Monday, May 17, 2010

Sew it:

sew-it Its been long since I took part in sew it  on Mayya’s blog.  There were so many other things that needed finishing, so I was a little hesitant to join. 

This time there was a tie on Sew it, between a mobile / ipod case and a straight line skirt.  I had voted for the case, since it would have been a cute thing to give to my friends back in India.  ( If you have read my previous posts, you would have realized that I am getting ready for my holidays)

I have already made two of them, and would try make some more so lets have a look at my finishes……..

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One of them is smaller than the given measurement in the tutorial, since I wanted to use it as a mobile case and the other one can be used either as a PSP case or a camera case.

    This tutorial  from a pretty cool life, is very simple and quick finish and I am sure everyone will enjoy doing this.  Thank you Mayya for this wonderful tutorial.   

Double sided table runner……….

I am in  a spree of making gifts, and in the process this is my second table runner, a simple one but double sided.  At the moment my mind is full of ideas, but with so less time I can action out only those that are easy and quick.  And so, this table runner……DSCN0186

Well, its a bit long for my buffet hutch, but since its going to be for a long dining table I have made it longer. The center fabric used here is moda fabric , and the border is done with mitered corners.   I have really started loving mitering the corners.

And now for the other side of this runner…….. Voila!!  DSCN0183

For this side I have used plain off white linen for the center and for the border it is a printed floral pattern. I loved the combo, but this time I chose to sew the border straight and simple.

Now let me show you both sides together…..

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So…. How that???

Thank you everyone, for all those lovely comments, please do continue to sending in your comment for which I eagerly wait.

Until my next post, Bye from Preeta…..

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Zig Zig Table runner…….

With the summer vacations nearing  I am eagerly looking forward for our trip to India.  Getting ready for vacation means shopping, purchasing gifts, chocolates ………….  And now that I am actively sewing, I thought why not make some gifts with a personal touch.

And what better than a table runner.  After my hand quilting lessons, I wanted to try something on my own, but had decided I would use my sewing machine to make the patches.   And finally I made a table runner with zig-zag patches.  This design is by Sue Harvey. ( I am sorry I din’t save the website)

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It was much quicker than hand quilting,  though I dint do any quilting stitches on the runner, I have used batting to give it a little thickness.  My binding still need more practice and perfection but I was happy with the result. I also gained more confidence. 

A close look at my patches….

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It took a lot of time deciding with fabric to use, and still  I feel the combo could have been better, but then I am still learning.

One more closer look at my runner……

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Friends, please do give your sincere and lovely comments, for which I eagerly wait.   Thank you, to all those who have send in their comments for my previous posts,  It  has always motivated me to do more.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Embroidered orange work cushions……..

You all must have heard a lot about red work,  and we all will agree that it is the most simple yet beautiful type of embroidery.   Like most embroidery lovers, even I love red work.

But this time I felt like changing the color a bit to match my decor,  and finally I did orange work embroidery.   This circular designs are done using back stitch on an off white piece of linen.

I wanted to make them into cushions and so….. here is my finished work …….

 

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A close look at my embroidery……

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I am not very happy with the pictures, but I guess the designs are quite clear.

 

Thank you all for your wonderful and encouraging comments  for my wall hanging.  Please continue motivating me with your lovely comments and advices.  Until my next crafty post…. Bye and take care.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

My Wall Hanging finally……..

You  all know from my previous posts about my hand quilting lessons…..  In between I had posted my quilting work in progress.  Last Tuesday was our last quilting class, wherein Selvie taught us to do the binding part of the wall hanging.  I couldn’t  manage to finish it that week but  yesterday finally I decided, that I have to get  this done.  Binding is not a difficult task, but to get perfect mitered corners one should really have good practice.

I managed to finish my wall hanging and I am really thrilled and proud to exhibit it in my hall.    So …..  here comes my creation……

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 Can you see my quilting on that rail fence block….. I just used diagonal lines to do this part and it gave my block a beautiful effect.

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For this block I made a template of the pattern and l loved it…….

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I feel so good after having done this course, and I would love to learn machine quilting too whenever I get a chance.  Selvie has been a great teacher and I really enjoyed the whole experience, though I should admit that the quilting part did seem never ending at times.  But  with end result proudly hanging on my wall and all the praises I got from my husband , my kids and friends I feel great!!!!

Friends….. Please do send in your lovely comments, I eagerly wait to hear from all of you out there, and it encourages me to do more and more.

My first crochet doilie…

Crochet and knitting always fascinated me since my childhood, especially because the place where I grew up, which is the western part of India – Gujarat … ladies would not go out from their houses without a knitting or crochet needle and yarn. ( The place has extreme weather conditions so winters would be extremely cold)

I would always wonder, how these ladies managed to concentrate on their knitting while busy talking with each other.  Whatever, but their end results would be beautiful sweaters and mufflers….

After all these years, recently I got to see my dear friend Nima who is a crochet expert coming up with lovely creations and that tiny little flame inside me became a burning desire to learn this craft.  Initially I started with a small coaster which I had blogged long back .  Then there was a break on my crochet, since I had so many other things going on and now finally I have started trying my hands on it again.

The result  was this small doily…… DSCN0146

Once I got a hang of it, I realized that this the best craft that could be done watching one of your favourite TV programs.  And this was exactly what  those ladies were doing those times, Instead of watching TV they would chat with each other doing crochet or knitting.  What a productive way to leisure……

One last look at my doily….

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