Wildflower Pincushion Finished

Hello Everyone,

I just finished my first Wildflower Pincushion!  It was so fun to make. The hardest part for me was cutting everything out. I plan to make another for myself. This one is for my loving sister-in-law Maureen who is lovingly caring for her original client Bev and now my father -in-law Don whom I lovingly call Pa Bear. She deserves a treat as she sacrifices so very much in caring for these people in her own home. Maureen, You truly are an angel! {{{hugz}}}.

Wildflower Pincushion Top View

Wildflower Pincushion Side View

I have this cute little counted cross stitch that I received as a present a few years ago that I have been thinking of using as my jumping off point to Embroidery along with Sharon B's Stitch Dictionary. The little cross stitch has a wonderful saying on it  that quotes " each day... a new beginning ". It has a view looking out of a window at the blue sky, sun,grass,and flowers. Then it has two flowers on either side of the quote and five flowers beneath the quote. it comes complete with a hoop, thread, a needle,and lace to finish it off.

Counted cross stitch-each day

I am also thinking of doing a new tote bag as mine finally fell apart.  I have some cute ideas in mind but I am not sure I have the fabric for it right now.

In happy news, I finally received my Birthday Ballerina Slippers! YAY! They were made for me by Just Plain Flats Thank you so very much Mr. Moery !

Birthday Ballerina Slippers

Grrr! Picasa is acting up or my net is one. So I will use Photobucket instead. I will beat the system Mwhahaha!



I wish you all a very creative day!

Until next we meet :o)

Masquerading Crafter: Needle Case Tutorial

Masquerading Crafter: Needle Case Tutorial: Hello Everyone, Needle Case Tutorial Handmade Needle Case The inside of the needle case  1. Cut fabric to the size you wa...

Wildflower Pincushion and Crafting Links

Hello Everyone,

I sure hope that you are having a wonderful weekend.

I had a wonderful time on my birthday which was Saturday the 26th. My hubby took me for a most wonderful 8 hour round trip to commemorate my turning the big 40. It was so beautiful, so much greenery and lovely flowers, mostly Lupine. We ended the day by stopping and viewing Snoqualmie Falls.The most precious part of the whole trip was being able to spend all the time with my sweet, loving,caring,wonderful husband. It was completely computer and Android free, YAY!!!

Pardon the mess up on the pictures but it is Blogger's fault >.<

Snoqualmie Lodge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I wish we could move the pictures to where I want them  >.< Grrr!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snoqualmie Falls

Well, here is the link to the cute little Wildflower Pincushion. Give it a try and let your creativity flow. Send me an email with a picture of yours when you finish it (or them). I would dearly love to see them.

In fact, I think I shall get started on my pincushion :o).

If you are into crocheting as I am then head on over to Crochet Me.
Another good one is Crocknit. However, she is in the middle of an upgrade and the pattern pages are not yet working except for the free patterns. I have sent her an email regarding this. 

If you are into quilting then head on over to Free Patterns  another great place to start if you are a beginner is Easy Quilts

For jewelry patterns then head on over to Fire Mountain Gems Easy Projects.

Another great place to visit is Craft Bits. They have a variety of recycled and upcycled crafts.

Well, folks that is it for today. Hopefully, tomorrow I will be posting my finished pincushion :o). If not then bear with me as I am almost out of white thread.


 Happy creating until next time we meet!

Roses

Needle Case Tutorial

Hello Everyone,

Needle Case Tutorial

Handmade Needle Case

The inside of the needle case

 1. Cut fabric to the size you want.

*Note* You could embroider a design on the main front fabric and pocket before you start layering the pieces to be sewn together. I did not however.*
 I used a piece of felt for the inside piece to put the needles in.
 See Step 7.

The piping placement

2. Place main fabric right side up on table.
3.   Place piping on main fabric layer with the bump where the cord or yarn is on the inside.
*Note* I made my own piping out of a 1 inch strip of fabric and yarn.

adding the inside layer

4. Layer the inside piece right side down on top of the piping.

Adding the batting

5. Layer on your batting piece.

Pinning it all together

6. Layer on your last fabric piece. This piece does not matter whether you place right side up or down as it will not be seen. Pin it all around and stitch it leaving a 3 inch opening to turn it. Turn it right side out then top stitch all the way around the outside of the needle case.

Added pocket for embroidery scissors.

7. The pocket can be added on the inside piece before layering the pieces together or it can be added at the very end if you do not mind seeing the stitching on the backside of the case.

