Crewel Embroidery ~ From Wall Flower to Wildflower Garden!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

I am so excited to show you my latest project that I just finished!

It is a Fiber Wildflower Garden that has been waiting to bloom for over a decade!

There is a FUN story of how it came to be!

About 10 years ago, I bought a vintage 1970's crewel embroidery kit from Ebay to learn how to embroider and create a beautiful garden all at once!

This 12 x 12 square is actually only half of the giant kit that I started many years ago.

Embroidery is a wonderful craft that takes a lot of time and attention to detail that I guess got pushed to the side as other kits, projects and paintings presented themselves in my heart and hands over the years.

While cleaning out my craft closet this Spring I found it again and saw the wonderful stitches I had started with Emmitt by my side so many years ago.

I looked at Archie and thought, what a wonderful Summer project this would be to finish the part I had started and make it into something new for our sun room.

I had an idea in my head that I wanted it to be a fiber creation that grew on a 3-D garden wall just like you would find outside.

I knew it would take more time than just the Summer to finish the whole kit, so I decided to focus on completing the half I started and cut the other part off to complete at a later time if I decided to.

Like life, when making art... there are no set rules.

Make every piece your own so that it is FUN for you to create!

My twin sister Melanie is not only an amazing fiber artist, but also a gifted gardener!

Look at her real wild flower garden!

She inspires me everyday and after seeing her living work of art, I knew just how I wanted my garden wall to look!

To combine the other fiber arts I love to do... fabric collage and crochet, I decided to add felted wool shapes cut out like leaves to finish the flowers and crochet an abstract painting along with Strings of Pearl succulents to complete my garden wall.

I wrapped the crewel embroidery around a 12 x 12 x 2 canvas and then mounted the crochet abstract fiber "painting" to a 16 x 20 x 2 burlap covered canvas.  

I hung the embroidery onto the larger canvas and then covered it with the crocheted succulents I made.

Ta Da!

This is my new fiber garden creation!

I just love how it turned out!

I found the perfect wall to hang it on that I can see from every angle and corner of the room.

It is also hanging right by the door where we go out into the backyard so it feels like you have either brought the outside back in with you or you are taking a breath of anticipation of what you might see when you go out!

I am really happy with how it turned out!

It also feels good to finish an old project that if i finished back when I bought it, would never have been made into what it is now!

How wonderful to know that everything blooms when it is supposed to in its own time!

xoxoxo

Melissa and Archie

Warm Head & Heart ~ New Tunisian Crochet Hat & Cowl

Happy Monday Everyone!

I have a FUN project to show you that I just finished!

On Friday, Jimmie hinted to you that I was up to something with my Tunisian crochet hook and little balls of yarn from my stash.

And as promised... I am excited to show it to you today! :)

To tell you the truth, when I started this project, I was not sure what I was going to make.

I just felt like switching my stitches to Tunisian from my regular crochet for a bit while also working down the extra yarn I have in my stash so that I can buy more! :)

So I decided it would be FUN to make lots of little squares and figure out what it was going to be later.

From the first photo above, you can see I just made a whole pile of them until I was inspired to start sewing them together into something.

I love this time of year because I have some free time to create new things to enjoy, learn from and SHARE with you. :)

After sewing a few of them into rows of 3, I decided it would be neat to make it into another cowl scarf since I love the one I made last June and thought this tight Tunisian crochet fabric I created would be not only colorful but very warm on our cold Colorado Winter days that will arrive before we know it!

So I joined them together with regular sc back loop only crochet rows in between to give the cowl some stretchy give.

Ta Da!

I just love how it turned out!

You cannot see, but I am smiling under my new comfy cowl! :)

When I finished my cowl I still had some extra squares so I decided to make a hat!

Here is one side...

and this is the other!

Here is my new Hat and Cowl set for 2014!

When I was all done I still had extra squares so I made 2 more hats!

One for myself and one for my sister, Melly, which I forgot to snap a picture of.

I was so excited to give it to her that I wrapped it up and surprised her with it before I took any, but I will in the Fall when we wear them together and show you!

What FUN things are you up to today?

Please leave me a note and let me know!

I cannot wait to hear all about it!

xoxox

Melissa

Fred's Photography Adventure to Vienna & Prague ~ April 2014

Happy Monday everyone!

I am so excited to show you Fred's new traveling photographic adventure!

In April, he went to Vienna and Prague in with famed photographer, Joe McNally, along with several other students.

Here he is capturing the perfect shot on a cold evening outing in Prauge with Joe McNally's wife, Annie.

I smiled from ear to ear when he emailed me this photo that night as although I could not tag along on his trek, I was there on the bridge as I made him the warm hat he is wearing! :)

Here are some of his photos of his trip for you to enjoy!

... and here are some shots that his fellow trekkers took of them enjoying their adventure together!

What a magical week he had and captured for us all to go along with him too!

I cannot wait to see what trip he plans for next year to take us all on!

What FUN thing are you up to today?

Please leave us a note and let us know!

We cannot wait to hear all about them!

xoxoxoox

Melissa & Archie

New FUN Fiber Art ~ Parakeet & Pug Dolls

Happy Wednesday everyone!

R-Chee, Jimme & I have been having so much FUN sewing this week! 

My inspiration for these dolls started with a wonderful Woodland animals pattern group that my wonderful twin sister, Melanie found for us to all play with!

Melly found us each a set on etsy for less than the stores so definitely shop around before buying.

You can also find them at any sewing shop that sells Simplicity patterns like Joann's  Fabrics too!

She made the fox while I made the raccoon, but instead of mine looking like a raccoon, I made mine into Jimmie and R-Chee parakeet and pug dolls for my personal collection! :)

Isn't he fabulous?

After Melly finished hers, I was sooo inspired that I just could not wait to get started on mine!

it was FUN picking out fabrics for my parakeet and pug dolls from my stash!

I got all of these fat quarters of different fabrics over the years just because I liked them with no specific project in mind and they have been piling up in my craft drawer!

I think they worked perfectly for the dolls without even having to spend another penny! :)

To make the pug, I used the raccoon pattern but did not use their applique face or ears.

I just cut out shapes from craft felt and felted wool to make mine.

I chose to sew on the ears and then glue down the face with Unique Stitch fabric glue.

I did the same thing for my Jimmie doll but instead of using the raccoon arms, I used the owl wings for arms and left off the ears. :)

All of the pieces are separate so you can make the back a bit different than the front if you like which is what I did for the back of Jimmie's head since his face is yellow but the back of his head is lighter in real life.

The doll pattern does not have a tail but I decided to add a pug tail to my Archie doll!

Ta Da!

That was so much FUN!

What FUN things are you up to this week?

Please drop a note and tell us all about it!

Are you out playing in the sunshine now that the weather is getting warmer or in the kitchen baking something yummy?

We cannot wait to hear all of the details about your favorite things to do that make you happy.

xoxoxo

Melissa, R-Chee & Jimmie