TAST - The Cross Stitch

Sharon, who's a bit under the weather at the moment, has chosen the Cross Stitch as this week's focus for TAST. As you know, the Cross Stitch is my specialty! I've worked it into my current project:



Now this certainly is not one of the defining patterns in my designing career but it sure makes for a pretty seam treatment!

Here's how it looks on the block:



As I mentioned yesterday, this is a Breast Cancer Awareness Charity design. I still have a few more do-dads to add but plan to complete this later today.

For now, I'll be finishing the Blue Butterfly pouch, the Teddy Bear pouch and then piecing the Autism Awareness Charity pouch. I should have loads to share with you tomorrow!

If you like my Cross Stitch seam treatment and would like to try it on your projects, here is the charted pattern:



Click on the image to go to my Flickr site where you can download the larger version of the pattern. I used 8.5 count Waste Canvas to for perfect spacing.

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 10:06 AM   2 comments

Red Hat Society Lady Purse Complete!

I have alot to share with you today! I thought I'd start my post today with some finishes. The Red Hat Society Lady purse is complete now:



I love this one so much! It came out so beautiful and perfect! I've added this to my Etsy shop. If you would like to see more photos of it, hop over there and take a peek.

My next finish is this little Spring Chick cellphone pouch:



The beaded crocheted edging at the bottom was made by my mom. I think it looks so pretty! She's made several of these edgings for me as a thankyou for selling some of her things for her.

I was asked what the size is of my cellphone pieces. The actual stitched area is 4 inches wide X 5 inches high. When finished, they measure 4 inches wide X 5 1/2 inches high. I allow an extra 1/2 inch at the bottom for trim.

If anyone wants the Spring pouch, please drop me an email. I'm planning on taking it up to my showcase in Richmond later this week.

Also completed, is the stitching on this pouch:



If you remember, I was asked to make a cellphone pouch without an image on it. I'll do the machine finishing on this tomorrow along with the finishing on the teddy bear pouch and should have a final update on those by the end of the week.

Many of my long time cross stitch followers know that I have several charity organizations that I support. The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Our Children's Circle - Autism Awareness and Pet's In Need, my local no-kill animal shelter.

I've decided to do several charity pieces and donate a portion of the selling price to those charities. The first will be the Breast Cancer Awareness Pouch:



I have a vintage rhinestone pin in the shape of a ribbon. I'll be using that as a focal point on this piece. I plan to do the embroidery and embellishing with pinks & greens. I'll be starting the stitching later today.

Tomorrow, since I'll have my sewing machine out, I'll piece the Autism pouch. Kim, my long-time friend and model stitcher was kind enough to stitch up a cross stitch puzzle piece for me which I designed specifically for the Autism Pouch. The puzzle piece is the symbol for Autism.

My Pets In Need pouch is all sewn up but I'll share that when I get to it.

Once these are all complete, I'll get back to some more purses. And that embroidered peacock piece that I've been wanting to do!

I'm off to do some design work. Check back tomorrow for an update on the Breast Cancer Awareness Cellphone Pouch!

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 8:51 AM   1 comments

TAST - The Fly Stitch

I was glad to know I didn't bore you all too much yesterday with my Living Room drama! It's been quite stressful for me. I like neatness, order, no clutter, "a place for everything and everything in it's place". And I like beauty. But this room is anything but beautiful at the moment!

I kind of have to have "tunnel vision" to deal with it. I set some rules for the space in which I stitch. No clutter on the coffee table, the TV cabinet or the DVD cupboard. This is what's in my range of view and thankfully, my husband has been respectful of that.

When all is said and done, it will be decorated with a Cottage Victorian feel. I'll be sponge painting the walls with an icy aqua glaze. The trim will be white and then I'll be stenciling little bits of ivy here and there. Not all the way around the room, just a bit here and there. I want it to look like a Victorian Sunroom. Eventually, I want white wicker furniture in there but for the moment, I'll have to live with what I have so I'll get some pretty covers for our sofa and chair. When it's done, which probably won't be for another couple of months, I'll share some before and after photos. You really won't believe the difference.

Onto stitching! I completed the handwork on the Red Hat Lady Society Purse yesterday along with the little Spring Cellphone Pouch. My husband took the camera today so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to share photos of those with you. Oh, but just wait until you see them! Esp. that Red Hat Lady!

Once those were complete, I started on this little pouch:



When I started on this, I had no clue about what to do. I wasn't thrilled with how it pieced up. The corners of the black velveteen were too harsh. I found the little butterfly applique in my stash but it was lost in that large space. I decided to try working with it but held off on sewing it down until I had some of the seams covered.

