Projects - Done and New

First of all, I can't believe I haven't posted anything since Mother's Day. My gosh, time is just flying by lately. Maybe that's because lots has been going on... ya think?!?!?!!?

Today I'll start with this and then follow up with other posts to try and get through my 'list' and then move on. LOL.

Here's what's finished:

1. Food Fight swap blocks for CQN, hosted by Janet. My block theme was Chicken Tortilla Soup (see it HERE). The block I received in return was made by Judy C, and the theme is Corn Casserole. Judy did such a great job with this block. Check out the ears of corn in the top right corner, the little barn, the plantings in the middle, and of course, the "Keepin' It Rural" sign. How fun!!!! Thanks, Judy.



2. Heart swap block for COH. Margaret G, in Australia sent me this adorable heart with my blog lady on it. Too cute, I just love it. Margaret was gracious enough to make this heart special, as the others were spoken for. How sweet is that? Thank you, Margaret.

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She also included a little note with some personal information and these goodies. See the heart I traded with her HERE.

3. STS-Spring block for CQN, hosted by yours truly. With these blocks coming home, we wrap up 3 of the 4 seasons we're working on. The STS-Summer block share has just gotten under way and will wrap up in August. Gosh, I don't know what I'll do then without having about 30 blocks at any given time to drool over. LOL.

Anyway, this is my finished block after Mary's work. She added some wonderful embellishments, seam treatments, and personality to this block. She even added some color to my poor little sticks in the vase! And isn't the spider and web darling? You know how much I like those. I have to give Mary an extra round of applause because she managed to stay on track with this project during an unexpected move and a considerable amount of stress and turmoil. Thank you, Mary!!!! See my work on her block HERE.



4. I also received a couple of beautiful ATC's for the CQI, Secret ATC Motif Swap. But I can't show photos yet.....because it's a secret! What I can do it say THANK YOU to Jill and Lyn. The deadline for mailing is the 23rd. So it won't be long before I can post photos of the 2 ATC's that I received and of the 2 that I made.

Here's what's new:

1. I've decided (after about 2 years of basically just lurking in this group) to actually join in a few things at CQE. The first is a Christmas Orny swap hosted by Lisa, and the other is the My Favorite Things round robin, hosted by Cathy. I'm really looking forward to both of them. And with the STS block shares wrapping up soon, I will have the time to really enjoy them.

2. As I mentioned about, the STS-Summer block share is just getting under way. This time around we have 30 participants. And as before, some old faithfuls re-upping and some new-comers joining in. I haven't been asked to yet, but if someone doesn't have a blog, flickr, or some other place to share their photos/progress, I am glad to do it here. Just let me know. So, for now I will only post the names and links for those participating and state who they are partnered with.

(If you have a link that should be listed here but isn't, please let me know)

Ati and Mary
Carol B and Patrica
Carole and Rebecca
Christy and Lauri (06/14/08 partner change)
Connie and Sharon G
Courtney and Wendy
Debbie and Gerry
Faith and Sharon R
Helina and Sandra
Janet and Norma
Judy and Sue
Katrien and Peggy
Laura and Susie
Lori and Robin

06/14/08 update: Kate and Sherry have both had to drop out.


See my half worked block HERE. The blocks are not due to mail out until June 1st. I’ll get my partner’s block posted after I receive it and again after I have worked on it.


Okay, I guess that's it for this part. Now on to the rest.................



Until Next time...Happy Needling!!!

STS-Summer Block

This is what I'm calling my half-worked block. I know that some of you (maybe most of you) would think it nearly or totally complete. Well, being the encruster that I am, I consider it only ABOUT half complete.



I'm sure my partner will have plenty of room to work her magic when she gets her hands on it. After sign-ups are closed and names have been drawn, I'll let you know who my partner is and also post a photo of her block before I work on it.

Today, I'm packaging up all of the STS-Spring blocks that I have and will mail them back to their owners tomorrow. I also have a round robin block to go out and an ATC to work on. Gosh, where does it all come from? LOL. I love it, I really do.

