Foothills EGA

Foothills EGA is working on Halloween stitching! This month we started our Stitchy Witchy Hats! A fun project with coordinating backing fabric. Then next month we will be making a beaded bracelet, a project called, Ruf, Ruf, Ruffles, it looks like a lot of fun too.

I love my Foothills group, they are such a friendly bunch of ladies and have a nice variety of projects throughout the year! If you are ever in the Denver area the first Monday of the month (the Sept day changes) you should stop in for a visit, I think you will enjoy it!!

Miss Maddie wth her "cheese please" face!

Carnival is Finished! UPDATE

I worked many evenings on this fun piece designed by Toni Gerdes called Carnival. I last posted about this on April 19, 2015, and finished it in less than a month. It was so much fun I did not want to put it down!!

Now to move on to another project....what will it be????

Stay tuned.

***UPDATE***

Someone asked about the threads used. I used the threads provided in the kit and as taught in class,

Carnival and a Gift for Dad

Well as you know, I am working on a gift for someone that may check out my blog, so no stitching to post the past month or so. But, I did recently take a break to take a workshop offered by my Foothills Chapter of EGA and worked on a canvas piece called Carnival by Toni Gerdes. Here is as far as I got before I started back on the gift which as a deadline. I will try for a clearer photo next time. To see the finished version, check out Toni's website. Carnival is the 8th one down (right after the Golden Petals) under two day workshops.

I also saw this cute box top kit from Mill Hill at my local needlework shop and thought it would make a nice gift for my father-in-law who has a birthday in May. This is as far as I have gotten so far.

I would be farther along but after getting all the blue and green in and started on the red, I realized I had goofed. Since this is on perforated paper and next to impossible to frog stitch (rip it, rip it) I checked my stash and had a green perforated paper. Not the same green, but I think it will work.

I think that covers it for now, I have finished the gift that I can't show you all until July, but wish I could since I could use some advice on the center... oh well.  I hope to post some more progress on the perforated paper piece and Carnival though!

Holiday Patches

This is a design by Susan T. Kerndt that the Foothills EGA canvas groups started in January 2014 as a year long project. As you see, I am a year behind having just started it!! The design is about 10 3/4 inches square and is on 18 count white mono canvas.

Holiday Patches
(c) 2007 Susan T. Kerndt

The light green thread is basting thread that I remove as I go that is marking the dividing bands. I could have drawn the lines on, but chose to baste them. Good thing too since I goofed a few times!

The fabric is from my stash and is padded and attached as instructed. It is looking like the fabric I chose will work well with the original colors so I will not have to change anything. Susan used to sell the fabric too, but has run out so you need to supply your own. It was suggested you chose the fabric and then the threads.

Some people got bored with the dividers and once they got enough done started stitching within the squares, but I am pretty happy plugging along as is and will do all the dividing bands first. I hope to work on it this year to get it done by Christmas. Maybe posting to the world about it on my blog will keep me on track!!

Blackwork Band Sampler Finish

My Foothills EGA Chapter started this Petite Project for our January and March meetings. I really ran with it and finished it last night (started it Thursday). It is a little under 3 inches wide and just under 9 inches long using 28 count linen. So not a big project which is GREAT sometimes.

I wanted to work from stash and the only #12 perle I had that would show up on the white fabric was black. Which is ok and the traditional colors, but when I found out I could use DMC Broder 16, I found some more inspiring choices in my stash (blue #820 & red #312). Woo hoo, I love when that happens!

I give you my version of the EGA Petite Project, Blackwork Band Sampler designed by Julie Fera. The availability of Petite Projects is just one of the benefits of being an Embroiderers Guild of America, Inc.(EGA) member. In this case, this project was a gift from the Chapter to it's members, usually they cost $3.00 (at least last time I checked) but are generally well worth it! Also many can be saved as a .pdf file at no cost. BUT, Petite Projects are a member only benefit.

Here is the front.

