Colour Inspiration - Pink and Aqua

I am loving everything aqua at the moment, from greens with the slightest hint of blue, to deep teal, to blues with the slightest hint of green. And when coupled with pink it's even better.

What's your latest colour crush?

TAST 67-68: Fancy Hem Stitch and Slipped Detached Chain Stitch

I've decided to make my own Christmas cards this year. I like the idea of embroidering some of them so this TAST offerings has a bit of a Christmassy theme.  I've made a little Christmas tree with the Fancy Hem Stitch and Slipped Detached Chain Stitch.  The sparkly thread is Anchor metallic. I found it a bit tricky to stitch with as it sort of unravelled when pulled through the material, but I found that if I let it unravel the final effect was still OK.

For more information about TAST pay a visit to Pin Tangle.

The Knitting and Stitching Show

Last week I was lucky enough to make it to The Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace.  It was my first time at the show and I was beyond excited at the prospect of an entire (child-free!) day to look at stitchy goodness.  It was a pretty dreary day, but that didn't dampen my mood one bit.

I had a vague shopping list in mind, which I'm glad I did because otherwise I think that the whole thing would have been overwhelming.  That, the fact that I forgot to take more cash with me and many of the card terminals weren't working because of a lousy signal, and the fact that I refused to pay almost £2 for the privilege of taking money out of the cash machines that were dotted around saved me from spending A LOT more money than I did.

There were so many amazing, beautiful and inspiring things on show, but of course I also forgot to charge my phone so only came away with a handful of photos!  Please forgive the quality of the photos - I took them all in a hurry so that my battery would last and some of them are a bit out of focus, but here are some of my favourites:

One of the first things I came across was a display of quilts. I'm not a quilter but some of the creations were amazing, like this elephant quilt (I didn't see a maker's name).  I just love the colours in this.

Also this mini quilt "The Rose of Versailles" bu Kumiko Frydl.  From a distance it looks like pink fabric...

...but get close up and you can see that it's all been stitched!

I love this embroidered clock that I saw at the Embroiderers' Guild stand.  My picture doesn't do it justice at all (not least because it isn't quite in focus!), but it really was breathtaking. I also saw some fabulous examples of floral stumpwork, but alas no pictures :-(

One of the stands that I couldn't buy from because of a lack of cash and no card facilities was Aarti J which was filled with some of the most gorgeous trims that I have ever seen.  (Probably a good thing that I couldn't spend there.)

It was a great day out, but by the end of the day even I was starting to lose the will to look at more fabric!  I came away with a pretty good stash - several fat quarters and half metres of fabric including a good selection of Christmas fabric, fabric wax crayons, dissolvable fabric, quite a few magazine back-issues including Stitch, some linen thread yarn, buttons and brooch backs:

Did any of you get to the show?  What goodies did you pick up?

TAST 64-66: Top Knotted Buttonhole, Buttonhole Bar and Coral Stitch

I've seen so many examples of lovely embroidered paisley so I decided to have a go.

I did not like stitching the Top Knotted Buttonhole. At all! Because of the way the thread has to twist in order to make the knot I found it impossible to get into any sort of rhythm, which is a shame as it's an interesting-looking stitch.

Buttonhole Bar and Coral Stitch were much more enjoyable - lending themselves nicely to that all-important rhythm. Do you find that a nice rhythm when stitching makes the process much easier?

To see how to work these stitches (and a whole load more) take a look at Pin Tangle's TAST page. And also have a look at the comments for embroidery inspiration.

Crocheted Flower Bookmark

This post has been republished as the original mysteriously disappeared!

Hello everyone - blog stop tourists, current readers and new visitors too! Thank you for stopping  by.  I love a bit of needlework - mainly sewing, embroidery and crochet, though lately crochet has been dominating my craft time.  So today I'm sharing a crochet tutorial for pretty flower bookmarks.  But don't rush off if you don't crochet,scroll down for a really simple, but pretty envelope packaging idea, and I've got a few things to give away too!

