Friday’s Photo Challenge

Posted on November 2, 2018 by craftycreeky

I completely forgot the photo challenge last week! This week the theme is tunnel so I’ve been having a look through my photos…

…I haven’t got many photos of tunnels, probably because I don’t do dark, damp places!  so I’m bending things a bit!

I love walking through tunnels of trees, this is down the lane behind our house, taken just a couple of weeks ago. The ground is really crunchy now with all the fallen leaves.

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A greener tunnel from one of our walks.012 - Copy

This is the entrance to St Cuthberts Cave in Northumberland, which we visited whilst walking St Cuthberts Way in September…DSC_0388

Inside it looks slightly more tunnel like! There’s some very old graffiti carved into the stone, one date I saw was about 1786!DSC_0398

This is actually a collapsed tunnel from a cave system, we found it during a walk a couple of years ago, it had quite a special feeling to it, I seem to remember it was called a church or chapel and I could see why.

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OK so this is under a bridge rather than a tunnel, but it’s close and I think it’s one of my best photos! It was taken on the Leeds Liverpool canal during our first canal boat holiday. We did go through Foulridge tunnel which is a mile long, whilst waiting our turn we chatted to a gent and it turned out he was one of the last people to ‘leg it’ through the tunnel when he was young. This is what they did when the barge was towed by a carthorse. The horse was taken over the top and the canal boatmen would be strapped to a board across the boat and they would ‘walk’ sideways along the walls to push the boat through!Emma 2008099

OK so this one is maybe a bit smoochy and cheesy, me and my OH heading down the tunnel of love 🙂

 

 

The Friday Photo Challenge is organised by Postcard from Gibraltar, follow the link to see lots more tunnels.

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Embroidery Wallet

Posted on October 30, 2018 by craftycreeky

I realised yesterday that one of my posts for Minerva has gone live, so I can tell you a bit about what I made now. Back in the summer I chose three things from their website and duly got a lovely parcel in the post containing some Anchor variegated threads (you know I’m a sucker for anything variegated!) a length of aida braid and a gorgeous fat quarter by Timeless Treasures. I just love those birds!DSC_0005 (2)

I decided to make a project bag, a sort of embroidery wallet. I like to have a little something to sew in my handbag for any opportune moment of stitching and up to then it was a ziplok plastic bag, practical but not very pretty! I wanted something practical and pretty!

I had a think about what I wanted to be able to carry and decided the shortlist was a 5″ hoop, embroidery scissors, needles and flosses. I sketched out a plan for one large pocket on one side and nine little pockets to put flosses in on the other.

I cut three 7” strips of Aida braid and embroidered each one with a different stitch, herringbone, buttonhole and chevron, to keep with the embroidery theme. I used a different Anchor thread for each one too. These three bands would make nine pockets for my wallet.DSC_0003

I cut a 7” x 14” piece of my main fabric for the outside. I managed to position it so two birds are perfectly positioned on the front. I used a coordinating piece of Kona Solid fabric for the inside. I interlined the inside piece with iron-on interfacing to give it a bit of support with the various pockets. I also cut a piece of scrap batting to soften it,  I ironed another layer of interfacing onto the batting to give the wallet a bit of structure.

I made a simple pocket from another rectangle of fabric and added a felt bird shape from felt to make a little needle-holder. I stitched it on along the wing line, adding a French knot for it’s eye. DSC_0005

I stitched the pockets on, stitching vertical lines down over the Aida to make nine little pockets.

I layered everything together using clover clips to hold it in place.  Just before I sewed around the edge I inserted half a childs hair elastic in the back to make a button loop. I stitched round with a quarter inch seam.

