Okay so I attempted the little star quilt and obviously I have a problem with geometric shapes. I starched my fabric and I took my time in cutting out the 10 X 10 squares. The instructions were very clear and yet some how it must have been the little quilting fairies decided that I was not to have a star quilt but rather a diamond quilt. Twas quite distressing that it did not turn out the way I wanted and yet I still rather like it. So here are my pictures

this is my fabric choice beautiful reds and a nice creamy background with a red backing.

 Here are my ribbon choices, which I am going to decide on which one I wish to use in adding some flair and personality that is me into the blanket.

 My 16 cut 10" X 10" squares.

 My 10" X 10" squares sewn and cut to be the 1/2 and 1/2 print and background fabric.

 My 10" X 10" squares pressed and ready to join. This by the way is where I began to veer sharply from the star design that I was attempting to capture and it became definitely a diamond.

And here is my windmill diamond top completed you know I failed geometry in school, but I must say this looks kind of cool. And I have plenty of stash I believe that I can attempt again tomorrow for the star.

Sewing and Passing it on

I found my next quilt design that I want to try it has the star design and seems to be fairly simple to do. My biggest desire is to learn how to get my points straight and to line the rows up evenly. Of course that all means that if I cut straight and I sew in a straight line then it should be pretty simple to do right. Anyhow, after class tomorrow I am going to attempt this quilt. I think I will actually take pictures before cutting, after cutting and as I sew them together. This design is fairly simple and I think I will be able to bring it alive with some additional design thoughts that I have. I now have enough machines with decorative stitches to be able to really bring out some practice with this. At least that is my hope.

The site that I found the tutorial on for the blanket is here:

http://www.makeithandmade.com/2013/09/big-star-baby-blanket.html

Now this is Palak's blanket  that she made but to give a quick idea, the colors I have chosen are red and cream. I will take pictures and let you all know how it works out.

I have about four weeks left of classes and next term I am taking a sewing class and two child development classes so I should have fun.

Oh ya I forgot

Ok so everyone knows that I have an embroidery machine, a sewing machine, well two sewing machines actually and a serger. I have constantly been trying to figure out how I want to set them all up in a less messy way. Soooooooooooo I talked with my husband and he has begun to build me a sewing and cutting table. Well of course than I had to complicate things and add a new machine. Yep, he suggested that I post a picture of all of them and title it do you think he will notice. Well of course I really don't make big purchases like this without talking to him. And yes all my machines are Singers. I now have a second embroidery machine and before anyone asks yes this one is slightly different than the other one I have it does heirloom and endless embroidery and though I could explain what that is I will instead show you a picture of what it is to make it easier to understand why I wanted a second machine. However, here is a picture of my machines.

There they are all of my machines. As the new sewing table gets built I will eventually post pictures of those. We have been slowing finishing up the flooring and molding in the living room and I am loving how it is coming together. But it is a work in progress something is always getting changed around.

So now for examples of what heirloom embroidery and endless embroidery are. The first photo below is the endless embroidery, the last photo is the heirloom embroidery. I find it fascinating how much thread and time is saved when doing this work by machine. If I were to take this project on to do all by hand it could take up to a full year to complete a project.

 I still enjoy hand embroidery in fact I have a project that can only be done the way I want it if I do it by hand. The dimensions of the project do not allow me to do it on my machine without multi-hooping that means to hoop it more than once to put it on my machine. But the design itself is not one that has been created for a machine it is a design that I have done before only this one is for me and it is much larger.

If I had to choose two objects to take with me on an extended deserted island it would be my hand embroidery and The Tolkien books, I think that I would be quite content creating the images of Tolkein's world in thread and fabric.

Catching Up

Ok so I acknowledge that writing a blog is not something I do well, I may not even do it good. I forget all the time about putting my thoughts and actions down on paper. However, it isn't that life has been boring it is that I have been busy living life. I have finished up quite a few projects, I have started new projects, I have even asked myself why in the world did I do this or that. To show some of the finished projects now though. Here is the bird quilt that I started in July of 2012 I began it by doing some hand embroidery on the tree at my nieces wedding.

