Stitch by Stitch

 

Hand-stitched mini yo-yo rosette coverlet, detail

I had planned on sharing some of the photos from our weekend in Vermont but those will just have to wait their turn as I was pleased as punch when I saw how this mini yo-yo coverlet turned out! It was a custom order I received in my etsy shop to be used as a photographer's prop for newborn sessions (love that idea!) and I've been stitching away at it bit by bit over the last week+. The work took a bit longer than I had originally estimated and involved a lot of me stitching at odd moments in the car or curled up under the living room lamp way too late at night:

 A little night stitching + the netflix q = total sewing groove

Just try to hide your jealousy at the totally fashionable neon green compression gloves, mmk? Yes, they're a bit dorky looking but they're one of the few things I've found that can limit cramps and soreness when hours upon hours of hand sewing or embroidery is required.

The finished piece (the white is just the background I photographed it on and is not part of the coverlet)

So there you have it, my piéce de résistance for the week and a big part of why I haven't been blogging as much the past week or so. Now that it's all packaged up and in the mail, it's time for me to tackle a slew of new things that I've been wanting to get into the shop. It's a good thing that work involves me sitting down and embroidering or drawing because I need to move a bit slow not move at all due to the massive sunburn I managed to take home from our above-mentioned mini getaway this past holiday weekend (I used copious amounts of sunblock but I guess it was no match for four hours in a canoe). Despite the unwanted souvenir, it was indeed a great trip and I'll meet you back here later in the week with some Vermont-y goodness to share!

My Blogger's Pillow Party Entry

Umm...I only noticed how much dust was on the arm of the rocking chair as I edited this photo

...had to laugh at my mad housekeeping skillz!

If you've stopped by my blog before, you may have already seen this pillow from my etsy shop recently but I'm sharing it once again (apologies for the repeat!) so that I can have a chance to participate in the Blogger's Pillow Party hosted by Rachel of Stitched in Color. There's a pretty fab prize this month which I can't resist, I finally have a real live pillow to post (ahem...as opposed to the ones that are just ideas in my head and fabric on the shelf), and I've been enjoying all the other entries so much, especially those by Maureen—I figured, why the heck not now that there's just one day left to enter?! Yup, that's me...always on top of things!

This pillow was inspired by my love of crazy colors and wanting to find a way to use up some of my treasured scraps of Anna Maria Horner's Little Folks fabric line. I find that they, or any really colorful or vibrantly patterned fabric, really take pride of place when they are contrasted by neutrals and simplicity soooo after a few sketches, I decided to try my hand at a very simple yo-yo rosette pillow with just a few framed in the center by an unbleached linen. The yo-yos are all done by hand of course and the body of the pillow is machine sewn with an envelope closure.

Fingers crossed! In the meantime, you and I can do a bit of blog hopping to see all the other entries and their bloggy creators here (just scroll down to see photos of entries for each month and click to find out more about each one).

Grandma Meets Design

(the two in the background are store bought ages ago and the bear is a handmade heirloom from my husband's childhood)

The first two pillows for my shop are finally here! Can i just say that i am pleased as punch with these? I know, way to toot my own horn there, geez louise. But the idea/design/fabrics/technique have been running around in my head for a while and there is always something a bit magical about having one of your creations take shape and looking all snazzy in its own little Etsy listing, no matter how many times you finish a seam and click that button.

I decided to make up two of the same design with yo-yo rosettes in slightly different fabrics from my AMH scraps—each one sewn, pieced, and attached by hand. What i love most about them is the bright against the sparse, the way they combine a more traditional homespun aesthetic with an overall clean and modern design. I really wanted to take what I loved about quilting and blend it with a contemporary bohemian á la anthropologie look. I might just have to put one aside for my own decor/napping needs...

yo-yo rosettes in two colorways of anna maria horner little folks voile

Each one fits a 14x14 inch pillow form and has an envelope closure with my very own professionally printed labels that I'm pretty geeked about (from mommiemadeit on etsy...i just can't show much with my website on it since i use flickr as a photo platform but you can see them, and specifics on the pillows, here and here).

I want to continue this line with a few more designs featuring other old-school quilt blocks such as the dresden plate, grandmother's flower garden, pinwheels, or perhaps some miniature patchwork. Now if only I could get my hands on a few of those Liberty of London Color Wheel bundles! Did I almost not post that link because I'm afraid they'll sell out again before I can strike it rich? Um, maybe...gosh this fabric addiction might be getting serious!