Fiona Marie's Thread

Cherry blossom love...

One of my all time favourite trees is the Cherry Blossom. For a short period of time at the end of Winter, here in Canterbury, I marvel at the beauty of blossoms in full bloom before the North West wind descends and scatters petals in pretty flurries through the streets.

Recently I found a You Tube tutorial to make Cherry Blossom fabric flowers and I have adapted this slightly to make my own blossoms. The fabric I have used is a really fine tissue silk, this is vintage and was originally the lining used in Kimono's from Japan. It is a bit slippery to work with but with a little patience the effect is well worth the effort.

Firstly cut:

Large Blossom - 3 rectangles for the outside petals 3" x 1 1/2" and 2 rectangles for the inside small petals of 1 1/2" x 3/4". Finished size - 6cm x 6cm

Small Blossom - 3 rectangles for the outside petals 2" x 1 1/2" and 2 rectangles for the inside small petals of 1 1/2" x 3/4". Finished size - 4cm x 4cm

Fold all pieces in half lengthwise and trim corners off to form rounded edges.

You will need some thread and around 6 gold seed beads.

 I have used a deeper colour silk for the inside petals. Next fold each petal in half (shortend to shortend) and finger press centre line. Then run a small gathering stitch through the centre and back again.

 

Now gather each petal and secure threads well before cutting off ends.

The petals will cup up slightly. Lay the three larger petals on top of each other at differing angles and tack together in the middle. Add the smaller petals at right angles to each other and tack to the larger petals. Now add the gold seed beads and secure.

I have added a small blossom to the hair of the Melly & Me's Kokeshi Doll that I made up, and the rest I have glued onto a branch I found at the river. I will add to this branch as I make up more and it will be a lovely prop to use for my market displays. I am now offering a little kit with the Kokeshi Doll kitset to make up your own vintage silk blossom.

The original tutorial I followed can be found here. 

 Happy stitching - Fiona Marie x

Crafty stuff...

Recently I have stitched a couple of stuffies from Melly & Me's pattern Stuffie Play. I have two more to make to complete the set and thought I would make up a simple drawstring bag for their home before giving away to a friend expecting in a couple of months. I used colouring pencils to add some subtle colour to the designs.

On the shop front I have new pattern releases from Bronwyn Hayes of Red Brolly - Yes, the Blueberry Girls have arrived in full bloom... and don't forget to have a look at her other new pattern Fun Girls Quilt.

Natalie Bird of The Birdhouse has produced two new little stitchery wall hangings featuring hand painted buttons from Theodora Cleave. These are compact little projects that fit easily in your handbag so you can slip in a few stitches while waiting on children at netball practice, guitar lessons, drama class, etc. Natalie has included the design screen printed on calico as well, so you don't even need to trace.

I am now stocking the Hatched & Patched range of Quick & Easy wool pin cushion patterns. There are five different animals to choose from. I can't decide whether I will be making Larry the Lamb or Gilroy the Goose first.

I had fun stitching up a couple of Chubby Birds, a new Creative Card quick & easy project from Australian designer Ric-Rac...

...and I am working on a few smaller projects with an Oriental theme to show you next.

I hope you found time for yourself on Mother's Day and got in a little bit of stitching.

Fiona Marie x 

Books, fabric and stitches...

I now have copies of the Crafty Girls' Road Trip book available to purchase in the Piece store.

I had great fun hand dying a textured 100% wool fabric last week and pieces are now available in the Piece store. The wool has been gently felted during the dying process and would make a great base cloth for a wool felt applique project. I can't wait to have a play with it myself and will be bringing you a few ideas for its use in the next week or so. Like anything unique and handmade I don't have a lot available so supply is definitely limited on this range. I used acid dye and an immersion technique to colour the pieces and they have colour variations typical of hand dyed material. The pieces are each around 35cm square and retail for $NZ6.00 a piece.

The colours are, in order:

Spring Meadow, Tangerine Splash, Spearmint Smoothie, Royal Princess, Pineapple Crush, Mandarin Sherbet, Periwinkle Cove, National Park and Lilac Waltz...as you can probably tell I had a lot of fun choosing the colour names.

The other project I have been working on is the sample for a new embroidery workshop I will be advertsing shortly. I am making up a sample using simple stitches that beginners could easily master, and I hope to use them in a way that creates a finished project with real impact in a reasonably short time frame. My inspiration for this design comes from nature and in particular New Zealand's native birds. This design would look great hanging on the wall in a natural wood hoop, or incorporated into a cushion cover using gorgeous natural linens and silks to enhance the design.

If you have the time I love hearing what you think in the comments section.
Keep stitching till next time - Fiona Marie x 

Crafty Girls' Road Trip winner...

And the winner is...Maria from Whangarei whose favourite local shop is Itch to Stitch. Thank-you to everyone who participated and left a comment on the blog post. I admit I don't think you could get me to part with this book if I wasn't sure there were more on their way. You can pre-order your copy here - what a perfect Mother's Day self-gift. I tend to have quite a few self-gifts happening around that time... 

Keep stitching - Fiona Marie x

This weekend...

Here are some of the crafty happenings to visit around New Zealand this weekend...

The Underground Market in Wellington's Frank Kitts carpark down at the waterfront has a themed market this weekend - Yay!

I am seriously considering heading up to Blenheim to have a look at the Creative Fibre Festival. If you know of any other crafty affairs this weekend please add them to the comments section and if you would like me to mention your upcoming event just email me with the information info@piece.co.nz

Have fun being inspired - Fiona Marie x 

Crafty Girls' Road Trip giveaway...

I have a copy of this lovely new book written by Ann Packer courtesy of Random House to giveaway to one very lucky reader. All you have to do is tell me your hometown and your favourite local crafty shop in the comment section below.

Ann Packer's latest edition of this fabulous book Crafty Girls' Road Trip is now in the book stores. This book is a wonderful resource for anyone even remotely crafty who takes the occasional road trip in the New Zealand countryside. Now you can warn the hubby well in advance of where you want to stop and have already worked out the quickest way to get there...or if you have ever thought what a great idea it would be to escape with the girls' for a weekend of pure crafty indulgence then you will find all the inspiration you need within the pages of this book. Personally, I couldn't put it down and was delighted to see 10 simple craft projects included as an added bonus separating each chapter. For those who miss out on the giveaway copy I will have more available in store shortly.

The winner will be announced next Monday the 30th April.

Fiona Marie x