Pansy purse & Birthday Giveaway

A progressive pansy display, growth in the garden of colour.

I managed to make this  up today in the midst of packing but I was ever so desirous to finish it. it really didn't take that long once all the embroidery was done.

I used Kaffe Fassett material on the back - I love those big bold blooms. And inside I actually was given a scrap of curtain material of which I quite liked the foliage of.

So here are the progressive shots from where I left off from the last blog post.

As you may know I am off the Bale for R&R with my two sisters to celebrate my 50th.

You get to celebrate with me...leave a comment and I will put you in a draw for a surprise present...It's a surprise for me as well...I will send anywhere

Draw closes when I get back on the 7th July

Good luck

Draw Closed Thankyou!

One Wet and Windy Day....Make sure you survive to the end!

This is a day that blew roofs off of a two year old house... according to my friend who works with the weather bureau - bureau of meteorology in Adelaide. It just so happens that the neighbour of his parents had their roof disappear whilst they were asleep (Nothing to do with predicting the weather but everything to do with knowing the people whom have experienced an event) Anyway, said roof has blown away in the middle of the night and the chap wakes up to rain on his face (Who would sleep through their roof being torn away???) and a view of the stars he doesn't remember seeing before. Remind me not to employ his builder.

So what is this all leading too? Well lets say it was a day to hide inside and that is just what I did after dropping the children off at school.

I dug out a tablecloth that I had picked up from the sale table at craft. There are stains that will never come out of the creases so I decided to embark on making another purse. 

 Inspired by The Custards blog  post: i-am-proud-that-i-made-grown-woman cry < I was desirous to make my own pansy purse and inject a little spring in  my ooh so dreary and droll day 

(I dont want to make anyone cry. I have enough trouble holding the tears back myself...hormones do run rife and work puts forward many situations where I am inclined to feel empathetic towards my patients -although I have had staff remark in surprise that I have a heart and express my emotions...that might have something to do with the bad jokes I tell and the hard realities I put forth about peoples health and potential outcomes, a lot of them not good!)

So stitching it up was the name of the game!

The bones of three pansies were outlined on the linen and the rest was waiting for inspiration and effort.
I've got to say that embroidery is not a quick past time. In particular if you choose to use rayon thread, as I did (I found some in an op shop, liked the sheen and decided to give it a whirl) Let me say that it is a pill to work with and that is why I found some complete schans of thread waiting for a sucker like me. I would be surprised if it is even sold anymore, I certainly wont be running out to buy any.
The said thread pulls apart and balls causing fluff on your work. I have rectified this problem as much as I could by over sewing with another colour to weigh it down It does have a nice sheen but that is all.

Somewhere in between I walked and photographed this. I was actually walking to the shopping center (very large) to purchase a new camera. (Despite having purchased said camera I am still grabbing my phone to take a shot - mmm accessibility??)
Geranium leaves...pretty aren't they?

Back to the flowers..more resting on my derriere, more sewing.

Abit more drawing on the cloth

And this is what I am up to after two days. Somewhere in between I have been gathering stuff for my trip to Bali. Tomorrow I pack and then the next I am away.
So I am turning 50 and I am escaping with my sisters. A once in a lifetime opportunity to spend time with two of my favourite people. I am leaving my family behind, a small twinge of regret and guilt hits me , but mostly I am excited.

So as a part of my birthday celebrations I am going to have a giveaway...I think it will involve buying something in Bali. Leave a comment and when I get back I will draw a winner ... that gives you around nine days. Open to all, I will send anywhere...It will be a surprise for all of us as to what you get! See you in nine!

Embroidery Purse

Firstly many thanks to all well wishers..my son is back on his feet and should be attending university again next week. He is a very fortunate young man and has suffered no ill effects from his illness other than 10kg weight loss and missing a few days whilst he was so ill. We are very grateful to have him alive and well. I makes me more appreciative of my immediate family and friends and also of the lovely extended group of friends that I have made through the world of blogging. So thank you to all.

Before Caleb was sick I picked up this lovely tin at craft. It was actually buried under materials and I wasn't sure whether it was for sale, but of course I asked. It has now been adopted to store incomplete embroideries (of the smaller variety) . The tablecloth was purchased a week later from the same table with another cloth..both are incomplete but came with the threads, so i can foresee many hours embroidering  in front of the heater on a cold winter's night.

This embroidery you have seen in previous posts..but I finally plucked the courage to do something with it. It is really hard to cut into linen and not know whether your efforts will be fruitful at the end of it. I bought purse clips off the internet and they had arrived just before Caleb became ill. So of course they got thrown aside until today.  A quick trace of the clasp and a bit of shaping with a paper template. I didn't really want to loose the embroidery that I had done (it takes me too darn long to cut pieces off and throw away) So I  basically followed the circular shape of the doily.

I think the material for the back of the purse echoes the colour and shape of the flowers and gives it a bit of a pop in colour.

The inside orange and bright. I hate looking around in a dark purse and not being able to see anything.
I decided not to chop off the bottom to give it a flattened surface to sit on - once again to preserve the embroidery

My first purse  complete. Pretty happy!
The last of the roses my sister gave the family when Caleb was sick. She is thoughtful that way .. always giving flowers to others to cheer up their day.

Divided Basket and Completed Stitchery

At this very time in my garden i do not have one flower! How abysmal! There could be two reasons for this. One, I am a very poor gardener and two the weather has gotten  cooler and everything is dormant but green. So despite the lovely sunny sky I cant find one flower to utilise with this stitchery whilst photographing it. Lucky that there is a burst of spring from these blooms.

Instagram is great for aging photos dont you think?

