A Christmas Curtain for a Baby Girl

Good Afternoon, dear readers!  It has been a whole season since I've last posted.  Since then, we have moved into our permanent residence - which is absolutely beautiful.  We are now living in a cozy blue cottage right off the water.  Our backyard is literally a river that is home to all sorts of critters, fish and water fowl.  The rather large flock of swans that live on the river have decided to stay all winter, to my delight.  The different species of ducks, however, have either moved to where the water is not frozen or flown south for the winter.  Either way, I hope to see them - and their ducklings- this spring. :-)

I have also started working outside of the home.  Not full time, but enough time to take away from my needle work and lace making.  I do try to take at least 15 minutes a day to make progress on my current project.  It has a way of relaxing me after a long day at work.

Last time I posted, I mentioned a commissioned piece of embroidery.  It was from a grandmother who was expecting her first grandchild - a little girl.  She wanted something unique that couldn't be found in a store, and on cream linen.  The only specification was that she wanted flowers.  For this very special, heirloom piece, I used 38 ct. Sotema Linen in Ecru, and of course, DMC coton a broder in sizes 25, 30 and 35, for the Hardanger technique.  For the Reticello technique I used DMC special dentelle's, hand dyed in different pastels.  Some of the threads, I dyed myself, others I purchased from Un Petit Fil.  She has a gorgeous line of hand dyed threads in all types of color combinations.  There is pearl cotton, cotton embroidery floss, silk embroidery floss, ribbons, lace and fabrics in addition to the Special Dentelles size 80.  I highly recommend her shop.  Shipping can be a bit pricey, if you go with the tracking and signed delivery option, but I received my goodies in about a week, so the extra money was worth it to me.

I didn't want to use too many bright colors, because I made this piece with the idea that it would be passed on from mother to daughter, and to be used throughout her life, and not just as a baby or child.  I also wanted it to be something very unique, so I used a combination of Nordic Hardanger and Italian Reticello, as in Giuliana Buonpadre's tenth book,  Fiordaliso e altri Fiori.  Here is what I made:

I started the piece in late August, and completed it in the beginning of December.  She had hoped to have it by the time the baby was born, which was October, but I explained to her that every part of the curtain was embroidered by hand - including the hems and edgings.  So, she was content to receive it in time for Christmas.  She was very happy and excited with the curtain, so I am glad to have exceeded her expectations.  I hope her granddaughter enjoys it and cherishes it for a very long time, and her daughters and granddaughters after her.

The "curtain" is actually more of a valance, as the actual size of the window was a yard across, and five feet tall.  The actual valance is about a yard wide, and two and half feet long.  I suggested they pair the valance with a pair of sheers in a pastel color of their choosing, and she said that was a good idea.

I am working on something small at the moment, which is also a hybrid between Hardanger and Reticello.  I hope to have it finished within the next week, as I want to make a small curtain for our new cottage.  We have a lovely paned window on our front door, which also makes it very easy for outsiders to see in, so I would like to make a  curtain that will give us a little more privacy.

Well, I am going to get back to my needlework, and enjoy the rest of my day off from work.  I hope you are all working on something beautiful and are inspired by the magic of the Holiday Season.  Have a safe and Happy New Year!  Until next time. . . 

~Happy Stitches!~

Summer of Miniature Crochet

Happy Saturday!  It has been quite awhile since I last posted.  It's been a busy summer.  I have my preteen daughter home full time, and my eldest is also home from college for the summer.  We also had to move unexpectedly, which was very sad and super stressful.  I loved our farmhouse and the beautiful land it was nestled on, and I miss it very, very much.  We would get visits from all sorts of birds, and critters, including a plethora of hummingbirds, chipmunks, deer, sand cranes, and even a groundhog.  But, we found a temporary place that has (just enough) room for our chickens, ducks, and goats.  It's been a process getting everyone settled into a new routine in a new area.

I did manage to make quite the collection of miniature crochet items.  I have made a few jewelry pieces, and quite a few of the critters featured in Lunarheavenly's second book.  Quite a few of them have been given away to adorn lapels and bookbags, but I managed to hold on to a few.  Some of the items were painted using Rit Liquid Fabric Dye. . . that is until I discovered Higgins Drawing Ink.  I believe there are two different types of Higgins Drawing Ink.  At the moment, I am using the Non-Waterproof or Student Grade, but am anxious to try the other kind as well.  The colors of the Ink are very vibrant, blend well together to make an endless array of shades and tones, and dilute easily with water.  I really don't use anything else to paint Miniature Crochet anymore.  It was difficult with the Dye to make gradients and gradual color changes because the color would bleed, especially on something a tiny as a thread crochet flower.  lol 

Most of the items were made using DMC Cordonnet Cotton Special in size 80, though I used Fincrochet size 80 for a couple of them.  The very tiny,flowers were made using Aurifil lacemaking thread in sizes 40, 50, and 80.  The Aurifil size 80 is thinner than all purpose sewing thread, and takes a lot of patience and care when crocheting with it, but the little flowers it makes are just so tiny and adorable, that the hardship is worth it.