For the pocket, hem the top edge of the pocket piece. Then place it on the fabric where you want it and pin it on then stitch it.
* Note*  I put mine in the back side of the felt.

Adding the felt and marking sides for which kind of needles you want to put into the case.

8. Cut your felt to a size that is about a 1/2 inch smaller then the needle case and secure it to the inside of the case by stitching down the middle of the felt in the middle of the case.

9. Then take a ribbon of your choosing and cut it into 2 pieces of equal length long enough to tie a bow.  Stitch one side of the ribbon to the inside of the case at about the middle point on the front and back cover.

10. Close needle case by tying the ribbon into a bow.

There you have it ! Enjoy your new needle case :o)

Please send me pictures if you have used this tutorial I want to see your creativity and beautiful fabric choices.

Have a lovely creative day! Until next we meet. *waves*

Petal Pincushion

Hey there,

I just thought I would post a link to my next upcoming project after my Needle case I plan to make.

Petal Pincushion


I thought I would use more milder fabrics though like a light floral. I'm not much for the bold geometric materials but on the rare occasion I do find one that strikes my fancy. I have one such one in my possession I plan to use to make a tote bag with. It is one my niece gave me for my birthday so ,of course, I have to use it! :o)

I plan to get started on my Needle Case today, but I need to see if I have some green felt to use, If not, then I will have to hunt down another piece of fabric to use. I have a very soft pretty floral fabric I plan to use.

Well, toodles for now!

Got a lot of crafting to do!

Teaching Myself To Embroider

I am determined to teach myself how to do Elegant Embroidery. I want to incorporate some of it in our Vow Renewal Ceremony.

I am thinking of embroidering with matching beads on my ballerina slippers and I am also wanting to make a embroidered heart shaped ring pillow for Pepper (Our dog) to wear on her fancied up harness as she will be our Ring Girl ^.^.

I have a beautiful design all picked out and ready to transfer to the light oatmeal colored cotton fabric I found that I think could be a linen.

The design will be a oval with ribbon flowers at the top and the bottom of the oval with embroidered stems and leaves and little French Knots hanging from some stems. There will be our Monograms at the bottom just above the flowers then just above the monograms I think I will add two ribbon roses with several light colored 1/8" satin ribbons to tie the rings on with. I think I will do it in the colors of the fabric I am using for the skirt part of my dress.

The fun part will be convincing Pepper not to try to scratch it off. O.0 LOL

This is the day I became her official owner Oh Happy Day!

Early Birthday Celebration with Family

I just had a most wonderful time celebrating my 40th birthday with most of my family!
I received a beautiful teal blue tie-at-the-waist sweater from the Matron of the family. My Sister-in-Laws surprised me with a $50 "Girls Day Out" coming up in June. My Niece and Nephew-in-law gave me some wonderful fat quarters and three postcards from Hawaii.

It was so wonderful!

Then this evening I took a very short romantic walk with my hubby. That was the highlight of my day! I fell in love with him all over again. It was so lovely to gaze at the foothills, to see the lights reflecting on a pond and to see Pepper, our dog, jumping through the field of high grass. The frogs croaking to each other, It is so romantic the way they answer each others call. The crickets were chirping along. A very sweet birdie sung a happy birthday song to me. It was truly a beautiful moment and the perfect way to end my day.

With that, I bid you all a Good Night and happy crafting until next we meet :o).

Much Love,

Karen

My New Look

Hello All,

I just upgraded my look to one that to me looks more Artsy/Craftsy. So Holler and let me know what you think.

I have a pair of blue leather ballerina slippers being handmade for me complete with blue satin ribbons. An Etsy friend Just Plain Flats of mine is making them for my birthday. I am so excited that I can hardly wait to see them. I just know that they will be beautiful!

I managed to get just one square crocheted on my French Provincial Afghan, Woohoo!

Seriously, my health is bugging out at the moment so it is really hard to get much of anything done.

I did manage to clean my dainty antique Victorian detailed necklace and earrings today. The best cleaner for Costume Jewelry is Colgate toothpaste, my friend, in just plain white with a soft bristled toothbrush. Then just rinse under a tiny stream of lukewarm water until the toothpaste is completely rinsed off. Then set onto a couple of paper towels to air dry.

Anyone have a pet rock that they prefer over any other natural made rock?

I do, Mine is Quartz! All clarities of it. I am partial to rose quartz but alas do not own any. I would dearly love a piece to set on my desk in front of my computer monitor.