While digging though my "way more than I need" lace stash, I found the blue floral trim that I used to the left of the butterfly. I loved the way it looked and decided to stay with a blue and white color scheme.

If you're new to crazyquilting, that's a really good way to start. Pick one thing that you want to use, and work off of that.

I started with my beloved Feather Stitch on the top seam. I then wanted to work this week's TAST Fly Stitch into this so I covered the bottom seam with that. I of course, can never leave anything as intended so I added what I call "small fan" stitches to the bottom of the Fly Stitch.

That still left way too much space for the butterfly so I moved him up a bit and started my vine (which I use to add movement and soften harsh corners) at the bottom of the black velveteen patch. As you can see, it filled in that excess space! I simply did a stem stitch vine and added the SRE leaves. I was going to do the flowers in SRE too. But I didn't have any icy blue ribbons. In fact, my stash of blue ribbons is very limited so I'll be emailing Pat Winter and asking her if she might be able to put together a small custom pack of blues for me.

I have some design work to do now, so I'll leave you with the charted versions of the traditional Fly Stitch and then my own variation:





Click on one of the images to go to my Flickr site where you can download the larger versions of the patterns.

I'll have another update for you tomorrow!

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 9:05 AM   1 comments

Teddy Bear Pouch - Stitching Complete

I apologize for not posting yesterday. It was a busy day for us.

I think I've mentioned this before, but in case I didn't, we're in the middle of remodeling our Living room. We started this project last February. There was a drop-ceiling in that room which we decided to rip out only to find yet another drop-ceiling above it. So we ripped that out and then put a real drywall ceiling in and a gorgeous ceiling fan. Ripping all that stuff off of the ceiling made the ceiling 9 inches higher!

We then ripped the carpeting out. I've always hated carpeting. Once we got the carpet out, we discovered old linoleum from 1960 underneath. The reason we know it's from 1960 is because beneath the linoleum, was sheets of newspaper, all dated 1960. Why that was there, we have no clue! And, it was the ugliest linoleum I've ever seen!

Knowing that it would be awhile before we would get to installing new flooring, I painted the subfloor white. This house was built in 1937 and that old subfloor was dark and it smelled terrible. Painting it made it liveable for awhile.

Ok, so the next thing we did was to have the 6 windows replaced with nice, big new Pella windows and then we had 2 extra windows put in. It's a really bright room now! We also have an interior door going out to an entry room so we had that replaced with a door that has all the little glass panes in it. Even more light!

By this point, we had both enough for awhile so we put the project on hold for the Summer and started back on it in November.

I'm very happy to say that we are finally getting ready to put the hardwood flooring in. Yesterday, after running some errands, stopping at Hobby Lobby and Michaels (yes I had coupons) and having lunch, we went to Home Depot and bought 19 boxes of prefinished solid oak flooring. It has to sit in the house for a week before installation but Scott will be putting that in next weekend.

We've had this house for almost 15 years now. We've done so much from gutting and remodeling the bathroom, updating the kitchen, replacing all of the windows, putting wood floors in throughout the house and I have to say, this living room project has been the biggest nightmare of all. It has been so much work, so much debris, so time consuming and expensive but finally I know, there will be a light at the end of the tunnel very soon!

Now that I've told you way more than you probably wanted to know, I will get on with the really fun stuff!

I finished up the stitching on the Teddy Bear Cellphone Pouch last night:



Isn't this just too cute?!! As I told you the other day, I had to dye the feather myself and I had to cut it into several small pieces to make it work. I sewed that down, added the Silk Ribbon Embroidery and then the beads.

I will assemble it on my sewing machine during the week and have it ready to ship to it's new owner on Friday. In case you're new to my blog, the cat in the top right-hand corner is my signature. He appears somewhere on every crazyquilt piece I do. If you'd like to see a larger version of the image, just click it to go to my Flickr site.

My next project will be this:



I had a request for a cellphone pouch without an image on it. Something with either a piece of vintage jewelry, or some embroidery or an applique. Just no pictures. I haven't decided yet where this is going so stop by tomorrow for an update.

My plan for today is to do the hand-finishing on my Red Hat Society Lady Purse and the Spring cellphone pouch. Once those are complete, I'll start on the blue piece.

I hope I didn't bore you too much with my Living room project! I just thought I'd mention this as it's been a big focus for me for a year now! I try to stay on topic here but since I work at home, my house is a big part of my life!

More tomorrow.....

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 10:23 AM   5 comments

Teddy Bear Cellphone Pouch Update

I only had about 2 hours of stitching time yesterday. I went for groceries in the morning and then did the machine finishing on my Red Hat Lady purse and the Spring Chick cellphone pouch. I still have the handwork to do on those which I have scheduled for over the weekend.

