Primitive Embroidery - Mounted on a Vintage Piano Scroll

Hi, Everyone,

What's a girl to do when she has lots of Vintage Piano Scrolls?  Well . . . create Art out of them, of course!

Below is the rolled out Piano Scroll revealing the Primitive hand embroidery.

I started out my fabric collage with a base of light weight polka-dot denim cut into 6 pieces for ease of sewing.  Then I cut white batten burg lace and 3 batik cotton fabrics into various sizes and laid them out flowing into one another.

I cut up a crochet doily and added them to the collage as well.  The Embroidered Art was hand stitched on while the remaining pieces were machine stitched on to the denim polka-dot base.

A white/blue cotton fabric was sewn onto the Vintage Piano Scroll to give it strength.

The polka-dot bases were then machine sewed onto the Piano Scroll below.

When it was all completed I was very happy with the results.

It is proudly displayed on a bookshelf tied with a bow, for me to enjoy anytime.

This project was fun to hand embroider and easy to sew on the machine.

I am very pleased how it turned out.

Art takes many forms.

Fabric and paper work well together . . . mount it on a Vintage Piano Scroll and it is a beautiful piece of Art.

Have fun creating!

Primitive Embroidery - the Completed Hand Stitching

Hi, Everyone,

It takes a lot longer to complete hand stitched art than it does painted or collaged art.

The six primitive pieces that I have been working on are finally finished.  The embroidery patterns are by Jenny of Elefantz Designs.  She is at http://www.elefantz.com and these are her "Prim Spin" patterns.

Below are the completed embroidery pieces.  I chose different thread colours and outline stitches than Jenny suggested.  I am very pleased of how they turned out.

I have collaged these six beauties with printed fabrics, doilies, and batten burg lace onto a vintage piano scroll.

I will show you how I did that in tomorrow's post.

Have fun creating!

Primitive Embroidery - the Stitching

Hi, Everyone,

I've been thoroughly enjoying hand embroidery lately.  This is a dying art form.

I take my embroidery with me when I go to the play park with my 3 year old grandson.  When children see me embroidering they stop, look, and run over with great enthusiasm wanting to know what I am doing.  They have never seen that before.  Their mothers or grandmothers don't embroider.  Both boys and girls are amazed how coloured thread can make "pretty pictures".  I always ask my grandson to help "hold" the thread end while I separate the strands.  I ask him for his input and colour suggestions.  Sometimes they are good, and sometimes they are not so good.  I am exposing him to many different art forms while I have the privilege of watching him.  He is actually starting nursery school next week . . . where did the years go?  Being able to spend time with my grandson has given me the greatest joy I could ever have imagined.  I love him so much.

Now back to primitive embroidery . . .

I joined The Stitchery Club by Jenny of Elefantz Designs.  Her July 2016 Prim Spin patterns got me hooked to embroidery again.  You will find her at http://www.elefantz.com.  She has a link to her "Pattern Shop" and you will find her design entitled "Prim Spin" from the July 2016 Stitchery Club.

At an antique store some time ago, I purchased a long piece of vintage linen knowing that I would create with it one day.  Well, that one day has finally come.

I printed Jenny's patterns then traced them with my Pigma Micron 03 black pen onto the vintage linen with my Light Box.  There were 6 different patterns.

Below is the start of my embroidery.  I chose different thread colours than Jenny suggested.

The outline stitches I used were also different from Jenny.

I really enjoy how the the stitches bring life to the fabric.

Colour really makes a difference in your finished art work.

I chose variegated teal, lime green, variegated pink, burgundy, and butter yellow.

These colours are bright and cheery.

I have 2 patterns to finish, a bunny and patchwork.  Then, I will be collaging the 6 patterns with doilies and battenburg lace onto a vintage piano scroll.  I have many to choose from.

This Primitive Embroidery will be displayed proudly on the 1st of many Vintage Piano Scrolls.

Stay tuned for the process . . .

Art can be displayed on walls, in books, on scrolls, or on anything you can think of.

It's up to you.

Have fun creating!

Raggedy "Simon"

Hi, Everyone,

In my June 19th post, I shared the Raggedy Andy and matching blanket I made for my 2nd grandson I was expecting.  Well, that little grandson is now 2 months old and is so cute that he melts my heart.

