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)

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*

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baby Afghan and Health News

Hey there Everyone,

   How are we today? Me, not so well.
 
   I have been having intra-cranial pressure building up since February 23rd. The doctor thought it was Shingles so I have gone through two prescriptions and still not any better. So I am trying to get her to okay an MRI to find out what is really going on with my head. I have developed visual disturbances and I have almost fallen three times this week. The pressure is building steadily. She wants to send me to the pain clinic to get a nerve block but I told them that I was trying to get my doctor to order an MRI and that I really did not want to waste the doctor's time with the nerve block if it calls for something else. They were very understanding and told me to give them a call if I changed my mind.

   On to the good things!

   I finished that baby afghan I have been teasing you guys with and I think it is gorgeous!

 
    I started out with oversized granny squares.  I was desperate to find a way to join them. My way just wasn't working. So I googled and ran across Carina's Craft Blog
She was a life saver and didn't even know it! Check her out sometime. 

  You cannot see it in the picture but the light colored squares are actually a pale pastel blue, yellow, green,  pink and white.  Man was this yarn ever soft! I even made a couple of washcloths with the antique white yarn and they left my body so soft and silky. As soon as I have time and get to feeling better I plan on making some more. I wove ribbon throughout the edge of the afghan and stitched it down with my sewing machine. I also gave her a photo album that I had decorated with ephemera, ribbon, and buttons. It was so cute.  I divided it into activities and special moments such as "Playtime", "Daddy's Boy", "Dream it Up Little One", "Momma's Sunshine" just to name a few. Then I also gave my niece a devotional book just for Mommies. I was so very touched when my niece told me that our gifts would be family heirlooms. I almost started to cry because I was so very happy as that was my very wish while I was working on the baby afghan. I prayed over that afghan so many times as we all were afraid that since both parents were Preemies that this baby would also be a Preemie. But so far he is heading towards full term!. He appears to be strong and very healthy. According to my niece she told everyone when they had a 3D Sonogram (?sp.) that he looked so cute and angelic.  I cannot wait to see him!  I am so looking forward to being a Great-Aunt.

  In other news, I ordered the fabric for the skirt part of my Vow Renewal Dress. I received the lace trim yesterday. I just love the fabric to my skirt I plan on mixing it with a white polished cotton as it is polished cotton as well. I cannot wait to get started on my dress but I have to wait until I can order the rest of the fabric needed.

 Here's a snippet of it:

   Is this gorgeous or what! It is so romantic. I am such a romantic at heart and very sentimental. I just love the roses.

  Well, that's it for now. Happy crafting until next we meet!

What's Happening Lately

    Well, for starters, I finally finished that cute little hat I was crocheting along with the lap afghan I had been working on for the past few months.

Hand crocheted hat based on a child's pattern by Red Heart.

Lap Afghan hand crocheted.

Shell stitch made up of 5 Double Crochet.

   In the hat picture you can see what my next project will be. It will be new pillows for my sofa. I just have to wait for my sewing machine to get looked at if the machine oil does not do the trick.  That is why I have a month's worth of mending left to do. My sewing machine went wonky on me. I am trying to fix it on my own. But if it needs to go to the shop I am pretty much out of luck as I do not have that kind of money. I am operating off of a $20 a month allowance. I am disabled and cannot work at all. Due to my disabilities but I cannot seem to get that Administrative Law Judge to see it. So we are appealing again from a different angle. So wish me well in my endeavor.


   Right now I am working on a secret project that cannot be discussed for a few more months. At the right time I will post pictures of my project. I cannot let my little secret out ahead of time or it would ruin the surprise factor. It is a grand little surprise I have!


Here is a picture of the very first Ripple afghan I ever made.

Me and my first ever Ripple afghan taken on April 4, 2007.

 

 

 

 

  I really must make another sometime. Only this time in blues.

  Well, I guess that's it for now until I get my machine working right again.
  Have fun creating and please do share your crafts with me!

Please Help My Good Friend Al

Change.org|Start an Online Petition »

       Why is this at the top of my post?
       Because I strongly believe in this gentle man's right to stay in the United States of America! We are to be a safe harbor to those who just like us are just seeking to live their lives in freedom. Is that not what the United States has stood for all these many centuries? Why now change our Motto: In God We Trust? To say simply that we only trust God sometimes but only when it is convenient for us. My dear friend Al, we are all on our knees praying for your freedom at this very moment and for the safety of your mother.

       In other news, my back is still in the process of healing. I've been denied Disability benefits due to too many discrepancies between what I am telling the judge and what my records actually show as I can never seem to catch my own doctor in the  office to get her up to date. Then when I do, the time frame is too short to really discuss anything and due to the clinic's new policy I cannot be treated by the other physicians there as I am considered a complicated case.  I invite the Administrative Law Judge to live just one day at my house and she will see that I am telling the truth. My lawyer is appealing with a different focus this time. Personally, I feel that Fibromyalgia has completely wrecked my life and that without proper healthcare access such as the medical coupon through DSHS, I never will get better. Right now DSHS is still mailing me paperwork to fill out once again declaring my Adult Functionality and my Ancient Work History 15 years past. So I am still in limbo on that decision as well.

     In recent news, my father-in-law fell on Christmas Eve and fractured his spine and the family is going through a huge adjustment period as he has been taken in by my brother-in-law and his wife. and poor Pa Bear as we call him still insists on being an Olympic Jumper at 84 years old. Gotta slow down there Pa Bear!

     I have not had the chance to do much crafting as they are increasing my Gabapentin and it has pretty much had me tied to the bed as has wrenching my back trying to help poor Pa Bear the one time I was able to visit him in rehab. The back is doing slightly better with the medication increase and the wonderful present I received from one of my sister-in-law's Suzy,{ Yay for Suzy! }She bought me a really nice thick foam mattress for my bed and two other pieces for my desk chair and my crafting chair! They have been a huge help with the back pain.
    I am still battling trying to get my Fibromyalgia under control. Seems like I have been on one huge long flare-up. With the increase in my medication I am sleeping better and most of the way through the night. I am still so very stiff in the mornings that it is usually an hour after taking my morning medications that I can even think about loosening up my muscles and start moving. I am still really exhausted. I can manage being up for about five hours max then I take a four hour nap then I go to bed early to boot. So it kind of makes it really hard to have much of a relationship with the hubby. But as long as the hubby has his computers he is entertained. However, I made the audicity of asking him to play a movie for me on his puter as my monitor gave up and I am using a loaner monitor that the screen is all messed up on so I am not on the puter much these days due to it giving me a headache trying to read the old CTL way, not as crisp and clear as an LCD monitor. Anyhow, the movie was "G-Force",  Loved it! But then I am a computer artist who fiddles with 3-d models *sheepish grin*  Rump is giving out, I'm off for now and please remember to help my good friend Al out !!