Typepad Trial

I have a new Typepad blog here that I am giving a free 14 day trial. I may stay there or continue with Blogger. Not sure yet.

Salt & Pepper Pot Snow People

I was inspired by this blog post and made these.

Autumn Projects and More Quilt Blocks

Some autumn mail art for a swap. This is the first time I've altered envelopes.




Here is what the backs of the envelopes look like.


Staying with the autumn theme, here's an ATC that uses a wax crayon resist technique for the background. The elf is etched onto parchment paper, cut out and coloured from the back.


Lastly, here are three more blocks to go towards my sampler quilt. I'm loving making these blocks. First, grandmother's fan.


Then, stained glass tulip.


Finally, Dresden plate.

Update

Here's what I've been up to since I last updated. I made some more fabric paper. This one has skeleton leaves embedded into it.


And this one has lace incorporated into it.


A bead embroidered heart following a Doodling with Beads class with Christen Brown.


A few weeks ago, I started a hand quilting class locally (well, twenty minutes drive away) and have made three quilt blocks so far. The pic below shows the Shoo Fly and Honey Bee blocks that I've made.


This one is the Celtic Knot block.


When I have around fifteen blocks made, I'll use them in a sampler quilt for the single bed in our spare room. I'm really enjoying it and the tutor is so helpful and encouraging. The other ladies who attend are friendly with a great sense of humour so we have a bit of a laugh, too.

Lastly, for now, an autumn themed fabric postcard that I made for a swap.


We had family from Wales visiting recently and we explored some of the local attractions so I'll post about that next time. Plus I think it's about time to show some of the stuff that other people have sent me in swaps over the last several months. Back soon!

Another Art Quilt and Drunken Scotch Leaves

Here is a pic of my second art quilt.


The purple and green fabrics are both hand painted. The central motif is a piece of fused angelina fibres. The heart in the centre of the angelina piece was made by using a stencil and embossing powder and then I made a sort of stitch sampler out of the whole piece by sewing all over it with decorative stitches and various threads on my sewing machine. Below is a photo of the angelina motif before it was added to the quilt.


I made this motif some time ago and just put it to one side as I didn't know what to do with it until now. After I'd added the central motif, I quilted around it following the design of the motif's shape. Then I beaded around and within the frame of the motif and also around the central heart to make it a focal point.

Afterwards, I added some bead embroidered motifs around the central piece and I changed these and repositioned some as I went to make it work better for me. From top left working clockwise they are bead embroidered motif, silver face charm beaded around, button with bead embroidery over the top of it, shisha mirror with curtain ring embroidered over with embroidery thread placed over the top and then the whole thing bead embroidered around, oya motif with silver sequin underneath, polymer clay heart face with bead embroidery around, another button with bead embroidery over the top of it, a dorset button that I made and then beaded which also has a heart rhinestone in the middle of it, a heart oya motif, a silver filigree charm that I have used the holes to bead embroider through and then I've bead embroidered around the whole shape.

After that, I added the bead embroidered fringe. The quilt is much more colourful and textural in real life and, although at first, I felt I had spent a lot of time on it and it didn't feel like it had turned out as well as I would have liked, it's beginning to grow on me. :-D

Today, I'm making autumn leaves using the Drunken Scotch technique. Here are the first four I've finished.


As they are made from grunge paper which can be stitched through, I may use them in another art quilt.

Bead Embroidery and Art Quilt

Here is a pic of my first art quilt.


A bead embroidered butterfly.


And some bead embroidered motifs on felt.

Finished Tandletons and some Cards

Here are all eight tandletons finished.


And here is a necklace made out of seven of them. Making the tandletons was fun!


I made some Xmas cards at the end of July! Has to be a first for me. The snowmen, penguins and holly are stamps that I stamped out and then coloured in. The lantern and globe shapes I cut from templates.


I also had a first go at parchment craft and made these two cards.