Christms Runner for Rebecca

Christmas Table Runner for my friend, Rebecca, who lives in New Brunswick. Sent it a little early ( just a tad), since she moved to a new place. Was going to be a big quilt, but renovations downstairs put a stop to everything, so decided to turn it into a runner. And I like it better as a smaller piece. Merry Christmas, Rebecca...

Happy Halloween

 Morgan's costume for work on Halloween...................Just had to add the wig and makeup to complete the effect.......

Someone else knows it's Halloween.....listening to fireworks. Pye sits and stares at the little window, listening ot the crackles, and booms outside...

HALLOWEEN MAKEUP TRIALS ( How to)

 Halloween is approaching. Makeup trials are important. Guess who this is..............come on, three guesses ( no, it's not me). Costume Contest time is here.
     Outline what you want to accentuate , with eye liner.  Start with pale colours, like pale grey first, around eyes first. Then do the bags under your eyes with a grey tone liner, before going to the lids of the eyes. Use black all over the lid and make wings going out the sides. After that, you have permission to GO CRAZY with black eye liner......lots of it. Green and purple blush give shading on cheek bones and up side of face. Finish the look with black lipstick and iridescent glitter all over skin.
  When it comes time to do the actual makeup on the actual night , you will be an old pro.....

Add a wig of your choice, jewelry, and you are set ......muhahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

KIM's CHRISTMAS QUILT

Christmas comes early , sometimes. This is a wall quilt I picked up a little while ago ( a panel) . Hand quilted it  up for Kim. Added the borders to make it a little wider. The little figurines  were all done separately, and then beaded  and stitched onto the main piece. Usually I  shy away from panels, but this one I really liked. It was fun to send it early, complete with a Christmas card. Surprise. Surprise. I know that Kim decorates early, so when she is ready she will have this Christmas Advent hanging to put up.
    And why send it early? I call it "Just because"-syndrome. It is catching. Everyone should try it, at least once.  It is addicting. Spoil your friends. They deserve to know how special they are  to your life.

Fall Quilt

It's fall, it is October, put up my fall quilt. Had to mend the corners a bit, since some of the stitching fell out.  The fall fabric in the centre and on the inner border is rather neat, because it is actually a pattern of brown pointsettias...... Is set the centre with gold beads in the centres of each  flower.....and the triangle pattern circling round the quilt is known as Flying Geese.......very fall like. A pain to piece all those triangles, very repetitive....but worth it. Oh,yes, and there's Bo  sitting on the piano, inspecting it all.......

Turquoise and Gold Bag

 Another messenger bag, but this time, the fabricwas so wonderful and unusual that I just did not have the heart to do it in strips. Gorgeous turquoise knit ( of all things), with gold shot through.

 I think it is beautiful on its own. Just added a fringe and some trim to finish it off. Inside two large finished pockets, divided , and one on each outside portion. Pockets are filled, faced and lined for extra strength.

Even Bo likes the bag. She was following me around while  finished the bag off at midnight. Surprisingly enough , the knit was easy to work with, and most of the time I would not use a knit. Bo looks sleepy, I guess it's time to call it a night...

NEW MESSENGER BAG

New Messenger ag idea....make the strap long enough and padded with filler so that it can be slung on either shoulder for ease... I use this one to carry music . The front panel has been decorated with ripped fabric added on top of pieces to give it some movement.  I just love turqoise so wanted to add a touch of colour to the already dark fabrics.  This time I also double lined adn filled the pockets insde and out. Much more durable without adding weight.

 Original front before turquoise fabric was ripped and added on top........

Back panel with cool brocade fabric sent to me by my friend, Laurie, in Chicago. Love this stuff. Holds its shape and looks sharp.

Stockings for Salerno Twins

 More wild and funky stockings. This time, extra special for the twins of Tres and Julia Salerno. If you were at my wedding 23 odd years ago ( or was it 24...yikes), you may remember a little guy named Tres Salerno. He played the violin before the service and was the ring bearer. Now he is all grown up, married to Julia, and brand new week old twins.  A boy named Dru ( short for quadruple...since he is the FOURTH Kenneth Gordon Salerno in this world. Tres is the THIRD Kenneth Gordon Salerno), and Luciana.

