Tatting, CQJP, and a Garden Visitor

Yesterday, this visitor was spotted in the front yard

nibbling here and there

spotting a succulent plant further up the hill

who?...me?

past the dying hosta and along the patio stone path

and finding nothing else to eat, wandered into the trees.........
she/he had a friend who stayed hidden in the brush

 CQJP

some ribbon leaves with gold seeds

gathered ribbon couched with seed beads

completing the knotted loop with double thread really shows the knot much better

rick rack and thread

wrapped chain stitch

variegated threads woven onto long and short stitches

blingy ribbon, a 'MOP' sequin, herringbone and french knots

 and my October block is finished!

I was tatting some seam treatments for my Jewel block, and tried Mary Konior's "Baby" edging

aptly named, I thought

since this is supposed to be a straight edging, I need to concentrate more on my tension
sheesh!

but I'm going to use these bits, anyway........

the top one was tatted in DMC pearl size 12, the pink ones in a found thread which is like a size 30, and the green beginning is tatted in Lady Shuttlemaker's Rainforest, size 20

Hope you all have a great weekend.
Thanks for visiting.
Hugs from Suz

TAST- Buttonhole Wheel Cups

Here's my stitching for this week's TAST:

a small wheel of 2 layers

7 layers

two small ones on the right of the large wheel were tightened and gathered to a point.....they look like alien plant life, I think

to the wheel cup on the left, I added buttonhole stitch to the interior spokes as well

this could be a fun stitch for flowers and baskets

the flower cup could be flared or tightened as desired


this stitch was fun to do




Thanks for visiting.
Hugs from Suz

Treasures From The Second Hand Store

I hadn't been to the local second hand shop for a while, so I popped in one day last week.
What did I find?

an interesting book showing how to use a creative approach in other mediums to enhance and inspire one's embroidery

a second book
Looks rather boring, doesn't it?
It's "Crewel Embroidery" by Erica Wilson!!

this lace piece was in a bag with the following laces, and is a small shawl with a lace border

a pretty and delicate design
(shown on a dark purple background)

3 lace collars!

a little too small for me.........sigh.....
but I could use the lace in my CQing if I dare to cut them up.......

close up

I like the 'netting' in this one

my fave of the three

such a pretty design

a lace bow

a 'gold' bow hair pin with a 'pearl'

and 2 little bags of buttons!

What lovely treasures I found!


The books will be added to my embroidery library, and all the other items are great for CQing!

I can't believe I purchased all this
for $10.00!!!   Wow!!

Have you found treasures in your local second hand shop? It can be a wonderful resource for fabrics, books, jewelery, threads, and all kinds of things.
Thanks for visiting.
Hugs from Suz

There's Been Stitching!

Hi everyone. Now that my company has returned home, I've gotten the house almost back to 'normal', and there's been some time for stitching. Yay!
First, though, a few pics of the yard and Turtle Island. Although many of the trees are now bare, there's still some colour around..........

I like the reflections

my naked October block for CQJP 2012

 A beautiful tat by Fox  is pinned into place

red lazy daisy buds with  fly stitch stems

then I added TAST knotted loop stitch

and my block looks like this, so far


lots more to do, yet

Here's the Italian Border Stitch for this week's TAST, with lazy daisy buds added. The knots on the bottom of the V don't show up too well in this doubled thread

perhaps I'll try it again in a thicker thread

here's a better shot of my beaded hedebo stitch and the blingy ribbon I posted last week

 I tried it a bit thicker here, with little heart buttons instead of the beads

then I played with double rows of chain stitch

I completed the bullion row couching down the pale pink lace, and topped it with a pink glass bead which sort of looks green, here

 some buttonhole circles

and my Jewel block looks a little more complete, although there's lots more stitching and beading to do.

 over at StitchMAP I am taking a Redwork Course. It's a lot of fun (and sometimes frustrating) learning and practicing new skills.
this music note was one lesson practicing satin stitch and padded satin stitch

and I completed a little teapot, too. These motifs are quite small ~ 1.5" square
My next lesson is awaiting my attention.









I hope you've had some time today to enjoy doing something that feeds your soul and brings you pleasure.
Thanks for visiting.
Hugs from Suz.