Welcome Autumn

Wishing you all a warm and wonderful Autumn Equinox

And a Happy and Blessed Mabon

Let the day flow softly into night

and may you be wrapped in the warmth of the season

It Started with a Sketch

Inspiration comes at the oddest times and so often from things I see every day.  My recent Goddess hand embroidery was inspired by a favorite Goddess figurine by Abby Willowroot.  You may have seen or perhaps even own one of these figurines yourself.

While lying down resting after a busy afternoon I was admiring the statue across from where I was lying when the thought came to sketch the statue so I pulled out my sketchbook and pencil and started to sketch.
When I was done I was happy with what I had put to paper and couldn't help but admire my addition of stars and the labyrinth like spiral head, after all the figurine does have a spiral on the other side.

Once the sketch was done I turned it here and there and decided it would look great done as an embroidery so I scanned the photo and then printed it onto my favorite stitch and wash away product.

Stitching was slow going at first my fingers were still sore from the work I did on the Summer of Love piece.

I made progress each time I picked up the piece to work on and before I knew it I was getting ready to stitch the moon.

I decided to use DMC satin floss for the moon I was a bit apprehensive at first using the stain floss but it stitched up nicely.

Here she is completely stitched using a variegated blue for the body and the spiral, I left off the stars and reversed the two moons on the sides of the tree trunk.

 I still have the corners of the cloth I want to embroider I'm just not sure what I want to do so for now I'll give it some thought and eventually I will have the corners done, or I may just cut her out and applique her to another piece of fabric.

Books, Beach and Birthday!

July is moving along at a fast clip, do you ever wonder where the time goes, it seems it was just yesterday I was blowing out the candles on my 62nd birthday cake on the first of July and here we are 9 days into the month.

I have been slowly making progress on the Peace symbol Zenbroidery and I am happy to say my satin stitch is looking much better as I work, for some reason I always struggled with that stitch, but not nearly as much as I struggled with the french knot.

Several members of the stitching challenge I am in have made this and told me that once its nearly done it will be very hard to get the needle through, I had noticed how dense the stitching looked on photos they had posted so I am using back stitch to outline some of the motifs rather than have it all filled in,  I like the look of some white spaces.

My time on Sanibel Island was lovely, though as it is with vacations too short. The weather was lovely sunny and hot, I forgot the further south in Florida the hotter it gets though it did seem less humid being on the gulf coast enjoy the balmy breezes.

Spent some time shelling on the beach and browsing bookstores during the afternoon rains, the water so clear and the shells abundant.

a perfect beach day

hunting shells low tide

tiny shells on the shore

lovely day

I didn't take too many photos, I was too busy picking up shells and walking along the shore and wading into the water.  I will post some photos of the larger shells found eventually.  After an early morning of shelling I brought out my beach chair and spent a few hours soaking in the sun.

I located two book shops on the Island, one of the bookshops had 3 buildings and books everywhere.
These are some of the books I bought.

a little of everything

City Guide

two in one

I also found a bookshop in Fort Myers and purchased a few books but I haven't unpacked those yet.  I have just started the Terry Prachett  Discworld series so I am picking up the books not available at our library, and I just thought to grab the City Guide complete with map.  Wicked is the first two novels for a friend. The Randy Wayne White books are written by a Sanibel author and the novels take place in and around Southwest Florida.  Now I can start this series too.

On the first of July I celebrated my 62nd Birthday with a little cake that just makes me smile, it was so colorful.

basket of flowers cake

I have to tell you those flowers were amazing and quite sweet, I don't like too much frosting so I scrape most of it off, it was a delicious white cake inside.

One of the new projects I am working on is a witch bonnet Sue quilt, here is a look at two of the blocks waiting for embellishing, I will be embroidering the blocks and adding some beads too.

Here is a close up of one of the Sue blocks, they are appliqued on using fusible web, don't you just love the spider webs.

I'm thinking may be using some metallic threads around the block.  Here is a look at a traditional Sun Bonnet Sue block I made years ago.

As you can see the black threads are all the embroidery I added around the edges, added the lines for socks and umbrella handle and her hands.

Well that's all I have for now, I will be posting up dates on my projects as they progress.

Happy 4th of July

Have a Safe and Happy Independence Day to All of you!

