Another block completed...

Here is the block I just finished last night.  The pocket will hold information about why the cloth was made and when just in case future generations might be interested.  My previous post showed a close-up of the pocket.

This is a closeup of the top of the block showing the little hexagons and lots of french knots.  I crocheted the 'flower' and added a vintage button for the centre.  You can also see some cross stitched hearts.

and, now we have a whole!

...a completed pocket, that is!

Remember a couple of days ago I posted a picture of something
that was only a part of something else?

Well, here's the completed thing....

It's a pocket for my white cloth.

Inside I plan to put information about who did the cloth (me); who taught the class (Karen); and some further information about the origins of the white fabrics I have used. 

Who knows, the pocket might end up holding all sorts of things!!

mumblings, again.....

Not much stitching has been accomplished over the past couple of days so I really have nothing to show you.  

Part of what will be a whole....

This is what I did this afternoon - it will be another addition to my white cloth.  You'll have to wait & see what I plan to do with it!  ooooh - the intrigue.....

Latest piece of white

Beautiful warmth!!

Last night we visited with our friends and

were presented with handknitted sweaters.

Ginette knitted both of these and I
just HAVE to share how
beautiful they are!! 

This is mine.....

The second photo is more 'true' to the colour.

And this is Jacks....

Ginette certainly puts me to shame when it comes to knitting - her attention to detail and willingness to tackle even the most difficult patterns is a testament to her talent.  Not only does she do beautiful work, but she's fast too!!  

Saying 'thank you' for such a labour of love
is simply not enough.

Whiter than the snow outside

More of my white work for the class with Karen Ruane.

Just look!!!!!!!!!

Look at what was in my mailbox today!!

One of Pam Kellogg's adorable
crazy quilted kitties!! 

She had said on her blog that this little charmer was heading to a friend, but she didn't say who.  Imagine my excitement when I opened the mail box and found a suspiciously smushy envie today with her return address.  Could it be that *I* might be the lucky friend??  I am, I am!!    This picture does not even begin to do justice to the lovely little details Pam has included, but perhaps if you embiggen it you will be able to see it better.  Pam, my friend, this was a total surprise and SUCH a delight.  Thank you so much!!

Varying degrees of white

Here is a close up of a section I've been working on the past couple of days.  I cross stitched the word 'Family' using three shades of DMC floss and rather like the way it looks.  The flower below that is one I crocheted and then added an antique button in the centre.   (You can click on the picture to embiggen it).

Fun in the mail

Today the mailman brought me something all the way from Australia!  Kaite has been doing some shadow knitting and I commented about how intriguing it was and she sent me a lovely pot holder she made using the technique.  I've taken a couple of pictures that will hopefully give you an idea of what it looks like.

Here you see it from one direction...

and here, from another...

Can you see how the pattern really shows as you change the angle?

It's pretty amazing and yet looks
relatively easy to create.

Thank you Kaite - 

I will treasure this!

Heaping....

...French knots onto this piece for
Karen's class.

Being totally useless!

Yep, there's a lot of truth to that particular post title, especially today!  However, in this case I'm referring to the fact that today is the date we post a photo of our ORT* jar for the TUSAL**.

Here's mine,
along with my rotary cutter
to give you some idea of scale.

* An ORT is an 'old ratty thread'
and

** TUSAL is the 'Totally-Useless-Stitch-Along'.

Birdie breakfast (and white)

Here's Mr. Woodpecker enjoying his breakfast.
Or is it mid-morning snack?

I couldn't believe he just stayed there while I opened the balcony door and stepped outside to take several pictures.  We have at least one pair of these little fellows devouring the suet (and creating lots of racket).  Fortunately our next door neighbours love them!

Today I didn't end up with much in the way of stitching time, but I did manage to add a few things to this block.  The word 'joy' in cross stitch (Joy is what I feel when I'm stitching!); some laced running stitch (upper middle); the buttons on top of the prairie points; and the little cross stitch motifs beside the round doily on the right.  Have I mentioned how much fun I'm having?  Thanks Karen....you rock!!

Which one of these would you prefer?