I am very happy to say that the staining that was in the skirt has lifted with a little spray  (oxymagic) and the fabric has remained intact. You never know when you start washing old linen

And also completed is my divided basket utilising Noodlehead's pattern. I actually bought this pattern over half a year ago with the view to making baby baskets. I still will do that, but for now decided that I should stretch my legs and actually use my own fabric which I happily print but dont use enough of. 

I had to resew the lining as I was about 3cm out in sizing... who in their right mind uses 1/2" seam lines.. I know I have an eye for 1/4" seams and would have managed that fine but half inch and not measuring don't work for me. So the seam ripper got a little exercise for the first time in an eternity. Most of the time I would just sew another but I didn't want to waste material. The lining is a Beatrix Potter print..hence the rabbits hanging around the basket.. and the fact that I haven't as yet put away my Easter plates and paraphernalia. Slacker!

Can't decide if I will use this to make a bag or crochet around the edge and use it as a doily..mmm. I'm inclined towards the bag. But not today at least.

Stitcheries

 I informed you last time you visited that I had toddled off to  Myponga,Yankalilla and Normanville for  a days outing with my friend whom was in much need of refreshment of her spirits. I told her I was going for a drive but really my ulterior motive was to drag her out and give her a day of pleasantness and wash the soul in happiness. I'm glad I took the time out to enjoy the day because the weather has now turned here and it is currently hailing followed by a torrential  down pour. The air actually feels icy and I am for the first time this year feeling the cold. I might even need two pairs of socks because despite the pair I have on my feet at present my tootsies feel frozen. Back in a jiffy!

I am now suitably dressed: two pair of sock, shoes and another jumper..I am too cheap to put the heating on just for myself. I also made a nice hot cup of tea and grabbed a couple of dry crackers to snack on...but when I opened the fridge I spied the banoffee pie I made last night and decided that being decadent and sinful was in order. The dog is consuming the crackers ... I dont want her to put on any more weight, I wish I was so kind to myself but I will enjoy my naughty indulgence despited the dog salivating next to me. If she doesn't start behaving herself I might toss her outside into the cold air.. how cruel! I really should join the Leyland brothers (Iconic Aussie travellers whom travelled the outback and filmed it well before being adventure bound was in vogue.. they dragged their spouses with them to live like pioneer women. Mike and Mal should be in the hall of fame!) because I have gone off the beaten track and am basically digressing. gord ! i'm like a chatty Cathy today! must be the sugar.

On the way out to the above mentioned towns we stopped off in Aldinga. (Most of these names have aboriginal origin except for Normanville- must have been some white settler of notoriety..anyway they are a mouthful to say I agree!). At Aldinga  we found the Heavenly op shop..yes it was named so I am not making it up because it had heavenly little vintage items that hadn't been pilfered by the marauding masses that go on a Sunday drive (I would be one of them except that I normally work every Sunday so do things like that on a week day off)  Well whilst out and about I spied with my beady little eyes these delightful stitcheries..luckily priced in my budget..if it's over $2 I'm to stingy to buy it.

The hollyhocks were purchased in Aldinga along with flowered tablecloth..mmm $3.. but I can see lots of uses for this as lining and patchwork if I can bear to cut it. The friends stitchery is one I did a long time ago, made a cushion which still is  in excellent nick but has been buried in the toy box (which never gets opened now..children are too old and I am too lazy to clean out)...so thinking of converting it into a shopping bag (one day)

The top two stitcheries below were purchased at craft from their market table. It  was part of a deceased estate from one of our elderly crafters whom gifted it to her friends and like minded souls at craft and the money raised from these purchases will go to the cancer council.

I couldnt bare to let the stitcheries remain incomplete so have decided to do them this holiday and then convert one or two of them into a purse as inspired by The Custards (please read this blog  post it is charming, entertaining shows generosity of spirit and is inspirational in deed and craft loveliness and is funny to boot!)

The crinoline lady  almost wasn't mine.. it wasn't a case of snatch and grab...the lady whom runs the market table at craft wanted a label for the back of quilt and I suggested using a completed stitchery and embroidering her details of the quilt off to the side.. whilst saying this I picked this stitchery up without really looking and handed it too her...gulp I really wanted to snatch it back. She must have taken it home and brought it back because yesterday there it was waiting for me to claim my prize. Sooo happy

The field of floweres had two perfectly embroidered flowers on it when I purchased it. Not having the colours to match I decided to spice it up and add a mix to the flowers. Four flowers seemed a bit spartan to me I added to the field of flowers ( I had trouble with one of the leaves but other than that am reasonably happy with the end result) I am now waiting for some purse handles to arrive in the post so I can make a little change purse

Does your floss box look like this? I do have some with them neatly wound round cards but I seem to have accrued a bounty of coloured threads in the last few months whilst op shopping. Buy it whilst it is cheap.

Finished the flowered field stitchery~!

I love this little lady..aah happy! Working on this now - what I started with...

Well off to do some stitching. Hoping its warm in your neck of the woods!

Embroidery

I went to visit mum today and took with me my bird tapestry. Obviously I triggered a creative urge in her as she started to tell me that she hadn't as yet used the embroidery hoop I had purchased for her from an op shop. She then proceeded to bring out her linens she had started in her twenties. They actually don't need a lot of work doing to them and unbelievably she still has the threads to complete them. I say unbelievably because I'm surprised I didn't raid them when  I was younger.
The pansy cloth is her own design. the bunches are beautiful but it is a little spartan in between. Mum was talking about adding extra bunches if I can find extra DMC threads to match.

Just thought I'd throw these two cheeky fellas in for a visit amongst the flowers

An another cloth of cross stitched roses (i've dibbied this one when its finished - if mum is so inclined to give it away) Variegated threads in greens and pinks.