Small Slow Stitching Projects - MAP

 My Monthly Art Projects (MAP) are hand stitched efforts with a focus on using items I've collected over the years that can be sewn onto a base. 

Up until February I'd been working on a scroll of fabric over scrap batting. It measures about 3.5" high and 40-42" long. In February however, none of my items felt like they wanted to go on the scroll. At some point I'd stitched a 3.5" square just to have some hand work to do. It was a whole cloth piece, a printed quilting cotton. I stitched over the lines of the pattern in the fabric. But then it sat. I didn't know what to do with it once I'd done all the stitching. 

When I opened my box of embellishments early in February the lime green button grabbed my attention. For reference, it's 1.375" in diameter. (Just under an inch and a half.) I laid it on the stitched square and suddenly I was off to the races!

I found a vintage button in my stash and layered it on top of the contemporary button. I also got out my beads for the first time in several years.

I don't remember how I came by the star charm.

I picked apart a bit of wool yarn to decorate the top. I'm quite pleased with the end result. 😊

I've made several other small hand stitched pieces too. Not all during February, but I don't think I've shown them previously so here goes...

This one is about 3.5" high and 5.5" wide.

The flower pots are buttons, as are the flower centers. I used a bit of rick rack for the stem of the tree (or whatever it is!) on the right and sequins for the blossoms. The bird is also a sequin.

The bird was cut from another quilting cotton. The doily is vintage. This piece is 3" high and 4" wide.

This is another one that's 3.5" high by 5.5" wide. You can probably see that I beaded the heart and used another bird sequin. The butterfly is a button. There are tiny beads on the strip of pink, in the centers of the flowers printed thereon. The black background is actually several scraps of various black prints.

The background of this 3.5" x 5.5" piece is made up of three strips of cotton scraps. I had fun playing with the gears to create a steampunk look for this one. I used more wool yarn, feather stitching over it to keep it in place.

And on this one (3" x 4") I used a couple more of the embellishments from my box. (Does that mean I've already done one for March?) The postage stamp is an actual stamp.

All of these small pieces will be going to the Disabled Artists Foundation Inc. (dAFi) for their April fund rasising auction*. The theme for that auction is ephemera and embellishments that can be used in art/junk journals.  I see them as pocket fronts or tuck spots that can be added to pages. They will add a little bulk but, from what I've seen, a lot of journal makers like their books to be bulky. 😁

*The auctions are live on YouTube on the second Saturday each month. If you want to bid you'll need to fill out a bid form (only once). They begin at noon Eastern time. Previews are aired the Thursday prior to auction day.