Fabric postcards and ATCs.

I was running late for my Yahoo postcard exchange, so yesterday being Sunday, the day of rest, I decided to spend the afternoon making my postcard. MIL sat with me at the kitchen table, reading a book and looking up now and then to see how I was going. I was really pleased with myself to finish it - just goes to show what you can do if you put your mind to it. For once, Ken had his own agenda, doing small maintenance jobs around the house which he'd been putting off because it was just too hot over the past few weeks. So he wasn't pestering me for food and drinks, or wanting to go somewhere! I'm not making any apologies about the unfinished look here - I ran out of green thread on my needle at the bottom right hand corner, and didn't have time to re-thread and finish it. I might do that before I post it. And the edges look a bit frayed - so? I'll trim them!
This postcard and the two ATCs were sent to me by Susan Lantz, the lady who organised the Cyber Fibre exhibition I mentioned some time ago. I was very surprised to receive these from her, as we'd had a misunderstanding, and I sent her a rude email because she hadn't responded to my emails! But once she'd explained her position, I apologised profusely, and thought that was the end of the matter. Then these arrived!!! Thank you very much Susan - you are a very generous spirited lady.

Another UFO completed.

I hate myself when I have started to make a gift for a friend, but don't finish it in time for the occasion. Last year, I started stitching this Tea towel for a friend in Germany, who is a great fan of Andre Rieu. Her birthday is in April, and this was supposed to be finished for her birthday....2008, not 2009! I'd told her I was working on something, but didn't give any details, so it will be a surprise. A bit silly, I know, but I couldn't resist the Waltz connection to Andre! As I wrote to my friend, I'm sure he has never played a "Vegetable Waltz"!

Fabric postcards and aprons.

I finished my Coffee postcard today, and will be mailing it to Janny in the Netherlands tomorrow (I have trimmed the edges since I took this picture!) Today I received this lovely fabric postcard from Helen in the U.K. - she was my swap partner for the Green Postcard swap on a Yahoo Group. She also enclosed this gorgeous lot of 'bling' as an apology because the first FPC she sent never arrived - how generous is that?!
Aprons? Ah ha, you will have to go here to see my latest find!

Starting another Fabric postcard.

If you go back a few posts here, you will find an ATC I made, featuring a cup of coffee. That fabric was from a man's tie that I found in an opshop, and snapped up immediately, realising the possibilities of the design! I am now incorporating some more of that tie in my latest Fabric postcard, which is destined for Janny in the Netherlands. Here is what I have done so far. I've got a bit more embellishing to do, then it will be mailed. My 96 year old MIL who lives with us now, is fascinated by these little miniature works of fabric art. I showed her this one from the start, making the block, then choosing the bits of lace and buttons to finish it off. She says they never had anything like that in her days of embroidery - just ordinary old fancy work on traced linen, crochet and tatting. ORDINARY OLD??? Understatement of the century!
I've also started another Asissi stitching project, which will take quite some time, as I'm teaching a non-stitching friend to do it and we are 'stitching in tandem'. Not worth photographing anything yet, but as we get more done, I post some pics.

A new fabric postcard, and a unique sampler.

Before I show off my new postcard, I want to tell my readers here about a neat sampler that one of my blog pals has recently completed. It is made up of different stitches of "Chicken Scratch" - you know, the one you do on gingham. I've always loved this style of embroidery - simple, rustic, country, whatever you think - it reminds me of the aprons my mother wore, and the little supper cloths she and her friends had in their linen cupboards. Jane (Miss 376) has made this sampler - go to her blog here to have a look!
OK, now for my latest postcard! I was delighted to receive this today from Janny in The Netherlands as a one to one exchange. Due to my circumstances at home right now, I'm behind in my stitching commitments, but I have all the bits to get going - I just need the time to do it!

My postcard for Liz.

Guess I shouldn't be posting this, because if Liz sees it, my postcard won't be a surprise. Never mind, it shouldn't be long in arriving at her home.

Fabric postcard.

