Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Return to creative work ! Yea!


I'm not gonna lie moving house took my mojo away.
I learned, I need a tidy-ish space to work, and a tidy-ish mind to work with.

I can't say it's tidy yet, but I needed to sew again, so I bought this kit for too much money at a local quilt store...

I opened the kit, ...

I found my little light box and traced the pattern onto the muslin

and since they hadn't included floss, I looked and found some of my embroidery threads, not the right colors of course. I blame the kit maker for not including the colors I needed in the kit. grrr.

I made do with thread colors I had. I couldn't find my embroidery needle threader so I found some self threading needles to use, and found a hoop in the mess, and stitched the embroidery.

The back stitch is fairly new to me, and I don't quite like how the threads nested this time, creating some wonkiness but it was good to use needle and thread again. I also liked choosing my own colors, and playing with different weight threads.

Now it's done and I need to follow the pattern for making the pillow.
it's white muslin not blue... bad lighting

Live and learn and move on (LALAMO) note to self: do not buy another kit from that store

When I opened it, there was a note that there wasn't the amount of fabric called for in the pattern but there was enough to make the pillow. No floss, less fabric, and cost $26. Anyway, LALAMO.

In other news...

I found a great free pattern this week online, and thought it might be pretty in my neutral fall colored hand dyes purchased recently.Link is EPP bow tie blocks

The National quilt museum has a free block of the month and great tutorials and I enjoyed looking at them, then decided to play with the EPP blocks.
these plus black for the centers to look like a mosaic floor
 I printed the pattern on heavy cardstock, cut out the EPP pieces and hope to make a table runner to use in November. It will be nice to put pretty colors together.


I had hoped to make two Halloween pieces, a mug rug and a row by row... maybe next year?

gotta get to the replacement zip in the IKEA blue slipcover first!

Linking to
Let's be social Wednesdays 
Midweek makers wednesdays
 Free motion by the River Tuesdays    

17 comments:

easyweimaraner said...

I love your pillow!!! I wish I had more talented paws at this front... there are so much (too much) cool ideas for dog stuff and I wish I could make some of them...

Sandy said...

LOVE the fall colors in your quilt squares and look forward to seeing what you make with them. That seems like bit pricey for an incomplete kit. Think I would have returned it, since the note was in the inside instead of the outside. Still sounds like you had fun. Pillow to decorate with will be nice.
Traveling Suitcase

Shannon said...

So sorry the kit was so underwhelming!! It is fun to pick your own colors etc., but you sort of feel like that's the point of a kit? To provide everything? So strange. I'm glad you're being creative at the moment though, the embroidery looks good and I like your corner square EPP blocks. I found some fun fall fabric misplaced yesterday, but I probably won't do a fall quilt this year. Maybe next year.

Mari said...

I like the embroidery! If there is any wonkiness, it just adds to the charm.

Sara said...

Yay!! To continued creative moments, so that you are making progress on the space. The embroidery piece is adorable and no one but you will notice any stitching irregularity. Looking forward to seeing what you make with the bowtie blocks.

MissPat said...

A good step forward. With colder weather coming, you'll need some indoor distractions beside cleaning, sorting, unpacking, and reorganizing. I pulled out a cute pumpkin stitchery pattern I bought a few years ago and promptly buried in a pile of fabric and papers. There's always next year.
Pat

PaintedThread said...

How frustrating, but I love what you've done. May the tidying continue...

Jeanna said...

Moving is a LOT and good thing you're still young. Just thinking about the possibility of moving my mother is bumming me out this week. I love that pencil, thought it was Pez dispenser at first. You'll be happy once you get your sartorial mojo back.

Joanne said...

Hi LeeAnna,
Which Halloween? Christmas? Easter...
" I didn't say which one!"
Just enjoy being creative with any project any time of the year!

Leanne Parsons said...

Your embroidery looks lovely, but I wouldn't have been impressed with the kit, either. What's the point of making up a kit if it doesn't have everything you need?? Have fun with the EPP :)

sonja said...

about the kit sans threAds, you get to use the threads you have, if you can find them and chose the colors you LOVE!Oh, we moved 5 years ago and i am still going on a hunt for say seasonal type stuff i have stashed somewhere.....and sometimes i fall down a rabbit hole....oh Well! i've given up on the sparkly blue 2000 fabric(?)sought last week, i improvised ....and started the search for the chenille....

Angela said...

I hope you get your studio tidy and can work in it comfortably soon! Thank goodness I don't have to have a tidy studio. I would never get anything done!

Siouxzq64@gmail.com said...

Cute stitchery, what no floss for that price? I agree, but it is cute. I agree it is easier to work when your space is clean, or in my case semi clean.

Susan said...

Definitely an incomplete kit, especially if they didn't tell you what colors of floss. Really??

Tails Around the Ranch said...

Three cheers for your creativeness! 🎃

Su-sieee! Mac said...

Hurrah, L.A.! My creative mojo is coming back, too. No sewing, yet. Maye when it's too cold to be outside.

Connie Kresin Campbell said...

That is really too bad about the kit but your piece turned out really neat! Glad you are getting settled in and getting your mojo back!