Smocking Pleater

 

Report on the Pleater:

It works like a charm. Easy as pie etc.
Out of 24 needles, 2 are bent and 3 are missing.
No problem.
It just makes a narrower (is that a word?) strip.
I will get more needles
but the strip is actually wide enough for me.
I don't believe my $7 Pleater was ever used!
It looks and works like it is brand new.

A Lucky Find

 

Today, I was early for a hair appointment, so I stopped by the thrift store.
LOOK WHAT I FOUND!
I am so excited.
Of course I have no idea how to use it, but it does have instructions and
there is always the Internet.
It is missing a needle or two and some of them look a little bent but
I have already found a place online to get more needles.
Shibori anyone?
The best part?

$6.99

Tale Of Two Robins

 

A journal page.....

New Start

5 x 11

in work
embroidery on paper and fabric

Just A Thought

 

High Wire Act

8 x 11

Paint on canvas board

Early this morning, I was drinking coffee and flipping through CPS magazine. The article I was reading, included instructions for making a particular type of watercolor card. I immediately wanted to make one. This is a "problem" I have and I wonder if there are others like me.

I am easily inspired!

No agonizing over where the next idea is coming from. All I have to do is see something I like and I want to make one too, but with my own spin on it. People often ask me if there is anything I don't do. Well there are things but really, not all that many. I am happiest when I am learning something new and bored when I am not. I am hardly ever bored. Since I consider ART a place for continual exploration, that works fine for me. I use most of what I learn. One thing leads to another and a hand spun yarn turns up in a collage, paper gets embroidered, paint ends up on fabric. It is just a big, self serve candy store and you browse around putting different things in your bag until you get what you want. The more candies you have in your bag, the better. I have been told I should focus on one thing, but I just can't do it. I tried. Several years ago, I thought I would try making books for six months. Nothing else. Just books. Well OK. I had a good time, I made a lot of books. I explored all the techniques I had been wanting to try. I made some wonderful books, but after a while I wasn't learning anything new to add to the process. The books started to be just variations on a theme. I wasn't through making books, but it was time to learn a new thing that I could bring back to the book making at another time. It is easy to find a new thing to learn. Recently I saw a pattern for an old fashioned tomato pin cushion (Martha Stewart) and I can hardly wait to make one. I have the perfect fabric. I am sure I will find another use for that shape. I bet a tiny one would look good on one of my embroideries. What do you think?

Scribble Lace

 

Free Motion Machine Stitched Lace
First attempt
Made for Karen Ruane's Extended Embroidery Class

Doesn't  this photo look like something out of an old embroidery book?

Gone Stitchin'

 

Putting the Pieces Together

 

14x19
I'm beginning to put my embroidery samples together.
Fabric, paper, scrim, vintage textiles, mirrors

Paper and Scrim

 

Tessie Stands Guard

 

It has been a while since Tessie graced these pages.
She has been busy adjusting to her new environment.
Moving is hard on dogs too.
Here she is in the studio. She doesn't like it here too much
as the windows are high and she can't see out.
She solved this problem by jumping up on a chair and then onto the
sewing machine table.
Of course in the process, a few things would be rearranged,
pincushions and scissors for instance.
She is very careful, but she is not a cat.
She also likes to walk over to the next table which is the ironing table.
That makes me nervous because the iron is usually on.
None of this is a good plan,
 but it is all my fault.
I let her do it for a day or two and now she thinks it is perfectly all right.
When I tell her to get down, she just looks at me (like she is doing here) or
simply pretends not to hear me.
This morning, I moved the chair. 

Embroidery on Scrim and a Coffee Filter Flounce

 

More Experiments with Scrim and Paper

 

I am still stitching on scrim and silk paper.
Oh, and a couple of coffee filters.

Blue Mood

13 x 13

In work

More Playing With Scrim

Stitched Scrim

Messing about with stitched scrim for
Karen Ruane's
new class
Extending Embellishment

Have Tea With Me

 I finished this piece last night.
It is only 13 x 13, so it didn't take forever!
Long enough....
I like the pocket for tea, cookies
a love note?

February Review

Progress

I've made some progress on this piece. Little by little.
I added a pocket(so pleased to find a use for this bit of tea towel),
some leaves, some hexagons and some loops.
 You will perhaps notice a space in the loops.
I made several strips, but not quite enough.
Don't you hate it when you are short one piece?
I also continue to do hundreds of French Knots.
 I like the way they help to blend different areas.
 Surely there is an easier way,
but who wants easy!