CORAL STITCH WITH BEADS

 Continuing on with my attempts to learn beaded embroidery, the next page uses the Coral Stitch.

BEADS WITH CHEVRON STITCH

 Back to work on the bead book pages.  Today it was the Chevron Stitch.

STAR BOOK

 I watched the replay of a live video from Tuesday that I couldn't attend.  It was with e bond, she showed us how to make a Star Book.  I followed along and got it done during the video.  It is a simple and fun little project.

It involves folding the papers and gluing them all together somewhat like an accordian.  Then when you open it up the pages for a star.

MORE BIRDS

 I worked on the Fine Feathered Friends again today.  I got them all cut out and fused down, then began appliqueing them to the background.

Fusible attached to wool, ready to be cut out.

I thought some of the fabric choices that were included with the kit were not quite right.  I dug into my wool stash and found some better colors and used those instead.

I was using Sue Spargo wool thread to applique the pieces down and a spiral eye needle.  Unfortuntely the thread would occassionally get caught on the eye and start to shred and tangle.  

FINE FEATHERED FRIENDS

 I bought this wool embroidery kit called Fine Feathered Friends a month or so ago.  Today I had the urge to start it.  So I did.  I should have been working on my bead project.

I cut out and fused two birds today.  There are five birds.  They will all be fused onto this black wool background, then appliqued and embroidered.  Another black wool piece will be fused to the back to cover up the threads and then the birds will be cut out.

BEADS WITH CHAIN STITCH

Another kind of stitch, the Chain Stitch with beads.

 

OFF TO PORT TOWNSEND

 Darrell, Jelly and I left early headed to Port Townsend.  Darrell is going to Edensaw to pick some lumber for our front gate project.

We caught the ferry from Fauntleroy to Southworth.  The sun was coming up behind us while we were on the ferry.

Very few folks making this early trip on the ferry.

Arriving at Southworth

Crossing the Hood Canal floating bridge

Seen in the Womens Room at a gas station in Chimacum.

\

I dropped Darrell off at Edensaw.  Then Jelly and I headed to Fort Worden for a walk.  It was a beautiful morning.

Then we went back to retrieve Darrell and we headed to Water Street in Port Townsend.  We had a few minutes to kill before anything opened at 10am.  We walked up the street and back enjoying the old buildings and window displays.

I wanted to make a quick stop in the Art Toolkit Store.  I have a couple of their watercolor palettes and needed a few tiny pans.   I forgot to take pictures of the store though.

Then we went back to Bazaar Girls yarn and wool store that I had spotted on our walk.  I bought some felted wools and a pin kit and spotted a few things for inspiration.

BEADS WITH BLANKET STITCH

The next pages in my Exquisite Bead Book are using Blanket Stitches and adding beads to them.

 

All of the pages will need edgings added to them.

BEADS WITH BACKSTITCH

I'm finally working on the pages for my Exquisite Bead Book.  I'm starting out easy and working my way to the more elaborate embroidery stitches.

This first one is using the Backstitch and adding beads.

 

COLOR STAR COMPLETED

 The Color Star quilt got it's binding finished today.  So, it's done, it's a finished quilt.

It began with a preprinted panel to which I added some more black to the top and bottom to make it rectangular instead of squarish.  Then it was simply a matter of adding a bunch of borders - trying not to make them ruffle.  I added those first five borders a while ago using fabrics that were 'go-withs' to the panel. At that time it measured 58" x 74". Then I set the top aside not sure how to quilt it.  When I got it out recently I decided to add another border to make it big enough for a twin sized bed and added that last black border.

It now measures 62" x 78"

This is finish #16 of the year.

COLOR STAR QUILTED

 I've been busy doing other stuff the last few days and getting the business B&O Taxes filed and paid by the end of the month. 

But, today I was back to quilt Color Star on the longarm.

And now it is officially quilted and off the machine.