In only two hours, I did manage to get some beads on this:



I went through my package of feathers but no purple. So guess what I did? Yes, I soaked a white feather in purple dye and what came of that is the loveliest shade of lavender! I used my blow dryer to fluff it up and now it's ready for attaching to the hat. I'll have to cut it up a bit as it's way too big for the little bear but I'm sure I can make that work. If all goes well, I expect to have that attached for tomorrow's update.

I've been hearing that some of you were quite amused by my "duh" moment! Thinking about it, I'm still rather amused myself. I really wonder where my brain is sometimes!!!

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 11:09 AM   2 comments

Teddy Bear Cellphone Pouch

As I mentioned yesterday, I have received several orders for custom cellphone pouches. The first, is for one in purple and yellow with a teddy bear theme.

I searched through my bits of vintage jewelry but I knew I didn't have a bear. I looked through my copyright free clipart and vintage photo images but again, nothing with a teddy bear. I pondered this for a bit, trying to figure out what to do for a bear as a focal point and then suddenly, I remembered that I am a professional pattern designer that I've designed tons of teddy bears! Insert a great big DUH here!

The first design that popped into my head was Hatbox Teddies:



These little teddy bears having a tea party has always been a favorite of mine. The bear to the left with the Victorian hat was a perfect focal point! I simply changed the colors from pink & blue to purple & yellow, printed him up on commercial inkject fabric and pieced my block:



I embroidered the seams last night so this is what it looks like at the moment:



I want to go through some of my do-dads and see if I have a real purple feather to sew onto the hat. I then plan to do some Silk Ribbon Embroidery on the hat as well. I'll start beading it later today so stop by tomorrow for an update.

And in case anyone is wondering about the Hatbox Teddies design, it is currently retired.

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 1:11 PM   5 comments

At Home With Needlework Magazine February 2007 Issue

Zweigart has just released the February issue of their At Home With Needlework Magazine:



Here is the list of my designs which appear in this issue:

Butterfly & Berries Tabletopper - page 9
Summer Nap - page 12
Hummingbird In Flight - page 36
Touch Of Spring (Cover Designs) - page 45
Christmas Kittens - page 62

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 1:05 PM   1 comments

A Pattern For Your Crazyquilting

Well, I worked later yesterday than I normally do. I was so close to finishing up my design work, that I decided to just keep going until it was completed. By the time I was done, my eyes were hurting from staring at the computer all day so I didn't manage any stitching time. Instead, I parked myself in the chair, looked at a catalog and watched Star Wars on HBO!

Since I don't have any stitching to share with you today, I worked up a nice little pattern for you to use on your crazyquilts:



Click on the image to go to my Flickr site where you can download a larger version of the pattern.

Pin your Waste Canvas to the area on which you like to stitch this design on your crazyquilt piece. You can use #5 or #8 Perle cotton to stitch this or several strands of embroidery floss. Stitch the design, following the chart and then carefully remove the waste canvas. If you prefer not to use Waste Canvas, you can trace this onto tissue paper, pin that to your piece, stitch and then remove the tissue.

I received several orders this week for custom cellphone pouches and one for a custom CQ kit. So I'll be making some changes to my stitching schedule. I'll be doing foundation piecing today on my sewing machine and will have to start work on these projects right away.

Stay tuned because I do expect to have some stitching to share with you tomorrow.

Enjoy the pattern!

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 10:00 AM   2 comments

New Projects

I didn't manage any stitching time yesterday. I'm in the middle of a design project so I was focused on that all day and then when my husband came home from work, we ran up to Michaels so I could use my coupon. Love those Michaels Craft Store coupons!

I did pull out two new projects to work on:



This will be a purse with a Spring theme. I sewed this block up a couple of weeks ago. I have no idea where it's going to go so it should be interesting to watch my progress on this one.



I traced this one awhile back on some muslin that I had hand-dyed. I plan to stitch this entirely with DMC Rayon Floss. Yes, call me crazy! It's a challenge to work with but I love it because of the shine!

I don't know if I'll have time to start on both of these today. Like I said, I'm in the middle of a design project. And normally, I only work on one stitching project at a time but I've been wanting to do some more simple old-fashioned embroidery and I always want to crazyquilt so I thought I'd alternate on these.

Speaking of old-fashioned embroidery and iron-on transfers, specifically Vogart patterns, Laren of The Needle's Excellency blog has put alot of time into cataloging all of the pattern packs that Vogart produced from the 40's - 60's. This is a wonderful resource for those of you who like me, collect vintage Vogart patterns. You can find Laren's Vogart Reference Library site here.

