Fiberart Fun

I was at my usual weekly quilt group meeting, but I was stuck, and could not continue stitching on my quilt. So, I found some spare pieces of fabric, dropped the feed-dogs on the sewing machine, and started free-motion stitching a continuous line drawing straight onto the fabric.

Two panels later, I have 'me & him' caricatures, which I then framed with fabric to make two quilt blocks. 

A Little Bit of Fiberart Fun

This fun fiberart small quilt is now hanging in the towns meeting room along with about 18 similarly size 'self-portrait' quilts, haha. 

And I use the words 'self-portrait' very loosely.

(this is nothing like me really, lol)

The mini-me has a scrap strip fabric dress embellished with free-motion scrolls, a crochet bag with embroidered flowers, and she has a needle-felted head, hair AND boobs, and she wears metal wire glasses and two thread friendship bracelets. 

Her sandals (flip-flops or jandals) are made with a tiny buttonhole stitch in black thread.

The other mini-me's are all on a similar background with the same binding, and they are all connected together with fabric tabs in the same colour as the binding. 

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I have finished a quilted chair back cover, or antimacassar, for the old-rocker in the lounge.

It's the Snowball block.

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My old teapot cozy bit the dust (it was only about 12 years old lol) so I made a new one.

Love the kiwi fruit fabric for the kitchen.

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The grey and green background that I made while on that lovely stitching retreat a couple of weeks ago, has turned into a quilted tote-style bag.

A Splat on one side, and a Swirl on the other.

  

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And my final show for this week is a couple of 'containers'.

Basically made as thread-catchers, but can be used for a number of different things as well.

I need one of these next to my sewing machine because I'm always losing the seam-ripper or little scissors or the feet for the machine or the bobbins or.............

These nice containers will hold everything I need right there.

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So you can see I have been sewing up a storm since the retreat. 

It was a great way to get me back on track.

All for now.

Happy Stitching

Cyra

Quilting and Solitude at Retreat

I'm back home after my most wonderful stitching holiday at Quilt group Retreat.

Oh my, what a great way to refresh your batteries.

The seclusion of this place was exhilarating, stimulating, bracing, energizing and restorative. 

I can't believe how much stitching got done as well. Absolutely amazing place.

Literally a stones throw from the beach.

Great early morning walks and paddles on the beach, and great company.

The path to the beach and sea.

I was on the beach for the sunrise most mornings.

And here are some of the stitching that I made while there.

A Fibonacci style small quilt top, that may turn into a table runner or a bag 

(not decided yet what it wants to be).

These two country style shabby-chic blocks will be cushion covers (pillows) when I add a border and backing to them.

And the following quilt top is completed, I just haven't got any photos of it's current state.

I am now auditioning fabric for border and backing.

That's it for the retreat photos.

One evening, soon after getting back home, I made these Boho beaded tassel dangles.

Fun fun fun.

You can tell that the urge to create and be creative is still with me. 

I have so many things I NEED to make now, lol.

So, from a refreshed and revitalised  Cyra

Happy Stitching

Miniature Carpet & Finger-less Mitts

This will be a carpet/ (rug) for my miniature house. 

It's a trial run for me on the new loom that my darling hubby bought for me on his trip to England last year. I eventually found time to warp the loom and 'go-for-it'.

I'm experimenting with the loom to see how it handles making 1:12th scale rugs, so I chose a simple straight weave for this rug in a two colour chunky stripe.

I have actually done about double the amount that is showing on the photo, and hope to have it finished by this weekend (famous last words, haha).

And there is always a bit of crocheting going on in this house.

A pair of finger-less mittens for wearing while riding my bike (winter is coming here in the Southern hemisphere).

My Raleigh bike -- very retro, lol. 

I use this to get to my local craft groups meetings and for a jaunt around the town or to the library and also for grocery shopping. I try to do my bit to save the earth and not use fuel if I don't have to. If the weather is really horrible though I will take the car.

I'm designing a double-pannier bag to sew for the back rack. I have the perfect fun fabric to compliment the bike colours. 

(the basket balancing on 'his' handlebars is the basket for the front of my bike)

Next week I'm off to a remote stitching retreat, so I might not get a post posted here because I don't think there is internet where I'm going, and no telephone signal either, so it will be a very interesting (and fun) week with a great bunch of stitchers. I am sooooo looking forward to it.

I'll show photos etc after the event.

All for now.

Happy stitching.

Cyra

Freeform Crochet Neck-warmer x 2

Hello again. 

