Little Horse Scene needlecase

Project: Little Horse Scene needlecase

Designer: Drawing taken from "The Crafter's Design Library: Animals" by Sharon Bennett

(photo of the book below)

Type of needlework: Embroidery and Painting

Photos: 4

Comments: I need to start by saying that this little project was so much fun to do.

My goal with this project was to make a little something for my very good friend Terry, something that would have meaning for her. She absolutely loves horses and had many during her lifetime, so I decided to embroider her this little horse scene.

I used some white silk dupioni, traced the design from Sharon Bennett's book and started stitching, chosing colors as I went along. I also wanted to put some color inside the embroidered outlines, so I tried some watercolor paint using Neocolor II, which are basically some water-soluble wax pastels.  I had to order some little brushes and I found some miniature ones from Silver Brush.

Having never done much painting of any kind and certainly not on fabric when I did that project, I had no idea how things would turn out. After using the wax pastels, I added a little water with the tiny brushes and the whole scene turned into a watercolor one in front of my amazed eyes. That was a great learning experience and I promised myself then that I would be using more painting on future projects. One of the thing I love the most is to marry many different techniques on the same project.

When the painted and embroidered little horse scene was completed, I turned it into a needlecase for her.

For the inside of the needlecase I remember trying to find some appropriate fabric in my stash that would match the color of the fence, but of course I could not find any, so I decided to dye some. The fabric was originally all white with little miniature flowers. I did not want the dye to be uniformed all over but with spots darker and others lighter and one of the photo below shows the top of the needlecase with a peek of the inside fabric.

(Photo showing the little horse scene after it has been watercoloured and embroidered)

(Photo showing the dyed fabric inside the needlecase)

(Drawing from this book used for this project)

Ivy Cottage: Di van Niekerk, designer

Project: Ivy cottage

Designer: Di van Niekerk

Type of needlework: Embroidery

Photos: 6

Website: http://www.dicraft.co.za/

Comments: My friend Terry stitched this lovely Ivy Cottage for me for one of my birthday. She knew that I had always admired them so much that she could not go wrong with this gift. As you can see here, there were many cottages to choose from and I love them all. She could have picked anyone of them and I would have been just as happy.

 I often wish that I could actually live in a real one. These cottages just seem so cozy and so beautiful, surrounded by lots of flowers, shrubs and trees. If only I could that would really be a dream come through for me, but for now I can always look at Ivy Cottage and dream, dream, dream (grinning). It is hanging in my stitching room on the wall behind my computer so I can see it while typing this. Isn't life good?

(Photo showing the little Ivy Cottage all stitched before framing)

(Cottage before stitching)

(Beginning of stitching)

(Another photo)

(Coming along)

Elizabethan Pencil box: Barbara Jackson, designer

Project: Elizabethan Pencil box

Designer: Barbara Jackson

Type of needlework: Crewel embroidery

Photos: 6

Tristan Brooks Designs web site: http://www.tristanbrooks.com/

Comments: I had always been a bit nostalgic about old times when I had my own wooden pencil box when going to school and I had been looking for one for a long time when I saw this one on the Tristan Brooks website. The design was a crewel one,  not a cruel one, and since I love crewel, it was an easy sell for them to make. I also thought that the Olde Colonial pencil box was just so pretty. How can anyone possibly resist that? If you go to their website, you will see lots of lovely boxes that you can purchase, if you are so inclined.

(Photo showing the stitched design)

(Empty box)

(Left side section of the design)

(Middle section of design)

(Right side section of design)

Biscornu: Dinky Dyes design

Project: Biscornu

Designer: Dinky Dyes design

Type of needlework: Cross Stitch

Photo: 1

Website: Handcrafts Online http://ehandcrafts.com/BK.php

Mary Kathryn's blog: http://marykathryn.wordpress.com/

Dinky Dyes website: http://www.dinkydyes.iinet.net.au/

Comments: My friend Terry made this lovely biscornu for me, so I have never actually stitched one myself.

For anyone just like myself who still have to make one themselves, there is a complete tutorial/class for this biscornu here, making things much easier for anyone who has never done one before and I think that the pattern might be purchased on the website link above.

Shades of Autumn: Delma Moore, designer

Project: Shades of Autumn

Designer: Delma Moore

Type of needlework: Brazilian embroidery

Photos: 4

Blackberry Lane website: http://www.blackberrylane.com.au/

Comments: I love Autumn and the colors associated with that season, so when I saw this design, I wanted to stitch it. The design came already printed on the fabric with complete instructions. You can also find this design and all the necessary threads at JDR in the USA.

