CQJP 2024 Ellie Project

OK, SO.

I have sewn together the sides and top of my Ellie so when I get to the vines along the big seams I can just go do it and not worry where I'm going to connect them later.

I whent ahead and added my spiderweb roses

To the monogram

in a couple of places

all the way down

That blue stuff is the Water Soluble pen I use for marking 

It will come off with a quick spritz or two of water and maybe a bit of a rub

I have used these pens for close to 30 years now and 

have come to rely upon them, with out really ever worrying weather or not they have changed the formula or something, 

For me they just work.

I am sharing a bunch of my sketchbook pages today

I use my sketch books to keep track of my ideas and keep a record of my projects as I do them 

I want to show you all how I use them If blogger will cooperate with me today I might even manage to make it coherent!

CQJP Paris

I have colored somethings in when the mood moves me 

and darkened other bits with pen so I can trace them if I need to

These pages are from a prior CQJP For which I used Paris for my jumping off point and 

CQJP Paris

the colors pulled from the focus fabric I used that year were a magenta, pink, green, bright blue, yellow and purple

CQJP Fairy

I have many more ideas and inspiration pages scattered around the house and interwebs for perusing to catch an idea

I have a lot of books for reference and also for learning a new technique or just for the pictures

These pages are some of my oldest and 

I use the basic shapes from them all over the place

Rainbow Scrap challenge 2024-Red

 A slow start to the year but it is a start

CQJP 2024 AKA Mara's Ellie project

Miss Mouse has gotten her tail and a fine tail it is!

Next up is what to do with all the space around her?

The Darling Daughter who requested this Ellie, 

wants lots of flowers so lets do the foundations of that,

as a chain stitch vine meandering all over the side 

and part of the top.

And to do that I needed to sew the top and other side together.

This makes it a little harder to maneuver around and sew 

through but makes for  a more cohesive design.

And on the other foot, I have stitched a bird shape to make

A cardinal as requested

Most of the thread I will be using throughout will be DMC

so in this project expect that from here on 

unless otherwise noted

I will be using several shades of red for the body of the cardinal 

I'm going for a fade to dark

using a staggered satin stitch the whole way through

And here she is!

And since there has been some discussion on the CQI Divas 

page about working from sketches 

Here's the page of my sketchbook where this one came from

I have used her in the past many times 

for anyone who notices that's the sketch for the gardens 

round robin from 2014

Here'show I transfer some of my ideas

The paper is from the tail ends of clothing patterns

In some commercial clothing patterns you can get quite a 

large swath of blank paper that is ideal for embroidery transfer

I like using this as transfer because I can see through it

it doesn't distort my stitches, when I go to pull it out from 

under my stitching, if it hasn't already shredded from handling

And if you sew it into the piece you will never see it again

because it is such a light paper it will disappear or disintegrate

CQJP 2024 the start

Starting on this side I covered most seams                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        with a base layer of seam treatments using the same color thread, since we (I) want the motifs to stand out not the treatments                                                                                                                                      Then I go about and mark a few motifs                                                                                                        I use a clover blue water soluble pen as these marks come out easily from most fabrics                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        So far I've drawn out  her name and some vine and roses                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Which will be embroidered in a covered chain stitch for the lettering

And a stem and feather stitch for the vines and leaves

what Elephant doesn't need a mouse?

I use Felt for an underlament to give the satin stitch some depth                                                                                                                                                                                                        And layer it for more definition, here see the head tail and haunches

Here she is with just a little more to go                                                                                                                                                I used 3 colors of  gray to give it a little more depth                                                                                                                            Lightest on top, main body the med and dark for the bottom and a bit of shadow                                                                                                                                                                                She also has a size 8 seed bead for an eye

Rainbow Scrap challenge 2024-Green

 And so we enter into a new year and a new round of scrap basket clean up

This year I have chosen one block to put together

there may be more but I am fomenting other things in other areas and don't want to over extend my capabilities

ooh look at that, at almost 60 I'm thinking like a growdup!

How'd thAt happen?

