Among my Friends

I am taking a little more time with my fabric thimble today- feeling a little under the weather so I decided that I would share with you some of the wee friend I share my sewing room with. This is a lovely compostion doll from the US. I bought her now about 6 years ago.She is delightful and has all her own original clothes and even the tinest wee red shoes and socks. I love having my dolls and bears around as I work.The inspire me .

Today I am working on finishing another of my wee teddies. Today Twig is waiting for his leg to be completed.Hopefully then Twig will find a new home.

Fabric Thimble part 4

I hope you have finished sewing your thimble and it fits you great.It should be a firm fit as it will mold to yur finger in time. I decided I will use up my rat's nest of scrap embroidery threads. I get all these from friends who religiously buy the exact threads needed for an embroidery or cross stitch project and then kindly give me the left overs. I am thinking of making some bullion roses and lavender around my thimble.

Here is the start of my embroidery.I am going for crowded posy of little flowers.

I also decided to sew some old lace around the base for the ol' world feel. I love to get inspiration from some books in my library. Here are two that I find particularly beautiful.

 

The last book features Victorian keepsakes. It is a beautiful book with  pictures of old cards , embroidery and love Tokens. Just a joy to flip through. I thought I would add some more vintage braid to my thimble. This one features tiny bud roses on a black background. I love that a project like this can use so little of my precious and yet I can get to enjoy them.

I am going to continue to embroider the thimble on the top and sides. I will come back and show you what I have done. Please feel free to share with my what you are doing with your thimble. I would love to see pictures and will feature them on the blog for others to enjoy. Don't forget to send me your picture , where you are from and your name. You can mail me . I am excited to see what everyone is making...

Now go create beauty!You deserve it!

Little wonders

I have always like the idea of tiny. I adore minatures and doll houses, wee things in little boxes, tiny tins and the such. There is something almost childlike in the tiny. I read a beautiful story about Tasha Tudor the well known artist who used to have an on going game with her children as they grew up in a rural setting. They would make tiny minature letters and envelopes and post them in a knot hole of the tree near their home. Till today she has a collection of about 20 wee letters in the smallest handwriting - addressed with tiny stamps and all- letters written to the birds and beasts. I am facinated by such a notion. Delighted by the innocence.

The other day as I sat and sewed and mulled over the events of the recent days - I was thinking about  tiny things for a next project. I loved seeing the work of "matchbox stuffers" and woud love to do something like that soon. My heart was heavy and deeply saddened - trying to muster up the courage and strength to pack to leave our beautiful space here. I watched my chickens outside my window and decided that I would go and collect their eggs..To my utter delight I found among the eggs laid a special tiny one. It looked so precious laying there in the warm straw of the nest. Greg tells me that is the first egg after the hens have gone broody- someone has decided to lay again and the first egg though tiny was a promise of more to come.

That stuck a chord with me. Even tiny things can over time grow  into something hopeful. I saved that tiny egg and set is aside. We both need a little hope now..a little faith that tomorrow will be good.

Thimble sew along part 3

Here is part 3 of our project. I am so pleased to have some friends along to sew with me. It is such a simple and easy project - great for days when you want to make something but really cannot muster up the energy to do more. I am sorry for the quality of the pictures today- my camera played up and I lost some of the in between steps I had photographed for everyone..Never mind.

Ok...now you would have pinned your 3 rectangles together - sew a blanket stitch all around . You can use any stitch you like really. Please don't be worried about your stitching and neatness - just enjoy the fun of making and sewing. Sew along all the edges - going through all 3 layers of felt you have cut out.

You will end up with a finished piece like this.Do the same with the felt circles for the top- stitch all three layers together and set aside.

You should have pieces that look like this now. Roll the rectangle int a tube short ends together and stitch together.( Sorry this is the picture I lost ) .You will have a felt tube with open ends. Pin the circle to the top of the tube. I put my pins in downwards all around. Stitch this down. Dont worry if the circle is slightly larger that the space in the top of the tube.You can trim it down - or just let it be. Catch and stitch the edges of the circle to the top of the rectangle tube.I use the stitching on both again as I weave and stitch through the old stitching.

Your thimble should look like this .

Check the fit on your finger. It should fit you perfectly. It is basically done. Now only to decorate it and have fun with your choices--- embroider , bead, applique - anything you want...I have some ideas to do mine up so I will come back tomorrow to share what I have been doing. Have fun and Happy sewing...I hope you will share your finished thimbles with me...they are really very comfy to sew with!

 

Remember that creating is not about perfection. It is about passion and a love for beautiful .Even if it is only beautiful in your eyes only. I recall being scolded and punished in school for needlework that was less than neat. It was a standard that as a child I could not achieve. So I hated sewing- just disliked it intensely. It did not help that some more proficient needle workers are critical of those who are just learning. Thankfully I came across some wonderful women along the way that taught me that sewing is all about love - not perfection. Stitching that is untidy, seams that are crooked and such do not mater.Relax and ask yourself "Are you having fun" Turn off the inner critic and tell everyone else who is not helpful to go away....settle in your corner of the world and create your own brand of beautiful.