(Close up photo)

(Close up showing the little spider. See if you can spot it now)

(Final photo showing Shades of Autumn all framed up)

"Pinn" cushion doggy: Susa Glenn, designer

Project: "Pinn" Cushion Doggy

Designer: Susa Glenn

Type of needlework:

Photos: 2

Susa Glenn's website: http://www.susaglenndesigns.com/

Comments:  My friend Terry surprised me one day with this lovely pincushion. I love the fact that this little dog carries often used stitching accessories.

Susan has other pincushion designs too for those of you who might prefer something else. You can see them here.

(Photo showing the back with the little stitching accessories)

Quiltwork: Ruth Dilts, designer

Project: Quiltwork

(Rainbow Gallery, 1994)

Designer: Ruth Dilts

Type of needlework: Needlepoint

Photos: 2

Ruth Dilts' website:  http://www.ruthdiltsdesign.com/

Comments: This may have been my second project when I started stitching. Gosh, this seems like a lifetime ago, but it is not really. I guess, it just feels like it is.

This project had 4 different colorways to choose from and I choose the one that used the French Blue canvas.

The photo below shows the one with the Lavendula canvas. Other choices were Rose Blush and Sandstone canvases.

Finished size of the design is approximately 6 1/4 inch by 6 1/4 inch.

Needlepoint Sampler Pillow: Ruth L. Hatten, designer

Project: Needlepoint Sampler Pillow

Designer: Ruth L. Hatten

Type of needlework: Needlepoint

Photo: 1

Comments:  When I decided to start stitching near the end of August of 1995, this is the very first project that I have ever done. This is what started me on this new path. I stopped stitching for a while as my day job was just too demanding and I was also taking piano lessons at the time. Years went by without stitching but I finally came back to it because I had really enjoyed stitching back then and I guess the rest is history (big grin).

For this project all that was needed was a piece of canvas, some Paternayan Persian wool and a needle. The stitches I learned with this little pillow are: Spider Web, Continental, Cherckerboard, Reverse Smyrna, Straight Gobelin, Leviathan, Slanting Gobelin, Rice, Smyrna, Greek, Reverse Tent and Basketweave. I even did the finishing on this little pillow.

Little Crazy Quilting Sachet Pillow: A gift received

Project: Little Crazy Quilting Sachet Pillow

Designer: A gift from my friend Terry

Type of needlework: Crazy Quilting

Photos: 3

Comments: This is a little crazy quilting sachet pillow that my friend Terry made for me some years ago. We were both doing crazy quilting at the time and she surprised me with this little sachet pillow as she knew that I had already started a collection of little pillows.

Terry has added on the back of the little pillow a special little scented pad hidden under the lady's head, which she first dyed using different color dyes and then appliqued on the back of the pillow (photo below)

(View of lady's head on the back of the sachet pillow)

(Closeup showing how the little scented pad has been hidden under)

Plaid and Blackwork Checkbook Cover: Marjorie B. Berleur, designer

Project: Plaid and Blackwork Checkbook cover

Designer: Marjorie b. Berleur

Type of needlework: Needlepoint and Blackwork

Photos: 14

Comments: I was looking for something that I would be proud to be my checkbook in instead of those awful plastic ones that the banks give you whenever you open a checking account. One of my friend came to my rescue with this lovely design. It had two elements that I found interesting together, plaid and blackwork, so there was not a moment hesitation for me to decide that I wanted to stitch this one. I may make another one. The only part of this project I found a bit difficult was when I was doing the first half of the plaid. Somehow it had a dizzying effect on me. It may do the same thing on you when you look at one photo in particular and then again, perhaps it won't.

The photo above shows you the front part of the finished checkbook. The photo just below this text shows you the back.

UPDATE: Tennessee (Nashville) flooding update: http://www.tennessean.com/

(Photo showing the back of the checkbook cover)

(Blackwork stitches)

(Photo showing my checkbook cover in its plastic cover)

(Photo showing the front outline)

(Photo showing the Smyrna Star outline)

(Photo showing two Blackwork section completed)

(A view of what has been stitched so far)

(Photo showing all the Blackwork sections done)

(Another view showing all the Blackwork completed

with the front still to be stitched)

(This is my dizzying photo with only the first part of the plaid done)

(Overall view of the first half of plaid done with Blackwork completed)

(This photo shows the left side plaid completed and the right side waiting to be done)

(Plaid completed)

(Photo showing my initials and the finishing border all around it)

This checkbook cover was made with #16 count Aida and using #12 Perle Cotton for the  main color and DMC floss to match the main color and 3 colors of floss to complete the plaid.

This project could also work for a two year planner instead of a checkbook.