Happy Summer Solstice

The first day of summer brings me back to my childhood days of eagerly waiting for the last school bell to ring signaling the end of the school year and endless days of sunshine, tree climbing, berry picking, trips to the beach, chasing fireflies, skinned knees and playing outdoors with every kid in the neighborhood from dawn till dark.

While I may no longer get those skinned knees or play outdoors from dawn til dark, I do take trips to the beach, I'd chase fireflies if there were any here in Florida.  I do spend as much time outdoors as possible, though usually in the early part of the day to beat the summer heat most of my playing outside the gym or frolicking at the beach is with needle and thread or a good book both of which give me as much pleasure as those activities I did as a child.

My latest projects from the hand embroidery over the recent weeks are my winter goddess, though it didn't turn out as I planned I do like how she looks.

I had meant to stitch her using mostly blues, white and silvery gray and just a touch of green and red for the flowers she is stitched on a snowflake printed pale blue fabric,  but as I stitched her I changed my initial plan of stitching the swirls in blues and gray choosing to use green instead.  I'm happy with the overall results.

One of my current projects is the Zenbroidery Peace Symbol kit I purchase a few months ago.  I am using mostly variegated floss this is my progress so far.  I am slowly stitching this in between other

projects which brings me to the other project I am working on The Summer of Love stitch at home challenge I signed up for in May.

I chose a whiter shade of pale colors provided by DMC, once they arrived I had to decide where they would work best in my design.  Knowing myself as I do I know I would tweak the design several times before I began stitching.  

As you can see I did finally get started on the stitching and believe me when I tell you this took me quite a while to stitch. I'm happy I like it so far.  

I am planning to take the challenge piece along with my on vacation so I can make the August deadline. I'll be at the beach so I'll need to sand proof my work and tools. I don't stitch daily as I would like to because something like sore fingers or housework tends to get in the way.  On days when my allergies kick up a notch my eyes water all day so I can't really see well enough to stitch. And some days I'm just not in the mood to stitch.

On the days when I don't feel like stitching I will either read or do some other form of needle work, usually crochet.

I purchased the Playa Ruana pattern last month from a store online called Two of Wands, I just lose the soft flow it appears to have.  I plan to use my shawl in a ball yarn hoping to get a light airy look. I don't normally crochet in the summer time but this pattern just called to me.

Last week I picked up a few books to take along on vacation, I went in search of a beach read and came home with a short stack of books.

The book on the bottom is the one I had in mind to purchase the others were just happy surprises. I love cozy mysteries and I have wanted to read the E.J. Copperman series because they take place in New Jersey, if you didn't know it I moved to Florida from NJ 20 odd years ago and still consider it home.   The Beach Bags and Burglaries I'll take with me on vacation too along with a magazine or two.

I have also started planning a little Halloween quilting project which I will begin some time in July and once I have all the fabrics chosen. 

Have a warm and happy Summer Solstice

Another Goddess Stitched

The day before Mother’s Day I finished my hand embroidery for the Goddess of Willendorf, the photo shows the piece just off the hoop

She still needs to be ironed and a backing added to the piece for stability, I was planning to make her a prayer flag but I think I will make her a wall hanging instead, may use  wooden dowel or a twig to hand it from I’ll know more as I progress to the finishing stages. 

In the mean time I have signed up for the Stitch at Home Challenge put on by the San Francisco School of Needlework and Design in connection with the 50th anniversary Summer of Love celebration.  The Summer of Love took place in 1967 at Golden Gate park in San Francisco.

DMC is a sponsor so once you sign up you can choose 3 embroidery threads from several color palettes, I chose A Whiter Shade of Pale,  I have designed my piece to resemble a poster from that era.  From the SNAD site: We want you to be inspired by the art movements that defined the Summer of Love to express what matters to you now.  Here is a link to the site if you would like to check it out and perhaps join in the stitching fun, you are not limited to just embroidery,  you do have to use the 3 embroidery floss colors in your piece.
http://www.sfneedleworkanddesign.org/rules-and-entry-form/

A new stitchery challenge by the The San Francisco School of Needlework & Design

I just signed up for a new stitchery challenge offered by The San Francisco School of Needlework & Design, it is my desire to one day take a class or two there but for now the challenge will have to do. Here is a link if you want to join in.


http://www.sfneedleworkanddesign.org/rules-and-entry-form/