I was quite to surprised to see how many I'm missing! I have quite a few but not all of them. Now I'll have to start adding to my collection again!

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 11:28 AM   2 comments

American Bald Eagles

First, I want to share with you my completed Spring Chick pouch:



I completed the stitching Friday evening just before my husband and I went out to dinner. If I can stay on schedule, I'll assemble it later this week along with the Red Hat Lady purse.

On Saturday morning, we drove down to Peoria, Illinois where my in-laws live to spend the weekend with them. It's about 3 1/2 hours south of were we live. I'm really excited about sharing the following photos with you! The Illinois River is open in some areas down there so the Bald Eagles spend the Winter on the river! This is a site that I can't even begin to describe! They just sit in the trees along the river, hundreds of them! We probably saw 100 eagles yesterday!











All of these photos were taken from our truck. If you get out of your vehicle, it frightens them and they fly away, which is also an amazing site!

We saw one tree that had 8 eagles in it! For those of you who live outside the US, these are huge birds! Beautiful and majestic! To see so many in one place is just breathtaking.

I have some design work to do so I'll end here. If you would like to see larger versions of my eagle photos, just click on one to go to my Flickr site.

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 10:14 AM   10 comments

TAST - More On The Feather Stitch

Grab a snack and relax because I have loads of things to share with you today!

First, I have photos of the last 3 cellphone pouches that I made. These are complete now:



These little cherubs would be so cute as a small purse for a little girl going to a wedding or even on Easter Sunday for church!



Susan asked me what the purple heart was on the left of this design. It's a button with a cool finish on it. Almost hologram looking!



I think I mentioned this while I was stitching on this project, the watermelon was a beaded pin kit from Mill Hill. I never wore it so I decided to use it as a focal point on this pouch. It's stitched on perforated paper. I took the pinback off of it and sewed it in place.

The watermelon pouch is a gift for Scott's step-mom. The Cherubs and the Lucky Lady pouch will be going to the brick & mortar store. I'll run up there this afternoon and add them to my showcase.

I have so many ideas for new projects now! I plan to take some time next week and sew up a few more purse and cellphone pouch blocks. I'm also feeling the need to make myself another purse!

The other day, my mom gave me a copy of her Victorian Trading Company catalog. I've requested their catalog many times and still have to yet to receive one! This is why my mom gave me her extra copy. Anyway, I fell in love with some of the vintage style clothing that they offer! I decided to look around online to see what other vintage inspired clothing I could find and I found this site, Premier Designs Historic Clothing. Oh my goodness! Now, I have no place to wear Victorian style tea gowns and I couldn't care less about Victorian style undergarments, but I do love the blouses that they offer! Specifically, this blouse. I will be ording this blouse for myself next week! I will be able to wear this in the Spring with the black skirt that Scott bought me for my birthday. And to go with it, I'll be making myself a Blackwork handbag. I'm sure I will be quite over-dressed for my little trips to Michaels and Borders bookstore but I don't care! I feel so cool wearing things like this! So stayed tuned for yet another Blackwork crazyquilt project!

I will be away from my computer this weekend and will return on Monday with an update on my little Spring Cellphone pouch. I expect to complete this later today but here's what it looks like at the moment:



As you can see, I used my beloved Feather Stitch again!



This is yet another one of my many variations! Being that the Feather Stitch is this week's stitch focus for Sharon's TAST Challenge, I will leave you with the charted pattern in case you'd like to give this try:



Click on the image to go to my Flickr site where you can download the larger version of the pattern.

Until Monday, have a great weekend everyone!

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 9:39 AM   5 comments

TAST - The Feather Stitch

Sharon has chose the Feather Stitch as this week's stitch focus. Yes, this is one of my absolute favorite stitches! It appears in one variation or another on almost every crazyquilt piece I do! I don't know what it is about this stitch that I like so much. I think some of it is the rhythm of working it and I also think that it is a very visually attractive stitch.

Here is a photo of it as it appears on my Red Hat block:



When working it over a seam, I always use waste canvas for perfectly spaced stitches. I've added Lazy Daisy stitches and Fan stitches for a more interesting treatment. The Feather Stitch works up quite well on waste canvas so I've charted it out for you just as I worked it on the Red Hat block:



Click on either photo to go to my Flickr site where you can download a larger version of the pattern.

Here is how it appears on the now completed block:



To continue the sense of movement across the bottom of the image, I added a button cluster using buttons in various shades of purple, lavender and violet. The gold heart button draws the eye to the cluster and the rest of the buttons move the eye to either side of the image allowing the eye to "get into the flow" of the rest of the design.

This is complete now so next week, I'll assemble it and add it to my Etsy shop.

