Stocking Bit 6 - Pink Elephant Story

I've added a few charms to the heel motif. The one in the upper left corner of the photo insists on lying upside down. It's a pink elephant. There are two of them peeking out of bits of trim like this. They may seem like just a pink girly thing, but they have a special story. I don't know why pink elephants are as easy to find as they are, but I'm happy about it.

When I was a young girl, my mother collected pink elephants as gifts for my Granddad. She considered it a special thing between the two of them. I should get the full story from her for the sake of posterity, but I think it had something to do with seeing Dumbo together when it was new. Pink elephants always remind me of my Granddad. He passed away several months after my older daughter was born. She's only a few short weeks from 16, just after the new year. Babies were a yearly event for a while there, between nieces & nephews, cousins, a brother, a sister, and my own two. My Haley was the last while Granddad was still with us. Miranda, who this stocking is for, never met him. She likes to look at her stocking and touch all the little bits. At only just two, she nods her head sagely and states, "This is my stockin'. It's a very special stockin'." She's a precocious child and wise beyond her years. Someday, I'll show her pictures of her Great Granddad and tell her about the pink elephants and why they are special.

As I'm about to post this, I see the date is my mother's birthday. It seems somehow appropriate.

Stocking Bit 5

If memory servers, my mother in law and sister in law gave me a package of these bows when I started the stockings several years ago. There were red, green, and gold. Interestingly, at least one of those matches the color scheme of each stocking. There aren't many unifying features of the stockings as a group, so it's nice they all have this little bow in common. I've also added the bugle beads along the curved seam. They add weight and sparkle to the area.

I think when I worked on the stocking last year, I was undecided about whether to add gold. The early embellishments leaned more towards iridescent as the accent color. More and more, gold has found it's way into the project and I'm liking it.

Stocking Bit 3

Bead dangles - string 5 seed beads, one large bead, one seed bead, back through the large bead and 5 seed beads

Stocking Bit 2

I made a couple of these polymer clay faces to audition as the main motif on my black stocking, but hadn't sewn them on yet. On a whim I tucked one into the blankie on Miranda's stocking. I didn't like it, or the blankie, and eventually removed them both. Miranda saw it, though, and loved the sleeping baby, as she called it. So, I sewed it back onto her stocking without the blankie and then surrounded it with two rows of beads.

I am behind schedule on these stockings. I really wanted them done by the 1st of December. However, they are very close to finished now. I am into crunch time and I do get more done that way. I have a few pictures of newer additions to the stockings and will add them to the blog with a short blurb as I get time. I thought I might be able to finish them this weekend, but Miranda and I are sick, so it's unlikely. Soon, though.

Stocking Bit

Free handed stem stitch sewn with DMC variegated perl cotton.

Stocking Details

The closer I get to being organized and settled, the more stitching mojo I find. It helps that my littlest angel has developed a bed time routine and is getting to sleep before I'm exhausted. I added another motif and some layering on a couple of seams. For the first bit, I added beads and sequins to the bovine princess seam. The sequins are not obvious unless you look very closely. They're only 2mm and a bead was used to sew each one on. Some of them are hiding behind the silk ribbon loops, but they help the ribbons stay flowing in the right direction.



For the other seam addition, I used metallic threads, burgundy and gold, doubled so that I was stitching with four threads. I added a running stitch along the center curve and detached chains with straight stitches in the dips along the sides. I wonder, though, if those look more like elongated fly stitches.



The motif is a trio of thread crocheted flowers. One was made with cotton pearl, most likely a number 8, but possibly 12. The other two were made with a fine silk/cashmere knitting yarn. All of the threads were dyed by me before the crocheting. I used the newer DMC linen floss to make the French knot centers. I really like the feel of the linen floss and enjoy stitching with it. It behaves very well.

