Finished Clutch Purse with Broiderie Perse Applique

I put this Clutch Purse together yesterday.  You might remember this piece as I used it for my Broiderie Perse Tutorial.  And Part 2 is here.

I absolutely love this piece!  I think it's the soft colors, the Broiderie Perse Applique and the Shibori ribbon.  It's so feminine!

Broiderie Perse Piece Finished

I have been stitching away on this little Broiderie Perse purse!  LOL!!  Yes, this will be a purse.

Here's a little something I wanted to point out:

I thought this piece of lace was a little boring looking.  It just didn't show up on the block.  I didn't want to take it off to hand paint it so, since I had my Rayon threads out, I decided to embroider it:

I satin stitched the little circles and then stem stitched the leaves.  This really defined the lace.  I went on to add some beads to it and them silk ribbon embroidery.

This is the finished stitched piece:

I have the frame to put it on so I'll get this sewn up either over the weekend or the first part of next week and I'll post another photo of it.

My next piece, which I'll start stitching on this afternoon is this:

As you can see, there will be a little bit of Broiderie Perse applique on this.  I was asked about the pink Shibori ribbon on the purse so I will be writing up a tutorial about working with Shibori ribbon when get to that point on this block.

If you want to see closeups of these photos, just click on them.

I'm going to leave you today with a YouTube video.  This is Marie Osmond singing Nessun Dorma from the opera Madam Butterfly.  My grandmother loved Madam Butterfly so it makes me think of her.  And I don't know about anyone else, but I think Marie Osmond does a beautiful rendition.

Correction Edit:  This piece is from Puccini's opera Turandot.  My grandmother always said it was Madam Butterfly.  Thank you to Catherine for correcting my error.  I'm well versed in Classical music but not opera.  I should have double checked it.  Still, it reminds me of my grandma who loved this piece!

Christmas Crazy Quilt Purse

I finally did the hand finishing on my Christmas Crazy Quilt Purse:

I used an antique lace collar on the bottom and then finished it off with hand crocheted trim using my fancy fun yarn.  The poinsettia is from a vintage hankie!  This is probably the only Christmas purse I'll do this year.

For now, I'm going to turn the computer off and get back to stitching on my clutch purses.

Pink Paint

I've been rambling on and off about repainting my room before I buy a new computer to do the magazine on.  I decided a long time ago that I would paint this room pink because pink is my signature color and because I find it soothing on my nerves.

Mary Anne made me laugh in a recent email.  She said a pink room would send her over the edge.  LOL!!!  I have seen pink rooms and they can be nauseating but my room won't be that way.  I intend to paint everything white and then sponge paint the walls with a pale icy pink glaze.  Then I'll stencil roses in here.  The glaze will just give the walls a hint of pink color without it being that "in your face pink".

When I was at the hardware store over the weekend, I picked up a couple of paint chips:

I like the warm, peachy shades of pink rather than the blue pinks.  I highlighted the color that I'm going to go with.

Little by little, I'm getting things together and organized for my new endeavor!

For now, I finished stitching up my Christmas purse:

I'll have to stop at JoAnn's this weekend and pick up a pair of purse handles.  Then I should be able to sew this up next week. 

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

I hope everyone is enjoying a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend.  I don't really see this day as one to celebrate but instead, I prefer to see it as a day to be thankful for our military.  To remember the many men and women who serve our country and those who have lost their lives in service to our country.  Forget the politicians and the government.  It's the Armed Forces who protect our country.  It's the Armed Forces who represent our country.  And it's the Armed Forces that we should give our gratitude and respect to.  And to the men and women of our Armed Forces, thank you!

I have a couple if things to share today.  First, I finished stitching up my blue clutch purse:

Notice the dragonfly that I made from a pair of vintage clip-on earrings!  I'll have to get in a sewing day soon to do the finishing.

I also started on a couple of crazy quilt hearts.  This is the first one:

I pieced 4 of these so I'll stitch them up before moving on to more purses.

Again everyone, have a safe Memorial Day and if you know a soldier in our military, please take a moment to say a little prayer of gratitude for him or her.  And even if you don't know a soldier personally, please take a moment to be grateful for all of them.

Watermelon Purse

Boy, did I feel like I was in slow motion on my Crazy Quilt Watermelon Purse!  But it's only because I have a bunch of different things that I'm doing.  Being all over the map is something I'm very good at!  LOL!!!  Anyway, here it is, the finished purse:

This is over in my Etsy shop.  I won't be doing anymore of these.  It was just a cool idea that I had to try and it was fun but I'm ready to get back to more traditional pieces.