Well, I better get to it. Have a great Monday, everyone.





Until Next time...Happy Needling!!!

STS-Spring (My Block)

Have you ever had one of those, "I'm such an idiot" days? Well, I'm having mine right now. I decided that I should try to do something semi-productive so I was going to choose the fabrics for my STS-Summer block.

I want to try and maintain some similarity in my blocks so I grabbed my Fall and Winter blocks and started trying to find a photo of my Spring block. My partner is finishing up her work on it and I don't have it back yet. Anyway.....My first thought is my blog. But it's not there. I can hardly believe it. I must have misnamed the topic, so I search - again, and again, and again. It's not there.

Now I'm sitting here wondering how I could have overlooked posting it. DUH!!!!!

So, here it is (taadaa!)

This of course, is the naked block (on point as are the others). This one has a border around it that the others don't. That's because I screwed up and trimmed it to small. Luckily, I will be able to add a similar border to the other blocks and in the end they'll all look like they were meant to be that way!



The dragonfly is a piece of a print I cut out of another fabric. I stitched it down, then trimmed off the excess.



This is the half worked block with close-ups below.



I'm pretty happy with the way the dragonfly turned out. I had my doubts at times. I used metallic threads of blue and purple but I just couldn't get a sparkle in the photo.



The heart shape on the French Knot cluster was purely luck. I just started adding them, filling it in and when I was done if was a perfect heart!



I really like the button vase and stems but I just might add some flower buds or pods to them when I get the block back. Then again, maybe not. It just looks unfinished to me right now.



These other seam treatments are a combination of things I've seen in my books, on other blogs, and the product of an afternoon of doodling. I'm happy with the way it turned out....I like it a lot!



Okay, I feel better now that that's done. Now I'm off to find fabrics for my STS-Summer block.

Until Next time...Happy Needling!!!

CQI RR - Update 2

I decided the naked block looked too, well, naked. So, I added some lace and trim. I've been asked about my plans for the overall theme and for finishing it off. At first I wasn't really sure but I have now decided that I will use some more of the same fabric as the center teapot as a border. And make just a small, stand alone wall hanging.



Today I got my booklet put together. Now I'm ready to get it mailed off. For privacy I removed the personal information from the back cover.



Well, I'm off to work on some ATC's, take photos for the STS-Spring, and start a spread sheet for the STS-Summer. In case I don't make it back today, have a wonderful WEEKEND!!!!

Until Next time...Happy Needling!!!

STS-Spring

This is the third of a four block share project that I am hostessing. Summer will begin in May and wrap up around July. I've had so much fun so far with this year long project. This is my first time as hostess and I feel so fortunate to have had such a wonderful group of artists join in. I give full credit to all of them for being so generous with their time and efforts. For their commitment and creativity. And mostly for meeting their deadlines. Thanks you ladies!

This block is my partner, Mary's spring block. I've just finished working my half of it. This was a great experience for me because I typically don't work with blues. But I took her lead, worked with the blues, and now I'm rethinking my likes and dislikes in color choices. Expanding my comfort zone. I guess everything can't be purple and green. LOL.

Here is the before



And the after



I used blue shiny beads for the spider body, and glitter thread for the legs. Silk ribbon for the blue flower/leaves and blue seed beads. The yellow and green ribbon at the bottom are supposed to be rose buds. Obviously I need more practice here. The charms are garden themed (one has a garden saying, one is a wheelbarrow, the other is a frog). And I sprinkled in some butterflies, dragonflies and a lady bug for fun.

The seam along the right side is one of those that you start without fully realizing what you're getting into. Had I realized that it was going to take 174 French Knots to complete the grape clusters, I think I would have worked them on a shorter seam. I will definitely keep that in mind for next time. The seam treatment at the lower left is supposed to be a fence. I'll keep working on that too. LOL.

But in the end, I really like the way it turned out. Mary says that she likes it too, so that's what really matters. Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!


Until Next time...Happy Needling!!!