 

The quilt hanger was made by my husband it has birds scroll-sawed on the ends.

My next projects that I finished which I sent to my nephew and his fiance  are the flowers that I machined embroidered and then stretched just like a real painting, only done with thread.

I finished up some Halloween decorations that I have been working on as well.

And started a new Halloween wall hanging, So far it looks good but I need more trees I think.

So between these and a few other projects that I don't have photos of yet and the two classes that I am taking I have been very busy. I hope everyone is happy and doing what they want today.

Another Weekend of DIY House Decoration

This weekend will see the almost completed floor projects. The living room flooring is one of the last major flooring project. We completed the main window wall in our living room last weekend. It is amazing the difference in our home from when we first bought the house. It has almost been 3 years since we bought our home and each year we continue to make this house our home.

The view of our main living room window.

Our second year in the home.

another view of our living room in our second year.

First weekend of August living room changes.

We are quite pleased with the changes and this weekend I do believe will see a vast change. I have also been busy with my embroidery machine. This week saw all seven of the flower pictures completed for my nephew and his partner Tamara. I really love the way they came out. Next week or so I hope to be able to frame them. This of course will all depend on what we finish around the house. I also worked on my bird wall hanging, I was really worried that it might have been ruined as I was working on it the other day and the electricity went out. That is one of the pitfalls when doing machine embroidery, when the electricity goes off and you haven't saved the design you altered to fit your needs it is most likely never going to line up and you will have to take it all out. When you do embroidery by hand you often trace your design out at least twice, once when you are creating the design and then when you put it onto the fabric.

On the 19th of this month I start back to school, it will be interesting to see how much I will get done in sewing for the next 3 months. I am hoping to be able to finish some of the projects that I have going before than but we will see.

Life is Life

Most of the time my days are slow and tranquil, I have the ability to take my time and work on whatever crafting takes my fancy. this past week that has not been the case. It isn't that I haven't had time to do crafting it is just that I have had to choose my projects carefully and squeeze them into specific time slots. I have been doing some hand embroidery projects, nothing that has a great deal of time simple outline stitching however, I haven't been able to just whip them out. I have been so busy with other responsibilities, my daughter became ill and was off of work for a week. My husband and i finished laying the tile in our dining room and put the furniture back in place.

Have you ever attempted to do something without saying something about it or letting someone know that you are doing it. Me, I fail completely at doing this, secrets and surprises are not my forte. I have also managed to do some machine embroidery. These are some of the pieces I have been working on they are for my nephew and his girlfriend. Once I have finished all of the pieces than I will stretch them onto frames and ship them out to them.

Forget me Nots- is 5.85" X 6.94" with 11 color changes and 55865 stitches.

Poppies are 5.71" X 6.64" with 19 color changes and 68033 stitches.

Tulips-5.80" X 6.66" with 16 color changes with 68510 stitches.

Marigolds - 5.71" X 6.64" with 19 color changes and 68033 stitches.

 

So far on this project there are 260441 stitches with three more pieces to go. Flowers are an amazing product of nature they give the eyes something beautiful to rest upon, the sense of smell something to focus on. Human beings have placed an emotional meaning to different flowers.

