First of the Year UFO's - Unfinished Objects

It's the time of year to finish projects. I always take inventory of my UFO's at the first of the year. Last year I did this and finished quite a few of them, but then . . .I always add back to the "unfinished box" through out the year! Sigh! I thought I would share some of this year's UFO's:

Immediate project to finish is a flannel quilt for my first great grandchild--biological that is!  Can you tell that she is a girl!  This is Leighann Rose's quilt.  It's basted and partially quilted (as seen on the right side of the picture.  On the left side, you can see a small matching baby doll (or cuddle) quilt that I made from the remaining scraps.  Finishing the big quilt, hopefully, this weekend.  

This lap quilt top is finished but not basted.  I have the sandwich materials ready to go, as you can see on the left.   I call it floating squares.  The square centers are a nine patch of less than 1.5 inch squares!  I save scraps--any small piece that is 2" or slightly less goes into a baggie designated for this purpose.  I hope to quilt this one next!  

This quilt top, called '13 going on 30' (the name of one of the prominent fabrics in the quilt) is not finished due to a problem.  Ever had a problem with a quilt top?  I hope to resolve the issue and get it to the finished pile!

Then there is this one that I love:

Not the greatest picture, but my first hand appliqued project.  Pretty ambitious for me!  Not basted yet. Haven't chosen a backing fabric. And, then, let's not forget my embroidery project, when you talk about ambitiousness! 

I am attempting to embroider a foggy landscape which involves monochromatic threads and a lot of thinking on my part!  Wish me luck! 

Oh . . . interruption!  A box just arrived, let's see what is in it:

You guessed it!  Quilt fabrics and thread!  I will blog about what I have planned for this set in another post!  

What do ya think?  Got any UFO's at your house?

Moving? . . . Not!

For those of you who know me, I was scheduled to move from our little apartment into a house last week, but the purchase deal fell through when the sellers backed out at the last minute--literally!  I was so disappointed!  It was a cute little house right next door to where my oldest son would be living. (He was the proposed buyer of the two houses.)

embroidered little house with scrap fabric flower beds

After more than ten years, I would have been moving into a house again!  I had purchased a few new furniture items (still in my storage) in anticipation of the closing!   I was so excited to live in the "little house"!

Anyway, in the mean-time, I became fascinated, or should I say obsessed,  with little houses in several craft venues--quilts, ornaments, pillows, watercolor, etc.  My Pinterest category "Houses" is packed with ideas!  If you are interested, here is the link:

https://www.pinterest.com/thepinkgrammy/houses/

One of my Pinterest 'saves' was a picture of a little house wall quilt that was advertising a class.  You could sign up and make the quilt in the class.  Obviously, I couldn't physically be at this class (the only option) so I did my own quilt adapting the idea from one picture!  I love hand embroidery and collages!  I save scraps of ribbon, fabrics and all sorts of buttons, so this was a perfect project for me! I finished it in early September.

Un-be-known to me at the time of making my little quilt, an opportunity was brewing.  In the end of August, I received an application to be in a quilt show in which I had participated in 2010.  The Old Aurora Colony Annual Quilt Show -- It will be their 44th year and the theme just happened to be:

"Home at Last" 

An Aurora Sampler

Boy! Was I surprised and excited!  I finished my little wall hanging quickly and entered it, of course!  

The Show is in October--the 14th thru the 23rd, if you are local.  More info is on this site (Be sure to check out their fascinating history!):

www.AuroraColony.org

Here's a couple more pictures of my beauty: 

I will keep you updated with the progress of the show and my little house quilt!  (Also will share some of my other "little house" creations later in the week.)

New Creativity!

Lots of new projects lately:

Recently a return client wanted me to make a banner for the open house of her new home.  She wanted paint chips that said "Home Sweet Home".  I think it turned out well!  A friend of mine helped me cut the letters with her Circut Cutting Machine.  Thanks Ritha!  

Also, made some new items to list in my shop.  I especially like this one!  It would be so cute in a little girl's room!  

