comfortstitching

one year blogaversary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 How exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It has been exactly one(!!!!) year since I first sat down and began writing about my favourite stitchy pastimes.  For most of that time I have known WHAT I wanted to do but had to find my own way there.  Everything from learning how to blog to learning how to quilt to how to get my designs on fabric and opening up my etsy shop to making mosaics and linking I have had to learn myself.  At times it has been highly frustrating!!!!!!!  but mostly it makes me very happpppppppy indeed. 

The mosaic above shows a few of my favourite stitchy highlights from the past year including the quilt I gave away on my 100th post!!!!!!  There's been strings........spiderwebs, craziness........unicorns...hexagons and half hexagons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and much much more!

I was inspired to begin a blog because of this lady's first book and subsequently her blog. At the time I hardly even new how to use a computer and didn't even know the difference between a laptop and a desktop or the difference between uploading and downloading!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Until December last year, I blogged with the computer sat on a 20 x 20" !!!! small!!!!! children's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! plastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???!!!!!! purple! play table!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! all cramped up and very uncomfortable.

Now my computer table ((((thankfully))))) looks like this,

 
Anyway...............................some of you are probably thinking............that's all very well but where are the party bags and biscuits............................

So without further ado, let me give you a clue (or two!).

 

1) First there was my version of 'skipity girl'.....................

 

2) Then there was Georgia's ((((((((((lovely:)))))))))))) version of 'skipity girl'.............................................................

 
And.........................finally..............there is the version of skipity! that will be owned by one of you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Just to say thank you to each and everyone of you who reads and comments on this little bloggy and keeps me in stitches (giggle variety).   TTTTTTTTTTTTTThhhhannnnk yyyyyyyyyyyyyyouuuuu AAllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!

Handstitched in finest split stitch with monroe-esque buttery hair and scarlet-ted light-footed-ness...................she will be popped into a padded envelope sometime next week and your address could be on the label.

What to do

1. Decide if you would like to own skipity girl.
2. Follow the instructions below to enter.
3. Easy!!

To enter

You can enter this giveaway only if you have previously left a comment on this blog this year.

OR

You have purchased something from my shop this year.

Extra entries

• You have favourited my etsy shop, (1 entry)
• You are a member of my flickr group, (1 entry)
• You have added a picture (this must be something to do with one of my tutorials or fabrics or patterns or have been inspired by something I have made) or joined in with the discussion threads in my group. (1 entry)

*****Please comment seperately for each entry.

*****Please, please make sure you mention why you are entering on each comment you make.

 

'skipity' will be sent to the winner!!!!!!!  The giveaway ends 11am GMT on Sunday 31st of January.

Just before I go, I just wanted to add a sneaky peek for Corinne,

 

This is what I'm doing today and I LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLovvvvveee!!!! it!

Good

luck

to

alllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

xxxx

COMMENTS ARE  NOW CLOSED

hello deer!

 
 Thank you so much to everyone who took part in Monday's pattern giveaway!!!  I was pretty permanantly glued to the send button but ab-sol-ut-ly enjoyed all the attatching and sending.  The first completed hula girl has already landed in my flickr group!!!  Done by the supercharged mary on lake pulaski.  Isn't she a fast one!!!

Meanwhile I've been busy stitching up a little something for John in a little side swap we decided to do on each other's theme's in the hoop up swap on flickr.  I struggled a little with the colours and also decided to play around with stitches I love but never seem to actually get around to using on account of an embroidery life spent filling in backstitch.  I'm quite happy with it but does that look like a deer to you??????????????????????? 

Again I have managed to stitch something without a wee girl in it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  that's twice in one week!

 
Talking of which, I got sooooooo many nice compliments about my london in stitches (((((((((((((((thank you))))))))))))))!!  I decided to add a pattern for it to the shop.  Just in case any of you are finding the urge to stitch up your very own big ben!!!

 
In between embroidering I have managed to make a few strings before deciding once and for all not to include red in my blocks....................just cannot seem to keep away from the rocqua's!!!!!  I think this one will go in the pile marked 'destination - cushion!!'  

Well tommorow is the day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!and I can't help but feel it will be a let down......as there will only be......................................one! prize.  I hope you will make a return and have a go anyhow:)

How are those hilary hoops coming along?????????????????????  any more starts??

 
Sneaky peek for next week............(otherwise known as......will she ever stop embroidering!!!!).

free patterns for all!!!!! for a few hours at least..........

 
  
It's finalll-l-l-ll-y here........it's finally blogaversary week.

The day itself is Thursday when there will be a giveaway -!!!!!!!!

Today is just the warm up but i'm very excited about today..............................................................because while I was thinking of what to do for this week, I thought about how great it is to do the whole giveaway thing but also how dissappointing it can be, for there are all those entries and just one or two winners.

