loops, points and pins....

Wasn't here yesterday. Did you miss me? It's a bit hectic chez moi at the moment. Tomorrow morning Karen's Embroidery School is going global...yes I know it was global before but I didn't think of saying that before and I like the way it sounds. Buttons and more starts tomorrow...morning some time....can't say precisely but hey as we are spread world wide I don't suppose it matters, most of the class will still be snoozing and then when they log on they will be snoozing again...bored to death.. If you are a teeny bit tempted you still have time to pop over here and have a look and saying all this again is giving me chance to use that large type that I am becoming so fond of.

In other news....I have been making loops and points like there is no tomorrow, for the edge of Helens cloth. They have been cut, stitched, folded, turned right way out, pinned and tacked. The cloth is now almost finished and I will have a big reveal on here as soon as my girls have seen it but I must say I love it..Love it!!

Also and I'm not offended really I'm not BUT I am having a clear out of rubbish....giving these away...trouble is nobody appears to want them???? Oh well, refuse tip it is then...don't say you weren't asked....

points and loops....

The Rouleau Loops finally got made.....some of them are now in the cloth and seeing them like this makes me realise why I love them so much. They just add something that I can't find the right word for but the cloth certainly wouldn't be the same without them that's for sure.I also made some Prairie Points with little areas of cutwork on them, loving those too. Sometimes embroidering a point will prevent it forming into a 'perfect' point, small price to pay I say for the added embellishment.

My class only has two weeks left to run....insert sad face.......I am going to miss it a lot. I would run it again immediately after the last day of this one but I am going away in early November so can't quite fit the six weeks in....shame. One thing I will miss though is making my videos. I have grown quite addicted to my video camera so I'm thinking......can you hear the cogs turning? Maybe I could make a little video for you. Would you like that? It won't be a technique but how about a tiny show and tell? Then you could all hear my very broad, (or so I'm told) Northern English accent....hmmmmmm, lets see what I can do.

titivations....

Unfortunately these aren't edible and as I have a very poor relationship with any kind of cooking implement I am not inspired to take them forward into sweet little edible delicacies, sorry about that. They are merely a toy, a plaything, a kind of worry bead for me to fiddle with once toe wrap two is finished and adorning my cold feet. Prairie points, Rouleau Loops and funky puffs...what more does a cold foot need.

I have also assembled the first of two pieces I need to complete the surface. When this one is embellished and the second one too I will be able to back it...can't wait!!

Right, can't hang about today I'm afraid. My son returned from the USA this morning and I am about to be buried under an avalanche of dirty washing!!

contrast...

At the moment my days are white, my evenings a riot of colour. Daytime consists of piecing white, embellishing with white, typing about white, creating white titivations.....evenings....colourful and bright, additions and work onto my second toe wrap. The day job is in preparation for my class, which is rapidly filling up and will be closed for registration this coming Sunday. If you have been in a cupboard and it has passed you by there is more information HERE. I have to say that for it to have passed you by you would need to have been in a cupboard...I haven't stopped banging on about it for a week!! Sorry about that...

I am way behind on my blog reading and comment responses. I am once again prostrate at your feet begging forgiveness and promising that you will see me over the weekend so get the kettle on and make some cakes.

Home is quiet, my son flew to the U.S. on Tuesday so it's just me and the other half who is never here because I send him to work every day and when he is here he takes me out to eat, so I have no excuse other than I am doing teacher like stuff...

Yesterday I made some more Rouleau Loops for this piece and am hoping to show you those next time. I have also been stitching little 'bumps', tiny padded circles which you can see on the picture above edged with French Knots...they are sooooo cute! So I'm busy but in the best possible way and believe it or not I even managed to do a bit of housework....I will take a pat on the back for that and count my blessings that I am able to do what I love and occasionally clean up too.

stripey loops....

Feelings of inadequacy abound today....first of all I'm late...should have done this hours ago...the reason for my lateness, the supermarket and a little extra time in bed this morning. Can't apologise for either really, I needed the sleep and the family need the food...second, not got much to show you....

I made stripey rouleasu loops yesterday with the red fabric and they now form the first embellishments of section four. I couldn't be bothered last night, no reason I could think of I just couldn't be bothered. It sounds awful doesn't it and It makes me feel a little ''off course'' but it happens in any situation and now it's my turn I will just have to get over it. Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not down or anything, I feel on top of the world actually. Maybe it's just the constant toe wrap thing or the hook and eye pieces still hanging around, maybe I need a diversion.

The hook and eye pieces are almost there and I am at the stage where I will be happy when they are finished. I need to make linings for them and the reason for my procrastination now is that I don't feel I can take over the house with my cutting out, pinning and machining this weekend as everyone is home and I want some family time. So next week it is, they will hopefully be finished and packed up ready to be taken to the ''potential'' client.

So....diversion? I am trying to wring out the recesses of my brain and think of something else to do, something else to make just to add other thoughts to my days rather than throws and hardware.....can you hear the cogs turning?

dotty loops.....

It's been a busy old day so far. Big supermarket shop stocking up for the two hungry men in my life and a few scraps for little old me, well a big jar of coffee actually and a packet of mints.....and why does it take an age to put it all away???? Marathon running, ha, don't make me laugh. Just put away a weeks worth of groceries and there's your exercise! Anyway, yet again I digress, babbling on about stuff that has no relevance to embroidery and probably bores you witless.

I had favours damp stretching last night so what to do?? I still have a lot of computer stuff to do but that never gets done after 7pm, my brain doesn't function past then. I know I thought, pin together another piece for toe wrap two and put rouleau loops in there.....