This week has seen the completion of two (yes two) accessories. Two cowls, or neck-warmers, very similarly put together, in slightly different colourways.

The fuchsia edged one ----

And the Purple edged one ---

I have also started on another rug for the mini house, but not enough of it yet for a photo.

We have survived the tornado that whipped through Opunake yesterday morning, The next village to us didn't fare so well in the tornado though, and I think 5 houses lost their roof and 3 more with major damage. The whole community is coming together for those left without homes.

The weather has definitely changed for the worse now, and we actually have the heater on in the lounge for a bit of respite from the unusual cold blast. 

It's good time to stay inside and stitch (as if I needed an excuse).

All for now, see you in the next post.

Happy Stitching

Cyra

A bit more on the hexie quilt & other things

What have I been up to this week. Well, lots of things of course, lol.

I have been slowly plodding away with my little ¾ hexies for the quilt.

Not a very interesting photo, but at least it is progress.

Another scrumblicious  scrumble.

And on the 'mini' scene, I have been making and staining more floor boards. 

This is about 60 boards. A long job ahead still.

And I've fitted the stove together, it still needs finishing off with paint and handles on the doors.

Because the miniatures are taking up a big part of my life, I've decided to start another blog site totally dedicated to my miniatures.

I'll let you know the url for it once it's up and running.

Thats all for now.

See you in the next post.

Cyra

Scrumble...Scrumble... & Craft Room Tour

Did you guess that I've been scrumbling, lol.

And a belated Happy St. Paddy's Day to all who celebrate.

This is my own design for a shamrock, which I attached to a hair slide and wore in my hair for the weekend. 

I've had a big sort out in my craft studio to make room for a dedicated 'art-space' as well now.

Loving the natural light that I get from the window.

My drawing board table can be tilted to any angle and also can be adjusted height ways too. Love it.

The black shelves hold the paints, acrylic, guache and water-colours.

The tan shelves hold my oil paints on the bottom shelf, all my containers of soft-pastels are on the 2nd shelf up, my journals and sketch pads next shelf up. All sorts of marker pens and inks on the next shelf, and then on the very top are things like masking fluid, rubbers, glue, and my larger art paper pads.

Under the table are two of my easels (the larger easels are stored in the garage.

The table holds my most frequently used supplies, i.e. china mixing trays, water container, brushes, pencils, and art crayons.

The armchair is where I do crochet and embroidery (or just chill out with a book).

Opposite the armchair is the sewing table which doubles up as a weaving table too.

Behind where I'm standing and to my left is the miniatures work station and my book shelves, plus another ranch slider (windows & door) the same as that one by the art table.

(I've not tidied that area so no photos, lol).

Hope you enjoyed that little tour of my art space.

I'm off to do some drawing now, catch you next next time.

Happy Crafting

Cyra

Bits of this and that ~~~

Little bits are progressing on a few different projects.

That is a spiral scrumble to be added to a few other scrumbles (ok, LOTS of other scrumbles) to create something -- I don't know what it will be until I have few more of them made, then it will tell me what it wants to be -- a bag, a hat, a garment, a wall hanging, whatever.

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Back into drawing again. A quick hand sketch for practice.

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The Pilli Pala Dolls House

I don't know how other people have got on constructing this dolls house themselves. The instructions are terrible. The right hand wall of the kitchen is the first piece they tell you to put together, and nowhere does it tell you that the uprights need to be attached with space bellow floor level, hence the 'gap' on mine. I will have to saw that much off the top now and glue it at the bottom. 

All the kitchen walls are up now, and the entrance hall next to the kitchen is almost done.

The checkered floor is a paper sheet that came with the house. Not sure that I like this look,  so I shall probably create some other flooring (and a better quality) than this. 

I think a wood floor would look better - watch this space, lol.

Auditioning some wood strips for flooring. I will remove the bent pieces from this pile first though.

That's my lot for now.

See you in the next post.

Happy Crafting

Cyra

Miniature works are fun

Working on small items for the dolls house is so much fun.

This small blanket/afghan for the bed is finished now and on the bed that I have shown you in a previous post. It is crocheted in embroidery threads, and each block is about 1" small. In real life the granny square blanket would be bigger, but as this is for decoration purpose only, I want the underneath bedding to be seen too.

Construction of the house has started at last now that Tony has cut me a base board to work on.

One downstairs room is almost complete.

And the kitchen table was a new start for this week.

Today is an embroiders guild work day and I shall be stitching on the miniature rug.

See you next time with more miniatures

Happy Stitching

Cyra