Fence Weaving - Fibres and Fabrics

Our group Fibres and Fabrics were asked to decorate some ugly work boundary fences on Magnetic Island. The result: much better to look at, what do you think?

More photo's on Fibres Blog:
Fibres and Fabrics - Fence Weaving

Arlene

Grow your Blog 2014

Welcome to all the newcomers to my blog.  I have been blogging since 2009, mainly about my embroidery but also occasionally about whatever is happening of some importance in my life.

I love surface embroidery, Goldwork and Stumpwork, all of which I try to incorporate into my Crazy Quilting which is also what I love.

I didn't start doing embroidery until a few years ago, but now this is all I do.  My son and I recently created a FREE Embroidery App for iPhone-iPad-iPod, the link is on the left side bar as well as here. It's gonna be a while now unfortunately before I get an Android version up an running, son now has a full time job, and so our time is very limited what time we can spend together on it.

I teach several classes a year with Joggles.com, in the top page tabs you can navigate to the page where more info about what classes I do or up coming are listed.  My next two classes are: The needlelace Dolphin on the 20th Feb 

and Cheerful Flutterings on the 8th April.

Also on these tabs are the FREE Tutorials and template downloads for the projects in our Embroidery App. You can also download my new FREE 2014 Printable Calendar.  I posted a few posts ago on how to put it together.

 

I am a member of several Yahoo online forum groups, but mainly I am involved with Crazy Quilting International and their swaps, Southern Cross Crazies and their swaps, CQJP and their Annual challenge, but I would be far more involved with StitchMap, where you can learn many different forms of embroidery for Free.  To get more info on these groups their 'buttons' are on the left or right side of the blog.

My ongoing major project this year is the CQJP project, which is the 12 Days of Christmas Wall hanging.  Worked with goldwork and stump-work elements as well as incorporating crazy quilting. I am currently up to number 6.

I am locally involved in two craft groups and Scouts Australia.  Fibres and Fabrics are a local fibre arts group which I am involved with.  Here is the link to their blog.  I am also Chief Steward of the Arts and Crafts division of our local show, here is the link to the Show Schedule if you are local and wish to enter.

I live in the wonderful north Queensland city of Townsville on the East Coast of Australia, a place of great inspiration for my embroideries.

I hope you decide to come back and tag along with me on my journey into Embroidery.

Arlene

App update and stitching catchup

Re the App.... Watch this space over the next two or three days, something exciting is about to happen....

In the mean time I have been catching up on some stitching...

DYOB Stumpwork: Susan's blocks
Can't remember what her theme was, but I gave the block a very "Australian' theme with the idea of the Kookaburra sit's in the ole gum tree.......

 One of my fibre friends gave me this Kookaburra button, and he was just perfect for the block.

Some more close-ups:

  

We have the Townsville Stitches and Craft Show up here last weekend, and whilst I was there manning our exhibits I got to finishing my block 4 of the Twelve days of Christmas. This first picture show's with the removable ornament, (which all blocks will have). 

 

 This is the Ornament removed from the block. A 3D 'Cally' Bird landing on a branch.

 Here is the block without the orny.

 Most of the braids, beads and embellishments came from one of the shops at the show, Zenozam.  They had so much stuff, just so cool. Make sure you visit their shop.  These lovely blue flowers were on their stand, they sold out of them.

 The flower beads above the bird was from their shop too.  Here is a close up of the 'Cally' Bird.

I have also finished a couple of our Fibres challenge pieces. Here is my iPad cover which was made from two 6 x 4 inch pieces of fabric.

This will eventually be one of the new projects in the first update of the app.
There were a few other items, but I forgot to take pictures of them.

Come back in a couple of days and there will be very exciting news and a giveaway, so click on the side to receive an email when I post.....

Arlene

Fibres and Fabrics Embroidery Group Xmas lunch

We did our annual swap of Xmas decoration, this year was a specific shape, but your choice of embroidery, here are the six that were swapped. Clockwise starting top red one: Joan R, Judy S, Barb H, Arlene W, Lyn H, and Suzanne C.

Had a wonderful day at Jessica's, eating and sharing past lunches.  Here we all are

L-R, Joan R, Judy S, Suzanne C, Barb N, Lyn H, and Jessica W., and off course (me, taking the picture).

