Sunday, May 29, 2011

More Sheep!!

 What can I say? I like sheep.  And I've been enjoying wool applique immensely. The first photo is of my finished wool applique sampler....."Spring Sampler" by All Through the Night. It's done using "upcycled" wool (some of which I hand-dyed/over-dyed myself...and had a blast doing it) on a linen background. The whole piece was coffee dyed after it was completed, but before it was framed. The finished framed piece measures 16" x 20".

The next two photos are of embroideries that I have been wanting to do for quite some time. Both are done on a flannel background  with cotton batting used as a stabilizer. Both pieces were coffee-dyed after being stitched out and before they were framed. Loved the way the flannel coffee-dyed! Both framed pieces are 8" x 8". They will be hung in the same room as the Spring Sampler.


The last 3 pictures are of the first 3 blocks from my newest quilt project "Sheep in the Willows thru the Year"  (by the American Fiber Artist S. West - Buttermilk Basin). They are being stitched on a coffee-dyed linen background using "upcycled" wool....some of which I have hand-dyed/overdyed myself. I've had these patterns for quite some time (years) and it has been a sheer joy to finally be able to make this quilt.  My apologies for the coloring of the last block photo. It was up higher on my design wall so the lighting was off when I took the picture. These blocks are measuring 10" square (unfinished size).



Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Sheep, sheep, and more sheep

 Here are pictures of the smaller projects I've been working on lately. Yes, they are all of sheep.  :.) I must have "sheep on the brain" because my newest project (yet to be started) is also of sheep. Anyway, back to the pictures.

The first one is a sheep make-do. It is made using upcycled felted wool on an upcycled candlestick. It stands 11" tall and is 10" at its widest point....from front leg to back leg. The stuffing is wool....of course.  :.) It is adorned with a homespun bow (on sheep and candlestick) with a little gold bell in the center (sheep only....not seen in photo).
What is a make-do? For those of you (like me....I looked it up) who aren't familiar with the term, a make-do is basically anything made from something that has been re-purposed. Turning something old into something new......recycling. Like using your favorite mug for a planter because it has a chip in it. 

The next couple of photos are of small wool applique pieces that I framed. Both pieces are done on a coffee-dyed linen background (I prefer coffee-dye over tea-dye because coffee has brown overtones whereas tea has orange overtones....plus coffee is kinder to your fabric than tea is).....using upcycled wool with embroidered embellishments. Both pieces fit very nicely into a 4" x 6" frame. I really enjoyed stitching up both of these. They were fun!!

I can almost hear the question....how did you do all those tiny little flowers?? Normally, I would have cut them all out by hand (very tedious and very tricky) but I picked up a new tip from designer Sue Spargo (watched her show on The Quilt Show. Wow!!! Definitely a must-see!). Seems she utilizes these tiny circles in her quilts all the time. To make things easy she uses a 1/4" hole punch....which I did. It was wonderful!!!! I was able to produce all these tiny little circles in a very short amount of time. The "Sheep with Basket" has 18 tiny flowers. The "Sheep with Flowers" has 12 tiny flowers. Of course with the flowers aren't all the same size on "Sheep with Flowers" so some of those had to be cut out by hand. Still, the hole punch did make things so much easier. Now I'm on the look-out for a one that is a little larger.  :.)

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Oregon Vest

 It's finally done. After lanquishing for weeks in my rocking chair waiting for those finishing touches, it is finally done. :>) The vest is knit from hand-spun shetland lamb/kid mohair yarn.....all natural colors.

There were a few firsts with this one. First time I  have ever knitted something with pockets. First time I have ever put a zipper into a knitted garment (which I think went rather well). And it was the first time I have ever made a zipper pull (which has the Chinese character for sheep on it).  It was a fun knit. A really fun knit.  :>)

Things have been busy around here. The remodel on the guest bathroom is coming along nicely. The ceiling and walls are now painted. Light fixtures are up. Hubby is working on getting the old floor up so we can put the new floor down.  Of course that hasn't left much time for fun stuff....like quilting, spinning, or knitting. I have been sneaking in bits of time here and there to work on my "Spring Sampler". It's nearly done. Just have the large basket on the bottom to finish up. Then I can "age" it.....and frame it.


(The vest is really a lighter gray in color than what it photographed. The picture of the zipper pull is more accurate as far as coloring goes.)