Well, I hate to cut this short but it is my nap time--I take three hour naps to rest up to be able to make it through the evening most days, not all, in Summer, it is so light I manage to grab just about an hour. But then I usually feel better in the Summer except for my new found allergies and the major painful Concentric Bulging Disc in my L4-L5 region. When that flares up I am down for the count with my friend the Ice Pack.

Happy Creating!

Head Pain Finally Figured Out!

Hey there Everyone,

I finally figured out my head pain on my own on Mother's Day when it finally came to a massively severe pain-wracking full blown Migraine. Now it is just down to a Allergy Headache. SO No Tumor as originally thought!!!

My sweet hubby surprised me with a Orchid corsage and a dozen Carnation Pink Carnations for Mother's Day! I love them Darlin'! Thank you so much and I love you dearly!

I am working on a French Provincial Afghan pattern I found in an 1986 Afghan book I bought at the Goodwill here. I have changed the color scheme a bit to adjust to my tastes. I will try to do a tutorial on it as I go. It may be after I finish it completely that I post it though. As it takes quite some time and money to make at least 55 squares, then to single crochet two different colors to each square, make 55 flowers, attach the flowers then to join all the squares and to finish it with a Picot edging. But then I am taking a Lap Robe project and turning it into a full blown afghan for a queen sized bed :O).

I have been getting quite the crafting bug here lately but my poor thumb is so sore I cannot do much other than to crochet. I may have to talk to my doctor again about it as it has been really sore at rest and I have not sprained it. I think it is an inflammation in my ligaments. Very painful. Nonetheless, I have been perusing other crafting blogs for inspiration and to see creativity at its finest as a Do-it-yourself kind of person.
I just may show you my ugly dining room slipcovers and afghan if I can ever feel well enough to finish them...actually they are not that bad.

I am sitting here wishing I had a craft room all my own...but I am crammed into the bedroom with a meeting table with a table skirt I made. I just wished I could afford the right kind of chair to use for my sewing and quilting, Right now I am using a dining room chair which causes my lower back to really hurt after an hour of sitting at the machine.

Ah well, tis the life story of one who is extremely poor and disabled and cannot work.

Anyhoo, back to designing more crafts to do when I am able to do so!

Happy Creativity and Crafting Y'all!

Good News and Even Better News

Hello Everyone,

Today is a grand day for me......

I found out that my MRI of my head came back normal which means there is no tumor like originally thought. Still does not explain my symptoms though. Maybe it is just a new form of headache that I have never had in the past. I am going to see if I can see a headache specialist as this was just too painful to ignor especially when my vision was so affected.

The greatest news of all I won my auction and am now the proud owner of a dainty Victorian matching necklace and earring set. 

Victorian Earrings

Victorian necklace

I have also purchased a lovely pair of hand beaded appliqués. I am thinking I may use them on my veil on the main layer which reaches down to my ankles or thereabouts. Thinking I will finish it with some lace trim and possibly with other smaller appliqués and extra pearls and crystal type beads.

Hand beaded Appliqués
Happy Weddings and crafting!

My Vow Renewal Plans

Hey there Everyone,

I have pretties to show you today!
Lace, trim, ballet slippers, and the pattern for my Vow Renewal dress I am hand making.

This is the pattern I plan on using with some tweakage.

This is the fabric for the skirt and maybe the upper sleeves. But I have not completely decided on that .

These are the hand made English Ladies Style of leather Ballerina slippers I plan on embroidering with beads and adding ribbons to. But the ribbons will be tied as they really should be tied which is only around the ankle with the knot discretely hidden on the inside of the ankle. I will not tie them up my leg as that is not safe to do and can actually lead to injuries.  I will be getting them from  Just Plain Flats. Check Bob out he does awesome work!

This will be the trim i will be using.

This is the imported lace I am using for the inside of the lower sleeves.

This is the hand beaded appliqué that I will hand sew to the bodice.

A matching Victorian necklace and earring set I have my eye on, I sure hope I win it!

Cannot see it too well, but this is the hairstyle I am aiming for if my hair will cooperate :o).

This is the cake I am aiming to imitate with a dairy-free cake recipe using a candy clay to cover it with. I know it won't be completely dairy-free as i will be using white chocolate for the clay. I will have to make a trial run of it first.

This is the invitation I designed myself. I am planning on printing it out on a soft blue paper with a tracing paper insert with a small blue bow on the inside.