Scott just started the grill.  We're cooking brats and burgers so I have to cut up some salad and yes, some watermelon!

Any Guesses Now?

Wow!  It's been a few days since I've had my computer on.  Busy weekend.  My little old IPhone 3 decided it didn't really want to work for me anymore.  So Scott and I went out and bought new cellphones.  Thankfully, we were able to get our monthly cellphone bill down a little bit which helped to offset the price of the phones.  It's taking me a little while to get the hang of it since we bought Android phones this time rather than IPhones.  I liked the Android because it has a bigger screen.  When I go to bed at night, I like to take my cellphone and look around on Etsy for awhile. 

Anyway, I finished stitching up my "mystery" project.  Yes, it will be a purse but what else will it be?  Any guess from this photo:

If that photo doesn't clue you in, maybe this one will:

Yes, it's a Watermelon Purse!  I thought it was kind of a cute idea!  There will be one more.  I sewed up two because I wanted one for myself and one for my Etsy store.  I have a special order to stitch and then I'll start on the next one.

Also, I still have ad space left for the 2015 Crazy Quilt Calendar.  Email me for details.

Stitching, Rearranging And Planning

I've been busy the past few days, stitching, rearranging and making plans.  Taking over Pat Winter's beautiful Crazy Quilt Gatherings magazine is giving me a fresh start.  As I mentioned, I'm planning on buying a new computer this Summer and I'm going to repaint my little room pink and decorate it with roses.

I'm trying to reorganize my stash a bit.  I want to make room for a stitching chair and stitching lamp in one corner.  That way, when Bubba wants to watch football, I can come in here and stitch and listen to music or watch a movie.

This room is only 9 1/2 foot square.  It's tiny so it'll be a challenge to contain my stash but I think with an all in one scanner/printer, a small computer (be it a laptop or desktop) and a small corner desk, I should be able to manage.

I like small spaces.  I like the coziness and I never did want my work room to look like a work room but it's become a challenge because quite honestly, I love my craft supplies!

I took yesterday off, printed up a coupon for JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby and Michael's.  I got all dressed up in a nice sweater, my St Patricks Day earrings that my sister made for me, my real pearls that my aunt and my cousin gave me for my birthday, put on my beautiful faux fur coat, grabbed my Lord Of The Dance CD and took myself shopping in my new little car.         

I needed some large snaps for my most recent purses which I need to sew together but I honestly didn't need anything else.  Other than getting out and getting some fresh air.  Trust me though, I found something in each store to use my coupons on!

When I was all done, I took myself to McDonald's, bought a large Shamrock shake and drove to the park by the lake, listened to my CD and enjoyed a peaceful 1/2 hour knowing that soon the weather will warm up and I can get out on my deck!

The robins are back!  Yes!!!!  Along with the grackles, the starlings, the cowbirds and the red-winged blackbirds.  The squirrels are eating like crazy and I'm starting to see them with nesting material so although it hasn't quite sprung yet, Spring is quite near!

Have I gotten chatty or what?  There are some days when I just don't know what to talk about so I post photos of my stitching and leave it at that.  And then other days, I can't seem to stop typing!

Well, before I go any further, and speaking of stitching, here is a photo of my Little Girl With The Seashell block:

That image is one of my favorites.  It's from the collection of Pat Winter.  I've always loved it and have wanted to do a purse design with it for quite some time!

I crocheted some trim for the bottom with gold palettes and I pulled out a vintage lace collar to use on the bottom.  I'm not sure the collar will work but I'm going to give it a try.  Will have to wait and see how it looks once I get this sewn together.

If this collar doesn't work, I have plenty of other vintage collars and lace pieces that I can use. 

In other news, I putting together a 2015 Crazy Quilt Calendar.  It'll be an eye candy calendar and although I'm not going to give any secrets away, I can tell you that it will be gorgeous and filled with the beautiful work of some wonderful crazy quilt artists!! 

Spring One Day, Winter The Next

We were supposed to have a high of 37 today but it's only made it to 27.  Tomorrow they're calling for 54 degrees.  We'll see if that happens!  I did see a Robin today!!!  He was sitting in the tree across the street.  More and more will come now.  I hope!  No snow in our forecast for the next week and I'm okay with that!

