Christmas Alphabet….the last of the letters

By on 11-03-2011 in Original photos, Places to See

As promised here is the last of the alphabet. I love this version of Christmas letters. It is so whimsical and adaptable for so many different venues. The letters could be appliqued using either cottons or wool felt and the rest embroidered on top. They could also be painted onto a wooden ornament or coloured in digitally and printed onto paper to make great tags.

QRST

UVW

XYZ

Christmas Alphabet to enhance your Christmas embroideries and quilts

By on 11-03-2011 in Original photos, Places to See

A wonderful Christmas alphabet was published in the Mc’Calls Christmas transfers, Vol II. A Santa stocking with your child’s initials could make a great Christmas tradition. Embroidered onto a quilt block in a table runner, it would make the best hostess gift.

ABCD

Adding a few beads to the letters would make them extra festive.

EFGH

IJKL

Whether you embroider white on red or red on white to give it a red work appeal this alphabet fits the Christmas season.

MNOP

QRSTUVWXYZ will be posted tomorrow. There is still time to whip up two or three initials for this holiday season.

Catnip Capers …. a summer quilt of kitties playing in the sun

By on 11-03-2011 in Original photos, Places to See

Catnip Capers was done for a woman who truly is the mother of these cats. Her favourite flowers are sun flowers and I thought what better than to put the cats in a sunflower garden enjoying the sun on a hot hazy day. The butterflies and dragonflies along with ladybugs are all present on this summer noon along with a hazy sun directly above. The cats are playing and rolling in the grass with one (there’s always one) looking down on them with humour.

catnip capers

These cats started as embroidery outlines. I painted and coloured them in Photoshop using a Wacom Bamboo tablet. Once they were fully drawn and coloured in I used filters to give them a soft furry look. The sunflowers have stuffed middles along with some of the petals that have been sewn down onto the quilt background. Other petals are double sided giving the flowers a 3D look. The stems are twisted cord, ribbon and embroidery floss. Large leaves were cut and sewn with a raw edge and then fray stop was used to keep them from fraying. The brown-eyed susans have button middles and the flower petals are simply a piece of gathered strips that has been cut with a pinking blade and doubled. The chickweed flowers were made on a daisy loom with ribbon and seed beads sewn for the centers. The little forget-me-nots are made with dark silk from men’s ties and mauve lame. Simple small yoyos turned backward and sewn down with more seed beads. The dragonflies, butterflies and ladybugs are buttons and embellishments. This quilt was an absolute joy to make from start to finish.

Christmas tabby cat and some cookies for Santa’s thank you plate

By on 11-03-2011 in Original photos, Places to See

Christmas is just around the corner, but there is still time to embroider a kitty or two. These images are also part of the vintage Golden Books colouring book.

Christmas kitten playing with ribbon

This tabby cat is so cute. He has the greatest smile on his face. Embroidered in Christmas colours he could adorn a stocking or cavort around a tree skirt.

Christmas Cookies

Do you need a plate of cookies for Santa? This one has several and treated individually they would make cool decorations, embroidered and beaded or painted on felt. They could also be painted onto wood for a more permanent ornament.

Children at the Carp Fair, Carp, Ontario

By on 11-03-2011 in Original photos, Places to See

A little boy carrying his prize dolphin and a little girl riding the merry-go-round along with her mother.

a boy and his dolphin

This little boy caught my eye as he was walking towards his mother. The dolphin toy he is carrying is almost bigger than he is. The coloured shadows of the dolphins as the sun shines through them beside him create a wonderful photo. I wonder who won the dolphin for him?

carp fair

Is there anything prettier than a little girl on the merry-go-round? This little one is hanging on to her horse, with her mother keeping her safe beside her. For me, this is what a fair is ….. families and their children getting together in our fast paced world, bringing back the feeling of belonging and adventure.