Ornament of the Month – October 2011

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Heather

Last week, just before the start of the CreativFestival, I finished up this month’s ornament of the month: Gingerbread Scissor Case from Victoria Sampler.

Gingerbread Scissor Fob from, Victoria Sampler

It is from the 2009 Just Cross Stitch ornament issue. I stitched it on 28ct Antique Almond Cashel , using the tiny pack from Victoria Sampler. I also have the pattern, floss pack and enough fabric to stitch the Gingerbread Stitching House Collection. And, since this is now complete, I’m counting the house itself a WIP for WIPocalypse (like I need an excuse, or another project!).

So, two more designs to go and I’m at the end of my project. I’m pretty proud of myself for sticking with it, even though there were a few hiccoughs. (Too bad I didn’t do as well with my sock knitting idea. But there is always next year.) And, of course, I’m now thinking about what to do next year. I think I’m pretty good for Christmas ornaments now. Maybe I’ll try Halloween ornaments or maybe small Teresa Wentzler designs. What do you think? Check out the poll over in my right sidebar, and let me know.

 

You’re probably wondering what happen to my posts on the last two days of the Creativ Festival. Well, unfortunately, I am just exhausted, and I haven’t got it in me right now to write up a big post (this particular post, with the exception of this last paragraph, was actually written last week). I should have the final post ready in a day or so. But for now I will say fabric, books and a new sewing machine were purchased, dragons were stitched (okay, started), and there was much inspiration to be found.

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CreativFestival – Day 3

Posted on October 22, 2011 by Heather

Yesterday was a very, very full day at the CreativFestival. My first class, at 9am, was with Larry Shackleton of Approved Sewing Machine Services. He taught us some basic sewing machine maintenance, and was extremely knowledgeable. I really enjoyed that class, and I feel like I can take good care of my simple Kenmore machine now (…or maybe I’ll look for a fancier machine on the show floor today). He also talked a little bit about the pros and cons of different types of bobbin setups, about why using a 1/4″ foot is important when you want 1/4″ seam, keeping your oil fresh, and a bunch of other little tips like that. I really wish I had been able to take his second class on basic troubleshooting, since it would have been an excellent complement to the first class. But, instead I took a class with Jennifer Aikman-Smith.

I know that several of you have taken classes with Jennifer, so you know is how fabulous she is. For those who haven’t, all I can say is imagine a 6’4″ woman, perky, who is funny, incredibly creative, and unendingly kind. She is truly a lovely lady, and classes with her are one of the highlights of my year.

Yesterday I took three classes with her, all of which ended up being on perforated paper. Unfortunately, because I was feeling a bit run down and off kilter yesterday (things are taking a greater toll on me than I expected, unfortunately), I wasn’t able to get too much stitching done. But, here is a picture with some bits with a little bit of stitching on them. 😉

Dragons WIPs from Dragon Dreams

The first class (upper left) was Santa’s Little Helper, a cute Christmas dragon pin with a jingle bell around his neck. You can see a picture of him here, on Jennifer’s latest newsletter. Of course, he is much cuter in person. I also understand that he will be available from PatternsOnline before Christmas. If you want to make sure you have the supplies on hand, you will need some white Fuzzy Stuff from Rainbow Gallery, a small jingle bell, and some beads for his necklace. (The kit has black bugle beads, gold star sequences, and gold beads.)

The second class was Christmas Cookie Thief (upper right), which is a cute little ornament with a dragon, some cookies and a gingerbread man. Adorable!

The final class of the day was Perforated Paper Castle and Dragon (bottom), which, as you can imagine, is a perforated paper castle. However, the dragon isn’t stitched. He is a little Fimo dragon made by Jennifer! Everyone got a little guy who was different from everyone else’s, and they are all cute beyond words. You can see mine in the picture above. But, again, as I am taking pictures early in the morning, with very poor light, everything looks terrible. I will take better pictures of the dragon minion (and Jennifer’s autograph on his butt) early next week. And, of course, I will share pictures of the finished pieces as they are finished.

I did manage to get in some shopping yesterday as well. Yarn was purchased, which you may have seen if you follow me on Twitter. I also bought a couple of books, some magazines, two purse sewing kits from Quilt a Bag (love!!), and some sewing notions. I’ll share pictures of all of this next week, when I can spread out and take some good pictures.

Today is another long day. My first class is at 9 again, this time with Charles Voth to learn about intarsia in the round (a knitting technique). Afterwards, I will be going to a creativity lecture by Jennifer. After that: more shopping and maybe some make-and-takes. And, finally, I will be attending the “gala” dinner and fashion show. My only hope is that the fashion show isn’t as long as in the past.

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CreativFestival – Day 2

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Heather

Yesterday was a pretty eclectic day for me at the CreativFestival…

(I appologzie for the poor quality of the photos. I took them early in the morning, without using good lighting.)

First, I took Fractured Fair Isles, a knitting course taught by the lovely and funny Fiona Ellis. We talked about how you can play with Fair Isle patterns (those patterns around the tops of Norwegian or ski sweaters),  maybe making them asymmetrical, or using non-traditional motifs, or making unexpected colour changes. We all then made up our own little pattern and knitted it up. Here’s what I came up with:

Little Cars Fair Isles

The bottom is a row of cars and trucks (which Fiona said she loved), and the top is a row of airplanes and a helicopter (which I’m not as proud of, but, hey, they are still cute).

My second class was I am a Creative Soul with Jennifer Aikman-Smith of Dragon Dreams. The piece is sort of like a sampler, with lots of specialty stitches scattered around. But the wonderful thing about this design is that it is meant for the stitcher to customize. We brought our own fabric, two or three colours of over-dyed threads, and some beads. Jennifer than let us pick a neutral over-dyed, more special beads, a metallic, and a lovely little charm she and her daughters made. I am totally in love with this design and I can’t wait to finish it. I will definitely show more of it as I get a chance to work on it.

