Summer Creativity Challenge 4

Well! Have now finished the four flowers for the Yahoo Hand-Embroidery group's Summer Creativity Challenge. The fourth flower is the Marigold.

How I enjoyed stitching these designs - it was sheer pleasure. I don't know what I shall use the four pieces for and, for the moment, I shall enjoy looking at them. I am so glad that I found this group and I, now, await the Autumn challenge. Not that I want the summer days to end quickly - it is the anticipation of more challenging stitching to work on.

Summer Creativity Challenge 3

Finished stitching the Iris last evening. Worked this flower on a piece of pale green lawn which I found in my stash. Used cotton stranded thread throughout.

I have been out in the garden with my camera!

I thought I would take advantage of the fine weather and go out into the garden and take pictures of some of the flowers. I hope to use some of them later in creative work - either painting or for embroidery - or, you never know, maybe both!!

This is Emma's rose; planted in memory of one of our lovely Jack Russell bitches who died aged 17 years

The Red Rose of Lancaster

Water-lily in one of the small ponds

I do love hollyhocks; they add a swathe of colour to a shady spot

Sweet Cecily seed heads

Summer Creativity Challenge 2

Finished stitching my second flower last evening. I love pansies and have a window-box of pansies right outside my kitchen window.
Why have I chosen this colourway? Because purple and green are my favourite colours and I always think that the purple pansies have petals which look like they are made of velvet.
Now, that's an idea! An appliqued pansy using velvet! Must remember that!

We have very high winds today and the roses are getting blown about. Hope they don't get damaged too much as they looking so well this year.

Summer Creativity Challenge

Last evening I finished stitching the Rose for the Yahoo hand-embroidery Group Summer challenge.



Thought I would try thread-painting to work this beautiful flower (supplied by Stitchy Britches) and I am pleased how it has turned out.

I think I might save the piece for a Crazy Quilt, which I have always wanted to have a go at, or I may mount it in a card mount and use for someone special.

Now, to sort out some threads to stitch the pansy.

BREATHING SPACE

My first posting of my first blog! As you can see from the picture, one of my hobbies is photograpy, but my main love is embroidery. I love all types of needlework - it is especially the textures and colours of fabric and threads which draws me to this. I also make cards and dabble with painting. As I am retired, now, I have plenty of time to indulge in my creative hobbies but often feel that I could do with 48 hours in a day so that I could indulge some more!!!

This is a piece of my stitching. I did this for my City and Guilds `Computer Design into Stitched Textiles` course, which I have just completed. The design is based on part of a garden fence and has been manipulated in Paint Shop Pro. I printed the design onto special cotton which is treated for the ink jet printer - removed the backing paper - and began stitching. Hope you like it!