Black work is done using a double running stitch such that the back (below) looks like the front. In this case the only exception are the letters (and any goofs on my part). I think I did pretty good with the reverse, if I may say so!! Generally I do not worry or bother about it being reversible if the back will not show and it does not affect the front, but his time I did it all in double running stitch! It was good practice.

It was a VERY fun project. I worked from the top using the master chart and found a few small errors, the only one I did not notice in time was that the instructions say 5 threads between bands 1 & 2, but there was only 4 on the master. I just left it that way and made sure I did the same for the last two bands (also 4 on the master, but 5 on the instructions). Since it looks fine, I am not going to worry about it!! Now I just need to decide how to finish finish it, but I have a few ideas.

Happy Stitching All!!!

A Flower in its Pot on a Tiny Sampler

Here is my finish of the April and May Foothills EGA project. I used threads from my stash and used my favorite color, peach, for the flowers.

This was a fun Gay Ann Rogers Project called "A Flower in its Pot on a Tiny Sampler" stitched on a 6" by 11" piece of white congress cloth. It calls for various Soie d' Alger silks, but I used this and other silks and cotton from my stash to complete. If you visit the Foothills EGA Website's Past Programs page you will see the project in blue, lavender or pink flowers. The supplies listed in the instructions are for the pink version.

I LOVE Gay Ann's designs and her instructions are fantastic. Check out her website for other designs, I think you will be pleased. This project is on her page under the "For Groups" section.

STITCHING!

I am a little behind on some stitching posts, so here goes!

Last November, my Foothills EGA Chapter meeting program was a sweet little Brazilian Embroidery Poinsettia. It was a kit from Ed Mar taught by one of our members who is an expert in Brazilian.

I had a little trouble when I rinsed out the blue marker - the red thread ran. GRR!! I used cold water too. I have since rinsed it again and may have to do it one more time before I can finish finish it.

I also recently finished the back of my Santa Star by Homespun Collectibles - sadly it is out of print, but I have seen it on Ebay. I only did the Santa front - quite a few years ago, and only the Santa part of the design. Then I got the wild idea to do his back and make it into a star shaped ornament. Well I finally finished stitching the back. I still need to work on the details regarding actually making the star shape though.

I was also going to show you the front and back of a Red, White & Blue Biscornu, but could not find it to photograph. I am sure it is in a "safe" place and I can post on it another time!

Candle Mat and Pin Cushion

I while back I purchased a Luminaris Shamrock Candle Mat Kit from one of my local needlework shops. I decided to get it done for St. Patrick’s Day this year and I did!!! It is a 8 ¾” precut kit, so all the pieces were cut and it came with the thread on a cool wooden thread winder.
 

It was very fun to make and I got it done in a couple of hours. It is now sitting on the table near the foyer with the other St. Patrick’s Day décor. I discovered I do not have a lot of March 17 stitching, this item is number three, if you don’t count the table runner I made.

 

Also the project for my Foothills EGA meeting this month was a Petite Project  “Assisi Embroidery Pin Cushion” designed by Janet Salerno.  We learned a little history about this technique and then worked on the project. It does not use the traditional colors, but an overdyed floss. I did not like the stripe affect I got on top very much (but don’t hate it so in it stays), so when I got to similar spaced area at the bottom I did not go all the way across. I stopped in the middle, but staggered the lines. I also cut the floss to give me more blue or tan areas, so as to get less striping. It was fun to experiment on a small piece – it is approximately 4 inches square.

Have a GREAT weekend everyone!!

 

 

 

Foothills EGA Workshop with Catherine Jordan

This past week I took a two day class with Catherine Jordan offered by my Foothills EGA Chapter. We painted fabric, stitched and played with fabric dyes. The class is to create a treasure map - here is the class piece done by Catherine.

To make us feel more at home with painting, she had us make the cover for a small journal before we put paint brush to the larger piece. So the two day class focused on the journal cover, but everything we did on the cover we would do on our bigger map (at least painting wise).