Have a look at Raggedy Andy with Simon.

He's playing shy, but I can just see all those little girls chasing him!

It's nice to know that he will always have his Raggedy Andy to remind him of how small he actually was.  I was too lazy to make Andy's clothes so I bought them second hand and sewed patches on them to match the raggedy blanket.  My daughter coincidentally happened to have a onesie exactly like the one I had prior to embellishing it.  It made for a beautiful photo.

The Raggedy Andy and raggedy blanket are below.

Remember, creating comes in many forms.

Enjoy what you like to do, and do it while you can.

Have fun creating!

Tea Towels - "A flower a day keeps the blues away" (Thursday to Sunday)

Hi, Everyone,

I've finished my hand embroidered days of the week tea towels.

The patterns were designed by Jenny of Elfantz.  You will find her at http://www.elefantz.com.  She has a link to her "Pattern Shop" and you will find her design entitled "Days of the Week", from the May 2016 Stitchery Club.

They turned out beautifully!  Have a look.

I purchased 2 meters of cotton tea towel fabric from Fabricland then hemmed the edges.  I printed Jenny's patterns then traced them with my Sharpie Pen onto the tea towel fabric with my Light Box.

I chose different embroidery threads from those listed in Jenny's pattern.

The smaller the stitches, the prettier the embroidery looks.

My stitches are created over 2 threads of fabric, that is Very tiny, so I am only able hand embroider this small when I use the Magnifying Light that my daughter got for me from Lee Valley.  It is mounted on the headboard of my bed, and it is a God send.  If you don't have one, I highly recommend getting one.  I couldn't embroider like this without it.

I just love how the blues/green and pink/burgandy blend together.

The Tea Towels turned out sooooooooo pretty that I don't want to use them.

Remember, creating has many mediums.

This medium is thread and fabric.

Next . . .

I've begun to hand embroider Primative patterns and will be mounting them on vintage piano scrolls.

They will be embellished with lace and fabric as well.

Have fun creating!

Tea Towels - "A flower a day keeps the blues away" (Monday to Wednesday)

Hi, Everyone,

Never take your health for granted.  Thinking that you will be able to do all the things you always wanted to do later in life when you "have more time" may not always be possible.  I have been  having issues holding things with my right thumb for the past several months now, so while I can still manipulate a needle, I have decided to embroider some beautiful pieces for myself.

Hand embroidered tea towels have always been so pretty to me.  I didn't have any so I searched Pinterest and discovered Jenny of Elefantz.  You will find her at http://www.elefantz.com.  She has a link to her "Pattern Shop" and to her "Stitchery Club".  Over the past few weeks I have purchased 47 sets of her patterns at her Pattern Shop and at Craftsy, and have also signed up for her monthly Stitchery Club.  Yes, I truly love her designs.

In her Pattern Shop you will find her design entitled "Days of the Week", from the May 2016 Stitchery Club.  Once you purchase the pdf pattern on-line, the instructions and patterns are e-mailed to you.

Have a look below:

I purchased 2 meters of cotton tea towel fabric from Fabricland then hemmed the edges.  I printed Jenny's patterns then traced them with my Sharpie Pen onto the tea towel fabric with my Light Box.

I chose different embroidery threads from those listed in Jenny's pattern.

Below are the (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday) tea towels I embroidered using Jenny's patterns.

Once I finish embroidering the other days of the week, I will post them for you to see.

In the meantime, head over to the Jenny of Elefantz blog to see all her beautiful work.  

You will find her at http://www.elefantz.com.  

Have fun creating!

Button Art - Flower Garden

Hi, Everyone,

Creating takes on many forms with many different mediums.

My latest art work uses woven fabric, hand embroidery, and buttons.  Using a monochromatic colour scheme like ivory, white, and tan creates a mood of calm and piece.

The buttons are absolutely beautiful.

The verse is attributed to John Muir:
     "When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world."

     . . . simple yet true.

It is a stitching pattern designed by Karen Kluba (purchased at Craft Connection in Edmonton) along with the beautiful buttons from Durango Button Company.

I had the woven wool fabric and the white embroidery floss already. The pattern was $13.99, and the buttons were the expensive part (too much to admit in print, but I had to have them).

This piece will either be part of a fabric book, or a framed work of art.

Again, remember that art has many different mediums.

Have fun creating!