In the Victorian language of flowers, the Forget-Me-Not flower was interpreted as meaning faithful or true love. The Forget-Me-Not has been used as a symbol of remembrance for those who have suffered or have been lost in war. Per: http://suite101.com/article/the-symbol-of-the-forgetmenot-flower-a84954

Marigolds are symbolic of passion and creativity. Marigolds are also known as the "Herb of the Sun." Marigolds have been used as love charms and incorporated into wedding garlands. In some cultures, marigold flowers have been added to pillows to encourage prophetic or psychic dreams. Per: http://languageofflowers.blogspot.com/

The Poppy has a history of being used to remember the fallen in WWI, Egyptians placed the Poppies within the burial chamber. It is said that they represent eternal sleep, death, and remembrance. To each side there is the opposite side as well in the Chinese legend poppies were symbolic of faith and loyalty between lovers. This comes from one story in particular about a woman named Lady Yee and her husband Hsiang Yu. Per: http://www.life123.com/home-garden/flower-guides/flower-meanings/symbolism-of-the-poppy.shtml

The meaning of tulips is generally perfect love . Like many flowers, different colors of tulips also often carry their own significance. Red tulips are most strongly associated with true love, while purple symbolizes royalty. The meaning of yellow tulips has evolved somewhat, from once representing hopeless love to now being a common expression for cheerful thoughts and sunshine. White tulips are used to claim worthiness or to send a message of forgiveness. Variegated tulips, once among the most popular varieties due to their striking color patterns, represent beautiful eyes. Per: http://www.proflowers.com/guide/history-and-meaning-of-tulip


Through its intricate history, the meanings of the iris has come to include faith, hope, and wisdom. Depending on factors such as color and region, irises may bear additional meanings as well. In some parts of the world, the dark blue or purple iris can denote royalty, whereas the yellow iris can be a symbol of passion. Irises may also express courage and admiration. The many meanings of the iris makes the flower a great choice for an array of gift giving occasions: corporate, sympathy, get well, just because. Per: http://www.proflowers.com/guide/history-and-meaning-of-iris

LILY, WHITE: Purity, modesty, virginity, majesty, it's heavenly to be with you. The white lily is linked to Juno, the queen of the gods in Roman mythology, by the story that while nursing her son Hercules, some excess milk fell from the sky creating the group of stars we call the Milky Way, and lilies were created from what milk fell to the earth. The Easter lily is also known as the symbol of the Virgin Mary. Per: http://marriage.about.com/od/flowers/a/flowermean_3.htm

ROSE, RED: Love, passion, respect, courage, I love you, beauty, pure and lovely, prosperity. Per: http://marriage.about.com/od/flowers/a/flowermean_3.htm

I hope that with these replications within their home that my nephew and his girlfriend will have continuous love, hope, wisdom, imagination, that the purity of their love will always remain within their world.

I must be insane

I know I am totally insane, every time I see a new project I must start it. I have so many Projects going on inside my head let alone the projects that I see others making. I now have 3 or 4 quilts that I want to start on let alone the tablecloth I am crocheting. And yet my head continues to rattle with ideas, I have no concept of how these projects will go together, all I have is a finished picture in my head.

We are also still renovating and redecorating our home. We have our Granny Flat that is soon to be open for renting again so I will need to get that cleaned and rented out again. I will also be starting two classes in College towards the end of August.

At times though I really wonder how to stop the projects running through my head at least until I get the projects that I am working on currently finished. The hardest part is figuring out how to put it together.

I finally finished all of the ironing for this week, I still have a load of laundry to do and will always have at least one load of laundry to do though. I suppose I should write out my projects and at least than I can remember what my plans are so here it goes:

1. Crocheted Tablecloth-this is from a crocheted pattern-there are 169-31/2 X 31/2 motifs (that is just another fancy word for square though), it is a complicated pattern and it is made of size 10 crochet thread. I have always wanted a tablecloth made of this thread in a pineapple pattern but I didn't like the ones that are machine made. So this is my first step in working on getting the pineapple tablecloth. Here is a link to what I hope to one day be able to make for myself lol. http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/grammassewingcrafts/5726189/crocheted_white_pineapple_tablecloth/handmade/housewares/dining_room/tablecloth

2. Bird Wall hanging- This one is a variation of a wall hanging that was done with appliques. I have posted pictures of my progress so far. hopefully soon I will be able to post the next section completed. I have three sections left to do on this, embroidery the butterflies, hand embroidery the leaves, quilt it.

