Anita Goodesign 2015 party!

My goal for 2015 was to complete at least one project every month. I started out with several, but abandoned them halfway mostly due to a lack of vision. Setbacks happened when I misaligned designs even with the help of the sophisticated InnovEye technology of my machine. I took a deep breath and tried not to look back at all the failures.

Then, inspiration struck once again when I was invited to attend the Anita Goodesign conference. Last year I had attended a similar conference for Jenny Haskins and was asking around about how to successfully embroider on flimsy materials like scarves. Different people had different suggestions, but the zest of all was to stabilize heavily. The scarf I chose was a 100% viscose material.  I had been drooling over Sadia’s ‘Jacobean Symphony’ design for years and it was finally in my possession!

A close up

I had scraps of water soluble stabilizer that I was reluctant to throw away. So, I created a concoction of water and water soluble stabilizer in a spray bottle. This is not my original idea. I had read about this in the Martha Pullen’s embroidery forum a while back. Spray heavily on the area to be stitched, let it dry and finally iron out the creases. I decided to use a tear away for the backing. I combined two designs and increased the size (along with the stiches) to fit my biggest hoop on the Singer XL6000.

The design stitched out beautifully. I did not try to match the back with the same colors. Most of the backing washed out after hand washing. Now I was ready for the party! 

During the two days we finished 7 projects of different skill level from Anita's Playhouse collection.

Adorable pocket holder in embroidery hoop.

Here is the front and back of the Raccoon in the hoop purse.

Of all the projects the hooped mouse pocket and the raccoon bag were the most adorable. The raccoon bag left our team of three exhausted. Going back and forth on a big size hoop with layers of material on the top and bottom was simply unmanageable. The blue tapes did not do their job of holding the fabric and the back of the hoop and kept falling off. We could not agree that this in the hoop technique was supposed to make one’s life easy! And on top of that the machine picked up on our nervousness and started breaking threads, refused to thread the needle and created thread nests! 

Samplers with different techniques

This will be Simmi's gift!

And this was my favorite one!

Some more!

As you can see I took lots of pictures of the display of their stitch outs.  The designs were beautiful, but I was expecting to see more of real projects, like applications of the designs, as was in the Jenny Haskins conference.

Idea for my FabMo stash

 All in all it was a fun filled weekend. I was happy to be a part of it.

Wishing all a fun filled 2015!

Happy New Year to all my friends and family!

Two big changes happened in 2014 - a jump start on my career and acquiring 'The Dream Machine XV8500D' along with a brand new software PE-Design 10. Both came with huge learning curves. 

After a long hiatus I started my 2015 with a Bang! I created my first photostitch of Simmi. She is the adorable pet of my dd. She visits us during my dd's breaks.

Simmi is an adorable miniature pinscher/terrier mix that we rescued from the shelter two winters ago and brings so much joy and energy into our lives. Some of her favorite silly activities include chasing her own tail, licking our faces, snuggling under the covers and chasing after balls/frisbees. One thing that particularly stands out about Simmi is her personality. She is very good at communicating her likes and dislikes, and her eyes and tiny eyebrows really make it seem like she's speaking to you. It's this essence I was hoping to capture in the photo stitch.

Harnessing the power of OM

I had this in my wishlist for ages. Finally when I saw my best friend Jasbir's blog post about the benefits of yoga, I knew I should not put off this project any longer. Also I was visiting my dd and thought this would make a good holiday gift for her.

I wanted a lined bag (because I cannot stand exposed seams) with a good sized pocket and Nigella's pattern was logical and easy. However it is slightly short in length for my liking. With a little bit of embroidery (Om was very important for me I had it in my file since 2008 just for this purpose!) the bag has turned out quite nice and most of all my dd likes it.
So my dd march on towards a new year and overcome the obstacles and distractions of life with ease and grace.

An ode to Kakima

Up cycling a spaghetti jar with an embroidered wrap

My disclaimer - No this is not a poem and I am absolutely hopeless at composing anything with a formal stanzaic structure. It is my sincere attempt to show my admiration and reverence for Kakima.

