Category: Craft projects

My Spring FFO
Craft projects · cross stitch · Fabric · Pillows

My Spring FFO

My Time Stitching12 Comments

Hello blogging friends! It is a dreary day here today. The perfect day to be inside making a blog post.

So when I last posted about my Spring Basket piece, I was almost finished stitching it. I just had about half of the border left. Well, I did finish all the stitching and it turned out so cute.

Please excuse the wrinkles. I just love the colors in this piece. The pinks and corals are so pretty and the white really does pop on the Dirty Aida. So now that it is finished, my plan was to turn it into a pillow.

I had so much anxiety about cutting into this fabric. I pressed it and ironed on some interfacing and walked away. And walked away many times. But then I did it! I cut it out! Great! On to the sewing.

I was so nervous throughout this whole process. I didn’t get any pictures of the sewn piece and turning it outside right and using a chopstick to gently push out the corners. I was so afraid of poking a hole through my aida that my corners on the finished pillow are not pointy at all. And then I stuffed the pillow. I have stuffed things before, so I know how to pull apart the polyfil and push it into the object. I had no idea how much I needed to stuff it! I second guessed every step of this process including stuffing! I stuffed and unstuffed until I thought it was right. Then I stuffed in some more and thought that was too much. So I pulled some out. And then I pulled even more out. Then I Added a little more back in. I Pushed polyfil into each of the corners and added more polyfil. Then it seemed like the gap in the opening wouldn’t close nicley, so I pulled out some of the stuffing. Finally decided it was perfect and I sewed the opening closed. And it was finished.

My first pillow finish. It is not perfect. As I said, my corners could have pushed out a bit more and it definitely needs more polyfil, but it is what it is and I am happy with it. I definitely want to give a shoutout to @clevergirldesignsco. In a panic before I could cut into the fabric, I messaged her for advice and she was so helpful and encouraging. And very patient with me with all of my questions. So now that I have my first cross stitch pillow done, it should be easier the next time, right? At least I should feel a little more comfortable cutting the fabric? We’ll see. Here is how I have my cute little pillow displayed in plenty of time for Easter.

The details: Spring Basket by Crocette a gogo’. Stitched on 16ct Dirty Aida and fully finished by me, Ginny 😉

So that is what I have been up to. Did you make a special project for Easter or Spring?

Happy Stitching!

ginny

Christmas · Craft projects

My DIY Centerpiece

My Time Stitching6 Comments

Hello blogging friends. Do you make your own Christmas decorations? I have made little things and of course my cross stitch ornaments. I have made quilted tree skirts and glitter ornaments. But this last Christmas I decided to try to make a centerpiece for my coffee table.

Have you seen the video’s from Olivia’s Romantic Home? Specifically her Dollar Tree DIY _____. Well, I stumbled across her Dollar Tree DIY centerpiece and absolutely fell in love! I think this was near the beginning of November. So I headed off to a Dollar Tree to pick up those little Dollar Tree Christmas trees and whatever else I needed. Of course, I procrastinated and didn’t start crafting it until about a week before Christmas.

craft time
Not a bad start

I had never made anything like this before. It was a little overwhelming at first. I was afraid of really making a mess. I really need to get over that. So I told myself “if I make a mess, I can start over”. The bows were quite the challenge, but I guess they turned out ok. The video says to use decorative mesh for the little roll up pieces that are stuck in the branches, but my mesh was too wide. I tried cutting it in half, but that just made a mess. So hubby went out to Walmart and purchased some rolls of tulle. I think they worked ok. They were full of glitter, so glitter was everywhere.

Dollar Tree DIY centerpiece

So this is how my centerpiece turned out. Not too bad for a first attempt.

I decided to go with a Red, White and silver color theme for my Christmas decorating this last Christmas. I ended up not decorating much and only put up our small tree. So next year I really want to go all out Red, White and Silver. Now to figure out how I am going to pack this centerpiece away without messing it up. I am pretty happy with it how it turned out. I may just try my hand at more Olivia’s decorations.

