Happyscape Campaign and Stitching Q&A

Happyscape Campaign '08, originally uploaded by wardi.

Don't forget to vote in the Softie Awards! This is Carina's Happyscape.

It's my favorite in that category, "Embroidered to Death".


I saw this stitching Q&A today at Emily's blog. I like reading questionnaires on blogs, so here's my contribution. Feel free to grab them and answer them too!

1. How do you hold your fabric? In a cheap plastic hoop. Years ago when I cross stitched on aida or hardanger cloth, I never used a hoop.

2. Floss licker? Yes!

3. How do you thread your needle? Trim neat ends and lick and thread. If the floss doesn't go through easily, I try threading the other way through the needle or I also lick the needle. Is it gross to do all that licking? I lose my needle threaders if I try to use those instead... Did you ever notice that the damp end of the thread secures really easily in the back under the stitching when you are starting a new length of floss?

4. What needle do you like best? Super long sharp needles. I think the ones I go to first are called chenille needles. I'm still using up the piles of supplies from my grandma, so I'm not sure.

5. Are you a needle loser? Yes.... I had to quit stitching when my children were babies because I couldn't be sure I always got all my supplies up out of reach.

6. What fabric do you prefer to stitch on? Hmm.. I dont like gauzy lightweight fabric and t-shirts are a special challenge...

7. Bobbins or floss bags? Big bin of floss organized by color.

8. Are you a scissors collector? Sort of. I like to get my kids new scissors for school every year and then I use their old small ones with my projects.

9. Do you do your own framing, and if so, do you lace or pin? I haven't framed a stitching project in many years... I think stitching projects are meant to be handled, so I like making towels, pillows, napkins, sachets, stuff like that...

10. Are you a floss floozy? Hmmm... maybe

11. Silk? Some day!

12. Railroader? I would be if I wasn't a chain stitching obsessive.

13. Are you a pattern or designer snob? Not really. I think it is important to credit designers and pattern makers when displaying photos of stitching on the internet.

14. Do you get antsy when you give someone a stitched gift? Yes! I worry that they will not understand and value the handmade nature. Then I worry that they will think it is "too much" or will feel obligated to like it. Then I wish I would have made another version to keep for myself.... Swapping with other stitchers is much less stressful.

15. Have you reached S.A.B.L.E.? ( SABLE = Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy) Yes.. sadly.. yes... I inherited my grandmothers SABLE too, so it's really bad.

16. Do you wash your projects? Yes! DMC floss washes up great and I secure my ends really well in the back. Thank goodness, right? Because I have to lick my thread to get it in the needle.

Revisiting Thread Crochet

I'm on a short hiatus from embroidery now that my swap is finished. I'm waiting for some fabric to arrive in the mail so I can finish my recent quilt. In the meantime, I thought I'd do a little bit of thread crochet.


From a pattern in one of my Japanese craft books. These are his and hers coasters. Didn't you know? Thread crochet with scalloped edges becomes manly if you use dark blue!

The book is isbn452904100x . HERE is the YesAsia listing.

I did the pink one last night while watching one of those "Asia Extreme" films they show late on Sunday nights on the Sundance Channel. Those movies always have really shocking horror imagery, although the stories are sometimes pretty goofy. I don't like to watch horror films in the theater because it is too intense for me. On television with a little project in my hands, I can take a more academic approach and they aren't so disturbing. This one was called "Cinderella", but um.. it wasn't a fairy tale... I do get disgusted and turn the channel when they get really sickening, but I can't help myself and I go back because I want to see how the situation "resolves".

Quilt Top Finished!

I love and adore this one! The pattern was incredibly easy, but I think it looks fantastic. Most of the fabrics are Tina Givens' Zazu for Free Spirit.

Here is the whole layout. I took a very blurry picture...


I left it on the bed yesterday and when my husband came home and saw it all laid out he said he hoped this was our new bed quilt because it looks so fresh and cheerful in our room. Unfortunately, it's not big enough, but we can use it as a topper for awhile. I think the angular cuts down play the florals. My dear husband says he is comfortable enough with his manhood to enjoy pink and blue florals here and there in the house.

Have y'all been to the movies lately? Today we took the kids to see "The Forbidden Kingdom" with Jackie Chan and Jet Li. It was great fun. I do like martial arts movies and I think they do not qualify as typical action movies. This one lacked the poetic beauty of Hero or Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, but it was fun for all of us.

I also saw "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" one day this week when my kids were in school. I thought it was very funny. The other 4 people in the theater on a weekday morning and I were laughing quite a lot.

