Smocking and stitching.

 

 It is funny how some girls just will not wear pink.  They wear colours that suit them and they look beautiful.  In a household filled with guys, smocking is the one area to enjoy being a girl. When we moved more than five years ago, all the smocking was packed up in a rubbermaid and left waiting.

This past week it was opened up and the smocking came out to play. 

 Each dress is unique.  The smocking plates differ, so do elements that create each one.

 This dress needed more growth bands, as this little one is on the short side.

 Instead of a matching collar, this one has a white one, with covered buttons. It also has a bow tie at the back.

Puffed sleeves with smocking and lace on the edge of the sleeves.

 Sleeves with a binding edge.

 A sleeveless dress.

Sleeves with smocking but no lace detail.

Plain sleeves, with a small hem.

Using decorative buttons on the back, this dress has waist bands.  The buttons can be moved, as the child grows.  This dress was one, where I played with different ideas.  It will be going to my nieces new baby daughter.

Future smock dresses?  Went to the store to get thread, these caught my eye and followed me home. (The dresses will eventually arrive on my Etsy store).

Diane did some more stitching on Jane Bannister.  It will be finished soon.

An unexpected parcel arrived in the mail today.  It is from Judy, a fellow retreat buddy! She reads the blog and noticed the baby quilts this year, so she sent me these beautiful stitched pieces to make a baby quilt.

Bunnies with a frog catching a free ride.

Squirrels play hide and seek.

A lamb frolicking with the butterflies in the meadows.

A bear enjoying honey.

It arrived with this lovely card, Thank you Judy.  It will be used to create a one of a kind baby quilt.

Enjoy the rest of summer, it is my favourite season of the year.

Summer time.

We are enjoying all the days of summer.  All the warm days, beautiful sunshine, nature and all the good food.  Corn on the cob cooked on the barbeque.  Eating watermelon and getting all sticky in the process. Embracing each day with joy.

A first quilt, what an experience! This young lady had two more quilts cut out and they were waiting in the wings to be sewn as well.  She just jumped right into quilting.

 This is The Hertfortshire Quilt.  It has been packed away since last year.  Pulled it out to start working on the next round.

 Since then, have added these three  lines from Brenda Riddle to the collection of fabric for this quilt.

 Nine patches have been started and the triangle squares.

 This is a closeup in the book of what the next round will look like.

The Aussies arrived safely back home.

WIP's.

After a hectic two weeks we are getting back to normal again.  It was amazing to spend all this time with family that came a very long way to see us.  We made lots of memories and will always treasure them close to our hearts.

 Yesterday the chimney's got stitched. 

Doing just a little bit, at a time. This pattern is broken down into these minute details, making the stitching so much easier.

Niagara Falls, the power of nature,  in motion.

Last week thursday, a few quick gifts needed to be whipped up.  A table runner, kit from The Hobby Horse Quilt Shoppe. It took twenty minutes.

An advent calendar. This one brought back memories from when we were kids, growing up.

It was layered, pinned and just quilted. 

The back, the binding was from a quilting project a few years back.  The leftovers from older projects came in handy, to complete this one.

 Dish Towels.

The Aussies wanted to take back something truly Canadian.  It had to have a maple leaf on it, except trying to find these gems, proved elusive.  So these were done on thursday and friday, with special names added for friends back home.

 Diane worked on Jane Bannister, it will be done soon.

 A rainbow, in the afternoon. Every time we go, we still smile at the rainbows which appear.

 The lights change colour, which is amazing to watch. This was the view we fell asleep to...

Summer is hot and we are enjoying it!

Summer is the one season, where we embrace everything that comes with it.  The humidity, the thunderstorms, rain and the heat.  We can spend time outdoors, enjoy sunshine and blue skies.  Surrounded by all the beautiful green grass, beautiful flowers and all nature's amazing creatures.  Our walks have a bunny count.  We saw 14 bunnies on just one walk! The birds are singing and they do it with so much gusto.

 Diane is stitching on hot days. 

 Her Jane Bannister 1855 now has a kitty, as well. 

Started the Christmas tree, have stitched the windows with a few elements.

 The tree topper.

 The houses.

 Each one is different to the last one.

 Every window is stitched with a single strand of floss.

 This is a Crabapplehillstudio pattern.

 It was traced on the fabric first.

 Then it was coloured in, with a white with a wax crayon.

 Lastly, the colours was added by colouring in with colour wax crayons on top of the white.

To remove the wax, the piece was ironed in between two layers of paper towel.  Leaving the colour pigment from the wax crayons behind on the fabric. 

Finished it earlier this year, pulled it out the other day and started the stitching part.  The pattern is broken down exactly, with visual diagrams of where to stitch what.  It is broken down in smaller components, which makes the stitching part, a lot easier.

Next week the blog will be taking a break, as we will be busy making new memories.  The Aussies have arrived!

Stitching on Linen.

For the first time, I tried stitching on linen, not even weave.  It took a little bit of time to get use to working on the fabric.  Once one get the hang of it, then one do not notice it anymore.  The best part, no matter how hot the weather gets, no sweaty hands.  One can stitch for hours, which is amazing.

Jack Frost's tree Farm, part one is now stitched. Two of tree's are swapped around.  The deer got a red nose too, why not?  Jack is doing his own happy dance.  He is just as excited about Christmas,  as all the kids, waiting for Santa Claus.

Four Seasons is progressing.

The local Lavender Farm is in full bloom, they had an open day. 

2017 Linen and Threads stitch-a-long.  Diane is working on this beauty!

 Diane is also working on Jane Bannister, she only started to work on it in February this year.

The stitches are over two threads and in some parts over one thread.

The Lavender was a beautiful sight and the scent was gorgeous, the best part was watching the bees going from flower to flower, collecting pollen.  Somewhere out there is a unique beehive, with some lavender honey...