Knitting, Cross Stitch and Vampire Diaries
Craft projects · cross stitch · Elegant Ladies · Knitted Shawl · Knitting · Mermaids · Mirabilia · Project Bags · storage bags · yarn

Knitting, Cross Stitch and Vampire Diaries

My Time Stitching12 Comments

Hi! How are you? Are you still hunkered down? Are you finding things to keep you busy? For me, the answer to both questions is Yes. I have submerged myself into crafting and watching The Vampire Diaries on Netflix. I have been enjoying the series immensely and will be sad when I am finished. Which will be pretty soon, as I am on the last season. So I think I slowed down on the viewing, trying to drag it out as long as I possible can. So what have I been working on while I have been getting my Vampire fix?

Well, I finished stitching Lady Mirabilia. She turned out beautifully!

Just look at all of those sweet, sparkly beads!!
I love that the designer chose this design to commemorate her 25 years of designing Mirabilia designs.

I have pulled another WIP to work on, but haven’t stitched on it too much. I will post more about it in my next post.

I have done quite a bit of knitting. So much so, that my tennis elbow has flared up. So I have been wearing my brace and trying not to knit so much at one time. On July 28, I joined the Mermaids in the Waves shawl. It has mermaid in the title; I just had to 🙂

For this shawl, I decided on yarns from AJHC Wools. I chose colors Min and Blushing Bride (the variegated) both in Basic sock. I had it in my mind to do a Coral mermaid, and these colors are perfect.

I loved knitting this shawl so much. It took me 17 days, in between another knitting project. I will get to that one in a minute. It still needs blocking and I still have to figure out how to wear it, but I love it. I think I may need a shawl cuff. We’ll see. The pattern is by Softyarn Designs and is available on Ravelry.

So the other knitting project I started is the Sharon Show MKAL by Casapinka that started on August 7. I chose yarn from Miss Babs in some pretty pastel colors.

The yarn is Caroline, and I have mixed feelings about it so far. It has knitted up nicely, but so far 3 of the 4 balls have been a mess, coming out in hunks from the center. I have wound many, many cakes of yarn and this is the first time I have had this happen. That is why I am leaning towards it being the yarns fault 😉 This yarn creates some little fuzz balls that attach and tangle the yarn! How in the heck does that happen? And I have found some places where the double strand is broken 😦 So, I will see how this ends up. For now I will keep knitting.

Clue one complete.
Clue 2 complete

I am now working on clue 3 and I will try to get a better picture when I am finished. I am really enjoying the knitting on this one and so far, I have been able to watch the Vampires while knitting without any trouble.

Did you notice the knitting bag in my photo above? I had Clevergirl Designs make it to match my June project bag. It is so cute and was just perfect for the mermaid KAL. And here is my July Project Bag. My special order knitting bag arrived with it.

July Project bag and Mermaid knitting bag

Another mermaid project bag! Squee!! I forgot to get a picture of the back of it. But it has lots of cute mermaids on it. I will have to get a picture for next time. I received my August project bag on Friday. A sweet Summer theme!

August Project Bag

The back has the same fabric as the top. It is so cute and perfect for summer. I wonder what project I will put inside….

So this post has taken me many hours to do. WordPress has changed their format again, and I have no idea what I am doing. All these blocks keep popping up and boxes with a plus sign in them. I was just getting used to the old way. I really want the old way back. I do not like this block thing at all. But I got throughit with most of my now gray hair in tact. I had better hurry up and hit publish before I lose it all.

So that is what I have been up to. What have you been doing the last month and a half?

The Flu, a Finish and Some Stitching
AAN Chandelier · Craft projects · cross stitch · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Mermaids · Passione Ricamo · Passione Ricamo SAL · Shannon Christine designs

The Flu, a Finish and Some Stitching

My Time Stitching30 Comments

Hello blogging friends!  I feel like I have been missing in action for months.  So grab your favorite beverage as this may be a long post 🙂  I am finally recovering from having the flu for the last 2 weeks.  The first week I didn’t do much except ache, sleep and fight a fever.  Ugh, I am so glad that is over.  Just before getting sick, I went to Joanns craft store and bought some crystals to finish my Chandelier piece.  I came home and laid them out and then went back again and picked up more to cover all the places I wanted a jewel to hang.  So last week I sat and sewed them all on.  Here is my finished piece.