I received this gorgeous fabric postcard yesterday from "Liz" in the USA. We are exchange partners in a Yahoo Swap Group. I've still working on hers...life has got in the way of my stitching lately, but hopefully I'll soon have more time to myself to catch up!

Late Christmas surprise in the mail.

Happy New Year to all my stitching blog friends! I received a gorgeous biscornu in the mail on Dec. 31 - nice way to end the year! (She also sent the beaded thingy - sweet!) Shari in Canada posted this to me way back in October, for a Stitchin Fingers exchange. She'd received mine in good time, but hers apparently got sent by surface mail. As I said to her...dingbats (working in the post office over there!)

Stitchin' Christmas gifts!

How well my friends know me, and how well they indulge me! I usually received a few 'embroidery-type' gifts for Christmas, and this year was no exception. Sharon gave me three lovely gifts - a miniature teapot (not shown here), a Cross Stitch book, and a square of linen printed with one of my favourite themes - old fashioned lady in her garden. I look after a 90 year old lady in my job, and when I showed her this, she promptly suggested which stitches I should use (and yes, I will be taking her advice!)

Finished ATCs.

Here are those ATCs again - the Doggie one had to be cut down a bit, but other than that there is no change. The Cup of Coffee block is now embellished and ready to go to a new owner. If you click on the picture, it will show up in more detail.

Some more miniature patchwork

Well, Textile ATCs actually. I have a collection of men's ties that I've picked up at opshops over the years, thinking I would do something with the lovely and sometimes unusual fabrics they are made of. I cut a piece from two of them to include in these ATCs: This blue tie had these cute Dalmation puppies all over it, in red hearts! I'm also planning to make an FPC (Fabric post card) using these. On this ATC I've appliqued the pup to red fabric, and used blanket stitch to secure it. The side bits are dark blue ric rac over-stitched with pale blue floss. The tie I used for the ATC below has these single coffee cups as well as groups on it, and again I'm planning a FPC using the larger motif. This ATC is just a basic block so far. I will embellish the seams, and use beads to secure the lace.

Another little project completed.

This Fabric postcard completes another swap project. The swap Group members were instructed to stitch something 'Green' this month, so I played around with my fabric scraps, trims, beads and sequins and came up with this. I'm posting it to the U.K. tomorrow and hopefully I'll receive my partner's 'Green' postcard by return mail soon!

LeeAnn's Christmas gifts.

These are part of LeeAnn's Christmas gift to me. She also gave me a beautiful ornament, which is on my other (non stitching) blog. Three hand stitched hand towels - lovely!
A treasure from China or Japan - a bamboo and paper parasol, embroidered with flowers in silk. Below is a close up of the embroidery.
LeeAnn is one of the most thoughtful and generous people I know. She knows exactly what people are interested in, and searches in lots of places for just the right gifts for her friends. Thank you HEAPS, dear friend!!

Fabric Postcard off to England.

I stitched this fabric postcard for Jane in the U.K. as part of an exchange. *********************** This ATC arrived yesterday from Maya in India. Photo doesn't do it justice - it really sparkles with bling!

I'm behind with my stitching!

But I managed to finish two little Christmas cards for some blog friends. We had a Bloggers Christmas lunch here yesterday - just six of us, and I had intended to stitch a card for each of my five guests. But, time got away from me as usual and I only finished two, one of which I forgot to scan before I gave it away! (But I'm sure my friend will do that and email a pic back to me...) Here is the other one: Stitched on 18ct silver lurex Aida with two strands DMC floss. It is only tiny, but Val loved it, and couldn't believe it was actually cross stitch! I'm cursing myself for not starting these a month ago, but I do it every year - leave things to the last minute and end up not achieving my goal. I'm okay with cards and gifts - that's all done by December 1st, but embroidered cards and gifts? Where do I get the idea I'm a fast stitcher?!

Another fabric postcard arrived today.

Here is another fabric postcard. This gorgeous creation is from Mary Lou in Canada - it is in exchange for the Christmas tree one I sent to her last week (I posted a photo of it here a few days ago.) The scan does not do it justice; she has used metallic thread, stars and little boots, as well as beads, to embellish this card. I love it!!