E-readers are great, but for me nothing compares with holding a real live book in my hands.  I came across some crocheted flower bookmarks on Pinterest and thought it was such a lovely way to mark a page.  So then of course I had to come up with my own version.  I made a few as end of year gifts for my son's teachers so hopefully there are no mistakes in the pattern! It's quick to make up and a great way to use up yarn scraps. So anyway, here's how to make one of your own:

FLOWER BOOKMARK

Note - I'm using UK crochet terms, but here is a quick UK-US translation:
UK                                     US
Slip Stich (sl st)                   Slip Stitch (sl st)
Double Crochet (dc)             Single Crochet (sc)
Treble Crochet (tr)               Double Crochet (dc)

YOU WILL NEED

• DK Yarn in two colours. I used James C Brett Cotton On shades C05 (pink) and C012 (green).
• A 4mm hook
• A button, about 15mm
• Tapestry needle

STEM

1. With the first colour chain (ch) 42 (image 1). Slip stitch (sl st) into 3rd chain from hook to make a small ring (image 2). Fasten off, leaving a long tail.
2. Cut 3 10cm lengths of yarn.
3. Fold them in half and pull the loop about half way through the back loop of first ch of the ch42 (images 3 and 4).
4. Take the ends and pass those through the loop, then pull to form a tassel (image 5). 
5. Trim the ends to the same length.

FLOWER
With the second colour:

1. Sl st into the ring you made in step 1 of the stem. *Dc into ring, ch4* five times. Sl st into first dc (image 1).
2. *6tr into ch4 space. Sl st into next dc. Rep from * 4 times (image 2).
3. Turn the flower over. Ch 2. 
4. *Dc over the post separating the two petals (image 3). Ch 6* five times (image 4).
5. Sl st into first dc. Turn.
6. *10tr into ch6 space. Sl st into next dc. Rep from * 4 times (image 5).
7. Fasten off.

TO FINISH
Using the tail from the stem, sew a button to the centre of the flower.  Weave in all remaining ends (image 6).

PAPER ENVELOPE

If you make one of these bookmarks as a gift, or if you are looking for a nice way to package a small (flattish) gift, then these easy envelopes are ideal.  Use plain or patterned paper.  You can get some free printable papers from here.  This really is so easy it hardly deserves a write-up, but the result does look nice.

YOU WILL NEED

• A sheet of paper. (I've used A4)
• Sticky tape / Washi tape / Fabric tape

ENVELOPE

1. If using an A4 sheet, fold it in half lining up the long edges.
2. Cut along the fold to give you two strips (image 1).
3. Take one strip and fold it from the bottom so that there is 1-inch/2.5cm left at the top (image 2).
4. Cut a piece of tape the same length as one of the open folded sides, not including the 1-inch/2.5cm at the top. 
5. Position the tape so that half of it is on the paper and half of it is overhanging (image 3).
6. Fold the tape over to the other side of the envelope to seal the opening (image 4).
7. Repeat on the other side.
8. Use a small piece of tape to seal the envelope shut.

(Apologies if some of the photos are a little unclear. The Washi tape I ordered did not arrive in time for this post :( and all I had was clear sticky tape!)

OK, and now to the giveaways! I have:

• three crocheted flower bookmarks, 
• one kit to make your own bookmarks (containing a 4mm crochet hook, enough yarn to make 3 bookmarks, buttons, a tapestry needle and printed instructions) and 
• a roll of Washi tape  (pictured below) 

  

  (image: PrettyTape)

up for grabs.  To enter just leave a comment saying which giveaway you want to enter (it's OK to enter all 3). For an extra chance to win, like the Berry Bakewell Facebook Page then come back here and leave a comment telling me you've done that.  The giveaway is open to everyone, worldwide and will close at midnight (UK time) 22nd August.

I hope you've enjoyed your visit, and hope to see you again :-)

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

Missing Post!

