Grow Your Blog

24 Jan 2014 110 Comments

by averyclaire in Applique, Cross-Stitch, Hand Quilting, Needlework, Quilting, Thank You, Wool, Work in Progress Tags: , , , , , ,

Welcome everyone to Averyclaire Needlearts!   I am excited to be a part of the “Grow Your Blog Party.”  Thank you for stopping in to visit. 

I am a midwesterner, born and raised in the Chicago area.   Whether I am home or away, I keep busy hands.  There is nothing more wonderful than a cup of hot  tea while having a piece of some kind of needlework, sewing, quilting, or knitting in my hands.    An early morning in the perennial garden fills my soul. I can get lost for weeks in books and am a passionate Francophile. Music to sooth the soul is Andrea Bocelli, Adamo, and John Denver. 

My grandmother, Clara Avery, taught me to knit when I was seven and instilled into me the gentle art of all kinds of needlework.

If you leave a comment on this post you will be entered in the drawing to win a prize (the drawing will be held on February 15th).   It will be a lovely cross-stitched surprise.   However, please scroll through my blog to see some of my projects.  I hope you enjoy them all and I look forward to seeing all of your projects as well. 

 Amities, Averyclaire

Yellow Whole Cloth 1

Star Quilt 1

Sweet Sixteen HQ2

Berry Patch Rabbit

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Sophia Sampler Framed

Kathie Monog Pillow1

Scotty Ornament

Sewing Pockets

catquilt001

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biscornu

Flannel Quilt

Tablecloth Quilt 2011

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Fleur de Lis Scissor Fob

Wedding Quilt

Christmas Stocking Remade

Cross-Stitched Navajo Weaving

Thanks again for coming!

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Busy Days

08 Jul 2013 9 Comments

by averyclaire in Embroidery, Family, Needlework, Ornaments, Quilts, Sewing, Wool Tags: , , , , ,

What have I been doing for the last four months?   Well, a lot actually!   Thanks for being patient with me and thank you for always coming back to see what’s new!

I finally had my star quilt quilted by Jamie Wallen in Michigan City, IN.    Didn’t realize I wouldn’t get it back for four months, but I do love how it is quilted!   He did a beautiful job.   And it is now one of my favorites!

Star Quilt 1

You can see the lovely feather quilting done around each star!

Star Quilt 2 closeup

While that was out being quilted, I made 20 more baby blankets with teddy bears for our Quilters’ Plus Holiday Boutique the first weekend in November.   I have them all lined up and waiting to put double ribbons around each teddy bear.   I have made these for many years.   The proceeds of these blankets help support my quilt guild (and I get some money back as well).   It’s a lot of work to make so many, but voila!  C’est fini!

2013 baby blankets

I also made some wool Christmas ornaments to sell at the same Holiday Boutique, but 100% of the proceeds from these ornaments will go to my NeedleArtisans of NW Indiana group and the quilt guild.    The same goes for the cotton kitchen washcloths I made.   I would like to make more items, but my own projects seem to be suffering with all the things I made for the Boutique.   So I will have to call it quits for the boutique items I think.

Wool Ornaments 1

Wool Felt Ornaments 2

Wool Felt Ornaments 3

Cotton Washcloths

And last but not least of my projects, I have my “Over the River and Through the Woods” quilt prepared for quilting.  The three picturesque center panels are all hand embroidered.   I plan to machine quilt this one myself.   I don’t consider myself a good home machine quilter, but it’s too pricey to have one’s quilts quilted professionally.   I like to say “I DID IT MYSELF” anyway.   And some quilts just don’t warrant the weeks and weeks of hand quilting.   Besides, I still have my yellow whole cloth one on my quilt frame.   It’s almost done!

Over the River 1

In between all the sewing, life things happened….a couple of wakes and funerals….a shower and a wedding….a week’s getaway for DH and myself…. several lunches with friends….a trip to the International Quilt Show in Chicago….quite a bit of gardening upkeep….an unexpected reunion with my three siblings (some who live quite far away)…and the usual everyday things.   I very much enjoy my retirement….and love to sit and “veg” occasionally with a good book or my trusty computer seeing what’s new in the needlework and quilting world.

Thanks for visiting my blog again!     Amities, Averyclaire

Remake

06 Nov 2012 5 Comments

by averyclaire in Christmas, Needlearts, Wool Tags: , ,

A few years ago I designed an “au naturel” wool Christmas stocking for my DIL who loves nature and the great outdoors (specifically sunflowers). Here is the first one I made:

She asked for a little more “bling” and perhaps something red…so I took off the top sunflower and added a cardinal, a few snowflakes, an aspen tree (they live in Colorado), and a pretty little gift under the tree and some “glittzy” sequins sprinkled all around.

I think she’s going to like this one:

And now I am working on one for one year old Maya….shhh.

Amities, Averyclaire

Ornaments

22 Oct 2008 8 Comments

by averyclaire in Christmas, Embroidery, Gifts, Wool Tags: ,

I’ve been working a lot without much time for sewing.  Actually I wake up at 4 AM and get some sewing done before I go to work.  I think I am a bit tired…but I managed to do these Christmas ornaments.  They are from a pattern by Indygo Junction.  I haven’t done a lot of it, but I love working with wool.  I have been collecting it for years hoping to do something fun.

 

 

 

Aren’t they just adorable.  I think I will save them for gifts for the holiday season. 

 

 

 

I think this green one is my favorite.  They worked up quickly and it was something I could do when I was really tired and just wanted to sit in front of the TV at night and “veg.”

 

 

 

The embroidery on this one didn’t take much time and it really adds a lot to the ornament!

 

 

 

 

The little Christmas tree has beads for ornaments and a tiny silver bead to top the tree.  Each ornament has a “jingle bell” attached to the ribbon.

 

 

On second thought…I think perhaps that this Mistletoe ornament might be my favorite.  When I was a young girl, I always made sure I had mistletoe around at the holidays for the all the gentlemen who might pass through our doorway!  What do you think?

 

 

 

Perhaps it is hard to choose a favorite.  But I think they will make delightful gifts this year.  Glad I spent those early mornings sewing.

Time

10 Sep 2008 4 Comments

by averyclaire in Family, Needlework, Wool Tags: , ,

It was six days of fun, family, and relaxation.  We had a couple of days to ourselves; the children and grandchildren arrived; we hiked; we biked; we canoed; we roasted marshmallows; and we just simply spent time with one another.  We even celebrated one granddaughter’s 8th birthday with candles and cake and gifts.  It was marvelous.  It was a gift to me that they all agreed to come for the weekend.  And then we had a couple of additional days to just relax before coming home to what awaits everyone upon returning home. 

 

My time was spent with family…not much needlework, but I did manage to complete a couple of items, make progress on another, and read a good book.

 

The wool candle mats are from patterns I purchased sometime ago, but still available.  Working with wool is very soothing, very forgiving, quick to do and something I very much enjoy.   I have been collecting bits of old wool for years, have tried my hand at dyeing a bit, and have purchased some lovely wool pieces.  Most of what I use is felted wool fabric, but when I can’t find or create just the right colors, I use wool felt.  This comes in brightly dyed colors more than one could ever wish for. 

 

Sometimes my only enemy is time…not enough of it.  Right now I have time dedicated to promised projects and not enough time for desired art projects of my own.   One day.   For now, I spent the last six days of my time with my family…a very precious gift from them to me.  I am grateful.