Showing posts with label heart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label heart. Show all posts

10 May 2017

Christmas Hearts

A Christmas Project WIP

In preparation for a Christmas in July group project. 
Everyone gets to make four of these Heart Christmas Tree decorations, and decorate them as they wish. 
I know there are only three here, but that is because my 1st one was used as the demonstration piece to show the group, and I no longer have it. Other members had difficulty putting the hearts together, so I made up most of the 50+ hearts for them to embellish.
These three will have a Blanket stitch edging and beads added to decorate the crocheted tree.


A plain and simple crocheted baby blanket WIP. Not finished yet, but just the border to do now.
Some brainless crochet to do while sitting in the garden enjoying a glass of wine and the last of the sunny days before winter is upon us.


My mothers bobbins sorted out nicely.






Happy Stitching







01 October 2014

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.

14 September 2014

FREE Crochet Heart Tutorial by Cyra

  -  FREE TUTORIAL - 
 by Cyra Lewis 

 A 3-D Crocheted Heart Tutorial 

Step-by-step photos included.


I made mine using #20 crochet thread with a size 1.00 crochet hook.
The heart was just the right size to use on a homemade 
birthday card for someone special (photo above).

     This heart could also be made as a cushion, in wool or yarn of your choice.     
The finished size would be dependent on the thickness of yarn used and the size of your crochet hook.


Crochet Heart Tutorial
UK crochet terminology is used here. 
Please see the end of this blog for a US terminology alternative.

Starting from the top of the heart.

Ch4, sl.st. to 1st ch to form a ring.

Ch1, 8dc  into ring, join with a sl.st. to beg. ch. (8sts)

Ch1, 2dc in every st around, join with a sl.st. to beg. ch.  (16sts)

Ch1, 1dc in same st., 1dc in each of next 2 sts., 2dc in the next st., *1dc in each of the next 3 sts., 2dc in the next st.,**. Repeat from * to ** two more times to the end of the round, join with a sl.st. to beg. ch.  (20 sts)



Ch1, working 1dc in every st. make 80dc working in the round, 
i.e. do not join rounds with sl.st. When you reach the beg. of the round just dc into the next dc st. and work in a spiral for 80 sts, ((or four rounds))



When you get to this point cut the thread leaving a tail of about 6 inches.

Now you have to make another 'upside-down cup' exactly the same, but do not cut the thread on the second one when you get to this point.


The following two photos show you how to join these two 'cups' together.
Using the tail thread on the first cup, oversew three stitches only, making sure that you join the second cup immediately after the last dc that you made (2nd photo)



Put your hook back in the loop from the last st. made, and st. 1dc in every st. going around the outside of both cups, but do not dc in any of the sewn sts.

After stitching one round of dc. in every st. around the whole piece, you will start dec. (st.2dc.tog.) at each outer edge.


Continue stitching dc. rounds, still working in a spiral, decreasing (st.2dc.tog.) at each side edge of the heart.

After about 5 or 6 rounds the hole will be getting significantly smaller (heading towards the point of the heart).

Now is the time to start stuffing the heart with the filling of your choice. This small heart does not take much stuffing at all, but a cushion sized heart will obviously take quite a bit more stuffing.


Continue the dc. stitching in every st. around and dec. at the edges.

(Below the joining of the two cups, it takes about 14/15 rounds to get to the point)

As you get closer to the point of the heart you may need to insert a little more stuffing to fill the point.

When you cannot dec. any more, sl.st the last two sts. tog. to make the point of the heart, cut the thread, pull through, and finish by weaving the tail inside the stuffed heart.


I Attached my heart to the card by making two holes in the card and sewing the heart in place through these two holes, tying the tails together and then losing the tails by weaving the thread back into the heart.



Abbreviations:

Ch. ------ chain 
dc   ------ double crochet
st.   ------ stitch
sts. ------ stitches
sl.st. ----- slip stitch
beg. ----- beginning
dec. ----- decrease
st.2dc.tog. ----- stitch 2 double crochets together


UK                      US

ch ....................... ch
dc ....................... sc (single crochet)



   <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>   


I can see these hearts getting used in many ways.
I hope you have fun with yours.

Please leave a comment here if you use my tutorial and feel free to share a link to your project.






23 July 2014

Heart Crazy Quilt week 27

Straight From the Heart Crazy Quilt

Week 27

This week I have a Kantha embroidery heart to show you.
Free Form style, drawing free-hand straight onto the fabric, gives this piece a traditional look.


The pale pink heart in the middle is rows of chain stitch.
Other stitches used are: running stitch, back stitch, satin stitch and emphasized couching (where the couching stitches comprise a design).



And a few more blue (and blue-ish) hexagon "bricks" on the Building Blocks quilt.


Now I must get a couple more days of packing done. Just got to get the house on the market, and then once sold, we can enjoy our travelling retirement.






09 July 2014

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







28 May 2014

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

07 May 2014

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.



09 April 2014

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.



________________________________________________

 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.
________________________________________________

 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.



02 April 2014

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.

....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....