The next time you decide to search for new clothes instead of going to visit your wardrobe. I think I had a spiritual experience Saturday. Instead of a lot of money online or in a mall, I decided to visit my closet.

Shopping online for your favorite sites looked like a fun way to spend Saturday morning. It 'been a ton of new clothes already in my cart when I make a trip to my room to get a size pants. The basket was James Perse T-shirt and cargo pants,Vince sweaters and Bermuda shorts, Juicy Couture. I was with a ball, as I always do when I can not find a good sale or trade.

I wanted a new pair of cargo pants parachute James Perse when I needed to buy check my size. Well, low and behold, I went to my room to see what size I bought last month. That's when I decided to look more closely Nice clothes hanging neatly in sections pants, shorts, capris, blouses, dresses, wearing T-shirts, jackets and coats. In fact, my wardrobe seemsa well-organized department of a high-end store. Designers and companies are held bag, so I developed the habit of collecting high-end fashion from any website fresh and boutiques possible.

My shoes are all well characterized by the likes of designers and color arranged on the outside of the package. My favorite is the sneaker collection Nike Rift colors and wild patterns. Camper shoes are very comfortable and I have a lot of red boxes neatly arranged on the shelf. Prada SportThe shoes range from flat to the platform, and are all marked and labeled. Evening shoes Hermes getting less used, but are neatly arranged on the shelf.

I have a weakness for boots, my collection of Henry Cuir, Prada, Ann Demeulemeester, Mosquito, Robert Clergerie, Camper, Miu Miu, Diesel, Michael Kors, UGG, and Ralph Lauren are all well labeled and waiting to be worn. They range from ankle height above the knee style, and I wear them with almost anything ifIn the mood for boots. My favorites are a new style gaucho from Brazil. And of course you can not beat the light weight of Henry Cuir the heat.

My wardrobe is a really nice place to visit and keep organized. Hermes handbags are all stored neatly in their boxes, orange and labeled on the outside. Of course, my favorite of all the designer handbags Hermes Birkins are the source impossible. Access to the market, the Hermes bag is half fun for adults andDay or evening wear.

While I was looking for James Perse cargo pants size, I realized that I had some things that I had brought with tags still attached. So I started putting together the products and they stopped. Then, hesitating, without, I began coordinating clothes from the contents of the cabinet is. I found peaks I forgot I had. I James Perse Double T-shirt of the same color and style! I had the time of my life. Suddenly I realized, shopping at home had a new meaning.Balenciaga and Dries Van Noten blouses were funky as ever! Marc Jacobs, Yves Saint Laurent and Eskandar jackets were fashionable, timeless pieces. Robert Rodriguez skirt, top and pants gaucho crochet has never looked so beautiful.

It was impossible for the products without groped their coordination, and not buy the clothes if you do not do a good impression on my figure, so I knew it all fit. I had not thought of or taken the time to certain things together. I voted, I tried on every dress.It 'was like buying new clothes. Robert Rodriguez Marni met for the first time, and they looked great together. Calvin Klein and Ya-Ya was a lot of cotton at 100%! Dosa Pinko and are willing to pay for a party. Is-Gucci, and Ann Demeulemeester. One of my favorites is a combination of Bernard Willhelm green silk dress worn over a pair of cotton leggings Danang.

Most of the time when I am always willing to go out, I walk into the room and there is nothing to wear. Who would haveBernard Willhelm and Danang thought would be a good match? Normally, I'm thinking creatively in a hurry when I pull in the same article and, eventually, have to wear the same thing too often. Now the task is finished. Wardrobe proactive planning is a part of the framework.

Many of the items of correspondence, as if they were intended to be worn together. I have a cream-colored silk robe that I bought asymmetrical Armani on sale at Neiman about three years ago had been dry-cleaned Marcusand never worn. The tunic Armani is now hovering over a black Gary Graham, silk, long, straight, – Dress never worn. The two products look as if they were made for each other. The look is updated, the style is upgraded, and I've never worn empty! I can not wait for a special occasion to wear the dress again.

