A Reticella Pincushion

 My new little pincushion was born out of a major piece. It began a a sample to see what the reticella motif would look like at the bottom of the major piece. Once done, I felt it was too heavy and opted for something else. 

The sample then sat there for quite some time before turning it into this pincushion. 

Will I use it? At the moment it is sitting decorating my china cupboard.

A Little Needlcase

I had some fabric scraps left over from a major project I had  done and decided to make a little needle case with some of them. Good even weave linen is way too expensive to toss away, even the tiniest pieces. I also had plenty of left over threads from another project so decided to use those as well

I had no idea what I was going to do, so just did an outline in button hole stitch. I then added a row of eyelets and a row of satin stitch. It was looking dull so I worked a row of back stitch in pink to give it some life.

I had done another little needle case before with horizontal rows of stitching, so I had a brain wave that I could do diagonal rows in this one. Mmmm.......... I just started stitching Kloster blocks, then another row so that I could cut a little hole and put in a filling stitch.

Then came the half eyelets and a row of reverse faggoting in pink.

OK, it had some life, so I just kept repeating, and behold, before I knew it I had the outer layer of my needle case.

I added some navy lining, and some Dr's flannel from my stash. Mm.......... my sewing skills have fallen and the lining could have been straighter, so I added some button hole stitch to try and hide it.

Anyway, it is done, fabric scrap used, and it will be given away to a new little sewer in the making.

 

A Scrap Blanket

During COVID, I have been cleaning out. I had some left over yarn from my crocheted blanket so decided to add to some knitted squares that I had started some years ago. My delema was to see how big it would get. I just kept knitting until I had had enough, then put a border around it. 

It is big enough for a knee rug, and has now been claimed by a member of the family.

It has been made with scraps. Some is 8ply 100% wool, most is acrylic, and there is one textured yarn in there that has thrown everything out. 

Another UFO done and dusted, and all my left over yarn is now bagged for charity.

A Pulled Work Needle Case

This little needle case was born out of a creative  exercise with my Stitcher's Plus group. Robyn taught us how to do a pulled back stitch eyelet filler. That was way back in February.

I had some fun using different threads on a scrap of fabric, then used a fine variegated thread to fill in the spaces between. It needed something else so I worked some fine Casalguidi type stitching over the top. The hem is a common one found in pulled work.

So another UFO bights the dust. There are still more where that one came from.

A New Blanket

Mmmmm.... its been a while. What more can I say.

This blanket got started some seven or eight years ago, then put away when I was going away, and promptly forgotten about. Well....... other things took over.

At the time when I started it, I had no idea what it would be or how far I would go, I just started making Granny Squares. Along the way I made a decision to make some big squares, and some little squares, and to alternate them. I tried to crochet them together, but thought that gave to hard a ridge, and it was at this stage it got put away.

When I pulled it out recently, I pulled what squares I had joined together undone, and then sewed them together instead. This is what I ended up with.

The blanket grew from there, I just kept adding to it. I did a border, and it was fine. It was a good size as a throw rug for the lounge, and I still had yarn left. I had enough to repeat another border, and thought I had enough to do another row  of small squares in between. I worked it out I would need 60 of them, so just stared making squares again. If I could get 60, good stuff. If not, I would join what I could get into something else.

Well, I got my sixty squares, added them to my blanket, then did the second border. It is way plenty big enough for two people to snuggle under, or as a spare blanket for on top of a bed. It's also another UFO done and dusted.

My New Winter Craft Bag

Behold my new winter craft bag!

Started in 2017, it was born out of a ball of Norro yarn. I only had one ball, so decided to do some flowers in the variegated Norro, and turn them into squares that could be sewn together. I had some navy yarn, and purchased some mustard yarn to give it some life.

I made the squares, joined them together, purchased the lining fabric, and there they sat until last week.

I blocked the squares, then used them to make a pattern for the lining. Last Friday I made the lining up and hand stitched it in place. On the weekend I made some handles. I tried crocheting a tube to place over some plastic tubing, but the plastic tubing was too rigid and didn't quite work. so I pulled them undone and tried again after talking to my friend R----. These handles contain black cording to stop them from stretching.

After stitching the handles on, I felt it needed some decoration. My first thought was some crocheted flowers, but there were already flowers in the bag itself so I opted for tassels. There are three tassels in all, one navy, one orange, and one mixed.

So I now have another bag to add to my collection, and another UFO is off the list.

An Insertion Stitch Pouch

Well, I have finished off a UFO!

It's been going a few years, not sure how many, as I forgot to take note when I started it. It could be about six or seven years ago now.

The piece was inspired by the work of Effie Mitrofanis, one of the tutors at The Embroiderer's Guild NSW. One of the girls in my creative stitching group Stitcher's Plus, had done a workshop with Effie and her finished piece was wonderful, so bright and colourful.

So when I went home, I pulled out some scrap dress linen I had, cut some strips , and hemmed them. This part of the project took forever, I hemmed the strips in amongst doing other things.

Once I had a few strips done I started looking at insertion stitches. I found some in books, and some on-line. I had some calico based needle lace graph strips already made and covered in contact. I used these to make sure my strips of linen were even widths apart, and started on the insertion stitches. Another part of the project that took me forever because I was doing other things.

When I had the strips all joined together, the piece looked plain, so I decided to add some decorative stitching to the strips. Some have drawn thread channels with needle-weaving, some have some black-work type designs. It gave some more dimension to the piece.

Last Thursday I was feeling down, and looked at my UFO pile and decided I needed to finish some. I pulled out these strips, and one other project that needed finishing. Both projects  required  things doing that needed ironing, and I had packed the ironing board away for another reason, and wanted it left that way for another day. Oh well, tomorrow was another day.I did manage to find some lining fabric ready and a zipper from my stash. So Friday afternoon I pulled out my strips, added some lining and a zipper, and now I have a new little work pouch.

Watch this space for another one to be finished soon.

A Hardanger Snowflake

For the last few years, I have made a new little Christmas decoration to hang on our tree. I usually make around twelve of them to give to family and special friends. This year I made some Hardanger snowflakes.

I found the pattern fee on the internet, and worked it on some Belfast linen that I had in my stash. The trickiest part was cutting around all those tricky little corners. Then I just cut a square of red felt and sewed them on, with some added red ribbon as a hanger. This is the fourth one i have worked in the series.

As the snowflakes were worked on the bias, and I had cut a strip of the linen to work them, I had little spaces un-stitched. They were just big enough to make some tiny little decorations. I Played with different fillings on them all. even weave linen is too expensive to waste

All of the snowflakes are with their new owners, and some of the little ones have new homes too. I wonder what decoration will happen for next Christmas?