I have been busy with life and the Christmas Fair Fund Raiser where I have organize the Silent Auction.  The Fair was Saturday and it was a busy and wonderful day of  fun and fellowship.  The Auction earned $1800 for the day and the total Fair receipts are close to $15000.  The total is donated to local charitable organizations.   

So today.... after a rush to the doctors for my granddaughters nose bleed that would not stop!!!!  She is fine and I  am back to my jacket.  I have the sleeves and half of the collar done.  Not really thrilled with the colors... I ordered the sequins on line so it was an expensive guess.  They are better in person.

I need to finish this before the warm weather.... Nowadays that's kind of hard to predict!!!

Embroidered Jacket

I have been working on my new project.  I have the jacket body constructed and the design mapped out.

The cuff pattern is outlined.  On Sept 20 I ordered the sequins from Paillettes & Broderie.  It took a while but last Thursday Oct 17 they were delivered.

The sequins are ready but sometimes life gets in the way.  I have not gotten to it just yet.
Monday and Tuesday of this week I taught a two day intro class in tambour embroidery.  I was totally pleased with the class as both students really exceeded my expectations. 
Now to clean up my workroom and get back to my jacket before its to warm to wear it.

This is what started the whole Ravel "Thing"!!  I first went to Ecole Lesage in 2007 to take a 2 day intro. class.  When I was in the studio I saw this piece and fell in love with it.  When I went back in 2009 I tried to register for this class and was told it was level VII and I had to start at I.  This is the best picture I have of the piece and I most likely will never get to take the class!!

My Ravel was of course was inspired by the piece as well as a book I found on 18th century French textile designs.  

Here are some close ups of the embroideries.

The finished piece hanging in my upstairs hallway.

Now onto the next project!! 

One of the things I always look for at the Brimfield antique/flea market is a vintage tambour hooks.  In July I did spot  this beautiful agate one.   I did not buy it in July because the screw was jammed and being the practical me I couldn't buy it if I couldn't use it.   At the September show I came across the same hook but the dealer had lubricated it and loosened the screw so it was usable!!  Now I own my first antique tambour hook!!  Best of all my sweet husband bought it for me!

I finished the back of my quilt.  The velvet is more of a maroon shade.  The design is from the flower shapes in the lace panels on the front.  Some are done in Kreinik cord and the rest are done in beads.  The shapes are supposed to swoop up from bottom to top.  The purpose of the embroidered flower shapes is to hold the backing, batting and front together.

I thought ahead this time and put my name etc in one of the enlarged flower shapes.  

My Ravel continued

This is the back of the quilt.  I am hooking beads and Kreinik #4 very fine braid in a pattern that echos the flowers in the lace design on the front panels that the embroidered circles are layered over. 

The pattern from the back shows through to the front.  This will  sandwich the front, batting and back together.  

After the embroidery is done on the back the panels will be sewn on the front covering covering the stitching

How I found the black rice pearls

At the Heart of the Mart in Brimfield this past July my husband payed a vist to one of his favorite tool dealer.  I caught up with him in this dealers booth.  To my delight the dealers wife had 4  dresser draws filled with beads she had gotten  at auction.  She didn't have very many small 3/4 mm beads but said she had a spare room filled with beads and was sure she had lot of small ones at home.  Lucky for me she lives in CT and I arranged to meet her a couple weeks after the July show.  I bought more beads then I will surly use in this lifetime.  The round beads were purchased at a local shop.

P.S Thanks Joe for saying you missed my posts!  

Brimfield

Its been a long hot summer already and I have loads of excuses for not posting...sick granddaughter, sick friends, the weather, the broken finger that refuses to feel good... etc etc.  But none of this stopped me from going to Brimfield last week.  

The May show was the largest in my memory and this July show was perhaps one of the smallest.  Many dealers don't come to the July show.  The handful of my favorite dealers I make a beeline for were not there.  

I did find a dealer at Heart of the Mart field on Wednesday that had lots of interesting textiles.  We chatted and she said she had a large box of lace that she had forgotten.  She said would be at May's field on Thursday and she said she would bring the box of lace.
Well I stumbled on her booth on Thursday and asked if she had brought the lace.... she had again forgotten it.... to my sort of relief... I already have more lace pieces then I will ever use in this life time.  I did poke through her goods and found a box filled with old/new stock of ready made packs of initials.  I went through the alphabet looking for my initials and found them in black and white.  

I have to put a label on my Couture Circle quilt for the Hartford quilt show in August.  These inspired me to make the following label which I will sew onto the back of my quilt.
I outlined the initials with beads and wrote my name, quilt name and date around them.  
She was trying to sell the box of initials as a lot... but because she forgot the lace she gave me the 6 packs of letters for nothing!!

Stay COOL!!

Well it sure doesn't pay to break your little finger!!  No stitching and just sitting on the couch with my "time waster" I-Pad spending money!!  Also Brimfield was last week and I managed to go a couple days and visit some of my favorite dealers. 


The stars and the pinwheel sequins are from Berger Beads vintage sequin selection.




The metal steel cut arrow was $1.00 on a table of junk at Brimfield and I could not resist. 
The 1/2 circles are from the French connection I found last month. 



The bar sequins.... several sizes and colors are also from Berger beads.



The soutache is usually $1.00 a yard at vintage textile dealers.  This package was $2.00 for 6 yards.
The metal steel cut beads were in a plastic baggie of junk for $2.00.



The green, white,and purple sew ons and yellow cog sequins are from my fav bead guy at Brimfield... Old and pricey.  The squares are from Berger beads.

This does not count the new pants, summer tops, and shoes ... I did loose some weight...  that Mr Visa is gonna come collecting for at the end of the month.

Here are the links:

Berger Beads www.bergerbeads.com
and
Langlois and Martin http://www.paillettesetbroderie.com/

Trip to Delectable Mountain Cloth

Today I got my monthly fabric shopping "fix" by going to Delectable Mountain Cloth in Brattleboro VT.

The rolls of fabric on the stand are great for crazy quilting.... no two are alike!!!

It's really the greatest store teaming with fabulous fabric!!!!  

I have also found a great source for sequins!!!  They are made in France by Langlois Martin and are Excellent quality.   Great for tambour because they come in worms(strung on thread).  The link is http://www.paillettesetbroderie.com/.  I am giving you the address so you can go there at your whim.  It comes up in French but you can click on the flag in the upper left corner for English.

Expensive but the only other way you can get the variety and quality is to go to France!!!!

The last flower embroidery for "My Ravel quilt" is completed.

I worked on the center red flower forever.  First I ironed on a layer of metal organza and outlined it with red metallic thread and black 15mm beads.  Next I embroidered 2 separate layers of tulle with the jagged outline of the flower and cut them out.  Then I outlined the center shape of the flower on velvet with 18mm metal faceted beads and cut it out. Finally I built a flower sandwich.

I have 3 more small solid circles to embroider  plus the motifs to complete before I can start assembling.
See the label "My Ravel" to see the rest of the designs.

After spinning my wheels for a couple of weeks and cleaning out my sewing room and and and I finally finished a couple of circles I sort of liked.

I also have been working on the motifs for the other two panels.  These travel easily when stitching with friends.

I also wanted to share my needle index book with you as I linked to Susan Elliots Plays with Needles.
I first got this in early 2002 when I took a class from Jane Nicholas.  The class supply list required 10 different needles.  I bought a large package of assorted John James needles and a needle index created by the Valley Quail Chapter of the EGA in Walnut Creek, CA.  I filled it for the class and have never stopped using it.  I love it.

I add a page in the back to honor my broken and very bent needles.