Art Quilt borders added!!

My newest art quilt, outside borders finished.My design.

I found the perfect batik for the outside at Shabby Fabrics

The French Needle has beautiful cross stitch patterns...

This is my counted cross stitch project "Violets" from the French Needle.

I have been working on this for a while now. I ordered it from The French Needle .
When things slow down I pull this out and work on it, kind of like a meditation.
The French Needle has so many excellent needle work projects and hand sewing accessories to die for. I am thinking about the ABC Fruits pattern next.

Crazy quilt "Prairie 2" started...

Sharon B's WIP Wednesday

I  finished a crazy quilt piece and I  cut it into 3 pieces, each to become a sewing kit.I call them the" Prairie" series because of the muted colors.
Prairie 1 is finished with pictures below. I am working on these as part of Sharon B's WIP Wednesdays challenge . It is inspiring to be involved and see other projects being completed. Join the challenge!
I know I'm late this week, family in town.

Crazy Quilt style sewing kit finished !

Close-up of embellishment, french knots

 "Prairie" sewing kit is finished and for sale in my Etsy shop, crazyvictoriana.etsy.com. It is lovely and now you can keep your sewing tools in fabulous style.

close-up of pocket embellishment, silk Yo-Yo and french knots

crushed velvet ties, silk yo-yo's, buttons, beads etc.

Hand embroidery, Venice lace trims, prairie points

sewing kit opened out, felted wool needle keep, pocket

top felted wool needle keep, decorative trim

back with embroidery and cross stitch

"Prairie" Sewing Kit w Silk Yo-Yo's almost done....

"Prairie" sewing kit opened up.

Silk Yo-Yo's added with white netting. Silk Yo-Yo's, silk roleau, bottom left, made by me for embellishment.

 I've added more hand embroidery to the pocket and more beading to the Venice lace. I've added silk Yo-Yo's and will add vintage buttons and beading around them. I made a lot of silk Yo-Yo's the other day, habit forming. The silk roleau was made when I took Karen Ruane's Alchemy 2013 last year. It's a challenging and worthwhile class, she gets you to go beyond your comfort zone. It's fun too, not all work. "Prairie" sewing kit is almost done & will be for sale in my etsy shop, crazyvictoriana.etsy.com.

more details..

Hand embroidery added to front of pocket.

Outside opened out...crushed velvet ties.

another view...

I am working on this as part of  Sharon B's WIP Wednesday . Inspiration to get it done!

Karen Ruane's Alchemy online class.... is running now...

I couldn't take Karen's class this time around but I know they are very busy over there..

so I disassembled an old piece I was not happy with....

 I cut it into blocks and put it back together making two small quilts.
Now I will add more embroidery and embellishment, remembering all the great inspiration I got from Karen Ruane's Alchemy class 2013 . I took last year, such a worthwhile class.

This is  beautiful cotton yardage I bought on Etsy, I had to show you.

"Prairie" sewing kit progress...

Measuring tape embellishment added with button hole stitch.

I'm adding beads to the Venice lace piece.

 Sharon B's WIP Wednesday is inspiring me to get work done on my new "Prairie" sewing kit. It will be for sale in my Etsy shop, crazyvictoriana.etsy.com.

Inspiration; illusive and mysterious...

The natural world is full of free, amazing, abundant inspiration.

My amaryllis, two buds have opened, one to go.

Interwoven Globe, edited by Amelia Peck, published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a fascinating book about the worldwide textile trade, 1500-1800. Textiles; the production of, the procuring of, the deciding how to use the textile, how to embellish it, what social class it was meant for, all of this is truly interwoven through history. Where ever we have been or what ever we have done, textiles have been right there with us. People in the past were very ingenious in using what was available to them to get some amazing results! Inspiring!

Embroidered & Embellished book review...

This is one excellent book.

Christen Brown's book is #1, beautiful and #2, well written with great pictures and excellent directions. Her compositions are fabulous. She is an amazing and skillful artist. I hope to meet her someday. I'll have to take one of her classes when I visit my son in S.Cal. If you are an embellisher / embroiderer you want this book for your reference library for sure.
http://christenbrown.com/about/gallery/embroidery/index.html
Published by C&T Publishing, they put out really worthwhile books.
http://www.ctpub.com/