Additions to my stash.

Here are some of the goodies my EGV friend gave me. (The aprons that she also gave me are on my Apron blog here.) This is one corner of a beautiful vintage pure linen Semco tablecloth which has only had this bit of stitching done on it. There are no instructions, but it appears that the stitcher was going to use the one colour for the whole cloth, and it would look stunning when finished. These are unworked doilies, some complete with instruction sheets. Very old Faultley designs; I am guessing from the 1940's. This gorgeous little supper cloth has been embroidered and finished. I don't know how W. could part with it - I love it! Two pieces of embroidery with an unusual provenance. W. tells me they were done by a 'model stitcher' (person who stitches projects for display purposes in magazines, shops, etc.), who only had to do half of the item to be displayed in a shop. The stitching on both of them is perfectly executed; there is no way I would try to finish off either of them - the difference would be so great that it would spoil the whole thing! These bits and pieces are some remnants from the Remnant Drawer at the EGV. I was pleased to find the tartan material, as I have been wanting to do a small cross stitch project with a Scottish theme. The illustration in the book shows it finished off with a frame of tartan material, which I didn't have until now. The sparkly bit of fabric was cut from an item of clothing that someone left for scrap purposes, and everyone has been hacking small bits off for their own purposes! I will use the little piece with violet flowers in a crazy patchwork project, as I have several bits of purple fabrics that will tone with it. ************** Finally, I stopped off at an opshop on the way home yesterday, and found this little kit for $1 - had to have! It will make a nice gift for someone.

No time to blog!

Just a quick post here to let you know that I'm still around, but haven't had time to post anything much to my blogs. I gave my friend the cross stitched cottage for her 50th birthday last week and she was delighted with it - so much so that she ran around the room showing it to everyone who was at her party! I decided to use the temporary frame I'd had it in, as I couldn't find anything that suited it better than that, and L. said she was happy with it. At the moment I'm busy stitching some Christmas cards for special friends, as well as trying to finish two fabric postcards due out this month, and one or two fabric ATCs...'a stitcher's work is never done' - to re-phrase an old saying! At the EGV today, my colleague W. said she'd been having a clean-up of her linens, and gave me a bag containing aprons, tablecloths, doilies, etc. - some worked, some not. I was delighted of course, and pleased to know this lady thinks enough of me to give her linens to me. But as she said, she knows they're going to a home where they are appreciated. When I've freshened everything up, I'll post photos. But don't hold your breath - between now and Christmas...well, I'm sure you know what it's like.

Take Three on the Christmas postcard!

My first two pictures of my Christmas Tree postcard attracted some compliments from readers, for which I thank you all. But after I posted the second photo, I had another look at it and thought to myself "that is disgusting - I can't send this to anybody!" There were three things that had to be fixed: (1)the crooked edges, (2)it was floppy because I hadn't used the right stiffening fabric, and (3)it was smaller than the usual postcard size. So I decided to glue it on to a slightly larger piece of light cardboard, then sew a wide band of ribbon around the edge to cover the cardboard showing on the right side, at the same time making the edges even. Now don't you think this looks much nicer? (I know, the corners are a bit untidy, but hey, nobody's perfect!) ************************************ I asked a Blogger friend to do me a small favour this week, and she was very quick to get on to it, so my Thank You is in the form of a little stitched card. Hope you like it, J!

More fabric postcards

This gorgeous postcard arrived unexpectedly yesterday, from Jane in the U.K. I had to email her to ask if we had planned to exchange postcards because if so, I'd forgotten! She replied within hours, saying yes, we had agreed to a swap, but a few months ago, and she'd taken ages to do it anyway. So that's another one to add to my list of to-do's! But I'm having fun!
****************** I finished this sooner than I'd planned, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered putting the unfinished block on here last night. See what happens when I sit up late trying to finish something? I get the edges off line...still, I'm pleased with the rest of it, so I hope my recipient won't be too critical of the crooked edges!