Cushions

A family consisting of a father, mother and daughter had moved to our small town. A common friend introduced us to them. The daughter was enrolled in the same school and grade as my sister. After their initial visit to our home we were invited to their house one evening. The house had a tidy little courtyard with a strip of garden around the border that was adorned with some colorful croton shrubs. The living room was modestly furnished, but what was striking about the room was the daintily embroidered linens all over the room.

Hand Embroidered Table cloth

The blue curtains were embroidered with a border of tiny white lazy daisy flowers. The coffee table had a white appliqued morning glory vine frame. I guess it was at this point that when 'All things pretty' had started taking its root in my unconscious mind. I was quite accustomed to seeing some very exquisite heirloom embroidery at my own home, yet this house had a special touch of flair and elegance that influenced me profoundly. The expression of style was very unique and showed an exuberance of passion.

Now here is the real reason why I am writing this blog today.
I came home restless. I wanted to OWN those beautiful designs. I fantasized about stitching them out. After a few visits when our acquaintance grew a little warmer, I gathered up all my courage.  (In my mind I had replayed this instance many times and everytime the outcome was negative. I was intimated by Kakima's serious countenance!) I timidly asked her 'Kakima may I borrow your designs for a few days?' She promptly stood up, left the room, walked to the other room and brought back her complete file of collected designs. As she handed them over to me she said, 'Sure this is all for the next generation, if you do guys do not make use of this then who will?' I was left speechless and I dont think I even thanked her.

These were days before xerox machines or scanners were in vogue. So, for the next fortnight I spent all my spare time carbon copying every single design in the folder. I should have traced them instead of carbon copying them. My guilt bothers me to this day. I hope my candid admission will help me not to linger on this piece of shame for too long.

Kitchen Linens

 Times have changed and my embroidery methods have evolved. These days I pursue my artistic endeavor with sophisticated software and machines. But the influence you made on a 12 year old has lasted for a lifetime. I have carried the image of your house over a thousand miles across the ocean. THANK YOU Kakima for this lasting impression.

Rooster quilt placemats

Speaking of New Orleans, here is a shy hen hiding in the thicket at the city park of NOLA. The New Orleans public parks are some of the prettiest and well maintained parks that I have ever seen. Most surprisingly they host an abundance of hens, roosters, ducks, swans, and rabbits. Unfortunately, due to the frequent rain we could not get a clear picture of these animals.

 

However, it did inspire this blog post. The designs are from Hatched in Africa.

 

  

And napkins to go along. 

I fondly reminisce growing up with a small chicken coop in our dainty garden. So many memories of those carefree days have already faded, but I still remember waking up on a spring morning feeling the joy and ecstasy of holding the  just hatched tiny fuzzy balls that were chicklets in my palm.

So here is another kitchen towel with my favorite flock of birds.

This quilt project is also my first contribution to the Desi Quilters facebook group.

I digress...

I am not even half done and it already looks so pretty! I had to stop for a day since I ran out of glue sticks. These pine cones were collected during my morning walks with Simmi when I was visiting my dd in New Orleans a few months back. Hot humid summer brought the inception of this project in anticipation of a cool and gentle autumn.

Finally I am done with my fall wreaths that now adorn the entrance doors.I feel happy, and it has already uplifted my spirit.

I also wanted some autumn bouquets for the inside and Emblibrary had one just in time to celebrate fall.

A close up

I wanted to stitch out the bigger size but the design needed rotating. But my circumstances leave me helpless - my perfectly working PSW 2.0 has suddenly refused to budge. And this happened way before mercury went retrograde!

My Wall Quilt

Jenny of elefantz gave away these wonderful BOM designs to create a quilt. I found her blog sometime in March and was completely hooked by the serenity of the designs. 2012 was a year of introspection and revelation for me.

The idea of putting verses inside the floral framework was a spiritual journey of love, hope and prayer for my family. In the mad rush of staying on top of everything we often lose sight of the path. We make mistakes that we never intended to make. But life has its way to remind us that we cannot always plan and control our destiny and that comes as an eye opener.

Creating the designs with my favorite quotes brought a sense of beauty, calmness, and healing that has ultimately strengthened my humility.