Shopping instinct is a habit, because I am a bargain hunter known. Shopping on-demand or any other motivation rarely successful. Thus, the colors, styles andDrawings in my room all fit to create a personal style of another. You know, like probably many types of creative shopper.

The items that I bought more today, signature, classic, funky, pieces that I know I wear, or you need a day! They range from Danang charges silk knitwear Rick Owens. Prices are usually all the mark-downs, because I do not believe in paying full price, unless of course the price is right! All my small business on the basis of off-price retail, so I have to go myspeak in person. I strongly believe in retail is the only way to make purchases.

Run a small internet e-commerce site is suitable for simple, comfortable work clothes. An ideal of a computer all day comfortable, funky, cotton, and sweating. So when I leave, I would add a little 'more style and accessories. Marni jewelry and silk scarves Hermes really elevated a simple cotton T-shirt or skirt. For shoes, are some simple, Prada sandals or a pair of Kork Ease my platformsFavorite shoes to wear with almost anything. It 'hard to believe that I am in love with her and wearing Kork Ease for over thirty years! Pulling it all together and make the fashion is simple, if there is a closet full of designer clothing almost forgotten bags, shoes and designer.

Home Shopping has a new meaning. The time I spent matching tops, shop floors, shoes and handbags that I have a lot of time preparing for my next appointment, meeting, date, etc. Most of the quality timeShopping at home spent the coordination of the elements that rarely everyday and leave the items in a very informal atmosphere free-style competitions. No longer worried about what to wear to get dinner Monday night, or what I do when / if he asks me out! It's all there, and is just waiting for me there was the time to drag everything to do together. Should I be relieved? Yes I have the feeling that my time was well spent? Yes, I need to buy clothes for? Of course, but not this weekend! I willSave this activity for next week, or maybe when I get the chance to take all that still in my closet at least once have had!

This beautiful spirit doll is 8 inches tall, sports a wild mane of hair and is beaded all over, front and back. She required 60 hours of stitching to get her to this exquisite state, and quite a few tubes of beads. Her face is made of polymer clay by Sarajane Helm. The results are certainly worth it!

Click to see the larger versions of the pictures.

Good Morning and Merry Christmas to YOU and yours!!!  : )  Did Santa make a stop at your house?  I hope you’ve been good!  ; )

I’ve been saving this one for today!  The Christmas Card Quilt by Cathy Bradley.  Perfect, don’t you agree!?  Enjoy!  And, have a spectacular day!!!

Piecefully, Pam

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The word “bitter” is embroidered on a piece of linen…

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a heart that is sad…

(note: the flecks of white are from netting I cut up. I will show the reason I used that later.

The flecks of netting just did not get brushed away.)

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The road we travel in life can bring bitterness and we must take

the bitter with the sweet.

I suppose if we don’t experience the coldness or bitterness we would

not know the warmth or sweetness of life.

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a butterfly…

I finished my last piece of Christmas sewing with 2 1/2 hours to spare! Phew!

This one is for Boy Lacer, I’ll add a link to where I got the pattern after Christmas. I brought the pattern from Etsy seller Gulf Coast Cottage, a shop definitely worth the look for some interesting softie patterns.

Six months ago, when I started posting Christmas projects, I thought I had plenty of time to get everything on my list done, and maybe even squeeze in a few extra little things along the way.  And, as usual, I drastically overestimated myself and how quickly I can work through projects.  My 12 Days of Christmas bags are still in pieces, and my “Merry Christmas” BOM Quilt is, at this point, only “Merry Chr”…I only made it to the “I” in Christmas.  Last night, I did scramble to get our stockings finished.  (I didn’t really have a choice…how could we not have stockings on Christmas?)  I had every intention of putting up an entire how-to on these, but I’ve had to condense it down to a simple embroidery tip.  If the technique for the body of the stockings looks familiar, I did “borrow” it from fabric scrap notecards that I made over the summer.  You may remember I spotted them on Moda Bake Shop. 

