Days of the Week transfers

Yesterday's Charm has some free Days of the Week patterns, including a lovely kewpie doll one.

With multiple thanks to the Marvellous MeggieCat for the link - I think I might get lost in that site for a loooooooooooong time. if I had it to lose.

I just had to post it here was well, to make sure Pam see it. :)

Louisiana Iris

Today has allowed me a little sewing time, so a Louisiana Iris has grown on one corner of my All That Jazz block.

I love this pattern - it is from an early filet crochet pattern, and has been added using waste canvas.

All the irises in my garden are about to come out, so this felt just right.

Alison's Bag of Fun finished

Alison's Bag of Fun is finished, and it is soooo beautiful. I would like to be like Alison, when I grow up.

But I don't like my chances, so will get back to mine as soon as some deadlines go away.

Old Postcards

The horrendous deadline is still assaulting me, but I am taking a coffee break. Part of the work involves working my way through a lot of old local photographs for a book - and one lot just happened to have some nice old cards with them. So I thought people might like to see a few.

Largest HERE

It is a pity about the fold-mark, but I still like this one as I sometimes think it is how people overseas still see Australia. As an aside, for Australian women of my age - the illustrator is J.Macfarlane, who later illustrated many of the Billabong/Little Bush Maid books by Mary Grant Bruce. She is one of my "other" interests, as she was born quite near here, and her Billabong is based on a property quite near here too, that her uncle managed.

Here are two more - just for the nice pictures:

Largest HERE

Largest HERE

This is a tiny rice-paper booklet/Christmas greeting, very Japanese, but with "England made" on the inside.

Julia's Pictures

Julia C has been steadily adding pictures of her crazypatch work to Flickr. Really lovely work - especially that slipper.

Working on my Balcony

This is the "balcony" on my All That Jazz block. Well, sort of. Well, it will be.

The work on the spokes is modified Chicken Scratch. I used waste canvas for the crosses, removed it and did the weaving. I then added a sparkly gold braid and some of my tatting over the top.

Now I need to add the roses and wisteria to the fan/balcony. But keeping the purple of the wisteria away from that central red section.

Talk about delicate balancing on my balcony - I am still a bit wary of using off-white on this block - and especially so close to the black. But I think it will be okay in the end.

I'm off to work on non-stitching deadlines - back in a few days.

Mirror-image Crinoline Ladies

The mirror images of the two Crinoline Ladies I posted the other day are now available.

They are over in my Katrina set at Flickr - you are welcome to download and use, but you do have to be signed into Flickr to get the download icon.

Stitch

Just picked up my copy of the latest Stitch, the magazine of the English Embroiderers' Guild - and am enjoying myself profusely. In particular, there is a wonderful article on the concept behind a Peacock embroidery.

I have been trying to work out which magazine I am going to subscribe to for the coming year, and I think this is it. It is brain candy as well as eye candy.

Not hanging around to talk - I'm off to enjoy!

Motifs for All That Jazz

A large number of Wonderful Ladies on the large mailing lists have been helping me to work out motifs for the All That Jazz Quilt blocks.

One that got an early mention, that I will not be able to fit in, is Crinoline Ladies, sometimes called Southern Belles.

This is one I charted from an old doiley, and worked with waste canvas on a block. There is another lady similar to her - the patterns for both are over in my All That Jazz Set at Flickr, if anyone would like to download them. You might have to join Flickr to do it, but that is free, and it is a wonderful photo sharing site. I am getting quite enamoured with what it can do.

Jeans Bag Sunday 4

Oooops - started with Roman Numerals for this - thing I will go to whatever we call figures. :) I've missed few Sundays - how many are there to go?????

This is where my bag is at, at the minute. Not much is doing due to other things happening in my life. But I have managed to work one small violet on top of the doiley - and I like it. Adding another layer to an old embroidery intrigues me. Must work on that more one day.

When I finish everything else.

In the meantime, the wonderful work by others in the group can be seen on the Flickr Group for Bags of Fun. There is some really wonderful stuff over there.

Bloggers who Embellish

How long since YOU have checked out Bloggers who Embellish???? There is a link on my side-bar (and don't forget there are two pages if you are working from the list). I always find something new and inspiring when I drop over there (Thanks, Mary Frances for maintaining it).