Once I’d managed the fiddly job of turning the wallet right side out I pressed it and edge-stitched round. Finishing touches included a self covered button on the front for fastening and two lengths of ribbon inside to keep the hoop and a pair of scissors safe. DSC_0014 (1)

My stitching wallet has been in daily use ever since, living permanently in my handbag, I love it! Changes I will make next time, I’d use a narrower Aida band and have more pockets, maybe four rows. The issue is not particularly the number of pockets, more that they are a little too deep, so I can’t easily see the numbers without pulling them out a bit. I’d also try and think of a different way of securing my scissors, ribbon may be pretty but it’s a bit faffy. I hate velcro but a velcro tab might be better, or I did wonder about a magnet, or would I just end up with all sorts stuck to it from my handbag! May be a popper tab…

If you would like more information on the construction or what I used, please follow the link and have a look at my Minerva post.DSC_0013 (1)

 

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Monday’s Meander Round the Garden

Posted on October 29, 2018 by craftycreeky

I’ve not managed to get out in the garden much this week, partly because of family commitments and partly because it’s flipping freezing!! I haven’t quite acclimatised to winter temperatures yet! The drop in temperature has meant some ground frost, when I went out this afternoon the aquilegia still had little water droplets on like drops of silver.DSC_0621

The winter flowering shrubs are starting to come into their own now. I planted this skimmia in the spring, so it’s still pretty small but it’s already producing it’s lovely flower heads.DSC_0617

Our beech hedge has a lovely range of colour at the moment from green to gold. It will eventually turn coppery brown, the leaves stay on all winter and don’t drop until next years are ready to appear. From a gardeners point of view this is a double edged sword, it’s nice to have the leaves during the winter, but they drop just as everything is starting to grow so it’s more difficult to get the leaves up!DSC_0616

Despite the inclement weather there’s still an occasional rose, this one is Teasing Georgia from over the arch by the patio. I’m hoping the bare-rooted roses I ordered are going to arrive soon.DSC_0624

This nandina is looking beautiful at the moment, it’s another new shrub from the spring,it’s just in front of the autumn border. I’m hoping it survives the winter as I’m sure I’ve had one before and lost it.DSC_0613

The leaves fallen from the acer are a wonderful range of colour. It’s only a couple of feet tall at the moment, but hopefully in a few years it should make quite an impact in the autumn border.DSC_0622

I spotted some fruit on my ornamental quince today, it’s been in for years and never produced a thing so I never thought to look, I’m not sure now if I’ve left it too late! What does an over-ripe quince look like??DSC_0615

This is the next big area I need to tidy up, for one thing I’ve a rose coming which is going to go in here! There’s a lot of cutting back and weeding needs doing first.DSC_0620

From a distance the garden is still looking fairly full, there’s lots of work to do before the winter sets in too hard so I’d better get my woolies on and get used to the cold!DSC_0609

 

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Down the Rabbit Hole HQAL

Posted on October 27, 2018 by craftycreeky

It doesn’t seem three weeks since I last showed you my Down the Rabbit Hole quilt, the weeks seem to be flying by, well if I’m honest the whole year is flying by! Three weeks ago I was doing a mini happy dance having finished quilting the round flower border…Down the Rabbit Hole quilt

I’ve not managed a huge amount, but I have stitched for several evenings and I’ve actually finished another border, that sounds much more impressive than it actually is as it is the narrow 1″ green border!! I stitched in the ditch on either side of the green, mind you even that little bit is 200″ of quilting, it all adds up! I’ve taken the basting lines out of this area too which makes it look a bit more finished.Hand quilting Down the Rabbit Hole

I’ve just started the houses, at the moment I’ve just started quilting in the ditch around the first house, though it’s proving very hard due to multiple layers from foundation paper piecing so I might move out a bit round the roof. Sandra  from Quilting at the Cro’s Nest has finished quilting hers and she suggested quilting along one or two ‘logs’ of each house, maybe an occasional window, which I think is a great idea.DSC_0606 (1)

I’m wanting to get a reasonable amount quilting done in the next couple of weeks as I’ll be meeting Sarah Fielke, the designer, at a talk on 12th November. I’m planning to take my quilt along and ask her to sign a piece of fabric so I can embroider it and stitch it on the back. I’ve also succumbed to her next quilt-a-long…

A sketch of Sarah’s next BOM popped up in my e-mails today and I couldn’t resist! It’s a gorgeous design of houses and trees. It doesn’t look like there will be as much applique as there was on the Down the Rabbit hole quilt, which is good as I’ve already got two BOM’s going for the first six months of next year! I’ve already decided this one is going to be sent to a long arm quilter rather than being hand quilted, it’s a similar size to this one! Picture

Isn’t it gorgeous! It’s called Coming Home. If anyone is tempted I can highly recommend Sarah’s quilt-a-longs, she does video tutorials as well as written instructions, there’s a facebook page too for encouragement and support. She’s very much present during the BOM to help and answer questions. It only works out at about £5 a month too.

