Etsy Vendor - Fiber Arts Bling

I've been thinking of looking for a beaded row counter chain to use in my knitting vs the little round counters that fit on your needles.  They just take up too much space or the ones with a circle on the end still get in my way.  Picky, I know!  So off I went to search for a beaded row counter. 

I found a vendor on Etsy called FiberArtsBling.  Patricia sells handmade knitting, crochet and embroidery accessories.  She had two of the chain row counters and I quickly purchased one. 

After my order I received an email asking which color I wanted since I didn't mark a particular color!  And this package arrived quickly in the mail!

I was impressed with her packaging as well as the nice note she sent!  This is class as far as I'm concerend.

The next package to open!  I know this is so much fun isn't it!

How classy is this!  Such a pretty little bag that contained my beaded row counter!!!

  How cool is this!  I know, I know....several of my friends will say "but you bead all the time!  Why not make one for yourself?"   I believe in helping small business' when possible.  I know my little beaded purchases won't make anyone a millionaire but I still want to support a small business when possible.  Besides,  that would take away from my knitting and other projects!  

And look what else Patricia added!  This lovely project bag!  Isn't it beautiful!  Perfect for my knitting project(s)!  

It looks really nice on my knitting too!  HA  I love this row counter!  Besides being very pretty! it lays out of my way and easy to move to the next bead for counting!  

I see where Patricia  (FiberArtsBling) is updating her items for sale so I'll try to keep an eye on her site and let folks know when she has new items to purchase.  Until then, stay cool my friends!  In the 90's again today!  Whew!

10 days to Christmas? WHAT??

I showed my Christmas decorations in my last post and I had some inquires on the quilt I had on our front door.  I did post on FB  some pics of my cardinal but here is a recap of the entire process.    

I traced the cardinal on some background fabric and then I proceeded to free motion quilt around the bird. 

I started this bird in 2011!  This was the beading to outline the cardinal with #15 delica beads.  Yes, they are small but work so well for bead embroidery.

Making progress...this isn't a fast project but I do love seeing the bird come together.

He has a little attitude doesn't he!

This is a closeup of the branch and his little feet!  I don't remember the stitch name for beading the branch but basically you lay a line of beads down for your branch then you wrap about 5 or 6 beads over that line of beads.  Pretty easy and the effect is quite nice.

He looks a little mean doesn't he!  I finished him in June of 2011...think I started in April??

The original cardinal on the quilted backing was 9" x 11".  This is where I started to add fabrics to surround him as the focal point. 

And yes, I just used some watercolor paint to color the leaves and berries that I free motion quilted.

All done...Yep, I had to do more hand embroidery to jazz him up. OK, I get carried away.  What can I tell you!  

Honest, my window on the door isn't dirty!  Must be the light or shadows??  Not sure but I did go and look and it's clean!  HA

So now the cardinal has a home for a month or so.  Then he goes back in the drawer.

Just an animation from start to finish, sorta...I do love beading, love knitting, love dyeing and painting my fabrics and all types of textile work BUT why don't I have the time to 'play' with it all! 

Now Christmas in 10 days!!!  Holy Smoke!  Where do the days go!!!  I left the house today around 9:45,  arrived home at 12:45 proceeded to prep food to make a turkey pot pie, which turned out great!!!  Knitted two rows on my lace top, had dinner, finished dishes and here I sit at 6:30 p.m.  I was a supervisor, project manager, etc. when I worked so I guess I need to get back to managing my time better!!!  Look out world....Robbie might be back!

 

QA Stitch by Stitch Reader Challenge

Along with 20 others, I was lucky enough to be published in the April/May 2020 Quilting Arts magazine for their Stitch by Stitch challenge! 


I love any type of hand work, so this was an easy challenge for me!  It was based on their fall issue (Oct/Nov 2020) article by Liz Kettle and how hand stitching is such a great way to meditate!  At least, hand stitching fills that bill for me.

This is the page showing my three (blue) 4" squares.  I can't read the label on the bottom squares...guess you could enhance to 200%!

And closeups of my squares.

The background was stamped with my cardboard stamp block I made several years ago, which is slowly wasting away!  I'll have to make another one soon!

Just hand embroidery...wrapping yarns around straight stitching...

Well, of course, I had to add some beading, right!  This is from Margaret Ball's book, Embeadery, which I have mentioned on my blog often.  I love this book!!!  I bought it years ago and it's my 'go to' book for beading ideas!

Simple hand stitching and trying to enhance the
lines from the stamp. 

One of my friends sent me this page from a lady in their Design Works group that meets monthly. Her name is Pat Thompson from  Brighton, Michigan and these are her squares.    She did a  nice job and looks like she may have used some b/w shibori fabric but even with enhancing the picture I can't read it clearly!  I really like b/w work and this is nicely done!