 Luci's quilt is done in purple and white and gold. And yes, all the stuff hanging in pieces or threads or fringes, is supposed to be hanging. You'll notice the little red violin dangling from the collar....cause both Tres and Julia are violinists.

                  This is the back view of Luci's stocking.....jingly bells on the toes and all.

 Dru's stocking ( Kenneth Gordon Salerno IV), in red, and white and gold, and lots of feathers, to complement Luci's. Can't have enough feathers, I say. Strips of music fabric on both stockings, and yes, another red violin hanging helplessly from the feathery brim.

 Back of  Dru's stocking. And yes, the piece of red tinsel hanging down beneath the stocking, is supposed to do that.......hopefully no one will cut it off. Unless their cats  (and I know they have cats) dedcide to play with it.

And in this shot...I just liked the way the tablecloth looks...............

So, hapy birthday, Dru and Luci.....welcome to earth....

Morgan's Victorian Dress

 Morgan decided to make her Halloween costume for work, this summer. It took her all of July and almost all of August. Hours of sewing, and hand sewing. It is made of crushed broaded silk, with detachable train and bustle in dual colours. The sleeves are a victorian length split sleeve, and everything edged with lace, pearls, and tulle roses.

The Pattern is McCall'sM6097  ( $19.95) Lined top has low, square neck, with peplum, back band with laced cord or ribbon ( makes a corset style). Skirt is gathered with detachable train, bustle and back laced closing. SUGGESTED FABRICS:  satin, sateen, brocade, polished cotton, silk, shanung.
LINING FABRICS : cotton, cotton blends. Additional fabric may be need to match obvious pattern on fabric choice.
NOTIONS: Thead, 7 3/4 ys of flexible tim, 3 1/2 yds of 1/4 in cord or ribbon. 26 metal 1/4 inch eyelets, 14 1/2 inch buttons, 1/4inch double fold bias tape, 1 inch wide bias tape and 1 /4 inch snap.

New Grunge Card.........getting ready for Christmas.

 A card made for a friend this week. Kind of similiar to the Christmas cards I just finished. Decided to go with a grunge look.....just love distressing card stock and making angles.....trying to make it look vintage.

Inside, used one of my old photos. This one is from 1935, my aunt Isobel is on the left, my grandmother is in the middle, and my mum is on the right. Taken at the Bethune farm in Saskatchewan.  And every edge of the card and paper is inked and distressed.  Just like my fingers....have permanent ink stains!

Wedding Stockings

Wedding coming up for Christa McCowan and Yannick Stevens....just couldn't think of what to send. Decided that some funky Christmas stockings would do nicely....all covered with fringes, beadings, faux feathers. Love making these stockings...they are big and generous in size, perfect for stufing with all sorts of wonderful things.

Hot Summer Night

 Wall Hanging for Maria....in tropical hot oranges, pinks, batiks....I call it Hot Summer Night. It's been such a cold wet winter. This fabric just screamed summer. And it made me think of Maria ( not that she screams)... She is a dear friend, warm and vibrant.

 Backing  done in purples and batiks. Actually used left over squares to make the backing and a rod pocket.

Embroidered label. I have oodles of these big squares...supposed to be used to  a embroidered quilt, but I kind of liked them as labels for the backs of quilts.

Chained Messenger Bag

 Working on my Messenger Bag style. Decided that the bag itself needed more support. So lined everything, including the pockets...double sided with filler, and added pockets uner the flap and on the back. Stitched all the seams  with an extra edge to give more shape and filled the strap, stitching it numerous times to give it some hold so it does not flap around.   Much more stable.

Love the  fabric on the body of the bag. Reversible roses. Sent to me by my friend, Laurie, in Chicago. Very cool having different fabric from another part of the continent.  Wonderful fabric has gold shot through the  lines of the roses.  Very durable.  Pays to use less flimsy fabric and to work at stabilizing the  design.  Very cool.

