Sunday, March 08, 2009

Finally - an ornament finish and some progress photos

I finally finished an ornament for this year! I'm way behind doing getting one done per month but at least I've got one now. This is a very old freebie I always had planned on stitching called "Santa in the Window". It's not available online.

I've been making some good progress on other projects. Here is Beatrix Potter and Peppermint Twist progress as of today. I do wish I could get the color right in my photos but you'll just have to trust me the color looks better in person. Also, I took these pictures in the evening and that always makes it harder to get the color correct.


Hope all of you readers are doing alright. I've gotten to the point where I don't even want to listen to the news anymore - too many depressing things! Sometimes it's better to avoid it and just keep on doing the best you can. Luckily we did our taxes and are getting a refund so that's some good news for a change. We've had several restaurants and small businesses close down in our area. It's sad. In the meantime I'll keep trying to spend at my LNS because we need it to stay in business! I haven't picked up much new from market except a couple of the new Prairie Schoolers. I think I have more Prairie Schooler than any other designer - I counted them and I have 54! Don't ask me how many I've actually stitched - but you know if you don't get them when they come out then you have to pay even more to get them on eBay or something.

I had a question from a reader about how I end the trim around my flatfolds. I usually make my own cording - I start putting the trim on using the end where the cording was folded in half when I made it so that at least one end of my cording doesn't have raw thread ends. I glue the cording all around to within a few inches of where it meets the starting point. I mark where it needs to be cut with a pin and I put some Aleene's tacky glue around the cording where I think I'm going to cut it. I let it dry, then cut it the cording where I need to - the dried glue helps it keep from unraveling as soon as you cut it. Then I glue a little more on the end and twist it good with my fingers and glue the end in place so that it meets the starting point. Hope that's clear - just takes a little practice and sometimes it comes out better than other times. If you have trouble getting it to look nice, start applying your braid or cording in a corner of the piece and leave plenty of extra before you start glueing it down. Then when you get back around just tie the ends in a bow at that corner. You can then knot the ends and snip them. That's how I did this little pinkeep edge.

15 comments:

  1. I love your snowman ornament (and your singer sewing machine) :o)
    Your Bea is gorgeous...I love the colors you are using. Peppermint twist is just coming right along...and your pinkeep is stunning. I end my cording similarly, but I sew the ends and tie off like an umbilical cord, then snip and dip.
    :)

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  2. Beautiful stitching! And you are not the only one who avoids listening to the news!

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  3. Love your Beatrix Potter! I love everything you've shown actually. :D Thanks for the tip on the cording.

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  4. I really love your snowman ornament and you are one in front of me that's for sure. I haven't done any yet. In fact I love everything you have stitched and I know what you mean about not wanting to hear the news anymore. Lots of Love Patti xxx

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  5. Your ornament is so cute and I love your progress on Bea and Peppermint Twist.

    I try and avoid the news too but my DH has to watch it. It's too depressing.

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  6. That snowman ornie is awesome! He is so adorable and you finished it perfectly. I agree with not watching the news-sometimes we have to just put our nose to the grindstone and keep at it!

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  7. You've got some great progress pictures. And Peppermint Twist is not very far from being completed so that there's a Happy Dance in sight.

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  8. Cute ornie, congratulations. Your other wips look lovely

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  9. I love your snowman ornament and both of your WIPs are great. I don't like listening to the news either. Living in Michigan and all the bad news about the auto companies is hard to listen to sometimes.
    Deb

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  10. Snowman ornie is great! And I love the Beatrix Potter. I wasn't too thrilled with the new BRD until I started seeing them stitched. Now they're on my list!!

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  11. Very cute snowman ornie. And your pinkeep is Gorgeous!!! Peppermint Twist is really coming along too!!!

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  12. Great progress on PT and BP. I have to pick both of mine up sometime here soon and get moving on them. not much progress to show. LOVE the ornament. Love the little pinkeep too!

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  13. Ah Jeanne! Your Santa ornie is adorable!! Beautiful stitching on your wip's and your pinkeep is also finished beautifully!
    LOVE your sewing machine:)

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  14. I love your Santa ornament. How cute! Peppermint Twist blows me away every time I see it. I love all the colors on that. It really is lovely.

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  15. I love the Pepperming Twist design more and more each time I see it.
    Your Beatrix Potter looks so lovely in the colours you've chosen.
    The ornament is cute and thanks for the cording tips.
    Margaret

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