I haven't received the issue of the QA magazine so I can't share any other pics.  We are still hunkered down!  Off to grocery store today or Friday!  Actually, I only need to go to the store to check on the 99% ground turkey I buy for my dogs!  I make their food to help Kalee with her health issues...so I'm really concerned that I can't find the ground turkey!  Fingers crossed that they'll have some in stock....my neighbor found me 2 lbs. last week....let's hope I can get at least two more!  I'll trade
 toilet paper for ground turkey!  Any takers???

One of my beading idols!

There are a handful of accomplished beaders that I follow....one such beader is Kate Boyan who lives in Alaska.  I've followed Kate's blog for several years now and have posted on her work before.  I love seeing her beautiful beaded, wearable artwork and for those who don't know Kate, please check out her blog!

Kate is another bead artist that inspired me to start doing bead embroidery.  And she has offered tips via her blog and comments on my blog, which I truly appreciate!   Kate's art looks more like paintings then bead embroidery!  You have to check out the feather earrings Kate currently posted on her blog this week.    She even has two videos for tips on stitching and finishing the earrings.  You can purchase the earring kit..wish I could wear this long style of earring.  I'd purchase in a heartbeat!  

Aren't they beautiful!

And they look twice as beautiful on the ears!!!!  

Here are just some of my most favorite beaded art pieces from Kate! 

  


This one is called 'Elk Magic'!  Isn't it beautiful!  Click to enlarge the picture!!!  Just amazing detail Kate achieves!

This one is call 'O'...you can read about it here. 












And just a few other 'bags' from Kate!  I don't know which is my favorite!!!  

My readers know my love of horses!  This is wonderful!

Again, look at the detail Kate achieves with her beading!!!

Kate also has a book she wrote, which I bought for my grand kids back in 2010 (I also won another book on her blog, which I gave to a friend of mine for her grand daughter!).  The book 'The Blue Bead' is adorable!   Below is a comment from my blog that same year I received the book and read to my grand kids:  
  
" One of Nick's comments was "grandma, it probably took that lady a day to make one of these" (referring to one of the beaded pieces). I told Nick I'm sure it took her more than a day! The story is about a bead given as a gift and its travel from years ago to the present day gift. This is a really nice book for both the story and the eye candy."  

If you're looking for a book for Christmas, you can order one from Kate's blog...so grab a cup of coffee, tea or wine and check out Kate's blog and her wonderful art work!!!   I dare you to find just one favorite!  

The Woodpecker is back!

Back in 2010 I did a post about a project my friend Mary (click on Mary's name and check out the post I did on her work) and I were going to work on!  You can see that post here.   Well, at our Aussome Study art group meeting this week, Mary brought her finished woodpecker!  Isn't it spectacular!!!!!    He measures around 11" x 14" or close to that!

This is the original picture Mary had printed for us to use as inspiration. 

 

Mary did a fantastic job on the woodpecker!!!!  I just love how she stitched him!  And her background quilting is wonderful too!

And check out the tree!!!!  I wish you could feel the fabric and see this piece in person!  It's wonderful!  Those are little holes Mary stitched in her fabric!!!!

Neither of us remember, except I had on my blog, we were going to work on the project together.  Hence, I started to create the woodpecker way back before 2010!...perhaps it was because I was into the dye painting???  We just don't remember but I was SO inspired with Mary's piece this week,  that I decided I should get my 'bird' out of hiding and finish him.

My original intent was to use real feathers and cover over my dye painting of the woodpecker.  You can see some of the feathers I had started to glue down here...this was back in 2010!

Well, I decided, even with all the feathers I've saved from my own birds, I didn't really want to glue down individual feathers.  Not sure I could get the feathers in the direction(s) I needed.  Yesterday, I tried to remove these feathers but I must have used Gorilla glue!  Yikes!  This bird may stay as is!

Fortunately, I made two dye painted birds, so I decided to bead the woodpecker instead of real feathers!


You can see the photo we are working from at the top and my dye painted bird in the hoop.  You can see the hoop marks in the next picture.

I'm just starting to outline his beak and will work beads all around the piece before I start to fill in.  This was a tip given to me by the fabulous beader, Kate Boyan (check out her work - wow!!).  She gave me this suggestion several years ago and I now start out all my beading pieces by outlining with beads.  Thanks, Kate!!



I see where I need to redraw his tail...I don't need to use dye paints as the piece will be covered in beads and cut out (then I applique it to a quilted background).  Having the colors already on the pattern do help with the shading and which beads I need in creating his feathers.