Hand Quilt Along Links

This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another.  If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.

Kathy, Lori, Margaret, Kerry, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Connie, Susan,  Nanette, Sassy , Edith, Sharon, Karrin, and Gretchen

I’ll also be linking up with Kathy’s Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday, why not follow the link to see even more hand quilting and stitching.

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A Bird in the Hand…

Posted on October 27, 2018 by craftycreeky

I was a little bit behind with My Splendid Sampler 2 quilt-a-long so I decided to do a bit of catch up. This is the quilt-a-long organised by Pat Sloan and Jane Davison, there’s a new 6″ block released each week until mid November, by which time I should have around twenty blocks. The other eighty blocks are in their book which I have taken the plunge and ordered! I’m aiming to make two throws rather than one big quilt, so I’ll need 49 blocks in each, though I may stitch until my fabric runs out and see how big the quilts will be.

There’s been quite a lot of hand sewing in the last few blocks which is one reason why I got a bit behind. DSC_0608 (2)

This block is designed by Irene Blanck, it’s called Free as a Bird. It’s all needle turn applique, some bits have worked out better than others, the bird is better than the leaves but the overall effect is OK I think. I quilted it with a random leaf design and then I just went round the edge of the bird. I’ve just realised I haven’t embroidered his legs of his eye in and the leaves could do with a stalk or two as well…oops!DSC_0609 (2)

Flower Child is the name of the next block, this one is designed by Carolee McMullen, I think it’s a very elegant design. I couldn’t face doing this one with needleturn, so I used bondaweb and blanket stitched round each piece by hand. The quilting hasn’t worked out quite as well as I hoped, the shapes proved fiddley to stitch round neatly. The leaves came out well, that’s the effect I hoped for with the flower!DSC_0610 (2)

I’ve wanted to do a cathedral window block for a while but the traditional way of hand stitching them seems quite fiddly, so I was delighted to see this machine stitched quick method by Jenny Doan. It’s quite a nifty way of stitching them, but it does make for a very bulky centre, four cream squares are cut and folded in half diagonally, placed over the outer squares. The squares are then stitched together into a four patch with the cream half triangles towards the centre, The centre block is then placed over the cream triangles, which are then folded over the edge and stitched down. It makes a lovely block very quickly, but in the centre the is three layers of fabric in each square, so in the centre join that makes 12 plus the one over the top!! I decided to trim the back right back to 1/4″ from the window seam and I think it looks much neater. I love the simplicity of this block, I find when I like a block I’m a lot more hesitant over the quilting as I don’t want to spoil a good block with poor quilting! I ummed and arred for a while on this one! In the end I edge-stitched round the window, I was tempted to leave it at that but I felt it really needed a bit more, so I plucked up the courage to do some free motion quilting of petals in the corner and it’s actually worked really well!DSC_0607 (2)

The last block is very cute, it’s called Cat Napping by Nicole Vos van Avezathe. It’s a picture of a cat asleep on a patchwork quilt, there’s a lot of hand embroidery on this one and a little bit of applique using bondaweb. I always find it difficult choosing the quilting for an embroidered block, as my instinct is not to quilt over embroidery. I decided on this one however to stitch a meander on the patchwork quilt, leaving the cat unquilted, hoping it would look like the quilting on the quilt, if you follow me! I’m please with how this one has turned out.DSC_0611 (2)

So that’s four more added to my pile. I’ve a couple more to catch up though I have decided on one block I’m leaving out, it’s just not my cup of tea and it’s a lot of work too. I need up to 49 blocks per quilt so I’ve leeway to miss out two blocks anyway, so this will be one of them! I’ve made sixteen blocks so far, all pieced and quilted, they look pretty good together.DSC_0615 (2)

I think the little elephant is still my favourite!