We also had the option of dying our fabric to be used for the bigger map (final size would be 11"x 11") if we wanted. We had cutch dye in our kits, but the other fabric dye she provided in class, so I decided to do mine in class so I could use some of the darker dye for the upper left corner. When stitched this darker area is to help give a feeling of illumination in other areas.

Here is my journal cover so far. The front is mostly done, just some borders are needed. Then I will stitch the spine and the back cover. I painted the sky, ocean and ground. In the ground area I painted shadows and in the sky and ocean I painted in the sun. Also the shadowy border around it all is painted. Once dyed it will pull it all together. You can compare the fabric color not dyed below with how it looks after it was dyed above.

Once done stitching, I will dye it using the cutch provided, and hopefully remember to post an update here on my blog. I do not need to wait for all the stitching to be completed to dye it, that is just how I decided to do it.

It was a GREAT class and Catherine is a wonderful teacher. I highly recommend her.

Fortune Cookie Friday And....

I saved this one because I got it October 23, 1997.....

"You will seriously consider a move by year end."

We moved in November 1997!  We knew we were moving when I got the fortune, so that is why I saved it and put the date I got it on the piece of paper.


AND...

Check back this weekend, I hope to post some pictures from the GREAT workshop I attended sponsored by Foothills Chapter EGA. Catherine Jordan was the teacher and we painted and dyed fabric and stitched on it then painted again!!  FUN, FUN, FUN. Catherine was a wonderful teacher too.

Ribbon Embroidery

The Foothills EGA Chapter project for July was a ribbon embroidery needle book. I felt is was too large for a needle book and had so many already that I just finished it without the felt pages, to decide what to use is for later. Here is the outside of it:

That is a 6 inch ruler to give you an idea of how big it is. I made spiderweb roses and some french knots for flowers in various colors of silk ribbon. I used various shades of green ribbon for the leaves and made them using lazy daisy, french knots and leaf stitches. I was not sure how to do the stem on the pot - which was originally a piece of brown ribbon that would need to be make into the pot shape, so I changed to wool. I placed the stem under the brown wool pot and appliqued the pot down. I then did a running stitch up the stem and then did the flowers at the bottom of the topiary. I stitched the lace piece on the pot using white sewing thread and a basic sewing stitch.

Here is the inside once I decided to make it into a note pad holder. If I had decided that from the beginning I would have liked to put some stiffening inside, and maybe ribbons on the sides to tie it closed, but this still works!

I just added a strip of Ultrasuede near the top to hold the pad and the pen. I think the pad is 4 inches by 6 inches. I also embroidered my initials and the year on the backside.

That about covers it for now!

Hornbook Needlewomen Completed

The stitching and preparation to put this on the hornbook at our May 7 Foothills EGA meeting has been finished. I made a twisted cord with some #8 perle cotton in the main color (which I had to buy, everything else was from stash). Since the piece is small I decided to scan it on my scanner and as you can see the fabric color much better!

The designer of this Needlewomen is unknown. It was done using DMC floss (3328, 3053 & 712), Krienik #4 braid color #102 for her needle and is stitched on Zweigart's 32 count Apricot Belfast linen.

Have a GREAT day everyone!!

Hornbook Pre-stitching Progress - UPDATE

Today I thought I’d show you my progress on the May Foothills EGA project. It has pre-stitching and here is what I have done so far. The fabric I am using is a pale peach which did not show up so well in the photo. Hopefully I can get a better one when it is finished. It is approximately 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches and is stitched over two on 32 count fabric (in order for it to fit the hornbook) using two strands of floss. My threads are DMC colors 3328 (main color); 3053 (green "thread"); and 712 will be the "fabric" she is stitching on when I get it in there. I still have to put in her "needle" and plan to use some silvery gold #4 Kreinik braid.

*****UPDATE: Sorry designer is unknown*****

It has been fun so far. I outlined here skirt so that all I have to do there (and in area that is the fabric she is stitching on) is fill in the space. This way I do not need to look at the chart and can work on it wherever or whenever I want.

We need to have the stitching completed by May 7. The program is putting it on a hornbook, which are being made by one of our chapter members talented husbands. Here is the finished sample.