So I got to thinking about doing something where everyone's a winner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! something where lots of people could take a trip to happiness.

So my plan is this,

Everyone who enters today's giveaway will win a prize!!!!!!!, the prize you can win is a pdf of my 'hilary the hoop' embroidery pattern.

 
Very important :

To be eligible to enter you must be a member of my flickr group.  You are permitted to go join the group now and come back to enter the giveaway.

To enter you need to leave a comment below.  You must let me know your flickr name if it is different to your commenting name.

You must let me know how you arrived at my giveaway..................through another blog's blog roll (please name the blog), your google reader, flickr etc......................

If you are commenting via typepad profile or any other way in which your e-mail address is not automatically shared with me, you must include your e-mail address within your comment.  If in doubt just add it to your comment.

You must must must do all of the above musts so please read them very carefully!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*** if you are not a member of flickr - It is very simple and free to join.

Obviously I cannot leave this giveaway open for too long as I will have to e-mail each of you the pattern and ..................you know............the kids need looking after too...........

So this giveaway will end at 10.30 pm Greenwich Mean Time.

If you have not recieved your e-mailed pattern by Saturday 30th of January please get in touch with your e-mail address either via flickrmail or leave me a comment on a blog post. 

 
Now excuse me...................my stitches are calling...................  

Comments are now closed.  Sorry:)

city in stitches...................

 
Testing testing.........................I'm trying out somethiing new today, otherwise known as blogging on Friday.  I'm just curious as to how this is going to pan out as I always feel that there aren't all that many people around on Friday's...............am I right or wrong????????????

This is my work so far on the embroidery I started yesterday for Beth in the hoop up swap on flickr.  The theme was Ed Emberley inspired pieces depicting the city or country of your choice.  Mine is of course - can you guess????  This is so fun to do and makes a change from stitching up girls playing all the time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Never thought I'd find myself stitching up the Houses of Parliment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To draw up this embroidery I googled London and clicked on images (at the top).  I then did a few sketches on a sheet of A4 paper (see below)......

 

From this, I used an ordinary drawing pencil to sketch out my chosen images directly onto the fabric - all hooped and ready!!!!!  If you look closely at the picture on the top left hand side of the mosaic, you can see the images I haven't yet worked on.  Pencil fades fast which is good if like me you might change your sketches a little as you go and therefore great if you are drafting up a new design.  It's not ideal for beginner's as you would need to keep re-drawing, so I would suggest you  use one of those blue fabric transfer pens instead.

I hope you like it so far Beth, it has been a fantastic change for me to try something different!!!

  *************************************************

Did you see this superb version of my 'Skip-ity Girl' pattern by the unstoppable talent of Georgia Mcdonald in my flickr group???

OR this version of my 'Girl on a tree Swing' by Squiggle 2010???????

I'm head over heels with both!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love love love!!!

A big HINT for next week ( The give give give week!!!)............................ if you are not already a member of my flickr group - you might want to join!!!!!!!

If you are not a member of flickr by the way, it is free and easy to join, so what are you waiting for???????

Have a super super super duper kind of weekend................ I CANNOT wait until next week!!!!!!!!

stringing along...................

 

On the menu for you today,

strings, felt applique and some knitting.  Otherwise known as a casserole of craft.  Without further ado, let me bring on the strings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Warning; the next image is a bit string heaavvvy!!

 
So here is a little problem of mine.  I recently decided to make a string quilt to use up some of the endless howdidtheygethere scraps.  I LOVE strings blocks but for some reason I forgot that I (whisper) don't really like string quilts (don't hit me). 

You know the ones, with the classic square diamond formation.  I know lots of people love them so I AM going to give the strings a go and make one but in the meantime I thought I would play around with other string layouts and came up with the above.

1) diagonal string coloumns  2) string bargello  3) string in zig zag and 4) stringy trip around the world!!!!!!   What do you think???? any favourites  I know there  is alot of string-per-photo and you might need to lie down after looking at them (sorry!)

btw I used Rachel's super,super duper block o'strings tutorial.

I can feel my heart melting a little........

 
Alot of last week was spent doing felt applique.  Most of the above were made using Kata Golda's new book.  Mostly they are felt covered handmade (by me!!) notebooks and a third of them have been swiped by two little alwaysdrawingandwritingcraftylittlesoandso's.........

Did you see this cutie little version of my 'girl on a tree swing quilt' by Danielleg71...........oh so cute cute cute!!!!!!!!!

 
I have made a tiny bit of progress on the knitted thing I am making, it has only been unravelled completely due to dropped stitches FOUR times (at the time of writing).

So while I go and probably drop a few more, let me tell you........next week will be my BLOg-aVerSArY!!!!!!! and the theme of the week will be give give give.  No details yet but first post will be monday or tuesday and you might want to hurry along for something kind of limited...................

