Mozart Complete! Finally!!!

Well, I finally decided on a trim for the bottom of this purse and I'm happy to say, that it is now complete and I've already used it! So without further delay, here is the finished Mozart purse:



If you would like to see a larger photo, click on the image to go to my Flickr site.

I'll keep this short today. I still have some chores to do, laundry mostly - the "always & forever task"! and then I plan to stitch.

My Beloved Mozart

I don't know why I didn't think of doing a Mozart themed purse sooner. I have loved Mozart's music for as long as I can remember. I do enjoy other Classical composers such as Bach, Beethoven and Vivaldi. But Mozart...how could I ever describe what his music does to me? Mozart's music is glorious! When I listen to it, I'm instantly uplifted. I get lost in it. It puts me in a "higher" frame of mind and I can focus for longer periods of time. Certain pieces, such as Symphony #25 and The Requiem, almost make me incapable of doing anything but listening.

Oddly enough, I've never heard anything by Mozart that I didn't like. In most cases, I don't care for vocal music. It's kind of like fingernails on a chalkboard to me, almost like the words get in the way. Mozart's choral works, even his operas (and I do not care for opera)are soothing on my nerves.

Well, I know Classical music isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I'm sure you can appreciate my tribute to whom I believe is the greatest composer of all time:



All I have left to add to this is my little signature cat so I will stitch him on this afternoon and then this will be ready to assemble.

I would like to share a photo with you that was sent to me by one of my readers. This is Mozart's birthplace in Salzburg:



What a thrill for me to see this! Thank you Michele for sending this image to me and for granting me your permission to share it here on my blog so that my other readers can enjoy it too!

Mozart In Slow Motion & TAST

Yesterday was a bit hectic and rather tiring. By the time I completed my work for the day, I didn't have much energy left to use for stitching. I did however, manage to cover one seam:



Sharon's stitch pick for week 18 (last week) was the Woven Wheel or Whipped Wheel. I was intrigued by her Woven Fans so I thought I'd give it a try. Now, I should have made my fans larger. They're a twinge small but they look like little shells. And I truly enjoyed doing the weaving. I think these will look great once I add some beading to it.

I did this using 8.5 count waste canvas. Stitching the fans first, removing the waste canvas and then weaving the fans. I will definitely be experimenting more with this stitch.

In the meantime, I've charted out several Fan Borders for you to use if you would like to try this using Waste Canvas. Click on the image to go to my Flickr site where you can download a larger version of the pattern.



For now, I'm off to take some things up to my showcase at the Brick & Mortar store. When I return, I plan to stitch the rest of the day.

Finishes

It took me most of the day yesterday, but I completed the finishing on 3 projects!

First is my Little Brown Bird purse:



Isn't this just too pretty? And it was so much easier to sew the tabs in and then put the handles on once the purse was complete!

Next is my Button Flower Cellphone Pouch:



I was going to do a cool fringing technique that I saw in a magazine but it was too much for this pouch so I added simple beaded fringe to the bottom and then some braided gimp.

Last but not least, my Peacock Cellphone Pouch:



I am so pleased with this! You may remember that I wasn't sure about how to finish it. If you're into making hearts, this might be a good finishing option for you. Trim your heart leaving a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Sew on some lace and a backing fabric. Turn right side out. Make a separate pouch following the tutorial that I gave you last week. Then hand-sew the heart to the pouch, add a snap and a chain. It was that simple. I have to make more of these!!!

I'm in the process of listing these in my Etsy shop where I will leave them for 30 days. After a month, if they're still there, I'll move them to my showcase at the Brick & Mortar store. In fact, if anyone is interested in any of my previous items, I'll be moving some of them this Friday. Just wanted to mention that.

Ok, I'm off to finish listing these things and then I have to work for a bit. See ya tomorrow!

Vogart Fruit Pattern For Custom Apron

Just a quick update on this project today:



I completed the stitching last night during the ballgame. I just love these old patterns! So next week, I'll take a day and sew it into the apron.

I didn't have time to start on my bird purse:



I'll begin stitching on this later today.

I was asked awhile back about how and when to sew lace and trim on. Well, normally, I sew it on after the block is pieced. I simply decide what I want to use, open the seam, tuck the lace or trim in and close the seam with a couple of blind stitches. The fancy stitches will hold it in place.

On occasion, I sew the lace in when I piece the block. That's what I did with the bird block. I knew when I pieced it that I wanted to use the aqua blue lace so I did it when I was sewing.

I'm off to Richmond to take my Ocean Garden Cellphone Pouch to my showcase.

Have a great day everyone! See ya tomorrow!

Figural Beaded Purses

I found this interesting article on Figural Beaded Purses. These are beautiful! Do check them out!