The work I did on another block? *

OR.....

Homemade (by Jack)
coconut cream pie?

Never mind, you don't have to answer that!

Colour switch

Today I thought I`d give you a break from white
and post pictures of the latest

jacket I just finished.

The lady wanted her grandkids names
embroidered somewhere on the
jacket.

The pink roses are actually quite
dimensional and yes,
they came from a pair of
jeans.  

Here`s the front....

and here`s the back. 

Is it possible to have too much fun???

Today I began stitching on one of my white blocks.

Somehow the entire day went by and I
don't remember taking note of the time
at any point.

Could that be because I was having fun??

Here you can see one of the

sections.  Lots of french knots
and puffs to add dimension.

Above you can see that I've added one of the lace flowers (leftover from the trim you can see in the last picture).  There was only one flower and it fit here perfectly.  The lace on the right of this photo is a piece of handknit that my grandmother did - originally used as trim on pillowcases.  I added some fly stitches and french knots.

Blinded by the white & great things

Gosh, it's hard to come up with new titles that have to do with 'white' without repeating myself!

I've discovered two things you might be interested in (because I am, you should be too!!)

Have you seen the book
'The Art of Annemieke Mein'??
If you haven't,
all I can say is...
get thy hands on a copy!!

Oh yeah, I covet that too!!

Finally, I get to the white part of this post....more of the blocks I've pieced for the Embroider, Embellish, Create class currently being taught by Karen.  Have I mentioned that this just might prove to be additctive??  

More, more, more

WHITE, that is!

Another piece of embroidery done by my grandmother,
an initial from a hankie,
a piece of a tea towel.

This one has a piece of tone-on-tone quilters cotton,
another hankie,
some linen,
a pre-embroidered piece from a thrifted blouse.

A piece of a man's handkerchief,

a ladies hankie with crocheted edging,
a piece of dupioni silk.

oh yeah, and it snowed today.

Surrounded by white

....and it's not snow either....but that's supposed to be on the way in the next day or two.

Today I actually got to stay home all day (other than for going for a walk) and I was able to make eight blocks for the Embroider, Embellish, Create class.  Yippee for me!!  Not only am I making blocks to stitch on but I'm reducing my stash at the same time.  Win/Win I would say!

Above is the first block.

Karen taught us how to make prairie points - so elegant and so easy to do.  This block has an already embroidered piece which came from a small tablecloth (probably card table size) that my maternal grandmother embroidered  in the late 50's or early 60's.  There's a small piece of dupioni silk, which I'll be using a lot in this (it's my favourite fabric).  There's also a piece of a hankie and a piece from a table runner I had stashed away.  

Over the next few days I'll show a few of the other blocks I've created.  Now I can start to embroider -all in white, so I'd better not be drinking my coffee anywhere near my work!!  That's going to be HARD!!!

Going loopy!

Today is the long-awaited beginning of the 'Embroider, Stitch, Create' online class under the capable direction of Karen Ruane (who has been long admired on this front).  I'm SO excited about this class and have been counting the days until it begins.

This morning the first lesson was posted and I had a grand time learning to make rouleau loops - something I have never attempted because I was totally intimidated by having to turn those little tubes of fabric right side out.  Karen has a way that is so simple and now I know I'll be making lots of these.

This is only three that I made today....

Fun way to declutter

I thought I wouldn't have anything to mumble about until at least Friday but tonight I came across a fun idea that I really like and thought I should pass it on to my loyal followers.  The idea is this:  there are 366 days in 2012 (it's a leap year) and the person that writes the Garden of Daisies blog has made the suggestion that we could declutter all year by simply getting rid of one thing each day.  That would be three hundred and sixty six items that would no longer be cluttering your home.

Pause now for thought about that....

366

less 

things 

to 

dust,

work 

around 

and

have 

to 

sort 

through.  

How great would that be?

Go HERE to read more about it!!

I'm a fool!

Yep, I'm admitting to it publicly!

I spent part of a day on the weekend mucking through my stash looking for gold.

 

Nope, didn't find anything valuable (darn it!!).

