Warm Tones Beginnings

 I've been stitching on a pieced cloth of warm tones.

Included are rusty bit, swap, and stash fabrics.

 stem stitch

 playing with fly stitch on rusty bits fabric

 french knots and straight stitch

 In tatting, it's called a cluny, but I embroidered these leaves using a woven picot stitch

rusty bits cotton with varigated thread

I love the colours on this fabric: brown, turquoise, and golden yellow













here's my tatted millipede!
and some tea-dyed yarn couched onto an upholstery fabric strip












I've made a small beginning. What will it become?
Have you been creating today?
Thanks for visiting.
Hugs from Suz

Hearts and Laces

I wanted to use a piece of my tea-stained lace to make a little gift for a special someone.

rusty bits cotton, cheesecloth, and some old flannelette

gathering embellishments
hmmm, which shall I use?

 flannelette base, rusty bits cotton, FME with gold thread, a brown fiber topper with FME'd gold thread

covered with rusty cheesecloth, and then some tea-stained lace

rusty bits cotton bottom

 add a tawny-colored shell heart and a tea-stained lace heart









an acorn button to attach once the wrist size is known







a cheesecloth flower with a two-thread tatted center and a bead cluster sits atop the hearts








 tawny gold and brown seed beads dance along the lace

and Voila!  a bracelet for a special lady with a chain and button closure

Hmmm, maybe I should run some brown ribbon through the gold chain.

What do you think?

Well, I decided against the chain: it didn't seem to match the shabby-vintage feel of the fabrics.

I removed it and used a piece of chocolate ribbon. Then, I added a second acorn button for a smoother closure. I'll attach the backing once the bracelet has been sized and the buttons secured.

I sure hope the recipient likes this bracelet!

I hope you've had a creative day.

Thanks for visiting.

Hugs from Suz

Tat and Fringe

I took this:

                                   tatted with two threads: DMC perle #5 in a light rust, and button and carpet thread in a dark brown








plus this:

                                               















and

mixed in some

and attached it to :

The rusty bits sachets













and voila!

 With crystals and wire dangles, and tatting, This decorated sachet is being tucked away for a future gift.
















This sachet with the tatted flower, edging, and beaded fringe fits perfectly into one of the inside pockets of the bag I made. It'll be a little extra surprise.















I hope you have nice surprises today.
Thanks for visiting.
Hugs from Suz

Rusty Bits Experiment

I wanted to make some more rusty bits, and thought I would test a couple of different fabrics to see how well they absorbed the rust.

I began with these rust enablers:

And wrapped them up in the following:
laces, tulle, organza, muslin, flannelette, cheesecloth


I placed the wrappings into a rusty can and set it outside for 2 weeks to percolate through rain, wind, and sun. Here are the results.

I discovered that neither the organza nor the tulle absorb the rust very well. The flannelette, which was a piece from an old, old, old diaper, absorbed the most colour. The polished cotton absorbed some rust, but not as much as I had hoped. I was pleased with the laces, muslin, and cheesecloth.

Then, I made:

Two lavender sachets with corduroy fringe. The fronts are layers of cheesecloth and tulle with a bit of lace: the back is polished cotton.
But they look a little plain, don't you think? I do. I see some tatting in the near future. Oh! And maybe some luscious, beaded fringe.









Thanks for visiting.
Hugs from Suz

Found Treasures

I went back to the second-hand shop to search for more treasures, and found these:

crocheted lace

an oval doily

and a third lace! I think this one is machine-made. I'm gathering laces for my CQing stash. At 50 cents each, it's a steal! I can't help thinking of the many hours someone invested in creating the hand-made laces, and how under valued they are!

Then I found these handles from a purse, and a tie clip, each for only $1, so I scooped them up. The tie clip goes into my CQ stash, but I have an idea brewing for the plastic (lucite?) handles. It just might involve some or all of the following: dark brown corduroy, animal print cotton, rusty bits, laces, embroidery, ribbon, and tatting. Hmmmm, I wonder,.....

Wishing a Happy Columbus Day to all in the USA

I'll be celebrating a Happy Thanksgiving  and hope you are too.

Thanks for visiting.

Hugs from Suz

Rusty Bits Sachet

The sachet is finished, and filled with fragrant lavender buds. Looking like a small purse, it has layers of rusted lace and tulle, muslin, a 'hidden' embroidered flower, french knots, tatting and beads. Not including the strap, it measures  a tiny 2 1/2" x 4 1/2", just the perfect size for hanging under a special blouse, or for fitting into a drawer  to scent the contents.

There's an oval of  tatting along one edge in brown button and carpet thread. It seems to echo the dark tones of the rust on the laces and fabric, and repeats the thread used to make the 'hidden' flower.

Then I added diagonal lines of  topaz bicone crystals following the pattern in the lace for a warm touch of bling. My friend loves bling! In the pic, it looks as though there is colour behind the lace, but there's only the rusted fabric underneath. It must be from blowing up the picture. I do, though, love the rust lines on the lace!

Here's the back--layers of tulle and two kinds of laces, and a 'V' stitched with cotton perle #5 in colour 436, a nice shade of rust. My friend arrives soon, and she'll find this little sachet wrapped and tied with a ribbon, sitting on her bedside table just waiting to be discovered. I sure hope she likes it!

I've had so much fun making this sachet, and have enjoyed using the rusted bits so much, that there is now another small bundle of laces and fabrics and tulle percolating outside in the yard, sitting on a rusty piece of old tin roofing. Can't wait to see what developes!

My friend will be staying for several days, and, although I have one or two posts ready for my blog, I may not be able to reply to your comments because we'll be busy visiting and creating and knitting and catching up. Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Thanks for visiting.

Hugs from Suz