Sorry, did I say a week?

obviously i forgot about 'Stitching Sundays'. also known (by my daughter as 'Cupcake Day')

And so the Thimble Pod is complete. Here is the Fushia side:

& The Strawberry:

There are some things which aren't perfect, but given that it was my first time doing any Stumpwork, & needle lacing, I am fairly pleased with the result.

When you press the two tassel ends together, it pops open as such:

(yes I played with some photo effects - I really need to work out some photography skills at some point)

Week of Awesome!

although it has been two weeks really.

Last weekend I was off to our work annual conference where our team won "Dealer of the Year" this was a huge surprise & amazing feeling to be told you are part of the best team in NZ.
This has slowly sunk in with help from two of the most delicious cakes supplied by our suppliers :)

Then on Monday my best crafty friend arrived from Chch & I took Wednesday& half of Thursday off work to Craft shop with her & do general craftiness. We scoured Wellington's crafty shops & this was a real treat for me as I dont get a chance to get out to many of these places. I think the two best places we went to were 'Thimbles & Threads' in Upper Hutt & the new & improved 'Pete's Emporium' in Porirua. Although Petone's 'Villagebeads' deserves a mention for having the very best fudge I have ever tasted (& they have free tastings). I have to go back there soon, as I am already out.

Wednesday I made this:

it is a scarf, it did look like a ball of wool when I started. This is for my final FB handmade gift - yah! mission complete :)

Today I went to my Thimble Pod class, & so now need to finish that... here is part of what I have so far:

& a close up of the Strawberry:

I'm quite please so far, although some of this is brain scratching, after today I feel quite confident at finishing it - hopefully within the next week.

Snow Post

This what have started from the class on Saturday, very interesting, eventually it will be a thimble pod thanks to Barbara Kerry - great tutor. Small class & have already learnt a lot. I also have a lot of homework to do. which i did a little of on Saturday afternoon, while some methods were still fresh.

So Sunday I made a jacket. hmmm... seamstress I am not. I think my main problem is my lack of trust of sizing in patterns & so while the jacket looks pretty cool, it is far too big. Then it snowed.

Snow is very rare for Wellington - first time in the 5 years we have been here that we have seen it.

So, I made a scarf for one of my Facebook friends of whom I owed a handmade gift. Finished this morning before work & it has now been delivered - perfect for this "polar blast"

While it was a kit, I bought the kit for the knitting pattern part of it. I tried the crochet pattern, but got confused as I have never actually crocheted anything before, where as the knitting part, while expanding my knowledge was comprehensible enough to pull it off - yah!

Oh and today I got my Amazon embroidery book purchases... such prettiness, but I must finish projects on the go first. So now to my homework, as i am off to Auckland this weekend for work - no sewing :(

Frustrations & Success

Bit of a delay between posts, but I have been busy! Not all of what I have been doing has been successful however.

Firstly I was attempting to create a costume for my work function in Auckland later this month. The theme is Super-Heros & Villains & so I started to attempt this character:

She is the best character in the movie Kick Ass. & for a super hero - surprisingly well covered.

So I got this material:

& decided to start with the leggings/trousers & just happened to have this pattern lying around

Yes, it is from 1987 :)
then I realised that my purple material has no stretch in it what-so-ever. So off to the shops I went & bought some material that was more suitable.
The pattern was just as advertised - Quick & easy. - sorry no pics of this. Then, i thought I would attempt to get my overlocker to work...

I got this for free through "Freecycle" about 2 years ago, got my Uncle to give it the once over & make sure it was ok to use, then I left it in my spare room.
I think i followed the diagram to make it work & it would cut material (Yah!) but the stitching didn't happen. I gave up in frustration and it is back in my spare room until I give it another go. one day.
Then it was late & I was tired, so I stopped.
Now, I will still make the jacket of the costume, but I realised why I don't make clothes very often - all the cutting out! shesh! it takes so long!! But I WILL complete it on Sunday. promise.

Meanwhile I completed the stitching of the biscournus (pics will come) now they are resting until I decide if I want to put any embellishments on them.
I have completed 3 "Congratulations" cards - it seems there are many lovely ladies I know who are "in the family way"

 

Firstly I did the stitching, each one took about an hour. Then to mark where I wanted the boundary, I pulled a thread. Next, because of how I wanted to present these, I ironed on some interfacing to give them more rigidity. Then cut to the pulled thread lines. (these cards have been sitting in my house for a few years now - good to have a use for them)

My next project is to re-learn to crochet & make a couple of scarves (hopefully before summer) & this Saturday I am going to my first embroidery class since I was at primary school... making a thimble pod.

Loving Links

Here are a few links of places I love - some give me inspiration, some are just WOW! & all are crafty of a kind :)

Firstly, one of the many amazing crafty ladies I have met since moving to Wellington...

I was introduced to Kat through the Crafty Foxes on FB & since then, I have participated in Craft swaps, Clothing Swaps & Wednesday Wardrobe Challenges. Anyone from anywhere in the world can participate in the challenges & what a great way to get more out of your wardrobe!

Cut out & Keep has given me so much inspiration including the inspiration to start my own blog. Some of the fun has actually happened in the kitchen, not a place I have been inspired before, luckily I like trying new things :)

Here is something recently posted in FB: English Embroidered Bookbindings. When i checked it out, I nearly drooled at the amazingness.

This Blog, I found through Cut Our & Keep, and while she does a lot of quilts, she also does a few quirky things along the way, which keep me reading. The other day she posted a quilt she has done for a cancer patient & the timing has hit me & for the first time in my life I am inspired to give this a go.

Felt is a NZ website, where you can buy handmade goods made by Kiwis - yah!

These are the main ones I go to, but of course I have a while folder in my bookmarks for "Craft"

Any great links for me???

4 day project

Most of my stitching is done in the evenings - some time between 6:30pm & 9:30pm... in between updating FB & checking out other equally time sapping websites.
I decided that for one of the 3 remaining presents I need to make for my FB New Year promise I would make one of the lovely ladies a bookmark. (don't worry, even though they don't know who is getting it, I do)

So, Day one... chose the lettering & graphed the pattern:

 

I saw something similar recently, but just can't bring myself to curse with thread.

Day two saw me choose colours & stitch the evening away:

 

No pic for day 3, but this involved making decisions on how I was going to finish this off, I stitched some back lining on the reverse side & arranged the lace. If you can imagine day 4 (today) finished product without the lace, that was the end of day 3.

Personally I think my ability to tidily finish project off has greatly improved - yah!
Now I have 2 more hand made  gifts to think of... hmmmmm in the meantime, back to biscornu.

Huzzah! take that!

yes, i unpicked & redid the stitching on the back of the postcard. So today I got to add the beads for the border.

My original plan was to use those little note clips - I thought I had seen them nearly everywhere & always thought why would anyone buy them?? so when I finally see a use for one, I can't find them anywhere!! Lucky I found this very cute & small easel.

Whew! Now I can get back to the biscornus, I just want to finish one more before starting on a bookmark & the green project.