Monday, August 20, 2012

Olympic stitching and other stuff

Hi everyone,

It's very hot here and I haven't felt like doing much this past week but yet I still have a few things to show you because of things I had made earlier :)
The first is this sewing set consisting of a bag, needle case and pincushion




The pattern for the actual bag is Poppy's Sewing Set by Australian designer Gail Pan.
I've made the bag a couple of times already but this time I changed the stitchery designs to the ones shown on this machine cover by Bareroots.

The green fabric is Moda Essential Dots and this picture shows the cute sewing notions fabric used for the contrast


another stitchery design on the back of the bag



and here are the accessories






For my Olympic stitching I chose Sampler Farm by the Goode Huswife.
I started it the day after the opening ceremony and I finished it two days after the closing ceremony.
Not a great choice as it is stitched on 40ct linen with several areas that are stitched over one.


I had a hard time getting a decent picture of this and it's come out rather small but I think it should be clickable for a better view if you wish.

I signed up to do the mystery SAL on Niky's Creations blog

I had a bad finishing day where first I made it into a pillow which I decided I didn't like and it finally ended up as a small sewing pocket




inside




Another lovely free design by another talented Italian designer Teresa is this mermaid. I stitched her on 32ct Bonnie Blue linen using my own choice of silk thread for the mermaid tail.



backed with the same linen I did a beaded edge and stitched on a little mermaid charm to finish





My family came out from UK for ten days and my daughter raided my stash to stitch up this Shepherd's Bush Skating Sampler. She doesn't have time for stitching these days but with me doing all the cooking she stitched it not once but four times!
However, guess who got the job of finishing!



fabric used to back the pillows



This is my skating superstar grand daughter Amy aged 12yrs who lives and breathes ice skating. One of the pillows was for her, one for me and one for each of her two coaches.



When friend Angela was here we did a tin covering workshop with Angela as the patient teacher and me as the moaning, whining pupil :)
I didn't find it easy and it's far from perfect but here's my first covered tin attempt. Design on top is Stash Keep by Homespun Elegance



Inside - more of the Moda Essential Dots fabric which is all gone now! I had intended to make a tiny fob to go inside the tin but I only had a scrap of the fabric left and somehow I lost it. However, I put one of Angela's lovely pinbooks inside and it fits perfectly.
Angela makes and sells her pinbooks to order and you can see some of them here



One last thing to show is my win from Catherine's blog




I can't get this magazine here in Spain so I was thrilled to be the winner. Thank you Catherine I love it :)

Well, I just hope it cools down here soon as I have a fancy to get back to some knitting and crochet.
Welcome to my new followers and a big thank you as always for taking the time to visit.

Margaret






























40 comments:

greenrabbitdesigns said...

Beautiful work as always Margaret, the little workbag and accessories are so pretty. I have to say all the colours in your work this time are very 'me', I love them. Well done to your daughter as well for getting so much stitching done.
Looking forward to seeing Amy on 'Dancing on Ice'! :)
Vivienne x

Vickie said...

Wow! Wow! Wow! Margaret you always stitch beautifully and so fast!! Your daughter obviously does also. I am so jealous. I feel like a tortoise! Beautiful granddaughter. :)

angelasweby said...

Margaret, what a stunning post you have put together. I love it!!

Your bag is absolutely gorgeous. What a lot of hand stitching went into it and the accessories. That sage green Essentials Dot fabric is so pretty. I know it's one of your favourites as you used it on your tin too :-) You didn't whine that much when we were doing our tins together - only a little...haha! I think your tin is wonderful and love the choice of trimmings.

Niky's SAL piece is lovely and the finish you chose to do is perfect for it. Love the little mermaid too. The charm makes it extra special. Wow, I admire Dee for stitching the skating pattern 4 times but it's a great way of celebrating Amy's incredible achievements and her successes. She trains so hard and deserves all her triumphs - definitely a Gold medalist in the 2016 Olympics :-)
Sampler Farm is really lovely and well worth persevering with. Over one on 40 ct, I'm very very impressed I can't even think of a suitable adjective to describe just how impressed!! :-) What a lovely memento of the Olympics.
Angela xx

Margaret said...

Wow, so much good and pretty things!! I love seeing all the finishes. I think I'd go nuts stitching or finishing the same thing 4 times. lol! You must be so proud of your granddaughter -- wow!

Anonymous said...

Lovely!!! Lovely!!!
Françoise

Apple Avenue Quilts said...

What a beautiful post. Everything you do is so lovely. I especially love your Olympic stitchery and to realize how tiny it must be. So pretty. It looks like stitching runs in the family. Your daughter's work is beautiful. Congratulations to your granddaughter. It looks like she is a stunning skater.

Anne said...

Wow! Stunning finishes Margaret!! I love that quilted sewing bag and all the accessories. So cute that your sister and you work as a team!! I've always wanted to try the altoid box finish but thought it would be so fiddly. You did a great job!

Sheila said...

So many lovely new things...every single one of them.
Look forward to meeting up soon, it seems like ages ago that we met when Angela was here.
Just wish it would cool down a bit.

sigisart said...

Dear Margaret,
your projects, results, stitcheries are just amazing, beautiful, I love everything you do!!!
Hugs from germany
sigisart

Carol said...

I'm always so happy to see a new post from you, Margaret--so many goodies for us today :) The little workbag, pincushion, and needlebook are adorable! Lovely Olympic stitching (don't know how you manage over one on 40 ct.!! I love over one stitching, but only on 28 or lower)...