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I really like how it came out.  The crystals are sparkly, even though they don’t show much here.  And I am glad to have this finish off the scroll frame.   This was a AAN SAL stitched on 16ct Winter Solstice from Fabrics by Stephanie.   Here are a couple of more pictures.

chandelier close up

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I also finished the March Mermaid on the Treasures of the Deep SAL by Shannon Christine Designs.

Mermaid SAL march mermaid

This is a SAL put out by Fiberlicious and I am stitching it on 16ct Maldivian Dreams by Fiberlicious.  I also stitched a couple of more frames to be ready for the next few mermaids.  There will be 12 in all, each mermaid representing a birth month.  So sweet!

mermaid SAL Feb March mermaids

I also stitched on the 2nd block of the PR 20th anniversary piece and this is how far I am before putting it away.

20th anniversary block 2

20th anniversary progress

I have pulled out an old WIP to work on for now.  I call her the Pink Princess.

Pink Princess progress

I will be stitching her without the wings.  I started her March 2015.  I can’t believe it has been 3 years!  The fabric is amazing!  It is 16ct Tintagel from Fabrics by Stephanie.  I am LOVING all the pink in this one.  It’s going to be amazing!

And when I am not stitching, I am working on a new hobby; Diamond Painting!  My best stitchy friend sent me a custom made Diamond Painting for my Birthday.  It is actually a picture of a photograph I had taken a couple of years ago.  It was such a thoughtful gift and I am loving Diamond Painting.

Diamond Painting

I am about 1/2 finished placing all the little tiles down.  I find it quite addicting.  When I plan about a half hour to work on it, several hours can go by.  It is very peaceful and calming. If you don’t know what Diamond Painting is, it is kind of like cross stitching, but without a needle.  The canvas is a sticky pattern filled with little squares with symbols that correspond to a colored tile.  Much like a colored cross stitch pattern.  The tiles are picked up with a pen with wax in the bottom of it and the tiles are placed on the corresponding symbol.  I am loving it and already thinking about my next canvas 😉  I am not going to reveal the finished picture just yet.  Can you tell what it is?

Well, I think I have taken up enough of your time for now.  I am happy to be doing better and getting back to a normal routine.  What have you been crafting on lately?

 

Did I Stitch in November?
Craft projects · cross stitch · Fabric · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Mermaids · New stash! · Passione Ricamo

Did I Stitch in November?

My Time Stitching23 Comments

Wow, I barely remember November!  Where did it go so quickly?  Well, I do remember stitching some.  Still working on Mermaid and here she is after last night.

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I swear when I go to bed at night, her hair grows a few more strands! Just a tad bit more hair and I will be done the stitching.  Hopefully that will happen tonight and I can move onto the backstitching and beading. I am glad I have stuck with her so far to almost finishing. She is going to be so worth every stitch.   I already have my next project lined up. Just waiting on fabric. I will share it when I get a start on it.

So let me share what I have acquired lately.  First, some beauties from Fantasy Dyed Fabrics:

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I don’t have anything in mind for them, I just really liked them and had to add them to my stash.

Next, my newest bag set from Deanna’s Frame Covers and Storage.  I found this fabric while at Joann Fabrics and new it had to be a bag set.

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I love birds and pink so this fabric jumped right out at me. This set includes a bag for 11 x 11 Q-snap frame, a little zippered pouch, perfect for threads and things and a grime guard for my 11 x 11 Q-snap frame.  I will use this set with my next project.

And this beauty arrived in my mailbox the other day:

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It is Ceridwen, November Fabric of the Month from Hand Dyes Fabrics by Stephanie.  It is 16ct Aida and I LOVE the beautiful pinks and grays in this one.  Not sure what I will stitch on it, but it will be something special.