Here are a few critters I made using a combination of embroidery and crochet:

And here are some jewelry pieces I made using cute little findings I bought from Etsy.  One is a miniature hand mirror, and the other is a faux little pocket watch finding.  To the mirror I added a 6mm freshwater pearl.  The faux pocketwatch has some tiny Swarvoski rhinestones.

I also have a couple of flower arrangements I made.  I plan to sew them onto hair combs.  I sewed tiny Rocailles seed beads in shades of yellow to the center of the cherry blossoms.

This butterfly is one of my favorites.  I love the color scheme and plan on turning it into a necklace:

I recently ordered little Glass Globes from Etsy, and plan on putting little flowers into them as shown in Lunarheavenly's first book.  Here is a little Rose I made with that idea in mind:

I really enjoy making these miniature crochet items.  I plan on working on more in the near future.  For the moment, I am working on a new curtain valance for the new house, which has a lot more windows than the old one.  I am working on some needle painted flowers right now and plan to also add a bit of openwork and white work.  I don't have any pictures at the moment, but will get some very soon.

I have also been commissioned to make a curtain for a baby's room.  A friend and neighbor is having her first grandchild - a little girl - and she wants to give her something that will be one of a kind.  So she wants me to make a curtain for a small window in the baby's room.  The theme is elephants.  I will divulge more about this project as soon as I have  more details.

In the mean time, I will continue working on my own curtain.  I also recently ordered a new book. . . Whitework with Color by Trish Burr.  This book has some gorgeous projects that I can't wait to try.  So many projects, not enough time!   I hope you are all having a wonderful, creative and inspired day!  Until next time. . .
Happy Stitches!

Collar Necklace in Miniature Crochet

Good Morning!  I just wanted to make a quick morning post and share my latest completed project.  It is a collar necklace from Lunarheavenly's first book.  I used DMC Cordonnet Special size 80 in ecru with a .5mm hook for the crochet flowers.  I used Rit Liquid Dye to paint my flowers, and for the jewelry findings, I used antique brass cable chain and findings, and a 6mm freshwater pearl.  I am happy with the results and a wonderful time was had creating it.

There are many types of different projects in lunarheavenly's first book and I am looking forward to creating more of them.  I put in a few online orders and am waiting to receive various items needed to complete certain projects.  I also ordered some Jacquard Dyna Flow Textile paints, as well as some ink that can be used to paint fiber art.  In her book, lunarheavenly does use ink to paint her creations, and I can not wait to receive my goodies so I can try out some new painting techniques.

I recently ordered lunarheavenly's second book which is chock full of adorable little critters created using a combination of embroidery and painted crochet.  At the moment I am working on a little critter. . . I won't tell you which one yet.  lol  I will wait until it is completed.  In her second book, she also uses different size threads.  The sizes she uses are crochet cotton size 80, 100, 120 and 160.  I can easily find size 80 and 100, but I have yet to come across size 120 and 160.  Instead I am using thread for lace making which comes in a variety of sizes.  It is quite a challenge crocheting with thread that is thinner than all purpose sewing thread, but the results are adorable!

Well, I better get going.  We have two little baby Pekin ducks arriving today that are barely a couple of days old.  They will need a lot of special care and attention, and there are still some things that I have to do to prepare for their arrival.  I hope you all have a wonderful and inspired day!  Til next time.  . . 

Happy Stitches!

Kitchen Curtain in Reticello Lace Embroidery

Good Afternoon!  It took many hours of work, quite a bit of thread, and more than a few needles, but I have completed my kitchen valance, and the hard work was certainly worth it because I LOVE it!  It really brightens up the window, and there is an indescribable sense of pride and accomplishment whenever I look at my kitchen window.

