TAST Owl & more eco/rust dyeing

 Am caught up now with TAST.  Last weeks stitch was the whipped wheel stitch and this weeks is the barred chain.  Anyone wanting to join or to find information about TAST - Take A Stitch Tuesday - it's on Sharon's Pintangle site.

First I rusted this piece of cloth for a day on some chicken wire sprinkled down with a vinegar/water mix. Then I eco dyed it using only rose leaves.  I loved how it turned out and was very surprised at how dark the rose leaves were.

 This piece of cloth I wrapped around an old rusty Edwards coffee tin for a day again sprinkled down with a vinegar/water mix.  Rose leaves again on this piece turned out well.

 My new old sewing machine!  It's a White from 1964.  Thankfully I found an instruction manual on-line as well as some youtube clips.  Can't wait to figure it out and use it.  It's heavy too - not much plastic on it that's for sure.

 Caught this little 13 Lined Ground Squirrel stuffing and I mean stuffing his cheeks underneath the bird feeder.  He must be fattening himself up for the long winter months ahead.

Have a Happy October day everyone :D

Rust Dyed Owls

 I participated in Anna Hergert's Exploring Line:  Make Your Mark challenge in August.  I took the rust dyed cloth I had made and by following the rusty lines made by washers and wires I found 8 owl faces. I used buttonhole stitches, chain, stem, french knots, seed and fly stitches. 

 It was a fun piece to stitch.  Thanks Anna for the challenge :)

My sunflowers are definitely loving September's heat.

Wishing you all joy this day :)

Felting and Hedebo

 The more I wet felt and sew and stitch on my pieces the more I'm enjoying it.  The ladybug was so enjoyable to do.  Sew in Love has an excellent stumpwork ladybug tutorial for anyone interested.

 Bullion knots and gold thread wings for a few bumblebees amongst the flowers.

 How to stitch a caterpillar came from Jane Nicholas's book:  Stumpwork Embroidery Designs and Projects. The body is worked in raised stem stitch over 3 lengths of couched perle cotton threads.

 Since taking this picture I've added threads of green grass all along the bottom with straight stitches.

 I've also begun a pulled thread chatelaine project.  Here is a piece of the edging which is being worked using the Hedebo stitch.  I could not for the life of me figure it out from the pattern and written explanation but thankfully I know someone who could show me.

What's a post without an owl or 2 so here are a few needle felted owls that I've also enjoyed making.  I gave my 2 daughters one each at Easter :)

Wishing everyone a delightful and beautiful day.

Felting & Marbling

 Here's my finished little felted piece.  The tree was lacking something so I needle-felted a wee owl to it.  Once a year a small art gallery in the city puts on an exhibit of members works and that's where it is hanging right now.

 I've been enjoying more felting lately and here is another piece that I laid out on bubble wrap ready for soapy water and a lot of rolling.

 Felted and free motion machine embroidered and ready now for some hand stitching.  I'm thinking it needs a few bees to begin with.

 Chain stitch, stem, straight, french knots and fly stitches for the cover of another owlet accordion booklet.  I'll do a buttonhole wheel for the eyes and add beads too.

I had such a fun marbling afternoon with a few friends from our stitchery guild. 

We marbled fabric and paper using Pebeo marbling on sodium alginate

and also on shaving cream using Dye-na flow paints.  We also marbled papers with shuminagashi japanese inks on water which was also fun. We were challenged to do something with our pieces before the next meeting so now I just have to do something with them besides look at them.

Wishing everyone a beautiful day and a lovely weekend :)

Hearts and Tyvek

 A quick and easy cross stitch heart pattern that I came across at dandee designs.  One for each of my daughters and I'm set for Valentine's Day :)

 Hearts stitched together pattern also available from dandee designs.  She stitched her hearts separately which actually look better.  If I have time I'll do another one.

 Been playing this week with some Tyvek (house wrap).

 I cut it into pieces and painted them with metallic acrylic paints.  They all dried in less than 1/2 an hour.  Then I ironed them between sheets of parchment paper.  Some I ironed a bit too long as it just melted and disappeared.

 Other pieces bubbled and puckered and holed up nicely which I then free motion stitched owls on.  Not sure yet what I'll do with them yet.

 This one will become an artist trading card.  I need to back and put an edge around it.

 Also played with candy wrappers again and made another couple of atc's to trade.

 Thankfully I have co-workers and friends saving wrappers for me.

 Last week we went down hill skiing at Castle Mountain in Alberta and I was thrilled to see Stellar Jays.  I had put out some peanuts and cracked corn and within minutes there were 5 of them right outside the door.

Have a wonderful week everyone and a Happy Valentine's Day :D

Chain Stitched Applique

 Slow progress on my whole cloth piece but I did manage to add a couple of bright orange flowers to it.  Using fusible web I ironed this flower down and chained stitched around the edge and added some pistil stitches and beads.

 Wanting a 3 dimensional look as well I buttonholed around this flower and stitched it on with french knots.  I have 3 more flowers to go and then will add a few stitched bugs.

 This is supposed to be the beginnings of a cross stitched robin but I've already made 4 mistakes so we'll see what bird it will be by the time I'm done :)

 Grouping of 4 of my owlet accordion books that I've enjoyed stitching.

Owl accordion booklet opened up.

 4 more owl accordion booklets. 

It always makes my day when a Sharp-tailed Grouse comes into the yard.  We've been having -28 Celsius and into the - 30's at night so I am glad to scatter a bit of seed on the ground for the birds.

Happy New Year and wishing everyone a creative and wonderful year!

Seed Filler Stitches

 A bit more progress on my whole cloth piece namely chain stitches around the purple flower with french knot centres, open chain stitches for the tendril and then seed stitching.  Seed stitches are certainly a great filler stitch and so easy and relaxing to do.

 Thought I'd try my hand once again at some free motion embroidery and had fun with these squiggles and leaves around this tendril.

 Back to more owl covers for my accordion books.  Learning from my previous mistake I drew out the design lightly with a pencil and then stitched.  Before glueing the cloth to the book cover I made sure I had stitched the beaks this time too.

 Another accordion book cover.

 I wrote out owl sayings on the inside pages. 

 Wish that I had taken calligraphy or had much neater handwriting.

 I'll be making more of these accordion books with owl covers next year too and plan to learn how to bind books using the coptic stitch as well.

 A beautiful flock of Bohemian Waxwings showed up in our cotoneaster hedge for a few minutes.  They busily gobbled up as many berries as they could and then were off.  They have such a beautiful trill.

Have a very joy filled and wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone!!

Sampler in Blue Nearly Completed

I had thought I was absolutely finished but then when I took this picture I saw there was a row on the right side border that I haven't crossed yet!! There might be more uncrossed stitches so I'd better look carefully. Very carefully.

 More candy wrapper stitching.  Certainly glad for friends that are saving wrappers for me.

 This month's guild stitching project is to make a 9" x 9" whole cloth piece.  Using a light box I traced flowers and curly cues onto the cloth.  Then using acrylic paint, textile medium and a small brush I began to paint.

 This is my completed painted design.  Next I will put a pellon backing onto it and begin to outline stitch the flowers and stems using running stitches, back stitch, chain or maybe even cable chain.  Not sure yet.  I should be working on Christmas gifts but this has gotten me side-tracked.

I didn't have an onion mesh bag for the suet I made for the birds but this Downy woodpecker didn't mind that I used an avocado mesh bag instead.

Have a most wonderful day and thank you for stopping by :)