This year, hubby let me do a themed Christmas tree, not the hodge podge of ornaments we usually do.  I wanted pink, and while hubby really didn’t want pink, he was willing to drive me over an hour to Bronners Christmas store, but I declined.  I decided we would go shop together, locally.  I fell in love with the black, white, gold and silver gift wrapping and bows and boxes.  So while I was drooling over all that stuff, hubby disappeared only to return with the ornaments for our themed tree-Silver, gold, gray, dark gray and glitter!

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We found some additional ornaments, but couldn’t find a tree skirt we liked.  And the traditional red and green one we have is not going to work.  So, next stop, Joann fabrics where I found all of these sweet fabrics so I can make a new tree skirt:

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I think all of these fabrics will be beautiful together (minus the blue with snowflakes, LOL).  I am hoping to get a start on it this weekend.  I will be sure to post pictures.

So that is what I have been up to.  I still have decorating to finish.  Yesterday I made 50 Christmas cards, so I still have to sign and address those and get them in the mail.  I also have shopping to finish up and sewing to do.  Hopefully I will get it all done soon so I can relax and enjoy December while it is still here.  What are you up to these December days?

Voting is Open!
Contest · Craft projects · cross stitch · Elegant Ladies · Passione Ricamo · Uncategorized · Winter

Voting is Open!

My Time Stitching17 Comments

Voting is open to the public until December 9, 2015 for the Winter Whisper Contest.  There are many beautiful entries and 2 categories for voting.  When you click on the link that I give you at the bottom of this post, there will be 2 categories in which to vote at the top of the page in blue.  1. For the best stitching and 2. For the Best finish.  There will be a circle next to each person’s name.  Click on the circle to cast your vote and scroll to the bottom of the page to submit.  Make sure to vote in both categories.  My finish is below.  If you like it, vote for mine under Ginny Schleich. Good luck to all the participants!

http://www.passionericamo.eu/contestpagestitchers.htm

Winter Whisper horn book

 

A Sweet Little Finish
Craft projects · cross stitch · Elegant Ladies · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Passione Ricamo · Winter

A Sweet Little Finish

My Time Stitching17 Comments

Happy December!  Can you believe it’s here already?  Now the rush begins.  I am trying not to let it all overwhelm me.  I have a small finish to share with you today.  And the falling snow which has now appeared on my blog, will be perfect with this piece.

Finished Winter Whisper

This is a design called Winter Whisper by Passione Ricamo.  It is a contest piece.  I had 2 weeks to stitch this beauty onto a shade of blue fabric.  I chose 16ct Aida Ice Goddess by Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie.  It turned out to be perfect for my piece.  Threads and beads could not be changed, so she is stitched as the pattern suggests.  The finish was my choice.  It took me a few days to get up the courage to cut the fabric.I found a great tutorial for making ornaments at The Twisted Stitcher, which really helped me out.   I mounted her on a piece of mount board with some batting underneath.  On another piece of mount board, I added batting and a piece of snowflake fabric.  I then sandwiched the 2 pieces together.  Then I added some trim around the edges.  My choice of finish for her was to mount her onto a Horn book.  First I stamped some snowflakes with white ink all over the edges of a black Horn Book.

Copy of Winter Whisper 1_small

I created a bow from Seam Binding and attached it to the handle with my glue gun and added a snowflake looking jewel to the center.  I am so pleased with my finished piece.  She is so beautiful and Sparkly.  She is called Winter Whisper, but to me, she is my Winter Princess. So beautiful and elegant.

WIN_20151127_161452 (2)

She will look great hanging in my dining room, which will soon be my snowflake room for the holidays and winter.

What is your favorite way to finish a small project?

Afghans · Craft projects · Crochet · cross stitch · knitted scarves · Mirabilia · New stash!

Crafty Stuff

My Time Stitching27 Comments

Yesterday I told you I would post my purchase from my weekend get-away.  So here goes:WIN_20151027_160803

These fun things ended up in my bag from Stitches N Things.  The newest Mirabilis pattern, Twin Mermaids and the bead pack.  No plans to start this right away, but just had to have it.  It’s 2 mermaids! And some threads and a horn book for an upcoming project.