In the meantime, this will be my next little project:



I'm really needing to "think Spring" at the moment! I thought I'd stitch up this little Spring Cellphone Pouch and then I'll be doing some more purses.

For now, I'm heading out into the deep freeze to get groceries. Arrgggg.......

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 7:59 AM   3 comments

Red Hat Lady Purse Continued

I spent most of yesterday working on this project:



I moved the vintage trim down just a little bit. This adds some space between that and the feather stitch. Visually, it's more pleasing to the eye. I then beaded it with some glass flower and leaf beads.

Up at the top, I did some SRE, creating a Wisteria vine. At least that's what it's supposed to be! Notice the "movement" now around the image. I love it when I manage to accomplish that. There's a flow to this piece. The eye starts in the center with the focal point and then gently moves around that image. I accomplish this with my use of color.

Vines are an excellent way to bring movement into a crazyquilt project. You've probably noticed that I use alot of vines on my crazyquilts. It takes the "stiffness" out. You can use a vine to soften a hard edge. I usually start with some stem stitching, then decide if I want to use embroidered flowers, beads or SRE. I'll add that and then some leaves. In this case, I used some detach chain stitches for leaves, filled in with some seed beads and then added some leaf sequins.

My next step will be to finish up that spider web and then add my cat which will be in the bottom right-hand corner. Then onto the larger embellishments like buttons and charms. I have a hummingbird charm that I would like to use on this and if they work, I would like to add some buttons too.

More tomorrow....

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 10:22 AM   1 comments

Custom Purses & Cellphone Pouches

Yesterday, I assembled the last 3 cellphone pouches that I made. All I have left to do on them is to add the chain and the snaps. That's on my list for today.

I did some more stitching on the red hat purse too:



I painted the applique, sewed that on and started beading it. Looking at it on the computer, I might move the vintage gold trim down a little bit. I feel like it's too close to the feather stitch which is about the same width. Visually I feel like they compete with each other and I think I can solve that problem by moving it down just a bit.

I'll probably work on this most of the day today. The weather we've been having is making me an absolute crazy person. I feel like Bill Murrey in the Groundhog Day movie. Everyday I wake up and everyday the forecast is the same. It never changes. Cold and snow! I've never mentioned it before but I deal with Seasonal Affective Disorder. I can actually feel the storms and the changes in barometric pressure and it messes terribly with my nervous system. When I feel this way, the only thing I can focus on is stitching.

Janet asked me if this was a cellphone pouch or a purse. This will be a purse, the same style as the White Peacock Purse. I found beaded goldtone handles at Michaels for it and I have some gorgeous red upholstry fabric to use on the back.

I don't know if anyone is interested but I will gladly do custom purses and cellphone pouches. Any theme or any color. I can use photos too like I did with the vintage image of my grandfather. Feel free to email me if you'd like a custom project.

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 7:57 AM   3 comments

Red Hat Society Purse

I started on this piece yesterday:



As you can see, I did some SRE on the hat, matching the flowers in the image. I plan to add a few beads to that as well.

The metallic gold trim on the bottom right-hand corner is vintage, probably from the 50's. I found it at a flea market last Summer along with some vintage silver trim. The rhinestones and pearls were already there. These trims are gorgeous in person!

I'm going to do some type of vine to the right of the image, maybe more SRE.

For now, I have 3 cellphone pouches to assemble.

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm not at all into the Red Hat thing, but I like red and purple together. If you're interested in reading more about The Red Hat Society, you can find their official website here.

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 7:42 AM   1 comments

More Crazy Quilting

I started on this "Lucky Lady" Cellphone Pouch yesterday afternoon and finished it this morning:



Green and purple always seem to work so well together! And I've always loved this little Victorian Irish lady image.

My next project will be this:



I'm not at all into the Red Hat thing but I do love the way red and purple work together and I love images of ladies in hats so I thought this would be a fun project.

If you're new to my blog, here's a photo of another "Red Hat Society" project that I did:



This is a 15 inch wallquilt. The hat is hand-appliqued and stuffed with a bit of fiberfill to give it some dimension. It's available in my Etsy shop. I've lowered the prices on all of my quilts in hopes of moving them to new homes.

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 9:51 AM   3 comments

Spring Crazy Quilt Heart Kits

I've added some Spring themed 6 inch crazy quilt heart kits to my Etsy shop:









These would make the cutest ornaments for Spring holiday gifts!

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 1:36 PM   1 comments

Watermelon Cellphone Pouch

After taking some new things up to my showcase at the brick & mortar store yesterday, I finished this little watermelon cellphone pouch:



I didn't quite get it straight on the scanner but you'll see it again when I get the finishing done on it.