We have set our decoration for next year’s luncheon, it will be an Angel, and I will have patterns for her during the next few weeks. The top of our Angel can be any embroidery technique you wish, but her skirt is to be beaded.

The one on the right is one I made several years ago, and the one on the left is one I just made, she's a 'stumpwork Angle'.

We also set a swap for Fibers' members next year, so to find out, become a member and join in.

Arlene

Christmas came early this year

We have had the pleasure of dog sitting a beautiful dog named Leica.  Her owners returned home from 8 months in India. We have had her since April, she is a lovely natured dog.  Anyway her owners brought home some gifts for Michael and I, Michael received an original Swiss army knife, with so many attachments, it's just amazing.  Now our friends know that I love my crafts, and so this is what I got: spoilt to say the least.
The first is a basket full of trims, sequins, and other lovelies.

Then she unrolled this stunning Door hanging, it is made from recycled clothing, a wedding dress and other cloths.
















Here are some close ups:

Then the postie came and I got more goodies ..... I recently entered a competition promoting the Olympics and 'Gold' was the theme, i entered my beetle and he won. I received this in the mail, but, since I already own a copy I'm donating this one to my craft group "Fibers and Fabrics".

And also in the mail, was an order I placed a few weeks ago for some new stump work tools, they are made of Bubinga wood.
I haven't taken them out of the box yet, will do so over the weekend.

I purchased them from a small company in the UK, they are called Needlepaws and they make other types of tools too.

So wow, what a happy girl I am.... now what to do with it all, I have to try and convince Michael to add another couple of hooks in the walls so I can display my door hanging.

Arlene

Thank you

I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has posted a comment here, Stitchin Fingers or one of the many yahoo groups I am a member off.  Your kind comments are all greatly appreciated and I just want you all to know.

So thanks

Arlene

My latest project - Challenge for Fibers and Fabrics - Finished

Well I can't believe that for the last four days all I have done is stitch on this project.  I'm extremely lucky I have a hubby very aware of my craft and as he had a 'nothing to do weekend' allowed me to just stitch, stitch and stitch, and so he cooked breakfast and dinner over the weekend, boy oh boy am I lucky.

So here is what is now finished, my finished project is actually a fabric book to hold my ATC's that I have from the Embroiderers Guild of UK seasons swap from 2009. It's a full set, so I wanted something special to put them in.

So to get to the end of this project, leaves were the last element to be added. These were done with water soluble fabric and wired buttonhole leaves.  There stems were plunged to the other side and secured. There were three of them made, two large and one small.  This is the piece with all the embroidery finished.

 Wrapping it around the cover was quite a challenge, as I had to bend the wire so that would wrap the like a book cover.

This is the inside, laced, I then added the inner lining.
I then went to the pages that I had removed and started pulling apart the signatures.
I knew what I was going to use my book for, and so the pages had to be able to hold the cards, I had thought of pockets to hold them, but thought, no, they may slip out, with them attached with thread, I could turn them to see who had made the wonderful little piece of artwork.

 So with that in mind I covered the signatures with Aida cloth of various colours and counts, then attached them to the binding that would hold them to the cover.

And so here is the finished piece, with empty pages showing.

And the inside showing off the lovely ATC's that are a wonderful keepsake from my time in the UK (in this photo their only pinned in, but most have now been stitched in).

And a tie to hold it closed when not on display.

Thank you for following my journey for this project challenge, I appreciate all the comments that have been left and Denise promoting it on her site.

Arlene

My latest project - Challenge for Fibers and Fabrics part 2

I have been busy working on this, and have finished some more elements.  I've finished my Beetle, the Gecko and some grass.  I want to add more grass and some leaves, but will work on them later.

Here is the piece so far.
And so closeups:

 A beetle

 The Gecko

and woven picot grass.

Arlene

My latest project - Challenge for Fibers and Fabrics

Fibers and Fabrics my craft group that I am a member of here in Townsville has a challenge each year.  Late last year we were given an object and from it we were to transform it into something else.

The object was a tax book.