For this project, I used Sotema 20L linen in cream, and DMC coton a broder in sizes 25, 30 and 35.  I also used a bit of DMC Floche size 16 for the satin stitches.  I did not follow a set pattern but rather took bits and pieces from my collection of books by Giuliana Buonpadre, and also some ideas from different embroidered curtains I saw online.  Since I decided on an elaborate border, I kept the rest of the curtain pretty simple.  I added a butterfly swirl trail using satin stitches, buillion stitches, and back stitches, and also added some satin stitch designs above the reticello embroidery.  I also placed some smaller reticello crosses and a square in the center of the valance.  I reinforced all the edges of the curtain with first a satin stitch using DMC embroidery floss (one strand), and then using white cotton sewing thread, I machine sewed very small straight stitches over the satin stitches. . . this was quite difficult.  lol  The sides were pretty simple, but the constant turning and the corners on the Reticello edge really took some time.  I did manage to complete it neatly, and then finally, using coton a broder #25, I buttonholed all along the edge.

Of course, the valance was not yet completed.  I had to trim all of the excess fabric from around the buttonhole stitches very, very carefully so as not to accidentally cut any of the needlework.  I have a special pair of embroidery scissors that I use ONLY for this purpose.  It keeps the blades sharp and clean.  I soaked my piece overnight in water and gentle detergent, then this morning I rinsed it alternating very hot and very cold water, and inspected it to make sure it was 100% clean.  I used a towel to roll the curtain up in and remove the excess water.  It did not take very long to dry, and then I ironed and steamed it. . . and then steamed it and ironed it.  It was a very satisfying moment when I put my many hours of hard work on the curtain rod and hung it on my kitchen window.

I then proceeded to take a plethora of photos. lol  Many of which I will now share with you.

The Reticello Embroidered edging took the most amount of time to complete of course.  I used the many windows to use a variety of filling stitches, while still trying to keep a sense of uniformity to the piece.

I used filling stitches that I had used on the rest of the border to complete the center diamond.

I added small windows of Reticello Embroidery in between the decorative satin stitches.

The buttercream color of the linen really brightens up the kitchen window.

I love the look of the lace on the window so much, I'm already planning on making more embroidered curtains for my living room windows.

After completing this lengthy embroidery project, I am going to take a break from embroidery and work a bit on crochet.  I recently ordered Lunarheavenly's 2nd book, as well as some new paint brushes, and threads.  Her second book is filled with adorable animals of all types. . . there are also a couple of projects that I have been wanting to complete from her first book.

Well, I hear my crochet hook and threads calling me. . . I hope you are all having a wonderful inspired day!  Until next time. . . 

Happy Stitches!

Spring Activities

Good Morning!  It's been almost a month since I last posted, and what a busy month it was!  I had my final breast reconstruction surgery almost 4 weeks ago, and though I am almost fully recovered, I must admit it was a harder recovery than I expected. . . still I am happy to say that it was the last one, and prefer to look forward rather than behind.  I have not gotten as much done on my latest project as I would like, but it is coming along, and nicely.  I am currently working on a curtain valance for my kitchen window.  It is a small window, but the reticello embroidery work is very entailed.  I decided on a "scalloped edge" for the curtain.  Once all of the reticello embroidery is completed, I will reinforce the needlework with running stitches and buttonhole stitches, and cut around the embroidered lace.  I also plan on adding some more needle work to the body of the curtain . . . perhaps some more reticello, or maybe some satin stitch designs.  

I am using Sotema 20L linen, and DMC coton a broder in various sizes.  It took me a good long while to count the threads to figure out how many "windows" to pull and in what design.  And it also took a good long while to cut and withdraw the reticello threads. lol

I decided I  wanted a reticello diamond in the center of the bottom edge.  I thought about using a uniform lace design throughout but then decided against it.  There is a pattern to the lace, but I use different fillings in each area to achieve the pattern.

And here is a close up of the large center diamond which is not completed yet.

I will probably just mirror the same filling patterns and designs on the other side of the center diamond.  I will take more detailed photos of the finished curtain.  I am hoping my progress will speed up a bit since I have gotten all of my Spring cleaning done, and our brood of ducks and chickens are situated in their permanent living quarters.   The weather did not turn Spring like until this past week, so we had to make sure the birds were warm enough, which meant keeping them indoors.  Thankfully, it is finally starting to feel like Spring, and the birds are enjoying their new found freedom.  We have a large piece of land, so we allow them to free range.  I managed to get some photos of the birds and I would like to share these photos.  The large white duck is a Pekin duck, and the darker ducks are Rouen ducks. 

And here is one of our bantam chicks all cuddled together.

And these are our Rhode Island Red Hens:

Well, it's time to go check on these critters, and make sure they have food and water.  It is a beautiful sunny day, so I may grab my needlework and spend the rest of the morning outdoors.  I hope you all have a wonderful day and until next time. . . 

Happy Stitches!