 
 
My embroidery tip is either a testament to how crafty I am, or an example of how completely lazy I am.  Or maybe it shows how we moms can be the best multi-taskers and find ways to accomplish so much in one day while at the same time taking great care of our kids??  Whichever way you look at it, this little tip has saved me tons of time.
 
 
 
Many people ask how I embroider names on my pieces.  I don’t have an embroidery sewing machine, so any monogramming is done by hand.  I do not have great handwriting, and free styling it is just way too risky for me.  I’d hate to ruin something that I’ve spent hours working on. 
 
 
 
To get perfect embroidery, I first type what I’d like to write on my computer.  I pick a font I like and enlarge it to my desired size.  Then, I simply tape a piece of tissue paper directly to my computer screen.  Yes, I don’t print it out…I tape right to the monitor. 
  

I trace my wording, then pin the piece of tissue paper to my fabric. 

 
I then sew right through both layers, my fabric and the tissue paper, using my traced lines as guides. 

When all the embroidery is finished, I simply tear off the tissue paper.  (I sometimes need to use a pair of tweezers to get some of the small pieces that are left behind.)  I’ve used backstitch and chainstitch with this method and never have had a problem. 
 
 
 
So, think of me what you will… a lazy crafter, an ingenious needlepoint expert, or a mom desperate for her kids to have stockings for Christmas.  Regardless, it’s a good tip to have in your arsenal of tricks!
 
 
Happy Holidays!
 
 
Nikki, In Stitches

All three of these are Urban Threads designs.

I’m not super happy with the pictures, but it was one of those times when I took a whole lot of pictures and I still couldn’t find ones that do justice to the colors of the objects being photographed. :::shrug:::

So, I only made 5 out of the hoped-for 20 ornaments, but I’m absolutely okay with that. I made other things and did other things instead that made me as happy as making ornaments for every single family member would have. There are always plenty of stitchy opportunities throughout the year!

I woke up this morning (several times, actually!) to the smell of dressing being made. My sweet hubby offered last night to make it this morning if I’d leave him the list of ingredients — he’s made it before, so I didn’t hesitate to take him up on his offer. It’ll sit in the fridge until tomorrow, tempting up to eat it before Christmas Eve dinner at my mom’s rolls around [g]. Everything else we’re cooking will be quick and easy, so I find myself with a lowkey day today — no complaints! I can actually do a couple quick last-minute “because I want to” Christmas-related errands, before I start working on desserts later tonight. Very nice.

For those of you who celebrate Christmas, I wish you an enjoyable Christmas, and safe travels if you will be traveling away from home. Happy Holidays!!

So my Mum’s table runner Christmas present has bit the dust without ever getting started. By the time I felt that my neck and shoulder were ok enough to start work on it, I just didn’t have enough time to make it without spending about 2 days glued to my sewing machine. And that would more than likely put me right back to where I was before I took a break, so that was the end of that.

I was kinda disappointed because I really wanted to give Mum something home made, but then I spotted this cute Christmas embroidery by Gail Pan Designs. Not nearly as much work but still home made – perfect! Shouldn’t take long to finish it off and get the binding on…

There are some other gorgeous Christmas patterns on Gail’s website – definitely worth bookmarking for next year!

Chapter 1: In which all my amoebas look like Taiwan.

First, a little background. “The Rocket Scientist” is a lovely guy. Smart, funny, thoughtful, and quirky as they come. His penchant for all things wacky is best illustrated in the gifts he asks for/is given. Since we started dating he’s gotten: a glow-in-the-dark blown glass jellyfish, a make-your-own-mozzarella-cheese kit, an ice cream maker, a Toxic Mold Giant Microbe, a hippopotamus ornament, and a map of the Solar System circa 1860. What did he ask for this Christmas, you ask? Well…

Katie (this past summer): Gee, I’m glad I started embroidering again. It’s really fun. I’ve already made presents for all my friends.