I've just noticed that the post "Crocheted Flower Bookmark" that I wrote for the Creative Crafting summer blog tour has mysteriously disappeared from this blog! Along with all the comments and viewing stats associated with it. It's as though it never existed.  I'm fairly certain that I didn't delete it and if not for the fact that there are links to it from elsewhere on the web I'd be doubting my sanity right now. It's really upsetting as a lot of work went into it and it was one of my most popular posts! Has this ever happened to anyone? Any advice about how (if) I can recover it would be gratefully received.

And apologies for not announcing the winner of the giveaway yet, but that's a bit difficult for obvious reasons!

TAST 62-63: Raised Cross Stitch Flower and Scroll Stitch

Here's my attempt at the Raised Cross Stitch Flower and Scroll Stitch.  I liked both stitches - they had a nice rhythm to them.  I'm not sure I like the finished piece though. It's not quite what I imagined, but these are definitely two stitches I would like to use again.

For more information and inspiration take a few minutes to visit Pin Tangle.

TAST 61 - Up and Down Feathered Buttonhole

I had real trouble with this stitch at first. I just couldn't get it to sit right. So I went back to practise (stitch 3) Feather Stitch and to learn (stitch 26) Up and Down Buttonhole Stitch (I found Mary Corbett's video for UDBS really useful). After that it all went much more smoothly.

This sampler is made up of all three stitches.

For further details about TAST or to see the list of all the stitches so far head over to Pin Tangle.

Creative Connections Blog Tour Round-up

Well, the blog tour is over, but what a fun ride. I'm glad I stepped out of my shell a bit and took part.  It was great to see so many different disciplines - sewing, art, jewellery-making, even a novelist! - in many different mediums, but also to discover what we had in common.  A pleasant surprise for me was how international the tour was.  In case you missed it here's a list of all the blogs that took part. If you're quick you might even find a giveaway or two that is still open.  And while you're at it why not check out the Creative Connections community as well?

1 - The Old Button  www.theoldbutton.blogspot.co.uk

2 - Loopy’s Place www.loopysplace.co.uk/blog.html

3 - Sussesspindehyrne www.sussesspindehjrne.blogspot.dk

4 - Vicky Myers Creations www.vickymyerscreations.wordpress.com

5 - Stitchers Anon www.stitchersanon.blogspot.ie
6 - Glasspirations www.glasspirations.co.uk/glasspirations-blog.php

7 - Arlene's Crafts www.arlenes-crafts.blogspot.com

8 - Personal Space Interiors www.personal-space-interiors.blogspot.co.uk

9 - Beaded Bazaar www.beadedbazaar.weebly.com/blog.html

10 - Me

11 - Pastelesta www.pastelesta.wordpress.com

12 - Lilly My Cat www.lillymycat.blogspot.com

13 - Amanda Addison www.amandaaddison.com/creative-crafting-blog-stop-2013.html
14 - Cassie Fairy www.cassiefairy.com

15 - Bridgit's Bell www.bridgitsbell.blogspot.com

16 - Silent Companions www.silentcompanions.blogspot.co.uk

TAST 56-60: Sailor's Stitch, Sailor's Edge Stitch, Woven Detached Chain Stitch, Breton Stitch and Diamond Stitch

Long time no stitch! It's been an age since I picked up needle and thread. Lately my go-to craft has been crochet, but I've missed my embroidery, so yesterday I decided to start catching up with the TAST challenge (and I've got a lot of catching up to do!).

As I'm so far behind I've only done a short line of each stitch.

56. Sailor's Stitch.  

57. Sailor's Edge Stitch.  

58. Woven detached chain stitch.

57. Breton Stitch.

58. Diamond Stitch.

I found it tricky to get the tension right with the woven detached chain stitch, but it's nothing that a little practise wouldn't cure.  I also tried to get a wavy line of Breton stitches, but it didn't quite work. I think maybe the stitches needed to be closer together.  So, five down twelve to go to get caught up! 

It's been a while since I've seen what everyone's been up to with TAST so I'm off to Pin Tangle to have a look.