A finished project

Okay, so it was a small project, but it's still a project completed. I intended this small doll blanket to be more scrappy to use up some small bits of yarn I had dyed. It took on a life of it's own and turned out quite nice. My littlest angel is enjoying it. The baby hiding under the blanket is becoming known as 'Frankenbaby' to the rest of the family. Hubby suggested the baby was in need of a good washing a while back. The body houses electronics and the clothes are sewn on. I thought I could just snip the threads at the back of the neck and slip the clothes off, but I was mistaken. I knew the legs were encased in the clothes and not attached to the body. I didn't know the clothes were not made and then attached to the body. The seams around the neckline and sleeves were sewn to the body as well. Taking it apart made a real mess of it. My little angel didn't seem to mind and was thrilled with her clean baby. The poor baby has since lost an arm, and my angel still loves her baby.

Her second birthday is fast approaching. Time just flies right by when they're little and growing so fast. Her birthday is in October, still a couple of months away, but I am notoriously slow . She needs a new baby. Maybe I just want her to have a new baby. Either way, she's getting a new baby for her birthday. A proper baby with clothes that can be changed and washed and sewn for her.

I spent months looking at any store I shopped at before buying the first baby. I wasn't too thrilled with that one, but it was love at first sight for my little angel. There really aren't many adorable dolls in the stores today. So, what's a Mom to do? I splurged and ordered a quality baby online. This little doll is one of the Bitty Twins. She hopped out of her box to model for this photo during nap time. I have patterns for her new wardrobe and plenty of supplies. Now I just need to finish my organizing. Then I'll have two months of naps to sew a wardrobe for her before the birthday.

My organizing is coming along slowly. I haven't put too much energy into refolding fabric, but it's still taking a fair amount of time. I have four more buckets full of fabric to go in the cabinets, plus a bit. It's actually nice being able to put the fabric in before the doors go on. This way, I can see everything all at once. As I suspected, the yarn and laces just won't fit in the cabinets. For now, they'll stay in the buckets stacked under the window. All in all, things are starting to fall into place.

A little stitching...

Finally, I have some stitching pictures to share. I haven't stitched much since I started digging the garden, but I did sew a couple of motifs onto the pink and purple stocking. The first is a Venice lace butterfly. Some time ago, I dyed it with inks meant for re-inking stamp pads. I did heat set it, but it still washed out quite a bit. It turned out to be a lovely pastel motif that is just right for the stocking. My little angel loves butterflies.




The next motif is a tatted dragonfly. I started it a few years ago and ran into a tangle near the end. It was still in the box of unfinished tatting when I stumbled across it. The colors go perfectly with the stocking, so I pulled it out and finished it. There was really only a bit of unpicking to do, and then finish off the head.





This last bit is only the start of a motif. It's a bit of knitting done with tiny little needles. It may have been a swatch when I was knitting doll sweaters or the start of a scarf that was abandoned. Either way, it was a scrap that looked like a miniature blankie. My little angel doesn't really have a blankie, but she does like her blankets. I had thought to add a bouquet of flowers coming out of the top of it. Now, I'm wondering if I can find a suitable cherub to tuck under the edge and hold the bouquet.


Here's a photo of the whole stocking as it is now.

A bit of stitching...

After quite a while without stitching, I pulled out my project baskets last night. I'm sure I must have spent more time looking through them than actually stitching. Even when I chose a piece to work on, I seemed to look at it and think about it longer than I stitched. I did make a bit of progress, though. I have decided on the theme for the baby's stocking: hearts and flowers. I think I've always had that in the back of my mind, but I didn't know if I was just choosing something I wanted for her or that she liked. I guess it doesn't really matter. She's only one and a half, so it's not like I'm going to let her tear into it on Christmas morning or she can give me input into what her preferences are. Lately, though, I think these are her preferences. We've sat with the crayons and drawn various shapes and she always asks for hearts. We have a chalkboard in the kitchen. She is always asking to be lifted up so she can draw and she asks for hearts. As for the flowers, I thought maybe that was too generic a girly thing, but she loves flowers. She's been helping me tend the seedlings and prepare the garden. She loves wandering the yard and picking any flowers we find. I'm trying to teach her to only pick the yellow ones - dandelions. There are plenty more where those came from and maybe the planted flowers will survive the season. So, last night I sewed on the lace heart that I had dyed some time ago. My husband was working on sewing signatures together for a diary he's making. He asked about me working on a Christmas stocking. Now that we have our own house, I'd like to have them finished for our first Christmas as homeowners. If I don't put them away until the holidays, I should be able to accomplish this goal fairly easily. So, even though we're heading into summer, the blog will likely have more Christmas stitching than anything else. I do have my Take it Further projects to work on. And my creative tendencies are quite fickle, so anything could turn up. But I don't usually work with real goals and I plan to meet this one.