The Rocket Scientist: Well, what are you going to make for me?

K: You want embroidery?

T.R.S.: Yeah, as long as it’s cool embroidery. No kittens or flowers. Something science-y and macho, like…an amoeba.

K: You want me to embroider you an amoeba? A macho amoeba?

T.R.S.: Yep, an amoeba. Can you give him a mustache and a top hat and a cane?

K: Do you want him to be macho, or Fred Astaire?

T.R.S.: I want a singing and dancing amoeba.

K: Okay…

So an amoeba was requested. Since my preferred embroidery style at the time was cross-stitch, I tried to create an amoeba that way. Didn’t work. So my mom taught me another stitch (which I’m not nearly as good at as I am cross-stitch) and away I went. I started the practice amoebas last night, and as of right now they all look like Taiwan. This is definitely a work in progress.

Actually, the one sort of looks like New Jersey (insert inappropriate amoeba/New Jersey joke here).

p.s. The practice amoebas are part of a pattern I drew that shows an amoeba dividing. For random reasons I started at the bottom, so just use your mind to go backwards and smoosh those two amoebas back into one.

As I mentioned in my last post, we had our family Christmas celebration early as I was visiting Canberra last week. My family doesn’t go overboard at Christmas, and handmade gifts aren’t uncommon. This year I made a few – shawls for my mother and my sisters, socks for my Dad, and my brother-in-law got 1.5 socks! (He laughed when he opened the parcel And I will have them finished by the time he and my sister call in here in a few days, on their way to Queensland.) My niece made beaded jewellry for several gifts, including a lovely red necklace for me.

My parents gave me a beautiful gift, which means a lot to me:

My maternal grandmother, Martha Rudge (1900-1963), like many women of her generation, sewed and knitted out of necessity, but also embroidered many items to decorate her home. She passed away not long after I was born, but my mother still used various tray cloths and aprons that Grandma had made. After fifty-plus years of use, they were getting well-worn, so, rather than just tossing them out, my mother ‘rescued’ the embroidery from several pieces and had them framed as gifts for various family members. Mine is from one end of a tray-cloth; I love it for many reasons – its simple beauty, the connection with my grandmother, and the reminder of seeing it and other pieces of handwork made by her and my mother while I was growing up.  I couldn’t carry a glass-framed item on the (small) planes I travelled home on, but my sister will be driving past here in a few days, and she will bring it with her. I’m not sure where I’ll hang it yet, but I’ll decide before she arrives!

For those interested in the stitches, here’s a close-up:

Today it’s all about this adorable bib from Jenny Hart’s  Baby Bib EmbroideryKit:Tools and Techniques for Uttterly Adorable Projects. 

 

 

A friend of mine is having her first baby and this seemed to be the perfect time for an embroidery project.  The kit includes all the fixin’s (except for the embroidery hoop which is optional)  There are several adorable transfers, thread, needle, and two bibs.  Soooo cute!  Instructions are included – do read them before starting the project.  Jenny includes expert advice to help you get excellent results.

 

 

This is a wonderful project to try, and a way to break away from your usual type of needlework.  We all love our knitting, but after making so many handmade knit and crochet presents this year, I needed a change.

 

 

Check out more Jenny Hart books below and consider the possiblities.

 

Sublime Stitching Craft Pad

Sublime Stitching Journal

Sublime Stitching: Hundreds of Hip Embroidery Patterns and How-To

  

 

Marg (enjoying every stitch)

“Hella Tight pay tribute to the brand’s Bay Area roots with its new Trolley fitted cap. The hat takes on a San Francisco colorway in black/orange with the added Trolley embroidery, a common reference to the City by the Bay. Other features include a 100% wool crown and black satin taping. It is now available through select retailers, including Hall of Fame in Los Angeles as well as the brand’s webstore.”

