Under the Sea theme needlecase: Elsie Ottinger, designer

Project: Under the Sea theme needlecase

Designer: Elsie Ottinger

Type of needlework: Crazy Quilting

Photos: 3

Comments: We often made exchanges between members when I used to belong to Crazy Quilting International. This time around we were making a  needlecase exchange. I have received this Under the Sea theme from Elsie.

She knew that I have always loved "Under the Sea" scenes and she created this one especially for me. I have always loved it and have immediately put my Brazilian embroidery  needles in this one as she especially love doing Brazilian embroidery.

UPDATE on Persian Fantasy:

I have just received Persian Fantasy from our framer. See the 3 additional photos at the end of the initial post of Persian Fantasy here.

(Photo showing the back of the needlecase)

(On this photo we can see the entire needlecase from its backside)

Little Angel: Gift from Jill

Project: Little Angel

Designer: Jill (member of CQI)

Type of needlework: Mixed media

Photo: 1

Comments: Jill who was a member of our little Crazy Quilt International group made this lovely angel for me.

I had seen a smaller version that Jill had made and thought it was just absolutely darling. I asked her how she made it, as I was very interested in making one for myself, if at all possible.

Jill did more than that, she made me a bigger version just for me. I was so very happy when one day I received a box from Jill and here it was, my own Angel.

I have preciously kept it all these years and as it is not far from my computer, I can see it  when looking a bit sideways as I am typing this blog entry.

Seeds of Love: Brenda Ryan, designer

Project: Seeds of Love

Designer: Brenda Ryan of Victoria

Type of needlework: Embroidery

Photos: 5

Inspiration magazine issue #51 project, pages 66-69

Comments: This is the kind of project that are hard for me to resist, something useful and beautiful at the same time.

Brenda has created two lovely designs in two different sizes with this theme. One is just right to serve as a little coin purse and the bigger one looks wonderful as a fabric envelope to store things inside.

I have kept the little coin purse for myself and made the fabric envelope as a gift for a friend. The project was just as much fun to make as it looks. I have been wanting to make a few more of them using different fabrics and I need to make sure that I do. They are so well worth the time spent on them, which is not that much considering how good they look.

(Photo showing the stitched design - can you see the little flower head on top looking upside down?)

(Photo showing the little coin purse all finished)

(Here I have turned the picture 180 degrees so that you can see the little flower head looking straight at us)

(This photo shows the fabric envelope that I made for a friend)

Winter Reflections or Mystery #2: Loretta Spears, designer

Project: Winter Reflections

(Mystery #2)

Designer: Loretta Spears

Type of needlework: Needlepoint

Photos: 8

Comments: This project is a joint venture between another stitcher, Sharon D. from South Carolina, and myself.

I was at the time stitching another Loretta Spears project (Superstition) when I was contacted by Sharon D. about Winter Reflections. She had started stitching it a while back and had to stop for health reasons and she wanted to know if I would like to have it and finish it. The answer was a resounding "YES" and she mailed it to me. The following photo shows how much Sharon had already stitched on it.

Another interesting point about this project is the fact that Sharon D. had purchased this pattern directly from Loretta Spears herself in her own store which was located somewhere in Colorado.

So, with this project, there are parts of three different persons, Loretta who held this pattern in her hands, sold it to Sharon D. who in turn stitched a good portion of it, then it arrived at my home.  I finished the stitching already started by Sharon D. and had it framed. Perhaps we can also add my husband who helped to select frame and mat and of course my framer who never spares any efforts to do her very best to make us happy.

All this makes this project a very special one.

My friend Pat has also stitched this project before I did and you can see hers her on her blog called Needle Art Nut

Final note: Loretta pointed out the fact that her design could be shown either vertically or horizontally. I chose the horizontal option myself as I felt it looked better somehow.

Special thank you to Sharon D. for giving me this lovely piece.

(Photo showing sections already stitched by Sharon D.)

