"Don't Touch the Coral; it's Sharp" quilt completed...

"Don't Touch the Coral; it's Sharp!"

I made this quilt in January 2014.  It is 100 cm x 40 cm.  The background fabric is folded and stitched; a technique I really like to give dimension and movement.  The coral is all hand-beaded (and took about 30 hours) and the applique on the fish and sea urchins is hand-worked.  

Batik cotton fabric, cotton batting, glass beads.  Original design by Summer Truswell.

Golf Christmas Ornament...

Just what every golfer wants, right?  A golf ornament for the tree!  This is a gift for my father-in-law.  He seems to like the things I stitch... This measures a little shy of 3" across.  I've had the canvas for a few years now.  I used silk & ivory and Impressions and did the whole thing in basketweave stitch.  The flag is a red silk.  It is finished with a flat back.  

Mary Engelbreit ornament finished...

This is an older needlepoint canvas - I started it some time ago but had a hard time with the lettering and outlining.  I think the canvas was quickly painted and it was very "interpretive" on my end to get it to be legible.  That said, I'm really pleased with how it turned out and I love the peppermint cording too!  For the back I used a red sculpted velvet with a hard back.  It is about 4" across.  Design by Mary Engelbreit.

Two Melissa Shirley Ornaments Completed...

"You bring the tree, I'll bring the wreath!"

I just love these ornaments.  They are hand-painted canvases from Melissa Shirley.  I used odds and ends from my thread stash for the different colors.  The tree Santa is stitched in red Very Velvet and the wreath Santa is stitched in Trio.  Love them!  They are about 3" across and I finished them with hard backs and blue velvet.  

Santa Baby and the holidays...

Thought I'd share some of my holiday decorations up.  I love Christmas and decorating for it!  We wait until early December to decorate.

I just finished up this Quilt; it is called "Santa Baby" and is by Buggy Barn.  It is from the Positively Crazy book.

It measures 84" square.  I backed it with Minky in a chevron pattern.  I quilted in the ditch using a walking foot on my sewing machine.  No batting - I love the weight on this and it looks great in the living room!

This is our upstairs living room - the tree has about half of my stitched ornaments on it, red glass balls, and our Lenox collection (we buy one a year).  My two Amanda Lawford Santas are to the side.  Hanging is the Cricket Collection bellpull, and on the table are my Melissa Shirley Nutcracker Pops.  The couch has the sweater pillow.

Downstairs on the fireplace I have our family stockings hung.  On the mantel are some of the odds and ends I've stitched over the years.  

Happy Christmas!

Flower Needlepoint Pillow Stitched and Finished.

This is another pillow for me.  I purchased this canvas at a guild meeting years and years ago.  I have been slowly working my way through all my unfinished projects and am down to only a few. The tag says "From the Collection of the Women's Educational & Industrial Union.  Boston, Massachusetts, Est. 1877".  I believe they used to sell needlepoint yarn and canvases but am not sure if the design is from a reproduction in their collection (which is what I was told when I bought it) or if they used to sell other designer's canvases.  Either way, it's a lovely piece.  If you happen to know who the designer is please let me know!


I knew I wanted this for a pillow so I used basketweave throughout.  I stitched all the background in cream wool (Appleton, with one ply of the four pulled out so it wasn't too tight) and then all the flowers and ribbons are stitched in silk fibers from my stash.

I used a bronze ribbon, striped ribbon, and two trims around the edge.  I love these colors!  It's a pretty good size - maybe 22" across?  The backing is a heavy woven dot that I used on another pillow (the standing lion pillow).

Finished a needlepoint pillow - Amanda Lawford floral.

This was stitched in 2013.  It is a hand-painted canvas from Amanda Lawford.  I stitched it in silk threads, mostly Vineyard Silks with basketweave.  The purple flowers I worked in Au Ver a Soie with silk shading.  The gold is a Kreinik Vintage Braid.  

I picked up the backing fabric at Tina's in Madison Park.  It's a fun shop to visit with lots of really beautiful fabrics and trims.  I added three ribbons around the piece and more roses at each corner.  It has pinch-pleat corners as well. This photo is a little light to show detail - they are a solid black in life.  It's a stunner.  

More true to life on colors.

Now I'm working on a double wedding ring quilt.  It's never going to be done.