Stocking Detail 23

Progress on the pink stocking is slow going, but I am enjoying it. I have found that when I am tired it takes longer to decide on a fiber and stitch for a particular spot. I was adding a piece of trim across the toe area last night. I tried three different fibers , all with different stitches, before I found something I was happy with. This is very unlike me as I usually avoid the frog stitch. I'm also whipping and lacing stitches more than usual. When I was taking this picture, I noticed how linear all the stitching is. I've since started adding the extra bits and straying off the seams. There is much still to be done, but it is coming along. At this point, I am thinking these will be done for next year. There are a few charms and such that I want to use on this stocking that I don't have in my stash, and a motif or two to create that will take more time than I have before Christmas. When I started the first four stockings, I started early in the year and planned to finish them that season. That was several years ago. I've since enjoyed pulling them out each autumn and adding to them throughout the season. My current goal is to keep working on them when the season is over and finish them before next advent. If all goes well, next year will be our first in a house of our own. The home inspection was this morning. I was really looking forward to it, but I had to miss it. My little angel has had a fever for the last three days and may have an ear infection. So, I stayed home and my husband went alone. He took notes for me, but I am more obsessive about details. It would have been easier to ask the inspector questions directly. There aren't many major concerns, but there are some things to address. Hopefully, they can be resolved.

Anyway, on to the photos. First is the full shot for a snapshot of current progress.

Here is my 'princess of the cows' seam. I wanted dimension and fluff to balance out the other seam along the cuff. These silk ribbon loops filled that requirement nicely. I dyed these myself. The ribbon came from RibbonSmyth. It has a wonderful feel to it and is very nice to work with. Several of the other fibers used on this stocking, including the thread in the seam here, I also dyed at the same time. I was experimenting with starter packs of Setacolor and Dye-na-Flow fabric paints. It was lots of fun and produced some nicely colored fibers to play with.
Zigzag chain over herringbone:
Knotted cable chain with added lacing:
I'm not sure if I like this yet. I had something darker in mind for the lacing, but this fiber jumped out at me.
Pekinese stitch, lacing done with feather boa yarn:
Crested chain stitch, with last week's TAST, pistil stitches added:
Pistil stitches are one of my favorites for accenting a seam or motif. They have all sorts of uses. Many sources for inspiration can be found among the blogs of my fellow TAST participants. I particularly liked the way Elizabeth and Maureen used this stitch.
This is the 'feathered' up and down buttonhole, which is now hidden under the added stitches. I've done this week's TAST stitch, berry stitch, in the little V spaces, with a different thread for each of the detached chains. I've also laced the seam with a knitting yarn, a ladder type. The lacing goes up the seam and back the other way to fill it out.

Stocking Detail 18

Progress on the pink stocking...

Auditioning laces and trims:
The lace angel would have to be dyed, probably lavender gown, pink face and hands, and gold for the wings and halo. That would fit the color scheme. First layer of seam stitches almost done:
This seam is made with alternating composite stitches, Head of the Bull and Crown stitch. It's kind of a family thing. My angel has quite a collection of cows for only being a year old. So this seam is symbolic for our little princess and our obsession with cows. She isn't quite 14 months yet, but she can "moo" while pointing to a cow picture.
A few seams with new stitches learned from Sharon's Take a stitch Tuesday challenge:

Knotted Cretan
Knotted Cable Chain
This is my first attempt at this stitch. It adds a wonderful texture, but it's beauty is somewhat lost here. I'm hoping to highlight it a bit more with accent stitches or beads to be added later.
Up and Down Buttonhole
I attempted the feathered variation, but the angle isn't quite right. I think it looks more like a cretan variation.