(First 3 lessons completed)

(Close-up)

(Closer close-up)

(First 4 lessons completed)

(Photo showing the stitching completed)

(Winter Reflections framed)

(Frame close-up)

The Princess and the Pea: Marion Scoular, designer

Project: The Princess and the Pea

Designer: Marion Scoular

Type of needlework: Blackwork and Hardanger

Photos: 12

Marion's instructions for this project can be found on the NeedleArtworks website.

LEGEND: First, let's read  what Marion Scoular has written for us concerning the legend about

THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA.

Once upon a time there was a Prince who longed to marry a real Princess. He searched all over the world to find her. There seemed to be plenty of Princesses but for one reason or another, the Prince could never be sure that they were, in truth, what he sought. Disconsolate, he returned to his castle. Slowly he grew paler and thinner, pining for a real Princess.

One evening there was a terrible storm. The wind blew, lightning slashed the sky, thunder crashed and rain lashed the countryside. Suddenly a knock was heard at the castle gate. The guards hurried to the gate, holding their lanterns high above their heads.

There at the gate stood a Princess. Rain had soaked her hair and streamed in rivers from her gown to her toes. But she was a Princess ... a real Princess ... she told the guards, and had become lost in the storm.

"A real Princess?" asked the Prince, in disbelief. "We must make sure," said his mother the Queen. She prepared a bed for the Princess, made with ten mattresses filled with the softest eiderdown. Beneath the first mattress on the boards of the bed, the Queen placed one small dried pea. The Princess, unaware of this, climbed up to sleep on top of the feather mattresses. In the morning, everyone in the court gathered to hear the Queen ask her how she slept.

"I hardly slept a wink," moaned the Princess. "I am bruised all over. My bones ache as if they were broken. There must have been some frightful object in my bed".

"She is indeed a real Princess," proclaimed the Queen. "No one but a real Princess could have such tender skin!"

The delight of the Prince knew no bounds. The King and Queen were well pleased. The Prince married her the very next day because now he knew she was a real Princess.

And the pea can be seen on a pedestal in the Royal museum to this very day.

(end of story)

Comments: This is really a project that I enjoyed stitching from start to finish. The design is beautiful and I guess it brought back the child in me with this lovely legend.

The brochure is very well written and it was not difficult to follow Marion's instructions.

I was blogging pieces at the time which would explain why I have so many photos to show you today.

(Photo showing the bed with the first 2 mattresses and if you look under the first mattress you will see the little round pea, which has not yet been stitched )

(3 mattresses now)

(4 mattresses)

(Going up to 5 mattresses)

(6 mattresses)

(7 mattresses)

(8 mattresses, getting pretty high)

(9 mattresses)

(10 mattresses - this is as high as this goes - would not want to fall from that height myself)

(This photo shows the blanket, hardanger canopy, canopy drapes, tassel and the Princess herself)

(Fun frame for this project - Don't forget to look at the little pea under the first mattress - you may also have a look at the very first photo way way up this post so that you can have a good view of the little pea)

Posy Scissor Poke: Sue Hawkins, designer

Project: Posy Scissor Poke

Designer: Sue Hawkins

Type of needlework: Needlepoint

Photos:8

Sue's website: http://www.suehawkins.com/

Comments: This is a kit that I purchased some time ago and it stayed in my pile of things to do for quite a bit of time until I made the decision that I wanted to stitch this project.

This project is mostly stitched using the tent stitch.

I rarely do projects that use the tent stitch almost exclusively as it tends to bore me to death, which also explains why I love working in so many different techniques. Doing so keeps me on my toes all the time as I do need a bit of challenge in my stitching life, though I must say that every single project teaches me something and this one was no exception.

It took me a few trials and errors to figure out the best way to stitch together the last two seams but I got it in the end, which is what counts. My learning curve has gone up a little bit with this project as it should be.