I've pulled grays, blacks, whites and red beads...starting with delica's, size 11 for the feathers.  I'm using seed beads to outline with, size 15.   And I don't even need to buy any more beads!  Go figure!  Stay tuned!  Not sure how long it will take me to bead this guy!  He's measures     3 1/2"x 10 1/2".

A Little B & B!

First off....I'm working on the background for my "B"eaded leaf!  Needed to rest my wrist for a day or two from actual beading or making hex's!  It's a little awkward free motion quilting with my splint on but it workable!  I found this picture of my leaf when I first started to bead it!  This is all due to my bud, Susan, in Florida.  She found this huge leaf on the golf course, gave it (the actual leaf) to me, I copied it and the rest of the story is beading!  HA  Thanks Susan!  What's my next project??

I think this background will work well with the leaf.  Actually, the green is brighter and the brown is a darker brown with gold flecks. It was a piece that was sun printed a few years ago.

 I started off free motion quilting some leaves then started to echo around the leaves. It's been awhile since I've done free motion but it did feel good to be at the machine again.

I want to have this quilting finished by the 2nd Monday in September so I can take it with me to our fiber meeting.  I want to get the opinion of my friends on placement for the leaf.  The quilted background will be wrapped around canvas then I'll stitch the leaf onto both.
This piece is about 30" x 18"



So the second "B" is for BOOKS!  I do  listen to books on my IPod the majority of time but I also read at night in bed while Bob watches the news, car or war shows.  Works for me!  A few books that I've really enjoyed lately are:

The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman - Olive was a teenager when captured by the Indians while her family was traveling west.  She was eventually traded to the Mohave tribe where they raised her as their own.  What a fascinating read!  If any of you have watched Hell on Wheels, you will recognize Olive as having that same tattoo on her face as the Eva character in the series.

The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter - Historical novel about Ida Lewis who saved over a dozen lives while being keeper of the light on an island in Newport Harbour.  Really an interesting read as she was one tough lady!

Bring Her Home - This is by David Bell, one of my favorite mystery authors.  I've read all his books and this is his current one.  Really good...so good  that I'm going to go and read some of it as soon as I publish this post!

Back to normal?

I don't know about "back to normal" but we are back and working hard as usual!  So on the health front...had more x-rays today; lab workup and put on Prednisone until they get results back..may have to go back on the RA meds. UGH!  But prednisone will help relieve the pain so I should get lots done this week!  HA

I made this piece a few years ago for our Inspired by the Masters exhibit.  I've never hung it in the house before, as it's been traveling for a few years.  But I did hang in the living room, when we got back from Florida.  It's so bright and cheery!  Makes me feel good looking at it!  And brightens up the living room!  Measures 20" x 24"...I think!

You can read about the process I used to make this piece here.  Of course adding the beads was a no brainer...just time consuming!  That process is here!  So, I'm off to sit and relax...took  my first Prednisone...Dr. put me on this for a week until we get results back on x-rays and lab ork.  I don't want to go back on RA drugs so keeping my fingers crossed!!

It's squirrel time!

You might get tired of seeing the progress on my squirrel but it is my blog, after all, and I like to keep progress on my pieces!  Sooooooo

I found this free coloring page of a squirrel and printed out.  To be honest, I couldn't remember which stabilizer(s) I used to print on or to back my piece.  I had to look it up in the QA magazine (Oct/Nov. 2015 issue) for my article!  See why I document so much!

Next up I dug through my wonderful gift bag from the fiber arts bee in Gainesville to pick out some blues to use.  Someone put in the bag several strands of the perfect blue seed bead! So I started to use them to outline the squirrel and use for some of the darker areas.













The weather has been perfect to sit outside and bead! And I've made some progress!  The whole piece you see here measures 8.5" x 11" but he'll be smaller than that, then cut out and sewn onto a quilted background piece.

Now, why a blue squirrel, you ask?  Well, our Masters traveling exhibit back in Michigan has George Rodrique, who painted the Blue Dog, as one of the 6-7 artists to interrupt an art quilt for the exhibit.  Of course most of us in our fiber group are making a blue dog into a quilt.

I got thinking that I didn't want to do a blue dog and decided why not bead a blue squirrel instead!   I actually started sewing blue hexes because I was going to do a blue dog and I still might after the blue squirrel.  Right now I need a lot of hand work to be able to take with me or to work on at night or during the day...that is if I can stay home during the day!

I started a dog training class with Gigi to work on her dog aggression.  We are having good days and not so good days...but otherwise, she is a doll!  And of course, I have my days of tooting around with my friends!   Another beautiful, sunny day so I'm headed to the lanai to bead!