I have a quick update on my Seashell Purse:

I'm trying to get my chores done so I can go work on this some more.  I love the colors!

Seashells and Baseball

I started adding lace to my newest purse project:

I love doing sea themed pieces.  I painted the lace appliques this morning but still have to sew them down.  I'll be stitching on this as soon as I get done on the computer.

Our temps are finally going up a bit and the snow is melting.  Slowly, which is a good thing for people in flood prone areas.  We had a dusting of snow over night but the sun is out now and although I saw some Robins over the weekend in my sister's backyard, it was from a distance so I'm still waiting to see some closeup.  One of these days, I'll look out in my yard and I'll see one or maybe a ton of them!

And with the temps rising, my thoughts also turn towards baseball.  It's the only sport I like.  Cubs baseball.  Yes, poor me, I'm a Cubs fan!  LOL!!!  My dad told me they used to be called, "The Loveable Losers".  I've referred to them as morons from time to time but still, I'm a die hard fan.  Ha, ha, ha!

I always get the baseball itch starting in March and to satisfy my need to be done with Winter, I start watching my favorite baseball movies about this time of year.  It holds me over until I can watch or listen to the pre-season games.

This morning, I pulled out The Natural with Robert Redford:

My favorite baseball movies are, Eight Men Out, Field Of Dreams and A League Of Their Own and I always tend to put those on first but for some reason, I grabbed this one out of the DVD cabinet to watch later today.  I haven't watched this one in a few years and kind of forgot the story line.  So I read through the little booklet that came with the movie.

When I got to the end of booklet, there was a quote by Roger Towne, who was the story editor at Columbia Pictures at the time the movie was made.  Something told me to post it here.  Perhaps it has meaning for me and perhaps it will have some meaning for you too:

Roger Towne:  "Even the most gifted and most natural people are hurt by the capriciousness of fate.  Yet they are often given a second chance to make up for the past.  This is what THE NATURAL is all about."

Finally Spring?

Judging by our weather forecast for the next week, it looks like Winter is finally conceding and giving way to Spring.  I think it's about 40 degrees here today and I can see that the snow is melting.  And it looks like we have temps for the next week in the upper 30's and lower 40's.  As much as I want it gone, it has to melt slowly or there will be terrible flooding, esp. by the rivers.

Scott and I looked for Robins today while driving around doing our errands but so luck yet! 

I have an update on my current purse project:

If you click on the photos, you can see a larger version.  I'm thinking this one needs a spider web since I haven't done one on anything recently so that will probably be my next addition.

Judy S asked me where I get my silkies, my fabric photos.  I actually don't buy silkies, I print them myself on Inkjet Fabric.  I have tons of CD's with vintage photos and other images on them and I collect vintage greeting cards and of course, there's always online sites like The Graphics Fairy.  I've found some of my images there. 

And this is the Inkjet Fabric that I use.  It's by Blumenthal Craft and available in fabric stores like JoAnn's:

It's a little pricy at about $12.99 for 5 sheets so if you shop at JoAnn's, make sure you have a 40 or 50% off coupon. 

In other news, mom gave me 2 more Easter Hanging Pillows to list in our Etsy shop:

It looks like mom is really getting the hang of Cottage style!

I'll leave you today with a photo of my little Cotton:

Yes, he looks all sweet and innocent with that white fur and precious little face but it's just a facade!  I think my Nightmare is teaching him bad things from Rainbow Bridge!  This little one is always into something!  He's very busy and is reminding me more and more of Nightmare.  Nightmare of course, had his name for a reason!

White Peacock Purse

First, I want to say thank you to everyone for leaving me such kind comments regarding my latest endeavor.  I'm thrilled to be the new owner and publisher of Pat Winter's beautiful Crazy Quilt Gatherings magazine.  I will write more about that in a 2nd post for today but first, I want to share my White Peacock Crazy Quilt Purse:

As you know, I don't spare the embellishments on my projects!  That's one of the things I love about crazy quilting.  No rules, no limits.

I think I mentioned yesterday that I'm going to stitch up a couple of my Cat Dolls.  I'm doing a craft show in May and I think they'll do well.  I also have a few more brooches to finish up on.  I thought these would be nice for Mother's Day and for my craft show.  Please stop by again to see these projects!

