Tags One and Two

I have made the decision to bow out of the tri-weekly SAL. Partly to take some pressure off myself, partly so I can set aside the #12pages book project I've been featuring in those posts with a clear conscience. It's time to do the cover for that book and I haven't a clue how I want to proceed. I've also become distracted by a new project. Don't tell me you're surprised because I know it's not true. 😁

I don't recall whether I've mentioned this new project here or not, and I'm too lazy to go back through my posts to find out. Suffice to say that Anne Brooke, the creator of the #12pagesofChristmas book project has created a new endeavor for 2021. She's calling it #52tagshannemade (the 'hannemade' designation ties it to her specifically). She presents a slow stitch prompt each week and those who are playing along then do a bit of stitching in response. Most folks are attaching the stitchery to some form of shipping tag per Anne's example. One tag per week, 52 weeks in the year, and you end up with 52 tags. I did my first "tags" on my Winter Scroll stitch wrap. Anne started us off with an all-white prompt as a nod to the new year. The next prompt was to make a heart in a contrasting color to the background. I mashed the two prompts together on my scroll. I went so far as to put a bit of my own dried lavender from the summer under my heart patch.

I stitched a couple more "tags" on my scroll before deciding to make a change. I could see that the scroll was soon going to be very cumbersome to work on so I switched to an artist trading card format. That gave me about the same amount of space Anne is using on her tags but I'll find a tin or something in which to keep my cards instead of threading them on a binder ring. To have a complete set of ATC's at the end of the year however, I needed to make the first tags over again. Of course they don't look much like the originals! 

My do-over for the all white prompt turned out this way:

A tag on a tag, completely unplanned. There's some shiny white tulle under the tag shape, and two different white fabrics make up the foundation of the ATC. I'm still using cotton batting under the fabric. I've got to do something to make a dent in my pile of scrap batting and I like the substance the batting gives to these little pieces. At the moment I'm using a double-sided tape to stick a piece of card stock to the backs of these ATC's so I can annotate them. 

The replacement heart tag began with a scrap of wool in the shape of a heart. 

Not sure I improved on it with my stitches and French knots but this is all about experimentation and practice for me. The charm is a reminder to that effect. 😉

I have more tags to share with you and a couple to catch up on still. At least this will give me something to blog about! 

Stitching Along in February

Three weeks have passed since our last SAL check in, and two weeks since my last post. Not a great record, but that's what life does sometimes. I haven't been doing very much stitching but because I knew this check in was coming up I did get the final page made for my #12pagesofChristmas book project. Deadlines can be so useful! 

The prompt for the last page was a bit of bling. I don't know why I had such a hard time with this. I have all kinds of beads and sequins. Finally I chose a 3" square of an old Hoffman print, green and violet with metallic gold in the design and worked off of that.

Edited: I've been able to load the photos at this point. Now I can't access my pictures. It may be time to quit blogging afterall. Suffice to say, I had a bit of green organza ribbon with gold accents along the edges that I'd twisted into a rosebud shape. I wrapped it in a strip of narrow metallic gold ribbon and stitched it to the square of fabric. Then I used seed beads - gold - to secure tiny gold star sequins to the page. I'd say the page looked a little like a celebration in the end. 

The next step is to make a cover. Anne added little tags to the back sides of her pages. I'm not sure whether I'll do that or not. She also had a piece of an antique quilt she used for her cover. I'll have to make something from scratch. I was worried my book wouldn't fit in the tin I'd designated for it but it looks like it will be fine, even with a cover. 

In the meantime, if you're on Instagram you can see some of my needlework @sewingmagpie. And here are the links to the other bloggers who have been stitching along!

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, 

Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Megan, Deborah, MaryMargaret, Renee, 

Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ, Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

First SAL of 2021

 I'm continuing work on Anne Brooke's #12pagesofChirstmas book-in-a-tin project. (You can check out her projects on YouTube.) Frankly, without this stitch along it might have become a UFO at this point. Not that I've lost interest, I've just become distracted. That often happens when new projects present themselves! 

When last we met I'd completed pages seven and nine, having skipped page eight's prompt. Since then I've made pages eight, ten, and eleven! There's only one page left to do but after that I have to come up with a cover. Anne added little tags to her book, on the backs of most of the pages. I will probably try to do a version of that but I'm not thinking that far down the road just now. 

The prompt for page eight was a pocket and a tag to go into it. My pocket is a strip of burlap on top of a 3" square of a Tim Holtz print. I cut a little section from some lace to embellish the pocket front. The tag is another piece of a Tim Holtz print, embellished with a button. It's only two layers of fabric stitched together. I wish now I'd put a bit of batting between the layers of fabric to give it more substance.

Page ten was made with circles folded into quarters. Some makers were able to be very creative with their circles, making replicas of flowers on a vine and such. I only had room for four circles so I made a single bloom. Can you see the layers created by the folds? 