Laurie's Chicago Quilt

 Laurie's quilt...sent all the way to Chicago. Made with box stars, bordered with forest green, purple batik and yellow floral. Took about two weeks to make. Didn't  hand quilt this one....much easier to do with machine. Came up very nice and flat and the fabric just took over...love the border. Added applique leaves hand stitched with a blanket stitch in the cross beams of the stars.

 Love this square...."pure grace"....."pure love"........"pure excitement"......pure friendship.

                   Hand cross stitched label on back of quilt.  "I Exist as I Am" ( Walt Whitman)

                                                    Handmade roses and leaves for corner, with pearls as well.

For my friend, Laurie, who lives back east in Chicago...met her in Digby, Nova Scotia, about sixteen years ago. Across the miles seems very close......

Silk Velvet Jacket Find

Sometimes, when you are rooting around online you come up with some pretty cool clothes that are a real find. I discovered this silk velvet frock jacket, lined with silk, on an online store called Coldwater Creek ( one of my favourite places to browse). Check their Outlet section. I picked up this jacket for $19, regularly $105.  I love velvet and silk together. Feels wonderful. But just could not see buying  a pattern, then getting the fabric, at possibly about $20 a metre ( minimum). Yikes. 
     (Plus, I think it goes pretty good with my messenger bag.)
     Shipping was about $20 at the time, they were having a special. So, for about $40 got a great piece in silk velvet.   have a  look at http://www.coldwatercreek.com/
you would be surprised at what you will find......

The Royal Tea Cup

Yes, I fully admit it...I am a royal watcher. Couldn't resist picking up this tea cup, saucer and mug, adorned with gold gilt. Come Friday morning at 3am I most likely will toddle over to the t.v. and turn it on, just so see Cate  emerge from her car or carriage, like some sort of butterfly, to walk down West Minster Abbey aisle. It's okay, there will be hundreds doing it, and we'll wave little flags and drink tea out of our royal teacups. Pip, pip, cheerio, and all that sort of thing....

Easy Quilt (Part 10) Victorian

 This is the finished quilt. Not too much detail, just a bit to give it a Victorian feel. Could have added mroe roses, but  figured it was best to be minimilist on this one. Maybe on the next one.

Attached roses, the fan, ribbon, sequins, pearls, etc in opposite corners. Takes a lot of sewing by hand to get them secured.

Ready to be shipped off ......rather east of here.....hopefully it will reach its destination in time for next weekend. Every quilt seems to have a piece of me just  waiting to bound forth. Every quilt made with someone in mind. Every quilt is a kindred spirit ( one of my favourite phrases).......

Easy Quilt ( part 9) The Details

 Now comes the fun part. All the details are the best part oif making a quilt. Actually the quilt you just made is fine the way it is, but I want to do something else to give it sme zap. I pulled out silks and laces and pearls and made roses galore. Going to show you how I make them...very useful....can use this technique on any fabric.

 Cut out wide slices of silk. Doesn't matter what wideth, the strips can all be different widths...makes it more interesting.

 Cut this strip of silk 3 inches. All of the  thicker fabric will be folded.

 lace I cut  in thin widths because it will not be folded. All of the strips are about 12 inches long, the longer  the strip the bigger the rose. The shorter the strip the smaller the rose.

 Found some left over bridal lace....going to join it at the sheer end o make a fan shape.

 Took  some green/gold brocade silk and cut out leaves.....leave the rough edges alone, makes it more real looking.

 Sew a running stitch along raw edges of strips. Pull the fabric  to make it gathered , as tight or as loose as you wish.

 Start rolling with fingers......

 Roll completely tight.

 Sew the nub end to secure the edges.......you may have to do this by hand if the fabric is too thick.

 This is one of the finished roses....ready to be attached to the quilt......

 Take the green/gold leaves and sew a running stitch, to gather in the  middle.....

This is what you start  with ................in next part, the last one.......I'll show you what you can do with all of this.........so fun, so pretty.....