Tuesday 22 December 2009

What I have been doing in December

I have now finished all but one of my Xmas projects, so I can present them for your delectation, if anyone actually reads this thing!

First up are the little Chrimbo Ornaments for the Perfumed Waters Ornament Swap.



These are three completed little silk velvet trees, two outlined in gold smooth passing, with "jewels" from Walthamstow market as ornaments. One has bright check purl as tinsel, the other has Purl purl, one has an embroidered trunk with split stitch for "bark" and the other is beads. they are hand sewn up over card padded with 1/4 inch polyester batting, and inside the two smaller ones i popped a scrap of silk soaked in BPAL "Midnight Mass" perfume because it smells Christmassy to me. The bigger one I used Gilt Rococo for the outline, and couched down sequin trim for the garland, and lovely holographic sequins for the baubles. He's my favourite and I'm keeping him, though I don't think a tree will happen at my house this year (all out of spoons).

Then there are the ornaments for the Avebury Yule Feast Secret Santa. A little heart and a reindeer from Andre Zuill's charming free designs. I have done a fair number of these for the festive period and I adore them. I can't draw, so finding charming free embroidery designs is such a boon!





The heart is outlined in stem stitch and buttonhole, and embellished with goldwork, beading and a tiny bit of satin stitch. I used Mulberry Silk Medium, and the fabric was some silk duchesse satin left over from Allison's fifties frock.

The Reindeer is done in my handweavers studio silks, and embellished with beads. I don't have a finished pic of him for some reason, so here he is cut out and ready to be made up. I made little lavender bags from lavender from the garden and popped them inside alongside foam board shapes and lots of batting, so they can be used on coathangers to freshen wardrobes when Xmas is over.

Finally there is a little owl for my beloved's mum.


I made him up into a spectacle case. He is all done in Mulberry Silks, on tan silk dupion (left over from my 18th century petticoat). I put some cotton poplin underneath to stabilise him, as the fabric is quite light. He is embellished with beads and goldwork, and I used split stitch for the feathers, as to me it looks feathery. I call him the little Peachy Wol, because he is not brown, or even tawny, he's peachy, and he's clearly a Wol, rather than an Owl! I like the gold spangles for his eyes. I sewed one on back to front, so he is slightly cross eyed, but I really like him that way, so I left it like that. The larger owl I am doing for my friend Tash, who hosted a most splendid yule feast is equally an Owl, not a Wol, and will not be cross eyed.

Wednesday 2 December 2009

Chrimbo Trees, Chrimbo Trees, Chrimbo all the way!


I thought I would have a crack at making Christmas ornaments for the Perfumed Waters Swap, and some for my tree, and for mum in law's tree, and a few little pressies.

I like small fast projects that can be done in a few days.

These little Chrimbo trees are done on silk velvet in Goldwork embellished with crystals and sequins from the Fabulous Trim shop in Walthamstow Market. I used free colouring in book pages for the designs.

I like the way the bright check purl on the one on the left looks like tinsel!

I also do like the way they all look together, though they will be cut up, and stuffed and turned into individual ornaments.

Maybe next year I will make a more sophisticated Plaque, using posher crystals and more gold, and leave them all together. But this year I have too many bits and pieces planned for different people.