Hoop!!!!! and a couple of winning ladies!!

Can't seem to stop embroidering, must try harder.

Too many embroidered images are appearing in my mind and I feel I must stitch them quick before I forget them. 

This time the little lady is called Hilary, otherwise known as 'The Hoop' amongst her hula-ing friends.  She is the fastest circumference-r in the west (....east, north or south).

 

She joins all the little ladies in stitches here. 

Btw. the version on the bottom left was is still being stitched up by my nine year old.

Well enough about the stitches!!  I know many of you are here for the winning numbers and names for Thursday's giveaway!!!  So................the winners were...

No.5 - Megan!!!!!!

and No.52 - Gina!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ladies I will be in touch shortly!!, Gina, you will need to decide which pattern you would like along with little red:))

For the rest of you, the commiserations will not last long.................it will be my 1 year!! blogaversary in a very short time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! which means........time for another.........well you know what!!!!!

 so keep watching....it..is........so...so.......sooon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Meanwhile........................I am keeping bu-sy.

Well, wouldn't be me otherwise:::)))

giveaway - because it's thursday!!!

Beacause it's Thursday.....................Because it's raining.......................Because I need to tidy and I really don't want to.........................

I'm having a giveaway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  There will be two first prizes!!!  Each prize will be your choice of any TWO!!! embroidery patterns from my shop.  Please note these will be e-mailed to you.

Giveaway is open to -

all those who have left a comment on this blog since the start of the year (1 entry).

anyone who is a member of my flickr group  (1 entry).

anyone who has bought anything from my shop since the start of this year, including all purchases upto and including the end of this giveaway (1 entry).

Upto a maximum of 3 entries.  To enter simply leave a comment (1 for each entry) on this blog post letting me know which two patterns you would like.  You must comment seperately for each entry.  Giveaway ends 5pm GMT on Sunday 17th January.

Some inspiration???????

 

Good

Luck

ducks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED : WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY!!

 

girl on a tree swing mini quilt tutorial!!!

 

This tutorial is a thank you to all those who have commented or favourit-ed this mini quilt of mine on flickr, all those who have added it to mosaics, everyone who entered the giveaway last year and (very thankfully!) those lovely ladies who road tested the link for me yesterday!!!.

This was my first proper attempt at raw edge applique and free motion embroidery, I have made some smaller items before but this much more of a proper go at playing with these techniques.

If you would like to have a go at trying your hand at these techniques I hope this guide will help. 

*********As usual all I ask in return is if you use it, is to please link to it, if you upload any pics to your blog/flickr.  Let other's know where to go!!!!!**************

 

You will need :-

Lots of fabric scraps for the background (it's a good idea to keep these in a distinctly different colourway to the tree/girl/dress etc. so that they don't blend into the background).

extra scraps for the girl and tree applique,

a sheet of bondaweb or other paper suitable for applique. 

some white fabric, scissors, interfacing, sewing machine.

    *****************************

Cut your background fabric scraps into squares and rectangles, mine  were three quarters of an inch and upwards in width, until you have a nice big pile.

 

Take a piece of bondaweb or similar iron on adhesive the size you wish your applique background to be.

Start laying your squares, slightly overlapping them, on the rough side of the sheet (the side that doesn't peel away).

 

Continue until completly covered.

I did this on an old towel to avoid having to move it at the ironing stage.

Iron your scaps to the first side of the bondaweb.

Carefully turn over and peel of the backing sheet.

 

Place onto your white fabric and iron your scrappy mosaic onto that.

 

Before stitching my background I iron on some light to medium interfacing on the back.  This keeps your surface nice and flat for stitching.

 

This is the machine foot I do freestyle embroidery with, I have a Pfaff quilt expression 4.0.

I sew with the feed dogs down (that's the 2 longer paralell lines you see right under the foot above).

The foot stays in an upright position whilst I sew, so this lets me to move my fabric around at ease!  My daughter also has a very basic sewing machine and she is also able to do freestyle embroidery, so please check your manual to see if your machine has this feature.  

I sew around the edge of each of the background squares to secure them.

For the templates I have created a PDF just for all of you!! just click on the link below,

Download Girl on the tree swing templates

Note: the templates have purposely been reversed so that they will come out correctly in the end!! 

Print your template sheet.

 

Place your template sheet under the Bondaweb so that the paper side of the bondaweb is facing you and the rough side of it is facing the template copy.

Trace each of the template images onto the bondaweb. 

 

Cut out each of the shapes (unlike the photo above, you can just roughly cut around them at this stage to make it easier!).

Find some suitably coloured fabric for each.  For mine I used a brown fabric for the hair, a fleshy pink for the legs and face etc.  go through your scraps and see what you can find suitable.  I actually used some bits of background colour from printed fabric!  the brown hair is from the munki munki lipstick print, the face and body parts were from munki gnomes on pink!!!!

