Zentangled T

The next letter for my zentangled ATC alphabet. Janine was my swap partner again and this time she made a pretty triangle T.

This is the ATC I made for Lisa. I used Shard for the T and Huggins for the background.

Contrast again

A few days ago this lovely ATC arrived. Annette made it for me for the ATC swap at Stitchin Fingers with the theme contrast. I already wrote about the ATC I made for this swap here.

The Space Between

. . . is the zentangle challenge for this week. My first thought was Assisi embroidery, so the next step was easy. A few weeks ago I embroidered 2 zentangles on a needlecase for the Festival of Needles, so now it was time to translate an embroidery to zentangles. I stitched an Assisi dragon in April 2009 and now I used the same pattern for a zentangled dragon. This was fun! For the next weeks I'm very busy with my homework for Sharon's journal class. I try to do the challenge each week, but I just can't find the time to visit other blogs and leave comments. Luckily I can watch the slideshows to see what you all have been doing!

Crayon experiments

Last week I experimented with crayon rubbings for Sharon's journal class. I used the bottom of my frying-pan and a grating for it. That gave me some hexagon and square patterns to play with. This is the rubbing page I made in my journal. The circles and hearts are done with crayons and ironed between baking paper to set the colours. For the square I used coloured pencils.

I also experimented with white cotton and red, yellow and blue crayons. These where ironed the same way and then washed in the washing-machine.

This was an old experiment with crayon tinting. I just drew the flower on the fabric with crayons, ironed and washed it the same way as the crazy fabric. Today I added the embroidery and put it in my journal.

This was part of the same old experiment with crayon tinting. But I coloured on a print of a pattern I found at Pimpstitch. Then I made a copy on the fabric by ironing it the same way as the other fabric experiments. This is also embroidered today and in my journal.

Now it's time for lesson 2, I'm going to paint!

Fabric paper challenge 2

Today I finished the last ATC for the fabric paper challenge I wrote about here. I had not touched an embroidery needle since I finished my last TAST sampler! For now I only show you some details. On this first detail there's a piece of ribbon (3/4 inch wide) with chicken scratch. I used one thread of stranded DMC. On the next ATC I attached a piece of lace with beads.

This embroidery is inspired by my zentangle Ixorus.

On this ATC I stitched the moss stitch. It's slightly different than the one I learned in Sharon's PLOS class. I found this one in my embroidery book A-Z embroidery stitches.

A needle tatted flower with beads. The thread is a perle 8.

This is the same flower in a different color without beads. I attached it with a brad.

I made a new piece of small rickrack hairpin lace in a matching color. It's the same as one of my first experiments here. I decorated it with beads.

For the last ATC I used the damaged part of the fabric paper. I just made some running stitches around it.

First journal page

Last Tuesday Sharon's Studio Journal class started. Today I was finally brave enough to start the first page in my studio journal. I wanted the quote in my journal, because it's a reminder to this article. Maybe you remember I already stitched it on my second PLOS sampler too. I just drew the letters freehand and gave them all a different zentangle pattern. Of course I tried some new zentangle patterns to double the fun!

Vlindertuin

While Artoo was in hospital, Laura created a new zentangle. Of course she called it Artoo and she made it this week's challenge. I made my zentangle in my A5 sketchbook. Besides the zentangle Artoo, I used Caviar, Flutter Bi, Hi Rise, Urchin, Queen's Crown, Printemps and Sparks. When it was finished my youngest daughter told me I made a vlindertuin (Dutch for butterfly garden). She's waiting for spring. This morning I spotted the first snowdrop in my garden.

Valentine

Last week I did another swap with Dinie. Her lovely ATC was in my mailbox on Friday, but I thought it would be fun to write about it today. Dinie always makes pretty ATC's, this was our third swap! This is the ATC I made for Dinie. I used a large Clover heart Yo Yo maker. The pink Gingham fabric comes from the USA, the button from the UK. I received both in a swap. The red background is a piece of wallpaper.

I hope you have a nice Valentine's day.

Fabric paper challenge 1

In the first week of this year I jumped into a new challenge. Barbara offered some fabric paper to see what others could make of it. I got the one with the arrows at the bottom of her tutorial. First I only used it as a background to take nice pictures of my fabric book pages. But then I took a deep breath and cut it to 2,5 x 3,5 inch pieces to make ATC's. I wanted to do some embroidery on it and this was my first ATC. I made 3 raised cup stitches and added a slipped detached chain with French knots. For this one I used 4 threads of stranded DMC, because I was not sure if I could use perle without damaging the thread.

The stranded DMC was no problem, so for the second one I tried perle 5 and 12. I made French knots and pistil stitches. There was no damage to the threads.

For this buttonhole wheel I used stranded DMC again. The edge is a trellis stitch. I also added a lot of French knots.

For the fourth ATC I found a piece of lace that was just the right size. I made 2 rows of Chevron stitches and added some beads.

I made this a challenge in a challenge, because I want to see how many different ATC's of the same fabric paper I could come up with. They have to be finished before the end of this month.

Zentangled S

The zentangled alphabet ATC swap continues this year. Janine made this lovely S for me and called it Sssssunny! It was one of the ATC's in my mailbox this morning. I will write about the other one Monday. I made this zentangled S for Stef in the UK. I used Keeko for the S with a variation at the narrow parts. For the background I used Hollibaugh.

Hugs for Artoo

I finally found some time for this week's zentangle challenge at I am the diva. Laura's baby boy Artoo is in hospital. For challenge #8 she asked us to make a heart for Artoo and use two previous challenges. I had no idea which challenges to use, but I started with Ixorus (challenge #6). Then I thought I could keep it simple (challenge #1) and use only 2 different patterns. Of course I had to use Huggins! Here's my Hugs for Artoo.

