eye. I just had to have it. It's by Windham Fabrics, but I couldn't say what year it was released. I'm not able to find much info abou it, so I gather it's old.

I didn't realize at the time it was in the same color palette as my Urban Cowgirl, but doesn't it look dandy in there!

Looking Dandy!

This is a much more traditional style of fabric that I didn't think I would like, but the more I put these little hexies together the more I loved it. I was thinking of gifting it to someone when it was finished, but nothing doing now. It's all mine!

So, now that I've got the quilt top done I just need to learn how to finish it with a backing and quilt the top. I don't think I'll be doing any kind of fancy stitching as I'm only just now learning how to use a sewing machine. Yes, you read that right. I hand sew everything.

Here's one last look at the fabric...

See how the blue in my cowboy fabric picks up the blue in the paisley? That's serendipity for you.

Boys & Girls Club

2013-06-21T15:06:00.000-04:00

Today my little "Panda Loves You" hoop has gone out to the Boys & Girls Club of the Cumberland Plateau for their upcoming auction.

Scott County currently has the highest unemployment rate in the state of Tennessee. The Boys & Girls Club provides at-risk children with vital youth development programs aimed at Academic Success, Good Citizenship and Character, and Healthy Lifestyles.
Every year four non-profits in the community get together to organize an auction telethon to help raise money for the Club. This year 100% of the proceeds will support the Boys and Girls Club. Absolutely 100%, with no overhead costs or salaries. This event will be held August 2 & 3, 2013

Bye Bye Panda!

Hopefully my little Panda will be helpful in raising funds for the kids. You can find out more about the Boys & Girls Club of the Cumberland Plateau by visiting their website or their Facebook page.

Summer Stitch Club Update

2013-06-20T13:27:00.004-04:00

We are three weeks into our summer stitch club with Wild Olive. I am beyond glad that I stitched up the entire quilt top in advance! I suspected I might be happy, but really I'm quite delirious about it.

This week's embroidery pattern is a wee bikini and I've stitched it onto the third hexie in shade of pink, green, and grey.

Week Three - Bikini

I used an embroidery hoop this week and got much better results. The hoop marks ironed right out as well. It took about 5 minutes or so to stitch the entire pattern so the hoop was not on for long.

I've been trying since the beginning to get you accurate photos of the colors in this fabric group. They're slightly more muted than they appear in the photos. I've been playing around with the ISO and some of the other camera settings with some good results. Alas, today we have too many clouds and not enough natural light. But I will continue to try!

Here is a quick pic of all three weeks worth of patterns in a row.

Week Three - All Patterns

Mollie is such a talented artist - these patterns are so whimsical. It's been sighted on the Twitterverse that she is already getting ready for a fall project. I'm delighted as fall is my favorite season. If you weren't able to get involved in this summer club, perhaps you can stitch with us this fall.

If you are you stitching along with Wild Olive I would love for you to link to you project. You can also check out more stitching in the Wild Olive Flickr Group.

Hexagon Joining Tutorial

2013-06-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

Now that I'm into the paper piecing craze I've been researching all the ways to accomplish neat and tidy paper pieced shapes.

Up to this point I've been joining them with a whip stitch. Pretty simple stuff - just grab a few threads on each side and whip along to the end. I did notice though that it wasn't always neat and that I had gaps or my stitches showed a bit. That is not neat and tidy!

I came across a tutorial for joining hexagons using the ladder stitch. The tutorial was not great, though I was able to follow along well enough to figure it out and even improve on the method a bit.

Ready?

First step is to baste. I'm assuming you know how to do this so I'm only showing a photo or two.

First corner

Now, as you'll see in this next photo I am using a square shape piece of fabric, so where are those neat and tidy hexagonal edges?!

Back, basted entirely

You can trim before you baste or not. Or trim after you baste, or not. It's entirely up to you. I found that trimming before hand I was not always giving myself that 1/4" seam allowance. Remember I'm an "eyeball it" girl. This way I am assured of enough seam allowance.

Trimmed edges

Now let's attach two hexies!

First, put the right sides of your hexagons together and line up the edges and corners. I always start by putting my needle into the very tip of the corner on the hexagon closest to me,which I will refer to as the front hexagon.

Start with a corner

Here I am picking up the corner of the second hexagon, which I will refer to as the back hexagon:

Neat corners are key!

