Coming Soon: Big Stitch Swap Round 2

That's right!  Keep your eyes open.  A second round of the Big Stitch Swap will be starting before the end of the month.  Organized by the wonderful Sarah and I, there will be spaces available for another 48 people to join in.  The idea is that each participant will make something small (think mini quilt, zippy pouch, iPad cover) that involves hand stitching as a significant contribution to the swapped item.  It can be embroidery, hand quilting, cross stitch...what ever floats your boat!  Get your thinking caps on and we'll be back shortly with details on dates and a registration form.  Woo hoo!

Birthday Hand Puppets

 I have been secretly sewing a birthday present over the past few weeks, but I am not ready for the grand reveal just yet.   You will see it all eventually.  Until then, I will show you these little extras that go with her "big" present.  I hope she likes them!

I picked up a pattern (on sale!) from Precious Patterns on Etsy for a monkey, lion and tiger hand puppet.  These are made from felt and embroidery floss, hand stitched and hand embellished.   This is my first time hand stitching anything beyond a hexie or binding, so it was new territory.  Felt is wonderfully forgiving, hiding nearly all of the stitches in it's "squishiness".  Perfect for a first go.  We made some modifications to the monkey's face/head shape and the tiger's eyes, but the pattern was beautifully written, easy to follow and are super cute in person.  I hope our little birthday girl loves them too!

Hexie Tree Skirt

I do not know if I am late for 2014 or early for 2015.  Either way, I will just keep sewing.

In a delusional state in November, I decided I wanted to make a hexie tree skirt to give to my brother and sister in law for Christmas.  I was travelling over Thanksgiving, so I figured I could sew on the flight and in the car to/from Thanksgiving dinner and in no time I would have a top done and dusted.  I sketched out a plan, cut my Kona solids, printed my templates and was ready to sew.  

I basted hexies on the flight....where an air hostess asked me if I was going to color in the pieces covered in white fabric when I was done.  (What!?!?)

I set up a little station in the back seat of the family car when we were travelling....

I was happy as a clam.  While I was in Pennsylvania, I picked up a glue basting pen thinking I'd like that a bit more.  I'm absolutely not sold on it and may return to hand basting.  Still, when I pulled out the glue pen I had a little volunteer who wanted to baste with me.

Given the flight to/from the states, all of the car travel that comes along with Thanksgiving and even a few weeks in December I still had basting to do.  I was going to miss Christmas 2014.  

I have the pile of basted hexies here next to my seat on the couch, which has been working a treat.

Some nights it is nice to have something to keep your hands occupied.  So I have started stitching together strands of white and clusters of red.  

I am not going anywhere fast, but I like that this project is portable and mindless.  Let's be honest, I am in no hurry seeing as this is now a Christmas 2015 project.  I will just keep stitching.

Secret Sewing

Now, it's not often that I have a super top secret project on the go.  I am more likely to show you everything in no less than 5 photos from each and every angle.  This time, though, I will play my cards close to my chest for another few weeks and then show you all...in 5+ photos from every angle :)

I was at a music festival last weekend and needed a hand stitching project for the drive down and for lazy mornings over coffee.  I packed up my gorgeous hexie bag (made by Ali as part of the Big Stitch Swap) with pre-basted hexies and hit the road.

To see more of this amazingly beautiful bag, hop over to Ali's blog post. She has lovely photos!  I am so very lucky to have it in my home.  It sits right next to my spot on the couch filled with hand sewing needles, hexie papers and a few spools of thread.  Happy happy happy.

From Ali's blog - it pretty much holds exactly what she guessed it would!
Well done, Ali!

So, over the four day weekend I patiently pieced together hexies using Vintage Happy fabrics.  I have tried to piece hexies in the past and was not incredibly successful.  It honestly frustrated me to the point of anger, then I wondered why I am torturing myself.  However, this time around the hexies are much larger and less fiddly (easier to hold) AND I'm using coordinating thread so I am not as concerned about my novice stitches showing through.  

With my photo assistant, of course.

As I have no idea what I am doing, I pieced three long rows, then stitched them together.  I think for the rest I will instead piece small clusters and then piece together, in maybe two individual "flowers" with a connecting "apple core" of hexies in the center.  

In the end, though, piecing these hexies made me happy!  I could piece sitting in my camping chair waiting for the festival to wake up, I pieced when driving home and I had a quiet few stitches on my couch after my de-mud-ifying shower.  (Gross!)  Loved it.  

That's all you will see of this project for a while.  Check back in another few weeks for the great reveal!