September Hearts

 My Free Form Hearts for the month of September 

For my  Straight From The Heart Quilt 

Week 28

A Crazy Quilt Patchwork Heart with Crochet flowers embellishments.

Week 29

Machine blanket stitch applique with hand stitched Buttonhole Bars edging.

Week 30

Metallic thread Kantha Quilted heart in contrasting halves.

Week 32

A cute 'fussy-cut' rose fabric heart, appliqued with small cross-stitches in a variegated thread.

I'm still trying to vary the techniques that I use on the hearts, and I think I'm still coming up with new ideas that I haven't tried yet. So much fun to be had in a haphazard free forming way.

That's my lot for September.

See you in October, lol.

Straight From the Heart Crazy Quilt week 26

Straight From the Heart Crazy Quilt

 Week 26

Last week I hinted that I may be doing a crochet heart during my stitching week.

Well, here it is, as promised.

I'm rather pleased with how this one turned out.

It started as a 'pineapple' crochet motif, and just got its embellishment when I stitched a crochet cord in a beautiful rich burgundy thread.

And more on the Building Blocks Quilt

I think I am finished with the reds/rusts/pinks shades and now I'm heading into the blues.

Gradually getting all the 'bits' together for this quilt.

So far I haven't removed any of the paper templates yet as the parts aren't big enough, but I am looking forward to when I can start to remove the papers and get it looking more like a quilt.

Encrusted Embroidery Heart

Quickly posting this....before the bad weather hits us again and knocks our power out (like it has done frequently over the last two weeks or so).

Week 24 is finished.

 The Encrusted Embroidery Heart 

for my "Straight From the Heart" crazy quilt.

And here is my Week 25 heart.

Swirly Things & Stars

I have enjoyed my stitching time this week. Lots of lovely texture in the encrusted heart.

And I am still trying to make a different heart each week.

Crochet has taken a back seat this week, and I'm getting a hankering for the hook, so maybe it's time for another crochet heart of some description.

Happy Stitching

Crazy Heart Quilt weeks 19 & 20

 Straight From the Heart Crazy Quilt 

Week 19

Applique heart with chain stitches laid side by side.

Week 20

Three textured crochet "buttons" and a running stitch border,

And as we here, in the Southern hemisphere are well on the way to winter, I crocheted up these squares (20 so far) to make a bodywarmer/tank-top/vest thingamigig.

The colours in the first photo are closer to the real colour.

A good week I think.

Happy Stitching

Heart Crazy Quilt wk 18 ~ Crochet ~ Flowers

Here we go again, I've had another week of fun stitching for my

"Straight From the Heart" Crazy Quilt.

Four Crochet 3D flowers for scattering around the quilt.

Five Crochet Hearts and a bunch of textured embroidery.

I seem to have a 'thing' about pink and orange lately.

And a Checkered Heart with Crochet Lace edging that I stitched onto the blanket stitch surrounding it.

A strange thing happened this week.

I started reading a book that I found in a very old 'back up' file on an old computer hard-drive.

The story was great, and as I was reading it I started getting that de-ja-vue feeling about it, which made me think I had read it before, but I just couldn't remember how the story ended, and it was so good that I didn't want to stop reading. So I carried on, and you'll never guess what happened next (or maybe you have already).

There wasn't an ending. It stopped abruptly half way through Chapter 12, with me wondering what on earth was about to happen to those great characters.

Then it dawned on me. This was my book. The reason I thought I had read it before was because I was the one who wrote it.

Sad I didn't finish it though. If I ever complete it, I'll be sure to let you know.

Crazy Quilting wk 17 ~ Tatting ~ Crochet

What should I show you first this week?

How about the little birdie on the "E" monogram, updated this week with a flourish of floral vine twirling away in the background, and the little birdie now has a 'body' to help it sing its little heart out.

It is a fabric patch on my "Straight From the Heart" crazy quilt.

Simple, yet effective. I hope Emma likes what I did with her initial for inclusion on the quilt.

And here is a crochet flower motif. My own design. 

This is also going on the Heart Quilt.

 Tatting Update

 I have been practicing my tatting once more and made this motif. 