As it so often happens when I make some research about the designer  of the piece I have been stitching I discover interesting informations and this time was no exception with Sue Hawkins. I found out that Sue had her own website and many very interesting projects, something that I had no idea about. I can't remember where I purchased  this project but I do know it was not directly from her website. It could have been from either one of the British Guilds or Country Bumpkin in Australia.

Anyway I am glad that I have found out about her designs and may very well stitch something else of hers in the future.

(Photo showing the scissor case and a pair of bigger scissors beside it)

(Photo showing the scissors inside the case but not completely down)

(Scissor case closed with the blue scissors inside)

(Photo showing the case with some smaller scissors)

(Photo taken after the stitching had been completed)

(Photo showing a ring and a piece of felt for the inside of the scissor case)

(Photo showing the instructions that came with the kit)

Cameo Lace: Mary Polityka Bush, designer

Project: Cameo Lace

Designer: Mary Polityka Bush

Type of needlework: Needlepoint

Photos:

This project can be found here on the Kreinik website

Comments: My goal was to stitch a new Easter egg this year for Easter, but things did not quite worked out as I wanted. Hopefully next year things will go more smoothly.

This is a kit from Kreinik. It had everything necessary to stitch the egg except the fabric and the ribbon for the finishing. I have essentially used the same ribbon as on the original but have given it a different twist and it does make a difference.

(Photo that came with the instructions)

Roses and Noel Ornament: Yvonne Reitsma, designer

Project: Roses and Noel Ornament

Designer: Yvonne Reitsma

Type of needlework: Embroidery

Victoria Sampler website: http://www.victoriasampler.com/

This is a free pattern from Victoria Sampler

Comments: This is another of those times when I was looking for something special to stitch to give to a friend for Christmas when I saw this charming Christmas ornament on the Victoria Sampler website.

This project has lots of bullion knots for the roses and buds, fly stitches for the leaves, stem stitches, lazy daisy stitches for the leaves around the buds and backstitches for the word Noel and a few colonial knots here and there.

I used the same color threads for the cording that I have used stitching the design when I finished the ornament instead of the white that you can see on the Victoria Sampler website just because I wanted a bit of color around the ornament. I also like the white cording.

I really enjoy stitching such projects and had a wonderful time with it. This is not a very time consuming project so I may decide to stitch one for myself too as I normally only stitch a project once so if I give it away then I end up with none for myself. I don't think that I would enjoy making multiples of the same design one after the other, but it has been a long time now so it will almost feel as if I was stitching it for the first time (smiling).

A Cottage Garden: Kris Richards, designer

Project: A cottage garden

Designer: Kris Richards of South Australia

Type of needlework: Embroidery

Photos: 6

Article about Kris Richards on Country Bumpkin website

Inspirations magazine, Issue 53, pages 24 - 31

Comments: This is my very favorite commercial magazine. Each issue is packed with wonderful projects. I would need  to live forever to stitch all those that I love.

I do love walking in gardens and have visited many during my travels. When I saw this lovely garden, I just had to stitch it. There was not a moment hesitation. I always feel that I never do enough embroidery projects so it was pure pleasure to work on this one.

(Photo showing the front of the finished needlecase)

(Photo showing the back of the needlecase)

(Photo showing the finished needlecase in its entirety)

(Close-up)

(Close-up)

Wintertide: Patricia Andrle, designer

Project: Wintertide

Designer: Patricia Andrle

Type of needlework: Hardanger

Photos: 5

This is a Kreinik free design that you can find here.

Comments: I was looking for a lovely little Christmas ornament to stitch for a friend for some Christmas past and found Wintertide on the Kreinik website and I then knew I had found what I was looking for. It is elegant and uses Hardanger technique, something that I enjoyed doing and there is no added finishing to do, so what more can a stitcher like me ask for?

(Photo showing the Kloster blocks)

(Photo showing the center Poinsettia)

(Photo showing the four small corner flowers)

(Photo showing the stitched project before cutting all the extra fabric around the ornament)