Made this one that might be good in your cubicle at work if you are allergic to gluten.  It's hard to refuse all those home-made goodies that circulate around the office when you are allergic.  Maybe this would help others to not offer.  Maybe it would help you to not be tempted!

What have you been up to lately?

Christmas Destash

I know July is past, just a few days ago, but all the 'Christmas in July' sales got me to thinking.

  

I have lots of Christmas fabrics in my stash, 

and I do not plan to use them!   So, I will list them in my supply shop 

and hope that  someone else would use them! 

Watch for the listings in the next day or two in my Pruitt Supply  Etsy shop.  

Since I have made several items from these fabrics, I also have scraps!  I will also list one lot of Christmas scraps!  

While I was going thru my stash, I found a a screen printed Santa on muslin.  (What have you found in your stash that you forgot that you had?)  I bought it at an estate sale a couple of years ago, thinking I might finish it,  I can see it finished in red thread! I love Redwork and I love Santa!    I collect Santas and display my collection at Christmas. Still deciding if I will finish it or not!

What do you think?  

Should I finish it or add it to my destash section of my shop? 

Life lately . . .

I haven't posted since late June, so what have I been up to???

My "ironing board"--not really used for ironing--is full of projects!  I have been creating!!!!

Embroidery, jewelry, textile art, and custom curtains for a client's boat (on the floor under the ironing board!)  I really hadn't done much creativity for quite a while, since I was finishing up my first novel. While it was being edited and reviewed, I took a break from everything, took a cruise, house sat for a friend, and finally, I was ready to create again!

The piece on the right of my ironing board was inspired by two little fabric scraps, turned out like this and is listed in my shop:

Also working on a few more project for art hoops:

And the other two projects on the ironing board are part of a batch of felt needle books that I made. (Also made some cute pin cushions--not pictuted.)  Not sure if I will be listing them in my shop, since I am featuring items for sewers at my biggest show of the year in November, and these will be part of my stock.

The other piece on my "ironing board' is a textile jewelry piece that I will be showcasing in Friday's post.  See you then!

Back to Crazy Quilting

The next lesson in my crazy quilting class had to do with templates.  We printed the templates and punched holes in them with a needle so we could use the hole to pencil mark where our stitches were to go.

Some I marked and some I did freehand.  Not all seams are finished yet:

Here's a couple of close-ups!

More progress to come . . . .

Embroidery Project

I seem to be in quite a sharing mood!  Creativity is flowing and I love to share!  How about you?

I started this little hoop with a wheat motif, but I have become stumped. It needs something . . . .

Thinking that I will need another color to offset the design . . . maybe . . . .

Lots of choices of color . . . 

Sometimes when I get stuck on a project, I put it aside and leave it alone for a while.  When I come back to it, sometimes I have a new idea.  Sometimes I don't, and it sits a while longer . . . .

Any ideas?  Ever gotten stuck on a project?  What do you do?  

Textile Art - New items

I recently created some new items for my Abigail Jayne Art shop.  I love working with textiles, trims and buttons, so this wrist cuff was a natural thing for me to do:

Great addition to that black outfit in your closet!  Listing

I also love hand embroidery and flowers!  I embroider while relaxing in front of the TV in the evenings, so this is the latest result of my creativity.  It is available in my shop.

Cosmos are some of my favorite bedding flowers!  Listing

And this new item is also newly listed in the Abigail Jayne Art Shop.

Like my model?  Listing

I carry kits for these necklaces in my Supply Shop, and I am sure that someone you know could probably do an awesome job of creating with one of my basic kits.  Add feathers, beads, trims, stitches, who knows what . . .????!!!!

What are you creating today?

a Basic Creative Person

Recently I rearranged my business and blogging life.  Most of my crafty business posts were in another blog, which I am now changing with a new URL, to an exclusively wholesale site for the promotion and sale of my custom logo aprons.  Thanks to all of you who have followed me on that blog for more than four years! (If you were a follower there, please consider following this blog--Thanks!)