I have just found a new entry for an Australian Textile blogger. Welcome Carole. Thanks for the Fish.

All That Jazz 1

Well - Sharon did say bright, but I think this is BRIGHT!!!!

I started knowing I wanted to do a fan, and that would be in solids or self-patterns. And that I wanted to include purple, green and gold, as the Mardi-Gras colours. On Thursday Margaret G brought a top to class that was perfect for what I had in mind (the coloured flowers), and I dived into a box rarely opened - the multicolours - and found the other piece. I think I was given it at a Retreat. I just wish the block could be bigger now so I could use more.

So, there I was - being careful not to put pattern next to pattern. And piecing away. And although I did have lace and ribbons for insertion as I went, somehow it didn't seem right for what I have in mind. I'm not giving it all away at this stage, in case it doesn't work. But I will be stitching along the vanes of the fan, and using very simple stitches on the outer section, to emphasis the fabrics. I think.

Right now I want to stitch, but other deadlines and family call. But a start has been made.

You can check out Viv's block on the group pool (along with inspiration from her journal) and the Guidelines (which are the work of Sharon and Annie) are HERE.

Everyone is welcome to join in with us in this fundraiser, by making one eight-inch block. And it doesn't have to be as bright as mine, I am sure. :)

Now ....... I know the gold at top right is a lovely fabric, but I think I need to put just a hint of one of the patterns across the corner.

Katrina project for crazypatchers

Sharonb has announced a new Katrina fundraising project over on her blog. There is a very detailed post over there, so I won't attempt to duplicate it here, except to say that it is very exciting. Hopefully something worthwhile in the way of help for those affected will come from it, but also there will be long-term benefits for the CQ community as well.

(PS my spell-check on this entry has just given one alternative for "crazypatchers" - and this is a strange spellcheck, that does this sort of thing occasionally. It says the only alternative that it can find is "crackpots"!!!!)

New Addition to my Library

I have a "new" addition to my library. I had just a couple of minutes to pop into the local second-hand bookshop and run my eyes over the craft section - and there is was:

Janet Haig wrote one of my favourite crazypatch books (out on loan to a student at the minute, so cannot check date and title), but I hadn't seen this before. Possibly because it lurked in the knitting section, not the embroidery one. It was published in 1992 by Greenhouse.

[Late note - I got my hands on my other book for just a little while - the CQ one was published in 1998 - intresting how she has gone from one to the other in that time]

I love her crazypatch book as the colours and approach are so different - and I like having the English approach, as distinct from that from Australia or the USA. Well, I mean I like having them all.

The patterns in this are ones where small pieces come out easily and suit crazypatch using waste canvas.

And yes - I am so addicted to second-hand craft books that I picked up another of those subscription folders, where you had to buy the pages weekly - I have about four different ones now. They are good for ideas, I get them cheap (they are rarely complete), and one day I will get one that has the pages missing from the other one I have already ..... I have faith, and a lot of duplicate pages.

I've tried Googling Janet Haig and embroidery combinations, with no luck. I wouldn't mind seeing more of her work - the picture on the author's bio is most interesting - I wonder if anyone knows if these are her only two books????

Katrina Bag Progress II

Life continues to be unusually busy here, but I have done a little more on my Katrina bag.

You can see a larger version HERE.

It is almost to the stage where I stop seam treatments and other stitching, and start to add beads, buttons, jewellery etc. The two pieces of tatting are in Colourstreams silk (a hand-dyed Australian silk I love to tatt for very special pieces), and I had a lot of fun with a complex woven Herringbone stitch on top right. Really champing at the bit to try that again.

I still haven't worked out how I am going to auction it - but I will find a way.

In the meantime, this blog will continue to be sparse, I have been spending a little time in various hospital departments with a close family member, and things are not going to get better for a few days. That is on top of a horrible deadline I have.

So not a lot is happening to my Bag of Fun - I think I will have to make a last minute run before the finalisation date.

Vintage Needle Cards

I was just over at Woof Nanny having my daily fix, when I saw she had posted a picture of the Needle Card that I grew up with in the 1960s.

I don't have one of them any more, but I do have this one that was in my m-i-l's stash:

I don't know a thing about Woman's Realm, the magazine that it apparently came with - I wonder can anyone date it, or tell me about it????