I’ll be linking up with Kathy’s Quilts tomorrow for Slow Stitching Sunday, a celebration of all types of hand-sewing, so why not follow the link and see what everyone else has been stitching.

Posted in embroidery, Quilt-a-long, Quilting, Serendipity, Splendid Sampler Quilt | Tagged , , , | 25 Comments

A Pair of Smalls

Posted on October 25, 2018 by craftycreeky

I’m still waiting for my border material to arrive for the hummingbird quilt, I’m not very impressed as it is now apparently on it’s way from Malvern Quilt Festival to Duxford Quilt Festival, I may get it some time next week if I’m lucky!

I’m using the wait to try and finish off and catch up with a few other projects, I do seem to have rather a lot on the go at the moment!

Yesterday I was visiting my mum, doing a bit of stitching and I managed to finish the September cross-stitch from the Snowflower Diaries Joyful Word SAL, I’m somewhat behind on this one!

I went home, retrieved August from my ‘Waiting to be finished off’ box and made them both up into mini cushions.DSC_0607

August is a cute design with a border collie, I love the way his ears are half cocked. The flowers are stitched in lazy-daisy, they are meant to be hydrangeas, I love the variation from cross-stitch. I backed it with a really pretty blue floral cotton, I’ve had it for years, it’s one of those that is so pretty I haven’t used it…until now! I made the cord with my Clover cordmaker using double lengths of DMC thread, I didn’t quite make it long enough, I haven’t quite mastered calculating how much I need, so this one has only got a short loop.DSC_0608

I think September was one of the first ones I noticed on Pinterest, it has two beautiful barn owls. I’ve only seen barn owls a couple of times but it is a magical experience, they are stunning birds. The back for this one is one that came out of my mum’s stash, I think it’s meant to be a bit like a traditional book cover inside paper, but I think it could also look like plummage!DSC_0609

With three months left to make I’m giving this project a bit of a holiday until after Christmas. I decided this last week as I want to do some Christmas stitching, then Faby Reilly’s latest stitch-a-long popped up. I saw this a few weeks ago when Faby first announced it, it’s a Christmas stitch-a-long to make four cross-stitch Christmas card designs. I resisted with the argument that I didn’t want to make four cards. I’ve made several of Faby’s designs over the last couple of years and they are always gorgeous…

Faby Reilly Poppy Humbug
Faby Reilly Design
Faby Reilly Design

A couple of days ago the stitch-a-long started so the first design popped up and it was so pretty I succumbed immediately 🙂 I’ve decided however that I’m going to make them into little Christmas tree decorations. I might change the colour scheme too as although I think the subtle colours Faby has chosen are very elegant, I’m a traditionalist at Christmas, I like red and green.

I’d better get stitching as it’s not long to Christmas and Faby is releasing a new design every two weeks. If anyone fancies joining the Christie stitch-a-long just follow the link to Faby’s website.

Posted in Crafts, embroidery, Serendipity, Stitch-a-long | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments

Wednesday’s Wander Round the Garden

Posted on October 24, 2018 by craftycreeky

I meandered round the garden on Monday, but then didn’t have chance to write a post, so we have Wednesday’s Wander instead!

It’s amazing the difference a week makes in the garden at this time of year, last week the hostas were showing a bit of autumn colour, whilst they were obviously coming to the end they were still a reasonable feature in the garden, even had a flower or two…DSC_0622

A week later with the odd bit of rain and wind and they had definitely ‘gone over’!

I had a good session round the pond tidying everything up. I find with hostas that when they are ready they just come away from the plant without particularly being pulled, I think they go to mush at the bottom! The irises had flopped too so they’ve been chopped, I’ve pulled lots of crocosmia Lucifer up as well, I was hoping to pull a few clumps up as it is starting to invade a bit, but I think it was just the stalks that came up.

I pulled a pile of weed out of the pond, I’ve left it in a heap next to the pond so any wildlife can crawl back in again. Unfortunately the robin and the blackbird thought I’d left them a take-away! DSC_0617

Last year we had a blackbird in the garden with a white spot on his wing, apparently this does happen occasionally. We called him Spot (original I know!) this year we haven’t seen Spot but we’ve seen one with lots of white markings who we presume is son of  Spot, so this one is called Splodge! Splodge liked the pile by the pond!

