Some Adventures & Mini Trials

During my silence I have also been working on some miniatures for a dolls house that is in pieces at the moment.

Now our mini tenant moved into our house in February last year and I have been terrible at renovating their manor. It was a real fix-upper on closer inspection so it got demolished and is being rebuilt.

In the meantime I arranged to have a... town house? Shop extension? *shrugs* Added to give our poor tenant and her pets somewhere to live in the meantime (and give me a project that doesn't make me want to cry). Here is a slightly dodgy photo of her room at the moment.

Her bedroom floor will be laid I hope by next week (or started).

She has her Robbin Hobb books on the chair, cookies in the tin and some knitting at the foot of the bed (plus the wrapping paper she forgot to put away).

She really does need to change her calender and open her Christmas present though!

Below the cut are some other things I have been working on, including some closer looks at a few items.

~Ishy

Colouring Experiments in Copic & Distress Ink

I had planned to turn this lot into cards for Christmas... That did not happen in the end. These are some random efforts at playing with Copics, Distress Ink markers and some pencils.

I personally am tempted to just keep them all but that would mean I would end up with so many colour picture I wouldn't know what to do with right?

Image above includes:

• Inky Critters by Tiddly Inks
• Holly Sprite by Aurora Wings
• Conie Fong's Snowy- Joy to the World from Sweet Pea Stamps
• Lisa Victoria's Snowflake Wonder from Sweet Pea Stamps
• 'Ken with Santa Hat' by Kaszazz
• 'Edward with Tree' by Kaszazz 

The dragon did make it onto a backing/card of sorts for my mother.

 

Lisa Victoria's Snowflake Wonder from Sweet Pea Stamps

Recently also made a quick impromptu e-card image for someone who's entire family got sick at once. 

Sympathy Bugs by Wee Stamps

Sympathy Bugs is a digi I have used, but as of 30th Dec 2014 the store has shut indefinitely. The physical rubber some can still be gotten from Whimsy Stamps though (link in caption).

 

Under the cut there are also some of my older colouring pieces.

~Ishy

Gothic Rug by Natalia Frank (Pt. 3)

Silk gauze... It is a bit of a love hate relationship *wry smile*. When it works, it is great, when you need to unpick anything it is a living nightmare.

There has been more work done on it, but it was paused due to the fact I ran out of black. This is why when you buy a kit, and they say to use one strand, you don't use two.

 

This is what it looks like now. All the colours/outlining is done... It just needs to be infilled. But of course I have other running projects.

I now have two wedding presents to do. So this baby gets put off again.

Please cluck on the 'rug' label if you would like to see the other two posts.

~Ishy

Gothic Rug by Natalia Frank (Pt. 2)

Well... A lot more work has been done on the rug since I last posted but still not finished *looks sheepish* I have.... Messed it up a couple of times that has lead to some pain staking unpicking. On normal fabric this isn't good... 

On silk gauze? Nightmare of trying not to break it an undo such tiny stitches.

Popcorn Bear - One Upon A Time (Pt.2)

Popcorn and Soufflé  are done!

I do not know why I have back stitch so much but it is worth the effort AFTER the pain is done with.

Popcorn Bear - Cuddle Up

MIA for a long time due to work commitments and traveling a lot. Also after so long it got to the point of "I really should update...*trails off uncomfortably*"

Another present for my mother-in-law. 

And just like the last Popcorn Bear, I am again procrastinating on the back-stitch. I Do not know why I have such a dislike for it. I just feel like this whenever I think about doing backstitch.

 

I am going to work on getting back to updating this so do not be surprised is multi-posts in the next few days.

Click 'Read More' for other WIP's!

~Ishy

Gothic Rug by Natalia Frank

This was what pattern made me HAVE to attempt miniature embroidery.

Pattern from Natalia's Fine Needlework blog

I was very pleased upon poking around Natalia's site to find she was selling patterns/kits for it. Internal head monolog was just "!!!!!!" lol

It just appeals to every part of me. It probably says something that when I showed my mother she just said "Of course. I would worry if not even that pattern could convince you" *sheepish*

After trying the pillow (harder size gauze, but easier for it would be less torturous to finish if I couldn't handle the detail) I realised it wasn't as worrying as I had feared.

My biggest down fall is still counting. Do you know how hard these are to unpick?! I have been learning the hard way.... I tell you when it takes four times longer to unpick, you get more careful very fast.

Biggest advantage to the pillow is that the rug is on 40ct vs pillow on 49ct. It significantly easier to unpick, but not much easier to count still. Especially on the train.

A Trial in Miniature

 I have been ogling miniature embroidery for several years now. The hardest thing about starting it was finding the silk gauze to do it on.

None of the standard sewing shops (in Australia at least) seem to have it, even most of the specialised ones have never seen or stocked *sighs*

I had found a copy of "Celtic, Medieval and Tudor Wall Hangings in 1/12 Scale Needlepoint" by Sandra Whitehead on sale in Lindcraft a while ago and fell in love with the Celtic Knot hanging.

Alas, when I started to do the yellow in the middle I realised I had miscounted one direction by a stitch. If you look in the fourth photo there is an unfinished outer row? I thought I had messed up and stopped doing it. I would just do a 3rd row around the outside when done.... *facepalm* No... That WAS the correct number.

