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Wednesday 4 February 2015

WIPW - Back to work!

Work In Progress Wednesday. I enjoyed the quilt show, but it is nice to have time to work on projects myself again.

Pile 'em On
I began filling in a new 'flame' with Punch Stitch, but have not finished yet. The fabric is slightly uneven in the weave and I made a counting mistake. Just a thread too much here and there and the mistake is glaring you in the face. This has been a lesson in how important it is to have good light and count correctly. Never mind, Pile 'em On is for stress relief and should look 'messy' so it might just fit the bill!

TASTy Beads Galore
It was time for the TAST stitch #103 Beaded Butterfly Chain to be used for a plant.


New and Completed
This is a project I have not reported on before. The reason? It has been deep asleep on the UFO shelf for a long time.
It was started on a 45-minute workshop at Festival Of Quilts in Birmingham in 2013, but there was no time to complete it then, so it went into hibernation.  When I read my friend Tanya's report on how her protégé Yuma-kun had started on just such a quilt I decided it was time to finish mine.

This kind of quilt is called Happy Villages and is an original idea by Karen Eckmeier. It is so easy and great fun to make, I highly recommend getting her book.

This is my happy village:
 It has wetted my appetite for making other, more impressive villages and landscapes, but for now, this UFO is completed!

New and Completed
For my birthday I was given a subscription for this Swedish craft magazine.
It covers a lot of different crafts like woodwork and paper, as well as textile related craft. In this issue there was a pattern for stitched needle cases. I just had to try the pattern right away, and made these two, very simple ones:

I got the taste for making more, and make them more decorative with proper Swedish wool embroidery, maybe a bit of leather or fur, kavelfrans (napped edgings) and braided strings (kumihimo or lucet).

Have you had a good week?
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32 comments:

  1. Debbie4 February 2015 at 15:27

    I love what you did with the Beaded Butterfly Chain! You can read Swedish? :):)

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    Replies
    1. Queeniepatch4 February 2015 at 18:50

      Read Swedish?! Yes, being Swedish I can read it 'in my sleep'!

      Delete
    2. Debbie4 February 2015 at 19:03

      Oh, I didn't know that! I always thought you were British!

      Delete
    3. Queeniepatch4 February 2015 at 22:47

      Born and bred in Sweden, educated in the UK and matured in Japan! :))

      Delete
  2. Pamela4 February 2015 at 16:31

    Wonderful finishes! Doesn't it feel great to pull something out of hibernation and realize there is only a little more to do, then do it?

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    Replies
    1. Queeniepatch4 February 2015 at 18:52

      Absolutely! I've unloaded a heavy weight of UFO bad conscience!

      Delete
  3. Elizabeth's quarters4 February 2015 at 21:55

    Hi Carin, I love the freestyle drawn thread work. Call me blind but I honestly can't see the error–unless it's the tiny dent at upper right edge of the leaf/flame? The magazine looks intriguing–what does the cover image refer to?

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    Replies
    1. Queeniepatch4 February 2015 at 22:45

      Two vertical lines right in the middle, on one side five threads of fabric, on the other three, instead of the four I used for the other squares.
      Hemslöjden, a craft magazine of high quality, featured many interesting articles, about needles, and a tailor from Syria, but the cover photo is from an article about women in Guatemala and the traditional blouses the Mayas wear, huipil, which are woven and embroidered. Plenty to read here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huipil

      Delete
  4. Shami Immanuel4 February 2015 at 22:39

    nice finishes. Beaded butterfly stitch is beautiful. making an UFO into a FO is really is a pleasing experience.

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    1. Queeniepatch5 February 2015 at 11:40

      Hi Shami,
      I enjoyed the Beaded Butterfly - it is one of the easier beaded stitches where you can control the beads without problem.
      I don't like the U in UFO so am very happy to have a FO instead!

      Delete
  5. Annet5 February 2015 at 00:49

    It was a creative week for you! Love the village quilt, it's always nice to finish a UFO.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Queeniepatch5 February 2015 at 11:39

      Finishing the UFO village was the highlight of the week. It inspired me to make another though and I need to be careful or I'll have another half completed village on the shelf!!!

      Delete
  6. Séverine5 February 2015 at 02:31

    You have done such beutiful work this week. I love your drawn thread work and your beaded butterfly chain is beautiful. I made a few years ago many Happy Village for my grandchildren and it was very nice to do with them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Queeniepatch5 February 2015 at 11:38

      I bet the Happy Villages is a great idea to do with children. Everyone can make their own house, garden, gate, playground, fishing spot...
      The Beaded Butterfly is one of the easier beaded stitches.

      Delete
  7. Margaret5 February 2015 at 04:12

    It is great to see the variety of your stitching.

