Little House on a Hill

"Hill House" is the second pattern preview for the month May.  It's a cute little pattern that I hope you like.  I love that the name of our company is in the design itself!  The ornament is the last preview and it's coming soon!

Happy Stitching,

Diane

Two Yellow Houses

First of all. . . . . a while ago I wondered to myself what the Elizabeth Hancock Reproduction would look like if all of the main body were omitted.  The header shows you what that would look like.  It still looks great.  So for those of you who don't like stitching words, this is an option for you.

Two Yellow Houses is one of three designs we ship this month.  If yellow isn't your color you can easily swap out the two shades in the house for something that you do like.  Browns would look great too!  More photos will follow in the days ahead.

Happy Stitching,

Diane

Preview in the header!

You aren't seeing the entire design.  It has been cut off and filled in with words.  The design is called "Two Yellow Houses" and goes along with the other three we already have in our pattern line.  They are Two White, Blue and Red Houses.

I'll show you the entire design real soon!

Happy Stitching,
Diane
P.S.  This design ships to our distributors the middle of this month.

An early evening walk . . . . .

Ron, Gracie and I took an early evening walk last night and encountered the sweetest little birds.  

The desert is blooming.  

I take my camera most places. . . . . it's usually hanging from my neck like a piece of jewelry.  You just never know when life will present a beautiful moment.

Happy stitching,

Diane

The weekend is here. . . . .

I'll be showing you May's new designs next week!

Diane

Running out of wall space????

If you are one of the many who have run out of wall space but are not handy with a sewing machine to finish projects, I have something for you.  You'll have to be brave though. . . . . it involves, Mod Podge, a glue gun and scissors. . . . . . .the first two being real no-no's in the needlework industry.

I started with a paper mache book box from the craft store.  A box with a lid would work too.  The "page" portion of the box was painted with a gold metallic using a sponge brush.

It's nice and shiny.  :)

Measure and cut a piece of fabric that will completely cover the outside of the book.  With the RIGHT side of the fabric up, coat with Mod Podge.  I used a sponge brush for this step too.  Allow to dry completely.

Trim much of the excess fabric away from the design you plan to mount.  Coat the EXCESS edge on the back side of the design, not the design itself.  You are doing this to stop any fraying and stabilize the fabric.   This is the strawberry gameboard (http://www.littlehouseneedleworks.com/garden.html).

Once this piece dries, trim closely to the last stitches.  I left about 1/8".  The Mod Podge allowed the fabric to stiffen and there was no raveling.  This is scary stuff!!!  Cutting. . . . gluing. . . . . . eek!

Next, measure the width and length of the book.  I used a ruler and rotary cutter to trim the fabric to fit, allowing for 1/4" turns to the inside.  So whatever your measurements are, add 1/2" to each measurement.

Next step, coat the outside of the box with Mod Podge and go to work centering and pressing the fabric.  Once it's in place, sponge more Mod Podge onto the inside areas.  Don't worry about perfectionism.  The product dries clear.  It takes a while to get it all to stick.  I continued dabbing my fingers into a puddle of the MP to get it all to lay down but it did.  After the glue dried I antiqued the pages a bit with black paint and rubbed a bit of the gold in dry-brush fashion over the fabric.  I forgot to photograph that step.  Oops.

Now it's time to take your stitched piece and adhere it to the book.  Again using Mod Podge, brush the edges a bit heavily but the inside of the design lightly.  Center on the box and press.  The MP dries rather quickly so move along with determination!

This is the last step.  It includes a glue gun, probably the scariest part.  Squeeze gently with a thin bead of really hot glue and trim the edge of the design with twine or other pliable trim.  I left a long tail and started at the center/top so I could tie a bow.  If the glue is hot it spreads nicely.  If you rush it blobs out.

So here it is finished.  Because this book stands, it's perfect for a bookcase.  I know there are other ways of finishing a project like this.  You could skip applying fabric and just paint the box or antique it.  The design could be mounted to foam core to make the center more dimensional.  Ahhhhh. . .  .then there is the inside.  Maybe we'll tackle that another day.

So many ideas. . . . so little time.

Happy Stitching,

 Diane

The life of bees. . . . . .

Our orange tree is so fragrant and filled with blooms.  The smell has not gone unnoticed by the local bees.  

I love this guy. . . . head first into the bloom!

This one looks like a circus performer the way he is hanging upside down.

The next one I nick-named the bee bye-bye. . . . . . 

Do you remember my Granny Square Afghan?

A while back I bought yarn to create an old fashioned granny afghan.  Well, it fell into the category of UFO, collected some dust and then was remembered by me a year and a half later.  I think I had put it away because I just didn't like all of the black (even though I decorate with a LOT of black).  And too, if you own a dog that sheds a lot (me, me, me!), you know black seems to be a magnet.  So in showing a friend my squares, it occurred to me to simply change the direction and make the dominate color the beige that was already in each square.

It had taken on a completely different look by emphasizing the beige.  All that is left is the joining and the border!  For anyone interested in colors, you will need the following in Vanna's Choice by Lion Brand: Honey, Beige, Black and Dusty Green.

Happy Stitching,
Diane