So even though I'm an "eyeball it" girl, I've realized that neat and tidy corners are a must in any kind of quilting. I always make sure my corners match up and they are where I begin and end.

Now that I've got the corner secure, it's time to begin ladder stitching.

As you can see here, I am inserting the needle slightly to the left of the corner on the back hexagon and making a tiny stitch along the spine. Keeping those papers in helps tremendously with this step.

Ladder stitches are nearly invisible

Once that stitch is drawn through it will disappear along the inside of the spine. It's time to insert your needle into the front hexagon. You will insert the needle directly across from where the first stitch exited - this will make the "rungs" of the ladder.

Making the rungs!

Here you can see them. Remember, the "edges" of your ladder are hidden inside the fabric along the spine.

You can see the rungs - but where is the ladder?

If you were able too see them it would look like this:

Oh, there's the ladder!

So, keep making your stitches until you are at the end and make sure your last stitch on the front hexagon goes through the corner and STOP!

STOP!

Now, flip over the hexagon and you'll notice some space between the pieces.

We don't want spaces!

Spaces are not neat and tidy, so you'll want to get rid of those by gently pulling your thread until the gap closes. Don't pull too hard or you will create puckers. Puckers aren't neat and tidy either.

Remember, pull gently but firmly.

Now that you've pulled your stitches together and made sure the gap is closed you can finish the joining. Flip your work back over and exit through the corner on the back hexagon. I always go through the corners twice to make sure they're secure.

Two times for neat and tidy.

Now you should have your hexagons joined and they should look beautiful!

Closed up that gap

Neat and Tidy!

My hexagon paper in the photos is shiny because I made my own using printer paper and packing tape. I was being thrifty for my first project. Upon further thought I realized that it took a long time to make them and I could just as easily buy them pre-cut from card stock relatively inexpensively. So I popped over to Paper Pieces and got some.

The only thing I've done with the new pre-cuts is to punch a hole in the middle. This helps with extraction after all the sewing is done. I simply pop a crochet hook into the hole and gently pull out the paper. Works a treat!

I hope this has been helpful as a tutorial. Feel free to comment and let me know if I've missed anything!

Hexagon Crochet Madness

2013-06-16T10:28:00.002-04:00

I've long been an admirer of Lucy at Attic24. Her site is full of crochet eye candy - every color and shape possible. It's always an inspiring and cheerful stop on my blog rounds. If you haven't visited, please do!

The moment I saw her granny hexagons I've wanted to make my own vibrant blanket and I'm happy to say I've finally started. I am not into big projects that have no end in sight... you know the ones I mean.. like a full size quilt or a king-size blanket that is one continuous piece. UGH! I would rather chew ground glass than take on something like that.

But, you're making a granny blanket Jen. WTH? What could be more trouble, really?

Well, you see, I'm able to fool my little brain into thinking it's a small project as I get that full sense of satisfaction upon completion of each granny.

So one granny....

becomes many grannies...

and they multiply...

like bunnies...

Until you have a gazillion of them!

My friend Paula, who is also hexagon crazed like me, wanted to know how long each one of these takes me. I did time it, and if I'm working without interruption each granny only takes 10 minutes. I save my crochet for the evening when the light isn't the best because I don't need to see anything in minute detail like I do with embroidery.

So in an evening, ~~watching~~ listening to tv, I do 6 or so hexies. Then I pack up the box until the next night. When I run out of yarn to make them I'm going to start tucking ends, which I will do with the same method - 6 or so per night.

The yarn I'm using is from Knit Picks. I'm using two different sport weight yarns. Both are Pima cotton blends. Here's a list of all the colors I'm using:

Comfy Sport:

Carrot

Lady Slipper

Peapod

Zinnia

Shine Sport:

Blush

Citrine

Cosmopolitan

Crocus

Dandelion

Green Apple

Hydrangea

Iris

Macaw

I also ordered Sea Foam, Grapefruit, & Marlin. Those colors are lovely, but not the same shade as the rest so they've been put aside for now. I really enjoy working with this brand of yarn and I am not really able to tell the difference between the the Comfy and the Shine - they both feel wonderful.

So, it's a big project (YIKES!) with instant gratification and a sense of completion which my brain really loves and therefore doesn't feel overwhelming in that "I'm never going to finish this!!!" sort of way. :)

Just one more pic - because I really am delighted with the colors...