New Stocking, TIF

Today, we have a bonus photo. I pieced the new stocking over the weekend. This one is for my youngest daughter, only 13 months. She doesn't really have favorites yet, so I chose the pink for her. My vision for this stocking was cotton candy pink, all baby girly. When I laid out all the pink fabrics, the deep pinks and fuschia won out. This probably fits in better with the others. None of them have pastels. The lighter patch at the bottom stands out, and doesn't really fit. However, it is a funny shape and overlapped by two curved patches. I don't know if I want to take it out. I may cover it with a motif in the brighter pink or use it to show off some stitching in the darker pinks.

It's been at least a couple of years since I pieced a crazy patch project. I don't remember it being so challenging. Perhaps it was because this will be part of a set that I pieced several years ago. Perhaps it was because my style has progressed and this is the first new piece in so long. Perhaps I'm just a bit rusty. Until I started looking closely at the other stockings, I had just assumed I'd be machine piecing this stocking. It could also be that I'm just too sleep deprived to do well with puzzles. Hand piecing is very much like doing a puzzle. The challenge is that the pieces are not sized to fit. I get to decide what size and shape I want each piece as I go along. Any way I look at it, I want to brush up on my technique.

Sharon B is planning a new challenge for 2008. Details can be found on her site. It's called the Take It Further challenge. The challenge involves doing a monthly project. I plan to use this challenge to improve my skills and piece a new crazy project each month. Talk has already started and this is looking like a fun challenge.

Dolly

Haven't finished the clothes yet, but here's the finished dolly for my angel's birthday.

Littlest Angel's Birthday Dolly

Another new project, but one that will be finished this week. My little angel is having her first birthday on Friday. Her daddy drew the face for her dolly. I spent the last couple nights embroidering it after she went to sleep. It's hard to believe a whole year has gone by.

Knit Bits

I knit up a couple of bits last night for M's book. This first book will be texture collages, a different color on each page. The orange is a piece of furry fabric. The knit bits are fun to do when I want something to work on without pulling out bins of supplies.

An idea from a failure to follow through.

No pictures today, just an idea. One of the forums I read had a challenge recently. It involved making a padfolio from this tutorial and changing the flap to use it as a design element. I gathered the supplies, but never chose the main fabric and finished the challenge. I was really wanted to do it because it was the first challenge for this forum and these could make cute little gifts. I still want to make a padfolio, but looking at the two yards of double sided fusible peltex (I had a coupon so I had to get extra), a new idea struck. I could adapt this technique to make book for my little angel. I've been thinking about making her a book with fabric and textures and flaps and velcro and cords and such. She enjoys these things and loves books. I wasn't sure how to put it together, but I think this method could work. It would also add structure to the pages like a board book. I'm getting excited about this project so watch for updates.

A new hobby...

as if I need another hobby. I go to a craft group once a week, mostly for the coffee and girl talk. It's also a playdate for my little angel. Another mom brings her daughter that is a couple months older and the girls get a little baby socializing. A couple weeks ago we started making beaded jewelry. It was fun, so last week I thought I would make a set to wear with my outfit for Pentecost. I made the top last year and the neckline is much lower than I had planned. It's a great summer top, but it needs jewelry. So I searched the craft shops for just the right beads. Many of the beads didn't make the final cut. I still have to finish off the earrings and string up the bracelet, but this is what I came up with for the necklace. Not too bad for a first try at designing jewelry. I ended up not making the meeting and just *had* to go out and buy the tools. Now I'll just *have* to get more beads and make more jewelry to put the tools to good use, right?

My angel got so excited when she saw the camera, I had to get a picture of her too.