The watermelon was a little beaded pin worked on perforated paper that I made a few years ago. It was one of those Mill Hill kits. I literally made dozens and dozens of them. Many were gifts but I kept a few for myself which I never wear so I thought I'd start using them on my crazyquilts.

This isn't quite as wild as I thought it would be but it's still fun and funky!

My next project will be this "Lucky Lady Cellphone Pouch":



I feel like doing something with a St. Patrick's Day theme. I thought a little something Springy would be nice to stitch on. It might help me believe that Spring is only a few weeks away. It's a little hard to do with this terrible cold spell we've been under.

After this, I'll be doing another purse. The block is sewn up and ready to stitch. In fact, I just bought some beaded purse handles for it at Michaels this morning.

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 11:06 AM   0 comments

TAST - Algerian Eye

AKA - Eyelet stitch. This has always been one of my favorite stitches. I can do it for hours on end but until now, I've never used it on a crazyquilt piece. It has shown up many times in my charted work though:



I think now that it's been brought to my attention, I'll be using it more in CQ's. What I've done here is nothing new or unusual but the Algerian Eye is another suitable stitch for waste canvas so I've charted out my seam treatment for you in case you would like to try this:



Click on either image to go to my Flickr site where you can download the large version of the pattern.

So onto my crazy watermelon piece! I wanted to mention the large white flower beads. Those are carved Mother Of Pearl beads! I bought a little pack of them at the bead store in Galena the last time we were there. I wish I had bought more! We're planning on going again, at least for a day in March so I hope they still have some.

My feather stitch is a little different than what I normally do and I'm not sure if I like it or not. If anyone likes it and wants me to chart it out, please let me know.

I still have more embellishing to do on this and I hope to add the watermelon pin later today so stop by tomorrow to see another update.

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 9:41 AM   1 comments

Why I Accomplish So Much

First, I'm running a bit late again. That's because I usually go grocery shopping on Thursday mornings. It was slow start today as I had to force myself to venture out. When I left, the temp was -3 degrees. And ya'll know how I feel about that!

I'll start off with my completed Cherub Pouch:



I really didn't have much stitching left on it. I tried it keep it very pastel, almost washed out looking. I like it, but I'm glad to be moving onto something with more color in it.

Like this one:



Betcha can't guess the theme is for this! Ha, ha, ha!! Yes, it's a bit out there. But that's what I like about crazyquilting. It can be traditional or contemporary, Victorian or funky! In this case, it's quite wild & funky! But I like it. A nice change from what I've been doing.

This will be a gift for Scott's step-mom. We'll be seeing her next weekend and I want to take a little something for her. I don't think she reads my blog. Anyway, I have a beaded watermelon pin that I made a few years back and never wear so I thought I'd use that in the center. I'll be starting on this a little later this afternoon. I'm quite excited about seeing where the stitching goes on this!

I want to answer a few questions that I received in yesterdays comments. The first was from Patternnut. She would like to know where to find my new leaflets that I posted about yesterday.

Those should be available in all specialty needlework shops but if you don't have one near by, you can try Joann at 123stitch. Click here for the link.

Gail then asked me how I manage to get so much done. Well, my husband works near the city and is gone from 6 in the morning until 6 at night. We don't have children so it's just us and our 4 little cats.

I'm not one to cook much. Actually, I don't cook at all. Anything that requires the oven or the grill is my husband's job. Ha, ha, ha!!! Honestly, we eat alot of salad and fruit and that doesn't require much preparation, nor alot of clean up. We don't eat sugar so I don't bake. Other than taking care of my cats, the house and laundry, all I really have to do (this time of year) is design cross stitch, do my CQ's and sew. Once Spring comes, I'll be outside working in the yard here and there and although I like a bit of gardening, it's not what I live for so I keep it nice, I keep it weeded and watered, but I don't go insane over it.

I guess that's how I get so much done. I've always been good at setting goals and sticking to them and that probably helps too.

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 1:17 PM   1 comments

More Finishes

I was quite busy again yesterday, doing some more machine and hand finishing. The 2nd Blackwork Cellphone Pouch is complete with hand-beading all the way around:



This is all packed up and ready for it's new owner.

My next finish is the little Pink Seascape Cellphone Pouch:



All that's left to do on this is add the chain which I'm out of at the moment. I'll pick some more up tomorrow when I go into town. I added some beaded fringe to the bottom and some sparkly sequined trim. If anyone wants this one, just drop me an email. I'm planning on taking this up to my Showcase at the brick & mortar store on Friday.

