I haven't been terribly motivated to stitch lately - I blame the horrible heat. We've finally caved and are seriously investigating having central AC installed! But Jo's theme for this month was Finishing, and I DO love (or hate, depending on how well my skills match up with my mental picture) my finishing projects, so I thought I'd share a few of my favorites.
My first finishes were standard frames - I also started out stitching larger projects, so the concept of a "small" was very foreign! My framing adventures began in the early 2000s.
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| "Marsh Marigolds", from an old issue of Cross Stitch & Country Crafts, stitched on Aida and framed for my mom |
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| "Woodland Sampler" by Something in Common, stitched on a gray hand-dyed evenweave |
Then I started experimenting with sewing, and learned to make pillows. Some of the first ones were a bit wonky, but I've gotten better over time! Here are 2 of my favorites.
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| JBW Designs "To the Sea" |
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| Little House Needleworks "Moon and Stars" |
Ornaments grew naturally out of pillows (although it took me quite some time to figure out how to make laced ornaments in different shapes and such). Finishing ornaments is actually quite fun for me, as long as I'm feeling inspired and have the right fabrics and trims on hand. Which could explain all the craft stash.... LOL
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| one of my favorites, a Heart in Hand Santa that I stitched for my niece |
I have tried to stitch an annual ornament for my daughter, but haven't quite kept up. :( I fell off about 2 or 3 years ago....but who knows, I might catch up eventually.
Once I found smalls and figured out ornament finishing, I really let the creative ideas run wild. There are so many interesting ways to attach and display a flat-mounted piece! I know there are a lot of bloggers and Flosstubers out there who show off amazing finishes, so I'll try to keep this short. My favorites usually involve 3-D embellishments of some kind.
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Tim Holtz assemblage clock with a teeny bear inside
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| Prairie Schooler design in a shadow box with trowel and embellished daisies |
And of course, the mermaids. I don't know what it is about mermaids that I love so much - maybe it is as simple as the colors? But these projects always make me smile.
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| "The Little Mermaid" from a Danish kit, finished in a shadow box with minis |
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| Shepherd's Bush mermaid sampler, finished in a lighthouse with a flamework glass mermaid I acquired while vacationing in Cape Cod |
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| "Miranda", a pattern/kit from White Lyon Needleart |
So there you have it, a taste of my finishing style. I really don't mind finishing, it is just finding the time and inspiration to DO it that bogs me down sometimes. If you want to see more of the things I've made, just click the "finishing" tag in the column on the right side of my blog! I didn't even include any of my re-finished jewelry boxes in this post, but you can see them there.
4 comments:
Thank you for sharing some of your finished items with us! What variety! Enjoy your week!
Thanks for taking part in The People's Choice this month.
You have really experimented with some different styles. I just love the lantern with the mermaid vignette inside.
Who would ever have thought of putting a cross stitch inside a clock or a lighthouse? Those are truly inspirational ideas and I congratulate you on your imagination and awesome FFOs! :)
Such lovely finishes, I really like the pillows. But the mermaids, LOVE them! I really like the lighthouse, what a stunning piece! And Miranda is beautiful too. You've given me some ideas!
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