 I have deviated somewhat in the structure of the quilt too. Here is where I have talked about the other aberrations.  I lack the accuracy of a true quilter but finally putting this together as a wall quilt for my home has made me very happy.

 On a technical note - the quarter inch foot and stitch in the ditch foot has saved my life!

Once again Thank You Jenny from the bottom of my heart.

Until I find my own words...

There is an unspoken balance
time has clearly explained
between what I've lost over the years
and all that I have gained...

Every trait that I surrender
as I slowly "lose" my youth
is replaced with a life's lesson;
traded for...
a Simple Truth.

I am the product of my years;
they have created what is me.
And every day that I have lived
has made me who I want to be.

Each person I have known or loved
is a part of who I am today.
Each left me something in my life;
each helped me find my way.

I've heard it said, "If I knew then
everything that I know now..."
But we are taught at the proven pace
that time...and life...will both allow.

These truths I've learned
from things I've done
and places that I have been...
what I'd give to take them back with me
and live my life again. 

An excerpt from

Simple Truths of Life
by Linda Ellis 

Roses - symbol of love and beauty

The roses that survived the parching summer of 2011 are  now in full bloom, creating an appealing spot of color palette in the midst of grey winter. Coincidentally, my Amazon book order of 'The embroidery of Roses' has also arrived. Snapshots of these beautiful flowers have inspired me to create a series on digitized rose gardens inside the house.

Love is in the air!

I want the world to know that my creation of beautiful blooms is my token of love and affection for you my dear valentine ... to honor our beginning and our journey together.
Besame Mucho!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPRESlT4Ccg&feature=artist

Font class

My font embroidery class was quite successful! I have never digitized fonts before, so teaching this class was a learning experience for me.What I found was that PSW 2.0 not only has 48 built in fonts, but also allows you to access the true type fonts that are already installed in your machine. In addition, you can download new ones from free font sites. Of course, don't forget to check the free download  policy if you are using the fonts for some kind of profit. The downloaded fonts are strictly for personal use.

One of my students posed a challenge - creating an applique design, instead of a filled design which I had prepared for the class. We were able to create one, but were limited by the font choice. A neighborhood lunch gathering provided me with another opportunity to create some fun type fonts for personalized name pillows for two kids. The pillow materials were somewhat fuzzy and uneven, which posed a risk that the designs might sink in and get somewhat lost. Also, correct hooping and centering was a challenge too.

Instinctively, I knew that the designs needed a good underlay that would create a good foundation for the top stitches. Also, the stitch type would have to be something other than satin since the width of the individual lettering was more than 11 mm in certain places. I left the density at 4 since I did not want any of the fuzzy materials to show up between the stiches and used a step satin stitch. My pull compensation was set at 3 and 2. The final stitching was not too bad except for a couple of places where there was some shifting and the guideline did not get covered with the top stitch. This did not happen when I stitched this out on a velvet material. I used iron on tear away stabilizer for the back and tear away washable stabilizer on the top. I am not sure if the top stabilizer was not pinned tight enough and maybe that caused this to happen.

I must also mention here that I am very grateful to Pat of Sewamused for her help. She is always very quick with her knowledgeable response. Check out her books on her yahoo group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TeamSewAmused/.

Ok so now onto how I converted the Curlz MT filled font to an applique.

• After building the stiches, I added an outline stich manually around each letter.
• I copied and pasted the line two times with a stop in between each.
• Then I started editing the second layer of the outline stich by converting it to a column satin stitch that set to a width of 15 and higher density of 20, so the stiches were spaced enough to create a zig-zag look.
• The last, or topmost outline, was converted to column satin stich with a density of 4 and a width of 30. I used a guideline to make sure that the applique material was snuggly tacked and the top stich would cover the edge of the cut area properly.
• I did not use any underlay, but I would If I were stiching this out on a towel or a fuzzy material. Putting an underlay can be a part of future editing. Lastly, I deleted the original filled space.

The first layer of outline stich served as a guideline on the base fabric that was used as a visual aid to lay the applique material. The second layer of zig-zag stich was used for tacking the applique fabric and as a guide for cutting out the excess. The last layer of dense stich was the actual top stich to hold the material in place.

I also used my fonting experience to create a frame and stabilizer holder.