I'm giving papercutting a go. This is from an image here.
Don't look too closely. I used a scalpel but my curves are not very curvy. I'll try scissors as well as a blade next time.
There are some amazing papercut artists around. Have a look at their designs:
Oh my goodness. They are so wonderful.
Mary Blair Meadow Gold Calendar, originally uploaded by grickily
It's such a busy time of the year. And now holidays. Ahhh.
This evening I made lots of little wreaths like these, some for Christmas cards and some for decorations. I chopped into a nursery rhyme Golden Book and a Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer Golden Book.
Once I got the hang of the technique, they were very easy and satisfying to make.
I'll take some photos in the daylight!
Some beautiful vintage sewing from OneGirl
Speaking of Vintage Ric Rac, have a look at Jodie's superb tutorial for a Tape Measure pouch. Simply brilliant!
I have finished my name panel for Brown Owls.
I started with Faraway in chain stitch just to get in the mode. Not terribly happy with my stitching but much happier with my stem stitch (if that's the right term) on my name. Looks a little dull but green is one of my favourite colours so green it had to be!
Ahem, yes, unironed. Thanks for noticing.
I have also started on the Word Book sampler. I appreciated so many of your suggestions and decided to go with a pink iron transfer pencil and embroidered in red. So it's a redwork reference and also covers the pink lines.
The linen cloth has a machine embroidered flower on the other end that I will cut off and hem to make a tea towel. The cloth is huge so even with the trimming will make a nice big tea towel.
The linen weave is quite open and I'm finding the stitching a little wonky in places. I probably should have gone with some stabilising. But never mind. It's all a learning experience!
Drewzel suggested that this page from a school workbook would make a good sampler. What a good idea!
What is an easy way to transfer a design to fabric ready for embroidery?
By the way, I'm a very bad tracer so anything that doesn't involve taping to a window would be welcomed.
*Edited to add: Any experience with transfer pencils?
I've joined Brown Owls.
Because its good to join things and make friends.
And let's face it, I don't need any reason to join a club where you receive goodies in the mail and hang out with likeminded people.
I'm a Faraway. A bit like the Magic Faraway Tree, maybe?
What have I been doing lately? The usual work and icky-acky housework stuff. It’s a very busy time at work which will get worse before it gets better. But then I’ll be on holidays and can sleep in and watch Charlie & Lola in the morning.
The Christmas season of going out has started with a rather untidy work-do. I was the untidy bit not the do. Nevermind. J assures me I kept myself nice in front of the boss and those who matter. My workmates and I laughed ourselves silly and had the best night which was pretty good considering how unsocial I can be. Without trying to reclaim my youth, I felt young and stupid for a while and had a great time. I was the second youngest in the crowd who kicked on. Perhaps the oldness is in my head, a state of mind.
***
16 Candles:
I haven’t seen this since I was 14 or so. It was the first John Hughes film I saw and a defining moment. However, watching it now, I was disappointed and I kind of fast forwarded most of the movie. Obviously I’m no longer that 14 year old with the fantasy of being swept of my feet by the cute guy who didn’t know I existed, etc, etc. At the time I loved Molly Ringwald so much that I tried to make a camisole like the one she wore. I only got as far as the ribbon and lace front panel that I sewed to a square of unbleached calico (although her top was obviously silk!), cut it in half and didn’t get any further. Hence this funny, shiny, lacy triangle. I also have just seen Say Something, a much more interesting romantic comedy than 16 Candles. Nothing like a glimpse of the 80s for some reminiscing...
I received a fab bundle of fabric from Claire's giveaway plus this great postcard above (Tamago 2000); this is a fav fabric from the bundle.
And in the post box a bundle from Repot Depot.
All bargin bin purchases
I keep telling myself
And Mr J
It was such a good buy
And they're so lovely
And he knows it makes me happy
I think I've posted about craft podcasts before but I've just downloaded a whole stack from:
There's probably a niftier way to link to the podcasts but I'm not really sure. It's like Craft on the Wireless!
My favourite tutorial site: My half of the brain ‘More patterns than you can shake a stick at’.
That’s it really.
This fabric has been blogged about the place a bit. Seeing it in the Spotlight catalogue is one thing but having a look at in person is another thing.
I thought it might be a bit weedy and thin but its not.
And seeing Jodie’s bag (with Dick & Jane fabric, another one I'm hoarding like a fool!) meant I needed to buy some too. Don’t ask me how much I bought nor how much I spent. Being a fabric-blog tart, I left with the slicker on a roll (but I didn’t buy the whole roll). And the mushroom fabric was bought up big. I forgot how heavy metreage is in comparison to fat quarters. Never mind… I took mum with me and she was a good stick and helped me carry.