3. Sunburst Quilt-this one is for a queen size bed, I will be making it with a diamond shape for the starburst. I have seen these done where strips are cut and joined, however, I want to put this together without the strips. I have the majority of the fabric and batting for this I just need to clean my cutting table off and begin to cut the pieces. I am going to cut and sew as I go with this that way I don't over cut what I need.

4. Flower Pictures-these are machine embroidered patterns from Embroidery Library. I just think they will look so cool done on canvas and framed. So that is what I am doing. I have the patterns, and the canvas, just need to figure out how to do what I want lol.

5. Fandom Quilt -this one 12 blocks will be hand embroidered and than put together. this one will hopefully be put together fairly quickly since hand embroidery is really more of first crafting love. I can probably hand embroidery in my sleep and this one a whole group of people are doing it so I know how this one basically goes together.

6. Lord of the Rings pieced wall hanging-this one I have the patterns but have not decided yet exactly how I will do it. What I do know is that the Lord of The Ring is my all time most favorite book.

7. Japanese Embroidered Dress Screen

8. Kitchen Towels and Potholders-These are because I need to replace many of my kitchen towels and my potholders and I want them to have a theme. These are simple and not really time consuming just need to make time and have the desire to do them.

9. Christmas Trees and Wreaths-these are miniature trees and wreaths that I need to decorate and prepare for Christmas Gifts. These are gifts so until I can find exactly what I want to decorate them with, I will be taking my time.

10. Christmas ornaments-these are glass bulbs that I want to hand paint as well as some free-standing lace ornaments. These I had hoped my acrylic paint would work but it doesn't look right so I need to go to a craft store and get the right paint.

11. Harry Potter Quilt or Wall hanging-this is another pieced work or I might try my hand at making embroidery patterns for them. This one is still in the planning stage, I still need to find the right design or make my own.

12. Reading Wall hanging- this one I am thinking it would be perfect for an elementary classroom reading corner. I want to embroidery some classic children's book titles on the books, as well as the current favorites. This one I have the instructions just need to decide how big, which titles and go from there.

Here is the partial list and yet a pretty good list  of the projects that I am currently working on. Now all I need to do is figure out how I am going to put them together. Some, I have a good idea of how to do it because all I have to do is follow directions.Others are still in my head not fully defined as of yet. They will get there though.

However, before I can really complete any of them I really must organize my sewing and craft supplies much better than I have them now. So I need to really buckle down and go through my stuff to inventory what I have and look at what I need to get.

Sunday Blues

So today is Sunday and it looks like it is a beautiful day, however I am sure the weather will be extremely hot. I have been looking at a lot of different blog sites for quilting and it amazes me that some of the designs appear so simple and yet look totally elegant. I have been crocheting more lately and have made some great progress with it. I have finished several blanket edges and even finished a new baby afghan. It is done with a Pink and Sage variegated Cotton yarn and a Sage green yarn.

A look at the design of Afghan

Finished Afghan

Close-up of blocks and colors

 

Close up of border

We finished the outside Cat habitat for our cats only I don't think they like it just yet. I think they feel like their in jail we still need to put benches and poles for them to climb on and my daughter needs to buy them flowers and herbs to put inside so that they are able to hide. Hopefully though this will give them the ability to go outside and play and we don't have to worry about them getting lost or hit by a car.

Well today I must prepare a grocery list and go shopping and do some more ironing. We will see what I get done on the bird wall hanging tomorrow I finished putting all the birds on now it is time for the butterfly's. I added the pair of cardinals to my tree. They are a colorful addition.

 http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...the clouds are gray and it looks like we have a chance of rain it would be so very nice if we could get some rain. I doubt it though.

I am thinking...that the overcast sky can have a sleepy day feeling and yet I have so much I really should be doing.

I am thankful...that my life is easier now than it was growing up.

In the kitchen...I don't have to cook today because it is our normal night for going out to eat.