This past weekend hubby and I spent the weekend in Frankenmuth, MI for our anniversary and he spoiled me wonderfully.  We stopped at one of my favorite shops there.  Rapunzel’s Yarn and Boutique, where I picked up this:

WIN_20151027_160956

I didn’t get a picture of the yarn hank before I tore it all apart.  I forgot to have them wind it for me, so ended up spending the whole trip home trying to detangle it.  But as you can see, I started knitting a scarf already.  The yarn is so awesome; lots of fun fibers and textures all in one skein!  The yarn is Alp Premier from Feza.   It was quite an expensive hank, but like I said, hubby spoiled me.  So I can’t let this yarn just sit around.  I will work on it in between everything else.  And if you click on the picture, you will see those cool looking knitting needles I picked up.  I had planned on starting this on the car ride home, and needed a pair of needles.  These are from Knit Picks.  Very pretty, made of wood, with very sharp points.  They are actually very nice to knit with.  I am glad I picked them up.

I am also still crocheting on my Spice of Life blanket.  I have 4 more rows to go before I start the border.

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This blanket has been keeping me warm the last couple of days while I crochet on it.  I am really liking it and am hoping the border will not give me any problems so I can get it finished.

We stopped at a bead shop while in Frankenmuth.  Boy was I overwhelmed!  I haven’t taken up beading yet.  Not sure I ever will, but I like looking at all the beautiful beads and charms.  Bead Haven was the largest bead shop I had ever been in and if I were going to shop that day for a project, I wouldn’t have known where to begin.  Hubby found a rack in a corner of the store that had some hand made knitted items and he purchased this beautiful hat for me.

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I love it!  It’s a pinky mauve color and fits me perfectly!  I can’t wait for a little bit cooler weather so I can wear it.  Someone did a wonderful job knitting it and lining and adding beads and fibers to the sweet knitted flower.

Dear husband bought me this awesome bag to carry around while shopping for the weekend.

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It is a very nice bag and held all the little things we picked up over the weekend.  Right now it is holding my scarf project and it’s perfect.

And for my most favorite purchase of the weekend… Hubby bought me this as an anniversary present from a wonderful shop called The Enchanted Garden.

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She is a beauty and I love her!  She is 26″ tall and gorgeous!  So I had a wonderful weekend and was spoiled to the max.  So now I am off to crochet a bit and see if I can get those last few rows finished.

What are you crafting on today?

Craft projects

Awesome Grassy Wreath

My Time Stitching6 Comments

I don’t have a cross stitch to share.  Not even a knitting project, but I do have a project to share that uses yarn.

Isn’t this cool?  My  friend Lori  sent me a link for this a couple of month’s ago.  I started this project last month and finally finished it today.  It was a DIY project and you can find all the info at www.thecreativeplace.blogspot.com and search for Spring Wreath.   I tried to put a direct link, but I couldn’t get it to work and my IT man is out of town.  Basically I purchased a 12″ foam floral wreath (the directions say 8″ but I wanted mine a little bigger).  And then the fun begins…wrapping 3 skeins of fun fur yarn around the wreath, tightly to form “grass”.  I finally finished my wrapping last night.  Then I purchased 1 yard of daisy trim.  I clipped each daisy apart and inserted a quilting pin with a yellow head to match the yellow center of my daisies.  I wanted pink daisies as per the original instructions, but couldn’t find pink in my local stores.  Then I stuck them into the wreath.  Not all the way, but raised a little so it looks like they are laying on the grass.  I printed the sign saying on the computer and die cut it out with Stampin’ Up!’s Apothecary Accents Framelits.  I distressed the edges with a sponge and brown ink, stamped a couple of flowers on it and  glued a portion of a skewer to the back so I could stick it into the wreath.  I had these Jolee’s foam Flip Flops for some time and knew they would come in perfect for this project.  Here is a close up:

I tied a length of ribbon around the top and it is now hanging on my front door.  Thank you Lori for passing this idea on to me.  I just LOVE it!! I am leaving mine on my front door all summer as it will remind me what grass is supposed to look like when there is enough rain.  Hehe.  Thanks for visiting.