Happy Monday All!!

Hungarian Embroidery

Monday at the Foothills EGA Chapter meeting we learned about Hungarian Embroidery and made a reproduction of a bookmark Ann (our instructor and fellow chapter member) picked up while in Hungary. This is an example of one of at least three different styles of embroidery found in the Buzsak area of Hungary.

It is made using the traditional colors of red and black. Blue is also sometimes used instead of black. It was a lot of fun, easy and I got most of it done at the meeting and finished it that night. The hardest part was getting the threads out of the aida with all that sizing! The original was on an evenweave of some sort and not  aida, but the instructor was not sure what fabric was used so for this we used aida.

With all the e-Readers out there, I am not sure who to make an actual bookmark for anymore these days, but I have an idea or two!

UPDATED: February 2012 Foothills Beading Project - UPDATE in bold red below

Today at our Foothills EGA Chapter meeting we did a beading project which was fun and fast. Quite a few of us finished it before lunch. Kits included about 4 color choices and I chose purple. It is a beaded Sun Catcher and here is my work!

It is a freebie designed by Deborah Roberti of aroundthebeadingtable.com. She has a lot of very nice beading projects free and othewise. Her instructions were fantastic.

 I really liked this project and may make a few more sometime. It can be used as a scissor fob, necklace or as a sun catcher. I am not sure I have the 8 mm bicones in my stash, but I know I have the other materials.

Happy Beading!!!

Mystery Sampler - Seasons

I think I first posted about this in 2008 since that is the copyright date on the charts and it was made especially for the Foothills Chapter of EGA. So, I think most of my other posts got lost in 2009 when my first blog accidentally (by me) got deleted. At any rate it was one of those things I found in my studio a month or so ago that was 80 - 90% finished and I asked myself why??? And then told myself I should finish it!!

Well I did and here it is for you viewing pleasure. It was designed by Becky Autry and I changed the border and dividers to green since we have more green in our house than blue. Otherwise I think I stayed fairly true to the design. Except for Winter, I could not find the same charms she used and I may change the rooster that is in the Spring square (since it is the only metal colored charm and the rest are flat buttons). Then off to the framers we go!

One WIP down, too many to count to go!!

Foothills EGA Christmas Party

Regular readers of my blog will recall I teased you all with a post about some finished projects and all I showed you were the boxes! I promised more details at the appropriate time and now’s the time to show you one of them. Here is what I made for our Foothills EGA gift exchange.

TA DA......

It is a magnetic needle keep using a 1.5 in square finishing form, shown here before I put the two halves together. I had the form on hand and I got the idea from Its' Daffy Cat. The recipient really loved it and that makes me very happy. Here is a very cute pin cushion I received, it was purchased at a craft fair and I am told the seller had them all laid out on a tray and it looked like lots of cupcakes. It is made of re-purposed wool from sweaters and jackets. Isn't it the sweetest thing??

That's all for now!

Another Christmas Ornament

But first a note to my readers and commenters - THANKS!! I am still trying to figure out how I can reply to comments with an email. It is not that I have not read and appreciated your comments, I just have not figured out all this techno cyber stuff yet!

Now on to the good stuff! Here is another ornament I finished this year. First on the fabric it is backed with and then on our tree. I have really been on a roll lately and trying to get these smaller projects finished. It is called Oh Christmas Tree and is designed by Carolyn Standing Webb of Carolina House Designs. I think it was a Foothills Chapter EGA project last year (or shamefully the year before).

Christmas will soon be here!!

Needlebook Finished!

I finally finish finished this Foothills Chapter of EGA project from last August! I finished the crazy quilting part in 2010, but had not gotten around to the finishing into a needlebook part. Well this past weekend I got it done - oh boy in under a year! I had some green wool felt and added an extra page to the book, so it holds plenty of needles now. I also put in a snap closure and added an extra charm I had from another project.

Here is the front.

Here is the front and back.

Here is the inside.

I think it came out ok and is kind of cute too.

Happy Stitching Everyone!!