The knot was very snug and and no wiggle room. I could figure no way of editing that row out so I scrapped the knot and looked for another mini design for the middle.

And so you have the bee pillow:

Done in DMC cotton on 49ct silk gauze.
Final pillow size made up is roughly 1¼ inches or about 3cm

• Silk gauze from Dollhouse Needlepoint Patterns & Kits (was from owner's Etsy store which has now closed). I will be posting her Gothic rug and doing at least another one or two of her other kits/patterns.

• Pattern base from "Celtic, Medieval and Tudor Wall Hangings in 1/12 Scale Needlepoint" by Sandra Whitehead

• Bee was from http://beeskneesactivities.com/html/downloads/embroidery/embroidery.html 

Click 'Read More' for other WIP's!

~Ishy

A Slightly Foolish Attempt

I found some lace weight cotton and crochet hooks for an amazing price and decided to have a play.

I have only ever done one other crochet project and I think I may try a bit more full size before I play again.

That tiny little bit was several restarts, pick up of dropped stitches and what not. It took me most of 2hrs!

~Ishy

Popcorn Bear - Once Upon A Time

This is a present for my mother-in-law. 

Very near finished... just procrastinating on the back-stitch.

There is a slight 'in-house' joke with this piece; her sons call her a duck. And as you will see there is one featured in the work (though I am more implying she is the bear).

She loves ducks and has quite a few statues of them, but not appreciative of being called one.

Thus I though 'her' reading with/to a duck was appropriate. 

This will be part of a birthday/Christmas gift with one piece of a set of something *cough* Disney Swarovski Crystal Lion King set *cough*. This set will have me set up present wise for the next 3yrs. I feel like I am cheating but they were not cheap!

I have several other in the Popcorn Bear series that I will probably try and do one a year to go with the crystal. I also have one for myself, and another friend (she loves bear and wanted one after seeing my progress on FB).

Click 'Read More' for other WIP's!

~Ishy 

Sprite Stitch Stitch-a-long Sampler

Too long since an update but I am a forgetful person so that is my excuse. 

Also I always sit there and go "I'll do it later" and later never comes....

I have only completed one thing since my last post.

My work for the Sprite Stitch April 2013 Stitch-A-Long.  

My colouring was blue willow china inspired. Very pleased with this =)

~Ishy

Forever Friends - My Pony

 Neglecting my charity quilt square due to me getting angry at my pattern (teaches me to try and make it myself), I went on to a belated project that the kit was a gift for a friend.

I had offered if she wasn't up to trying it for herself. Alas, she asked me to, and I already had to do the Christening/Baptism present lol

Smart move Ish.

Annnyyywwaayyy. It turned out to be more portable than my other projects, and I have been doing a lot of traveling to Sydney for work.

Add the extra bonus of being paid for 4hr stints of sitting in a mostly empty temp store with no work?

Means I got a lot more done than expected... Buuutttt my other projects (*cough*) have not been done.

*looks wistfully at the Sprite Stitch stitch-a-long she had hoped to do*

First WIP is MIA. Not sure where it has gone *shrugs*

Here is the cross stitch. Started 22nd March and finished 15th April.

Anchor Forever Friends - FRC109xs My Pony

The pattern/kit have the rosette pink, but since it was a 1st place ribbon, I thought it only right it should be the correct colour *wink*

Now I just need to get this framed for a combined birthday/Christmas present!

Maybe I can go onto the sampler now (if I can get the changes I want to make right).

Click 'Read More' for other WIP's!

~Ishy

Gorjuss - New Heights (Pt.2)

Update was not so soon...

I have been busy running between Newcastle and Sydney for work..

It has also taken me a little while of procrastination to finish, and get this up.

Back stitch is the bane of my being. Part of the reason it got put aside ...

Anyways, here we are from back stitch to finish

Back stitch completed on the books to the left.

All back stitch completed; washed and ironed as well on right.

There were a couple of other WIP's but they are a bit crumpled/not worth it.

 

Both of these pictures are the work aster framed. I went with a triple matting because it looked the best. It also was the best I could do to match the cotton candy pink they have painted the room.

The project is meant to be something that will be kept as long as possible so colours had to be picked with care to be something that will stay neutral  as she grows up.

Sorry for the reflections in the last two photos. It is a combo of glass and not wanting to take the protective plastic off till I get it to them.

It is done. That is the main thing!

~Ishy

Gorjuss - New Heights

This project is a present for my new goddaughter.

Here is a catch up of WIP's that have been done to date.

Dress is primarily done on a train trip to and from Sydney.

Primary parts of dress and nearly all her skin done. Hair started.

 Hair finished, started work on silver then onto book tower. Once done book tower and ground did the 'wallpaper' in the background which is a little hard to see in last picture.

An update with the back stitch started will be posted soon.

Was meant to have it completed and framed by the 10th Feb. for the Baptism, but I was unable to complete in time.

~Ishy

Welcome!

Welcome!

My name is Carly, and I live in Australia.

Having just bought a house in a new area I have found myself currently in limbo and seek activities to occupy me in my between times. Here I will try and post what I am doing OTHER than unpacking/cleaning/organising.

This is a place for me to rant and post mostly about crafty endeavors (sometimes books and food as well).

If you are reading this, I hope you enjoy =)

~Ishtar/Ishy/Carly