Skip to main content

Labels, Keanu and a bird of peace

 

Okay, I think all the Christmas presents are bought.  Not yet all wrapped, but at least they're heaped on the carpet and not still on a shop's shelf.  I dragged the Sissix machine out this morning and used a stack of old Christmas cards to make labels.  
I don't send or receive a large amount of cards any more.  Emails and texts are easier (though not as pretty) and postage stamps are becoming ridiculously expensive if you've dozens of cards to post.  Though I remember when I was a kid, parents would get about 60 or 70 cards at least, and they'd be strung up on washing lines of wool or twine all around the sitting room.  The traditional greeting cards are gradually dwindling away.  But you never know.  Maybe they'll stage a revival, and writing & receiving vast heaps of cards will become the hip 'n' trendy thing to do.  Stranger things have happened...
If you want a break from thinking about all things festive, I've a book recommendation for you.  'Keanu Reeves is not in love with you' by Becky Holmes.  It's a deep dive into the murky world of romance fraud, of scammers and heartless criminals who prey on the lonely and vulnerable, emptying their bank accounts without a twinge of a conscience.  If that sounds too depressing a read, it's really not.  The book's laugh out loud funny in places, and you can't help but be moved and impressed by the sheer resilience of those who've been defrauded of their hard earned cash.  They pick themselves up and soldier on, best foot forward, having learnt the hard way how cruel the greedy criminals can be.  
On the crafty front, I did say I was going to spend the rest of December concentrating on finishing half-done projects.  But totally contradicting myself, I started doing this ... but it's a slow-stitchy kind of thing and I'm not in a rush to get it done.  I'm using embroidery thread to liven up this plain lambswool jumper.  Grey isn't really my favourite colour, so I decided to add pops of brightness to the cuffs and collar.  The aim's to stitch all the way around them.  Adding this to the collar is pulling it a bit out of shape, but I'm not bothered by that.  It's just a slouchy jumper for mooching about the house in.  
I did finish this little felt decoration, based on a pattern by Corinne Lapierre, from the Search Press book 'Twenty to Make Felt Christmas Decorations'.  You cut out two circles of white felt, sew them together using a blanket stitch, then embroider and add a felt bird to hang in the centre of your decoration.  
It's okay, I suppose, but if I was making it again I'd pad out the white 'O' with a handful of polyester toy stuffing, and would embroider the dove with a bolder design.  Maybe it'd look better using bright red felt instead, with white embroidery thread for the circle?  That might give it a Scandi kind of look.  

Because there wasn't much to watch on TV, I also made another of her patterns, for a raccoon.  Yup, a raccoon.  Nope, I don't know why either.  I was in the mood to mess about with felt, so here's a Christmas raccoon taking pride of place on a cluttered mantelpiece.  You see, stranger things do happen ...


Comments

  1. Your embroidery looks pretty! I am done with the shopping but, like you, I've still got a lot of wrapping to do! I remember Mum getting so many cards we used to put them all up in the living room on bits of string

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sharon. My embroidery's getting better with practise, but I still struggle with the fancier stitches. Some of the creativity I see on Instagram and Facebook is astounding. So many amazing embroiderers out there. It's inspiring, but daunting too.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fabric bowls & electrical cables ...

To add to my seemingly never ending list of works-in-progress, I've started making a fabric bowl.  Or should I call it a fabric basket?  I'm not sure.  Anyway, I've made the odd bowl or two before, like this blue & white one that I keep cotton perle in.   I decided to use upholstery material, which has both advantages & disadvantages.  On the good side, it has a certain stiffness, which helps the bowl stay in shape.  On the irritating side, the kind of material I'm using frays like mad, and I'm forever picking up threads off the carpet.  The bowl's a simple construction, and I've used a circle of cardboard covered with brown felt for the base.   It'll look much better when I've embroidered and stitched into it.  I've made a start on that, and appliqued on a rectangle of plum coloured velvet for extra interest. When not stitching, I've been catching up on my reading.  I finished C J Sansom's 'Dark Fire'.   Real...

Threads of Freedom and charity shop bargains

  It's Saturday afternoon, and I haven't done half the things I'd meant to.  Partly because I spent most of this morning messing about with paints, stencils and the gell plate.  Never mind, everything on today's 'To Do' list will join tomorrow's 'To Do' list ... it's hardly life or death if I don't haul the hoover around the room or pull up weeds in the front garden.   I thought I'd show you what I made on Wednesday.  I'd gone to my monthly StitchArt group, and this time we did something a little different.  There's a project called 'Threads of Freedom' which is working with various community groups across the city.  It's about creating little stitched pieces, some of which will be included in a textile panel to go on display at Leeds art gallery.  There was lots of fabric we could choose from to sew with, and I picked this vintage tray cloth with the roses embroidery.   My own embroidery's not a patch on those flo...

Another fabric bowl & what's starting to look like a craft room ...

  Hello on what's been a beautiful autumn day.  Bright blue clear sky, a chilly start but warming up in the afternoon.  I've been on a long walk around a local nature reserve, not wanting to stay inside when it's so lovely outdoors.   In the last week or so, I've been finishing this fabric bowl, and have started making another.   But mainly I've been having a bit of a change-around in my house.  I've hauled furniture from one room to another, clutter-cleared cupboards and bagged up things for the charity shop, and generally hoovered and cleaned all those dusty corners.   I'd finally made a decision about turning the dumping ground of the front bedroom into a craft room.  It's taking shape, though it really has taken some effort.   Larger pieces of material are stacked on shelves, grouped into colours.  Lower down is my Sissix machine and die cuts, and at the base of the shelving are beads and jewellery making supplies...