Although I have had this blog since early in January 2011, it was basically devoted to my creative writing and my art.  But life has changed my focus and now I am revamping this blog to handle all of my art and craftiness!  I am a complex person much like this little pillow that I created to represent myself:

 I love many forms of art and many mediums with which to create--beads, buttons, lace, trims, embroidery, applique, patchwork, paper, watercolor, etc.  Basically I just love creating!  So this blog from here on will be all inclusive of my various interests.

Yes, there will still be displays of my art.  

Yes, there will be some creative writing, that is just who I am! 
I want to say authentic to myself.  (For my writing, check out the tab at the top of the home page for 'Small Stones'--short little creative writing bits, or-- for an ongoing story: 'Abby's Story'.)

So, on with the adventure!  Hope you will follow me to see what creative thing I am working on and hopefully, gain inspiration for your own creative endeavors!!!

The Making of a Logo

I have been working on a new online shop to carry my art.  Realizing that I needed a logo, I have been doodling  . . . .  First I thought about using a textile logo, you know, warp and woof of fabric (in the middle section of this page . . . .

But, and since Abigail Jayne is the pseudonym for my art pieces, I thought that the logo should be the initials. I have had fun playing around with some concepts for the letters.

I think I have settled on  an embroidered set of initials, then a photograph that I will tweak with photo editing software.  Here's the embroidery in process:

Here is the photo, manipulated:

Sew . . . . not finished, nor decided on a final product for a logo yet, but having fun with it!!!

Dinner Disciplines

(Part 7 of Abby's Story) After filling Sasha's dish with her favorite choice, Abigail grabbed her apron, and after slipping it over her head and tying it in back, she set about to fix her own dinner. She thought about her apron, a gift from Suz, and marvelled at the choice of fabric that she had used for the vintage pattern. Suz made many of these to sell online, as an Etsy seller, herapronstrings , the shop "for vintage styled aprons and more". It helped her use any unused time, although there was not much of that in certain seasons. It was her creative outlet and she did well with it. "Of course we do sell them in the farm shop when it opens later in the season", she told Sasha, as if the feline had been in on her thoughts, all along the way. A fresh from the garden salad, sporting green onions, and carrots from the market, and some homemade macaroni and cheese, baked just right with a nice golden cheese crust, was an easy fix for Abby. She took her plate to the huge table, left to her by her mother-in-law, now with vacant seats all around. It was empty but she didn't mind, "It served it's purpose, while I was raising all the kids. I still like it, it brings back many wonderful memories." Finishing her dinner, and thinking about her craft project for the evening, Abby rose to do the dishes. No dishwasher for her, just a crocheted dish cloth and a cute hand embroidered rooster tea towel would do the job! "Tonight, I think a good book is in order, Sasha, after I make a few phone calls and finish sorting those fabric pieces on the cutting table. Someone from Thomas House called me, and I need to return the call. Then, the wing chair and the fireplace are calling my name! And I can try out my newest lap quilt!"

After Dinner Project

(Abby's Story - part 3)

After dinner, Abby lit a fire in the huge stone fireplace in the sitting room. She settled into her favorite fireside wing chair with her planner and some embroidery work. Obviously no room for Sasha in her lap, the cat settled herself in the matching wing back just opposite Abby. Opening her planner, Abigail thought about tomorrows activities. Besides bringing some fresh produce to the children of Thomas House, she should stop at the co-op office to see about the projected price of blueberries.

"We need a better price, this season." she said looking at Sasha. Sasha only twitched one ear and continued lying curled up in the seat warming herself before the fire.

"I also need to sign up for some extra laborers. It's getting harder and harder for Suz and the family to do the work since we added that extra acreage year before last. Those bushes are maturing and add to the work at harvest. Well, tomorrow will hold enough work of it's own, right now, I need to finish this hoop." After jotting down a couple of more items on her list, she put the planner on the end table and picked up the sewing basket. Two projects were in the basket, the redwork hoop and one that would be for Aunt Ramona in Missouri, a gift for her birthday. Cute little tea towels with a rooster calling out the morning light. "Better finish this quickly, as tomorrow morning's light will be here all too soon."