A Few More Photo Finishes

Here is another post with photo finishes!  The finishing studio is humming where each week my clients challenge me with their work.  There is always something new and interesting to see. Enjoy the eye candy handiwork of my clients!

Vivian did this lovely Brenda Gervais small pillow “Merry Noel”.  Since the fringe was unavailable for her, I hand dyed some mini ball fringe to match.  It’s perfect.  The soft colors in this piece are beautiful.  Nice work Vivian.

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And Laura did an equally beautiful job on this Stacy Nash medium sized pillow entitled “Pine Tree Farm”.  She gave me handmade antique lace to use as an accent around the pillow edge and the perfect fabric backing.  It’s gorgeous!  And the colors in this one are equally soft and delicate.  Lovely!

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Judy created this beautiful white work pillow.  She wanted a brown backing behind the stitching, so I used the same brown fabric for handmade cording and the pillow back.  I included a zippered back so the pillow insert could be taken out if needed. Such intricate detailed stitching!

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Pat did a couple of gifts for little ones this time around.  She requested a rather large flatfold for the first one.  I added the “sticky kisses” across the bottom and the cute little matching buttons.  On the second one I added a handmade multi-colored cording with multi-colored french knots along the accent fabric.  And for privacy, in the photos I have deleted the birth date and weight from both.

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Pat’s needles were on fire this last month and she created this very large wall hanging for someone who just LOVES Halloween.  The tomb-like shape just adds to the fun!

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She also did these two cute wall hangings as Christmas gifts.  All the little girls seem to LOVE the Disney Princesses, especially the mermaids.  Here is one of Ariel!

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And another one of Snow White…this one is certainly elegant with the rosy red apple and the red rattail trim around the perimeter of the stitching!  I LOVE the Disney fabrics on the back!  These little girls will love to look at both front AND back!!

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If you are interested in learning Boutis (a simple running stitch and corded French needle work technique), I now have on my Etsy page not only a kit for the three ornaments I designed (containing ALL materials needed for the three ornaments), but a “pattern only” choice, as well as the “hard to find” special cotton yarn that is needed for the kit.

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I have lots more photo finishes…so come back again soon!  Thanks so much for your continuing visits!

Amities, Averyclaire

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Finishes for the Upcoming Seasons

Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year. Everyone is thinking ahead and stitching up some lovely things to cover all the coming celebrations. It has been a busy few weeks in my studio finishing up some beautiful and amazing stitching.

Carol J. now has a place to store her needles and pins with her new needle book.

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Becky M. chose a flatfold for a fun new spooky decoration for her home.

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The Tinsmith’s Wife is a Needlework Shop in Comfort, Texas specializing in Knit, Crochet, Cross-Stitch, and Needlepoint. They now have an Autumn Owl on display in their shop.

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The shop also has a new basket tag encouraging everyone to be “Thankful.”

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and a lovely new Shepherd’s Bush ornament in anticipation for Christmas to come.

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Judy B. is celebrating “Friends” this season with special gifts.

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Nancy H. has another pillow similar to her Halloween one…this one for Christmas which will look lovely in her home. It’s not a small pillow…maybe about 11×16 inches. Love the soft colors she chose.

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Carol J. found two of her three kings and decided to have them finished for the holiday this year. They now have a luscious deep forest green velvet back!

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Becky M. stitched up two lovely Christmas ornaments…a “peaceful” angel and a cheery cardinal.

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Anne L. was lucky enough to purchase the chart for the new Prairie Schooler Christmas “reindeer.” We will all surely miss Prairie Schooler designs!

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And last but not least Southpaw Stitcher quickly stitched this fun and lovely Blackbird Design and requested a “box” finish. I think I need to find a box a make one for myself! Love this one.

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Thank you to everyone for your trust in me to create lovely things from your beautiful stitching!

More finishes to post soon. I have so busy in my studio there has been little time for me to stitch anything for myself! However, I did have a LOT of fun this month in showing my finished quilt at my quilt and needlework meetings and telling the story behind it. I haven’t had a quilt to show for a LONG, LONG time!

Amities, Averyclaire

HAPPY HALLOWEEN……..

I absolutely love Halloween decorations…the fun that the children (and adults) have in dressing up and partying…the chocolate candy. Alas I did not have a lot of time to do many new Halloween needlework pieces, but here is one of my favorites finally mounted and finished.    I found an unfinished box at Hobby Lobby, painted it black and roughed it up a bit to look antique.

I found the cutest tiny fuzzy ball trim to go around the mounted cross-stitch work.    Sorry it’s so difficult to see.

And the grandchildren just love the surprise inside!!!    And I love the orange paint!!!

My birthday is coming soon and my dear French friend, Maggy, sent me the most BEAUTIFUL pair of “Eiffel Tower” scissors!! I absolutely adore them. How did she know that I have wanted a pair of these for a LONG time? Thank you Maggy.

She also sent me two French Patchwork magazines and a watercolor book on scenes from Provence. This will keep me busy for sure.

Remember the Stumpwork workshop I attended….well I had finished the needlework itself, but now I have completed the finishing on the ornament. Don’t you just love the look of the Dupioni silk?

It was great fun doing the little spider.

And whoo hoo….I have finished the quilt top I started on retreat last weekend. Now it just needs to be quilted.

It turned out larger than I had expected…isn’t that nice!!

Hope everyone had a fun weekend and a laughter-filled Halloween Day.

Til next time, Amities, Averyclaire

Stitching and Sightseeing

I know I should be working on Christmas things (because it’s RIGHT around the corner, but I have been busy with some little Halloween pieces. A couple of small ornaments (“Boo” from Waxing Moon and “in progress” is “Full Moon” from Ink Circles–Halloween Just Cross-Stitch Issue 2010) to hang on hooks and knobs around the house, and another lovely Halloween piece from Drawn Thread. I LOVE Halloween. Guess I am a kid at heart.

I DID do a bit of Christmas (only because this project takes a LONG time)! Another finish for me this week was the Christmas stocking I was making for my daughter’s husband. She has a felt stocking from when she was little and each of her children have one, so she asked me to make one for her DH. Voila! I thought “Santa’s Workshop” was appropriate for him. It had a “zillion” pieces, but it was fun to make.

This past week my DH and I spent a day in Chicago’s downtown area and I thought I would share a couple of photos of some of Chicago’s famous artwork. In 2004, the sculpture “Cloud Gate”, dubbed by Chicagoans as “The Bean”, was unveiled in our new Millenium Park. Creation of British artist, Anish Kapor, “The Bean” is 66 feet long and 33 feet high, weighing 110 tons. Made of steel plates polished to this shiny finish, it looks like a big drop of Mercury. The skyline of Chicago can be seen in it’s reflection and everyone loves the reflections that are like a funhouse mirror. “The Bean” and Millenium Park has become a destination for school trips and people of all ages.

Also downtown, but on our “Magnificent Mile” is the “Forever Marilyn” statue created by artist J. Seward Johnson. It was unveiled in July 2011 and will remain here until Spring of 2012. Marilyn Monroe (26 feet tall) is posed in her famous stance from her movie “Seven Year Itch”. It is fun and interesting to see. There are mixed emotions from the masses regarding this statue. Some people say it does not depict a dignified enough image for Chicago…that it is too obscene. I thought it was delightful. (Everyone goes underneath it to see her panties.)

And last, but NOT least, I went with a friend to visit “The Farnsworth House” in Plano, IL about 1-1/2 hours west of Chicago. It was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and completed around 1951 for a physician who was single and wanted a weekend get-away house for the weekends. An interesting architectural experience, it sits on lovely acreage along the Fox River. All the walls are made of windows. While I do not care much for modern things, I could live in this house in a minute because of the surrounding woods and beauty. However, being near the Fox River, it has been known to flood, so I think I will stay where I am at!! Anyway…it was a SUPER fun day to spend with a good friend.

Til next time…Amities, Averyclaire