My next finish is this little embroidered and crayon tinted bunny which I stitched back at Thanksgiving:



My crayon tinted doorknockers do quite well at my showcase so I thought I'd get this one ready to take up with me on Friday. Again, if anyone wants this, just drop me an email.

If you would like to stitch this design (it's one of mine) you can find the pattern here on my Flickr site.

Finally, when all finishing was complete, I had a bit of time left to do some more stitching on this:



I didn't get real far but I expect to have some stitching time later today.

For now, I have to run to the Post Office and then I plan to sew up a few more blocks. I like having a whole stack of things ready to stitch on!

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 10:54 AM   1 comments

New Crazy Quilt Kits With Hand-Painted Pansies

Would you like to try Victorian Crazyquilting but perhaps you aren't sure how to do the piecing or maybe you don't have access to fancy fabrics?

I've put together several 9 inch "ready to stitch" crazyquilt blocks along with some lace, trim, beads and a butterfly charm. I've handpainted the pansy on white China Silk with permanent fabric paint and heat-set it.







Add your own threads and other embellishments to make a one-of-a-kind Victorian style Crazyquilt, then frame or finish into a pillow or purse.

A beautiful gift for you or a friend!

These are now available in my Etsy shop.

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 10:47 AM   1 comments

New Cross Stitch Design Releases

Just released by Imaginating, Inc., 3 of my new leaflet designs:







Yes, there will be an Autumn and Winter Quilt too!

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 10:43 AM   1 comments

Loads To Share Today!

Well, I have alot of photos to share with you today so grab some tea and enjoy!

I finished the stitching on the Pink Seascape Pouch yesterday:



It looks a little "washed out". One of these days I'll get the hang of using that camera! But it's enough for you to see what I did with it.

When doing a seascape, you have to work your way from the back to the foreground. As I mentioned when I started on this, the background is one of my painted dryer sheets applied to the foundation with Heat & Bond. I then added a piece of metallic gold mesh, tacking it on here and there with sewing thread. I did my feather stitching and my buttonhole wheels, then added the fancy yards and some tatted tendrils. After that, the seashells were added. If you want to drill holes in seashells, you'll need a 1/18" drill bit. Then I added the beads and sequins.

It's all sewn together now and all I have left to do is the hand-finishing which I plan on doing today. My little cat is there. Can you find him? I usually make him quite obsure on the seascapes.

The next photo is the completed Blackwork Peacock Purse:



This is so much more beautiful than it looks here! I added beaded fringe to the bottom and then some black braided gimp. I love that stuff! Anyway, it has a gold chain which is removeable so the purse can be used as a clutch. It's on a gold purse frame, lined with black cotton fabric and backed with the same silver Brocade that I used for the ruffle at the top. This is another one that I hate to part with but it already has a new owner so I guess I'll just have to do another one for myself down the road!

Another completed finish is my Green Painted Lady Cellphone Pouch:



Again, I love this one! It's backed with the teal taffeta that I used on the front. I lined it with an aqua and pink floral print and has a silver chain. While rearranging my bead stash, I came across 2 beautiful mint green glass beads that have painted flowers on them so I attached them to the sides with some glass pearl beads. I'm planning on taking this up to the real store on Friday so if anyone wants it, please email me. I like to give my blog readers first dibs!

When I finally had everything finished yesterday, I started on this little pouch:



I was thinking that this would be so cute for a First Communion or a flower girl at a wedding! Even for Christmas or Easter, this would be perfect for a little girl.

This what it looks like at the moment:



Yes, that is the Herringbone stitch with fan stitches over the ribbon. I did the exact same seam treatment on my Yellow Rose Purse. I guess I liked it! And it lightened up that gold ribbon just a bit.

So, that's my post for today! This afternoon, I'll be doing the hand-finishing on that Pink Seascape Pouch and the 2nd Blackwork Pouch. I expect to have photos of those for you tomorrow.

I also put some new CQ kits together. I'll have photos of those tomorrow. These "ready to stitch" kits have hand-painted pansies on white china silk as a focal point. I've included lace, trim, a butterfly charm and some beads. I'll list them in my Etsy shop tomorrow.

I want to mention too, that Allison Aller has a new blog! Thankfully! I was missing her daily posts and photos of her incredible stitching. Hop over to "Allie's In Stitches" and welcome her to Blogger!

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 11:00 AM   3 comments

Seascape Continued

Well, I didn't finish this yesterday like I had hoped:



Yesterday was my dad's birthday so went over to my parents house for a few hours. It was so cold outside! Much the same as today. The cold just zaps me physically and mentally. I honestly can't stand it when we have these extreme temps.

