Smalls selection and beading how-to.

When I met up with friends Clare and Judith recently, I made each of them a little quaker scissor fob. Here you can see the front of Clare's and the back of Judith's.

I edged them with beads and backed them with a teal silk dupion. I used a variegated thread but I can't, for the life of me, remember its name.

This you have seen before.

Well not quite this, but a variation thereof.

I made one as a gift and liked it so much I made one for me too. It is easily recognisable as La-D-Da's freebie Alphabet with Hare. It is stitched over one on 28 count using for the alphabet Crescent Colours 'Smoke' with is a lovely faded blue/black ink colour. I used stash colours for the rest and highlighted my initial in red.

This is the back, a small floral design and you can just see the edging - a red bead added every third stitch. I deliberately tried to show the hanger too as I am going to try to explain how to make one in case you don't know how and would like to have a go.

I think this is La-D-Da too, but I am old and the memory is fading fast.

The wine doesn't help!

Again stitched over one with a brown variegated thread which I can't find now.

Why am I writing this blog when I am obviously incapable of giving any useful information?

Anyway this is the back, again showing the bead hanger.

Now - shall I have a go at explaining the bead hanger?
OK - bear with me as I have no pics but it really is very easy and gives a more substantial look than a single bead thread.

How-to

Finish your hanger as you would like and close the sides.
I tend to start and finish stitching at a top corner so that I am in position for the hanger bit.
I always use a beading thread such as Nimo for stitching together as it is much stronger, doesn't fray so easily and is available in lots of colours.

Secure your thread at the corner, whether you are ending the side stitching or beginning with a new length of thread.

Then just thread on a single row of beads to the length you want and secure invisibly at the other top corner. Don't have this string of beads too tight as you are going to go back through them and you need a little bit of space to do this. Not too much though!

Then, you go back through the first bead ( number 1 - this is the last bead you threaded before securing the thread).

Add a new bead to your thread.
Miss out a bead (number 2) on the original string then thread back again through bead number 3.

Add a new bead.
Miss out bead number 4 on your original thread then go back again through bead number 5.

Add a new bead.
Miss out bead number 6 on your original thread then go again through bead number 7.

Add a new bead.

So you just keep going like this until you reach the beginning corner where you secure your thread invisibly.
The new beads you add on the way back lay beside, rather than on top of,  the bead you missed out when threading back. You made need to push them gently into place as you go.

You can thread through 2 or 3 beads before adding a new bead to give a slightly different, more open effect. On both the ornaments shown I threaded through through 2 beads and then added a new.

I probably should have explained this with pictures, and if it really makes no sense at all to you, I'll get the camera out again and have another go. Sigh!

I hope that wherever you are, your weather is a bit better than ours in the UK at the moment.

Love Irene xxx

A gift given - and received

First of all - a gift given.

This was really hard to photograph, so I will apologise at the very beginning for the poor quality of these pictures!
(Do you get really tired of hearing me say that?)

I have fiddled and faddled and used every fix device the photo program offered, but they are no better so I will just plod on with the details.

My nephew's girlfriends's sister had a baby last year called Daisy and when I was browsing through charts at Fobbles I found this one by Sadie Stuart of SamSarah Designs which I think is one of a series, this one being Spring.

It had the daisy flower and some hearts and a sweet rabbit and a bird and seemed perfect, so I substituted Daisy's name for the word Spring and added her birth date.

I used a selection of threads - mostly Vikki Clayton's Hand Dyed Fibres on a larger (25 I think) count rustic-type linen.

I think that and the variegated thread made it so so hard to photograph

(Yeah - right!)

Anyway, I sent it off and Victoria liked it and will frame it in time for Daisy's first birthday.

This is the gift received.

Michelle (http://stitchcraftplace.blogspot.com) asked if anyone wanted to do a mini Blackbird Design Exchange and we ended up with a merry band of seven.

Happily, Michelle is very efficient and organised (is that not true Michelle?) so I received my piece yesterday. It's lovely isn't it? 

It's BBD Basket of Memories stitched on 28ct fabric with a hand dyed thread from Africa.

It's difficult to see the thread colour here, and difficult to describe too - it's a tealy grey khaki colour, very unusual and very pretty.

Thank you so much for the gift Michelle, I love it, and thank you for suggesting the exchange.

I have posted mine out today, so as soon as it is received, I will share it with you.

Thanks for visiting, have a relaxing stress free day.

Love

Irene xxx

A pretty little needle case.

I was looking for something small and not too complicated to fill the few days I had before going to Fobbles in Cumbria for Ellen Chester's class.
I knew that once I had been I would have two major projects to work on, both huswifs, so I didn't want to add yet another WIP to my pile.

I remembered this little kit I had in my stash and it proved the perfect project. It is, as you see, a needle case and scissor holder, and everything was included, even the pretty scissors and the vintage style rose lining fabric. So no real thinking to do at all.

I completed it within a week and I really like the result. Also I am actually USING this one, as you can see from the assortment of needles.

Do you see the little black-headed pin there too?

Well, this was another lucky find at the antique fair I told you about last time. In fact I found a whole card of these old glass headed pins which I think may be Victorian, maybe, judging from their style, even mourning pins.

So if you receive an exchange or gift from me in the future, expect one of these sweet little things to be included too.

I notice that this week I have lost a follower.

Oh dear.

If I have said something to offend you, or failed to say something to please you,

I am so sorry.

Thank you for your visit, I welcome and read with interest your comments

Love Irene xxx