Ramblings and Such

I would like to start today by letting you know that Susan has got an Etsy shop up an running. She has some very lovely laces and threads to offer. These are the items that I received in my first order. Aren't they scrumptious?



I've also managed to get my Food Fight block done for Janet is hostessing over at CQN. In this swap we are supposed to make a block representing a recipe and include that recipe with it. I chose to theme my block for Chicken Tortilla Soup. If you click on the photos, they will enlarge.







My recipe card was made using a Print Master program. I just love the graphics and projects that it contains. Of course, mine is version 11 and verion 22 is out now, so I'm just a little behind the times. But I still have fun putting this together and seeing how "Chicken" he really is about being made into soup? LOL. Must be my sadist side coming out.



My little chicken was another Press n' Seal project. I'm starting to really like that stuff. LOL. Well, with this project done, they will be in the mail and on their way to Janet tomorrow.



The next project I'm working on is for the STS-Spring block swap. This is my partner Mary's spring block. She's done such nice job with coordinating the fabrics and stitching the center portion of the block. I'm excited about getting to work 'filling in the blanks' for her.



This photo I threw in because somebody asked me about my studio. Make no mistake, this is not what it normally looks like. This is the version you get when you've got your house up for sale.



These next two items are just for fun. This is a little pin cushion that I made for Charlene earlier this month. I picked up the beaded shoe at Hobby Lobby one day while shopping with Sharon. It was originally meant to be used for a wedding decoration or something. Anyway, it had a stake attached to it, so it was meant to be poked into something. I took off the stake, rolled some felt around some pillow filling, dabbed a little fabric glue in the shoe and stuffed it in there. Too easy, huh??? Okay, so much for Crafting 101.



This next little item was sent to me by Carole. I've found it to be a very good prescription to have around. Although, it really didn't last very long. I guess I'm ready for a refill. LOL.



Well, I guess that's it for now. I need to go get some STS-Spring blocks logged in and photos taken. Thanks for stopping by!

Until Next time...Happy Needling!!!

Sunday Run Down

First of all, thank you to Mindy for this darling, handmade Valentine's Day card. Look, it has my name on it :-)



Yesterday, I got a surprise visit from my dear friend, Sharon. She and her DH were running errands and stopped by to say HELLO. It was wonderful to see her again. My DH and hers hit it off nicely. They hung out on the patio, playing ball with Fritz and visiting while Sharon and I sat in the house and gabbed.

We spent some time looking through some of the blocks that I've received for the STS-Spring block share and other goodies that I've been collecting from swaps for projects to someday finish.

This is Sharon's block and also a cute little felt needle case that she brought as a gift. Wasn't that sweet? I keep saying that I need to put a 'travel kit' together. One that I don't dismantle everytime I come home. I think this little needle case will fit in perfectly. Thank you again, Sharon.





These fun little guys are new to my collection of studio stuff. LOL. They are right at home and settled in nicely. I wish I could remember whose blog I saw them on. As soon as I saw them, I just had to have them. They are a lot bigger than I thought they would be, about 4 1/2" tall and 3" or so wide.






While I was shopping for my shelf sitters, I noticed a clearance on these adorable little funky chairs. So, I bought them too. You can never have enough seating! LOL.





Friday I got a totally new experience. I participated in a Webinar with Blurb, the make your own book place. This is the same place that Pat published her book.

Anyway, it was incredibly helpful in understanding what is involved in putting a book together, tips on using their tools, and even marketing your book. If you're thinking about putting a book of your own together, I highly recommend that you take the Webinar from them. It's free, takes about an hour, and is soooo worth it.

I'm giving some serious thought to putting my own coffee table book together from our vacation to Denmark in June, 2006. And after that who knows. LOL.

Finally, I keep forgetting to post this photo from our trip to Longmont. This huge stone buffalo sits just outside the complex where DH will be working. It's really quite cool to see in person. And the mountains behind it are awesome.



Well, I better scoot. I've got a pot of chicken tortilla soup on the stove, a block to piece, photos to post, and whatever else comes up.

Until Next time...Happy Needling!!!