 They get flattened down when the book is closed of course. I took the opportunity to practice making leaves using the fishbone stitch. I'd have had better results with a piece of muslin under the quilter's cotton. 

Page eleven was to feature a heart held onto the page with a "belly band." My heart is a tiny piece of wool backed with cotton. It looked pretty plain so I added the lovebird charm. I was delighted to see that I could make it rest over the strip of eyelet lace I used for the band.

I used size 12 perle cottons to embellish the heart and secure the laces and trims.

The final prompt is to make a page with some bling. That will mean sequins and beads for me I think.  I've been concerned that the book would get too fat to fit comfortably in the tin I chose for it but so far it looks like I'll be okay if that bling doesn't add too much dimensionality. 

The cover might have to be kept as flat as possible to stay within the tin's interior as well. 

This SAL is hosted by Avis and is meant to help us finish up needlework that might otherwise be left on the shelf or in a drawer. We each work on our own projects and check in every three weeks to share our progress. Just click on the links to see what everyone else is working on. 😊

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, 

Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, MaryMargaret, Renee, 

Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ, Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

The Final SAL for 2020

 I had to laugh at myself when I reread my last SAL post, from the beginning of this month. So far from having my #12pagesofChristmas book nearly complete, I barely touched it between then and now. Christmas you know. You can see the little hearts I stitched up for the eldest granddaughters in the previous post. There were other gifts made, and shopping to do online and locally, gift wrapping, and well, you know the drill. I'm quite proud to have completed two of the remaining five pages. 

I followed Anne's lead closely for page seven. The brief was 9 circles. I stitched mine down essentially same way she did hers.

I did ad the star stitches between the central circles though. All my circles were cut from one batik print. I chose that print because I thought all the lines going in different directions would make them more interesting. 

The next prompt is for a pocket on a page and a tag to go into the pocket. I've skipped that one for the time being. Page nine is supposed to feature mini hexies, English paper piecing. I don't do regular size hexies, never mind mini jobs. So I've spent countless hours trying to come up with a work-around for that prompt. I decided to go with pieces of English paper instead of English paper piecing. 😉

My papers were cut or torn from a magazine out of Britain and are simply sewn down with machine sewing thread. The castle tag is off a piece of clothing. I made an attempt at an embroidered rose to fill an empty spot. So, fairly simple in the end. 

Over the next three weeks I'll be working on that pocket and tag page and hopefully one or two others. I still have to figure out what I'm going to do about a cover too. A couple of participants, Anne included, have had their book turn out too bulky to fit into the tin they originally chose for storing it. That could happen here too. Meanwhile, Anne is planning a new project for 2021. Not sure I'll be playing along but I will certainly be watching. 😁

To see the progress others in the group have made in the last three weeks just click on their links below. It's fun to see the variety of projects in the works.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, 

Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, MaryMargaret, Renee, 

Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ, Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

First Stitch Along of December

 It's been three weeks since our last Stitch Along check in. I've not been very active in the cyber world but I have been busy in the studio. At least, on the days when I've been able to function. The air quality tends to be so bad around here this time of year that I can't even poke my nose out the door without getting hit by a wall of toxic air. Even with my mask on it takes a toll, sometimes heavy. So let me apologize in advance to any of the SAL bloggers who may visit and not see or hear from me in return. 

I have taken all your encouragement to add a spider's web (and a spider) to my Pumpkin Head canvas to heart. I will do that, just not right away. Thanks for your support! 

I've continued to work on the #12pagesofchristmas book project since our last check in. The first three pages can be seen in that post. The prompt for page four was to use rectangular pieces, a bit of lace, and a button. This is what I did:

As a reminder, my pages are about 3.5" overall, giving me about 3" square on which to work. My rectangles included a couple of clothing labels. The black one in the background is actually about twice as big as it appears. I covered up the lower half with a bit of sari silk and the second label. 

The prompt for page five was minimal: use a square and a Suffolk puff, or a yo-yo as we know it here in the States. 

I used a square of wool felt for my base but also included the square bead. Making Suffolk puffs is not something I enjoy doing so I was glad we only had to do one. I filled mine with an outpouring of miscellaneous beads and tacked it in place with some seed beads. I even managed to include a square sequin! 

The page six prompt was to use neutral fabrics, our choice of stitches, and three embellishments. Anne's stitching was more dense than mine and she used three small, dark safety pins for her embellishments. You can see her pages on her YouTube channel.

My embellishments are the button and two bugle beads (with seed beads at each end to protect the thread from being cut by the sharp ends of the bugles). I like the way the bugle beads echo the staff lines of the scrap of music print. Even the French knots mimic the notes. 

The next three prompts were only recently revealed. I haven't had a chance to work on them yet. I'm trying to get a little something hand stitched for each of our grandchildren for Christmas and that takes time. 😊

To visit the others in this SAL click on the links below. Hopefully the next time we check in, on 27 December, I'll have my book nearly complete! 

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, 

Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, MaryMargaret, Renee, 

Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ, Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen