Progress On Dragonfly Purse

I had quite a bit of stitching time yesterday afternoon so I made a lot of progress on this:



I finished beading the lace applique, I beaded the little fan stitch on the bottom-right and added a silver butterfly from my friend Bennie. I may take him off though and turn him in the other direction. He's in the same direction as the dragonfly and I didn't think about that when I sewed him on.

I'd like to add a spider web. Yes, you know I love to do those! I need to decide where to put kitty and I'm thinking of added a piece of lace at the bottom on the left.

I so wish you could all see this in person! The dimension and the sparkle is so lost in the scan.

I was asked if the pink fabric in the middle was hand-painted. No, it's silk but it's commercial fabric. I have some in blue too. I think it came from JoAnn Fabric store.

In other news, we have most of the Crown trim up now. I believe we only have 2 big pieces left to hang and 3 small pieces. Once it's all up and the nail holes are filled, I can go around with the paint and touch it up. All that's left after that are some silly small things like, the risers on the steps. Yes, I'm still wondering why I painted those barn red!

Anyway, I've been able to put some of my things out again so it doesn't feel so cold and empty anymore. Scott hung my quilt shelf for me so my Lucky quilt is now up. Boy, did I miss that quilt! But now, I find myself staring at it instead of doing what I should be doing! Ha, ha, ha!!!

I'll have another update for you tomorrow on the Dragonfly Purse. And if I can get my chores done early enough, I may have a few more dragonflies to put in my Etsy shop!

The Cross Stitcher magazine Holiday Issue

I have an extra copy of this magazine:



It's the December 2006 issue. There are 3 of my design projects in here.

If anyone wants this , be the first person to leave a comment here claiming it and I will gladly send it out to you.

Update On Dragonfly Purse

I didn't post an update yesterday because I didn't have much to show. I had a few hours of stitching time yesterday so here's an update:



It doesn't quite fit on the scanner but it's enough for you to see.

I've done quite a bit of beading on it but still have a lot of places to stitch and add more beads. The dragonfly is on there now and I would like to say thank you to Jo in NZ for her tutorial on doing the sequined flowers. You can find the directions on Jo's blog. If you download the pattern from her site, please take a moment to thank her. They are really fun and easy to do and make a lovely addition to a vine!

We're still working on our living room but it's coming along nicely. Today, we're hanging crown trim up at the ceiling. It looks wonderful! I do expect to have some stitching time later so stop by tomorrow for another update.

Dragonfly Purse Continued

I don't have alot to show on this today. I did get some stitching time in yesterday but I was rather restless and couldn't sit still for very long. Some days are like that. But I did manage to bead the Fan Stitches that run along the edges of the ribbon:



I'll have time to work on this later today. I just returned from taking Nightmare & Simba to the vet for their shots and now I have to run to Richmond to pay my rent for my showcase for the month of April. When I get back, I'll stitch and do laundry. I've scheduled some serious sewing time for next week and am so looking forward to that!

More tomorrow.....

Beaded Leaf Vine

I'm running a bit late today as today was my grocery shopping day.

Here is an update on my Dragonfly Purse:



As you can see, I did a beaded vine on the left. This was a bit time consuming but it's so pretty and quite 3 dimensional! The leaves actually dangle!

I've worked up a diagram pattern for you in case you would like to recreate these leaves on your own projects. You'll need size 11 seed beads and size 6 seed beads:



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

These are actually quite easy to do. Work your beaded vine first and then go back and add the leaves. You can also make flower petals with this pattern.

If you do try this and have a blog or Flickr site, let me know and I'll post the link so everyone can see your work!

NOTE: I had about 5 phone calls while writing the directions so this is a quick edit!!!

When you get back to the size 6 seed bead, run your needle through that, then the remaining 3 size 11 seed beads at the top and then put your needle back down into the fabric.

I hope no one is confused. Feel free to email me if you are.