Both sides of the card are the same, and it had three sets of needles inside - only the large ones remain. And the words "Empire Made". So I suspect it was an English magazine.

Anyone else got any others????

Real life getting in the way

This is just a quick post to say that I may be more away than here over the next two weeks. Real life gets in the way of blogging sometimes, and I have a non-stitching deadline I need to meet. So I definitely won't be here daily.

In the meantime, I thought some may enjoy the different daffodils that are out in my garden at the minute. I am especially proud to have two different pure white ones, even though one of my favourites is the small one at bottom left. It reminds me of Fairies.

More Hearts from Joan

Joan is one of my students, and does not have Internet. However she makes Hearts for swapping on the Chains of Hearts list at Yahoo, and I post them. Here is one of her latest:

You can see the rest of them HERE. It is spring now, and this one makes me think of the garden.

All Hearts swapped are six inch Hearts, unfinished, and the aim is to swap with as many different people as possible, and then make them up into a Chain, or a Quilt, or whatever takes your fancy.

Mine are made up into a Chain.

Pretty Impressive Stuff

Don't know how this one slipped under my guard, but have now found it courtesy of Lil' Honey Collection.

Rissa is well-known on international crazy-patch lists, and has been blogging since June. She is in Mississippi and has been effected by Katrina. Her blog is Rissa's Pieces.

Many will also know her website, which is Pretty Impressive Stuff too.

Found a New Violet

I am so happy - I have found a new violet pattern.

This one is now on my Katrina Pouch. I collect small violet and pansy patterns, and this one (taken from a larger work in an old magazine) is definitely going into my patterns to use again.

It is worked using waste canvas.

Slight bother

I'm just about to head out into my garden for my second day of gardening, but have been stitching a little on my pouch. However my plans are now a little set back as Sharon has found "others" cannot list with Mission-Fish on eBay America, which is where I hoped to sell it. I am wondering if there is anyone out there who is already registered who would be prepared to act as an agent, and do the listing. I could still mail it to the ultimate buyer from Australia .....

Just thinking aloud, here .....

(And Sharon also has a piece of her work for sale - I am still working out what else I can sacrifice - I guess I should give something I would miss, so I can feel a tiny bit of the loss all Katrina's survivors will be feeling. But I need an auction system. Any suggestions welcome).

Rose Cottage

Near Biloxi, in the path of Katrina, a new blogger started in August. She loves vintage linen, beautiful china and the colour pink.

One of the few things the family saved was the computer, and they are now living in the one room of their house that survived.

Please keep Laurie, in her Rose Cottage, in your thoughts.

Thanks to GinaE and Pam for the link.

Word verification

It seems everyone is doing it - so I have joined in. The word verification for comments has been turned on after the two I got today. They are innocuous, but I know the potential is out there for some of the more offensive ones - as now it looks as if spammers have the programs to spider blogs.

So, sorry about the word verification everyone. It won't stop me commenting on other blogs, so I hope it doesn't stop you on this one. I'm not good at replying to all comments (I do try and answer questions, when I can), but like many bloggers, I do appreciate them.

Thank you to the comment people. I will try and book myself some time this weekend to go through them and reply to a few.

Gone gardening

Hi Everyone,

Would love to stay around and talk of hoops (and thank you all for the comments), but the sun is shining, so I am going gardening.

It may be a few days!

And visitors are due to see the daffodils. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!

Katrina Bag progress

No post for the Jeans Bag for this Sunday (which was yesterday anyway), as I have been putting what little time I have towards this bag, which I am hoping to auction for Katrina survivors. And I left my sewing stuff elsewhere anyway.

At this stage I am just working on background seams and anchoring lace - adding a little bit of glitter at the same time - which never shows up well in scans like this.

My next step will be to add some violets with waste-canvas, and then work out what I will be adding in the way of beads, buttons and charms etc. I have already started some tatting in Colourstreams silk, but ran out of the thread colour I wanted. So I feel a need to go shopping.

Do you like the hoop? I had to search everywhere for one, and found this vintage 8 inch hoop that was my mother-in-law's - and it is just perfect.