I am wearing...a t-shirt and skirt

I am creating...a crocheted table cloth that I think will take me quite a while to complete.

I am going...to be signing up for classes at our local community college today

I am wondering...how much time I will have for the fun things once I start classes

I am reading...tutorials on some Christmas crafts

I am hoping...that the weather stays cool today

I am looking forward to...going to my classes and the projects we have in our house

I am learning that remodeling a house at my age can definitely be slower than it would have been at 30.

Around the house...we are considering removing the grass in the backyard and doing something like a sand yen garden.

I am pondering...how commercials have gone towards showing some very destructive kids that run the home rather then the parents expecting better behavior.

A favorite quote for today...“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” ― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

One of my favorite things...is eating fresh strawberries and angel food cake.

A few plans for the rest of the week:finish doing my husbands work clothes, continue to organize my sewing, work on our outdoor cat habitat.

A peek into my day...ironing, bills, budgeting, crafting.

{TH} read

 {TH} Read Post

Currently I am reading various blogs The Simple Woman being one of the finds today that prompted me to finally do what I needed to do for some time. Though actually committing to a blog is almost like working. Also finding a way to keep my cats off my desk whenever they hear my keyboard clicking will greatly improve my chances of blogging.

I am also reading Ayn Rands book The Fountainhead, I am not sure yet whether or not I like it, it seems to drone on right now. However, unless the book is really bad I usually finish reading it.

I am currently working on a wall hanging that I started last year, it will actually include almost all of the crafts I enjoy doing, embroidery, machine embroidery, sewing, quilting and possibly even some beadwork and crocheting. The final idea is not yet complete, I will post periodically on my progress.

If you decide that you to want to join this new community here is the link


http://thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/

Have a great day.

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... I can see my backyard and the birds that fly about. The sun is shining and the clouds are white and puffy.

I am thinking... that I have a ton of ideas however, I tend to put them aside because I lack commitment or belief in my own ideas.

I am thankful...that I have my husband, daughter and family to support my thoughts and cheer me on.

In the kitchen...I still have to decide what to cook for dinner and it is already 12:20 how does time fly so fast for me.

I am wearing...I am wearing shorts and tank top

I am creating...my blog.

I am going...to make a commitment to post something everyday for the next 30 days.

I am wondering...how well I will keep that commitment.

I am reading...Ayn Rand The Fountainhead

I am hoping...to start my new quilt tomorrow

I am looking forward to...starting a class in college with my daughter

I am learning how to organize better

Around the house...my living room, dining room, and kitchen are all in the process of getting new flooring.

I am pondering...why there seems so little time compared to when I was younger and the hours seemed to drag.

A favorite quote for today...

One of my favorite things...is embroidery and my family.

A few plans for the rest of the week:finish organizing my sewing space, work on my bird hanging, start my quilt

A peek into my day...finish folding laundry, clean kitchen, and desk

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Introduction

I first began embroidering when I was about 9 years old, I loved the colors and texture of the thread and fell in love with the idea that I could create any picture I wanted simply with fabric and thread.

I did not really like sewing so much because it was difficult and I could never seem to get it to do what it was suppose to. Besides my mother held that position and there was no second to her I thought.

However, I was able to pick up the basics and now for the last 18 months I have slowly begun to pick up a bit more about sewing, specifically quilting again it is the ability to create a picture with fabric and thread. I am able to combine my love of thread and fabric and instead of a small canvas I now have a much larger play area.

Another love of thread this time in the form of crocheting, I realized that I could also combine sewing, embroidery with crocheting. I have always loved the vintage doilies and tablecloths, the delicate lace that was joined together with a sturdy thread. So I have begun to implement that as well into my crafts.

Not everything I do is with thread, I also love to create door wreaths, these are a blast to make and are easily completed in a short amount of time.

The other area that I love is my family, they are my inspiration and my energy. Without them I find that I have very little desire to achieve much.