Three Kings 1 - Zentangle - Complete

The first of my Three Kings projects is finished - well up to the point of all the stitching is complete - now  I need to decide if I mount it on a canvas or turn it into a quilt - any suggestions?  The full piece and a couple of close up photos.  By the size - from base of stitching to top of stitching it measures 40 cm (16 inches).

Beginning to feel better and Three Kings Update

So at long last I am beginning to feel better - am learning to breath through the stomach pain rather than taking meds and have adjusted the food I eat, therefore I think I am getting there.  Some days I wake up feeling horrid but there are the occasional days, like today, when I wake up feeling OK. On days like today I actually feel like being creative so moving on here is an update on the Three Kings - the first one is well in progress - free machine stitching is so relaxing and absorbing - like doing the zentangles I love so much.....

Today I also started planning and working on Three Kings 2 - it is much larger - as you can see from my trainers and the pen.  So far I have traced out the design onto Bondaweb and have a lovely stack of silk fabric - I was given this heap by a friend emptying her studio and the pieces have been sitting in my workroom for years waiting for just such a project.  I think it will just be bonded applique but am not sure what will happen next - How I will stitch it - Any suggestions would be welcomed.




Update:  Fabric pieces cut out...

Three Kings Update

So I have made a little progress on the first of my Three Kings Project, but before I show you that - once I mentioned to a friend that I am collecting Three Kings cards she found hers from this Christmas together with a couple of other cards I think I would like to translate......

So the first translation - I have redrawn the card, Zentangled it

 and have started a Free Machine version... not sure how I will add the gold highlights I added to my drawing.

Starting Yet Another Project

Whilst today is a good stomach day (fingers crossed it lasts) I have actually decided on yet another new project!!  This year I received some more rather lovely Christmas cards of The Three Wise Men  - I now have quite a collection - so -  I think they need to be translated - don't you ?!! -

OK so January is a bit of an odd time of year to start work on a Christmas Theme but at least I am 'doing' something!!

Jolted back - with thanks

Thanks to the kind words of my blogging friends and my daughter I think I am on the mend - miraculous really. I think I needed to vent my misery and now I have begun to feel better. I looked more closely at Art Girl scraps and divided them into two sets - the straight pieces which I will keep for later and these odd shaped scraps.  Without thinking too much I have put together a mug rug - it measures 20 cm x 16 cm and is crazy patched together with one of the longer pieces as the binding.  The remaining tiny scraps will go into another project too. So two more projects yet to come from this lovely bag of scraps from Art Girl. - Thanks  

This little project only took an hour from the start but it has kicked started me back to scissor production for the Mad Hatter.  These are made on water soluble in reverse - so here you see the back - the front surface is silver metallic thread.  I only have another 18 pairs or so to go so there will be 30+, to go with the 76 cotton reels - then I need to make more needles as I only have 30 of those so far :-).

What have I been doing??

Sorry I have not blogged for a few days but I am still excited and nervous following my announcement.  I go on Monday to set them up and I hope they will be well received!! In the meantime - in what have I been up to?

Well I had a great day last Saturday with Maggie Harris (click HERE to go to Maggie's blog), playing with collographs and the Big Shot. I did just a couple of prints... very subtle,  and I have been stitching on some of the previous ones (will show you another time).

This one was stronger but its second print was delicious.

 

QUEEN OF HEARTS

I have started a new idea for the Queen of Hearts costume.  I needed first to create a back ground fabric. i need 3.5 metres of black cotton - so I dyed my own and for once it actually came out black!! (Sorry photo is sideways - I hate this new Blogger post writing thing!!)

PIECED QUILT

 I have finally put this quilt together.  The photo does not give it justice - look at the photos HERE for the correct colour way. 

SARI SILK BODICE

I purchased two bundles of recycled sari silk.  

Spent a whole day ironing the stuff - that was an exciting exercise as several of the pieces looked boring until ironed.... see this tangle ...

became.......

 This tangle was

  really exciting when ironed....

  

 Then I stitched the strips to a backing fabric 

and added some sari threads....

Today I cut out a bodice but there is nothing much to show just at the moment. So that's up to date.  I have loads of ideas and not enough time to work on them!!

Muse 4 Update and Sizzix Big Shot playing - photo heavy post

Another day at 'Aunt' Jane's and the 'grouting' on the main Muse 4 Body is complete and I am now starting on the 1 inch border of grouting that will run all round the piece - it's not easy to see here because there was not enough space to hang the piece fully.

Back at home my dining room table currently looks like this - at one end I have drawing stuff - yes I am trying to make myself draw for 10 minutes every morning before I go to work -

YES I am trying to draw - here is my latest 'dead' rose (sorry pic is on its side) it needs to be a bit longer. I will show you more from the sketchbook another day..

At the other end of the table is the Sizzix machine and my practice runs.

I ordered some more dies - yes more - Have to show you them as they excite me and I need to share!! :-).

These are the most beautiful tiny flowers - it is a 20p piece next to them to show the scale and they cut out of fabric just perfectly !!!

Next two Tim Holtz dies - the cogs

and tattered leaves - both are great !!

Then the 'sale' priced (ie 1/3 the price!!) Sizzix Fleur de Lis - I cut this out of stretchy velvet and it worked a treat !!

Sizzix say that their fine Sizzlit dies are just for card stock but hey - they don't say you can't try fabric - so I did - These flower dies work just fine on crisp cotton

and here is a close up of the check fabric just freshly cut still on another sizzlit die, which also works through fabric.

Oh and crisp cotton even embosses...

I know it would wash out if washed but the ideas running around in my head never get washed so the embossing may be another string to the bow of excitement - where's the catalogue for embossing folders ??? Quick find it for me!!

Just to do one 'useful' thing with this lovely machine rather than just playing I had purchased this rather plain Mothers' Day card for next weekend - (I don't like all the overly lovely cards - my mum is not that type of person - far from it!!).

But this card was a bit too plain so hey presto it now has a couple of card stock and fabric extra flowers !! Not bad!!

Now I am off to try a collograph print through the machine. Then I must just must organise some ideas - maybe a list.