Evening Bags

These bags are further examples of exploring the decorative capabilities of my sewing machine. Both have found new homes.

Work in Progress Wednesday

On my sewing machine, I'm working on these machine-embroidered tote bags. The middle fabric is the lining.

I've put a few more stitches on my hand embroidery piece:

And my knitting project is progressing:

Scrap Bin Project 3

These 2 pieces featured in a Work in Progress Wednesday post and they are now finished.

I really like this pebbly one:

This one is very similar to the one featured in my Scrap Bin Project 2 post. I wouldn't normally repeat an idea but a friend "really, really liked" the previous one, which I'd already promised to someone else - and I still had plenty of aqua fabrics. Fran was delighted to receive this one:

Work in Progress Wednesday

I am currently doing my first Craftsy class - Carol Ann Waugh's Stupendous Stitching - and exploring the many built-in stitches on my Husqvarna Epic. Definitely more to do but I'm happy with what I've done so far - and I'm getting to use some of my hand-dyed fabric:

I've done a few more (more than 100) stitches on the Pebbly Beach, although it's hard to see the difference from last week - and there are still plenty more to go:

And another 2 squares of my blanket finished - only 38 to go:

Tote Bags

I made these tote bags to explore the computerised machine embroidery feature of my Husqvarna Epic sewing machine. This design is one of the built-in designs:

Work in Progress Wednesday

I've been having fun in my craft room lately using up scraps of fabric. I'm pleased with these pieces, particularly the aqua ones, which I'll make up into cushions:

I seem to have been working on this embroidery forever - well, at least for most of this year. I don't know why I thought it would be a good idea to fill in the entire background with French knots.

It is also taking me a long time to knit this blanket - I started it last year - but I only have 2 strips (40 squares to go). It might get finished this year . . . if the weather doesn't get too hot too quickly.

Scrap Bin Project 2

I cut the shapes for this cushion using a Sizzix cutter. I like the wavy effect.

Scrap Bin Project 1

For some years now, I've been saving all the scraps left over from various sewing projects, with the idea of one day using them to make something interesting. It's going to take a lot longer than a day to use them all up but I started with this aqua cushion, courtesy of granddaughters' dresses - Queen Anna dresses (Frozen movie) and Under the Water themed birthday parties:

Koalas and Kookaburras

I don't usually use Australian themes in my pieces but these quilts were for a baby born overseas, so koalas and kookaburras seemed to be appropriate.

This one features kookaburras and a flower that is vaguely Australian (I've seen the flower before but not in that colour):

And this is the back, which features a strip of the fabrics used on the front:

This one is more colourful and includes koalas as well as kookaburras:

The back also features a strip of the fabrics used on the front:

Birthday Present

I really enjoyed making the brown paper embroidery boxes recently so, when I needed a birthday present for my sister, I decided to do the same thing, but this time using a craft wood box as the base and with a leaf shape:

I also added a hand-painted scarf and some chocolates to the box. Unfortunately, this isn't a great photo but, as the scarf is now in Brisbane, I couldn't try to get a better photo:

Black & White

Earlier this year, I made two black evening bags. The first one, with the shaped flap and button detail, was for myself:

  

I didn't have a specific reason for making the second one, which is decorated with machine stitching with a variegated thread (black/grey/white), but it soon found a home:

 

More recently, we attended a White Party, where all the guests were asked to dress in white. So, back to my sewing machine and I made the Japanese knot bag for myself:

And a different bag for my daughter-in-law:

I also made a gift for the White Party host - I wonder if he'll ever work out that the decoration is actually a birthday message:

 

Brown Paper, String & Sealing Wax

These interesting looking boxes are decorated with stitching on brown paper, based on an article by Jane Wild in Stitch wit the Embroiderers' Guild (No. 33). First, I crumpled the paper and then ironed it onto fusible interfacing. After doing some simple embroidery with perle thread, I glued the embroidery to the top of the painted papier mache box. I then used patinating wax, guilding cream and highlight waxes to complete them.

Blue & White Table Runner

My DIL asked me to make a runner for her dining table - any style, any technique. Her only request was that it be blue or blue and white. I considered a number of techniques, including hand and machine embroidery, but opted for this patchwork approach:

This photo shows more detail: