Saturday, September 29, 2018

(Christmas) Stitching & Painting ................................................


Weekend Greetings dear friends & readers!!


Though I have been absent from blogland I have not been idle & have been making good progress on creating 
for my November market stall.

The two Christmas bags above got the last stitch in them last night ... the pattern on the left is from the 
Lynette Anderson book  "Stitch It For Christmas" & in the book, it is made up into a wallhanging.
 The bag on the right is an old Country Friends design by Wendy Briggs, which I have stitched several times before.
This one is done using Cottage Garden Thread "Mistletoe".


I embellished the bag on the right with some Christmas buttons I found in my stash.
The bags are fully lined & are backed with a striped ticking fabric.




The two stuffed stockings above are an old Mogs designs pattern  ... I make these up most years as I really love the design & they are fun to put together.  The reason one of them is smaller is actually a mistake ... I forgot to use the enlarged pattern & by the time I realised this, I had stitched the design so I went ahead & made up a smaller version.





These handsome fellows below are A Tilda pattern from the book Homemade & Happy
They are called the "Hanging Reindeer" on page 28.


Though I love them 💕 & am delighted I have made them ...... I am So Pleased they are finished!!
I thought they would be sooo simple to make!
 No clothing to make, just teadyed calico bodies ... but I must admit turning & stuffing & shaping those long skinny limbs was no joke at all!!



My grandson Sid & I went for a long walk last Thursday to hunt out some branches suitable for their antlers.
Anything I happened to come across initally was soon demolished by Sid, but I eventually found some blossom tree branches that I was able to remove the buds from.




This little verse I found on the internet made me smile as I have indeed, accidently dipped my brush in my cuppa!!


I bought this white cane mirror home from the St Johns Op Shop to revamp.


I removed the tatty artificial flowers with my hair dryer but unfortunately alot of the glue had hardened & gone down into the cane.  It was a nightmare to try & remove! 
A google search suggested isopropyl alcohol so I went to Bunnings & purchased a bottle.
Rubbing it on the hard glue did absolutely nothing at all so I am wondering if perhaps you are meant to drink it
when it fails to work??!!

After a good scrub to remove the dust, I painted it with my chalk paint Pale Duck Egg ... & then sanded the worst of the glue & gave it another coat.
It is certainly an improvement ... these items belong to the St Johns Op Shop & will be offered for sale.


Now that I look at my photos I can see it is almost an Art Deco style in its shape

I have finally finished the wardrobe I have been working on for the Shop.
I completely forgot to take a "before" photo but it was old dark wood with a shiny lacquer on it. 
It got sanded, two undercoats & two top coats .. the colour is a pretty pink though my photos are certainly 
not doing it justice.

As you can see below, the door, shelf & railing were removed so I could wallpaper inside the wardrobe.



I was happy with the end result but rather relieved it was all done & dusted!
The wardrobe is being priced for sale in the shop.


While I was sitting at the table today stitching some tiny Christmas trees, I had my usual assistant - Miss Pippi.
She often commandeers my threads but I did smile to myself when she fell asleep on the perle cotton while trying 
to hide it from  me. 

Thanks So Much for stopping by today dear friends,
I shall be back quite soon to show you a beautiful Angel I am almost finished! 💗 
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend 
With much love & friendship,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0

20 comments:

  1. You must stitch amazingly fast! I am so impressed with all you have accomplished!
    Having done my share of turning and stuffing skinny things, I don't know that I would have attempted those reindeer, but they turned out awfully cute.
    That verse does seem a perfect fit for you. :)
    Beautiful job on the wardrobe, and a very cute photo of Miss Pippi guarding the thread in her sleep.

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  2. I am convinced your Christmas stall is going to be the most beautiful shopping experience, Julie!! Those little bags are delightful....so much pretty stitching has gone into these. Those stockings are super cute and oh those reindeer....fabulous. I always hate stitching with oh-so-skinny arms and legs. As you say they are impossible to turn out and then stuff; they seem to take forever. The mirror is a new beauty and what a great job you did on the wardrobe. It looks amazing! Visiting your lovely place has once again put a smile into my day.....thank you.♥

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  3. Oh I love those reindeer! I have a set of special wooden stuffers for when I was making and selling Waldorf dolls which are kind of like a rounded/square ended corkscrew thing. A chopstick works well to stuff long legs too, though doesn’t have the comfort of a handle. It can be surprising how much stuffing a long skinny limb can actually take can’t it?

    The wardrobe is just beautiful, who ever buys it is very lucky. The light paint makes it look fo fresh and new.

