Wow, I'm featured!!!!

My Craft group that I attend each week (we try to anyway), is featuring it's members, and I'm this week.

Fibers and Fabrics is a wonderful craft group I discovered when i got home from the UK.  I knew they were in Townsville when I left to go, but thought they weren't allowing new members and were not flexible with their work, boy oh boy was I surprised.

They do all sorts of wonderful stuff and promote members work and support the community, what a fastastic group.  Here is there website to see the post featuring me, and all the other wonderful ladies that have been featured before me.  http://fibresandfabrics.blogspot.com/

Rosey's finished too, wow what an achievement, I am so releaved it's done. Not sure if I want to put the final piece up yet for public display, as I want to enter her in the show.  What do you think???

Arlene

Could be a colder winter for us

Our first cool morning in North Queensland, only down to 12, but cold for us. Our dog Rosey, didn't want to get out of her bed, so she missed her walk this morning. TTFN
Arlene

English Garden DYO Block, back home down under

First of all, thank you to the five wonderful ladies who worked on these blocks. Meg, Mayra, Kathy, Maureen and Ingrid. Here is their work.

This first block is Maureen's. Maureen choose one of the traditional blocks, where the rest choose the fans. I was so excited when I found out that Maureen was in this round robin, as I'm a big fan of her stunning silk ribbon embroidery, I just love it.
A stunning piece of dyed laces surrounded by gorgeous silk ribbon roses and flowers and lovely seam treatments. To finish of a beautiful butterfly charm. Thanks Maureen.

Next come the fans, first one is Ingrid's

This stunning fan was embellished with some silk ribbon embroidery, and a lovely little charmed bird house. These photo's certainly don't do these blocks justice, they are all so beautiful.

Thanks Ingrid.

Fan 2 is Meg's

The gold lace looks very old, and is stunning. A lovely big ribbon bow at the top of the fan, with loads of ribbon embroidery throughout.

Thanks Meg

Next is Kathy's fan, I was a real joy to have Kathy in this RR, your work is absolutely stunning.

Again the photo doesn't do her work justice, but believe me when I say the how thing is just stunning. The silk ribbon flower in the corner is gorgeous and so are the seem treatments. The added butterflies were a lovely touch.

Thanks Kathy.

Last fan is Mayra's.

Her two hanging flowers are just amazing, and the circle of flowers at the base is so delicate. The Fuchsia at the top is just stunning too.

Thanks Mayra.

This post has got to be the worst one I have had to write, as blogger is playing up, and I had to revert to the old editor, and the hickups that I have had, I was so ready to throw the laptop out the window. (if there are errors, sorry, blame blogger) But I really wanted to show off these stunning blocks. Thanks again to the five wonderful ladies who worked on these block.

TTFN

Arlene

Happy Mothers Day

To all my fellow bloggers (and readers) Happy Mothers Day.

I wish mine was still with us.

This photo is of me aged 15 months, with my Mum - Doris Frances Matthews (nee Klein).
26-1-1935 -- 13-9-1998. Photo was taken around her birthday 1963.

TTFN
Arlene

Stumpwork assessment piece, progress so far

I've had a busy week and weekend so far.  Now that Rosey is done and mounted on the background, I needed to get on with the other elements.  Here I am doing the tree and the kookaburra and adding the gum nuts that I have already made. I've been concentrating on getting this finished as I need to put it into the Townsville Show and the Townsville Craft Show, both in July, but need to also send it to England and back for final assessment before then. 

So starting with the tree:

I added felt as to give it the raised look.

Then added a ladder type stitch, as I am going to be using raised chain band stitch.

 I then proceed to stitch the whole length and width of the tree, and added some wrapped wire components and some more fly and chain stitch along the length as well.

Not so sure of the colours, so got out my dyes and proceeded to make it a darker brown, to match the gum nuts and the wrapped wire.

Here is the result.  My second dilemma was that the dye ran a bit, so I added more stitches along the side to hide the runs.

Next,
Making the Kookaburra.

The photo above is my inspiration. First to make his wing, I cut out the wing portion of the photograph, and having the photo close, I buttonhole stitch over the wire, and long and short stitch inside, along with some chain stitch for the colour contrast for his wing.

 

Using two different coloured 6 strand floss in tan and brown, I wove the tail feathers, and one in white.  Needle laced his body, and padded it with felt. The steps for making up the bird was to place the tail feathers on top of the branch, and added the padding for the body.

I then added the needle laced body on top of my two layers of felt, and using a bit of the dye that I had for the tree, I painted the lower parts of the body, so that the transition from body to tail was not so noticeable.

Then using the photo as a guide, straight stitched his head and beak.  I also added some larger straight stitches under the back of his wing, to look like his other wing is still folded beside his body.

 

And this is where I am now...... just got to finish the background, add a spider and a dragon fly.

TTFN

Arlene