International Fabric Postcard Exhibition…..Ireland

By on 2-07-2011 in Paper Dolls

Miriam, Ireland

The Irish Patchwork Society is having their 30th Birthday National Exhibition at the Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin. Miriam, Chairperson, is organizing an international fabric postcard exhibition.

The Society is inviting postcards from all around the world. The theme is BRANCHING OUT and should be Floral, Horticultural, Landscape, Nature, Environmental. They should be sent without an envelope as we want to hang them so that everyone can see both front and back of the cards, to see the stamps and where they have come from.

Please send cards to: The Irish Patchwork Society, PO Box 45, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, IRELAND. before the end of May, 2011.

These postcards will also be exhibited at our Knitting and Stitching Show in November (Which is our only big show) and they will be sold and the proceeds will go to the Marie Keating Foundation…….Which is a Breast Cancer Charity here in Ireland.

Please create a little work of art and send it on. What a wonderful way to contribute.

Here is their link: Irish Patchwork Society If you are looking for further information please email them at admin@irishpatchwork.ie or look at their blog http://Irishpatchwork.blogspot.com

Vintage Christmas in February

By on 2-07-2011 in Paper Dolls

Choo-Choo Christmas Stockings

Although this image is tiny this little ‘choo-choo’ shines. Each train car is a separate stocking. What a great pattern for above a fireplace or on a window shelf. It could choo-choo around a tree skirt using paint or applique and lots and lots of shiny beads and embroidery. Painted in pastels, it could also travel around a nursery wall.

cho cho pattern

Embroidered Felt Fishing Boats on Canvas

By on 2-07-2011 in Paper Dolls

fishingboats

These two fishing boats were published in the McCall’s Needle Art Volume IV magazine. A romantic piece of embroidery that was sewn on canvas using the sewing machine and straight stitch. Felt was used for the boats, sun and building. Wouldn’t these boats look great using the new threads and fabrics available today? I can envision painted and stitched boats sailing over a large summer tote. A sea coast landscape quilt could be the background for one of the boats.
fishing boat pattern

The patterns for both pictures are here….pdf document is 460kb Fishing Boats Embroidery with Machine

Weather Outside My Window Postcard Exchange

By on 2-07-2011 in Paper Dolls

Weather Outside My Window Postcard Exchange
More fabric postcards, the first for this year plus my Christmas postcard for 2010 are all here. The exchange subject was the weather outside our windows. Miriam in Ireland saw snow for the first time and made snowmen, thus the snowman on her card. Sheila in Scotland saw the sun shining through the ice and snow in the tree branches and Margaret in Australia saw too much rain and flooding. I look out my window here in Canada and see an oak tree in our backyard that still hasn’t lost all it’s leaves and when the wind blows it plucks a few more from the tree and carries them swirling to the snow. The deer in my Christmas postcard are the same ones that I used in my winter postcard exchange last year. They were created from a photo of a pretty little doe who visited my garden in the fall.

On my Christmas card there is a frozen lake created from a foil bag that held tea bags and silver ribbon adorns the blue winter sky. The trees in the back ground are zigzag and painted in with paint pens and a little silver glitter was glued around the lake. The oak tree on my weather card is cordoroy with stitching and paint. I stitched through it and into the branches to make the small branches. The leaves on the tree and the snow beneath are beads. The beads are stitched on and then glued with a waterproof glue to survive the mailing.

Sentinals, watching the rising of the sun

By on 2-07-2011 in Paper Dolls

sentinals, watching the rising sun

When I had finished taking photos of the rising sun I looked behind me and on a tall elm were sitting two beautiful crows watching and waiting for the sun. The sky behind them was blue and the trees were glowing with coral and gold. We are not the only ones who await the sun every day…it was an exciting moment. As soon as the sun was up they spread their wings and gracefully soared eastward. This collage is to honour the crows.