2014 Int. Free Form Fiberarts

I can finally reveal my Free Form Cerise Fiberart Neck Adornment.

It has now been published in the book: One Color

by the International Free Form Fiberarts Guild, of which I am a member.

The book is available at the following link:

    One Colour by Cyra Lewis 

ALL profits from the sales go to an International Charity (or charities) nominated by the members. 

I am honoured and proud to be in the company of such talented and inspirational fiber-artists, and I am pleased to call them all my friends.

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.

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

4 Weeks of Crazy Heart Quilt

Week 21

Crochet doily with a flower center. 

Week 22

Monogram playtime.

M is for Mark. 

Week 23

My family NEST.

Week 24

The beginnings of an encrusted area on the quilt.

The Building Blocks Quilt update.

This might not be the final layout for these particular building blocks. I just put them in this order for the photos.

Happy Stitching

Tuesday/Wednesday blog

We lost our internet connection for a few days, hence no mid-week post here. I'll not try to recapture my 'missing' days this week, but hope all will return to normal next week in Free Form Stitching World.

Watch this space.

Body-Warmer 'Thingamajig' is Finished

I finally managed to get some fairly decent photos of the Thingamajig.

I call it the 'Thingamajig' because:

...it isn't a waistcoat because it has a collar

..it isn't a jacket or a cardi because it doesn't have sleeves

...it isn't a tank top or a vest because it opens down the front

So..... it's a Thingamajig.

I love these loops and 'toggles' that I made for it.

Not a very good photo of it (or me, lol). This is from last week when the pic turned out more purple than its true colour.

Next week I'll catch up with photos on the Straight From the Heart Crazy Quilt as I know I am missing some photo updates of its progress. I have been stitching on it, but just not stopped to take photos. My bad.

Hope you've had a great week.

Happy Stitching

A 'Whooops' week

I wrote a little poem
To tell you about my week,
But the dog ate my pencil
And my pen began to leak.

My oven exploded on Friday,
So I spent a lot of time
Clearing up that awful mess,
The dinner inside it was mine.

The weekend here was very damp,
I really shouldn't complain,
But our river overflowed its banks
And the rain is lashing down again.

I finished up my crochet
And put it on the bed.
The photo turned out purple
But the 'thing' is pinky & red.

I hung the waistcoat on a branch
To get a better shot
But a load of squishy bird poo
Was all I ****** got

So I'm giving up for this post,
I know when I am beat.
I've got seven days to recover
And then everything will be sweet.

So I'll see you all again next week,
(Providing I'm still sane)
To show you all my latest stuff
And hope it wasn't in vain.


Cyra

The 'Thingamigig' Doth Groweth

Yes, I am surrounded by squares, and the vest 'thingamigig' is growing.

I love the colours that are mingling together.

It was trial, error and frogging that got it this far.

At first I was stitching back and forth in rows, but the stripes that appeared from this variegated yarn did not appeal to me (I'm not a lover of stripes for my own clothing), hence the creation of squares which made irregular 'patches' of colour which I like, and I have been doing nothing else all week (apart from housework, gardening, cooking etc.)

It is very unusual for me to work on just one project for the whole week.

Will hopefully have it finished by next week.

Hope you have a great week.

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

Back to Business

My apologies for going missing last week.

We had a last minute 'rush' as we got ready (yet again) to go for another week at the mountain view retreat, and only returned home very late last night.

I haven't been idle while I was away.

I was meant to be working on my  new  book on the  new  laptop that the darling man in my life bought me for Mother's Day, but we couldn't recharge it by solar panels power even though the man in the shop said we could. We will get a special (but expensive) transformer before we go off to our remote place next time.

Anyway, as I couldn't work on the laptop, I worked on my fiber and threads stuff.

 Building Blocks Quilt 

8 more 'steps' finished

That is the last of this stage made up now. I just have to start putting the next groups of blocks together.

 A Crochet Storm 

My own designs.

Four crocheted lace pieces. 

I did actually do five, but I've left one in the car and I can't be bothered to go out and get it.

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.