Still wonky, still mistakes, still learning, lol.

And..... for those of you who didn't get to see my excitement on Facebook....

Hold your ears while I sing a loud WAHOOOO.....

(American friends insert 'Ye Haaaa' if you wish)....

....... I ....... CAN ....... TAT .......

Oh my goodness, I can tat. At last. I finally get 'IT'.

Good old Percy did it again.

(Percy = perseverance)

Lesson learnt. See, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks.

I've had a great week.

I wonder what the next seven days will bring.

Heart Crazy Quilt - week 16

Finished the Mandala from last week and created a monogram of my daughters initial for this week.

Heart Crazy Quilt week 15

 Straight From the Heart Crazy Quilt 

Week 15

A stitched Mandala (not complete yet).

I have had another try at needle tatting. Still not totally got the hang of it.

Something got a bit twisted in the wrong direction somewhere along the line, and its all a bit uneven.

I shall persevere.

Sorry if I'm a bit short on photos this week.

I have actually accomplished a lot more than just these two offerings this week, but I am not able to show you my other things yet as they have to remain a secret for a little while longer.

One of the projects is going to be published in a book, and a different project is going to be a freeform mystery crochet along.

Watch this space for more details on these 'things' coming soon.

Happy Stitching.

Heart CQ ~ Boho Skirt ~ Kumihimo

 Straight From the Heart Quilt 

Week 14

A few variegated leaves added to last weeks ruffle flowers, and I don't think it needs anything else now.

A crocheted purple and white flower has been 'planted' in a flower-pot.

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 Boho Skirt Update 

Wohoo, I have finished the front middle panel of the skirt.

Rough, raw fabric edges, uneven and sometimes wonky stitching (I love it).

I am not embellishing every fabric patch, just an occasional one here and there.

Love that musical fabric.

I might have to add more stitching to tone down the orange fabric to the left of centre bottom. It just seems a little bit bright for what I'm wanting here, or I may even froggit.

Now to carry on around the back of the middle panel.

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 Kumihimo Necklace 

Had a bit of a fun one afternoon and created this Kumihimo necklace.

Yet to add the fastening though. Still pondering on that one.

Heart Crazy Quilt Catch Up

This week I am playing catch up with my Straight From the Heart Crazy Quilt.

Here are three weeks worth in one post (is that good value, or what?)

Week 11

Machine work - haha - something you don't see very often from me.

Playing (experimenting) with free-motion quilting and also practicing with metallic threads.

Pink and purple satin fabric, only the purple one is the shiny, slippery little devil.

Hand stitched to the black rose fabric with buttonhole stitch.

Week 12

Reverse applique heart with a fly stitch decoration and a fabric 'ruffle' flower for the centre.

Week 13

Two more 'ruffle' flowers (just because I was enjoying doing them) and a Suffolk Puff flower (I am English so that's what I call them, you may know them as Yoyo's).

The stamen are made with Cast-on stitch.

The Suffolk Puff looks somewhat black in this pic, but it is actually a deep aubergine.

I may add some hand stitched embroidery in places on this, I'll just have to see what time I have spare.

 Quilt Show Photo Album 

The quilt show photos that I mentioned last week are on Flickr - all 108 photos.

You can catch them here

....and don't be shy, say hello over there...

There are too many to post to this blog sorry, but here's a taster for you....

Heart Crazy Quilt & Winter Warmer

 Straight From The Heart - Crazy Quilt 

Week 10

The crochet edging for the Dresden plate center is complete - all 60 inches of it.

Took a while to crochet it and stitch it in place around the 'swags' of the plate.

Another patch embellished with a crochet Mandala/flower. 

Love, love, love these colours, lol.

And, now that I have finished the Dresden plate central work, I get to stitch the patches together onto the quilt.

Fun.

No perfection is required for this part. Raw edges to the patches, large stitches, wonky stitching......whatever happens happens.

Just pick up the next patch from the pile and stitch it down somewhere.

An occasional fill-in patch required to cover a blank space.

You might recognize a few of the stitchery patches from earlier this year.

No progress on my Boho skirt this week, but I did get two more parts of the Winter Warmer done.

Guess who's having fun...........