The Handmade Joy Exchange 2017

The wonderful Anne Butera from the blog My Giant Strawberry has hosted yet another wonderful Handmade Joy Exchange this year and I was fortunate enough to be a participant!

My "Joy Partner" was Nichole from Vermont, who sent me a lovely package of handmade items, carefully placed in a deep green cloth bag, which I am anxious to use as a canvas for embroidery!

Inside the bag there was 

(1)a hand bound vertical sketch pad, the cover of which was embellished

 with beautiful calligraphy and watercolor flowers

(2) an original watercolor painting of a bouquet of flowers with a sweet green matting

and (3) a hand made patchwork pincushion with a pretty pewter button in the center!

I commented to Nichole, when I received her package, that it always strikes me, when I do this exchange, how kind people are and how talented. Receiving this package from a perfect stranger, who worked so hard to make each item, makes me feel warm and hopeful. Since then, I've been following Nichole on Instagram and have seen even more lovely paintings of hers! 

The person for whom I was to make something is Joan, a wonderful woman who has a cat rescue and adoption center on a small island in Greece. The center is called God's Little People, and you can read a bit about Joan here.

Being a cat lover myself, I could think only about making something having to do with cats!

I decided on this pillow with cats made with wool appliqué and the name embroidered in the middle.

Here are close-ups of some of the cats I was inspired by on Joan's blog, including one little blind cat.

Joan enjoyed the pillow and we have kept in touch through Facebook.

All in all, the Handmade Joy Exchange has been a very enjoyable experience!

Thank you Anne, for hosting this great exchange!!

AEDM - Day 17

Today I went to my stitching group - wonderful friends who are working on all sorts of hand-stitched projects. I brought along this wool appliqué wall hanging which I had cut down and want to make into a pillow. I ripped out some border stitching to try to get as much width as possible.

I'll decide tomorrow whether it is really worth being used as a pillow. It is all hand stitched and would be something a bit different at my holiday fair table. I should probably keep it simple and just go for it!

I also fiddled with my paper lace angel design from two days ago. She will show up here again in the next few days!

Wishing everyone a wonderful Friday!!

Earth Day, 2011

Our home,

our precious responsibility.

Happy Earth Day!

*Make Something Monday*

Today I made a wool picture.

I love birds, trees and leaves as design elements, and, using wool pieces I'd washed in hot water, I cut some shapes directly from them. 

I decided to arrange these pieces on a square of wool and hand stitched the pieces down with embroidery thread.

A few beads added some glitz...

And now, it's ready to make into a little pillow.

A one day project, a little gift to tuck away for someone special!

Wool Applique, Completed

Today I added some needlefelted flowers, and some shading to this piece and I think it looks better. I did find that working with wool was difficult because of the bulkiness of the fabric. The next time I do this , I'll lay the pieces flat and outline each section with a blanket stitch.

I probably could take the felted flowers further, but I didn't want to overdo it.

Like many others, I'm thinking today about the people who are in the path of Hurricane Gustav, and adding my thoughts and prayers for their safety and well being. 

Wool Applique

A while back I made this needle turned wool applique picture. At the time, I was trying to show how the same design would look done in different types of fabrics - one in wool, the other in cotton fabrics. Recently I pulled this one out and realized that I had never been happy with the all-solid fabric look of it. SO, I've been working on needle felting some details into the piece. I hope to finish the new and improved version soon, and you can help me decide which way it looks best!