We hit a couple of op-shops and scored this funny little String bag. I think it was someone’s school sewing project because it is all hand sewn. There is a little embroidered hole in the middle – to pull through the string maybe?
A visit to Hancock's of Paducah and a trawl through the bargain bin resulted in these fabulous fabrics.
I went a bit wacky for Dick & Jane (there's a whole lot more on back order)
Nothing better than a bit of See Jane run. See Dick run. Run, run, run.
A quick trip out at lunchtime today to Vinnies scored a new linen tea towel, (more) buttons, zips and a gingham cloth. Linda, you're right, opshopping is the best retail therapy!
Some fabulous fat quarters from Aunty Cookie in the mail today.
I actually have a project to show today: a needlecase made from wool felt, hand stitched. Being sewing-machine-less (in case I failed to mention it before!), anything made needs to be hand-made.
The size and shape is rather random and the front cover decorations are like a sampler. I'm experimenting with stitching without looking too finely embroidered.
Please forgive the photos taken in a very classy way, on a creasy, stripey quilt on my bed. The first photo gives the appearance of felted-felt but it is really smooth and not as it appears.
My first idea was to use shapes punched out with paper punches like Moonstitches but it is bloody hard! I can only get a tiny punch to work as the felt is too thick even between a piece of confining paper. So all the circles are cut by hand and eye!
I will try to make another covered in tiny flowers using the only punch that will work. I've seen Sizzix punches used to cut felt so I'm just keeping an eye on eBay for any suitable shapes.
The wool felt is from Winterwood Toys which has the most amazing range of hand dyed felt, plus doll making and craft supplies. The felt is 100% wool and is the most wonderful fabric to sew with. It's soft and gorgeous and nothing like the acrylic stuff. Originally I bought acrylic felt from Spotlight but for some reason it wasn't until I got home that I realised it was crappy. Then I discovered this felt and rang and spoke to the Sandra who was so helpful it was unbelievable. I asked for a range of colours. She suggested I name the colours I wanted. So I said something like 'deep red but not too pink' or 'light ferny green but not too yellow', etc and she then chose it for me. Sandra dyes all the felt herself so it has lovely undulating colours. *Edited to say: Coincidentally, a Winterwood Toys catalogue arrived in the mail today but you can download it from the website and order online.
Now that I'm back at work after 4 days off (crikey!) I spent the first few minutes of the day setting up a reminder task to log on to Mix Tape Zine at 9.30am exactly to cadge a copy of the Special Edition. Then the next 1 1/2 hours were spent idly doing not much, hovering over my keyboard ready to pounce on a copy. (How unprofessional!) And now, I'm typing this post at work. Hopefully Mr IT is completely ignoring my Internet usage at work.
I am very slow to join the Mix Tape revolution because I stuffed up my payment. Unbelievably Justine sold me a copy just as she was about turn the 'Open' sign over on the shop door. Whew!
I was so excited to get it in the post box and even opened the envelope with so much care that I can still use the envelope. (My usual style is to tear-rip.) And the gloriousness inside! I love-love the design and the content is fab. I've read it cover-to-cover. Now just have to track down all those blogs and links.
It's just ace!
Thanks for all the op-shop love for my last post. It was a bonza haul, wasn't it?
Today I snagged these patterns (20c each!), mostly for the illustrations. The Vogue pattern is particularly stylish - I love the fold over collar and the models' languid air.
I remember wearing a tunic like this when I first started playing netball: 'bottle green' with a white tassel cord around the middle (did they have a special name? I can't remember). I'm not that old either but it seems such a long time ago.
These dresses are very much of mother's era, the tiny waist and full skirt. When we were little, we had a great dress-up box which included some of mum's 50s and 60s dresses. She still has them, though they are a little worse for wear, small children having dragged them around the house. I cringe a little to thing what beauties they were before we played in them. But mum was never fussed.
Isn't the pantsuit just swinging?
I love finding patterns pre-decimal currency.
I had a great day today op-shopping (Salvos, Quakers and Red Cross). I found these Actil sheets in their original box.
I found the little brochure in another pile of sheets. I might make it into a new blog header.
Pyrex, more knitting needles, ricrac and hooks and eyes 
Don't you love Madame Weigel's?
8 balls of 4 ply cotton (hope it's good and not a dud because I really like cotton) 
Making these
while eating this
Warm Apple Crumble (from mum's Pryex) with custard. Mmm