It measures 4cm x 25cm x 15cm (1.5x10x6 inches), and heavy.

My first step was to gut it:

Then I decided what I was going to do, so I got to stitching...... and stitched and stitched and stitched for 8 hours straight, as this was my efforts after 8 hours work:

There are seven pieces of wrapped wire, in four colours, one grey brown, two silver grey, two brown and two dark brown. 

This is more the true colours, more green than blue.  So I placed the seven pieces of wire in the middle of the material just so see how it looked.

I then got to work stitching the background of the tree, padded raised chain band and detached buttonhole and chain stitch.  This took me a good part of 6 hours of stitching.

So here is what it looks like so far, wrapped around the book cover.

There are more elements to make, a beetle, surface embroidered and beaded gecko, some detached leaves and grass.

I think Rosey enjoyed the day, sleeping in the conditioning, as it was a very hot day yesterday.
So what do you think so far........
Arlene

1st December - Time to put up the tree etc

1st December has been the date in our family for years to put up our Christmas tree. It's hard to believe that it's been 13 years since mum left us, and so I took on her tradition of putting up the tree and decorating the house on the 1st December.  So in her memory..... Here's our tree (the photo on the wall is Mum's Parents on their wedding day.

 

My tree will have a new skirt next year (well that's the plan anyway - you can read how here and on the CQJP 2012 site)

Now to the rest of the house....

in front of the telly... Christmas stockings and Santa decorations

and to the left side of the telly... Christmas Stocking made by Fibers and Fabrics.

and to the right side of the telly.... A quilt made by Fibers and Fabric ladies, and hanging on the glass cupboard is my Christmas Stocking that will be a class on Craft EDU being released tomorrow (you got the heads up first here - Bazinga Sale starts tomorrow for two days only).

That's Rosey's Christmas stocking hanging on the right side of the quilt on top, see the lime green and red and white spot, it was a present from her sister Echo, last year.

I hope you all have a great festive season and stay safe.... more posts of christmas stuff to come..... more exciting news too in the next day or so, so watch this space....

Arlene

Fibers and Fabrics Christmas Fair

Our annual Christmas Craft Fair is coming up, as the flyer above shows.  Entry is free.  Please come along and join us for a fun and fabulous weekend..

Where: Townsville, North Queensland, Australia

Arlene

Cardwell Show and Tell

Cardwell earlier this year was one of a several townships along the north Queensland coast to be devastated by cyclone Yasi.  Last weekend was a special event for the local community to get together and share some of their work that was not taken by the savage storm.

Several ladies from Fibers, the Burdekin, Carlyle Gardens and Bluewater groups attended this event.  We had a wonderful Day, enjoying the gracious hospitality of the Cardwell Quilters.  After such a horrible year, these ladies have certainly deserved this wonderful event.  Many prizes were handed out, and Fiber, Burdekin and Bluewater ladies won a couple, with the major prize making it's way onto the Carlyle Bus. That wonderful multi coloured trolley being one of them.

I won the guessing competition (how many 6 inch squares were in the pickle container – I got within one, wow was I happy.)

I also took home one of the Dammit dolls; they were pre-made dolls that were on our tables when we arrived, and a bag of sewing notions to dress our dolls.  There was also a verse, which you were allowed to add, change or re invent. I wish I had of kept their verse, but our table re invented ours…..  The Dolls were then Auctioned off, (funds going to Juvenile diabetes) raising $198.70 (the 70 cents was all I had left after spending my money at the market place).. They also received $100 from Carlyle gardens ladies and they raised over $800 from the sale of tickets into the Quilt raffle.

Our dammit doll poem:
You've gone to your craft room
Iching to be stitching

You hear hubby in the kitchen
A screaming a bitching

Dammit you yell, Screaming and a shout.
Here Dear, Take my Dammit Doll, and slam it all about….

They had this wonderful cake made and their oldest member  Maxine Millwood cut the cake.

Here is Maggie wither her quilt she named Inspirations after her time with Yasi.

And what we all enjoy - retail therapy......

Thank you all for an absolutely wonderful day.....

To view more photo's click here

Also if you want to send any donations for stash to the group, let me know and I will send you a contact address.  All donations will be gratefully received.

Arlene