NEXT UFO TO DO

 November's UFO Challenge is my Color Star quilt top.  I made a backing using greys and black and white prints from my stash.  I didn't put a label on it.  The center of this quilt was a printed panel of the color star.  I had added some black fabric to the top and bottom of it to make it rectangular.  Then I added the four borders using coordinating fabrics and put it away.  It was not yet big enough for a twin sized quilt, so I added another plain black border to make it 66" by 80" when I pulled it out to finish.

I loaded the backing onto the longarm yesterday.  Today I added the batting and the top and got busy setting up a pantograph and starting the quilting on it .  I only got one pass made before it was time to go in for the day.

CUTTING PANTS

 Darrell was getting rid of a pile of pants he didn't want anymore.  I grabbed them.

I spent the morning cutting them up into just fabric.  That means getting rid of all of the heavy seams.

I felt a little bad because most of the pants were still wearable.  But, I want to make a quilt.

BINDING SPIDER LEGS

 I enlisted help from my quilty friends from Brave Patch in deciding on which fabric to use for the binding on Spider Legs.  We settled on this black and white strip.  I like to use bias binding, which means the strip will be diagonal.  

I made the binding and got it sewed on today.

Then I put it up on the wall and took the photos I need if I want to submit it to a show.

This quilt is done!  It's 63" by 81" 

WITCH HAT

As if I didn't have other things to do I decided instead to make a Witch's Hat.  I had a chunk of old Alexander Henry fabric with magical symbols, bats, cats and other stuff on it that would be perfect for this project.

It was a battle getting the cone sewn onto the brim and it isn't pretty, but it looks okay on the outside and that's all that matters.

I quilted it on the longarm first.

Then cut out the parts with a pattern from Prairie Misfit.  And sewed them together after I watched her short video on YouTube and read the directions on the pattern.  

And it turned out all right!

VINTAGE CAT BUCKET

I watched a how-to video on Creative Bug and made this Vintage looking Halloween Cat bucket.

Its papier-mâché over a plastic pumpkin bucket.

SPIDER LEGS QUILTING FINISHED

 I finished the quilting on the Spider Legs quilt, made from Spider Web parts from Sherri Lynn Wood's improv workshop.  I'm very pleased with how this quilt looks.  The teal background fabric is just so much fun.  And it's always satisfying to use up scraps like I did in the black and white 'webs'.  

I used a light teal thread in the 'background' areas.  I only had a partial small spool and was concerned about running out.  But, I won!  I won the thread-chicken game.  Just barely.

ps, that's my little pin cushion, Freydis. She's in charge of my spiral eye needle.

Here is is. Almost done.

PHOTO DAY

 Darrell just finished one of his projects and photographed it this morning.  Then I got out my quilt stand and hung Carpe Diem and he photographed it too.

His lighting is color temperature adjustable.  Its very interesting to change them and see what it does to the colors of the quilt.  But they do really show off the quilting.

DIAGONAL QUILTING

 Now that Carpe Diem is off my mind for the most part, I can get back to quilting the neglected Spider Legs quilt which is loaded diagonally on the longarm.

I've been ignoring it and doing other projects lately.  But, I got back to it today and made a little progress.  It's now past the half way mark.

CARPE DIEM FINISHED

 I got the facing made and sewn on and Carpe Diem is now a finished quilt.

This is finish number 13 for the year.

TESTING

 I wasn't sure which orange thread I used that caused the bleed on Carpe Diem.  So, I set up an experiment to find the culprit.

I took the four likely suspects and put some of their thread onto some white Kona, some light grey Kona and the Taupe/Grey Artisan Cotton that was used in the quilt.  I added water and waited.

And none of them bled.

So I added some of the variables.  I added some of the water soluble blue marker - and nothing.  I added a drop of machine oil thinking there might have been some on the needle when I basted the quilt - and nothing.  I rubbed some of the thread with my fingers thinking maybe it was the oil from my hands - and nothing.  I added hot water - and nothing.  

I am baffled as to why that thread ran.

MADE A BEAD SPIDER

 I made a spider with beads.

I'm going to dangle it somewhere.  Live long and prosper.