Book

Here's the next book. The button is a leather one that has been sitting around here for ages. It feels good to be putting some of these things to use. I used a thick and thin yarn and the embellisher to make the cover.

The batik on the left is the lining. The purple paper with the butterflies is a signature cover. The paint was lifted through a stencil to get the butterfly design. First you paint the paper, then when it's dry, you paint a coat over it, put the stencil down, and use a damp sponge to lift areas of paint off.

Book

I had tried felting scraps of fabrics of unknown fiber content to a piece of craft felt to see what would happen. The finished piece sat around for ages when inspiration hit-a book cover! Because the fabrics were assorted, I machine quilted a wonky grid on top of them to make sure it didn't fall apart. It's tied with a leather strip that had also sat around for years. It's so satisfying to be using things that I couldn't part with but had not found a place to put.

The signature covers are painted papers. The two toned one is embossed wallpaper from a sample book.

Take a Stitch Tuesday, Felting

I watched a DVD by Pokey Bolton about using the Embellisher and had to try this idea. It's strips of fabric punched into a base. The violet oval shapes are roving The blue-green pieces are lace motifs that I painted with acrylic paints. Before adding the lace, I machine quilted the circles with a rayon thread. Maybe it will be a fabric book cover. I have some decorated denim pockets that I want to use.

My using a regular thread and tight tension, this is what I got on the back. I like it too much to cover it up, so I'll have to come up with an edge treatment that leaves the back open. I think couched threads zigzagged to it would work.

Sharonb at http://www.pintangle.com/ gave us th Raised Closed Herringbone Stitch this week.

It makes a great leaf and went on my flower sampler. The light green is all 6 strands of embroidery floss to give a very full leaf. The dark is Perle Cotton #8 and is more open.

Felting, Gifts

Here is a photo of a Hybiscus that I took when we were in Hawaii. I love flowers and take lots of pictures of them for inspiration.

I decided to felt a piece similar to it then add details in Machine Embroidery. This year my Bead Journal Project pieces will have a felted background with Machine Embroidery on them before they are beaded. This just didn't fit with the other two I've made, so into the drawer for now. I don't care for this, so that's part of it-too folksy for my taste.

Lynda http://www.purplemissus.blogspot.com/ sent me this as part of the http://calendargirls2008.blogspot.com/ exchange. I just love it. I'm no good at doing figures and can appreciate when one is done so well.

She also sent this ATC and post card. The ATC has the techniques used listed on the back. Thank you Lynda.

Thank you everyone who suggested a name for Monday's quilt. They were all good. I keep a list for the future and will add them: Come again, Envy, Come and Go, and Return to Center.  The piece did remind me of Boomerangs too. I've decided to call it Return. It was one of the projects I organized before surgery, so I would have plenty to do after. Little did I know-never having had any before-that you aren't up to a darn thing after!  It's so good to be back in creative mode. The blog and my followers spur me on.

Felting

I had made a long, narrow piece of felt on the embellisher and decided to make a purse from it. After it was felted, I did some machine embroidery/quilting in a metallic thread. When is it quilting and when embroidery?

I used the Diva cord maker from http://www.joggles.com/ to make the cord.

I have lots of costume jewelry pins that just sit in a drawer, so this one become the closure.

Here is the back. I love to machine the circles and have to watch that I don't do them all the time and nothing else.

Felting

More felt samples from the class given by Dale of www.thethreadstudio.com
These both have knitted bits on them that are felted and cut up.
The red one has felt, then a wipe used to blot up paint, silk scraps, threads, knitted pieces, and machine stitching in metallic.
The second one is roving with stitching and beading.