And e-mails have been flying around behind the scenes about other Katrina options - this bag is just a quickie, as I feel I have to do something. But there may be a little something else some special CQ people are cooking up behind the seams.

First stitch

One stitch at a time, one block at a time.

I'm not sure how it is going to happen, but I have taken this block, and it will be my Katrina piece.

This was originally pieced as a demonstration piece, and was going to be a hanging bag. Then it went into my peacock wall-hanging for a while.

Now I am going to make it into a block for Katrina survivors.

At least my thread bag is in the car, DH has blunt kitchen scissors, and if I cannot find a needle - well, they sell them in the supermarket.

And I will appreciate every step of the way to get it that I have one to go to.

And there are those buttons from yesterday that are perfect to go on it.

Maybe a Block at a Time

Sharon over at in a minute ago is wrestling with how we, as Australian textile practitioners, can best help with relief/fund-raising for Katrina.

I was involved in making a quite complex block for a Tsunami quilt that basically got too big, so has not yet happened. So I was wondering - is the way to go to work a block at a time. Maybe just bind the block with bias tape, and auction just the block through eBay America. I don't know that people would pay much for a block by me, but imagine the chance to own an original work by Sharon Boggan (sorry to use your name, Sharon - but you know what I mean).

This would probably need a recognised person in the USA who would accept the blocks, do the eBay listing and then dispatch the blocks to the buyers (mind is thinking here - how do we add a tiny bit of money with the block for postage to make sure that person is not out of pocket ....).

I am just thinking aloud at this stage - does it have any possibilities that anyone can see???

Things get into perspective

I was going to start this post by saying I had a personal disaster - I have left all my sewing behind at my other home - but then things got right into perspective, and I realised how stupid that would sound. I am facing a very minor inconvenience - and I think I forgot to pack it as I am so saddened for the people whose lives have been destroyed by Katrina.

So I am going to have a few days without needles.

But if you are looking for something to enjoy, to take your mind off the horrors of stampedes in Iraq and something that words cannot describe in New Orleans, the August Aprons are up at Tie One On.

Nailpolish and Buttons

Well, it was something like this:

I got these buttons while I was away. I think they are more a scrapbook line, but so tiny, they are ideal for crazypatch seams.

But they were the wrong colour, so it was out with the nailpolish and toothpicks.

And, while I was at it, I thought I would experiment first with some of those ordinary shirt buttons that are not much good for anything else.

A couple of coats later, and a few dabs, I didn't think they were very bad at all!

Swapping Hearts

Chains of Hearts is a Yahoo mailing list dedicated to swapping pieced and embellished (but otherwise unfinished) six inch Hearts.

So I have just posted pictures on Flickr of the Hearts made for swapping by Joan, one of my students.

This is one of her latest offerings - a mix of Brazilian embroidery, tatting and other work. It is only on one piece of fabric - but the stunning embroidery makes up for that.

Last of the Hankies

Here are the last of the hankies I will post here - you can see the whole lot in a set on my Flickr page, including these.

This is one of two that have corners that are Filet Crochet - and I like the crochet edges on them too.

And this seems to me to be the oldest - this MAY be called Insertion Lace, but I would be happy to hear more suggestions. This hankie is larger, and has been well-used. But it is still beautiful.

I know I won't be able to cut up these hankies (there are a few more Tambour Lace ones over in the set I haven't posted too, similar to those from yesterday). And I am not the sort to have a house with lacy cushions. And have no space to frame them.

But I am playing with the idea of miniature, maybe freestanding, cq blocks that sit on top of the fabric part of the hankie, and are then framed in a very simple but deep frame. A bit like a shadow box. So the hankie becomes the frame.

Which would allow me to experiment with very bright versions, and white on white versions.

Maybe all crazypatch would be mounted before going on the handkerchief, much the same as I did with my name badge (yes, I am not really Chloe):

Then (and I am getting excited now) I could mount found objects with it, sort of collage-like. I have heaps of things like that from my life, in a box.

Then, when I am in an old-folks home I will insist on a wall in my room where I can put them all. And spend my time working out who I will leave them to.

Which is another huge issue that exercises my mind - with no-one for me to leave even these hankies to, at the moment the Neighbourhood House is going to have a wonderful party with my finished works and stash, when I go. (And believe me, I am grinning as I write this!)