Give Thanks mini wall quilt....

I got out some of my fall decorations, a bit slow I know!

 My husband has been collecting fall leaves, so I took the cue and brought out some fall decor. The little wall quilt is hand embroidered, machine pieced, then the little mini blocks are sewn together in a row, layered with batting and backing and hand quilted. Sew on a ribbon for hanging and there you have it!

I made this from a really cute pattern I bought at Pacific International Quilt Show.

"Prairie" #3 Sewing Kit, finished...

I finished adding all the embellishing.

"Prairie" 3 is in my Etsy shop. I added just a few more beads around the button, bottom left, and called it done!
I have started work on my new sewing kits, Strawberries 'n Chocolate. I sewed on the crushed velvet ties last night, next onto making up the felted wool needle keeps. I found a fun shop in Loomis, CA that sells felted wool in all sorts of exciting colors. The shop is called The Tin Thimble .

Be sure and visit Pintange's WIP , for inspiration and encouragement finishing your projects and seeing other artists' work in progress.

Crazy Quilt style, silks and taffetas, Strawberries and Chocolate series, new sewing kits....

Strawberries n Chocolate sewing kit #1

Different view showing the silk turquoise inside.

I made progress on my Strawberries n' Chocolate sewing kits, Yey! I got the batting and silk lining sewn in. That turquoise silk is certainly lovely, I should have bought the whole bolt. I will next sew on the crushed velvet ties then make up the needle keeps, with felted wool, get them sewn in and finish the embellishments.
They have a nice feel to them. I'm excited to get these rolling.

Strawberries n Chocolate #2 , smaller than #1

Another view of smaller version, there is no embroidery on this one yet.

Crazy Quilt style "Prairie" #3 almost done....

Beads added....

Roomy pocket here...

The "Prairie" #3 sewing kit is almost done! The pocket  can hold a lot of embroidery tools. I am waiting for more sun to take a good look at it to decide if I am done with the embellishing.
Almost ready to get listed in my Etsy shop .
I am going to start another series of sewing kits, "Strawberries and
Chocolate". I like the idea of having constraints on my projects,then I can focus on what I like best, embellishing.
For inspiration and encouragement with your projects visit, Sharon B's WIP .

Back opened out...You can see the crushed velvet ties here.

Close-up of beads added around silk yo-yo.

Embroidery tools and inspirations... Happy Friday!

This silver tray keeps some of my embroidery tools and pretty things close at hand. The Altoids tin
holds beads. I am a collector of sparkly things, I recycle and trade in and out, so to keep it fresh.
Karen Ruane always posts interesting and inspiring pictures of her work space and tools and ledgers.
Make sure and visit her blog, here, Karen Ruane .
Happy Friday!!!

Creating Romantic Purses book review.....

"Family Album" purse, page 18-19 in book, how beautiful is that?

 Creating Romantic Purses by Marilyn Green & Carole Cree is such an inspiring book. They wow you with gorgeous color combinations and to die for embellishments. The directions are very practical. My inspiration levels soar when looking at the pictures.
I highly recommend this book. You can buy it thru, Flights of Fancy Boutiques .

I got a bit more on my "Prairie" #3 sewing kit done. Some embroidery and another silk yo yo sewed down.
Keep yourself inspired, keep the artist within alive!!

 Visit Sharon B's Work in Progress Wednesday for some great encouragement and inspiration.

I added some beads and orange french knots and the silk yo yo; right.

I added beading around the big turquoise bead on the pocket.

Crazy Quilt style "Prairie" sewing kit, more embellishment added...

Close-up of embroidery, feather stitch, french knots and beads.

 Progress is being made on crazy quilt style, "Prairie" #3 sewing kit. Beading and french knots can be a little tedious, especially beading. I use a threading tool to get the thread thru the tiny eye of the beading needle. The threader is a bit temperamental, everything has to be done just right.
So to get inspiration and encouragement I visit Sharon B's,
http://pintangle.com/category/projects/work-in-progress-wednesdays/ .

Chevron Stitch added here.