Mystery Purse

Well, it looks like we have a correct guess on my mystery purse.  Before I give you the correct answer, here is an update photo:

And here are close up photos of the seam treatments so far:

So what is the theme of this crazy quilt purse?  Cris in MT guessed correctly.  It'll be a peacock!  A white peacock.  Be sure to follow my progress!  I have a unique way of doing peacocks on my crazy quilt pieces!

Gypsy Purse

A little more progress on my Crazy Quilt Gypsy Purse:

And here are a couple of the seam treatments that I did:

My chores and my computer work is done for the day so I'm off to stitch on this until Scott gets home from work.  More progress photos coming soon!

Pink Bee Crazy Quilt Purse

I'm still stitching on my Pink Kitty Pillow but I do have something fun to share today!  I made this Pink Bee Crazy Quilt Purse for my cousin for her birthday:

You may remember the Green Bee purse that I made for myself last Winter:

Kim had seen mine and she loved it so I decided to make one for her.  They're very whimsical and cheerful, aren't they?  Kim's birthday is December 7th, but mom and I gave her our gifts yesterday.  And yes, she loved the purse!  She loves bugs as much as I do.  Well, neither one of us want them on us or in our homes but we both love cute little bugs.

Well, that's my rambling for today.  Be sure to scroll down and listen to Episode 1 of The Cinnamon Bear!  It's a classic radio Christmas story from 1937.  Episode 2 will be available tomorrow morning (Saturday, 11/30 at 9:00 am Central time)!

Peacock Still Under Construction

This purse is larger than what I usually make and I think that's why it's taking me longer than planned.  And I'm still working on reorganizing my things in my room here.  But here's another update on the Crazy Quilt Purple Peacock Purse:

I really just have a few more do-dads to add to this.  It's a gift for my mom for Christmas.  She doesn't read my blog and knowing mom, she probably won't use it.  Instead, she'll hang it on the wall and look at it.  You know, she thinks if she uses it, it might get dirty. 

Everyone I make something for tells me they can't use it because it could get dirty or ruined or whatever.  We can't take our nice things with us.  We have to enjoy them now.  I use my handmade purses all the time and they aren't dirty, nor has anything ever come off of one of them.

Use your nice things everyone!  These things are here for us to enjoy!  Here and now!

Guess Again!

I've been trying to get to blogging all day!  I ran and got groceries this morning, came home, put everything away, trimmed a bunch of trees in my yard and have been doing laundry.  I have 3 more Rose Of Sharon trees to trim and 2 more Lilacs.  I'll have to do that during the week.  I ran out of steam!

Okay, does anyone want to take another guess on the theme of my current Crazy Quilt purse project?

I'm so surprised that the photo of the fancy yarns and the vintage brooch didn't give it away:

I've made so many of these!  Be sure to stop by for the next update.  The tail feathers go on next!

Guess The Theme

I started another Crazy Quilt purse project yesterday.  This one is a Christmas gift:

Would anyone like to take a guess as to what the theme will be on this one?  Leave a comment for me and stay tuned!

I have a few new cute cat photos to share today too.  First is Wrigley:

Just look at that tail!  It's 14 1/2 inches long!  He walks around with his tail dangling over his head.  I feel like I want to tie a bow on it!  LOL!!!

And here's Cotton with his little Halloween Beanie Baby:

I had a few of my little Halloween Beanie Babies out but Cotton kept stealing them.  The other night, I was laying on the bed watching TV and he hopped up on the bed and dropped one in my face!  I actually had to put my little beanies away and I went out and bought him one of his own.  Now, he carries that little orange bear around all day long!

Kreinik Metallic Facets

My current project is this Crazy Quilt Christmas purse:

The top of the purse is part of a vintage Christmas hankie.  I kept looking at the edge of the hankie and felt that it needed some sort of definition. I didn't feel that beading around it was the right thing.  I just wanted it to have a little definition.  Then I remembered my beautiful Kreinik metallic threads. 

Kreinik offers a thread called, Facets.  It's available in a variety of sizes but for this project, I decided on the Petite Facets in gold:

The Facets are very glittery and actually look like little beads.  They're not intended to use for actual stitching but rather are meant to be couched on using another thread.  I used a Kreinik metallic cord for that which is very fine.

Here are some close up photos so you can see how it looks:

You learn more about the Kreinik Facets here on their website.

And before I turn the computer off for today, I thought I'd share yet another picture of my very cute baby kitty:

Cotton ball loves to play on the bed when I'm trying to make it every morning!  I was trying to put clean sheets on the bed yesterday when he decided it would be fun to lay in the middle of everything.