We still have a smattering of roses braving the weather, I think this one is the Alnwick Rose.DSC_0621

Down by the patio the erysimums and the nerines are still flowering well, I’m particularly impressed with the nerines as they’ve been in flower well over two weeks, with wind, rain and frost and they still look great! I’m thinking of buying some more bulbs for next year. The penstemon next to them has been flowering for weeks too.DSC_0613

The seed heads on the shrubby clematis add a bit of interest as we walk up the path…DSC_0614

…and I’ve never noticed the Osmanthus next to it flowering before, I think that is where I keep getting a whiff of scent from. I think I’ve got three osmanthus in the garden now, each slightly different variegation, I like them as an evergreen, but they’re also really useful in Christmas decorations as they look like holly but the leaves are more clustered at the end of the stalks, so they are easier to use in arrangements! DSC_0615

The upstairs view of the garden is still looking pretty good, it still looks fairly full. Mind you, this was taken before I pulled out the big spikey clump of crocosmia!DSC_0609

I realised on Monday whilst I was working in the garden that we have just reached the time of year when the garden no longer gets sun, it just skimmed the tops of the plants down by the patio for about an hour. This is the disadvantage of gardening on a slope with trees at the top, it may look pretty but the sun just doesn’t get high enough in the sky during the winter. The house will get sun for a couple more weeks at least but that’s it for the garden for at least three months. Time to get hat and gloves ready for gardening and hand-knitted socks from my mum in my wellies 🙂DSC_0611

Posted in Garden, Serendipity | Tagged | 9 Comments

Just Take a Deep Breath…

Posted on October 21, 2018 by craftycreeky

Just take a deep breath and stitch, she said, so I did!

I’m so excited about my Spring Wreath BOM, I’ve just finished the first block and I’m well chuffed with it!

This is a block of the month quilt designed by Andrea Walpole of Raggedy Ruff designs, it has raw edge applique and free motion machine embroidery which is new to me, so I was somewhat apprehensive about that bit of the quilt, but that was one reason for choosing to make the quilt…apart from the fact that it is just gorgeous!

Last time I showed you the block I had just laid on the applique shapes…DSC_0612 (2)

Andrea just holds them in place, no glue, no bondaweb, I wasn’t quite that brave, I used a tiny dot of glue, just enough so the pieces would stay put. To start with I had to stitch all round the edge of the pieces, I think the  free motion quilting I’ve done did help but there are quite a few wobbles! I also had to outline the eyes, Andrea had a really helpful tip for this, I traced the eye onto the freezer paper pattern, cut out the hole, ironed it in place and then stitched the circle right next to the edge of the paper, it worked!DSC_0605

Next was what I think of as the actual embroidery. Andrea’s instructions are really good, lots of diagrams and photos, she also has tutorials on YouTube, which although they are not of this specific design, they help with general technique enormously. I’m using a selection of Gutermann threads at the moment rather than the specific threads used in the design. If I get really into machine embroidery I might start investing in the special threads, but for now Gutermann will suffice.

The trickiest bit I found was the eyes, lets face it they can make or break a picture so the pressure was on!! I did the darker hare first and you can tell! He looks like he has too much mascara on and I stitched that much there is almost an eyeball of thread at the back!! The second hare came out much better, less is more I think! The leveret’s eye is so small I more or less gave up with detail as I couldn’t see what I was doing! All in all I’m pretty pleased with the eyes.DSC_0608

Really it was mostly a matter of doing varying zig-zags over the design, sometimes it flowed really easily and other times I found it hard to get the direction right, I found it easier if I turned the block round so I was stitching down but that wasn’t always feasible.

The stitching is easiest to see on the back where it shows up clearly on the stabiliser, mind you, you can also see the big blob of an eye!DSC_0610

By the time I got round to stitching the flowers and the dandelion heads I was just going for it, some work well, others not as neat but I love the overall effect.