I have a feeling that this piece will ''change'' the overall appearance of the next toe wrap. For the first time I have used quite a big piece of the cotton lawn, as opposed to small pieces peeking through cutwork holes. The colour is quite different too, especially from the red and white stripes. I don't think this is a bad thing and I'm confident it will all blend together seamlessly...(said with my fingers and toes crossed and a lot of hope in my heart)

So far there is hardly any surface embroidery on here, maybe half a dozen french knots. Thing is I really MUST get on with all this secret stuff, the secret stuff that doesn't have to be a secret I'm just not ready to share is all...don't want to tempt any misadventure you know how it is.

Mind you, thinking about it, I am backing favours on the sewing machine tomorrow, I am tapping on here for the rest of this afternoon so who knows, I may embellish a little tonight, hmm, yes, maybe....

rouleau loops....

Didn't I say there would be an abundance of rouleau loops? Well here you are, maybe not an abundance but (and I've had the thesaurus out) a copiousness? a riot? a profuseness? No? O.k. a few then...well more than I had yesterday morning anyway!! I have joined two sections of toe wrap two and these form the seam. It's always a momentous occasion for me, the joining of two sections. It means I am making progress. You can see here my machine stitched bias strips and then my turned tubes. They look lovely like this, then I go and cut them all up, oh well, wouldn't have any rouleau loops if I didn't would I.

Yesterday I had trillions of visitors on here, I kid you not. This was due to a wonderful referral from here and for a stat obsessed blogger that can only be good. I would recommend you have a look regardless of them being nice to me because it's a lovely place that I never even knew about until yesterday. I am going to enjoy the moment anyway because next week it will be lonely again, just me and you...never mind. Good job we kind of like each other.

gingham, ticking and rouleau loops....

It's sunny inside and out today, bright colours and bright images for a change!! The first of the final two pieces for my throw, not finished yet but worked on last night. The corner where this will fit needed colour to balance the whole throw and yes, it is precise and measured...I'm begining to like that method it makes life a lot easier. Before you start thinking I am a workaholic and sat and made seperate little rouleau loops, co-ordinated and everything I should fess up...these are left overs from other sections, the ''never throw anything away'' mentality pays off sometimes!!

and now for something completely different and way off tangent I might add...if you are squeamish then look away now....I debated putting this on here for a long time, oh o.k. then 30 seconds. As my mum will confirm I have never been one to suffer in silence and I have a huge need to share so I give you my hand..my painful abused hand. Top pic a cut in my index finger, (very, very sore) and two other pics of burns, off the oven, yes, me and domesticity don't go together at all. I realise these are a bit yellow. Take it from me that this is more to do with the light than me being jaundiced or having some hideous blood disorder. As far as I know my skin colour is normal and these may mislead slightly but you get the picture....pain and suffering...

now then, sorry about that...back to embroidery. I bet you thought you had stumbled upon some wierd medical blog for a minute then! I am now compiling a huge pile of FAQ's, some from way back and some new ones. Actually, if they are new then they can't really be FAQ's can they? Who cares, I will include them anyway. The other thing, the one that I can't mention is proving to be a bit of a challenge. As you know though I don't like to be beaten so I am persevering.

pretty.....

Well here it is, or should I say they are, anyway, the end result of my titivating from last time. Pin pillows and don't ask why I'm calling them pin pillows as opposed to pin cushions, haven't got a clue but as that's what I called them on facebook and flickr I guess I should keep the theme going over here. They are now in the shop along with many more images so pop over there if you want to see more but if you don't then that's o.k. too!! I must say that I am more than a little pleased with these and am thinking about making some more for christmas gifts. They really are the cutest and I don't normally do ''cute'' so I am making the most of it whilst it happens!!

I am not going to hang around chatting for long today. I am feeling a little time pressured. I have been out, yes out, most of the day and I have visitors coming sunday, more of that in a minute!! In the meantime I have zillions of e-mails to answer and then there is the small matter of packaging wedding favours individually so I shall have to stuff them in some old paper bags at some point if I can get my hands on any old paper bags that is. No, I'm only kidding, I have bags and ribbons but that is a task that needs doing pronto. Now for sunday...baby Lydia is coming to see me. Unfortunately she has to bring daddy, can't come on her own but I am going to take pics and if daddy says it's o.k. I will show you. That means that Lydia will be the first person to ever appear on here!! I am excited, she is probably underwhelmed...

embellishing....

Fingers crossed that you are not yet sick of gingham, bored to distraction by the very mention of the word!! There is WHITE going on here too it's just that I can't show you, sorry. These pieces are for small things I have in mind for the shop. The shop is no longer my main focus but I was over there a couple of days ago and there is actually very little in there unless you have some kind of button fetish. So these little things will be in there, with christmas in mind, when they are finished. Don't hold your breath though because I have sooooo much going on they may be ready for next year!

It's a long time since I made any puffs and I'd forgotten how good they felt in your hand. Little squishy balls of cloth and these ones have tails! The tails are left from the fastening off process so they can be tied to the surface. They will actually not be visible when the pieces are finished so maybe you should consider it an honour to see them in this ''naked'' state!!

We have lift off with the favours too!! Well at least in the sense that soon they will no longer be in my trusted care. The mother of the groom is coming to collect them on sunday. Can't quite give a ''phew'' or a sigh of relief yet though...they still need to be wrapped and adorned. That's my saturday entertainment sorted then.