Here is the postcard I received for the January guild postcard exchange. Isn't it pretty? The antennae are made of beads and the wings lift up!
I have been busy with a lot of hand quilting, but not a lot I can show you. On Black Cats Staring I've outlined all the letters and have started with spider webs for the rest of the background. I used 3 strands of embroidery floss (variegated orange) around the letters and then I found some purple variegated hand quilting thread which I am using for the webs. I am not in a hurry to finish this one, it doesn't need to be done until next October. So I moved onto my
guild challenge. I've made 3 wall hangings already! I am trying to keep them a secret until they are due to be judged. I got all the hand quilting done, now they just need binding.
With all this hand quilting practice, these are my likes and dislikes: 2 strands rather than 3 of embroidery floss. I like using up all the beautiful colours I have on hand and I don't have to go out and look for and buy quilting thread...the selection of colours is not as great. I like the big stitch look you get with embroidery thread, but I don't like the needles I have to use, much sharper, ouch! I look at big stitch quilting as a type of embellishment so picking the right colours is easier with all the floss I have on hand. Although embroidery thread is fine for wall hangings, I am not sure it is very strong and might not be appropriate for a utility quilt. Next I've experimented with different size perle cotton and I like #12 best and I can use a regular quilting needle, again selection of colour is not as great or as easy to find. As for hand quilting thread, the jury is still out. The purple I am using is Coats&Clark and it seems fine. It is good for the smaller stitches. I've also used Gutermann hand quilting thread, I think it is thicker and stiffer than the Coats&Clark.
Below is a photo of the apartment we lived in before we bought our current home. We lived on the right side of the main floor. It was a great apartment, walking distance to work, near the park and was owned by an 87 year old German woman from Switzerland. When I paid the rent she always gave me a bunch of home-made muffins! She lived on the main floor on the left side and rented out rooms above her to students. She was as strong as an ox and could always be found in her vegetable garden in the back. Once I found her chopping wood in the backyard. She is still alive, she is 97 now!
When we moved I made up this cross stitch for her as a present. I just came across the photos today, I had to scan these--pre-digital camera!
Then I came across another one I thought my friend Christine would like and her birthday was coming up, too! Perfect! Another one done! I thought the butterfly would get lost in the busy-ness of the fabric so I framed it in black, which echoes the pattern of the fabric anyway. I also put a fabric behind the stitching so it wouldn't get torn away on the inside of the tote.
And then there is this Debbie Mumm sunflower garden angel, the kit came with the red birdhouse fabric. The cross stitch piece is actually sewn onto the red fabric. The yellow fabric is from a set of drapes I bought from Ikea that I didn't really like when I got it home. It is quite sturdy, so it's great for a tote bag.
Last but not least, is one made from a Godzilla t-shirt my hubby had. I was going to use it for his t-shirt quilt, but I had 7 t-shirts and it is easier to make a quilt out of 6 squares, so that one got rejected. I had it all cut out and ready to go, too. Eventually, I had bought this black denim, always intending to make a tote out of it, but me and the washing machine had a fight over this denim. I was so ticked off how ragged it was when it came out of the wash, that I just folded it and put it away. But I was in the tote making mood this weekend, and I got a brilliant idea of putting in the red trim around it. I think it looks fabulous!