    Xx

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your lovely comment Emma. I have a special "stuffing stick" that I used on the reindeers long limbs but I kept on bursting through my seams as I needed to stuff them quite tightly! I am pleased I persevered with them though. Xx

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  4. Oh what gorgeous things to drool over Julie.....love it all. I made a Tilda doll once and had the same frustration with skinny leg stuffing.....they did turn out ao fantastic though.
    I enjoyed uour post so much x

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  5. Hi Julie

    Have tried twice to post a comment but it didn’t work.

    Wow, you are keeping yourself busy. Love all your projects and I can’t wait to see your Angel.

    Luv Elizabeth

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  6. Hi Julie wow I love those Xmas bags and the reindeers are very cute,I always love seeing what you get up to ,your Xmas stall will be amazing,well done my friend xx

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  7. The reindeer with antlers and all look lovely
    Julie..Though calling them 'Hanging Reindeer'
    worries me a bit..l think it's just the word..
    'hanging' HeHe! :).
    And..l think they'd look good for Halloween!

    And..I do love that mirror, looks like something
    out of 'Snow White'...I've seen quite a few of
    them, but never one with a pink surround, though,
    l could paint one l suppose, l'm a bit dangerous
    with paint though..! :).

    Miss Pippi, keeping her eyes out on things, especially
    the glue..Bless!x
    I expect Blackie's out catching rabbits..! I've just got
    back from town and there are three outside the back door,
    tomorrow's lunch sorted then! Must get on and clean, skin
    them..it'll be a much quieter Sunday, this Sunday, than
    last Sunday..Hopefully! :).
    Still..Suns out, getting quite hot, forecast for the week
    ahead to..nice fresh mornings, followed by a nice warm,
    bright sunshine...Heaven! :). (=ඒᆽඒ=)

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  8. You have such amazing talent, Julie. I love the Tilda Christmas books and always borrow one from the library each year. I even managed to make a felted wreath from it last year but not the same quality as your beautiful offerings. I adore your stitched bags which must have taken an age to finish. The wardrobe looks like a real labour of love too but another great result. Have a good weekend, Julie. Glad Spring is on its way for you.xx

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  9. As always I love everything you make Julie, I really must start on some Christmassy bits. Love those reindeers, especially the antlers. Well done Sid :)
    Jillxx

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Jill ... Yes my eldest son has his birthday at the end of September & I always find that Christmas always seems to come along rather quickly after that!!

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  10. The wee Christmas bags are fabulous! But the reindeer are my favourite! So good! Love the skinny legs.
    The wardrobe will sell well as you have waved your magic wand over it. The painter's saying is PERFECT! Haha.

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  11. Hi Julie, Those bags are so pretty and you must have spent a lot of time stitching on them. I think they are too pretty to use! Your mirror turned out lovely also. Hae a good week! Nancy

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  12. Wow!!! I get tired just reading about all the projects that you have been stitching on. You must be stitching in your dreams. I could never keep up with you and everything you do is so pretty. I love the long skinny Christmas socks and those reindeer are adorable. I made one of those Danish elves with the long arms and legs, so I know what you mean about turning and stuffing them. I only made one, LOL. I do hope that you take photos of your November craft stall. With creations as charming as these, you are going to do amazing in sales:)
    Have a lovely Sunday.
    Connie :)

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  13. So many beautiful creations Julie, love the reindeer, I can just see Sid sorting the twigs for you 😆😆
    You have done an amazing job with the mirror and wardrobe...no drinking the glue remover, who know what it might remove from you!! 😆 i have done the same with a paint brush, peppermint tea and silver paint do not go together!! Have a wonderful week.

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  14. Miss Pippi asleep on the cotton is just the cutest! I think I shall have to save my pennies so I can purchase one of your dreaded Tilda reindeer, I love them! xx

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  15. Love your Christmas items Julie, the reindeer's are so cute, you could decoupage some fabric on the cane mirror where the glue is stuck, have seen that done years ago on a basket, but it still looks good without it. You did a great job on the wardrobe. Hope the weather is treating you kind, not bad over here at the moment.

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  16. Much gorgeousness as usual. Will you let us know when and where your Christmas market stall will be please? I know i'd love to come and make a few purchases.

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  17. My dear Julie you have such a beautiful touch. The stockings are adorable. Beautiful stitching, beautiful makeovers. I wonder if goo be gone would have loosened any of the dry glue off your mirror. I haven't ever tried it on hot glue but it might be worth a shot.
    xx Beca

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