Angel Redwork

This is another little project from the Stitching By The Lake day with Sylvia and Fiona. The pattern calls for the stitching to become the top part of a little cushion/decoration to hang on the Christmas tree, but I'm not quite sure how I'm going to finish it yet. I quite enjoyed working on this tiny, delicate piece of redwork. There's something so appealing to me about things in miniature.

What "little" pieces are you working on?

Petit Point Treasure

We visited a little antique and collectables fair recently. I love to go and wander, and hopefully spy some treasure I didn't even know I wanted!

Well, I came across this beautiful little powder compact. Now, I'm not really a pressed powder kind of girl. That was more my Nan's thing. What caught my eye was  the most lovely petit point on the lid!

 

It's a bit tarnished and has been well used, but all that just adds to the appeal for me. It's even inscribed - "Bon Voyage Margaret ~ 1949". The compact's made in England, so I'd like to  imagine that Margaret was sailing away to foreign shores (Australia) to start a new chapter in her life with a lovely young man, the compact a gift from a friend who would miss her dearly. And maybe each time the compact was used, Margaret remembered her dear friend, far, far away. After all, don't wonderful new-found treasures always have a story behind them?

The stitching is by no means perfect, but it is beautiful in all its aged glory. It's made me wonder whether I'd like to have a try at stitching petit point - just a small piece, and with a large magnifying glass!

I just love this little treasure. For me it was well worth the drive in the blustery weather to a little town an hour away.

What's caught your eye (and imagination) in expected places?

Music to make you happy

I've been listening to Mindy Gledhill on my iPod and loving it! I got her album "Anchor" and it's great.

If you get a chance . . . and you want to hear music to make your ears happy . . . then check out the link to her video.

Enjoy.

Re-purposed Applique

I've read how a few ladies like to applique or stitch with a cushion on their lap for a bit of support or to raise their work so they don't end up with neck strain. Well I use a Stable Table - a little lap table with a bean bag base. It's really handy, especially as it has a trough around the outside so things don't roll off. It's also slightly non-slip on the surface, so that helps keep things in place too.





Now while I find this table very useful, I wasn't really all that in love with the coffee beans image that was on the top. So I decided to do something about it.

I had made a start on some of the blocks in the Homespun Magazine "Breast Of Friends" quilt, but I lost motivation after about 3 1/2 of them (there are 12 in all, I think). The first one I had made was this one - it's a Leanne Beasley design and I really love the filled in backstitch swirls on this block.





So, rather than have the block sit in a bag and go to waste I thought I would re-purpose it. (If you're interested in more ideas on "re-purposing", check out NotJustNat - she's a wizz at taking something old and making it new again!) I covered the original coffee bean picture with my block, slipped it back under the surface . . .



and voilà . . .



One updated stable table that should see me through many more stitching hours to come!

How have you re-purposed your orphan blocks?