But, I did find this .> > > > > > >

All of which is 'fodder' for the 'Fool's Gold Crazy Quilt Round Robin' I've signed up to do starting the beginning of February.

Gerry Krueger is the 'mama' of the group

The end of one, the beginning of another

Here in Canada we are winding down the last hours of 2011, a year that was challenging for so many people - a year that was filled with disasters and trials of so many kinds throughout the world.  Personally we've had two weddings and we've also sold our home and moved into an apartment.  Major changes, even though they were happy ones. 

Creatively, my year did not exactly go as planned but I still managed to finish a few of the things I had hoped to do.  I've noticed a number of bloggers have been choosing a 'word' to focus on in the new year (I'm sorry to say I don't know who to give credit to for the original idea).  I hadn't planned on joining in, but one has popped into my head and I'm going to use it.  My word is 'completion'.  Thinking about completion leads me to two different interpretations - the first being the obvious - that of completing projects, including some UFO's that are waiting for attention.  The other meaning, at least to me personally, is attempting to feel 'complete' in my art.  I want to feel fulfilled and at peace with what I create - no more angst over whether it's 'good enough' or as innovative as what others are doing.  When it gets right down to it, I just wanna be me!

I've been bleating about returning to my crazy quilting roots for the past couple of years and, needless to say, it hasn't happened.  Obviously talking about it wasn't accomplishing my goal, so putting myself out there and signing up for a great online embroidery class and also a CQ round robin should help me get on track.  Limiting time spend mindlessly surfing the internet will also help me accomplish my goal.  Continuing to reduce my stash of reycled denim is a given, lest I drown in it. 

No year-end post would be complete without thanking you, my friends and readers, for faithfully reading my mumblings - each and every one of you deserves a reward.  The fact that I have over 90 followers is totally mind-numbing - thank you one and all.  All I can say is that I really hope to come up with something that will continue to keep you visiting - please do say hi in the comments, because I love to hear from you!

And finally, my wishes for you in 2012...

good health,

happiness,

and all the creativity you can stand!!

A question for you....

What book in your collection
do you find to be the

most inspirational?

I know we all do different types of art/craft and therefore would most likely be inspired by different types of books.  This afternoon I hauled my favourite off the bookshelf and settled in for another good read and dose of eye candy.  

I know this picture isn't the best and certainly doesn't do justice to the wonders held within this book - things such as this...

Hopefully you can click on the picture and embiggen so you can see the detail.

Specs for this book:  "Celtic, Viking & Anglo-Saxon Embroidery - The Art & Embroidery of Jan Messent", published by Search Press,  c 2010,  ISBN: 978-1-84448-409-6

Now, I throw the question out to you....please tell us in the comments what book (or books) you find to be the most inspirational to you.  Curious minds want to know!

brrrrrr......

Well, after an almost-white Christmas, we awoke to this today....

These photos were taken from our balcony this morning.  If you embiggen them, hopefully you can see the river in the background...not frozen over, but it does have a skiff of ice here and there.  Unfortunately the sun didn't come out for the photo op!

These little tracks were in the snow on our balcony,
most likely from mourning doves.

We're still recovering from the usual over abundance of good things to eat and have spent the most part of today ensconced in our easy chairs with our books, only getting up occasionally to replenish our cups of tea.  ahhhhhh......

Merry Christmas!

I would like to take this opportunity,

before things get too busy,

to wish you 

and the ones you hold most dear

a very happy Christmas.

May it be joyful, safe, and full of meaning.

knitting

My knitting needles have churned out several of these scarves for gifts.  They seem to be all the rage, so I did my bit for a few people to look 'current' (if there is any such thing in fashion).  I had fun knitting them, which is always good!

pincushion fun

Obviously, by the lack of mumbling here, I've been either a) busy; b)lazy; or c) doing nuttin' worth mumblin' about.  Take your choice!

Anyhoo...  I've been meaning to post these pictures and hadn't done so.  Two of our projects we've done at our little CQTeer meetings have been to make pincushions.  (One I might have shown you already but see "b" above, which will explain why I'm not bothering to go and check).

First, was this one that Irene
showed us...