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    Replies
    1. Queeniepatch5 February 2015 at 11:36

      I get a lot of inspiration from your blog; you have so many projects on at the same time.

      Delete
  8. Stitching Lady5 February 2015 at 04:28

    If you ask already: My cold was terrible - but it is gone now, nearly... I am reading again blog posts and enjoy your post about the flame, bravo for the Tast stitches and the beautiful village and the little things from the certainly wonderful magazine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Queeniepatch5 February 2015 at 11:35

      Good to hear you are feeling much better. Snow and bitterly cold in Tokyo today. House cleaning is a good way to keep warm, but now I want to sit down and do some stitching, build a village or read a magazine!

      Delete
  9. https://linsartyblobs.blogspot.com5 February 2015 at 05:39

    I didn't spot the mistake on the thread work until you pointed it out, I find it so easy to miss count even on a straight weave.
    I'm glad you finished your happy village. Making villages is on of my favourite themes which I keep revisiting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Queeniepatch5 February 2015 at 11:33

      Now that I have pulled all the strings (no pun intended) on the flame, the mistake in counting threads is not so obvious. If you pull both vertically and horizontally you can even out the look it seems.
      I found that village building was most creative and enjoyable, and want to add more of my own touch (the workshop was based on a kit of course) to the next one.

      Delete
  10. Janie5 February 2015 at 08:57

    Queenie, thanks for sharing your inspiring work, I see the beautiful art, never any mistakes!
    I am of Swedish heritage too, on my father's side, English, Irish on my mom's.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Queeniepatch5 February 2015 at 11:46

      The mistake in counting threads is now covered up, or rather pulled into place. Once all the horizontal as well as vertical stitches were done you don't notice the miscount.
      Oh, of Swedish heritage?! Do you speak any Swedish? Your surname is it a Swedish one (as it spells out a Swedish word/name)?

      Delete
  11. Tanya5 February 2015 at 09:42

    No one else can tell there was any miscounting on your "flame" work! It sure looks intricate though! Your Happy Village is darling! They really are addicting aren't they. I have friends who want to make more too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Queeniepatch5 February 2015 at 11:48

      The flame looks much better now that all the pulled work is done and I have adjusted the tension.
      The Happy Village I made was a kit and I am longing to make a much more personal 'Queenieville' or indeed a city! Watch this space!

      Delete
  12. Julie Fukuda5 February 2015 at 11:50

    Wow, that kind of stitchery is not for those like me who can't count at all. I can barely manage a counted cross stitch on special fabric with holes. The owl is guarding my needles quite well. Thank you for sharing your gifts with all!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Queeniepatch5 February 2015 at 22:12

      Ha, ha, I am sure you would manage very well with pulled work. Tug hard enough and the stiches are distorted and no one knows how many holes are were in the first place!
      The owl should let you use the needles!

      Delete
  13. crazyQstitcher5 February 2015 at 13:09

    Wow! you have been busy. Love the Beaded Butterfly Chain, which would look good on land or below water.
    I visited Tanya's blog to see the making of Yuma-kun's quilt- a big task for anyone.
    Read up on Karen Eckmeier's quilts and books - very interesting and I enjoyed seeing your own Happy Village. You must feel really good to know it is a FO at last.
    Love the cute needle cases. Another way to display TAST stitches and what nice Christmas gifts they would make. The magazine appears to be loaded with good items.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Queeniepatch5 February 2015 at 22:15

      You're right, the Beaded Butterfly Chain has a sea weedy look about it!
      Tanya is a great teacher and will help Y-kun make an interesting village quilt.
      The needle cases could be good Christmas gifts! Some people I know have already started making things for X-mas, one per month, to be well prepared!

      Delete
  14. Anonymous5 February 2015 at 13:55

    the pulled is growing lovelier day by day. happy village made me smile. great idea. the beaded butterfly chain plant looks pretty. the ornaments look beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Queeniepatch5 February 2015 at 22:10

      Snow in Tokyo so it is nice to sit and count the holes on a new area of pulled work!

      Delete
  15. Chris(craft) and Dave(photos) Richards9 February 2015 at 16:15

    Hello Queenie, many apologies for my absence.........Just getting over the Flu !
    Love the beaded butterfly chain and your Happy village is so quaint, just love it........
    Now 'pulled work' is something I have never tried (cant count ) .
    I have a mountain of knitting to get through, will be nice to get back to my stitching eventually,
    hugs
    Chris Richards xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Queeniepatch9 February 2015 at 22:14

      Actually, you don't need to count a lot, just look where you put your needle. The trouble is the uneveness of the weave; it is easy to miss.
      Knitting is perfect for winter, take your time before you change to stitching!

      Delete

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