WIPW - Making Cards

Work In Progress Wednesday, oh it comes along so quickly! What have I achieved during the week?

Pile 'em On
Layer upon layer of thread in the circle.
A new flame of Diagonal Drawn Filling Stitch. I found the instructions in A-Z of Embroidery Stitches 2.

TASTy Beads Galore
Some kind of strange growth has emerged from the stem I stitched last week.
The stitch used was TAST #113 Beaded Feathered Chain with bugle beads.

New and Completed
Three cards were made.
1) Swiss machine lace that I cut apart and assembled into a 'propeller', topped with a machine stitched shisha and then fastened with some simple stitches.

2) Painted heart shaped wooden buttons on felt with stems of Twisted Chain, TAST #73 Portuguese Stem, Whipped Stem and the leaves are #1 Fly- and Back Stitch

3) Painted star shaped wooden buttons on felt with stems of TAST #55 Buttonholed Herringbone and #105 Alternating Buttonholed Cable Chain (or rather Alternating Buttonhole Chain - there is no cable link)

Conveyor Belt Wool Embroidery Needle Case

No progress what so ever!

Happy Village, or City rather, quilt

I have now presented my friend with the Happy Village quilt I made for her,  so I can show it here.

Now it is not a village, but a city. I made high rise buildings and billboards instead of quaint houses and cobbled lanes.

I cheated a bit and drew some windows and text with a pen.
The rest is done in the technique taught by Karen Eckmeier. Get her book and enjoy cutting up scraps, building a landscape, covering with tulle and then machine quilting.

WIPW - A Short Report

A short report for this week's Work In Progress Wednesday.

Pile 'em On
A flame of Four Sided Stitch, and odd threads added to the circle.

 Swedish Wool Embroidery - Needle cases

 Two more parts completed on the needle case 'conveyor belt'.

TASTy Beads Galore
I made only the base stem of a new plant, using TAST # 137 Beaded Knotted Buttonhole Band.

Don't ask me, ask Blogger, why the photo is upside down!

New (but reported a couple of days ago) HINA ornaments
I made three new ornaments for the Doll Festival, 2015. Read more here.

I'm afraid, that's all for this week.

HINA - new ornaments for 2015

For a month leading up to March 3rd we celebrate Hina Festival. Japanese homes with daughters will display dolls. My ornaments are made from scraps of kimono or chirimen.

This year I made:
A plum blossom.
The bud symbolises faithfulness, and the flower innocence.

A Hime Daruma
Daruma is a kind of doll that when fallen down stands up again. These are often made from papier mache, have a weight inside, and are thought of as bringing luck.
As a Hina ornament is symbolises endurance and the 'never give up' spirit that is so important in Japan.

Chili pepper
In olden days the Hina dolls, when not used, were stored in boxes with dried chili peppers. It served as a insect repellent (mothball).
Made for the Hina display, it is a wish that the girls of the family should not fall victim to evil 'insects' (bad luck or bad men!).

You can read much more about Hina at my page HINA, at the top of my blog.
Added later 1:
If you want to see lots of other Hina dolls, head over to Tanya's excellent report from her friend's house. Lots of pictures, don't miss it!

Added later 2:
KippySoMature mentiones in the comments below about the Hinamatsuri song. Here is a videoclip.