I’m well chuffed with the first block, can’t wait for the next one to arrive!Spring Wreath BOM

Posted in Quilt-a-long, Quilting, Serendipity | Tagged , , , , | 26 Comments

Tall Year Square Etui SAL

Posted on October 21, 2018 by craftycreeky

It’s three weeks since I last showed you my Tall Year Square Etui, it’s a design by Betsy Morgan which was published in Classic Inspirations. Each side represents a different season, I’m using different threads to the instructions, so I’ve just chosen DMC threads which to me represent the season.

Three weeks ago I was nearly half way through winter…Tall Year Square Etui

I’ve managed to get several hours working on this, a few, evenings and also a day at Embroiderers Guild helped. Tall Year Square

I really like this one, the acorns were a new stitch to learn, Queen stitch, I’ve not come across it before but it’s a bit like a variation of fly stitch, making diamonds with them. That is what the acorns are stitched with.Tall Year Square

So I have now finished the main side for winter, I’ve still the little square to do for the thimble cube which will have another robin in the middle.

I can however do a mini happy dance as that’s all four sides stitched! I’ve still a fair bit to do with the lid and pockets for inside, but the sides were the biggest task by far.

 

This stitch-a-long is organised by Avis from Stitching By The Sea, we post every three weeks on whatever hand embroidery we are working on, it certainly helps to motivate and encourage me to keep going on a project. Please follow the links to see what everyone else has been stitching.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, LucyAnn, Kate, Jess, Sue, Constanze, Debbierose, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Helen, Steph, Linda, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Tony, Megan, Catherine, Deborah, Connie, Clare

Also linking up with Kathy’s Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday, her celebration of anything hand-stitched. Please follow the link for even more hand sewing!

Posted in embroidery, Serendipity, Stitch-a-long | Tagged , , | 26 Comments

Friday Photo Challenge.

Posted on October 19, 2018 by craftycreeky

It’s Friday already, so here’s my post for the Friday Photo Challenge organised by Postcard from Gibraltar. The word for today is curve.

This is a silk painting I did a few years ago – I couldn’t find the right feature painting for my purple wall in our bedroom, so I painted one! It’s not my  design, I traced it from a Burda magasine, it’s full of curves like a decorative wrought iron gate, I call it ‘Through the Park Gates’

Silk Painting
‘Through the Park Gates’

This cross-stitch is one I did in 2015, I’d had the pattern a couple of years, I love the shape of the Father Christmas, with the long curve of his coat.

Father Christmas in cross-stitch

This is a bag I embroidered about the same time, it was a pattern in Classic Inspirations magasine,the curves made it very difficult to make it neatly into a bag, it still looks pretty though.

Embroisered Bag

This is the curve of the train on my wedding dress in 2007. The lace was beautiful, I bought it in Bombay Stores in Bradford, I cut the shape and then hand-stitched the lace border around the curve.

Our garden has three circles, a lawn, a patio and a gravel circle making lots of curving borders. Rosie adds to the curves with her favourite position, being a bit of a floosie!

This is a smocked dress I made for Helen 20 years ago, it was the only Bishop neckline I tackled,I love the curve of the rounded neckline,but I think it’s possibly a design that suits little children best!

My ripple blanket, I learnt to crochet so I could make a ripple blanket having fallen for the Attic 24 Coast blanket, I wanted moorland colours though so I chose my own wool and it took me forever, but I did finally finish it! Attic24 now do a moorland range.

A bracelet, I made this on a course down at Denman College on beaded jewelry, the final piece we were meant to make wasn’t my cup of tea but the tutor had some kits, so I made this instead, the trellis design of the beading gives it a lovely slinky curve.

Finally, the beautiful curve of a red kite, these stunning birds were close to extinction a few years ago but they were reintroduced at a couple of breeding sites and they’ve done really well, spreading their wings further a field (‘scuse the pun!) We were lucky as one of the original breeding sites is down the road at Harewood House so we often see these majestic birds seeking out the thermals.

This photo challenge is organised by Postcard from Gibraltar, please follow the link to see more curves!

 

 

Posted in Photo Challenge, Serendipity | Tagged , | 10 Comments