Would you believe the base is a plastic bottle cap?

AND,
this is the one we did last month,
with guidance from Sue..

You can't see in the picture, but the base is a wooden thread spool.

Clever, aren't they!

knit n felt

My knitting needles have been beavering away on making these for Christmas gifts....




I've lost track of how many pairs I've made over the past few years and some people are on their second pair already.  I'm told that they are very comfie and warm, but I have yet to find out for myself.

What's that they say about a mechanic fixing everybody else's car and not his own?  Guess I'm like that mechanic!

Pattern is the felt clogs from Fibre Trend.

Making a cluster!

Sorry about the non-activity on my blog the past few days.  For some reason I've been out a lot and the rest of the time has been spent creating things for Christmas presents.

Each year I make a limited edition of ornaments which some of my friends have built into collections (who would have known??).  This year I came across The Legend of the Christmas Spider, which is folk legend originating from Germany and the Ukraine. 

Here is the story,
courtesy of 

THIS SITE.

The Legend of the Christmas Spider

Once upon a time, long ago, a gentle mother was busily cleaning the house for the most wonderful day of the year....the day on which the Christ child came to bless the house.  Not a speck of dust was left.  Even the spiders had been banished from their cozy corner in the ceiling to avoid the housewife's busy cleaning.  They finally fled to the farthest corner of the attic.

 

T'was the Christmas eve at last! The tree was decorated and waiting for the children to see it.  But the poor spiders were frantic, for they could not see the tree, nor be present for the Christ child's visit.  But the oldest and wisest spider suggested that perhaps they could peep through the crack in the door to see him.  Silently they crept out of their attic, down the stairs, and across the floor to wait in the crack in the threshold.  Suddenly, the door opened a wee bit and quickly the spiders scurried into the room.  They must see the tree closely, since their eyes weren't accustomed to the brightness of the room...so they crept all over the tree, up and down, over every branch and twig and saw every one of the pretty things.  At last they satisfied themselves completely of the Christmas tree beauty.

But alas!! Everywhere they went they had left their webs, and when the little Christ child came to bless the house he was dismayed.  He loved the little spiders, for they were God's creatures too, but he knew the mother, who had trimmed the tree for the little children, wouldn't feel the same, so He touched the webs and they all turned to sparkling, shimmering, silver and gold!

Ever since that time, we have hung tinsel on our Christmas trees and, according to the legend, it has been a custom to include a spider among the decorations on the tree.

I was lucky enough to find a perfect tutorial that Kathy Shaw had done (go HERE to see it) and so....I've made a cluster of spiders!  (Yes, a group of spiders is called a cluster).

Here's a closeup....

Aren't they cute?

And...drumroll please......

The winner of the
'Holiday'
magazine giveaway

is

v

v

v

v

I'll need your snail mail addy Melody!

I'll email you!!

Congratulations!

A day to remember

Today I was treated to my birthday present from one of my friends.  Yes, I am well aware that my birthday is in July, as is she!

Her gift to me the past two years has been a 'mystery tour'.  She picks me up in the morning and off we go to explore someplace totally unknown to me until we get there.  Today we visited a small town called Lakefield and explored all the shops.  Then she treats me to a nice lunch and more shopping (mostly looking for both of us). 

I picked up a couple of things for Christmas presents and purchased the latest 'Knit'nStyle' magazine because I fell in love with the sweater on the cover.  It's precisely what I would want to knit for myself and I was quite excited about it...until.....I went online to get the price of the yarn.  Oops.  At $79 for ONE ball (and I would need four!!) methinks I'll just frame the picture and look at it.  No way I could spend that much for yarn - especially when it would also need 5 balls of another yarn that're $9 each.  Nope, too costly for my blood, but nice to contemplate anyway.  Maybe if I win a lottery??

Anyway, I had a most fun day and have already told my friend that she is more than welcome to repeat the gift next year!

A quickie....

,,,,giveaway, that is....

How would you like to win a copy of this magazine?

I'm not going to ask you to do anything,
except leave a comment on THIS post
and I will draw a name
on Saturday night.