Squee!!

Summer Stitching Club with Wild Olive

2013-06-12T11:04:00.003-04:00

Hello again. I've been quite neglectful of this blog, which I know most every blogger says at one time or another.

I'm active every day on my Facebook page, so if you like to keep up to the minute with me, that's where it's all happening.

Just before June began I joined Wild Olive's Summer Stitching Club. We're stitching summery fun patterns that Mollie has drawn and combining that embroidery with a quilting method known as English Paper Piecing (EPP for short).

I have always loved the look of quilts, especially modern ones - no traditional gal here. EPP gives me the ability to quilt by hand without having to worry too terribly much about accuracy. (As long as my corners match up!) In a nutshell you simply cut out pieces of card stock or paper to the size you want, cut your fabric with a bit of seam allowance, and then baste the fabric around that paper. It's really just that simple. And for an "eyeballer" like me, I don't really care if my seam allowance is exact as long as there is enough fabric to fold over the edges and baste.

The Club is making a mini-quilt out of hexagons which are ALL the rage right now.

Hexagons a plenty!

In choosing my fabric, 2wenty Thr3e by Moda, I discovered charm packs, which are pre-cut stacks of fabric that are already coordinated for you. This is excellent for someone like me who does not have a large fabric stash to draw from. Buying these little gems is quite addicting though and I am already collecting them for future projects. Yes, more wips!

Row two is complete

Just after row 2 was completed I realized I was going along apace and may not want to wait for the embroidery pattern. (I joined the club a bit early to get a jump start.) I did wait for the first pattern, which was a wee pair of smiley sunglasses.

Groovy!

Now having done this I completed the bottom two rows of the mini-quilt which would not have any embroidery on them. Those two rows took me one episode of Foyle's War. It was then I realized I was definitely not going to wait for the embroidery patterns and add a hexie once a week. However, for those with little time on their hands, Mollie designed this project to be done at any pace. She's brilliant, isn't she?

Quilt top completed.

Now it's a matter of doing the embroidery patterns as they come each week and then putting a backing on the quilt. I am not sure if I want to block it off with a border or keep it in it's funky hexie shape. Only time will tell there.

Yesterday was the second embroidery pattern installment.

Sunshine is heading my way..

So there you have it.. the up to date mini quilt and goings on with my summer stitching project.

Stop by the Wild Olive Flickr group if you'd like to see what the other club members are putting together.

*For anyone wondering what on earth happened to my 365 project, Sew Many Words, I stopped at 75 days. It was beginning to take over my entire day - trying to figure out a clever design for each word and then stitching it, and then photographing it, and then adding clever filters, etc. I simply stopped enjoying it which I think is really the antithesis of what it was meant to be. You can see all 75 days by visiting Sew Many Words.
Coming up this summer I'm hoping to get some new patterns out to you - currently on my hoop is another color collage, this time in blue.

I hope you all have a fantastic day!
xo

Anniversary Giveaway

2013-05-10T11:54:00.000-04:00

May 12th will be my second ETSYversary! To celebrate, I'm having a giveaway on my Facebook page. You can enter to win your choice of 3 patterns from my shop. Contest ends on 5/12!

Click here to enter: Enter Giveaway!

Lots of new things in the shop too! Here are a couple of sneak peeks...

good day sunshine

sweet dreams in sweet shop colors

There's also some new finished hoop art - perfect for kids rooms!

Hello Sweetie!

One Fish

I'm currently working on some new tea towel designs with a Scandinavian flair, and am on day 61 of my Sew Many Words 365 Project. I cannot believe that many days have passed already. Only 305 to go!

Happy mother's day to all the mom's out there.. and if you're in need of a last minute gift, my mother's day pattern is available in the shop - it stitches quickly and finishes lovely in a hoop! See?

best mom ever!

Sashiko

2013-04-05T07:30:00.000-04:00

The other day I came across this post by Grumperina. I had never heard of Sashiko and was intrigued by the style, colors, and design.

As it turns out, her blog post was about a post from the Purl Bee, which was about making a Sashiko pillow. The pillow is so lovely and vibrant and of course I want one. Or two. Or more.

Sashiko is a Japanese term for "little stabs" and it refers to a running stitch technique used on a geometric pattern. Traditionally Sashiko is done with white thread on a blue background. I found the colorful version done by the Purl Bee much prettier.