Last night we got to the DVD of "Atonement" that has been waiting for us for awhile. I had low expectations even though it was nominated for an Oscar. My husband and I both liked it and we didn't think it was nearly as darkly themed as "No Country for Old Men" or "There Will Be Blood". Once upon a time hubby and I saw about four movies a week in the theater.. sadly those days are over and we have to wait until the films come out on DVD and we can shoo our kids upstairs to watch them.

Oh yeah and how about tax scofflaw Wesley Snipes? What an idiot. Nobody likes paying taxes, but we all have to pay, unless we've established some sort of unconventional, off-the-grid, barter-for-services lifestyle.

Circus Embroidery

Months ago, my mom gave me a pile of some vintage stuff that I'm only now getting organized. I have to share this adorable vintage circus embroidery panel. I think this was stitched up by my mom when I was a child, but I really don't know. Maybe she'll read this and clarify.
Edited: I got this message from my mom:

No I didn't Susie! It's even better because my mother did when I was little!! She would be almost 90 now and how she would have loved knowing that her handwork is getting that kind of notoriety!!

It's all done on muslin and the edges are still raw.



I always liked the circus when I was a child.


In fact, I think I need to rent Dumbo and watch it with the kids very soon.




The craftiness in my family goes way back!
As you can see, I'm not too concerned with ironing....

New Quilt and Camping

I'm working on a new quilt. I got these fabrics at the big Chicago International Quilt Festival last weekend. The fabrics were from this vendor:

It's for Quilting, Etc. from Rockford, IL. I'm making the quilt on the right, but I put in my own pink and yellow floral for the large yellow in the half square triangle blocks in the photo. The quilt will be graphic, casual and funky. I hope to send it out for quilting so that I'll actually be able to use it as a blanket.

And in other news, I did go camping with the Boy Scouts and it was fun. The boys and dads were really great, but I was pleased that my friend's son was feeling better, so I wasn't the only woman. We went to Devil's Lake State Park in Wisconsin, near the Wisconsin Dells. The weather was perfect too, although it was pretty muddy in most places. I've decided that people who enjoy camping and nature hiking are my kind of people. Sports, shopping, and fitness folks are harder for me to relate to, so Scouting is the perfect activity for our family. Unfortunately, the showers at the campground weren't turned on yet and I forgot my hairbrush, so by the last day, Karen and I were emphasizing our "inner beauty". Not that anyone cared. Next month the camp out is a biking thing where they cycle to the locations and camp overnight. We are definitely not doing that one.

My husband had a great time alone with our daughter. They went to the movies and their favorite Italian restaurant for tomato soup. He took her to the beach at Lake Michigan for a long afternoon walk. We both agree that it is fun to have time alone with the kids separately.

Earthquake!

I didn't feel it though....

LINK

Tea Towel Tour 3

My group is all finished stitching for round 3 of our Tea Towel Tour at Craftster. Check out the gallery HERE. The thread is well over 100 pages long now, so if you click on the tab that says "show images only" you can see the stitching and skip the chit-chat.

Here's my fantastic towel. I sent it out blank except for the bias trim. My partners all used just a little bit of red on their motifs and that really unifies the whole thing.


This geisha is by AlwaysInspired. Her name is O-Ren because AlwaysInspired was watching Kill Bill when she stitched her.


Here is an overheated saucepot embroidery by KittyKill. This is an Aunt Martha pattern packet that I also have and love.


GatsbyGirl designed these heart flower applique flowers herself. They are ironed on with fuseable web and then the border is chain stitched.


Fruitloops did this fleeing pear and happy cherry embroidery. She found these patterns at Hoop Love on Flickr.


Lovebirds by Amyracinrose in a tea towel swap on Craftster. These birds are a Sublime Stitching pattern and I think they are in the new CraftPad.


Thanks to all my partners and our fearless organizer, Rectangel!

Phew, I was afraid I wouldn't get that posted before I left town to go on our first camp out with the Boy Scouts. I'm a bit apprehensive (so is my son and that's why I'm going) because it's still pretty cold out and I really don't know all the other volunteer dads. One mom friend of mine is also accompanying her son, but he's been in poor health so my fear is that they'll stay home. I'm not too excited being the only woman camping with a bunch of men and boys, although they are all very nice people. Since I'm not a leader, I think we adult tag-alongs can do our own thing during the day when the boys are rock climbing and stuff, but I don't know if I'll have my own car. Add to that the fact that it is supposed to be rainy this weekend. I'm pretty sure there is a shower at this campground, but I wish my husband didn't have a prior commitment and could go with us. I'm planning to hang in and enjoy it! I do love camping!