Last TAST sampler

Today I finished my first goal for 2011. I wanted to finish the TAST stitches for weeks 38-44 before February 15 and I did! I stitched them all on one sampler (6 x 6 inch or 15 x 15 cm). This first detail is in the bottom left corner. It's a square buttonhole wheel cup with the spokes pointing outwards. Today I sewed a tiny button (4 mm!) in the centre.

The second detail is a triple chain in Stef Francis perle 5. I secured the last stitch with 3 pistil stitches.

In the upper right corner I made a beaded Hedebo edge with perle 8 and 2,6 mm beads.

I added the date (in Dutch) to my sampler with backstitches.

There's a bigger picture of my sampler at my Flickr-page.

Festival of Needles

A few days ago I wrote about my needle cases and the old needle case for my quilt needles. This weekend I made a new one and today I moved my quilt needles to their new home. At the left side are my quilt needles. At the right side a large needle I use to sandwich my quilts, an applique needle and pins and a chenille needle I used for my first redwork. In the centre I secured my first quilt needle with a stitch through its eye and a cross stitch. I used this needle to make my first quilt. It's bended and the point is blunt, but I cannot throw it away!

I found the inspiration for this needle case in the zentangles I made recently: Simplicity and Eyes Wide Shut. First I made two 3 inch squares with running stitches in perle 12. Then I stitched W2 with sorbello stitches in perle 8 and backstitches in perle 12. At the left side I stitched Hollibaugh with backstitches in DMC 80.

There's more info about the Festival of Needles at Threads Across the Web and Pintangle.

Contrast

Last month I made an ATC for my first swap at Stitchin Fingers. The theme for this swap was contrast and my swap partner Tahlia was also in the PLOS-class. So I knew what she would like. My sampler 'There is no spoon' was the inspiration for this ATC, I used the same colors too. The fabric is the same as I used for my TAST-samplers. First I made the whipped wheel with some fly stitches between the spokes. Then I filled the spaces with French knots. I divided the rest of the space with perle 8, couched with French knots. I wanted to fill each space with a different kind of contrast. In the upper left corner I made a houndstooth, a stitch I discovered recently. In the upper right corner I experimented with fly stitches. Then I made a Vandyke stitch at the bottom with French knots to fill the space. When I took a picture of my progress, I saw I had to use the same contrast at the remaining spaces left and right. I knew Tahlia liked my Nefertiti, so I wanted to do some pulled thread. I made satin stitches with 2 threads of stranded orange DMC. To finish my ATC I put some white felt between the embroidery and the cardstock backing and couched the edge with a fluffly knitting yarn. There's a bigger photo of my ATC here.

Old needle case

Yesterday I wrote about my plans to make a new needle case for my quilting needles. I didn't had a picture of my old needle case, because I never made one. This old needle case was part of my sewing caddy. There's a pincushion in the middle with the same fabric. This is an old picture, I got a new sewing caddy for my birthday last year. Today I started the embroidery for my new needle case and took a picture of my old one at the same time. Maybe you can guess what kind of pattern I use?

This is the inside of my needle case. At the left side are my quilt needles and at the right side the needles I use for redwork, an applique needle and a large needle to sandwich my quilts. I'm not sure why there's a big needle, I think I used it to weave in thread ends of my crochet. At the bottom right is an old bended quilt needle. It was my first quilt needle and I don't want to throw it away!

Broken Needle Festival

This is the needle case I made a few years ago for my sewing-box. It's foundation pieced by hand. And this is the inside of my needle case. I use these needles if I have to sew on a button or something like that.

For my embroidery needles I use this needle case. It's a log cabin pattern with folded squares between it. When it was finished I folded the squares to make them round and appliqued them.

But for my quilting needles I have to make a new one. The one I use now is just a piece of fabric with some felt to hold the needles. The felt is getting old after 10 years and I have to be careful where to put the needles or they disappear. Next week there's going to be a special event on Stitchin Fingers. It's inspired by the Hari-Kuyo ceremony in Japan, where women bring their broken or worn out needles to thank them for good service and lay them to rest. You can read all about it at Pintangle. I'm planning to make a new needle case for my quilting needles for this event.

Relax

Sandra introduced a new zentangle challenge yesterday. She told us to name a zentangle right after finishing it and tell the story behind the name. I thought it was an opportunity to finally draw the first zentangle in my new A5 sketchbook. There were a few tangles I wanted to try and I started with Shattuck. But my pen took a different path and I just let it happen. It's the same approach I use in my embroidery, just creating and see what happens. I was very relaxed, so that must be its name. Now this zentangle looks like a brain with my curly hair. They look like the locks of hair I saw on the floor after my haircut yesterday. But I also see some animal feet at the bottom. Now it would be fun if you tell me what you see when you look at my zentangle. You can see what others did for this challenge here.

Work In Slow Progress 12

Every Wednesday I stitch about one hour at this embroidery to get it finished before my birthday. Today I finished the last but one page of my pattern. Now I only have to embroider a strip of 45 stitches wide at the left side of the top half. And I can finally use some yellow and orange instead of brown and grey!

Breathe!

. . . is the 7th zentangle challenge at I am the diva. I read it yesterday evening and had no idea how to interpret this challenge. But this morning I woke up with a headache, so it was good to relax, breathe and smile. I used Huggings at the background. I saw this tangle here last week and Kit told me it's name. The dark mess (my headache??) was supposed to be Nebel. The other tangle I used is Betweed. Luckily my headache was gone when I finished my zentangle!