I knew I had to try this method as soon as I saw it and wanted to practice the running stitch before I invested in a sampler from the Purl Bee. So I whipped up my own version. Being that I created my own sampler, I wasn't quite exact with the spacing of the stitches and hence my design is a little off. There are dozens of mistakes, but overall I love the look of it.

Here is a close up:

Colorful running stitches

For this to be a true Sashiko I think the stitches need to be uniform. That is key as far as I'm concerned and as far as I was able to see on both Grumperina's and the Purl Bee's pages. My running stitch technique leaves much to be desired.

I used a very long (maybe nearly 2 1/2 inches) milliners needle. There are needles specifically for Sashiko, which you can also get at the Purl Bee. Being that I like to have the proper tools for every project if I can, I will probably invest in them when I buy the sampler.

I used DMC floss for this - all six strands. I'm not sure this was the best idea I've ever had as there are places where the thread split and wouldn't lie flat. As luck would have it, you can buy thread specifically for Sashiko. Didn't see that one coming, did you. ;)

I should also note that this is worked off the hoop, which was very alien to me. I like a nice tight working surface and I am betting that if I had put this on a hoop and did my typical 'up and down' stitching they would have been closer to flawless. As the needle was so long I was putting 7 or 8 stitches per needle and pulling the thread through the fabric. There are definitely places that puckered, which means I pulled too tightly and knotted it off before making sure the fabric was laying flat.

Here's a photo of my stitching all finished - the foreground is ironed so you can see the difference in the look of the stitches. I think the wrinkly end looks cool too.

Quilters knots add an interesting element to the edges.

Overall I enjoyed the process and I think I could translate quite a few patterns into the Sashiko style.

Have you done Sashiko? I would love to see it!

Etsy NEAT Team Challenge -March

2013-03-24T06:45:00.000-04:00

I've been anxiously awaiting the day that I could post all my photos of this month's Etsy team challenge. It's finally here!! As the winner of the last challenge I was able to pick the theme. I picked "The Garden", which I thought would be perfect for spring.

Here's my entry for the challenge and my newest pattern for the shop:

Garden Sign

Here are a few close-ups:

Carrots are good for your eyes

An apple a day keeps the doctor away..

Sugar snap peas are my fav!

Leafy letters

Birds are always welcome in my garden!

I stitched the letters using Sublime Stitching's new floss. This particular color is called 'Eyeliner' and is available in the 'Portrait' floss pack. It's my new favorite color! It isn't quite black, or grey. It isn't quite purple, but it has a charcoaly-purple cast to it. At the moment they don't sell the colors individually, but I'm hoping they will soon.

I framed the finished piece to hang on the wall by our back door. Here's a pic of what it looks like framed, which was much harder to capture than I imagined.

Weird angle for the photo to keep out the glare, but I do like it framed!

The pattern will be available in the shop early next week. I hope you like it!

365 Project - Sew Many Words

2013-03-11T20:11:00.002-04:00

Last week I mentioned on my Facebook page that I came across a completely awesome 365 project by Emma Hughes, in which she stitches a new word every day. Not only am I an avid stitcher, which you all know by now, I'm also a huge fan of word games. This project had an instant appeal to me so I've started my own.

For those of you who aren't familiar, a 365 project is a year long activity where you chronicle your daily life one photo at a time. For me, that will mean that every day I stitch a new word that I find using a random word generator. After I finish stitching it, I'll take a photo of it.

I've set up a special Tumblr blog as well as a page on the 365.org site which will house the photos. Feel free to follow along!

Here is the groovy graphic I made for the project:

I've already uploaded my first word:

Origin: 1475–85; < French: a small boat

Emma's idea of sending out pre-stamped envelopes for those wishing to donate a scrap of fabric was a stroke of genius.. so please do contact me if you're in the U.S. and interested in donating.. it can be a scrap as small as 4" x 4" (so I can get it into a hoop) up to any size you like. If you donate I'd be happy to mention you in the posting to thank you for your generosity.

I hope you'll follow along and I hope to inspire you to start your own 365 project. Wish me luck!
xo

Needle Painting

2013-03-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

Have you heard of needle painting? It's an art form developed by Trish Burr, which features the long and short embroidery stitch. Trish does spectacular work. I was inspired when I checked her book, Colour Confidence in Embroidery, out of the library.