And look at the birds! I finished the flimsy for 24 of the 66 bird blocks from the last years RSC 

It makes a respectable 42" x 62" flimsy

now she just needs a back

I pieced together the other 42 birds without borders

it makes a 46" x 53" flimsy

But I still think it needs a border

I am having a hard time finding one I like for it

I have two different feather fabrics which would have been perfect but I only have half a yard of each Of course.

So back to stash diving  *sigh*

The Christmas Ellie CQJP2024

 

right side

So! this was supposed to be done for christmas

It' about small pillow size..

Buuuut.......

Left side

Anyway, I have decided to make it my CQJP for 

this year or I'm never going to get it done!    

I just started on the base layer of Stitching   

Nothing too colorful this time

I think I'm going to stay in the grey scale for seams 

so the motifs when I get to them stand out

There has been a request for roses

I'm also thinking her name made fancy and flowery

A mouse somewhere, I will copy a few of the motifs I used

on my ellie since she wanted one after she saw it

and I will probably wing it from there

so far so good

                                                                                                 

Years end

 

Konar's Quilt

What have we done this year?

A few things here and there managed to get done......

In spite of the summer tree shearing

Door swag

Name tag

Cinch belt

A bit of embroidery was done

Tarot Embroidery

Crazy Quilt basket

Mother Goose hat

Spirit doll bead pins

Baltimore album

A silly hat and a few pins

Chatelaine purse

                                                                                                            

I pieced together this 27 year old Baltimore Album Project                                                                                                                               I still think it needs more borders and blocks

The purse got its chain and now hangs from its  chatelaine

An Idea for later

And I have this Idea for the coming year >

And I need to finish my youngest's Ellie, 

preferably before next chrismas!

Big Ellie

I thought

 for sure     I could finish it this year!

Looking forward into the new year. may it be better than last.

Seasons Greetings!

Happy Yule Tide Everyone!

 

This year I am grateful for Dolly Parton and Taylor Swift.

I think these two smart, capable, talented women are, single handedly, saving the countries sanity.

I'm pushing 60 and whilst 60 hasn't started pushing back too hard yet, I look at Dolly.                       Who at 80 is still going strong. I look at what she has accomplished in her long glorious career and marvel at her energy. The people she has helped, lifted up or just brought a little joy to, with her charities, her music, her movies and TV shows and Dollywood which revitalized her home town and brought overdue jobs to the area so her people could lift their own selves up.  

If that doesn't inspire you There's Taylor.                                                                                                She is herself everyday and shows her fans by example, how to navigate in a world not made for women, to be strong in and they love her for it.                                                                                            I love her determination to be herself in front of the world, which is cruel to it's icons, doesn't accept imperfections and usually tears them to shreds for the slightest mistakes. Taylor has been open and honest about her struggles, she shows her fans the "warts and all". Who in spite of her labels betrayal of selling her masters out from under her, got the best revenge, in the history of revenge and looks classy doing it.  At 33 she is very smart, the savvy way in which she is navigating the world has been a joy to watch, her fresh face, creating anticipation and community for her fans, having fun doing it and she is just getting started.

This is what two very strong willed smart, talented women are able to accomplish, in spite of the social system they grew up in. None of their accomplishments were handed to them either, they fought hard for the right to be themselves in an industry that likes to exploit their talent for the biggest payday, then toss them aside bent and broken, instead of nurturing it. 

Now imagine a world where everyone got the support they needed to accomplish their joy, not in spite of their surrounding society but because of it? If we gave every one the support they needed to succeed, what couldn't we accomplish?

 Personally Fame looks exhausting to me, all the running around to do and promote and get yourself in front of ears and eyes and attention spans the size of a goldfish. It's the kindness with which these women do what they do, that I see. The kindness to their fans and the people around them, it's not "part of the act" They are genuinely themselves, thoughtful and kind.

Our nation needs them so much right now, I need their bright shiny goodness to go out in the world as an anodyne to the hate trying to tear it apart. It's a bit much to put on their head alone, we need our bright shiny people, To show us a better way. Let us protect them so they can continue to be shiny.

Goldwork froggie

 Here's the Finish

Well almost

Hes not to lumpy

Front view

Top view

He will be a pin someday