It has been a long few weeks, but my sister left this week and I can finally relax and hopefully get better. My visit to the doctor revealed congestion that is causing me to feel wheezy and out of breath, so he has me back on medicine. I have been resting and getting a few things done, but just having time to myself, has helped and time to create again. I think as artists, we need to create, it is what keeps us happy and healthy.
Bill has the week off and I am still undecided on what to do. Go to NH and hope the foliage blooms this week, or stay home and enjoy our area while the weather is good. I know we will have a pretty good week, not so sure what the weather will be in NH. I guess I better make up my mind tomorrow if I want to make reservations.
One thing I got to do this week, was make a new stitchery. The design is by Kathy Schmitz for her one stitch club. I admit, I was hoping for a halloween piece, but this was a fun one to do. It seems to be popular, since my nieces love it, and I am making them one with a lighter background and more color.
This piece I made using my coffee stained muslin. I love the dark color, but you cannot trace on it, with the light pad. So, I got a piece of my Sulky Solvy and traced it on that. It is easy to trace on and you can use it in a printer if you want. It sticks well, and be repositioned if it is not centered. It does stay on while you are stitching, which is another plus.
Here is how it looked after I stitched it. The bad thing is, it is harder to stitch through. The gummy back also gets on your needle, so harder on your hands and joints, to push the needle through.
And here it is, after I washed it off and made it into a pillow. I was not happy with the results, I see quite a few gaps. Not That I don't have some when I stitch, but areas that looked stitched on the paper, were actually empty.
It washes off easily, but it did leave some residue, so I had to rinse it longer than they said and more than once. I can still see a bit, that didn't come off. Someone did mention that washing the fabric first, makes it wash off easier, so I guess I will have to try that.
Another project I worked on was, painting glass jars. Bill has been getting yogurt in jars and they look just like candle holders. I didn't have time to shop for sea glass paints, so I tried my own. I mixed sea foam green with antique decoupage. Painting it on, left streaks, with brush and a sponge brush, wasn't happy with the results. Then I remembered I had a small sponge and tried that. I like the look of sponging and it has more of a beach look. After the paint dried, I added a light coat of gloss to seal it. I was thinking I could do little sailboats with glass or I may try painting a design on this set.
And if they have a candle in them, the design or glass would light up. This is with a tea candle, but I did not paint the insides, so you can burn a candle in them. Hopefully this weekend, I can find some frost paint and I also read that enamel is good, as well. It is a great way to reuse the jars and something anyone can do. You could also decoupage paper designs from your computer or ones that are found at the craft store.
I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend.
10 comments:
Your projects turned out great! Why didn't you stitch on the muslin and then coffee dye it afterwards? I've only done coffee dying on fake fur many years ago.
Your glass votive jars look good, I'm impressed.
I tried a product (maybe the same as you) to have the design stick on the top. I found that I didn't have the stitches firm enough and they were kind of loose when the product was removed. Never used it again.
Love your projects! I hope you have a great week with your husband no matter what you choose to do!
LOVE that stitchery - I just got her Scented Christmas Bowlies and can't wait to start them. Your jars are really beachy, they turned out wonderfully!
the stitchery is lovely and I'm sure you are the only one who would notice the gaps. I had seen about the sulky stuff so interesting to read how you found it... I don't think I will bother though having something to work on dark fabrics is useful.
Love your upcycled jars for candles.... very pretty
Hugz
Lovely embroidery on Kathy's Club pattern! I haven't done mine yet. Do you stitch in hand or with a hoop? Using Sticky Fabri-Solvy does requires a bit more effort in pushing the needle in and out, especially if one have arthritis or similar conditions. However I do find that using a hoop helps with the task. Plus I like to rinse mine while swishing it and rubbing it lightly, I do wash my fabric before stitching on them, and after rinsing the sulky I throw it in the washer again.
I wonder if by using an iron on transfer pen will make it easier for you, perhaps the ink will still show on the coffee/tea stained fabric. Perhaps you already tried, but if not... maybe giving it a try on a test piece could help, to see if it works for you. If it still dark to see clearly, you could always go over the lines with a light color sewing chalk pen/pencil.
Hope you keep getting better from the congestion! I agree, crafting does help with healing!
Enjoy your Sunday!
Love the embroidery and the candle holders! It's always fun to repurpose...and this is a great idea...especially with adding the sea glass!
Hope you are on your way to feeling better now that life is back to normal.
LOVE the little votives.
I remember my mother saying something about being "twice glad" meaning glad when we arrived and glad when we left. Your projects are really nice. Those candle holders seem to work well, and should do nicely as long as they don't get too hot.
Hope you are feeling better!! Like that you are taking some relaxing time with Bill and the stitchery is adorable!!
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