I've not been particularly good at the long and short stitch, but looking through the book I am amazed at just how much like painting her embroidery is.

I decided today to practice just a bit with a couple of flower petals, using her book as a guide. The book has comprehensive color palettes as well as sample projects.

Here is my very first attempt at needle painting.

Not bad I thought, before I took the photo

After taking the photo and getting a proper look at my stitches, here's what I actually saw:

Oh yes, I might need better lighting!

The work above is in a 3 inch hoop, so it's really quite tiny. Other mistakes I see is that I didn't follow the shape itself during each color or color change. There are a total of 6 colors and each color is stitched with 1 thread.

Trish goes into detail about how to lay out the threads so that your thread is always laying the same direction (each thread having it's own warp and weft) which I think makes a huge difference. I didn't do it and i wonder if that has something to do with how messy it all looks.

It's fun to stretch out and learn new skills so this will be something that I intend on practicing. Have you done needle painting? What was your experience? Are you super fab at the long-short stitch? I would love to know!

Etsy Neat Team Challenge Sneak Peek

2013-03-04T11:48:00.001-05:00

This month's Etsy Needle Arts Team (Etsy NEAT) challenge is "In the Garden". I won last month with my winter sports entry! So I chose the garden as this month's theme.

Here's a sneak peek of my design.

In The Garden

I hate to think I can't publish this as a pattern until the end of the month when the entries are due, so if I'm inspired to do another garden themed pattern in the next week or so I'll get this one posted as a pattern sooner and let you know.

I plan on finishing this in a black distressed 8 x 10 frame and hanging it next to the door that leads out to our porch, where my husband plans on having an amazing container garden this summer.

In my next post I want to gab about floss and my new favorite color. Stay tuned!

Sick Stitching!

2013-02-04T20:55:00.001-05:00

Loretta at Stitching The Night Away prompts:

Eventually there comes a time when you’re not feeling well, whether it’s the flu or a cold or something else entirely. The question is, do you manage any stitching when you’re under the weather or does it just have to wait for better days?

A perfect topic for me to comment on. Last week the nOob brought home a sinus infection. He went to the dr. straightaway and got himself a zpac and laid in bed for 2 days. He then jumped up and went back to work and is feeling great.

Two days after that I came down with the sinus infection and I laid in bed for 2 days, went and got my zpac and then laid in bed for another 3. There was no jumping up for me. No sir. Instead I got so dizzy I couldn't walk straight, broke out in hives on my left hand, and have developed some manner of super dry-mouth that can only be described as a mouthful of sticky cotton. Nice, huh? Guess I'm allergic to zpac and will have to tough it out on my own.

During the first two days I was horizontal and didn't do any stitching at all. I didn't even think about stitching. With body aches and fever, I was really just grateful that there was a TV series on Netflix I hadn't already watched. (Enterprise, in case you're wondering.) I have a love/hate relationship with Netflix and my Roku, but I'll save that for another day.

After the worst of the symptoms were over I was definitely needing to do something with my hands. Luckily I have several designs going at once (both hand embroidery and cross stitch) so that I can choose something and get stitching rather quickly. I didn't get as much done as I'd like but as I have no deadlines it didn't really matter.

So, to stitch or not to stitch when sick? If I can plant my sick ass in a chair, I say stitch!

Oh, and one tip: If you feel a sneeze coming on, close your floss box.

And now, a fish.

Fish Doodle - watercolor and Sakura micron on watercolor paper.

Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.

Etsy NEAT Creative Challenge Entry

2013-01-23T11:14:00.000-05:00

It's time for the reveal of the Etsy Needle Arts Team challenge! Which means a new pattern going up for you all today.

Last month's winner chose "Winter Sports" as the category and I came up with a little skating Clementine.

Winter Girl

I think this might be the first time I've used this color blue. I was unsure of it at first, but after it was finished I knew it was the right choice.

Snowflake Close Up

The hair is done with my new Floche thread which makes the split stitch look very yummy indeed.

Knit Cap & Scarf

The pattern should be listed in the shop later today! I hope you like her. ♥

Valentine Cross Stitch

2013-01-21T17:37:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day is almost here so I thought I would make up a wee little freebie for you! It's a cross stitch pattern, which I hope to be doing more of this year.

A little love

Simply click here to download the PDF. Happy stitching!