rubykittyruby

  One more thing finally crossed off my 'still need to finish' list.  Yesterday I added the rest of the red ties to this lap sized quilt, and embroidered 'Val made this' on the reverse.  It's probably going to end up as a present for someone as I don't need yet more quilts strewn across my bed or sofa.  I did like working with the upcycled denim, and especially how you get a variation in shades of blue, often depending on how many times the original garment had been laundered.  Here's a glimpse of the backing fabric, with my purple clogs getting in the picture.   I also plumped for a hen as the next bird I'd make from the Corinne Lapierre book, having dithered over what to choose.  I realised I'd got just enough of the fudge coloured felt to make the hen's body.  So I spent yesterday evening dutifully following the instructions.  Step 1 completed, step 2, step 3.  It was only when I reached step 9 that I realised my mistake. ...

  No, you're not seeing double.  I made a second owl, following (with a few minor variations) the pattern from Corinne Lapierre's 'Folk Embroidered Felt Birds'  Then I had a go at a blue tit.  Unlike the owl where the embroidery's only on the front facing part, the blue tit's got embroidered wings on back and front.   This design was a little trickier than the owl, though the actual piecing together of the bird is easy enough.  It's the details on the head that I wasn't so good at.   Here's the image from the book of what my bird ought to look like.  The black lines on the head aren't made of black felt, but dense stitching with black thread. I'm not entirely sure I got the placement of the eye right, and my black stitching's a mite clumsy.  But at least my blue tit's recognisable! Note how my fly stitch is going in the opposite direction to that in the book's image.  I put that down to me being left handed, it's just easier t...

Spring days start early.  The sun rises and the dawn chorus breaks into song, and I unearth myself from underneath the duvet.  My Sunday's been productive so far, and I'm typing this at about a quarter to eight in the morning.  Laundry's already washed and pegged out on the line, and I'm already washed and full of porridge.  I thought I'd begin with a round-up of what crafty things I've been up to.  First of all, this piece of slow stitching.  I'd a grand idea about making a frame for it, covering sturdy cardboard with papier mache and white paint, then gluing on sea shells.  Only I've had a change of heart.  I've got so many works-in-progress that I need to get things finished before they get totally out of hand.  So I added a backing fabric to this stitched piece, and used embroidery thread to blanket stitch around the edges.  All it needs now is a couple of loops sewn on to hang it by.  Plus, maybe a few weighty beads added to th...