Very proud of these all applique and embroidered shirts I designed for abercrombie boys, as I struggle with crests and shapes in general.  The tee designers did a great job fucking these bodies up and the final product looks rather expensive.  I might have a couple more outstanding mens packages still to come, which I’ll post as released.

More views can be seen here and here.

We’re going to be busy with holiday merriment, so I won’t be blogging for the rest of this week. I wish you a merry Christmas or, if you’re not into Christmas, hope you’re enjoying the winter holiday. And I leave you with this little poinsettia I finished up yesterday:

A Merry Christmas, in one-twelfth scale!

Happy Christmas to everyone who loves all things mini, everyone who loves embroidery, and everyone who loves

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December 21 is the Winter Solstice

or first day of winter.

The moon is called “Long Night Moon”.

It is the shortest day of the year and the nights are long and

very dark.

This quilt piece is about

a time when you bundle in and stay near the hearth.

Even though there may be precious things and ones you would

like to have or see; it is not a time to venture far.

Long night moon….

quiet and stillness.

I gave the handmade coffee cozies to the baristas at my local coffee haunt and they were a big hit! I wasn’t asking for anything in return, but I did get a hug, free coffee and interest in my knitting group. Free coffee is always great, but awww shucks, the hug made my day!

On Sunday I made 2 additional cozies. I knit a cozy with the same mock cable design in a different colorway of Gedifra Volata Tweed. I will definitely write up the instructions sometime and offer it for free on my blog and on Ravelry.

I kind of went overboard with embroidery on the second cozy. I embroidered 3 flowers total with some vines and a leaf. Thank you, YouTube, for the refresher course on embroidered flowers!

Oh BTW, we got our digital powershot camera back from Canon and it works! So if you have a Canon and it’s taking distorted pictures, you may be able to get it fixed for free. See details here on Canon’s website. Now that we have a functional camera again, I have to uphold my end of the bargain and learn how to use it properly.

Embroidered logos add class to your shirts

Embroidery is a classic way for small businesses and groups to establish a consistent look and feel to the garments employees or group members wear. Embroidery looks rich and classy and conveys a positive image. This is especially valuable if you have a small business where you interact with people in their homes or businesses and need to project a professional aura where your work takes you. Embroidered logos give off the aura of stability, like you’ll be around next month or next year if someone needs you.

Embroidery is very versatile and can be applied to many fabrics. That’s very good news because it means we can embroider on a wide range of products that you might want for your business–everything from t-shirts and polo shirts to vests, sweats, hats, and jackets. We also embroider fleece blankets, tote bags, and sometimes patches and banners. Our customers can shop our online and print catalogs to find garments that we supply at great prices along with the embroidery. By arrangement we will embroider on clothing your provide.

Embroidery offers a nice consistency in how you present your company brand to the public. For instance, maybe you want shirts and caps with matching logos. If you want to create a different look from the digitized file, we can often achieve dramatic results through changes in thread colors and the fabric it is embroidered on.

For embroidery to happen, we need to get a copy of your logo or graphic to have it converted into a file the embroidery machines can read. This process is call digitizing. We prefer to get jpg files for this but can use other file formats if that’s all you’ve got. If you’re a new small business and don’t have a logo, creating one is a smart business decision. It makes you and your business look more official. We have access to vast quantities of pre-digitized embroidery clip art if you need help creating a logo.

We are always here to answer your embroidery questions. Please call Jolene at (503) 365-1955.

This is what it looked like on my way home Friday…A winter wonderland.

Yes, I know it’s not very smart to take pictures while driving in the ice and snow. I promise I just held up the camera and clicked a couple of times. I thank the good Lord for getting me and all of my family and friends home safely. The snow came.. and it came quick. I’m not sure how much we got but, Walmart was closed the Saturday before Christmas if that tells you anything. Luckily, my house was among the few that didn’t lose power. So, while the kids were playing in the snow…

I washed a few loads, did a tad of cooking, and finished those Christmas ornaments that I was sure would have to wait until next year.