What perfect little pillows for your skating queen granddaughter and her coaches. Well done on you daughter stitching them FOUR times--amazing!! Perhaps she'll be in the Olympics some day herself--you must be very proud...

Lovely Altoid tin--I've never attempted one, but yours looks great to me :)

Enjoy your week, Margaret!

Caz said...

Lovely finishes, Margaret. Love the green fabric.

Mii Stitch said...

Plenty of beautiful, beautiful items! You're a very talented lady ☺

Daffycat said...

Wonderful stitching and sewing projects. I especially like the little stitching tin, such a nice finish!

Bente-I like to QuiltBlog said...

Wow what a nice post! Lots of beautiful handcrafts, and you talented granddaugther Amy, congratulations thats so great!
Liebe Grüße
Bente

cucki said...

Wow wow everything is so beautiful...
Busy sweet hands :)
Big hugs xxx

Karen said...

Margaret, I absolutely LOVE that sewing set, it's beautiful! And each one of the other finishes are gorgeous, too! I'm sure you will enjoy the magazine, have fun!

Michelle said...

Oh Margaret I have so enjoyed looking at your lovely photos - your work is stunning. Well done. I am heading your way shortly on holiday xx

jane said...

Some lovely projects Margaret, love the pillows you made for the skaters. We will be in Madrid in a few weeks time - hope it has cooled off a little by then.

Cindy said...

I just love seeing your projects and get so motivated to get to work!

Abby and Stephanie said...

Obviously your daughter got her talent from her Mom. Everything is so pretty. I love how you turned "pillow" into a pocket keeper. Your Olympic stitching is gorgeous. Always a pretty place to visit...

marly said...

Where do I start? The bag with accessories is darling. Love the dot fabric! Your little pillow turned sewing pocket is SO sweet. The skating pillows are perfect. Your sewing skills are just amazing and I really enjoyed this post! As usual!

Ellen said...

Gorgeous as usual! Love your bag and accessories, the stitcheries are so beautiful!

Love your Olympic stitching and the choice of finishing for Niky's mystery SAL! They are just awesome!

I must try the tin finishing after seeing your lovely Altoid tin!

Hugs,

Barb said...

You have some very lovely finishes!!!You must be so proud of your Granddaughter! We will look for her in future Olympics!

Lesleyanne said...

Gorgeous finishes. Congrats on the JCS win.

Sally said...

Everything is pretty as always Margaret.

Lili said...

How cute the first work!

The sampler farm is so pretty.Lovely little bird! :)

Great finish on the Niky's SAL!

Love the way that you finished the mermaid! With all the beads around!

And the little tin!??Just wonderful!! Love the colours that you used to stitch the piece!

Well, all is so prettyyyyy!!! ;)

Here is also to hot...

Have a nice day!
Hugs,
Lili

Anonymous said...

Hello

Your blog is lovely!

Your granddaughter is so clever, love the pictures.

Your stitching is beautiful!

Holly x

Anonymous said...

Hello Margaret

Thank you for your kind comment on my blog.
es the squares are done in DK and I'm using cotton so I fear that it will be quite heavy!

Tatkis said...

Such a lovely, sweet stitched and sewn set! My favourite fabrics :)

And your cross stitched finishes are adorable!

Hugs,
Tatyana

Paz said...

El bolso es una autentica maravilla, bueno todo es precioso. Es un placer ver tus trabajos.

http://mariamg-mirincondedescanso.blogspot.com.es

♥ Nia said...

Gorgeous set! I love the pincushion :) all so pretty and lovely! Congrats!! :D

Miss LindaLee said...

Oh my goodness Margaret! What a wonderful blog you have here. Beautiful stitching. I'm your newest follower and plan on coming back often to see what's new. Keep up all the great work.

Ele said...

Hello Margaret,

and greetings from Bavaria!

You've a wonderful blog and your works are all beautiful, so I will come again

Gabriele ;-)

Karoline said...

Gorgeous finishes as always, congratulations.

Your Granddaughter is lovely

Anonymous said...

Hello

The bag you have made is really lovrly and your Olympic stitching project is very pretty.

I love the little pillows your daughter stitched too. Your Granddaughter is very pretty too!

Sally

Isobel -Argante- said...

What a lovely blog!
You did wonderful jobs, congrats, I particularly love the marmeids :-)

Big hugs

Isobel
The Primitive Hare

Roberta said...

As usual, Margaret, your work is just beyond wonderful. Love the little bag and accessories, the SAL piece is finsihed nicely and I love that your daughter stitched the same design 4 times - but what a special gift to give the coaches of your star skater. I definely will be watching her someday in the Olympics and will scream and yell as she skates for a medal.

Jo said...

Hi Margaret,
Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment! I love your Gail Pan bag and accessories - the background fabric is so cute! I also love the design and colours you chose for your 'Goode Huswife' sampler
Hannah :o)

Brigitte said...

I'm slowly, slowly getting back into the swing of things. But I still have many blog posts that I wan tto read and to comment on.
I was sure that I had already seen teh bag that you show here but I don't know if that was on your blog or on someone else's, lol. Anyway, it's goegeous, you are definitely the "Queen of bags", lol.
Your daughter is very brave to stitch a design four times, and well done! And very beautifully finished, as is the little mermaid. I also love the sewing bag that you made out of Niky's design, it looks perfect.
Stitching over one of 40ct fabric is something I can't imagine doing myself, I already had trouble doing it on my latest project which I stitched on 32ct.
A wonderful tin with the perfect design for the lid and perfect fabric for the lining. I'm sure that Angela and you were having a lot of fun crafting together.

Poussy Stitches My Love said...

I love your stitches,

amitiés de FRANCE