The dress is cut from Kei honeycomb in aqua, again note that this is very different to the colours used on the background mosaic - this is important to note as you need the girl to stand out of the background.

Iron each bondaweb shape onto the reverse of a suitably coloured fabric scrap.  To do this, lay your bondaweb template on your ironing board, rough side up, lay your fabric on top right side up and iron on.

When all are ironed on, cut out each of the shapes following the line of the template on the reverse of your fabric.

 

Peel off the paper side of the bondaweb from the reverse of each of the shapes and following the picture above, one by one place each shape onto your background mosaic and iron on carefully.  Take extra care with the smaller shapes like the hands.  I would start with the tree first, then dress, legs etc.

 

 

Keeping the embroidery foot (see above) on your machine,  thread up with black cotton thread or any dark colour you fancy.  This change of thread is important to make your girl and tree images stand out.

Practise!!! the next bit onto practise appliqued fabric first if you are new to freestyle embroidery stitching.

You need to outline the edges of the tree and apples,

add tapering branches to the appliqued tree branches,

outline the girl, draw her face, dress collar, button tab, shoes and swing using your machine and thread (practise practise practise this first on scrap fabric first!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).

The trickiest part of the machine embroidery is the face, if you find it is just too tricky you can always just hand embroider the face instead using the same thread you are sewing with.

Remember you are after a very sketchy free style of stitching, the stitching is not meant to be perfect by any means!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The imperfections are exactly what will give your embroidery the character it needs.

 

 
  
Once you have finished your applique, you can stitch further strips of white fabric to the edges of your white fabric (this is what I did as my initial base fabric was not big enough!).

To turn into a quilt you can follow the steps in these tutorials,

To sandwich and baste your quilt (scroll down to bottom of tutorial!).

To bind your quilt.

I hope you have enjoyed my tutorial! - It was a bit of an epic to write. 

Please enjoy it and don't forget to link link link if you do!!!!

Please add any pics to  my flickr group!!!!!! whether you make this quilt or use the techniques from the tutorial to make your own!!

I'm hoping to see lots of little girls swinging merrily from their quilts there soon!!!!!

PPPPsssss....Don't forget to enter my giveaway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**************************************************************************************************

PDF link help wanted!!!

In preperation for Thursday's tutorial for making a 'Girl on a tree swing' mini quilt I've been frustratingly trying to create a link to a PDF I've got ready with templates for the tutorial.

I don't think the link is working correctly but this is it

Link has now been removed until Thursday.

Is anyone able to test the link for me?  My main issue is that people won't be able to print out the template as no print icon appears with the file on my computer.

OR does anyone know how I can make a link correctly!!!??????????

HELP PLEASE!!!!!

EDITED TO ADD:  Thank you so much ladies for testing out the link!!!!!!!  Now I know it works ok I'm all set for Thurs!    xxxxx

Comments are now closed.

skipping and stitching!

 

A bumper pic-heavy post with - a little more embroidery info on needles and such, following on from my guide to filling with backstitch available at the bottom of this post.

Firstly we have to pass by the skip-ity girls or on correction girl (they do get in the way these girls with permanant ropes growing out of their fingertips).

Now available as an embroidery pattern via the miracle of pdf. 

 

Curly, ringlet-y hair for absolute girlness (though the bonce does remind me of  of both sheep and custard!!??).

 

Light footed, twinkle-i-toe-ness for maximum skipp-i-bility.

This PDF is a bumper 8 page extravaganza of a holiday away from it all in stitch land heaven.  The trickier stitches are explained in how to fullness with step by step photo's and instruction!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Here you can see how the skip-ity's have gone from my fabric design to embroidery to felt applique and even inspired some of little miss C's drawings.

 

The little misses have been in full on creativity mode during the housebound snow spell of last week with polar bear drawing's in the snow and designing t-shirt embellishing keeping them occupied  when not out in the white stuff.

 

And now following on from my guide to filling up your embroidery outlines with backstitch, I would like to add a few more pointer's to questions that came up in the comments.

The above pic shows the needle I use to make my embroideries (right), these are sold as 'Embroidery needles' and have a longer eye (to get all those flosses through) than a regular needle (left).

 

I use regular embroidery threads.

Each thread of floss can be seperated into 6 strands (as you can see above).  When I showed you how to fill in backstitch on the last post I used a whole thread ie. 6 strands.

From the comments on the last post I am truly glad that I have inpired some of you to take up or return to embroidery, it is something that I am (obviously) currently ver-r-r--rrrryyyy obsessed with and cannot recommend it enough to keep the snow off your boots!!!!!

*******************************************************

Now as for Thursday, how's about a tutorial for making this,

 

Want to learn how to?????????  let me know!!

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