I Am a Creative Soul WIP with threads, etc.

My last class of the day was another serger sewing class, with the same teacher as I had on Wednesday. This class was about what you can do with different serger feet, and it was so much better than the class on Wednesday. I now have a book full or directions and little swatches showing the finished piece. (The piping one didn’t turn out quite right because of a problem with the machine, but I’ve got the idea.) And now I know what kind of feet I’d like for my serger.

Sample of Wired Edge and Zipper from Serger

Today’s classes  include one on basic sewing machine maintenance, and three more stitching classes with Jennifer. And, since the show floor opens today, I may even find some time to shop. 🙂

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CreativFestival – Day 1

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Heather

I had my first class at the CreativFestival on Wednesday: Serger Nightie and Gown. The instructor was a Baby Loc (brand of serger) representative from B.C.  The first hour or so of class was spent trying to figure out how to cut out a pattern she said would be easy. All we needed was our bust measurement, and some (terrible) instructions, and away we went. Unfortunately, all we had was a poorly drawn diagram at the front of the room and an instruction sheet that didn’t make much sense. She also corrected herself twice after people started cutting.

Once we got sergering (not in the order of the instruction sheet, nor following all the steps), things got a little better. I will admit, my nightie and gown (housecoat) are a bit sloppy. I was, frankly, a bit annoyed with the whole process. However, in the end, I did learn how to use my serger better. I’ve now got some skills to carry over to other projects.

I’ll share a pictures of nightie and gown later (they are unfinished, and I’m not sure I will bother finishing them). I need some decent light, and it is pouring rain right now.  The fabric used is supposed to be a lovely batiste, but I think it feels like a cheap muslin. And it is not really worth the large kit fee, in my opinion.

Platinum Gift Package

I also picked up my gift package, which I got for signing up for a platinum  course package. All the items were donated by H.A. Kidd. And, while it is very nice, it is really heavy on scrapbooking supplies. Sadly, this year it came in a cheap plastic bag, which was looking tatty by the time I got home. In past years, the bag itself had been much nicer.

Today is day two of my classes. I’ll be taking a Fair Isles knitting class with Finoa Ellis, a needlework class with Jennifer Aikman-Smith (Dragon Dreams), and another serger class with the same instructor as last night.

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PJs for Baby Man

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Heather

The CreativFestival is this weekend, and I have my first class today. It is called Serger Nightie and Gown, and I’m quite excited to be leaning how to use my serger to do more than finish seams or sew a square.

Of course, I wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t a little nervous. I do meet the prerequisite, which is knowing how to use a sewing machine to sew. But, I can’t remember the last time I sewed a garment. Maybe a doll’s dress when I was a little girl? And then I had the help of my grandma. I have seen my mom sew lots of clothes, and I’ve made lots of bags and ornaments, etc. However, I thought it was important for me to try to make something someone can actually wear before I take that class.

So, here it is, still in progress: a pair of pjs for the little man:

Car Pjs for the little man (Simpilicity pattern #2046)

I used Simpilicity pattern 2046, some very cute light cotton flannel and a whole lot of courage. (I suspect some Americans may be a bit worried about the fabric choice. We have very different rules up here with regards to materials suitable for children’s sleepwear. Rest assured, the little man will be safe. It’s not often we put him to bed with an open flame. 😉 )

Look! I made a button hole!

So far, I’ve only run into a few minor issues. I picked up a bit of fabric from the arm of the sleeves while sewing in the shoulders. I figure this is partly due to me going too fast, and partly because the armscye is so darn small. It was easily fixed with a seam ripper and some patience. I’ve also left off the pocket because I couldn’t figure out the directions. I’ll add it later, hopefully. And, lastly, I forgot to buy elastic for the pants. Oops!

The perfect button!

The good news is that the pjs fit the little man with some room to spare. And, I also learned how to sew a garment and even used my serger for some of the finishing. I may go back and serger/overlock all the edges if I feel brave. And, if I can find another deal of cotton flannel, I just might make a couple more sets of pjs for the little man.

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Dragon Case

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Heather

With the CreativFestival fast approaching, I figured it was well past time for me to work on my cross stitch iPhone case. The design I ultimately decided on is Celtic Dragon, a freebie from Enchanting Lair.

Celtic Dragon on DIY iPhone Case

The design is charted in shades of red, but I decided that I would prefer green. I used DMC Colour Variations in shade 4045 for the majority of the stitching, DMC 890 for the spines on the wings and eyes, DMC black for the nostrils, and PTB PB32 for the head spine.

Baby Man also wanted me to let you know that he helped me with the stitching. I think it is only a matter of time until he decides he wants to learn a craft. I think it is mostly a matter of dexterity rather than interest.

Hopefully this case will hold up to regular wear and tear, and protect my phone.

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Princess and Dragon

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Heather

I fished another old CreativFestival design out of the old workbasket. This one is First Dragon Encounter by Jennifer Aikman-Smith of Dragon Dreams.

First Dragon Encounter by Dragon Dreams (WIP)

I haven’t made a whole huge amount of progress on it, but considering all I had stitched in the class was a wee bit of her bodice, I’d say I’m doing pretty well. (I think I remember this being one of my last classes for that weekend, so I decided to work on another design in class that was closer to being finished.)

The design is from the 2008 CreativFestival (and is now available on Patterns Online). It is stitched with DMC floss and one colour of Waterlilies Silk (Sky Blue Pink) on 28 count Mushroom Jazlyn.

I plan to stitch more or less as charted, although I think I will probably leave off the blackwork elements around the outside. I suppose I will see how I feel when the princess and her wee dragon are stitched.

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