Back To My Project

Here is a picture of a finished point for my 8-pointed star project that I wanted to share with you.  I have been piecing the points and have five of them done so far, but thought it was time to start embellishing one of the points.  It was great fun to do, and I came up with a new stitch combination.

Of course, I could not wait to see how it would look against the center block, so here is a picture for you to see, as well:

I still have a long way to go, but it is so exciting to see progress.  Now my thoughts are beginning to turn to a background color.  My son was home this week end for my birthday (the big 60!).  We had a great time together, although it was only one day.  Because he is a professional visual artist working in advertising, I told him what I was thinking and asked for his suggestions.  I'm afraid he was not too sure. Hmmmmmm! I think I will have to go it alone on this one.  I am considering a dark purple or a shade of green.  Of course, I am also considering picking up the black accents and using a black background with a variegated thread for the quilting.  Hmmmmm, again.  Definitely something of earth-shattering importance to keep me awake at night, LOL.

Yesterday  dove into the new issue of Quilters Newsletter.  I saw that the Alliance for American Quilts has announced it's new contest, so I checked it out.  The theme is "Something new from something old", which is giving me many ideas to consider.

I love the holidays, but, oh, how good it feels to be back to routine and into the quilting rhythms of my day/night!  Keep quilting in peace and happiness.

Deb's Stitch in Time: Little Purse for a Special Gift

Deb's Stitch in Time: Little Purse for a Special Gift

Little Purse for a Special Gift

I received a special gift from my son this Christmas- an IPod Touch.  This wonderful little gizmo is actually a small, hand-held computer, for those of you who are not into all things Technical or Apple related.  It is wonderful and I have been learning to use many of the functions for school, such as the calendar and the notepad.  I was nervous about keeping it in my pocket, however, so decided to make myself a small purse that could be worn around my neck to keep it in.

The purse is made of two small rectangles of felt.  I first embroidered the front of the purse.  The larger flowers are made of stem stitch worked into a spiral using perl cotton.  The centers are french knots.  I again used stem stitch for the actual stems and some detached chain stitches for the little leaves worked with two strands of floss.  Lazy daisy stitch makes the other flowers, again using french knot centers worked in perl cotton.  Fly stitch is used for stems in two strands of floss.  The background is filled in with fly stitches worked in one strand of floss.  Some straight stitches worked as crossed stitches also help fill in the background and some beads are added for sparkle.  The rectangles are then stitched together using two strands of floss and the blanket stitch.

This was a fun little project.  It didn't take long to complete, and I now have a more secure place to keep my wonderful Christmas gift!  Keep stitching in peace and happiness.

Now That the Holidays are Over

It is good to be back at the computer and posting again.  The holiday season became so busy that I was unable to post anything.  But the holidays are over ( well, not if you celebrate 12th night) and I am back at my post.  It seems every year I say to myself that I am not going to make any gifts, and yet every year, I wind up making them despite my resolution.  This year I made some crazy patched hearts for some of my friends at school.  Here are some photos of them before I added the hangers to them:

These were fun to make, but I stitched furiously to get them done to give my friends before Christmas and the break at school.  It was actually a great experience, apart from making them as gifts.  Working on a small project under a deadline is a great way to practice your skills in a new way.  I loved working on them and am hoping to try some more of them in the future.

I have also finished my block in progress.  This square block is the center of what will be an eight pointed star.  Here is a picture of the block and a picture of the flower spray I incorporated into the block:

I have started piecing the points of the star and will post them soon.  In the meantime, I want to start a small project that will be a lot of fun.  For Christmas, my son, who has a very good job in the advertising field, bought me an IPod touch.  It is a wonderful little gizmo that is actually a small hand-held computer.  I have started using it for school and have entered many meetings, etc. on the calendar function.  One of the best features is that it is a voice recorder.  I can now record those thoughts/ideas/ things I need to remember that occur to me when riding in the car and are quickly forgotten due to a faulty memory.  So, my plan is to make a little purse to wear around my neck to keep it handy and safe at school.  I will post a picture when it is done.

I hope that everyone had a blessed and happy Christmas and my wish is that everyone have a safe, happy, and very healthy new year.  Keep quilting in peace and happiness.