July 30 is always World Embroidery Day – a day when we celebrate the slowness of stitching and enjoy the company of needle, fabric and thread. I thought I’d share some of my past embroideries (including a skirt, artist trading cards and wall hangings), as eye candy and maybe inspiration for you to pick up a needle and experiment a bit on your own!
Enjoy!
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Last year I had a blog series of photo themes that I called Spotted Photo Theme. As I wrote about my summer photo project, The Pink Flower Mission, I started to think about past themes and decided to give the spotted-themes-idea a try again.
Let’s geek out on photography! If you love photography, documenting and sharing what you create – then you are most welcome to join me as I post a photo theme spotted in my personal photo collection! Look through your own photos and come back to the newest photo theme here and post a link in the comments!
The fab fabrics I got in the Fabulous Fabric Swap became a bag! A quilt-as-you-go-bag! And QAYG is indeed an abbreviation to remember. A bit like crazy quilting, but with a more instant quilted look.
I was inspired by Flutter Kat’s tutorial on How to make a Quilt As You Go anything. Seeing the pictures of her quilting process made me want to try this method at once, so I did.
I sewed cut pieces of fabric directly to one big piece of fabric wadding that fit around my turquoise laptop + lid. I kept adding pieces until one side was totally covered, then quilted it and added some details before i sewed it into a bag (no lining). Here is the finished thing, front, back and open:
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I’ve been sewing this week, and intend to do a bit more before July ends. Inspired by my own fabric stash, tutorials and inspiration online, the book Quilt Improv and the fabric swap I’m in of course.
I opened my plastic boxes of tiny fabric scraps and threads, and started to piece things together randomly – no plan. Just using my ground sense of colors and what goes together well. I just love colorful scraps, collected mostly from my mom or from thrifted finds over the years. Continue reading
Let’s have some cut and paste fun together, shall we?
My friend Tammy asked me to do a guest post on index cards for her annual summer challenge, ICAD: Index Card A Day last year, and then again this year! I said yes, brought out my scrap inbox of pretty papers and recorded a quick video to inspire you guys to do some cut-n-pastin’ of your own!
In the video you can watch how I pick out papers, and without any plan glue them down on the blank canvas of an index card! I go with green and pink, use some washi tape, some tissue paper and a lot of tiny pieces of left over collage material. I really like how the lines of these ordinary index cards peeks through. I think it gives this the perfect “everyday practice look”, the mundane transformed, daily life documented on a card.
Here are some details of today’s index card collage:
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I don’t like following patterns even though I sometimes do, to learn something new. I prefer to freestyle my projects. I also love inspiration as you might already know. I collect inspiration in just about any form, books included. So when I spotted the title Quilt Improv on Amazon I knew it would be a book I’d enjoy a lot. I bought it promptly, and I must say it’s a fab quilting book!
The subtitle of Lucie Summer’s book Quilt Improv is: Incredible Quilts from Everyday Inspirations. I love improvisation! I think it is what I enjoy most when I create: to have no finished plan!
Lucie Summers lives in a farmhouse surrounded by countryside in Suffolk, UK. And that’s where she finds her own everyday inspiration. Summer’s shows us how to take inspiration from simple objects to create 12 contemporary quilts. Or you can just dive into this book and “steal” inspiration from it. I love that you get to follow along in the process from inspiration photos to sketch and then see her interpretation of that inspiration as a finished very modern quilt. Her inspiration comes from what’s around her, from barn houses, windows, or pavement texture to the patterns of pretty shoe boxes on her shelf.
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If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.
Dolly Parton
Some new fabrics in my stash… The Dangers of visiting a Quilt Shop.
I think summer is perfect for sewing projects. Don’t you agree? I want to sew skirts, quilts, softies and tiny broaches that looks like flowers. I want to cut into all that pretty (newly bought and in the stash vintage) fabric and sew sew sew. You?
Tutorial for a Perfect Summer Skirt
A Photo Project often start with one simple idea that spark your interest. The idea does not have to be genius or innovative, but it has to be something that interest you enough that you want to return to it from time to time (or else it won’t become a project). Ideas that I am drawn to often involve things that makes me happy, that sings with inspiration and joy in my heart.
Like pink flowers, for example.
Variety’s the very spice of life
that give it all its flavour.
William Cowper
This time my idea/project started on instagram as I photographed a spring flower earlier this year. The flower was lush pink and it had me thinking: Maybe I should document all the pink flowers I see? I gave it a hashtag, #pinkflowermission, which has became the project name. Spring was the perfect time to start, because this summer I’ve kept my eyes open at all times to spot pink flower for my mission to document and share them on instagram!
The Pink Flower Mission is such a joy. It has made me into a #gardenstalker, leaning over fences of neighbors and strangers. But most flowers I’ve found in my parent’s wonderful garden.
I have found several favorites flowers. Maybe each new one I bend over to document becomes a favorite. Like this beauty:
The Kalmia bush in my parent’s garden. I think it’s most beautiful as a bud…
What about some paper weaving, fabric appliqué, making your own twine and then decorating some envelopes? Today’s link love will lead you to five artistic craft ideas that I think are awesome and worth your time. So remember:
Too much of a good thing can be wonderful.
Mae West
My previous link love posts with other great ideas was about blogging and creativity and then journaling and writing. If you need more links to get inspired check out those too.
Now, go create something – anything!
We seem to be going through a period of nostalgia, and everyone seems to think yesterday was better than today. I don’t think it was, and I would advise you not to wait ten years before admitting today was great. If you’re hung up on nostalgia, pretend today is yesterday and just go out and have one hell of a time.
Art Buchwald
Dear Photo Diary, a yellow bird lives in my window… Continue reading
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