Sophie's Universe - "Poppies by the Sea" Part 8

Hi Everyone,

This crochet project is turning out to be absolutely beautiful.

I got tired of getting up and photographing every round of this project as I finish the round.  I must be a faster crocheter than I thought.

The colours are so pretty together.  Please see photos of Part 8 completed below:

There is a designated Facebook page for Sophie's Universe.

One of the moderators has chosen my colour scheme for the photo header of the page. I believe it is a rotating header and I am honoured to have been selected.  Please head over to that site if you are interested in viewing other colours of Sophie.  Mine is entitled "Poppies by the Sea".

I am only half done.

More posts to follow as they are completed.

Have fun creating!

Sophie's Universe - "Poppies by the Sea" Part 4

Hi, Everyone,

Welcome to Part 4 of the Sophie's Universe I have crocheted entitled "Poppies by the Sea".
This pattern was designed by Dedri Uys of Look at what I made.

Part 4 consists of Rounds 26-36.
Have a look at my version.

The more I work on this piece, the more I absolutely LOVE it!

Have fun creating!

Sophie's Universe - "Poppies by the Sea" Part 3

Hi, Everyone,

Welcome to Part 3 of the Sophie's Universe I have crocheted entitled "Poppies by the Sea".
This pattern was designed by Dedri Uys of Look at what I made.

Part 3 consists of Rounds 16-25.
Have a look at my version.

   
   
   
   
 

There are YouTube videos as well for each Part of Sophie's Universe.  They are extremely helpful.
I'm loving how "Poppies by the Sea" is turning out!

Have fun creating!

Sophie's Universe - "Poppies by the Sea" Part 2

Hi, Everyone,

Welcome to Part 2 of the Sophie's Universe I have crocheted entitled "Poppies by the Sea".
This pattern was designed by Dedri Uys of Look at what I made.

Part 2 consists of Rounds 9-15.
Have a look at my version.

    

    

Usually I find crocheting very relaxing, but with this pattern you actually have to count and pay attention so you don't make mistakes and have to rip your stitches.  Even so, this pattern is very beautiful.  If you get a chance, go on Pinterest and see all the different colour variations out there.

Have fun creating!

Sophie's Universe - "Poppies by the Sea" Part 1

Hi, Everyone,

It has been quite a while since my last post.

I'm so very fortunate to have 3 grandsons and to be able to spend time with them.  I am cherishing every moment.  Austin is now 4 years old, Simon is now 5 months old, and Sawyer is now 2 months old.

I surf Pinterest every morning over a pot of coffee and have come across quite a few things I would like to make.  One of them is a called Sophie's Universe.  Sophie's Universe is a continuous square blanket.  It was designed by Dedri Uys of Look at what I made.  I found her at www.lookatwhatimade.net.  She offers it as free pattern downloads on her blog.  Pinterest is full of different coloured Sophie's Universe blankets.    Colour really does make a difference in what stitches are highlighted or jump out at you when you look at it.

This is my version of Sophie's Universe entitled "Poppies by the Sea".  I have finished Part 4.

I love seeing the progression of my work in photos.  You can really see how a piece evolves this way.  

There are 20 Parts to this pattern.  Today we are going to look at Part 1, which consists of Rounds 1-8.  Below are my photos of "Poppies by the Sea".

  

 

 

  

I combined various Size 4 yarns to get the "Poppies by the Sea"colour palette I wanted to achieve.  They are:

Caron Cakes - shades of aquas, teals and turquoise cut and separated into their 5 different shades.

Vanna's Choice - white, raspberry, scarlet, cranberry, purple, and aqua

Patons Decor - Frond

Patons Canadiana - Teal Heather

Tomorrow I will be posting Part 2.

Have fun creating!

Vintage Piano Scroll Layout

Hi, Everyone,

"Always & Forever my grandsons you'll be . . ."

Why limit yourself to scrapbook layouts in albums?  To me, layouts are pieces of art.  They can be permanent or interchangeable pieces of art (because we only have so much space).

The piece below is mounted on a vintage piano scroll and is permanent.  There is no reason why I could not have made it interchangeable so I could swap out or change the layout monthly or as often as I wanted to.

Below are closeup photos of the piano scroll from top to bottom.

I have incorporated my love of embroidery into this piece.  The title "Always & Forever" was hand stitched on ivory aida cloth.  

The letters "a" and "f" were created from the same paper I used in the layout.

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Years ago I purchased a package of chipboard alphabets a-z that came on 2 12x12" sheets.  The patterned paper was so ugly, but I loved the font style so I bought them.  In this layout, I traced the 2 letters onto the paper I liked and cut them out with scissors.  By doing this, you can create your own letters from any paper you wish to match your project.

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The other writing was also hand stitched onto vintage linen and aida cloth.

I usually mount my photos on black cardstock to make them stand out, but this time I chose black tags folded over and secured with metal photo anchors and screw brads.  There are also metal tabs and hearts for each grandson:

1st  Austin

2nd  Simon

3rd  Sawyer

I chose a scenic patterned paper for the bottom of the scroll. The diamond/square pattern was cut along the design, and all other papers were torn and glued onto the scroll with sookwang tape.  It is expensive compared to other tapes, but it actually lasts the test of time (16 years and counting).

After the layout was completed, I took a black Sharpie Pen and drew some hand stitching along the edges of the torn/cut paper to move your eye through the layout.

I love how this piece turned out, so if you get a chance check it out in person at Treasured Memories in Edmonton.

Have fun creating!