The ornaments complete my crafting for this year. I feel it’s been a pretty productive one. And though I sometimes struggle with the feelings of not doing enough for my family, I’m glad I’ve taken some time for myself to do something I love. We’ll see what next year brings .

John 2:14.. “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Merry Christmas! May you dwell in the safety of His sheltering wings this Christmas and throughout the New Year.

The weather is blue and crisp and so lovely today, perfect for a winter solstice.

So that this doesn’t get lost in all of the glorious pictures, I just want to say: Bebe is walking. Walking! And what do you do when your sweet baby takes his first wobbly, staggering, toothy-smiling steps? Jump up and down, clap your hands, shriek with glee, and enjoy the moment.

The weekend snowstorm caused us to miss a gingerbread house party and other holiday fun, but it also gifted us with lots of time together in the warm indoors and then exploring the snow. Here are a few things we did:

sewing

baking

stringing

making

twirling

playing

purling

YAY-ing! (OK, so the last one isn’t a real word, but you get the idea. I mean, Bebe walking…)

And a note on the spiced hot chocolate recipe? I ran out of chocolate powder and tried using melted baker’s chocolate. It turned into this weird gelatinous goo that, while very tasty when eaten with a spoon, did not resemble a hot chocolate beverage. At all. Just so you know!

Wishing you much joy on this beautiful day.

Remember me? I don’t.

Life got a bit funny, things got a bit hard-The Royal School of Needlework suprised me a little. But I’m ok now. I’m living in a house with internet (this is like a dream!) and I’m happier. Since I’ve got the internet, I’m going to be around more, I promise.

The astute amongst you might notice I’ve changed my header. I’m re-doing this blog now. I’ve finally admitted to myself I’m not as twee as I like to think I am and I’m celebrating that. I wear boots and I swear. It’s fun, especially in the Royal School of Needlework.

This piece has a story or two- it was originally stitched for the NSFW Phat Quarter swap on Flickr. It’s based on a painting of Sappho (doing what she does best, other than writing poems) by Édouard-Henri Avril. I wanted to create something that whilst being NSFW for the easily offended, it’s less something dirty and more something to be celebrated. Sex isn’t bad or disgusting. It’s not something to be shyed away from- it’s beautiful. And so, I give you embroidered cunnilingus:

I embroidered this in many public places, on many trains- although perhaps I enjoyed this most on the tube train to the Knit and Stitch Show. Sat amongst school friends and a tutor it was a good way to introduce myself. A stranger, also on her way to the show, joined in with the fun and complimented me on my stitching too.
A little while after finishing, and whilst I was saving up the money for postage, my Mother laid her greedy eyes upon it and fell in love. After pleading me and guilt tripping me with such lines as “You wouldn’t be eating if it wasn’t for me. YOU WOULDN’T EVEN BE ALIVE IF IT WASN’T FOR ME!” I relented and agreed to give it to her and Dad for Christmas. And I wonder why I turned out weird. I’ve now got to make something else to send to Jojobooster, and I hope she forgives me.

Technical aspects:
Stitched on a pre stitched pillow case I bought from a charity shop, I only did the women and the ‘Sappho’. When have I ever bothered to stitch a flower? I matched the colours, in more ways than one. It’s a quilted piece and done in chain and backstitch.

I’ll leave you with that for a little while.

Geometry in blue and gold

Traditional embroidery design, 14-count in whole cross stitch, hand made, from Macedonia, Greece. It took a while a complete. This is an ideal project for experienced and patient stitchers who enjoy the challenge of the gold thread.

Embroidery is perhaps that most important part of craft occupied by textile art. In the past there was no village or a house in Greece that women did not know how to embroider.

It is said that Greek costumes and embroidery designs are among the most beautiful in the world. Definitely, they are among the richest; usually the whole fabric is covered by fine and bright colours. Geometric designs – like the one we present here – were very common, especially in northern Greece.

A closer view