Change is Good

Now this could be a very philosophical post about change but it isn't.  It's more about me deciding that I'd lived with something a certain way for a number of years and deciding that I needed to change it.  My grandmother made me this needlepoint picture a LONG time ago - probably when I was in my teens.  Originally it was framed with a plain brown frame - I can't even remember if it was matted.  Years later after I was married I decided that I wanted to spruce it up.  So I had it framed with the burgandy mat and the sort of goldish frame.

Fastforward to today and I changed it once again.  This time I used the same frame but I color washed it to soften it and change it to a color more my liking.  And I reused the mat and covered it with fabric that was softer.  I sure like it a lot better!  What do you think?

Hugs,

Karen

Ribbon Embroidery

I recently finished a project that I purchased from Di Van Niekerk (www.dicraft.co.za) who is located in South Africa.  I wanted to try my hand at ribbon embroidery and I am now fully hooked.  I just love working with the silk threads and ribbons.  Her dress has an organza overlay on which you then work the embroidery.  It also has lace incorporated into it.  And her hair is actually doll's hair which you tack on and then embroider a ribbon as if she has it tied up. 

It is now framed and hanging in my bedroom.  I just love the old, romantic feel that it portrays of a time gone by.  I wanted to share it with you.



Hugs,

Karen

Organizing

Yesterday was supposed to be a quilting day but it wasn't.  I got busy organizing and cleaning and well, you know how that goes.  Move one thing and then you move 100 more.

But one thing I did was organize my pearls, beads and buttons.  I had ordered this box online.  It's very rustic and when it arrived it was mostly wood with very little paint.  So I spray painted a little more but kept it sparse to keep that vintage look that I love.  Have you noticed the little latch that it came with?  I just love it.

So now when I sit down to bead a quilt or add pearls or buttons I have everything in one place.  No more searching or wondering where I put something.  Of course with the cleaning and "organizing" that I did yesterday I'm sure the day will come when I wonder "now where did I put ....?"

Hugs,

Karen

Me Time

Remember when I started marking this quilt on January 1?

Well today I have finally found some "me" time.  The quilt is loaded and it will be on the frame until completion - however long that might take.  Here's a little preview:

Before:

After:

Approaching the midpoint of the top border:

This one is certainly going to take some time.  I'm not even going to think about the number of hours.  I'm just going to sit and watch it progress and watch it unfold into something new.

Hugs,

Karen





Peace

I don't know about anybody else but there are just certain rooms that I love walking into.  Rooms that give me a sense of peace and tranquility.  This room would be our bedroom.  I just love our bed and the softness that it evokes.  A quilt I made a few years ago and lots of pillows.  It's just so cozy -

Hugs,

Karen

TaDa!

A couple of days ago I posted a photo of a quilt top for a pattern from Kansas Trouble called Bird's Eye View.  Have you thought about how YOU would quilt it?  With the large center block (the one with the black) not even being in the center of the quilt and the 3 birds sitting on a ribbon just floating somewhere on the quilt the decision of what to do was rather difficult.

Also, keeping in mind the customer loves wool batting and the puff and dimension that it gives a quilt, the choice to quilt a heavy background fill in the open area wasn't an option.  Besides, quilting a heavy background and then having to balance the rest of the quilting with it would have been hard.

So here is what I "saw".  A large tree branch or bush at the top - so I carried the branch/leaf theme further into the quilt.  Where there were flowers/leaves I added more.  Where there were butterflies I added more.  Where the 3 birds sat on a ribbon I turned it into the top of a fence and added a floral vine growing on the fence and vines hanging from it.  At the bottom I created grass in the final area of the cream fabric.  In the outside border I did piano keys radiating from the 4 centers of the quilt and in the gold border I made "ghost" blocks and leaves on either side.  Was it a success?  What do you think of my interpretation?

Hugs,

Karen

Bird's Eye View

Here's a picture of a quilt that I received from a customer.  It's to be done custom with wool batting.  The quilt is a Kansas Trouble pattern made from their fabrics - it actually uses every color of every fabric in the line.  I found it to be a rather odd pattern in that it doesn't seem to have anything to tie it together.  The big block in the middle sits higher than the middle.  Then there's the three little birds that sit on a ribbon - what's the deal with that?  Apparently all of the pieced blocks are historically to represent birds.  So how would you quilt it?

Keep in mind the customer loves wool batting and the poof that it gives so no need to quilt everything down as in a heavy background fill.  I'll show you how I finally quilted it in a later post.  Happy thinking....

Hugs,

Karen