Works in Progress

I have been busy trying to finish Gay Ann Roger's Mystery in a Corner. I am working on the border and when it is finished, I will post a picture.

This is a photo of Frog Pond, a Mill Hill bead kit. Yes, I almost always have at least one of their kits started. (Right now I have two.) I finished the stitching and need to add all the beads. My goal is to have it done before the first day of spring... Will I make it?

Answer a few questions

Well Cynthia, I am not sure what color of Impressions I will be using. Although you can't tell by looking at the picture, there are some blue tones mixed in with the greens. My sil and I are going on a retreat in March and I will let her decide what she wants me to use. I was told I could use the Impressions for both the kloster blocks and the filler stitches. That would be nice as I hate it when they don't match!

As far as my crazy quilt goes- the shirt was my husband's work shirt. He was not happy to find it in my quilt, to say the least! But it was in my quilt because it was too tattered to wear anymore. (Actually, I took two shirts, but lets not tell him...) In my October square I used a pocket from a pair of pants my daughter wore everyday they were clean. Too tattered to pass on so I saved them for this project. She was happy to see them again, even if they are not wearable! The rest of the fabrics are just things I picked up. I have my January square ready to stitch; I just need to find the time!

Dyeing Fabric

The Mississippi River Valley Chapter of EGA had an interesting challenge for the group this year. We were given a large piece of Hardanger fabric and challenged to make something with it. I knew exactly what I was going to do with it! My beloved sister-in-law is a minister and has been desiring a Hardanger stole. The fabric was perfect except for one thing-it was white and she wanted a green stole. (And I now know it is too short, but I will deal with that later.)

I did not want to use green thread on the white fabric so I needed to dye the stuff. The only problem was it is wool. (Very soft!) A friend had some dye but it was a cold water dye for cotton and linens. Here is a picture of it: I was given an extra piece of fabric to experiment with so I decided to try it. It took less than a teaspoon of dye to color the vat green:

I added 3 tablespoons of salt to activate the dye and allowed the fabric to soak overnight. Then I added baking soda to neutralize and set the dye. Then I rinsed the piece in cold water. To set the dye I heated my iron to high and while the piece was still wet, I ironed it. The kids said it stunk! (Think wet sheep!) Anyway, it seemed to work. I know my sister-in-law won't be getting the finished piece wet or dirty, but I did wash a small piece to make sure the color stayed. It did so I think I am ready to look for threads. Here is a photo:

I will probably use Impressions, but want to go to my LNS to check colors.

November Beaded Journal project

I know I am a few months behind, but I am going to try to catch up. I enjoy doing the squares, but I often get side-tracked. I have been stitching on this piece in public and I get a lot of questions about it. Hopefully I will get two squares done this month and then I won't be so far behind.

I have a little time tonight and need to experiment with dyeing fabric for my EGA's year-long project. If I get anything done, I will try to take pictures and post.

Beads

I haven't been able to do much stitching, but I did make these beads out of paper. I got this technique from Cloth, Paper Scissors magazine, issue13 (July/August 2007). The bottom photo shows the beads before I made them chunky. They were fun to make and look great. I gave most of these away for a RAK, but hope to make some for myself, one of these days.

Apple Andy

I finished this little Mill Hill bead kit last night. On Saturday my dh took the kids skiing. I tag along so the kids have a base to come to for snacks or to warm up. Andy was in my stash and he seemed perfect to work to bring along. Next time I go, I must remember to dress warmer! I nearly froze although I was right next to the fireplace.

Mystery in a Corner and Frogging

This first photo shows my MIAC "almost" done. I decided to add my own border and thought I would use basketweave. It is nice and relaxing, right? Well, after stitching for several nights, I noticed that the blue DMC I was using had changed shades. Not a lot, mind you, but I could see it. I decided to sleep on it and wait to take it out. I knew I was not going to have enough thread anyway and needed to get more. But the more I thought about it, the more I knew it needed to go. One reason was the color change. I would always look at the piece and KNOW. And the basketweave was taking forever! I need a different stitch!

When I went to the store, I saw a lighter shade of the blue DMC that I had been using. (The dark is 517 and the light is 519) The lavender I used looks ok, but I was never totally happy with it so I bought several skeins with the idea to do more ripping. Here is the result:

I haven't ripped all the lavender out, but I will. The light blue looks so much better! I am much happier with the piece now. Here is the part of the center that I redid:

So, does anyone have any suggestions for a border? I am thinking about a diagonal byzantine, but I am not sure. How do designers do it? This is a lot of work, but I am enjoying it and learning a lot.