When we got home, I parked myself on my sofa with a quilt and just sat and watched the Superbowl. I'm not a huge football fan but I've always liked the Superbowl. Probably because it's the last football game of the season that I have to listen to! I was honestly hoping our Bears would win but at least they made it to the final game. Which is more than I can say for my Cubbies!

I'm about done with housework and chores for the day so I expect to complete the stitching on this later and if all goes well, I should have a ton of finished items to share with you tomorrow.

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 9:57 AM   2 comments

Blackwork & Seascape

Last night, I completed the 2nd Blackwork Cellphone pouch:



The black on white certainly makes for an interesting piece! I plan to sew this up tomorrow and get it ready to ship on to it's new owner.

It's a cold one here today! I think it was 12 below over night. Ewwww......these terribly extreme temps make me restless. I've been up since 3 am and started on this piece:



I didn't crop this image down because I wanted you to see how I mark my foundation. I use a permanent marker. It shows on both sides so I know where to cut and where my seam line is. On regular CQ's, the piecing covers it up so I run a basting stitch along the inside line but I didn't have to do to that on this one. I leave 1 inch between the seam line and the outside line. Honestly, I don't know why I do that, I just always have. When the stitching is complete, I trim down to 1/2 inch seams, sew my piece and then trim the seams to 1/4 inch. That allows for fraying and shifting that may occur during sewing.

As with my last Seascape piece, this is one of my painted dryer sheets ironed on with Heat & Bond.

After a few hours of stitching and couching, this is what it looks like now:



Scott just drilled the holes in my seashells for me so I can now add them and start adding the beads. I'll probably have this completed later today.

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 7:12 AM   3 comments

TAST - The Chevron Stitch

This another stitch that I don't care for all that much. I've used it, but sparingly. It is however, a good candidate for perfect spacing using waste canvas:



As you can see, I couldn't leave it just plain! I had to add something interesting to it so I added my beloved little fan stitches.

I've charted out the pattern for the basic Chevron along with the pattern for Chevron with Fans like I've done here:





Click on any of the images to go to my Flickr site where you can download larger versions of the patterns.

I hope to complete the stitching on this cellphone pouch today. I have a few errands to run and then I'll curl up on my sofa, watch movies and stitch.

More tomorrow.....

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 8:45 AM   1 comments

Assembling A Crazy Quilt Piece

I didn't get very far on the 2nd Blackwork Cellphone Pouch so I'll have an update on that for you tomorrow.

Since I don't have much in the way of stitching to share today, I thought I would talk a little about machine assembling.

If you're like me and have a tendency (or rather a bad habit) of putting beads and buttons too close to your seam line, you might want to give the Zipper Foot for your sewing machine a try:



This is quite a handy-dandy little item! I actually use this foot more than my all-purpose foot. And I've never done a zipper!

I use this foot not only when sewing CQ blocks up, but also for adding piping and twisted cording to my doorknockers. It attaches to the machine like this:



Be sure to move your needle over to the left:



My needle is right up against a large bead. The All-Purpose foot will not allow sewing on the seam line due to those beads because it won't go over them but the Zipper foot will run right up against them.

I hope you find my suggestion helpful!

You may notice that my seam is 1/2 inch rather than 1/4 inch. I do this because of the piecing with various fabrics and because some fabrics like Brocade tend to shred on the edges. It allows a little extra room in case there's any shifting or shredding while sewing. Once the sewing is complete, I trim the seam down to 1/4 of an inch. I only do this with Crazy Quilts pieces. For all other sewing, I only allow for 1/4 inch seams.

I'm off to piece some blocks and then I'll be stitching!

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 9:16 AM   0 comments

The White Peacock Purse is Complete!

I'm running late today. But better late than never!

I did alot of machine finishing yesterday and totally completed The White Peacock Purse!



I really hate to part with this one, but I can't keep them all! So I've added it to my Etsy shop. I found wonderful vinyl lavender colored handles for it and I backed it with a tan upholstry fabric. I used some heavy weight interfacing on the inside for stability and it's fully lined with a light green floral cotton print. Because I use my purses all the time, I prefer the sturdiness of cotton for a lining. There's more photos over at my shop if you'd like to see them.

I also did the machine finishing on the Blackwork Peacock Purse and the Victorian Lady Cellphone Pouch. I still have the hand finishing to do those which I'll start on later this afternoon.

I had a request for another Blackwork Cellphone Pouch so I pieced the block yesterday:



I picked up another fan button today while I was out and about and plan to start stitching on this later today as well.

Also, I'm offering a 20% off sale on all Vintage Lace, Embellishments, Cross Stitch Pattern Booklets and Fabric in my shop.

Ok, I'm off to do some more finishing. Stay tuned!

posted by Pam Kellogg @ 2:04 PM   6 comments