Titivated

 

Oversized, stuffed Suffolk puffs.

Finishing touches for these two panels which will soon become a pillow. 

The approximate size of this is twelve by ten inches.

There have been a few pillows created over the past couple of weeks which will be for sale very soon.

I'll let you know when they are in the shop. 

Titivate, spruce, smarten, and spiff all mean "to make a person or thing neater or more attractive."  

Embellishments

 

Just a hand full of stuffed Suffolk puffs for an edge or maybe a seam.

Small things

 

Little mix and match pieces.

Liberty fabric and gingham. 

These will be six inches square when they're finished.

There are Suffolk puffs and there's likely to be more prairie points. 

They're fiddly but I don't mind a bit of fiddly. 

I love a hand embroidered adornment.

 

These aren't 'new', in fact some of them are positively ancient!

I'm reminding myself of the value of having what Rachel rightly called a large amount of 'resources'....not stash as I called it.

Buttons and Suffolk puffs, perfect for those little finishing touches.

Suffolk puffs and a little piece of ruched weaving

 

There's lots of titivating going on here.

I'm now three pages in with my new collection of embroidered pieces.

Embroidery on number four will start later, it's already pinned together. 

Another distraction has however reared its head.

We are doing a little white on white embroidery in class so I now have an itch for another white on white wrapping cloth. 

Let's see where that takes me. 

 

 

lace and beads

Lace cloth is now in rolls...as opposed to coming out of my ears like I said earlier in the week. I love how it looks rolled like this, it also makes me realise how little housework I've done lately....stitch and housework can't be done in unison. (my house is like a bomb site...I'm not in the least bit bothered...please don't judge me)

The puffs, the padded Suffolk puffs....I was going to say they are the final thing I am making to take with me but I'm not sure they are. I have an overwhelming desire to make a piece of white lace cloth....pure white.....I obviously haven't formed an aversion to creating lace cloth after the past weeks marathon which is  good thing. I now just have to search for the spare couple of hours I need to actually satisfy that urge.

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little bags of titivations

In addition to having lace cloth coming out of my ears I also have a titivation production line going on. Suffolk puffs, fabric beads (padded puffs) and other such things for adorning edges and surfaces are being created in abundance. I'm thinking little bags of mixed things, a combination, flat and padded.......like little bags of sweeties or candy. 

There was a point in time last week when I thought I was going to lose it, to become so stressed that I couldn't go on. That has passed, calmness has descended again and although my ''to do'' list remains long it's not unachievable. My days from now until next Sunday...flight time 9.30 am.....will be filled with finishing touches, labelling, packaging, packing boxes to pack into suitcases. I will not be making any more ''large';' pieces such as pockets or wraps or pillows, there's no time left, it's the little things which I need to attend to now.

Yesterday was a ''day off'' of sorts. Thanks so much for all James happy birthday love. I think he had a good day??? We went to Manchester to eat and I left him there with his dad so they could go and see a band and do other manly things....I drove home through snow, yes snow. I wasn't expecting that. 

The video below is a brief overview of my new class ''stitching a story'',  first posted on here a couple of weeks ago. I will be closing the shop before I go away and will re open it on April 25.

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ingredients

What am I doing here? I'm assessing, considering, questioning, wondering, faffing, being indecisive, wondering what, how much, how many of each, make more, don't make more, add buttons......and on and on. Ingredients for goodie bags are being considered by someone who hasn't a clue what to put in them. 

What would you choose from this selection to put in your goodie bag? Or...what would you like to find in a goodie bag you acquired out of this selection? 

And.....I bought a new book because I definitely need another distraction...not........

This book could be written about me and you. (I'm assuming you like to sew and that's why you are here) Deanna made me aware of it and I am so, so happy she did. It's a story of two ...and I quote.....''old, old sisters'' who spend their life in bed, a ''long, long'' bed.  They become bored, they wonder why, they then decide it's because their quilt is plain white so they decide to embroider their white quilt as they spend each hour in bed. I'm going to put a quote on here now, directly from the book which is taken from the section where they retrieve their work boxes from under the bed and which inspired me more than I can say.....

''and they opened them. They were full of scissors and thimbles, pins and needles, buttons and bodkins and hooks and eyes. There were scraps of silk and satin, rolls of ribbon, lengths of lace.''

Sigh...do you see what I mean? 

I really want to share more of this with you. I will try and post another quote tomorrow. This book has landed in my life at just the right time (New class...Stitching a Story...and I am given the gift of knowing about this book which is essentially  ''stitching a story''...fate?)....thank you Deanna.

(I bought this from Amazon in the US very cheaply, it's a used copy. The available copies on UK Amazon are ridiculously expensive. Postage from the US for this was also very inexpensive...I got me a bargain. If you are in the UK consider purchasing from the US)

Finally......can I apologise if I am slow responding to comments and e mails. I really am snowed under at the moment but you are on my mind, I am really feeling guilty,  I appreciate the comments and e mails more than I can say, truly. I WILL respond but please bear with me.

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a pillow pocket

This week is becoming a ''finished pieces'' week.....that's a good thing which means it's been a good week.  Two wrapping cloths are finished, (this one and this one) a white silk pocket is finished and now this one is finished. This pocket has a pin pillow in one end....on the left in the top image. It's going to be hard to part with this......and the white silk one...and almost every other piece I have finished recently. I do however get to keep the wrapping cloths, I have had that conversation with myself and it's non negotiable. 

Back to this one, there are lots of Suffolk puffs on here, I am beginning to think they may be my new obsession. The pocket section opens on the right in the first image, a pocket big enough for folded cloth...sigh...If I were keeping it that's what I would do with it.

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the second one from the unfinished pile

You saw it here, unfinished.....it's finished now! I backed it and added oversized prairie points along with a few more puffs. Including this one, that's two quite big pieces finished in the past week or so. I am so pleased I completed these two cloths, they languished for far too long. Watch the video and see what you think.

On my ''to do'' list for the rest of the day....make more lace cloth, finish this pocket, doodle on some silk, start putting goody bag things into piles and maybe put a couple more pages together in my little books.

Patched pocket girls....stand by your computers.....there's a video coming!

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Pieces of a pocket

 These are the lower edges of what will eventually be a pocket. You saw this before...here. It's not finished yet, the lining has to be created and then it all needs to be put together. I will be doing all that with class later this week hopefully. 

I have 18 pieces of lace cloth to create for my workshop in France and I hope to make progress with that later today....no pressure then. Meantime I have finished the cloth from yesterday and will share that with you tomorrow.

and a reminder....a new class.....read all about it here.....

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